Interpretation of Statistics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interpretation of Statistics - Research Paper Example 2. The ages of the children at the time they underwent intestinal investigation is given in Table 1. Assume that all the children had their MMR immunisation at age 1 year. On average how much time elapsed between the MMR and investigation (calculate this) KM Madsen, A Hviid, M Vestergaard, D Schendel, J Wohlfahrt, P Thorsen, J Olsen, M Melbye. A Population-Based Study of Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccination and Autism. N England J Med, 2002 347: 1477-1482 Answer: Unlike case control study, cohort study gives the freedom to include samples both from affected (diseased) and unaffected (without disease i.e. control) pool. We can compare the effect of a specific phenomenon on both the population types simultaneously and draw inference accordingly through cohort study. Although, the cohort study is more expensive but, the validation of information on exposure is complete and always provide enough information on incidence rates of the diseases. Cohort study is a rare exposure and minimise bias in the exposure determination. But sometimes the diseases are rare. In that situation case-control study is a must which Examine multiple etiologic factors for a single disease. Answer: Information from the Danish Civil Registration System was used to identify the link from the accompanying adult to child. Thus, 98.5 percent of children were identified with the use of child's civil registry number or the civil-registry number of father or mother and the age of the child at the time of vaccination on the basis of additional information The remaining 1.5 percent of children were identified on the basis of additional information from Danish Civil Registration System on other relatives and information on the address at the time of vaccination. So far as the diagnosis is considered, all diagnosis were based on standard criteria like International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) which is similar to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) with regard to autism. e) Is this method of case ascertainment likely to identify all cases of autism in the cohort If some children with

Narrative Paper Essay Example for Free

Narrative Paper Essay Six Flags is a fun, thrilling amusement park, but for friends, it is now a threat to their lives. A fun field trip turns out to be a scary experience for them. Six Flags is the most fun field trip of the year, of course, who does not like rollercoasters? â€Å"Hey! Look at that new ride!! † Jackie points at the Spiderman rollercoaster with a thrilled expression. â€Å"That ride goes so quickly! Let us go on it! † Her sister, Josie, agrees. They stop for some sweet cotton candy that melts in their mouths very quickly. They stop to see other attractions but continue ahead. â€Å"I am ready for my first day, boss!! † a quirky girl in a Six Flags uniform says behind them. The guy operating the ride shows her some basic buttons on operation the ride, but she does not pay much attention. â€Å"I will let you do this ride, I need to use the bathroom,† the boss says to the new worker as people buckle themselves on the ride. The Spiderman ride is a very fast ride that they were enjoying. â€Å"Uh-oh,† the girl working the ride screams as she fiercely presses buttons on the box. The rollercoaster abruptly stops as it is turning upside down. The screams and cries of the people became louder and louder. â€Å"What is happening?!? † Jackie screams loud enough to hear. â€Å"What do I do?! What do I do?! † the girl panicks and pushes on the frozen buttons. â€Å"Amelia! What are you doing!? † the boss comes in running with toilet paper stuck to his shoe. â€Å"I am sorry boss, I do not know what happened! † Amelia shouts so she can be heard over the screams of riders. â€Å"Wait†¦ How did you know it was stuck † â€Å"I could hear everybody’s cries from the bathroom!! † he rolled his eyes and began to press the emergency buttons. The ride made a weird noise then began running again. â€Å"I am sorry, Amelia, but you are fired,† the boss says in a tired tone. Everybody gets off the ride like they are running for their lives. The boss is still shouting at Amelia for not knowing how to operate the ride. â€Å"I am alive!! † Josie shouts as she comes running out. â€Å"Thank goodness we did not die! † Jackie cries. â€Å"I know! I am never going on a ride again,† Josie shrieked. â€Å"Same. I think I will just go on the kiddy cars,† Jackie agrees and heads towards the kids section. â€Å"Yay! Let us go! †

The Sword in the Stone of the Arthurian Legend Essay -- Arthurian Lege

The Sword in the Stone of the Arthurian Legend King Arthur and the knights of the round table belong to a long line of books and stories of the Arthurian legend. Merlin, Lancelot, The lady of the lake, King Arthur, and Excaliber are all very important in the Arthurian legend. In this essay we will talk about King Arthur, the knights of the round table, and Merlin in the famous story, The sword in the stone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Sword in the stone is a book about an adopted child named wart. He is of royal blood and does not know this. One day when Wart is in the forest, he finds a magician named Merlin. Merlin comes home with Wart and agrees with Sir Ector, Wart’s guardian, to become Wart’s tutor. Merlin goes about educating Wart by Transforming him into different animals. Through each transformation Wart experiences different forms of power, each being a part of how he should rule as king.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first transformation takes Wart and Merlin into the castle’s moat as a fish. They then meet the largest fish in the moat, which is an alligator who is the ruler. The alligator takes what he wants because of his size. In a speech about power, he tells Wart that â€Å"Might is right,† and might of the body is greater than might of the mind. Because of the way the alligator rules, his subjects obey him out of fear for their lives. Wart experiences this firsthand when the gator tells him to leave. He has grown bored of Wart, and if Wart does not leave he will eat him. The king uses his size as his claim to power, therefore his subjects follow him out of fear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Wart’s next transformation into a hawk, he soars into the castle’s mews. All the birds into the mews have a military rank. Their leader is an old falcon, who Sir Ector keeps just for show. The birds who rank below the falcon, hold her in the highest regard because of her old age. She applies her power over the other birds with no concern for their lives. In one instance, Wart is ordered to stand next to the cage of a crazy hawk who almost kills him. On the other hand, her seasoned age brings respect, since she had not been released once she outlived her usefulness as a hunter. This allows her to maintain a powerful grip over all the birds she rules through fear and respect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Wart’s next make over Wart is transformed into an ant and posted within an ant colony. There is a single leader of the ant... ...ncelot killed the man responsible for this thievery he said, for shame that a knight not withhold or respect his high calling. Lancelot also showed his dedication to his knighthood and his King when he was tempted to sleep with Gwynevere but didn’t sleep with her by riding out and looking for adventure to prevent anything bad happening disrespecting King Arthur and his knightly standards by sleeping with her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Lancelot is the best example of the loyalty of the Knights of the round Table in all of his actions. Lancelot did not let love get into any of his affairs and yet showed compassion and proved that he was not out to win personal gain. The Knights of the Round Table were noble in their actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That’s the story of how we know the story (or stories) today. King Arthur was raised and taught by the wise Magician named Merlin who has helped many kings before Arthur be great. Who created the Round Table and the Knights that sit around it and among those the famous Lancelot. Without Merlin there is no Arthur, without Arthur there is no Lancelot. So we now know that even though it’s called the Arthurian legend, all of them are big contributors to the legend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Population

A population is consists of a group of the same species which occupy the same area. In order for a population to survive certain variables must be in place, making the biome ideal to support life for that and the other species within that community. There are some species that depends solely on the type of climate and food web that is available in a particular biome, these species would be considered to be specialists. Other species are able to adapt to the change of climate and eat a variety of items which aids in their survival and population growth.This paper will examine four species of birds in an effort to ascertain which species may be considered generalist / opportunistic and which species are specialist depending on specific climate or with a narrow niche preference. In order to providers with accurate information the writer will examine the environmental preference of these specific species, their diet, population growth and biome that provides the perfect living conditions for their species. The four species being examined today are the American Robin, the Wood Stork, Great Blue Herron and the Double Crested Cormorant.The American Robin's diet consists of a wide variety of berries earthworms and insects, and they are found throughout North America. Communities or Robins are found in several biomes, including forests edges, woodlands, grasslands, tundra and forests regenerating from recent fires, they are also found in populated urban areas since human development provides areas for them to forage. Although the Robin is a migratory species some of them have adapted to the cold and spend their entire lives in the colder regions of Northern America and Southern Canada.Although some American Robin is capable of adapting to several environments their diets are not so widespread in the summer they feast on insects and earthworms, while in the winters their diets mainly consists of berries. It is often hard to determine whether or not a species fall in the category of generalist or specialist because of their behavior and eating patterns, however it could safely be said that the American Robin is a specialist and their eating habits has proven this and also because they are migratory.The Double Crested Cormorant is widely distributed being found in egions with bodies of water that will support their diet of mainly fish however crustaceans, insects and amphibians are known to be consumed by them. The biomes that provide them with the best living conditions would be the temperate costal waterways, freshwater rivers and lakes and other marine waters The fact that they consume over 250 species of fish which is readily available in regions with abundant rainfall has aided in the rebound of their population.The Double Crested Cormorant falls within the category of generalist [opportunistic. In the United States he Wood Stork is found mainly in the southern regions along the coastal areas. Their food supply which includes a range fishes, fro gs, mollusks, snails and insects can be found in coastal areas, tidal waters, marshes, swamps, streams and mangroves. The to provide them with food supply year round. Although their diets are made up of several types of items they mainly come from the waterways and as such their distribution is not widespread, making the Wood stork a specialist species.The Great Blue Herron was made for survival; they are very adaptive and can be found in a ide variety of areas within the United States. Their diets include both vertebrates and invertebrates, insects, fishes and even other birds. They also consume small mammals and amphibians which can be found in forests or waterways. These birds can also endure the cold winters therefore many biomes support their habitats. The Great Blue Herron would be considered an opportunistic species since they are widely distributed and very adaptive to climate and diet.In concluding I would like to say that most species don't fit easily into one category mak ing it harder to identify hether or not they are specialist or generalist, as in the case of the Robin who is widely distributed, however they are confined based on what they eat and weather conditions.

Choices – creative writing

Life is full of choices. Kelly, my best friend, made many choices; life altering choices. It sculpted the rest of her entire life. I, Karmen, was standing by her. Whatever happened to her. She was the only girl I had ever known who had the ability to hurt me, make me cry, make me loathe her, but still deep down, let me love her. Of course in this day and age some mocked our friendship; perceived it as something more. However, only we knew what we meant to each other. She was my life; she was like a sister to me. Our friendship undeniably was not the easiest, but whose is? Despite all of this, I loved Kelly Mainers more than anything in my life. Let me start from the beginning. Seven years to the day, I met Kelly. It was a cloudless day, at the beginning of September, it was apparent by the looks on everyone's faces that none of us wanted to be there. The weather was showing no signs of cooling, so it felt like we were attending school in the middle of summer. I noticed this girl waving her parents good bye at the gates of Whitmore Girls. She had a thought provoking face. Long brown hair outlined her heart shaped face, and her vivid bright green eyes were the focus. She caught me staring and smiled, I did the same. We were eleven and young, fresh out of junior school, we just thought of each other as people to talk to. After a while our friendship deepened. We had instantly clicked. Neither of us had brothers or sisters, so we filled that void in each other's lives. We were mocked at school for constantly being together. No one would ever catch us without the other, and when they did, they knew something serious must be happening. The years passed, as we grew older, our friendship grew stronger. However, at around 15, gradually our personalities began to differ. Kelly was into boys, make-up and clothes, whereas I was into music, food and television. We still conversed, but the spark that we had encountered at the beginning of our friendship just was not there anymore. We did not feel the need to be around each other constantly. It was sad, and we both had noticed it, but we did not let it jeopardise the little communication we had left with each other. We both acquired more friends outside our own friendship, which in a way helped me, but not Kelly. Kelly's new friends influenced her in a way that I can only describe as detrimental. I was inclined to call them the â€Å"Shriek† crew, due to their incessant screeching whenever they spotted a member of the opposite sex. They turned Kelly into mini clones of themselves, which I am sure you can guess, was not a good thing. After much deliberation, one Saturday at the beginning of the summer holidays, 15 and free, I gave in and agreed to go out with Kelly. I usually tried to avoid doing this in case one of the â€Å"shriek† crew decided to tag along. After a long time, it was just the two of us. Looking back, it was the last time that Kelly and I had spent some real quality time together. We spent that whole afternoon just talking. We caught up on everything, I felt like I was getting to know her all over again. She had changed a lot, but deep down I knew she was still Kelly. The Kelly I ‘chose' to be my best friend all those years ago. I had had one of the best days of my life, so obviously something had to come and spoil it. Just our luck, it was Karl, Karl Daniels. It was obvious to anyone who laid their eyes on him that he was good looking. Consequently, this boy was classed as Whitmore Boys finest specimen. I can still recall the effect that Karl had on Kelly and me when we first saw him. We were walking and I noticed him first. I stopped dead in my tracks; he literally took my breath away, all clichis aside. He had an utterly captivating face. After this day, Karl became the focus of all our attention. He was the type of boy that girls lusted after and a select few actually got. Some spent their lives throwing themselves at him. I had personally fawned over Karl for quite some time. However, soon his effect on me died down. Kelly, on the other hand, had a completely different take on this. As she grew older, her lust for him grew stronger. It was seven o'clock, and Kelly and I were still out and about on our â€Å"Bonding Session† when Karl called out to us, â€Å"So, you two wana come my way? † I scowled quietly. Kelly, right on cue, giggled and tossed her hair. She had switched into flirting mode. â€Å"Hey Karl, you all right? † Kelly simpered, as a wide slow grin spread over her perfect features. â€Å"Uh-huh, so what you saying? You two guna come? It's this massive party down at my yard, love it if you could be there,† Karl replied. Blatantly he was only asking me to come along out of politeness. This was a regular occurrence: the guys chat Kelly up whilst I sit on the by lines watching, and assume the nickname ‘moody bitch'. Nothing new there. Kelly looked pleadingly at me, and I gave her one of my ‘don't even think of asking me, you know what my answer is, do what the hell you want' looks. She seemed displeased. â€Å"Karl, I'd love to come you know that, but it looks like my friend isn't in the party mood, and would rather I didn't go, sorry,† Kelly stated. My heart went out to her, she had fancied this boy for ages and she was doing this all for me. However, Karl, being a boy, persisted further, â€Å"What? She your mum now? Who says you have to go with her? You can come with me girl. Trust, you'll have fun with me too! † Karl responded winking at her. That small insignificant gesture made Kelly's mind up instantaneously. With a few rushed apologies she sauntered off, arms linked with the â€Å"sex god† of year 11. She had picked Karl over me, a twinge of pain swept through my body. I was aware she fancied him but she could have at least tried to persuade me to accompany her. Little did she know that going to the party would change the course of her whole life; she could do nothing to stop it. It was the first day back to school from the summer holidays. I was late, and was darting around trying to get to my new form room. I had not spoken to Kelly for four weeks since that day she chose Karl over me. Neither of us had bothered to pick up the phone to each other during this time. However, Kelly was the kind of girl I tended to call a sporadic caller, i. e. they only call when they want something! Personally, I thought it should be Kelly's duty to do this especially as she was the one that left me that serene Saturday. Things like this rarely traversed Kelly's mind. My mobile bleeped and said â€Å"four messages received†. All of them were from Kelly begging me to find her in the school toilets. As usual, Kelly called and I ran to her side. I made a slight detour on the way to my form room and found Kelly sitting on a toilet. The door was ajar, and I found Kelly crying hysterically. I was at a complete loss. I did not know what to do; why was she so upset? Kelly's sobbing ceased momentarily, whilst she urged herself to talk, â€Å"Karmen, I have something to tell you and please don't interrupt me for once, I just want to come out with it†¦ I'm pregnant. † I was gaping at her; it was like a bombshell. Kelly looked so vulnerable; I wanted to reach out and hug her. Suddenly something snapped in me; I could not put my finger on it but in a space of a second, everything had changed. Something was stopping me reaching out and touching my best friend. Why? She again burst into full-fledged tears and I just could not bring myself to console her, it was impossible. I tried to reach out and touch her arm but it was as if an invisible string was holding me back, making me keep my distance from her. I am not sure why this piece of news had such an effect on me. I think it was because deep down I wanted Kelly to realise for herself that the people that she hung out with were wrong for her. The old Kelly would not just up and leave and go out with a boy that she hardly knew. â€Å"The eyes are the windows to your soul,† Kelly had said to me five years ago. Until now, I had never understood what she meant, but she was right. When I was staring into her eyes, I could feel every facet of emotion she had in her. I was scared for Kelly. What would her destiny be 15 and expecting? â€Å"Whose baby is it then? † I asked, mentally running through the string of boys that we were acquainted with. Karl's,† she replied with a sniff. I studied her face intent on getting the truth, but Kelly made this task very easy for me – â€Å"Look Karmen, I don't see the point in being in denial, Karl raped me ok? I know what you're going to say ‘I told you, you shouldn't have gone with him in the first place blah blah blah'. I know i t was entirely my fault and I know you think it is to. We were making our way to the party and he was being so nice. Treating me well. Before I was drunk at the party, I didn't really know anyone, so I hung around with him. One thing led to another and was kissing him, nothing more. I went and hung out with some of the â€Å"shriek† crew and that was all right. Then a couple of hours later, Karl came up to me. His breath stank of alcohol and he tried to kiss me. I pushed him away. However, in the end I just could not help it, I liked him so much and I gave in to temptation. I was in his room and we were just talking,† Kelly again broke down into tears, I let her cry it out, but she started to talk again. â€Å"I am an idiot I was kinda drunk; I didn't even know what I was doing, let alone when, where and how. I doubt I even enjoyed it. I mean I liked him yeah, but not enough to do something like that with him. I don't know, I lost my virginity to him and I didn't even want to. He was so rough, and his eyes were evil. It was as if a different Karl had taken over. He wasn't the same sweet, innocent faced boy that I had fancied for so long. I am such a mess, and I am so sorry I didn't ring you. I did not know what to do with myself; I've been a nervous wreck. Seriously Karmen, as a mate, I need to know that you'll be here, right beside me. † What could I say? After hearing all that, the invisible string that was holding me back let go. Apart from anything else, I managed to give her some degree of solace. I doubt I alleviated any of her pain but I did my best. Something that really bugged me was the fact that she did not seem too bothered about Karl raping her. Rape, the dictionary defines it as a) if a man rapes a woman, he violently forces her to have sex with him against her will b) rape is the act or crime of raping a woman. The next day, Kelly talked for two hours straight, and I just listened. Listened to what she had to say and how she felt. It was her time and not mine. I came out of it feeling different. Different as in doubtful but not once did Kelly speak about how she had been violated by Karl. I thought a lot over the next few days. I recalled all the conversations that Kelly and I had had about Karl (which was quite a few). All the evidence pointed to the fact that Kelly wanted this to happen. Not that it was pre-meditated or anything, more that she wasn't bothered about the fact that she had been violated and her virginity had been lost to a terrible crime like rape. It would make sense, I mean she had always fancied him, and I was positive that her feelings for him were more physical than anything else. She was not so much upset about the fact that he raped her, more the fact that she was pregnant. I mean obviously the suspicions that I had were not rock solid, but they felt right. A few months passed, I consciously distanced myself from Kelly. Not that she had noticed, of course. She got a lot of teasing when her bump started to become prominent, but those people soon refrained from this when she began coming out with her version of the ‘truth'. She was basking in the glory of being one of the only girls to lose their virginity in year 11. However, what she called basking, I called bragging. She was bragging that she had had sex with Karl. What was she? Did she not realise what she was saying? I only caught snippets of her conversations but I was quite sure what I had heard was true. Kelly was claiming to the rest of the class that Karl did not rape her, but that she was the consenting party in this. This just consolidated my suspicions. My best friend was a liar. â€Å"Yeah, I know. He looked too buff that night. He was so sweet. I'm glad my first time was with him,† I heard Kelly say. Since when had rapists been sweet? It was not that I was eavesdropping; more determination determined to unveil the truth. â€Å"Seriously! Yeah I heard from someone that you got off with him that night! How was it? You're such a lucky bitch, us lot would all kill to be with Karl! † the unknown gossip hungry girl said. â€Å"Look, I ain't the type of girl who kisses and tells you know! You wana know what went on, you have to ask him,† clearly Kelly was avoiding the question. So, did this mean she was raped? I mean at the beginning of the conversation, it sounded like she had wanted this to happen; am I right? However, towards the end, it was the complete opposite to that. I had concluded that if I was going to get my answers, there were two things that I needed to do and have a) courage and b) confront her. Eventually, I did muster up enough courage to confront her. The thought of Kelly hiding all her pain from people was hurting me. Did she not trust others with her secret? Obviously the paranoid side of me kicked in and I thought that maybe she had not been raped, and it was all a ploy to get attention from me. I mean we had grown apart but lying about something so serious, that was uncalled for. Therefore, the purpose of the conversation was to get the truth, the real truth from what they call the ‘horse's mouth'. In a way, deep down, at that time, I thought I knew the truth, I just needed to hear it for myself. Kelly, did Karl rape you or not? I don't understand, you came to me and told me that he had raped you, and at the very same time you're bragging to all your other friends that Karl had had sex with you. I'm sure you can see how I feel; I am confused and I can't help it you're sending me mixed messages. Were you raped or weren't you? Did you want him to? Is that why you went telling the whole year how you got off with him? You disgust me you know that; to even think that I spent time thinking of you, hoping it would all get better; whilst you're sitting here weaving all your lies. † She was silent. For once in her entire life, Kelly had no comeback for me. She had not taken her eyes off me for five minutes straight. None of us had uttered a word, just exchanged menacing looks. She offered me no explanation, and just before she walked off, she told me â€Å"Maybe if you came with me to the party this wouldn't have happened, you thought about that Karmen? † â€Å"Typical Kelly, can't face up to anything can you, so you shift the blame onto someone else. You've been found out and you can't handle it,† I shouted after her. I watched the back of my ‘best friend' as she walked away and realised we were the complete opposite of that. We had changed so much along the way; I hardly knew who she was anymore. I could not take it. Why should I have to be responsible for all the mistakes that she makes? She had the audacity to say that it was my fault she got pregnant because I didn't go to the party with her. I could not just be there at her disposal all the time, day in and day out. There was a time when I considered Kelly as my one and only best friend. I had moved on. This girl was some kind of alien to me. I was physically disgusted with her. I had considered her my own flesh and blood and now she was having a baby. The old Karmen would have stood by her, but not now, she was on her own. I had decided that I was going to make a stand for myself, see how she could handle her life without me. As evil as I must sound by saying this, it was all-true. My capricious friend had her comeuppance, and to some extent, I was glad. With hindsight, I regretted doing this. I did not realise how much my words had affected her, how much me not being there for her had done to her. A few short months after the confrontation, I had not heard or seen Kelly around. According to gossip, she had had a baby girl. Kelly's mum left countless messages for me on my answering machine everyday, begging me to come and visit her. Her last few messages started to become a bit more desperate and personal. Kelly had postnatal depression; she was rejecting the baby. That was Kelly all right; she could not face up to anything, not even something as serious as this. A few days after Kelly's mum's message about her postnatal depression, I received a letter from Kelly – Dear Karmen, Letters, don't you find they are the best form of communication? Remember when we used to write letters to each other day in and day out. I still have all of them you know, they mean so much to me, please don't ever forget that. This may be the last letter I will ever be writing, to you, or anyone else. Do you remember the first day of Whitmore? I smiled at you, you smiled back. From that moment onwards I knew that we were meant to be friends, we clicked you know? I knew that you were the only one like me in that hellhole. To this day, I stand by that comment. Do you remember the days when we were literally obsessed with Karl, and we spent the whole day looking for his house? Took us ages, but we persevered and found it. Since you have stopped talking to me, my whole world has literally crashed around me. Have you forgotten all the good times that we spent together? I haven't. I sat in bed last night, just thinking about all the times we've spent in each other's company; sitting on the terrace, contemplating on life. Those were some of the best days of my life. I miss that; in fact, I miss you. My life feels like nothing without you by my side. I know people were always commenting about how close we were for just friends, but was and still is true, we are more than friends. I consider you as a sister. I will be the first one to admit, that the â€Å"shriek† crew were some of the people that thought we were more than that. I told them otherwise. I stood up to them Karmen, that was something you always said I couldn't do. I found this in a book†¦ Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow Don't walk behind me, I may not lead Just walk beside me and be my friend When the whole Karl raping me thing happened, I didn't know what the hell to do. I felt so violated by him, but I couldn't tell anyone. Everyone had been at the party and seen what had happened, they all just thought I'd got a bit carried away and slept with him. But, it wasn't like that. You should have seen his face when he did it, it was so indelicate. I cried for days on end after it had happened. To make it worse, the â€Å"shriek† crew all assumed that I had wanted it to happen with him. Yes, I was physically attracted to Karl, but not to the extent that I felt I needed to lose my virginity to him. It stung when you insinuated that I had lied to you, when I had not. You confronted me that day and I blamed you for this happening to me, I realise I shouldn't have. It was your choice not to come with me, and now, looking back, I wished I had not gone either. As usual, I felt I needed someone to blame for my actions, but you weren't the one. All I wanted was for someone to tell me, â€Å"Kelly, it wasn't your fault†, but no one did. I thought I had to put up a front for the â€Å"shriek† crew. I didn't want to be known as the freak that was raped. Besides, I know them better than you do; they were overtly laughing that time when Chrissy got raped by that university guy. How would I tell them this? So, as usual to get out of it, I spun my intricate web of lies to get out of the predicament. I wasn't lying to you; you are the one person in my life I would never dream of deceiving. Karmen, I trust you with my life. Do you know what kept me going that day and night? No? That I could tell you and you could give me the support that I needed. I did not need the â€Å"shriek† crew if you were there by my side. Where were you Karmen? Where were you when I needed you most? I had my baby, where were you then? I called and called you for days on end, why didn't you ring me back? I love you so much, and the one time in my life I needed you, you just were not there. Was this some kind of punishment for the ways I've treated you in the past? I didn't deserve that. I had just been raped by a guy that I had fancied for ages and you were punishing me, I could not comprehend. When I told Karl that I was pregnant with his baby, he literally told me â€Å"Well, that's your fault, leave me alone and stop telling people the baby is mine. † Can you even begin to imagine how I felt? I had been raped by him. Foolishly, assuming that he had an iota of decency in him, he would help me; obviously he didn't. I rang you so you would know what I called my baby – Karmen. Do you know why I called her that? Because when baby Karmen grew up, I wanted her to be just like you. A strong, good person, not like her mother. I rejected baby Karmen, I had postnatal depression, and did you come and see me then? Numerous times my mum left messages on your phone for you to visit me, and did you? Did it cross your mind to talk to the girl that you spent the better part of you life with? I better cut to the chase; I know how you hate long letters. I can't take life anymore Karmen. I just cannot take it. It's such a mess, baby Karmen I did not and still do not want her, and I doubt I ever will. I love her, but I cannot outwardly show my love. How do you think that makes me feel? Every night she sits and cries and I can't go anywhere near her. I'm afraid of what I could potentially do to her. What Karl did to me affected me psychologically in a way I doubt anyone will ever understand. To some extent, not even I understand why I'm feeling this way. I don't think the true effect of the rape really hit me until after I had Karmen. Before that I had comprehended with the fact that I had been raped, I just had not had time to get over it. I'm a weak person Karmen, all this pressure I cannot deal with. Without you, I had no one to offload my worries and problems onto. No one to talk it all out with. Now you're not here for me, I don't see the point in living. I want to die. It's not just one of my phases, I've been feeling suicidal for quite some time. Only now have I built up the courage to do something about my life, and my choice is to end it. This is the last letter you will ever be receiving from me, and the last time you will be hearing from me in general. So, I just want to say – â€Å"You were like a sister to me Karmen, the child that my parents didn't have but always wanted. You are irreplaceable, and I know some other girl will take my place as your best friend. Being the kind hearted person that you are, you will be equally good to them as you were to me. I thank you so much for all you did for me in the time that I have known you. I love you Karmen, and whether I am dead or alive, nothing is going to change that. I am sorry I'm leaving it this way, I wish I didn't have to, but I feel I no longer have any other choice. Goodbye Karmen, I love you with all my heart. † Kelly x P. S. You always said that I have to be the one who the makes choices in my life. This is my choice. I choose not to be alive anymore. I chose to lie about Karl and all that. I control my life now that is what you always told me to do; I've done it Karmen. I have finally taken control of my life; it is all in my hands now. I read the letter; I was just numb and immobilised. My world had been instantly transformed. She had hung herself. As disrespectful as this must sound; I thought that if Kelly ever killed herself, she would take pills. However, she did not, she chose something that would hurt her, she did not take the easy way out for once. I mean hanging yourself is not exactly the most comfortable position. Kelly and I had both made many choices in our lives. Hers, however, were very drastic. It all started when she chose Karl over me. If she had not she probably would not be dead right now. The grief I was undergoing inside of me was overwhelming, all I could think of was â€Å"what if I had just gone with her to that party? † â€Å"What if I had just believed her and not confronted her that day? † â€Å"Returned all her phone calls†. All these questions were literally eating me alive. For the first time in my life, I felt guilty. It was terrible; it was like a wave of heat frequently swept over me. Every time this happened, I felt like being sick, I hated it; I wanted all this grief to go. The recollection of the letter brought tears to my eyes. What must she have been feeling when she wrote it? I was astounded †¦ she was gone, and I could not come to terms with it. The other day the â€Å"shriek† crew decided to confront me, they blamed me for her death. They are truly heartless. I had just lost a best friend and they were lecturing me about how I should not have ignored all her calls etc. What do they know? They were the downfall of Kelly, if she had just realised they were not the right sort of people she should have been hanging around with, she may have been alive at this moment in time. It was the day of her funeral. Kelly's parents were distraught; they could not fathom what made her do this. According to them, Kelly was always such a happy girl, and towards the end, she had shown no signs of feeling suicidal. Evidently, they were not the most observant parents. The last choice that I made concerning Kelly was to give the eulogy at her funeral. It was my last attempt to discern why, why I neglected her in the recent months. Then it came to me – it was my choice to.

Needs Assessment.

Needs Assessment. With the given situation of a new job and a new plant, the method choice for assessment would be the focus groups. As compared to the other methods, this was found most suitable for the circumstances being as it had more advantages than disadvantages for the scenario. The advantages of using this method for the company's needs assessment are: (1) The method is found useful with complex issues and with a new position and a new company, the face-to-face meeting with subject-matter experts would be necessary in constructing a needs assessment for a new training program. (2) Questions are modified to foresee and consider any unanticipated issues that may poise as a future obstacle. The assessment is based on speculating what the needs are going to be and not what they already are. And with the listed disadvantages, two are automatically disregarded on the basis that this organization is a new one and group members attending are also new and this makes the focus meeting a non-threatening one.The new construction of the team dissolves the possibility of being misinformed on job performances, and team members are more willing to contribute sincere information. For a decent assessment the consumption of time or the utilization of a skilled specialist are essential.Upper-Level Management in the Needs Assessment.The second part of the needs assessment analysis, 'who' the training exists for, was traditionally left up to the trainer to decide. But with the changes in the marketplace, a competitive advantage required more from the training process than just the basic skills development. Incorporating upper-management into the assessment process ensures a broader perspective and lines up the training and development goals with that of the company. When evaluating for a needs assessment, the management levels seek the answers for different inquires. The subordinate...

Gender in Orlando essays

Gender in Orlando essays The character of Orlando stands in front of a mirror and we see her obviously female form reflected back. But the film Orlando, named after its main character, is more than half over, and up till now Orlando has not just portrayed a man, but has been a man. And as she, for Orlando is undoubtedly she, looks at her own reflection in the glass, she quips, Same person - no difference at all. Just a different sex. This fantastical film is based on the book of the same name written in 1928 by Virginia Woolf, and it follows Orlando over four centuries. Never aging a day, Orlando is a man for the 17th and most of the 18th century. After almost two hundred years, in the mid 18th century, an aversion to war and violence, and a mans duty to partake of the two, lead Orlando to make a choice to change genders, and she continues as female into the present day. Throughout this amazing life and miraculous transformation the film shows us that there are unwritten rules for what makes a man, or woman, and that these rules generally lie only on the surface. When she claims that she is the same person, regardless of sex, Orlando highlights [the] instability of gender and the signifiers of fashion for gender . . . are exposed and subverted (Ferriss Throughout the film Orlando Sally Potter, the director, focuses on gender and the search for identity through gender. Every major character within the film evokes a strong response to either their masculine or feminine traits, however, these judgements are based solely on societal clues. For example, the beginning of the film depicts Queen Elizabeth I in all her glory and finery. We know she is female because of our knowledge of her historical presence, because of the distinctly female atti...

SAT Modern Hebrew SAT Subject Test Information

SAT Modern Hebrew SAT Subject Test Information    × Ã— ªÃ—” מדב× ¨ × ¢Ã—‘× ¨Ã—™× ª ו×Å"× ªÃ— ¨Ã—’×  × ¢Ã—Å" ב× ¡Ã—™× ¡ × §Ã—‘ו× ¢? If you know how to answer this Hebrew question, then perhaps you better showcase that Hebrew talent and sign up for the SAT Hebrew Subject Test before you apply to the school of your choice. See below. Note: This test is not part of the SAT Reasoning Test, the popular college admissions exam. Nope. This is one of the many SAT Subject Tests, exams designed to showcase your particular talents in all sorts of fields. SAT Hebrew Subject Tests Basics Before you register for this test, here are the basics about your testing conditions: 60 minutes85 multiple-choice questions200-800 points possibleOffered once a year3 types of reading questions   SAT Hebrew Subject Test Skills So, whats on this thing? What kinds of skills are required? Here are the skills youll need in order to master this test.: Using parts of speech appropriatelyUnderstanding basic idiomsSelection of grammatically correct terminologyIdentifying main and supporting ideas, themes, style, tone, and the spatial and temporal settings of a passage. SAT Hebrew Subject Test Question Breakdown The test is broken down into Part A, Part B and Part C. Here are the types of questions those three parts contain: Vocabulary in Context: Approximately 28 questions Here, youll be given a sentence with a blank, and will be asked to choose the correct single-word response from one of four choices listed below. Grammar: Approximately 28 questions These questions provide you with a paragraph filled with blanks. Once you happen upon a blank, youll be asked to fill in that blank with an appropriate response from the choices below. Reading Comprehension: Approximately 34 questions These questions, most of which will be vocalized, will provide you with a passage. Youll be asked a question related to the passage, and will have to choose the correct response from the answer choices. Why Take the SAT Hebrew Subject Test? In some cases, youll need to, especially if youre considering choosing Hebrew, or a Hebrew-related field as a major in college. In other cases, its a great idea to take the Hebrew Subject Test so you can showcase bilingualism, which is a great way to round out an application. It shows the college admissions officers that you have more up your sleeve than your GPA, clubs or sports record. Plus, it can get you out of those entry-level language courses. Bonus! How to Prepare for the SAT Hebrew Subject Test To ace this thing, youll need at 2-4 years in Hebrew during high school, and youll want to take the test as close to the end of or during your most advanced Hebrew class you plan to take. Getting your high school Hebrew teacher to offer you some supplementary materials is always a good idea, too, and practicing speaking Hebrew whenever possible will only aid your test score since this is Modern Hebrew were talking about. Sample SAT Hebrew Subject Test Questions The College Board offers a couple of different places to find sample SAT Modern Hebrew Subject Test sample questions. College Boards Sample Modern Hebrew Practice Test College Boards printable PDF with answers Good Luck!

Propaganda Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Propaganda - Research Paper Example More importantly, it is an indication of the distrust of mainstream media sources and the information (misinformation) being generated by them. This viewpoint is reflected in other contemporary scholarship on the subject. Prominent among them is Nicholas O’Shaughnessy’s work, which has spawned a new discipline in social sciences – that of Political Marketing. In his book titled Politics and Propaganda: Weapons of Mass Seduction, the author deciphers the real meaning and agenda behind political rhetoric and posturing. By studying extensively the media coverage of Iraq war and drawing suitable examples from it to support his claims, Shaughnessy illustrates how obfuscation of fact and propagation of myth are essential techniques of political marketers. And through this technique, propagandists are able to maintain the appeal of disinformation even when genuine sources of information are available in the digital medium. (Shaughnessy, 2005) Despite awareness created b y scholars such as Shaughnessy, public expressions of disagreement and distrust only account for a politically aware minority while the large majority of the population is subject to government propaganda, orchestrated and implemented by major media institutions. Indeed, the ruthlessness and brazenness with which the Bush Administration went about achieving its strategic goals can be learnt from the following quote: â€Å"The issue of whether the Pentagon was waging an orchestrated domestic propaganda campaign was first openly acknowledged in the fall of 2002. Donald Rumsfeld was asked whether the Pentagon was engaged in propagandizing through the Defense Department's Office of Strategic Influence (strategic influence is military jargon for propaganda). Military officials said they might release false news stories to the foreign press, but they had to retract that when news organizations expressed concern that the bogus stories could be picked up in the domestic press. Mocking conc erns about propaganda blowback, Rumsfeld informed the media on November 18, 2002, that he would eliminate the program in name only. (Goodman & Goodman, 2004, p.253) One might wonder why such a nexus between apparently two different kinds of institutions should exist and what benefits would its leaders attain in the process. There are a handful of sociological and political economic theories of news production that attempt to answer this most pressing question of modern democratic societies. One of the major contributions to the subject of government-media propaganda is made by Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman. Their seminal work titled Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media is perhaps the most illuminating work on this subject, alongside Ben H. Bagdikian's another path-breaking work 'Media Monopoly'. In Manufacturing Consent, Chomsky and Herman layout a template for how propaganda works. This they called the Propaganda Model. In it they identify a set of five key f actors that contribute to the functioning of propaganda machinery. These are: 1. Ownership of the medium 2. Medium's funding sources 3. Sourcing 4. Flak and 5. Anti-Communist Ideology. (Mcchesney, 1989, p.36) It should be remembered that during the time of the book's publication, Soviet Union was still in existence and Anti-Communist ideology comprised the dominant American foreign policy paradigm. In the context of the

Describing the Formal Elements of Line, Light, Form, and Space Before Essay

Describing the Formal Elements of Line, Light, Form, and Space Before you begin - Essay Example Hasegawa Tohaku dominantly used lines in his painting particularly vertical, contour and diagonal lines. Although lines are dominant in this painting, the artist produced a three-dimensional illusion in his painting. The lines are more of the romantic or expressive than analytic because the lines are not precisely straight but are soft and more of an impression. The use of vertical lines in the painting can visibly be seen as tree trunks and the expressive nature of the lines used helped in giving an impression of the texture and form of the trunk of pine trees which are not actually precise straight lines. The diagonal lines in the painting are perceptible in some of the tree trunks and the branches of the trees. These lines give an impression of movement among the branches and helps in providing a spatial illusion between the trees and the branches. In producing the three-dimensional effect in Hasegawa Tohaku’s painting, aside from lines the artist also employed the element of light. Since the medium used on the painting Pine Trees is ink, the artist skilfully produced a feeling of space, distance and the scene that depicts the trees as though under the moonlight or probably at dawn because of the impression of fog among the trees.

A research proposal with a project management plan Essay

A research proposal with a project management plan - Essay Example The council does so by ensuring that the registration system of nurse is not compromised as well as necessary guidance and intervention in the nursing discipline. However, this is on the technical bit. Availability of personnel will be the prerequisite for the application and the effectiveness of this council’s effort in meeting their mandate. But availability is the main problem in the whole nursing profession in the globe. This raises the need for a workable plan that Nursing Council of Hong Kong can apply to ensure that the available RN is well utilized and is able to meet the raising need for health care in Hong Kong society. The scope of this research project is to develop a nursing program that will be implemented through Nursing Council of Hong Kong. Therefore, all the registered nurses as well as upcoming nurses form the scope of this project. The nurses to be interviewed and the focus group discussion groups will be developed from the already existing list of registered nurses in Nursing Council’s database and nursing students emails in the universities data base. Among the issues to be considered when sampling will be nursing experience level of the respondents, cost and time constraints as well as accountability and program orientations. Nursing is the main pillar of any health system in the world (Jamison, 2006, p.1). The nature of training and the kind of work done by nurses’ makes the core of patient’s healing and recovery. Nurses remain with the patient long after the doctors have left to ensure that the patients are comfortable as well as are able to take medication prescribed by the doctors. Healthcare thus needs more nurses than any other healthcare practitioner. Hong Kong nursing workforce is majorly dominated by female (Chan, 2012, p. 15). These nurses are required by law to be enrolled and registered for practice. However, the levels of nurses’ registration in Hong

Business law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Business law - Assignment Example The feeling or ignorance pertaining what is happening makes the practice appear ambiguous. The practice worked in the sense that the rich folks controlled the market. Therefore, they had power that determined the flow of income within the market. This increased the mobility of physical cash leading to difficult economic situations arising within the economy. However, the situations did not affect those who pioneered them. Instead, they affected the poor persons within the communities. The parties involved include Hank Paulson, who is a treasury secretary. Initially, he headed Goldman and was the secretary during the time of crisis. On the other hand, Tim Geithner was an appointee tasked with overseeing the effectiveness of the system, and managed to be among those that facilitated the downfall of that system. Most people in the movie have different moral philosophies that justify their actions. They do actions that only serve their personal interests without considering what others may be going through at any one moment in time. Therefore, the principles that the people exhibit have a relationship with what they perform. For instance, Dick Fuld lost his job because he facilitated the downfall of one company. Thus, this showcases him as having some of the worst management principles that lack quality leadership. In addition to causing the downfall, he made away with huge lump sums of money making other people lose their valuables such as money and jobs (Ferrell et al. 160). The parties in question could have experienced different situations had they used different moral philosophies. Such philosophies include applied ethics, which potentially takes a person’s problems and tries to find out the right and wrong concerning the situation. The other philosophy is normative ethics that only makes an assessment of those factors enabling people

Job Redesign and Workplace Reward Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Job Redesign and Workplace Reward - Essay Example It is prudent to note that companies go an extra mile to include value added packages for their employees to entice them to stay with the organization as long as they are productive and their skills are advantageous to the business (Lauby, 2005). Better job re-designed coupled with an efficient and well-designed reward system is critical in determining the success of the organization. There has been a trend in the corporate world by which organizations are transforming their business structures by ensuring their employees are more utilized by the firm while at the same time they become more productive by absorbing them from hourly workers into full-time salaried workers with more responsibilities and privileges. This is a motivation technique that seeks to incorporate the workers into the firm through extra duties aimed at making them feel more liable and responsible to the success of the organization. On the other hand, the business are reviewing their reward systems to include additional incentives and other packages that are aimed at motivating the workers to be more dedicated and productive in the organization (Hodgetts and Hegar, 2008). Significant amounts of resources have been directed to study both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for the organization’s management to understand the relevant changes that they need to execute to ensure there is improved performance in their organizations while at the same time ensuring the workers are motivated and retained to enhance productivity. The work culture of the modern world is always a concern; firms are aiming at cutting down on their operational costs and as a result, most firms are opting for casual hourly workers at the expense of salaried employees. Research, however, indicates that hourly employees have a high sense of extrinsic motivation but less intrinsic motivation because they obliged to perform or because of the rewards and incentives they are to receive at the end. For this

Business law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Business law - Assignment Example The feeling or ignorance pertaining what is happening makes the practice appear ambiguous. The practice worked in the sense that the rich folks controlled the market. Therefore, they had power that determined the flow of income within the market. This increased the mobility of physical cash leading to difficult economic situations arising within the economy. However, the situations did not affect those who pioneered them. Instead, they affected the poor persons within the communities. The parties involved include Hank Paulson, who is a treasury secretary. Initially, he headed Goldman and was the secretary during the time of crisis. On the other hand, Tim Geithner was an appointee tasked with overseeing the effectiveness of the system, and managed to be among those that facilitated the downfall of that system. Most people in the movie have different moral philosophies that justify their actions. They do actions that only serve their personal interests without considering what others may be going through at any one moment in time. Therefore, the principles that the people exhibit have a relationship with what they perform. For instance, Dick Fuld lost his job because he facilitated the downfall of one company. Thus, this showcases him as having some of the worst management principles that lack quality leadership. In addition to causing the downfall, he made away with huge lump sums of money making other people lose their valuables such as money and jobs (Ferrell et al. 160). The parties in question could have experienced different situations had they used different moral philosophies. Such philosophies include applied ethics, which potentially takes a person’s problems and tries to find out the right and wrong concerning the situation. The other philosophy is normative ethics that only makes an assessment of those factors enabling people

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic management - Essay Example Thus, it has become imperative for airliners to re-engineer their operations to fit the requirements of strategies like low-cost and differentiation. According to the Porter’s five forces model, the industry situation has led to a decline in the attractiveness of the industry for new entrants. These new entrants would come up with some sort of an edge to beat the entrenched airlines of the industry. The industry is also overseeing a period in which the bargaining power of suppliers and customers both are high. Customers are demanding additional benefits at low cost, whereas suppliers like Oil companies are seeking high prices for fuel. The dynamics of the industry are such that the rivalry amongst competitors is high. Since the customer base has shrink as a result of the world recession, therefore airlines are competing to attract customers towards them by offering differentiated services. Moreover, recent investment by the government on the infrastructure of railways and road network has lead to a situation in which threat of substitute is high for this industry. The results of these two strategic analysis tools show that the airline industry is overseeing a period of unprecedented level of competition and operating environment. Therefore, each airliner needs to come up with operational excellence that allows it to run low cost operations, which has become imperative for the industry participants. How the Airlines are maintaining low cost operations: Airlines, which have adopted a low cost operational mode, have been very stringent when it comes to spending their resources. They have expanded their operations in to new regions only when they were confident that they had the resource to support this initiative. These carriers never go into a head-to-head battle with long distance carriers. Moreover, these airlines try to keep their debt position very strong by not taking too much debt to fund their fleet operations. These airlines have designed an operat ional method that allows them to be short haul, high frequency, and low fare and point-point carriers. In addition, these air carriers have identified a market niche that is a best fit to their style of operations, which enables these airlines to serve them efficiently and economically. Most importantly, these airlines have ripped away the costs associated with extravagant customer servicing. Such costs are associated with frills, lunch and ticketing material. All such costs have been taken away from the operations of these airlines. Conclusion: Harsh economic conditions coupled by rising cost of fuel have made it imperative upon airlines to streamline their operations. Airlines have to come up with a cost structure that is effective and efficient. This cost structure should be incorporated in the operational design of these airlines so that the airline can generate profits from its operations. In this regards many airlines have adopted a low cost strategy under which they have take n certain actions that have been discussed above. Strategic Evaluation of the Strategic Options for Future Growth for the EAI Companies: Recent economic crisis have led airliners in a messy situation. These airliners are now facing a situation in which they have revenues declining at an exponential rate. Moreover,

Individual Assignment Essay Example for Free

Individual Assignment Essay 1. Introduction Nowadays, as experts are studying further and further about personality, the importance of it in the society and workplaces is highly aware by everyone. The more we know about personalities, the better we can understand why people do the things they do, and how to communicate with them. Knowing about our own personalities, we can improve our styles, reduce stress and conflicts as well as develop positive attitudes in life (punctuality, flexibility, willingness to learn, friendliness†¦) Therefore, through this paper, I will examine deeply in my personalities as a particular example to further understand this matter. Moreover, with the focus on how it affects me in personal and professional development, I can find and improve myself to achieve the best success in my future. 2. Methodology The basic concept of my assignment is the Big Five Personality Model. â€Å"Five basic dimensions underlie all other and encompass most of the variation in human personality† are: * Extraversion: one’s comfort level with relationships. Extraverts get their energy from interacting with others, while introverts get their energy from within themselves. Extraversion includes the traits of energetic, talkative, and assertive while introversion personalities are usually quiet, reserved and shy. * Agreeableness: the extent to which a person is good-natured, helpful, trusting, and cooperative. Traits include being kind, affectionate, cheerful and warm. * Conscientiousness: responsibilities and reliabilities. Conscientious people have self-discipline, well-organized, careful and responsible. * Openness to experiences: creative minds and willingness to learn. People with high level of openness tend to be imaginative, curious, independent and somehow artistic. * Emotional Stability: ability to deal with stress and other tense situations. A person who is very stable emotionally would remain calm in many situations and would feel secure. Bases on this theory, with the help of an online website, I’ve got the result about my personalities according to Big Five Model. With this result, I will be able to evaluate and improve my career as well as my positive personalities. 3. Analysis results: Results: http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/9448/yourbigfiveresults.png In my opinion, this result is matched 80% with my real personalities. In real life, I can be comfortable with people that I already knew before, especially classmates, parents, siblings†¦ I can do silly things, say lots of random things, and joke freely. However, with strangers, I usually keep a secured distance, be formal and respective as much as possible. Sometimes, in disadvantaged circumstances, I might be shy and stay quiet all the time being with strangers as I don’t want strangers to know too much about myself. That’s why my result in Extroversion is a little above average score (59/100 respectively). Consequently, this will help me find balance in group working, be opened and be quiet when needed. My job performance will be improved along with my social skills. Moreover, in competitive situations, especially facing with rivals, I can keep them from knowing about my strength and weakness; or pretend like I am not a dangerous rival for them. Next, refer to Openness to Experience trait, because I really like original, conventional and unchangeable things so the low score (20/100) is reasonable. I don’t have a variety of interests but only a few one and do it thoroughly with my passion. However, sometimes the closeness in my mind prevents me from create new ideas and stay creative while brainstorming. But it’s true that I am a down-to-earth person as I really hate unclear, misleading, dishonest things/people. I know this attitude sometimes has a bad effect on my career and my personal life since I am not willing to learn new things so my training performance will not be as good as I expect. If I am a leader, I might ignore helpful creative ideas from my teammates. My honest and straight personality also bring me hard times dealing with others although it’s a really worthy trait. However, I believe that the original is always the best basement for my every innovation. It helps me balance a group that contains many open-minded people and keep conventional values of life. This conventional and honest personality might be one of the important reasons leads to my disagreeableness (22/100 of agreeableness). Because I am a little stubborn and hard to be persuaded, sometimes I find the dishonest people, the unclear things or the too-reliable-on-others person really uncomfortable and annoy me. Normally, I am quite kind and lovable; but whenever I am concentrating in doing something, I can easily be irritated by people who try to distract me. My perfection attitude also get me into quarrels as I always find the mistakes in others’ performances and try to fix it for them. Nevertheless, as my friends and teammates stated, the perfectionist inside me really helps them a lot when they complete their tasks. I am easy to be angry and annoyed but it’s always reasonable and related to work issues or problems of the equity. So I think this is not a disadvantage but an advantage for my career and personal life. Besides that, my flexibility in Emotional Stability helps me a lot in dealing with these two weaknesses. Despite easily being irritated by others, I can hold it in and balance my emotions really well. I made decision for tense situations really slowly and calmly. I don’t take it as a pressure or stress but only a problem like other problems everyone needs to face in life. One important reason for the low score is I am truly an optimist, seeing things with believe, happiness and hope. It’s not that I paint my life with pink, but my rational thinking always leads me to better things, not worsen the situations. As a result, my stress level will be reduced a lot, prevent me from being overload with tasks, problems, personal matters†¦ Because I know how to show my expressions and emotions at the right time, to the right person, my social relationships are really good, bring me benefits in both personal and professional life. I can tell that I have only one close best friend; but I have a lot of good friends who are ready to help me anytime I need, thanks to my emotional stability. The last trait is conscientiousness with high score at 83/100. This indicates that I am a well-organized, disciplined and reliable person. I really hate disorganized things and people. I always try to arrange my stuff into a fixed positions and I hate when someone try to change it or make it messy. I usually make plans; review its process regularly and try to finish as perfect as possible. If I am assigned a task, I will try to do it thoroughly and not let anyone complain about my performance, or at least reach the bearable stage. This is applied with not only my personal events but also my working tasks and problems, especially tasks I have a lot of interests in like handicrafts, writing for magazines, reviewing things. In my point of view, this is the most important trait among five traits. My great efforts and responsibilities will bring me more and more knowledge, then contribute to higher level of my job performance, as well as help me organize my life effectively. Not only those but people also trust me and respect me for my enthusiasm, concentration and reliability. Therefore, if I am a leader, I can easily affect and lead my teammates follow my decisions or instructions; also my position, status in the group will be firm and long lasted. 4. Conclusion Lessons learned To summarize, my personalities according to Big Five are quite correct and bearable. The five traits, no matter how high or low, have certain effects on our personal and professional development. It also indicates that everyone has their own personalities and no one is similar to another one. Although this is only a test and might not say everything about oneself, but based on those personalities, we can find the best solutions for our problems, the best way to live and the best career to take. Knowing about personalities, we can try to improve the good side and reduce or fix the bad side of our attitude to improve our living standard, job performance and satisfaction. Moreover, when dealing with relationships in society, we can have a wider view of one person, especially when being a leader joining in group works or assigning suitable tasks.

Care in the Community

Care in the Community Care in the Community United Kingdom has many legislations in place, these legislations are in place to protect and give appropriate help to all residents of the country. Four of these legislations/acts will be discussed in this writing. The acts are, Mental Health Act 2007, Direct payments Act 2007, Mental Health Capacity Act 2007 and also Independence,Well being and choice green paper. In addition to this, it will also look at Community Care Act 1990. In each of these 4 main legislations , it will underline the advantages and disadvantages and then it will indentify the moral, financial, political and social policy,which will all be relevant to the legislations. Community Care Act 1990 will indentify and explain why it has been put in to place and what is Community Care Act 1990 all about. Community Care Act is a piece of legislation which governs health and social care in the United Kingdom. It sets out how the National Health Service should assess and provide for patients based on their needs, requirements and circumstances. This legislation gives measures for Social Services Departments to provide care and support services in the community, rather than in institutions. Covers duties for each local authority to produce a community care plan and to carry out assessments of those who may be in need. According to many researches it has shown that the Community Care Act has been put into place as a cost cutting measure and the Conservatives have been accused of failing to adequately fund the NHS.( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/442807.stm) Since the Mental Health Act 2007 has been amended from the 1983 Mental Health Act it has shown many positive factors such as the changes in professionals roles. The role of Approved Mental Health Professional was introduced as a result of the Mental Health Act 2007 which amended the Mental Health Act 1983. This type of role is opened to anyone with a nursing background such as: registered social workers ,first level nurses whose field of practice is mental health or learning disabilities, registered occupational therapists; and Chartered psychologist (http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:ko7D0JWfI30J:www.basw.co.uk/Portals/0/Chris%2520Southworth.ppt+amhp+rolecd=3hl=enct=clnkgl=uk). With relevant and sufficient training all these professionals listed above could become an Approved Mental Health Professional, and will be approved for the next 5 years and if they wish to continue in this role they will have additional training to atend. These professional bodies have to be approved by their local authority. Once the professional worker becomes an Approved Mental Health Professional they have the right to make decisions about people well being and give people with any health or social needs appropriate help. It would be also good to point out that the Approved Mental Health Professional has a lot of power in their role and will have to give correct and proffesional treatment and help t those who need certain care. This may be a very positive factor however what we have to look at and examine is this, ‘is it morally right to become AMPH from being an ASW. Into some extend we can say that this is not morally correct as this does not have enough training. And al so in many situations we could say that this is a cost cutting measure, as the NHS is in need of Approved Mental Health Professionals. Another advantages and disadvantages were brought in by the Direct Payments Act 1996, this brought in a lot of positives factors to many people lives. The Direct Payments Act 1996 advantages concentrates on giving people mainly back their social life, it gives them more control of their life which is very important to everyone. Direct Payments gives patients more independent and more control of their lives , therefore they will feel more relaxed and happier and mainly be less overwhelmed by financial demands. They will have the freedom to pick their own care staff and be in control. This will give them moral empowerment. However Direct Payments Act 1996 has brought in lot of disadvantages such the care managers are reluctant to use direct payments and do not have enough knowledge about this. And also it brings in a lot of responsibilities such as paperwork and hiring new staff. Which then opens a whole new responsibility and lot of people dont want to get involved in that as this mea ns more work for a lot of people. However this is not the correct way to be responding as a proffesional person and all care managers and care staff should be fully knowledgeable about this legislations, as this means that many service users will be missing out on something that could make a large positive impact on their lives. Direct Payments Act 1996 has brought in positives and negatives. But does this suit everyone. After researching the Direct Payments Act and what do direct payments users think we can say that this suit the majority of its users. Next legislation that this piece of writing will concentrate on is Mental Health Capacity Act 2007 this act states that everyone should be treated as able to make their own decisions until it is shown that they are not. It also aims to enable people to make their own decisions for as long as they are capableof doing so. A persons capacity to make a decision will be established at the time that a decision needs to be made. A lack of capacity could be because of a severe learning disability, dementia, mental health problems, a brain injury, a stroke or unconsciousness due to an anesthetic or a sudden accident. (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/HealthAndSupport/YourRightsInHealth/DG_10016888) The positives of this act are that a person will be able to make their own decisions unless it is proven that they no longer can, once the cant make their own decisions, the decisions will be made for them. This is very positive as mainly this will protect vulnerable adults who cant no longer make decisions for them selfs. This act will give them power and freedom unless proven that the person is no longer able to make decisions. The negative outcome of this act would be that people will not feel free and for some it wont be morally right for someone to make decisions on their behalf. Into some cases some people may feel as if their dignity has gone due to the lack of power, once they cant make decisions.( http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Deliveringadultsocialcare/MentalCapacity/MentalCapacityAct2005/index.htm) This Act will also help people make financial decisions once they cant make that decisions themselves. From November 9 2009 direct payments will be available to people who l ack capacity who meet the criteria laid out in regulations and guidance issued earlier this month. (http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Deliveringadultsocialcare/MentalCapacity/MentalCapacityAct2005/index.htm) Once Direct Payments are available to people who lack capacity this will make things more smoother for people and will give them more freedom and more control of their lives. Last legislation in this writing will talk about is the Independence, Weill being and Choice Green Paper. This Green Paper gives a clear picture for adult social care for the next 10 to 15 years and how this may work. It gives all people the chance to everyone to give their ideas,views and opinion and lets them have their own sa on the matter and then it will be considered. They way that this should work is that if people give their opinions and views this should make smoother and easier legislations for the future. However this is a very long process as this is first open to the public that is what is called the green paper, once the government has decided it wants to go ahead with a specific area it then becomes a white paper. The white paper then, is presented to the parliament to be voted on, once it has the majority of votes it then becomes an Act. So this will be a very long process. However if this will be done it will give people more control of their finances and their moral s. The last part of this writing will evaluate the main provisions of community legislation and their implications. As writen about in the previous paragraphs, four legislation were discussed along with positives and negatives of each one. It can be said that all four legislations ome with advantages and disadvantages. Positive factors are the ones that mainly all service users are interested in. However the negatives are something that needs more interest put to it. For example the Direct Payments Act, and the fact that Care managers do not want to get involved with because their arent so knowledgeable about it. In the research that have been carried out during this writing, it can be acknowledged that mainly all legislations do concentrate on changing service users lifes for a better future. It also highlights that the legislations are in place so that service users get control of their lives back and making sure that service users have the freedom and do not loose ther dignity and morals. References: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/442807.stm [Assessed 9th November 2009] http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:ko7D0JWfI30J:www.basw.co.uk/Portals/0/Chris%2520Southworth.ppt+amhp+rolecd=3hl=enct=clnkgl=uk [Assesed 11th November 2009] http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/HealthAndSupport/YourRightsInHealth/DG_10016888 [Assessed 12th November 2009] http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Deliveringadultsocialcare/MentalCapacity/MentalCapacityAct2005/index.htm [Assessed 14th November 2009] http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/publicationsandstatistics/publications/publicationspolicyandguidance/dh_4106477 [Assessed 15th November 2009] http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Deliveringadultsocialcare/MentalCapacity/MentalCapacityAct2005/index.htm [Assessed 17th November 2009]

Journal of JFK assasination :: essays research papers

November 22, 1963 The cheers and cries of the crowd were roaring and still escalating as he approached. The 1961 Lincoln Continental peered over the corner. The flap of hands in the air blocked the lens momentarily. Two security motorcycles made the turn on Elm Street and I felt excitement circulate my entire body as I knew any second the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, would appear. My legs trembled as I felt the breeze of the motorcade approach me. I was perched on a stone on Elm Street grasping my 8mm Bell and Howell camera. To Kennedy’s request his automobile would be without a top. Kennedy was now focused on my camera. I attentively filmed the hands of the President waving to the crowds of spectators; but if they had only known they were about to be spectators of a ghastly tragedy. And right then and there, on a clear November 22, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. The laudation of the motorcade instantly turned into an outcry of thousands. An ineffable b lanket of terror covered me; yet I stood concretely filming the bomb of blood explode in my front of my eyes until the vehicle violently swerved and disappeared into an overpass. My heart dropped to the floor. I saw the world, I felt the world enter utter commotion, but my ears were not receptive to sound. A silence domed the scene. BOOM! The unbearable noise rang in my ears. I saw his body jump forward and his head swing back wildly†¦I stared, I tried, but I could no longer be reluctant to the truth. September 5, 1959 The scolding became part of the norm. The drill sergeant loved to yell and torment all of those under his command. I felt compassion especially for a man who seemed to have persistent trouble with the Corps. He was considered an outcast by many. Out in the range he had very poor marksmanship. Drill Sergeant Peters seemed to enjoy decrying this man. If he would become hesitant due to exhaustion from physical training, Sergeant Peters would soon enough get on his case and verbally torture him. I looked into the man’s eyes and saw a subtle expression of fear, anger, and distress cooking up all at once. A mask veiled despondent inside of him. He surely was not an exceptional shooter, or the fittest man there.

Advantages of Medical Isolation and Quarantine Essay

Advantages of Medical Isolation and Quarantine Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to many health experts, medical isolation and quarantine does very little in curbing the spread of contagious diseases (Kliff). Although isolation and quarantine tend to have some similarities, they are very different. According to studies, whereas isolation involves the seclusion of people infected with contagious diseases, quarantine is the seclusion of people who are not sick but have been exposed to a contagious disease (â€Å"Diffen†). Although isolation and quarantine are different, they have one main objective, which is to prevent further spreading of contagious diseases in a society. Isolation and quarantine comes alongside a number of advantages. For instance, in addition to minimizing the spread of contagious diseases, placing people under medical isolation and quarantine also assists in neutralizing deadly diseases such as Ebola. By providing a detailed analysis of both isolation and quarantine, the study intend s to provide an argument on their advantages. Neutralizing Contagious Diseases   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Placing people under medical isolation or quarantine is quite beneficial to any society. This is because through medical isolation and quarantine, a nation is able to neutralize any contagious disease, hence, preventing it from becoming spreading any further. When sick people have been placed under medical isolation, chances of further spreading of the disease are minimized compared to if they were treated in public places. In order to make the isolation process successful, it is vital that these patients be secluded from the public. According to Stambaugh (5), the quarantine process is normally conducted in five phases. For instance, after the decision to quarantine has been reached, the next phase is to locate a quarantine area and ensuring that the quarantine process is maintained. Locating a quarantine area normally depends on the number of people that require quarantine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After successfully maintaining the quarantine, the next phases are demobilization and recovery (Stambaugh 5). Apart from hospitals, isolation can also be done in special healthcare facilities or in the patient’s homes. The case is however different for quarantine, this is because, unlike in isolation, people exposed to contagious diseases are placed in quarantines, which can either be located in designated emergency facilities as well as specialized hospitals. This is normally in a move to prevent these people from making any contacts with the public until the incubation period of the diseases elapses. Proper Medical Attention   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Placing people under medical isolation and quarantine also enables medical practitioners to offer appropriate medical attention to patients. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa is one example of how medical isolation and quarantine can minimize further spreading of the disease. If it were not for medical isolation and quarantine processes, the disease would have spread throughout Africa as well as other continents. According to Resnikoff, all the people who tested positive for the Ebola virus were placed under isolation, which was in a move to offer them proper medical attention in addition to minimizing further spreading of the disease.The large number of deaths reported due to the Ebola outbreak prompted many nations to set up quarantine facilities in order to attend to all citizens coming from the Ebola stricken nations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Citizens coming from Ebola stricken nations were normally placed in quarantine for a period of twenty-one days, which is usually the incubation period of the Ebola virus. It was only after the twenty-one days that citizens were allowed to see their families, that is if they had tested negative for the Ebola virus. If they tested positive for the virus, they were then moved from quarantine to isolation where they were to were to under special treatment and monitoring. Minimizing of Medical Expenses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apart from neutralizing the disease as well as offering proper medical attention, another advantage of medical isolation and quarantine is that it minimizes excessive medical expenditures (â€Å"NCSL†). When there is an outbreak of a contagious disease, many people are likely to be infected. This implies that a nation is likely to spend a lot of money on purchasing medication drugs as well as hiring international medical practitioners to aid in controlling the disease. In order to avoid these expenses, it is normally essential that nations embrace the medical isolation as well as quarantine programs in a move to minimize their expenses. According to my opinion, the main reason why West Africa was greatly affected by the Ebola outbreak was because they were not quick in establishing isolation and quarantine centers, hence, allowing the disease to spread rapidly. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Medical isolation is the process where sick people are secluded from the public in a move to prevent further spreading of a disease. Although quarantine is similar to isolation, people secluded through quarantine are not sick but were exposed to a contagious disease. Medical isolation and quarantine have a number of advantages to a society. For instance, through isolation and quarantine, a nation is in a position to curb the spreading of a contagious disease. Apart from curbing the spread of diseases, when people are placed under medical isolation and quarantine, this enables medical practitioners to offer proper medication since it will be easy to monitor any changes once they occur. Additionally, medical isolation and quarantine also reduce medical expenses of a nation. This is because once a disease has been neutralized in the isolation and quarantine centers, a nation will only spend little amount of money to treat the infected. References Diffen.Isolationvs.Quarantine.2014.Web2015. Kliff, Sarah. â€Å"3 reasons public health experts think Ebola quarantines are a  terrible  idea.† VOX. 2014. Web. 2015. < http://www.vox.com/2014/10/28/7079147/three-reasons-public-health-experts-think-ebola-quarantines-are-a> NCSL. State Quarantine and Isolation Statutes. 2014. Web. 2015. http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-quarantine-and-isolation-statutes.aspx Resnikoff, Ned. â€Å"Ebola quarantine policy sparks controversy in medical community.† MSNBC. 2014. Web. 2015. < http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/doctors-question-ebola-quarantine-policy> Stambaugh, Hollis. Quarantine Facilities for Arriving Air Travelers: Identification of Planning Needs and Costs. 2008. Print. Source document

How Does Shakespeare Incorporate Literary Traditions Into Macbeth? Essay

In the play Macbeth Shakespeare uses a wide range of literary traditions frequently: For example, ideas of tragic form are used, with aspects of both Senecan and Aristotlean concepts. The play consists of five acts, a traditional number, following the rise and fall of the tragic hero Macbeth. Elizabethan language conventions are followed, with numerous examples of rhyming couplets, imagery, personification, metaphors and similes used to project settings and aspects of characters. Macbeth follows the ideas of both Senecan and Aristotlean tragedies, using their concepts of how a tragedy should be set out and how it should flow. The play has five acts that separate the play out into the stages of the rise and fall of Macbeth, the central character. The first act explains his rise to the position of thane of Cawdor and the beginnings of the witches influence over him. The second act follows his position to its highest point; it firstly sees the death of Duncan, an act carried out by Macbeth, greatly influenced at this point by the witches. In this act Macbeth is promoted to king following the death of Duncan for which he is not suspected. Act three sees an ever increasing influence from the witches which results in a dramatic turn around of Macbeth’s position as he begins to break down after the banquet scene in which the ghost of Banquo is seen. This turning point signals the beginning of the downfall of Macbeth leading eventually to his death in act five. The events in the banquet scene arouse suspicion of Macbeth as he cries openly in front of a figure that no one else present can see. â€Å"Hence horrible shadow, unreal mockery hence!†(3.4.106-7) During the play Macbeth, both blank verse and prose are used in a structural way. The contrast between the flowing speech of blank verse used by the more important and well-educated characters and the ordinary speech or prose used by the more lowly or uneducated characters is designed and incorporated to demonstrate the differences in social status between them. This difference is demonstrated well by the porter who opens the doors of the castle on the night of Duncan’s murder. He speaks in prose and rambles on, as he is merely a servant of Macbeth’s with little or no social status. Macbeth however as he is the central character in the play and a lord or Thane of high social status speaks almost entirely in rhyming verse. Iambic pentameters are used in the play to avoid monotony as they give rhythm to a sentence and stress the more important words in it. An example of this is â€Å"I have thee not and yet I see thee still† (2,1,35) which is said by Macbeth as he sees the dagger before him but cannot touch it. In this sentence the more important words are obviously emphasized as shown by the underlining. Rhyming couplets are part of another literary tradition and are also used to give a natural and obvious conclusion to a speech, this property was used by Shakespeare as a cue for other actors as it could easily be remembered and recognised by them. Rhyming couplets are also used to indicate supernatural powers of a character in a play, as they sound unusual and ghostlike when spoken. This can be demonstrated in this speech by the weird sisters: â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair; Hover through fog and filthy air.† Shakespeare uses a number of examples of imagery, personification, metaphors and similes in the play. Imagery is used to project many of the themes of the play. One method of imagery used by Shakespeare is clothing, which displays the theme that appearances can be deceptive. For example in act one when Macbeth is given the title, â€Å"thane of cawdor† he asks, â€Å"why do you dress me in borrowed robes?†(1.3.108-9) as he believes that the thane of Cawdor still lives. Later in the play another reference to clothing is used in: â€Å"Now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giants robe upon a dwarfish thief?†(5.2.20-3) This refers to Macbeth’s unsuitability as king; he is a dwarfish thief who has stolen the title of king from the true king. Another chain of images used in the play relate to blood, which is used frequently in reports of murders and in describing people and events to demonstrate the brutality of the play and of the acts committed in it. Imagery is used vividly to describe the murdered Duncan and after the murder of Banquo Macbeth says to one of his murderers: â€Å"There’s blood upon thy face†(3.4.12). This shows that the murder must have been particularly violent, as blood has sprayed onto the face of the murderer. Metaphors and similes are also used frequently in the play to demonstrate the deception that is used by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This intended deception is shown by: â€Å"Your hand your tongue: look like th’innocent hower but be the serpent under’t.† This sentence shows that the intention of Macbeth is to look innocent and pleasant on the surface in order to deceive someone into a false sense of security in order to get rid of them by murdering them. Throughout Macbeth Shakespeare has used a number of different literary traditions, which enhance the dramatic effect of the play for the modern day audience, and to include popular traditional values for the audience for whom it was intended.

Compare Two Deontological Theories Essay

‘Deon’ means duty in ancient Greek and a deontological theory is concerned with the morality of an act rather than its consequences (or the ‘motive/intention’ behind the act). Kant’s theory of categorical imperatives (I ought to do X rather than a hypothetical; if I want to achieve X then I should do Y) consists of three main principles. The first of these is the universal law which states that you must only act on the maxim (principle) when you can at the same time will it to become a universal law. This means that you must be content that if everybody took the same action as you chose in similar situations, it would remain a moral action. The second of his principles asks you to act in a way that treats others as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end. This relates to Jesus’ teaching to ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12) and says humans should not use other humans to gain something for th emselves, as we would not like to be treated in this way. The final categorical imperative is the ‘Kingdom of Morals’ which says that we should always act as though we were the legislators for the kingdom of morals – we are in charge of what is fair and just. Kant placed great faith on human beings as being able to work rationally to such a conclusion and act according to principles. This contrasts with the Natural Moral Law theory which claims that we must find the purpose God has set for us and follow this path accordingly; our own personal beliefs are irrelevant. ‘Natural Moral Law’ was coined by Thomas Aquinas (influenced by Aristotle’s idea of the ‘final cause’) and the theory states that every action must work to fulfil its purpose; every action against it is immoral. According to the theory natural law is accessible through the natural order of the world and is unchanging. It is arguable that part of the theory is teleological as it is concerned with our ‘end’ by tryin g to fulfil our ‘God-given purpose’. Both Aquinas and Kant agree that our morals are absolute, a priori truths, however Kant believes that our reason will lead us to these truths whilst Aquinas has set primary and secondary precepts which he believes humans should follow. His primary precepts are to self-preserve and preserve the innocent, reproduce, learn, order society and worship God. These are absolutist as he believes all societies should share these values. He believes that these are universal and so he is fulfilling Kant’s first imperative. However the theories, when applied work very differently. An example of this is the case of abortion, a girl that is thirteen years old gets raped and becomes pregnant; she cannot care for the child and feels like she would be wrong in keeping it. According to Kant’s theory she would not be able to abort as she could not will every woman who became pregnant to abort their child, if they did then the human race would not survive, making this a contradiction of the ‘Laws of Nature’. Kant also argued that all humans have intrinsic worth and therefore by aborting so that she has an easier life the girl is treating the foetus as a means to an end. As for natural law, abortion goes against two of Aquinas’ primary precepts, largely the precept of ‘reproduction’. But also ‘preservation of the innocent’ suggests that issues such as euthanasia and abortion would not be permitted. The only acceptance to abortion in the natural law theory would be if the mother’s womb had to be removed to save her life – consequently aborting the foetus (this is the doctrine of the double effect). Both Aquinas and Kant assume God, Kant says that we must presuppose God, immortality and freedom in order for his theory to function whilst Aquinas believes that God gave us the ability to reason to find our morals – which God set. Whilst on surface level they appear similar theories, both being absolutist and deontological, when applied to ethical decisions they usually counteract each other with the viewpoint given. Assess the strengths & weaknesses of one of these theories (9 Marks) An obvious problem for the natural moral law theory is that it provides us with legalistic morality, because it is absolutist it means that it does not accommodate for individual circumstances. An example of this is a homosexual couple. According to the theory, the purpose of all sexual acts is to reproduce; any sexual act which does not fulfil this purpose is immoral. We can see that we are biologically ‘set up’ to reproduce in this way, and so Aquinas believes that masturbation, contraception and homosexual intercourse are all immoral because they do not perform the function that they are destined for. However the fact that it is an absolutist theory also has its advantages – it is a source of clear values and moral certainty, it would be very easy to follow, without considering the complexity of circumstances or consequences. Its focus on reason and universalism also helps the simplicity of the theory and can help it to transcend over a variety of cultures and religions. The only problem with it being a religious theory rather than a secular one is that the primary precept of ‘worshipping God’ will not come naturally to those who do not believe in the Christian God, or to atheists/agnostics. The fact that Aquinas maintains that the absolute laws come from God and that we ought to obey them may lead him into the trap of the naturalistic fallacy – obeying God is a value judgement and therefore he is turning and is into an ought. However an advantage is that the theory’s emphasis on the purpose of humanity gives people a structure and meaning in their lives, it is humanistic in its assertion that we all have intrinsic worth. Overall I believe that the weaknesses outweigh the strengths of this theory – it fails in its precepts which determine how people should live – people do not all hold the same values and therefore it is presumptuous to say that our morals were given by God and we all share them. It is also interesting that Aquinas himself went against his primary precept of ‘reproduction’ by being a celibate priest.