The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller – Linda

Ms. Woods ENG 252 Sec 400 October 29, 2012 Linda – A Pillar of Strength and Balance In the Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller My question for discussion is what I think of Linda, the wife of Willie Lohman in the play â€Å"uk/expressionism-and-realism-in-death-of-a-salesman/">The Death of a Salesman†. This is my response. I feel that Linda is the strongest character in the play. Everyone around her has major issues, her sons and her husband. Even in the reflections of the past her brother-in-law had his issues – greed being one of them. She represents stability, goodness and balance in this story.She can be looked at as the foundation of this family, like most strong women. This story takes place in the 1940’s when the environment or way of living was the woman stayed home and tended to the family and the husband was the provider. And we also have a male dominated, sort of male chauvinist society at that time. So being that the man was the provider, a ma n had a sense of being the King of his home. Because of this general idea, it reduced the importance or view of women and their roles. Meaning a woman’s role was less than important because the man was King.Therefore, we see the questionable, forceful and harsh tones that Willie uses sometimes when speaking to Linda which can be interpreted or misinterpreted in different ways. And when this happens we see Linda back down or just close her mouth. But it also should be noted that Willie is losing everything around him, at home he feels that is the only place he can control what is going on. Then we see Willie’s dementia coming to a serious level of illness. This is not mentioned in the story but we see something wrong with Willie’s mental state.By the evidence given in the story, we can conclude many things – guilt, dementia, pressure and stress or just getting old and not wanting to face it. We are not given a reason for this deteriation. But it is evident by the reflections Willie has and how he is stuck in the past and/or stuck in a fantasy that something very deep is going on. This story is very male dominated with the symbolic theme of women are just extra’s. We hear this thru Willy Jr and Biff. They don’t seem to respect women either. Thru out the story no one seems to listen to her, her sons and neither Willie her husband.Linda is a faithful wife, playing her role. She stands and supports her husband. You never hear her say a bad word about her husband other than him being sick. She knows what’s wrong but I don’t think she knows how to handle it. At a time when medically no one really knew about mental illness, I think she viewed it as stress driven. Willis has been reduced at his job, he doesn’t want to face he’s getting old and his sons not being productive are just a few issues that contribute to the unrest in this household.She tries to explain to her sons what is going on but the f act that Willie probably was traveling salesmen for a long time and has been away so much that he has no real relationship with his son’s. Therefore they feel no pity for him, especially Willy Jr. who lost faith in his father a long time ago. So part of them being worthless and non productive can be contributed to not having their father around while they were growing up. So they do not have any attachment to him or what is going on with him nor does Willie Jr. care because of what he discovered when his father was having an affair.They only have attachment to their mother, Linda. She loves her boys regardless and her husband but she feels her duty first is to her husband. We also conclude that Linda does not know about the affair Willie had nor does she know that Willy Jr. knew about it. All she knows is the relationship between big Willie and junior Willy has been severely altered. Clinging to the suspicion that Willie (husband) is suffering from mental deterioration she wa nts to do whatever it takes to let him just grow old gracefully and peacefully, even if it means turning her back on her children.This is not to be taken as rejection or meanness because they are grown and are not contributing anything positive to the situation or conditions that are evolving. That is evident when they leave Willie in the bathroom at the restaurant and he suffers a severe breakdown and they don’t even come back to check on him. I feel that when she unloaded on her sons and voiced all the truths that were said is her finally being fed up with all the confusion going on around her. She is fighting to stay strong, guide and stay dedicated to her husband while moving all negatives out of the way.That is a sign of strength and dedication. This is symbolic of how she is truly the foundation and the balance of this family. Willie is losing control of everything, his job, his mind, his finance, his pride, his youth, etc. and Linda sees all of this. Thus his harsh tre atment of her I do not feel is meant to hurt her. Remember a woman’s value in this era is reduced so she has no voice, no say and she abides by that. But in today’s time we would consider that disrespectful. I am considering the era of this story.But Linda stays strong and is always positive. Willie does realize he loves his wife and she loves him because at the end before he leaves to commit suicide he sends her to bed because he knows she would try to stop him from going out. And he knows she would do that out of love for him. Even though in his mind he sees this as a way of taking care of her and his sons. So in conclusion, the question remains do I believe that Linda was a dishrag? No I do not. Linda was the epitimy of a good wife, supportive, grounded, sacrificial and wise.She knew when to back down and when to be strong and speak out. She held Willie together as long as she could, until it was out of her hands. As she stated at his grave site, she truly did not u nderstand how deep Willie’s issues really were. Thru all the symbolism of this story, good and bad (the sons), rich and poor (the environment and Willie’s associates), young and old (his reflections back to his younger days) Linda was the central figure in this story representing neutrality, balance and humbleness.

Current trading relationship Between the United States and China Essay

Introductions International trade refers to the exchange of raw materials and manufactured goods (and services) across national borders. This situation happen since every country has specific products or services that are better in terms of quality, price, or any other measurable factors than one form other countries. This idea refers to competitive advantage. This situation drives countries to exchange their products and services to benefit from the countries that can produce goods more effective and efficient. Within the past few decades, the increase of international trade has driven the integration of the world economy. Furthermore, there are interesting facts that between 1980 and 2002, the volume of world trade has increased significantly relative to world output. This is because, for instances, traded goods have become cheaper over time relative to those goods that are not traded. In addition, we witness there are three factors characterize the increase in trade: The decrease in costs of trade. In transportation, communication and search, currency exchange and tariffs are all factors that influence when trading goods internationally. Within the past 20 years, these costs are falling; suggesting that there would be an increase in the volume of trade. Second factor is the fact that tradable goods sector experience improved productivity growth. According to studies, it is found that productivity growth tends to be higher in the tradable goods sector than in the non-tradable goods sector. This situation will in turn increase the ratio of trade to output. The third factor is the increase of income per head. The increasing income will likely drive consumers to shift their spending away from basic food and clothing products and into manufacturing goods, which offer more differentiation, diversification and international Due to the needs to trade with other countries, a country is driven to find and develop their competitive advantages, which in turn sustain their trade relationship with other countries in the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Concerning the international trade, this paper will discuss about current trade relationship between U.S. and China including the current status of this trading relationship, impact of devaluing of the U.S. Dollar affect this trading relationship, sources of Chinese domestic inflation, American recession affects the Chinese economy, and the future of trading relationship between U.S. and China. Current Status of U.S – China Trading Relationship The trade relationship between U.S. and China represents a significant issue for both countries. This is because, each country regards the trade between the other party is important. For the U.S., for example, the trade with China is ranked number 3 with US$29.9 billions of dollars. The first trading partner for the U.S. is Canada (US$48.9 billions of dollars) and Mexico (US$29.9 billions of dollars). This condition highlights that the trading between the two countries will be managed suitably although the two countries often involved in political tension regarding military force, Tibet issue, and trade secret.   Table 1 shows the U.S. trade relationship with China in the first two months in 2008. Table 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trade Relationship between U.S. and China NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars. Month Exports Imports Balance January 2008 5,854.9 26,167.7 -20,312.8 February 2008 5,773.9   24,128.6 -18,354.7 TOTAL 11,628.8 50,296.3 -38,667.4 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Above figure represents the stable trends in which a year later in 2007, the trade value is undulating as shown in the following table (Table 2). The top value of trade between U.S. and China occurred in October 2007 where it reached US$31.6 billions of dollars (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). Table 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trade Relationship between U.S. and China in 2007 NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars. Month Exports Imports Balance January 2007 4,364.2 25,635.0 -21,270.9 February 2007 4,630.7 23,064.5 -18,433.8 March 2007 5,479.4 22,725.4 -17,246.1 April 2007 4,849.4 24,222.9 -19,373.5 May 2007 5,322.7 25,338.4 -20,015.7 June 2007 5,900.1 27,061.1 -21,161.0 July 2007 4,779.2 28,583.4 -23,804.2 August 2007 5,904.6 28,431.4 -22,526.8 September 2007 5,610.5 29,375.3 -23,764.8 October 2007 5,683.1 31,611.2 -25,928.1 November 2007 5,816.3 29,768.8 -23,952.6 December 2007 6,898.2 25,690.2 -18,792.0 TOTAL 65,238.3 321,507.8 -256,269.5 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many reasons why U.S. has strong trade relationship with China. The country is home for more than 1.3 billion people, becomes one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Within the past decade, the country recorded an average of 8.2% of GDP growth. The figure put China to be the world’s 7th largest economy and 4th largest trader to date (Jintao 2003). The main reason of the country’s successful rapid growth comes from its decision to conduct comprehensive economic reforms, including its 2001 WTO accession (â€Å"People’s Republic†, 2005).   The impact of such reformation is China becomes famous for its dramatic shift from a relatively closed economy prior to 1970 to the world’s largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment to date. The year 1978 was the time when the country conducted a massive makeover of its foreign trade policy (Coughlin, 1999). As the first policy of allowing limited amount of foreign investment has seemed to work superbly, the Chinese government figured out that it was a good idea to let ‘a little more’ money coming in. Once the decision to get â€Å"a little more money’ set up, immediately afterwards, the foreign investment into China grows significantly, putting the country to be one of the main pillars of Chinese economic reformation while playing a key role in Chinese economic integration initiatives. Concerning the situation, analysts believe that FDI into China continues playing a major part in the development of China (Coughlin, 1999). Thus, we can say that to some degree, China’s economic development can be observed through the activity of FDI inside the country. Recent development shows that FDI inflow patterns into China form an obvious trend. The technology-intensive industry has attracted more investors to put their plants in China while increasing the number of FDI in-flows into the country. Along with condition, FDI inflows to traditional industries like footwear, travel goods, toys, bicycles and electrical appliances have been declining. Experts believe that the trend will reasonably continue in the future (‘China’, 2002). Devaluing of the U.S. Dollar affect this trading relationship Multinational companies having subsidiaries all around the world or a country that conducts trade with other countries generally has at least one issue to constantly think about, which is foreign currency exposure. Companies or countries cannot operate using the same currency within different countries and markets. However, their national reporting standards generally require these companies to report all their incomes and expenses within a single currency. Hence, the problem of managing foreign currency exchange risk becomes significant. Multinationals who failed to manage their currency risk accordingly could end up losing millions of dollars annually due to currency exposure (Abo & Simkins, 2004). Investorwords.com defines exchange rate risk as the risk that a business’ operations or an investment’s value will be affected by changes in exchange rates (Investorswords, 2008). Under such circumstances, for example, â€Å"if money must be converted into a different currency to make a certain investment, changes in the value of the currency relative to the American dollar will affect the total loss or gain on the investment when the money is converted back (Investorswords, 2008). Since companies that deal with foreign currency will encounter the risk of undulating exchange rate, they had better to have risk management and tools to reduce and alleviate the negative impact of such undulating rate to maintain their companies’ profit. In trade relationship point of view, the devaluation of U.S. dollar would put the trade deficit much deeper. In Table 1 and Table 2, we find that U.S. trade with China always experiences a deficit. This condition could get worse if U.S. dollars experience devaluation since it means China companies will pay less to the U.S. counterparts when they conduct trade in U.S. dollar currency. Figure 1 shows the U.S. trade deficit. Figure 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   U.S. Trade Deficit with China (Mankiw, 2003) Sources of Chinese domestic inflation In general, inflation is influenced by a number of factors, including the degree to which the productive capacity in the economy is being utilized; one-time shifts in product prices resulting from shocks to important supply and demand curves; changes in productivity growth; and inflation expectations. Kohn in his speech further reveals that there are four determinants of inflation: Economics slack. history reveals that economic slack indicates that when capital and labor are not fully employed, competition for market share and for jobs tends to bring down the inflation rate and vice versa Price shocks. Supply and demand influence the increase in a few prices for the specific products. This situation in turn contributes to the broad pickup in inflation although Kohn believes that price shocks are not going to be a source of continuing upward pressure on prices. Productivity. The combination of rapid productivity growth and weak aggregate demand has resulted in the slack in resource utilization, which contributed to the decrease in inflation. In addition, productivity growth also influences inflation through its effects on labor compensation and profit margins. Inflation expectations. This determinant plays a key role in price determination. In addition to other effects, a rise in inflation expectations tends to become self-fulfilling as people seek to protect themselves in the process of setting wages and prices. (Federal Reserve, 2004) Concerning China domestic inflation, we find that the country’s government policy becomes one major issue that influences the inflation. In 1989, for example, the government enacted policies which were intended to prevent the overheating economy. The policy was taken because in 1988, there was an aborted effort at the wholesale price reform. The incident resulted panic buying and wildly increased inflation. This explains the sudden raise of GDP growth. However, the government managed to create price stability by canceling large investment projects and decreasing domestic demands of products and services. The following economic turmoil was caused by the Beijing Massacre 1989. AS displayed within the table, the incident causes slowdown of national businesses, especially those involved with foreign investments. In 1991, the economy started to rise again, however, still with limping steps due to the worsened national image. In 1992, Deng Xiaoping decided to perform a tour through the Southern region of the country and attempt to revive international trust to the national economy. The tour achieved a significant portion of its intentions. Immediately, international interest in the rapidly growing economy was revived and FDI inflow to the coastal regions of the country was significantly boosted. Particularly in Shanghai, the new economic tendency brought significant governmental investment into the region, to build further infrastructure for international investment. The governmental initiatives brought increasing trade activities within the region, which encourage growth and also inflation (People’ Daily Online, 2006) Bilateral trading relationship heading in the near future The first analysis in conducting a trade with other country is about analyzing the country risk. This is important factor that U.S companies should be taken into account since trading with other countries involve any factors such as law enforcement for traded goods etc. in software industry, for example, many times, U.S. software developer complain about high rate of software piracy in China.   In short, country risk analysis is performance assessment regarding the uncertainty of a particular country in order to know about business environment in that country. In addition to using several macro and micro factors of country risk rating such as checklist approach, Delphi technique, and inspection Visits (Madura 485), U.S. – China trading trends is because China still holds the highest FDI Index that encourage U.S. companies to continue conducting trade with China in the future as shown in following figure. Figure 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Top 25 Countries in term of FDI Confidence Index Source: A.T. Kearney References    Aabo, Tom. Simkins, Betty J. (2004). Interaction between real Options and Financial Hedging: Fact or Fiction in Managerial Decision Making. Adler, M. B Dumas. (1984). Exposure to Currency Risk: Definition and Measurement. Financial Management 13, pp 41-50. China. (2005). Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/fs/chin.pdf#search=’China%20Fact%20Sheet%20pdf’ Coughlin, Cletus C. Segev, Eran. (1999). Foreign Direct Investment in China: A Spatial Econometric Study. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/1999/1999-001.pdf Federal Reserve. (2004). Remarks by Governor Donald L. Kohn. Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2004/20040604/default.htm Foreign Direct Investment. (2003). Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/fdi/fdi.html Jintao, Hu. Australia-China free Trade Agreement Joint Feasibility Studies. Retrieved May 5, 2008 from http://www.dfat.gov.au/search International Trade Theory. Retrieved May 5, 2008 from http://www.radford.edu/~aorlov/econ340/Ch04.pdf Investorswords. (2008). Exchange Rate Risk. (2004). Retrieved May 5, 2008 from http://www.investorwords.com/1808/exchange_rate_risk.html Krugman, Paul R., and Maurice Obstfeld. (1997). International Economics: Theory and Policy. Addison-Wesley Mankiw, N. Gregory. (2003). China’s Trade and U. S. Manufacturing Jobs. Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/mankiw_testimony_house_ways_and_means_oct_30.html Mclain, Charles. (1995). China’s Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Law. Retrieved May 5, 2008 from http://www.1990institute.org/publications/pubs/ISUPAP11.html People’ Daily Online. (2006). Poverty Reduction Remains Tough Job for Asia-Pacific Countries. Retrieved May 6, 2008 from http://english.people.com.cn/200609/19/eng20060919_303966.html U.S. Census Bureau. (2008). Trade in Goods (Imports, Exports and Trade Balance) with China. Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c5700.html

Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Banking - Essay Example Not only the internal rating, but also the governance and the quality of risk management will be a major factor in being able to use internal ratings as a basis for calculating regulatory capital requirements. National supervisors will authorise firms to use one of the internal-ratings based approaches on a case by case basis. Basel II also introduces capital requirements for operational risk, a risk category that was not explicitly addressed under the Basel I rules. To a large extent, the proposed Basel II was in response to widespread criticism of Basel I. But it also reflected additional thought and analysis of the role of bank capital regulation. In particular, Basel II added two new "pillars" - supervisory review (pillar 2) and market discipline (pillar 3) - to the single pillar of minimum capital requirement of Basel I. In response to public comments, the Committee revised its proposal twice and issued a third consultative paper (CP3) in early 2003. If approved, the proposed standards are scheduled for implementation in most countries at the beginning of 2007. In preparation, in August 2003, U.S. regulators circulated an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for the application of Basel II to U.S. banks for public comment by the end of the year, and the major features have been incorporated by the European Union in a proposed revision of its Capital Adequacy Directive (CAD) for financial institutions, for approval by the European Pa rliament and the member national parliaments before adoption A key feature of the New Accord, as noted above, is that it is structured on the basis of three pillars: (1) Pillar 1. Minimum capital requirements for market credit and operational risk (2) Pillar 2. Supervisory review process and (3) Pillar 3. Market discipline These pillars are interlocking and mutually reinforcing. For example, the use of the more sophisticated approaches to credit or operational risk will bring additional disclosure requirements under Pillar 3, and will affect the nature of the supervisory review conducted under Pillar 2.Pillar 1 - Minimum capital requirements Under Basel II, the definition of regulatory capital as well as the minimum required ratio of 8% of risk-weighted assets remains substantially unchanged from the Basel I Accord2. The treatment of position risk arising from trading activities as set out in the 1996 Amendment of Basel I Accord also remains substantially un-changed, although significant changes are proposed to the treatment of counterparty credit risk that have been discussed in a joint working group established by the Basel Committee and the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). The principal modifications relate to the methodology for calculating risk-weighted assets categories, credit and operational risk. The minimum capital requirements and methods used to measure the risks faced by banks, as defined under Pillar 1 of the Basel II Ac-cord, are given in the paragraphs below. Credit Risk: Pillar 1 Three methods for calculating credit risk capital are offered. In order of increasing sophistication and risk

Answer questions from provided book and information Research Paper

Answer questions from provided book and information - Research Paper Example analyses, identifying the firm’s competitive advantage, designing a competitive strategy, and designing an organizational structure that fits the strategy (Spulber, 2009). The strategy process in Scenario 1 could change in terms of it being a new entrant as an entrepreneurial set-up; as contrasted with Scenario 2 where the firm manifests a rapidly growing trend. As such, goal setting is still the paramount concern for Scenario 1 while it could be deduced that under Scenario 2, the new head of a division, previously set goals are assumed to be clearly set and the relevant steps to consider in strategy management are steps 2 to 5 to determine whether there is a need to revise or redesign competitive strategy in view of changing external factors and internal resources. As a manager, goal setting must be designed in a most appropriate and effective manner which integrates the abilities of the organization with the opportunities posed in the market. As such, there should be an overall organizational goal that is clearly designed and communicated; not a series of different types of goals which could confuse stakeholders in determining which to achieve. The process of external and internal analyses for Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 would be different; since Scenario 1 is a start-up corporation with no historical information regarding external factors that impact its operations; nor any internal resources yet that define the organization’s strengths or weaknesses. For Scenario 2, historical information abounds and therefore, the extent and comprehensiveness of external and internal analyses would be greater and more challenging. Again, for the analysis of competitive advantage and competitive strategy, the two companies would differ in terms of availability of historical information. For Scenario 1, the company is still in the goal setting stage and therefore identification of its competitive advantage and strategy would be premised on what it perceives it could do to

Human sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Human sexuality - Essay Example Golanty and Edlin (196) describe experiment where persons got alcohol with tonic or tonic without alcohol, and it was told to the randomly taken subjects that they drink alcohol. These persons, regardless whether their drinks contained alcohol or not, demonstrated sexual desire. Alcohol decreases the level of self-control of increases the level of aggression. ‘Alcohol myopia’ when a person ignores negative consequences and is focused on the sexual context is a known result of the alcohol consumption (Bancroft 406). As alcohol decreases control of own behavior, it becomes one of the strongest predictors of the sexual aggression (Rosental 412). Alcohol is just a symbol of establishing the proper sexual behavior. Biological impact of alcohol is harmful for the human sexuality. Chronic alcoholism is the main risk factor. Alcohol decreases sexual desire for both male and female. The most commonly reported problem for male alcoholics is erectile dysfunction. Ejaculatory incompetence, erectile impotence and premature ejaculation occur less frequently. Typical problems of the female alcoholics are lack of orgasm, lack of sexual interest, lack of sexual arousal or pleasure, lack of lubrication, painful intercourse and muscular spasms (Aluko et al. 1281). The mechanisms of alcohol’s impact on the human sexuality are not well understood. It acts as depressant and sedates on the brain cells decelerating the brain activity. The researches results show that chronic intake of alcohol may significantly decrease the level of testosterone for male persons. The low level of testosterone can be a possible explanation for the sexual dysfunctions of male alcoholics. Another effect of alcohol the retardation of blood congestion and swelling in the genitals, as well as decrease of the vaginal blood volume. It can explain the erectile dysfunction due to altered blood flow to genitalia and/or

Biopsychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biopsychology - Essay Example For they become colourd by reflecting the Light of their own Colours more copiously, and that of all other colors more sparingly." (Opticks, Book I, Part II, Experiment 15)    Generally, colour vision is merely a physical ability of an organism or human being. A colour is perceived by the human eye as a combination of different wavelengths. The ability of humans to distinguish colours is an interesting question, which has been discussed by scientists for many years. Thus, a number of theories have been created. These theories will be discussed in the present paper. According to Peter Gouras â€Å"color vision is an illusion created by the interactions of billions of neurons in our brain. There is no color in the external world; it is created by neural programs and projected onto the outer world we see. It is intimately linked to the perception of form where color facilitates detecting borders of objects† (Gouras , 1969). There are two main theories explaining the ability of humans to distinguish colours: trichromatic colour vision and opponent process theory. The researches devoted to the development of trichomatic colour vision were initiated in 18th century by Thomas Young. This scientist claimed that human vision is caused by interaction of three different kinds of photoreceptor cells. Later on, claims of this scientist were experimentally proven by Hermann von Helmholtz. Therefore it was proven that a human required 3 wavelengths in order to distinguish all colours. More detailed discussion of this theory requires additional facts. There are 3 kinds of cones in the retina of the eye; each of these 3 cones has various photosensitive pigments. Different kind of pigment is sensitive to different light wavelength. Cones are of three different types: long, medium and small, ranging from 560 nm to 420 nm respectively (Dacey,

Agrument against lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States Essay

Agrument against lowering the drinking age to 18 in the United States - Essay Example A behavioral argument in favor of lowering the drinking age cited the Prohibition experience and Engs (1998), for instance, has this to say: As a nation we have tried prohibition legislation twice in the past for controlling irresponsible drinking problems†¦ These laws were finally repealed because they were unenforceable and because the backlash towards them caused other social problems. Today we are repeating history and making the same mistakes. Intentions behind the above arguments vary and some maybe legitimate as well but the issues raised by those in favor of restricting the age limit for alcohol access to 21 has so far succeeded in presenting a stronger case. The reason for this is simple: the empirical evidences and the statistics point to the fact that lowering the drinking age would have adverse effects on individuals and the society in general. In the United States, the current legal use for alcohol consumption is 21. The statutes covering this prohibition can be considered as those intended to influence individuals in regards to health-related behavior. A short review of its history will reveal that the minimum drinking age was implemented immediately after the Prohibition when all of the US states adopted a stringent policy against youth alcohol consumption. When the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution was introduced, lowering the voting age to 18, a number of states have also lowered the drinking age. But by 1984, the federal government implemented a drive to standardize the minimum drinking age to 21 through a congressional initiative. This has been supported by numerous governmental agencies, organizations and individuals such as the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Council on Alcoholism, the Presidential Commission on Drunk Driving and the American Medical Association. Specifically, according to Wallander and Siegel

Bilingual Education and Bilingualism Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bilingual Education and Bilingualism - Article Example Among other benefits, bilingual people are also better able to deal with distractions, and the learning of other language improve listening skills and memory (Bilingual Families Perth, 2003; Kern, 2006; Benefits, online website) If thinking of communication and cultural benefits the list of advantages is abundant, especially today when the world is so well communicated through the technology and the media transportation. The study of other language gives the perspective and understanding of other cultures and traditions around the world. Furthermore, worldwide business requires more and more professionals that are proficient in more than one language. There is a big debate among educators and politicians on the best way to introduce the second language to the children. This has been especially important in some USA regions where the Spanish Latin American children are migrants with no previous knowledge of English and attending school with no understanding of the language. The main debate in this aspect goes to which is the fastest and better way to teach the English language to the non-speaking migrant children. There are There are different approaches to face this learning process, and the bilingual method of having both, first and second language simultaneously vs. only English, are the most important ways to consider. The bilingual method of having first and second language simultaneously has different ways to be implemented, according with the program on which the children are exposed. Some have different percentage of hours with the first and second language, equal number of hours in both, or only some classes in both languages. The second method, on which the only one allowed in the classes is English, has the first language only for clarifying some concept, but the final reply from the student must be in English. This second approach is the one that is more controversial in some USA states. More specifically, the states of California, Arizona and Massachusetts have passed a policy requesting that migrant children should be taught English by being taught in English using the all English approach of Structured English Immersion (SEI) program (MacSwan & Pray, 2005). The politicians that support this policy are convinced that young immigrant children can learn very fast a second language (English in this case) if they are heavily exposed to the language at school. The ambition of SEI program is to allow the children to become capable and skillful enough in English to do well in all classes and social opportunities. The skills taught through this approach include reading, writing, listening and speaking. In this program it is expected that teachers are able to understand the first language of the child, as a way of clarification and/or interpretation of key concepts. The child is also allowed to address the teacher on his/her first language, but the final answer or reply must be in English (English First

Red Robin Restaurant Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Red Robin Restaurant Evaluation Essay The theme for all Red Robin restaurants is â€Å"Red Robin†¦. Yum! † When thinking about this statement you really have to think about all that encompasses. What makes the food so good? Does the atmosphere make the yum factor even better? What about the staff how do they contribute to the yum factor of the food? For this evaluation I would like to explore this yum factor and truly understand what makes the Red Robin chain of restaurants stick with yum as a marketing tool to entice customers to come in. Firstly we will explore the atmosphere of the Red Robin restaurants and how the atmosphere adds to the yum factor. When you first walk into a Red Robin restaurant you are greeted by a friendly hostess who joyfully takes you and your party to your table. Once you are seated your server comes over to greet you and take your drink order. This is great for the yum factor because no one like to eat food in the mist of negativity, when you are in a place where the atmosphere is negative it just makes your whole entire experience bad. The one down side to this is that at times if you have children, you are still in the process of settling in; you are not quite ready for your server to come by and take your drink order because you have not even looked at the menu. Secondly we must discuss the staff and how they add to the yum factor for Red Robin restaurants. The staff at Red Robin is for about 95% of the time the friendliest and warm restaurant staff you will encounter. The staffs at Red Robin restaurants are very accommodating for anyone who needs to place a special order. They are also good about getting food to children first, especially if it is later in the evening and they are hungry. This ability to get what I desire to eat the way that I desire it without having to be reprimanded for substituting this for that or adding this or that, makes the yum factor so much better because it is truly what I want. However, the one con that I have seen of the Red Robin staff is that, they are not prepared for last minute large parties. There have been times when a group of friends have decided to just go and have a great time eating together, the staff takes about thirty minutes to get their selves together to be able to accommodate the crew. Lastly, we must discuss what makes the food so good and how it makes the yum factor. The food at Red Robin consists of burgers, French fries, select chicken products, salads and sandwich wraps. The burgers are considered gourmet because they have more than just your typical bacon, cheese, ketchup and mustard. The food theme for Red Robin is classic comfort with a twist of class to heighten your taste buds. On the other hand when it comes to the food some may find that the classiness of some of the items is too much for them. Some people just want a simple cheeseburger with no muss or fuss, and with all the gourmet burgers this may be a turnoff to those people. The uniqueness of the food is what gives Red Robin the yum factor, the food is comforting and the flavors are bold. In conclusion you can clearly understand how the staff, atmosphere and food at Red Robin restaurants live up you their motto â€Å"Red Robin†¦Yum! † When you have a great atmosphere, great staff, and food that delivers’ on the taste, you have a great recipe for the yum factor. When you are choosing a place to eat you want to choose a place where you have the full yum factor effect. Some restaurants may just have one or two elements of the yum factor, but if you are looking for a place with all three yum factors, then Red Robin is the restaurant for you.

English for Night Essay Example for Free

English for Night Essay Night Thematic Statement In the book: â€Å"Night the Author†, Elie Wiesel writes about, many different themes such as death, racism, faith, trust, love and much more. The main theme in the book would be Elies faith, his faith in God is absolute. Throughout the entire book Wiesel talks about his faith and it really shows how loyal he is to God while being shaken during his experience in the Holocaust. Wiesel was raised believing that everything on Earth was a reflection of Gods holiness and power, so everywhere he looked he was thinking about and studying this God. Elie was dedicated and wanted to know more and more each day. Wiesels faith looked as if it could never be brought down or shaken, but by the time he got to the second camp Elie was already slowly loosing faith, He says â€Å"Why did I pray? Why did I live? Why did I breathe? † Wiesel was so brainwashed that he most likely didnt even know it was happening. Wiesel says â€Å" It was silent, What had I to thank Him for? † His faith was being moved because he was looking at all the pain around him and not the hope inside. He wonders how an amazing God could be apart of such a cruel place, his faith was now rocking by the cruelty and selfishness he sees among the prisoners. But soon enough Elie was one of those selfish prisoners a kapo says â€Å"Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone. † Wiesel was getting it in his head that maybe I could eat that extra bread instead of giving it to my father, Im most likely to survive longer. He was believing the lie being told and loosing much more than he had hoped. All-throughout Night Elie Wiesel writes how much he wanted to pursue God in his life and how much his life revolved around his relationship with God. Even though he has been forever changed from his horrible experience during the Holocaust, Elie still emerged with his faith. He didnt let the worst thing in his life effect the best part of his life, his faith in God.

Harley Davidson PESTLE Analysis

Harley Davidson PESTLE Analysis This section of the report is concerned with understanding the strategic position of Harley Davidson Inc. in an attempt to formulate strategic options for the company. It identifies three areas: First the changes that is occurring in the environment and how these changes affects H-D and its business activities. Second the resource strength and capabilities of H-D. Finally the expectations and influences of H-Ds stakeholders. THE ENVIRONMENT In order to understand the environment which H-D operates in the following frameworks are used with the aim of helping to identify key issues and challenges and ways of coping with complexity and change. PESTLE ANALYSIS In 2009 H-D stood to gain from the Economic Stimulus Package, passed into legislation by the Barack Obama Administration. The federal stimulus package gives taxpayers breaks if they purchase a new car, light truck, RV, or motorcycle.(Wachter, 2009). In addition, Coachman industries also a manufacturer of leisure vehicles, and a competitor of H-D was eliminated from the New York Stock Exchange. According to the Datamonitor report the Motorcycle Industry segment has had economic growth for the past three years, and has only recently been experiencing decline. In 2007 it declined 2.3%, yet is forecasted to recover 4.3% by 2012. An economic factor in favor of H-D, despite this decline, is that the U.S. industry generated total revenues of $10.2 billion in 2007, of which 98.8% were of motorcycles (not scooters, minibikes, etc.). Furthermore, within the U.S. economy H-D holds the majority of motorcycle sales. Therefore, even while industry growth is declining, H-D sales and other motorcycle sales are still continuing to increase. (DataMonitor 2007). Figure 1 shows motorcycle industry growth versus sales. The Motorcycly Industry Council (MIC) discloses that leisure product industries are facing steep decline however the motorcycle segment though declining ,is not doing so at a steep rate. Tim Buche, President of the MIC says Overall motorcycle sales were down 7.2%, not nearly as sharp a decline as many other consumer products in todays economy/ (Wasef, 2009). Socially H-D has a competitive edge which is owed to its customer base, strong brand loyalty and demographic trends such as the increse in female operators. This loyalty is indicated in the average age of H-D consumers. H-D average consumer buying age is 42 years old and increasing (Gauvin 2005). H-D aspires to increse it consumer demographics, howevr à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦although the younger generation below 35 years of age has posted the largest gains in owernship, the generation that is on the edge of the baby boomer segment will be the main catalyst of growth for the industry (Koncept 2007). One social factor that may negatively affect the sale of H-D motocycles is the stigma that has been attached to these leisure vehicles. Alot of people believe that motorcycles are dangerous and this belief is strengthened due to the high rate of fatalities and crashes. H-D stands the chance of escaping this stigmatisation if the public views their bikes as cruisers and not speed bikes. Technologically H-D can take advantage of antilock brake systems. Antilock brakes cold help riders avoid fatal crases according to a study done by the insurance industry. 2.1.2 PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL Rivalry H-D operates within the Recreational Vehicles industry along with five other major competitors: Winnebago, Polaris, Thor, Arctic Cat and Marine Products. The top performers within the industry and hold 92% of the market share by volume with a market capitalization of 64.653 Billion of a total Industry of 7 Billion (Yahoo Finance, 2009). Other firms in different industries that are direct product rivals include Honda Motor Company Limited, Yamaha Motor Co, Ltd., and Suzuki Motor Corporation (Datamonitor, 2007). The presence of these large multinational corporations with exceptionally high assets boosts the degree of rivalry within the industry. Because of the small number of material rivals, the markets revenue is shared between fewer firms and enhances the degree of rivalry for bottom line profit. This rivalry forces most competitors to try and diversify their business models through geographical expansion or vertical expansion, leading to interests and investments in a variety of other segments such as the automobile, watercraft, industrial and farming equipment areas. (Datamonitor, 2004). Threat of Substitutes The Recreational Vehicle industry faces threats from the Automobile Industry, from public transportation options and from Bicycles. The threat is largely dependent on the indispensability of motorcycles and other lifestyle products to the end user (Datamonitor, 2008). In most developed countries, motorcycles, jetskis and other recreational vehicles are leisure items that lack necessity and are therefore largely dispensable or substitutable by more practical items such as cars or more cost effective means of transportation such as bicycles. This lack of necessity increases the threat of substitutes and illustrates why the external market goes into decline during economic recession. However, even though there is a lack of necessity, when a consumer owns a motorcycle or other product, switching costs to a substitute can range from low to high. Switching to public transportation can be cheap, but switching to a luxury vehicle involves a high cost factor. Because switching costs vary depending on the alternative means of transportation chosen, the overall threat of substitutes within this industry is moderate. Buyer Power Buyer power is weakened by a high level of product differentiation and customer loyalty to dominating brands (Datamonitor, 2008). Because customer loyalty with respect to dealers is high, as is the demand for specific and/or customized products, buyers power is weakened since the consumers rely on companies to produce their preferred product. This high demand allows companies to increase their price due to high product differentiation and low standardization. Relatively large numbers of buyers within the US, coupled with a high level of product differentiation weakens buyer power. This gives Recreational Vehicle manufacturers a competitive edge in the industry because they can produce a product based on customer demand. An increasing factor of buyer power is the fact that over half of recreational vehicles sold in the U.S. are sold and bought through non-retail channels. This provides consumers with an option for cheaper purchasing, and becomes a major threat to the industry if they cannot move their new products. Fortunately for the large competitors, who rely on product differentiation, their customers desire customized products that arent available on the second-hand market. Overall, buyer power is low due to sustainable competitive advantage of product differentiation which is impossible for other brand competitors to match. Supplier Power Competitors within the Recreational Vehicle industry rely mostly on commodities such as metals. There is a highly stressed importance on the quality of these raw materials which enhances supplier power. Also, as global prices of primary raw materials (ie: steel, aluminum) increase, pressure is put on the manufacturers to increase their margins. Furthermore, the increasing consolidation of the steel industry has the potential to lead to even higher raw material costs and product differentiation. The competitors often deal with this high power of suppliers by signing contracts with manufacturers to ensure the delivery of quality raw materials at a set market price. Power of suppliers is decreased by the competitors large size and the fact that manufacturers account for only a small portion of the suppliers revenues. Large multinational corporations such as Harley-Davidson and others can receive materials from many different international suppliers and face low switching costs due to minimal product differentiation. This presence within the international market boosts Industry leaders power. (Competitive Landscape, 2009) Overall, supplier power is moderate. Threat of New Entrants The industry faces moderate threats of new entrants because of moderate industry growth levels and high barriers to entry. The Recreational Vehicle industry is continuing to grow, especially in America, as consumers are traveling shorter distances and on weekends with less planning. New entrants are lured by good market growth, especially in the budget or low-cost areas due to consumer, ownership and demographic trends towards convenient travel patterns. (RVIA.org, 2009) Barriers to entry include large capital requirements and high fixed costs for set-up of new production and provider facilities, an exceptionally high level of brand recognition and customer loyalty. Modes of entry include starting a new company, diversifying and existing companys operations into motorcycle or other vehicle manufacturing, and beginning to export into the host country. Another barrier is the global tightening of emission standards that further ramps up costs as motorcycle and other recreational vehicle redesigns are required, increasing research and development costs. (Competitive landscape, 2009) Along with the tightening of emissions standards is an increase in the global costs of raw materials such as steel. As standards and product costs increase, barriers to entry become larger hurdles for new entrants. In order to be profitable, new entrants must pass on large capital requirement, RD costs and raw material costs to their customers and reflect these in the costs of the finished product. In the current economic recession, this becomes problematic because average consumers and not willing to spend their small disposable income on leisure items. Since sales are sensitive to price, another mode of entry is possible in the sale of budget vehicles. However, these companies would still be subject to the large capital requirements and high fixed costs, resulting in a business that would not be sustainable and therefore becomes undesirable. Overall, this threat is moderate.

Using Technology to Improve Education Essay -- technology and Educatio

Purchasing a new technological gadget can be an exciting experience. After tearing through stubborn security labels, discarding excessive wasteful inner packaging, and tolerating the scent of new plastic wafting through the air, the consumer finally reaches their electronic goodie. Without power, the device is useless. It is simply a plastic brick with some fancy buttons attached. However, when this device is given a source of energy, it comes to life, and brings to its user access to entertainment, information, or communication. Many people treasure their high end technologies, and use them on a day to day basis. What some people fail to see is the full potential of their device. Their electronic gadget, when in their own hands, improves their happiness and quality of life. That same gadget in the hands of a student can promote knowledge gain, personal growth, and allows them to receive an overall better education. The educational experience in America can be enhanced great ly by utilizing various new technologies available today. One of the fastest growing technological trends in the classroom is the integration of computers. The appeal in using computers is seen in its wide capabilities; the possibilities are virtually endless. A computer in today's world can do almost anything for its user, so of course it can be used to enhance a student's learning experience. Use of computers and their complementing technologies in the classroom present a teacher with many options. When the teachers have options, the students can greatly benefit from experiencing a wide variety of teaching methods. â€Å"Research shows that children who use computers in an academic setting experience better development than children who do not use compu... ...oir Fitz Gibbon. â€Å"Is IT worth it?.† Teaching With Technology, Rethinking Tradition. Les Lloyd. Medford, NJ: Information Today. 2010. Pg. 23-37. Hernandez, Marjorie. â€Å"Governer launches digital textbook initiative in Calabasas.† Ventura County Star. N.p. 8 JUN 2009. Web. 16 FEB 2012. â€Å"Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom.† Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. US Department of Education. 6 NOV 2009. Web. 17 FEB 2012. â€Å"Internet.† Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online. 2010. Web. 8 MAR 2012. Perry, Bruce D. Interview. â€Å"Using Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom.† By Kimberly Moore Kneas. Scholastic. n.d. Web. 8 FEB 2012. Shen, Lynda. â€Å"Ebooks are especially suitable for educational purposes. Why is that so?.† ebook88. N.p. n.d. Web. 15 FEB 2012. â€Å"Software for the tablet PC.† Tabletpc2. Blue Thunder. n.d. Web. 8 MAR 2012.

Yeats’ Second Coming and Cummings’ what if a much of a which of a wind

The End of the World in Yeats’ Second Coming and Cummings’ what if a much of a which of a wind Hellfire and brimstone, a massive environmental disaster, a third World War; how will the world end? This issue can stop conversations, or start hour long arguments; it can start a religion, or cause people to renounce their faith. The answer to the ubiquitous question of how the world will eventually end is a paradox; to know the answer means that the final hour has come. Both E.E. Cummings and William Butler Yeats express their premonitions about when and why this awesome event may occur. Both prophetize about the horrific destruction of the world in their poems, "what if a much of a which of a wind" and "The Second Coming"; however, Cummings and Yeats disagree on the final cause of this destruction. While both utilize graphic imagery, stark contrast, and unique syntax to warn their readers about the evils of mankind, Cummings predicts society's irresponsible use of technology will engender the world's end, while Yeats believes that men themselves, the "worst full of passionate int ensity," will ultimately cause the downfall of civilization. Cummings' use of intense and somewhat disturbing imagery in his poem "what if a much of a which of a wind" urges readers to realize the extent of the devastation caused by catastrophic, preventable, destruction. The first stanza of the poem, describing images such as the sun "bloodying the leaves", evokes terror in the reader. The thought of the sun, usually associated with warmth and love, destroying something that it has helped to develop, directly parallels technology's current role in society. Technology, usually thought of as beneficial to mankind, slowly destroys the society that it ... ...thinkers since the beginning of time. E.E. Cummings and William Butler Yeats felt compelled to express their thoughts as to the imminent destruction of mankind. However, what they were unaware of at the the time that they wrote their prophetic poems, was how frighteningly true their predictions almost came. Yeats commentary regarding the leaders of the world and their "passionate intensity" prophetized the Holocaust of World War II and the autocracies created by Hitler and Stalin, while the masses "lacking all conviction" sat and watched with passive indifference. E.E. Cummings' description of man's misuse of technology, was exemplified by the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These poets sounded an alarm that was ignored; hopefully we are now prepared to heed their warnings so that their dire predictions will not prove to be ultimately true.

Cultural Profile

Cultural Profile Culture is said to be a universal of shared beliefs, values and norms that guide a particular group of people through everyday life. Culture does not only shape and mold a country on a national level but it also molds many businesses within that country as they build their own norms, beliefs and values as it pertains to different aspects of conducting their business in a culture. In order for a business to be successful one must first understand how national and business culture differ and how it relates to work goals and this is addressed by Hofstede’s model of national culture.Hofstede uses five dimensions of basic cultural values. The first one is power distance which refers to what people expect regarding equality among others. The second is uncertainty avoidance which a typical reaction to a certain situation that is seen as dangerous or different. The third dimension is individualism which refers to the relationship in society between an individual and a group. Masculinity, the fourth dimension is what is expected about gender roles and lastly is the long-term orientation which refers to the way people see and value time.I will be making references to the data from Jamaica which is similar to Belize in several ways given that Belize is not in the list of countries in the Hofstede Centre. From the graph, the score for power distance was 45 which means that the Jamaicans are independent and a hierarchy is only for convenience as power is decentralized and managers depend on team members experience and their participation is welcomed in the decision making process of the business. Compared to the United States who had an even lower score of 40 shows that they do not view inequality as something good and they do not support the authoritarian leadership style.For individualism, Jamaica is considered to be a collectivistic society with a score of 39. This means that family, social class, organization and team takes priority over an indiv idual and this is the foundation of long-term commitment to the parties involved which in most cases are extended family and close friends. Compared to the United States who scored a high of 91, this means that they believe that everyone is responsible for themselves and individual’s achievements and good performance is beneficial in gaining rewards in the workplace.This brings out the aggressiveness in Americans. Next was the masculinity score of 68 for Jamaica and 62 for the United States. This shows that both countries are considered as a masculine society with Jamaica a little bit more masculine. This means that men are seen as the dominant and assertive and that we should live to work which is more important than even the family. A masculine society sees success, advancement and money as important factors in one’s life. The fourth dimension was that of the uncertainty avoidance where Jamaica had a low score of only 13.This implies that Jamaicans tend to be go for more flexibility as they allow subordinates to make more on their job choices, they are more relaxed and they encourage less rules and regulations which cause more freedom for subordinates. The United States, even though scored higher than Jamaica, score is still a low 46. Americans is more open to ideas and opinions of others as the allow freedom of expression and they too encourages less rules and regulations. Lastly, was the dimension of low-term orientation where Jamaica has no score so far.The United States however, has a low score of 29 which means that their orientation is short-term and they are use profit and loss statements to measure the performance of a business. They believe that immediate rewards such as higher pay and promotions are necessities in a business. Jamaicans like Americans are seen as a monochronic culture. Some of their traits are that they are committed to their job, they are serious about time commitments and so show great emphasis on being prompt. They have a tendency to do one thing at a time and often times stick to their plans.On the other hand their are polychronic people and they tend to be more committed to human relationships and if possible they achieve their objectives. They tend to do many things at once and it is easy for them to change plans. Polychronic people are mainly from northern and western Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. Jamaicans are known to be direct and say what they mean which is considered to be a people of low-context language. They are action-oriented and they value logic and facts which they based their decisions on rather than their intuitions. Jamaicans are very explicit in their contracts which often times conclude negotiations.Belizeans and Jamaicans are very close in culture and based on this fact, the data collected was very helpful in determining how I would create a company culture over time. I believe that in order to make both myself and my subordinates comfortable and to get the maxi mum performance their will have to be some compromise. I am a born Belizean so I am very familiar with the culture and is verse with what is expected. Over the years I had changed some of my traits as far as business and so some of the traits that I have adopted from being here in the United States I would definitely want to implement in my business in Belize.Employees would be selected from the Belizean population who will be facilitated with sales training. The senior manager would have to display leadership qualities to as enforce a break away from being so laid back and relaxed. I would use promotions and pay increase as motivational tools for my employees and I do believe that since they are more verse with what is in demand that it is important for me to welcome ideas and suggestions from the employees and allow them to be apart of the decision making of the business. 100 75 50 Jamaica (similar to Belize) 25 United States 0 PDI IDV MAS UAI LTO

Assessments †Nutrition †Food Groups Essay

My first grade class is participating in a health lesson that will introduce them to the food groups. They will use MyPlate as a resource for learning the food groups and what foods are included in each group. The objective of this lesson is that the student can name foods that belong to each of the food groups labeled on MyPlate. Our health goal will be using MyPlate as a healthy eating tool and our vocabulary words will be food group and MyPlate. We will place foods in each of the five food groups and know the food groups by name and color coding: Grains (orange), Vegetables (green), Fruits (red), Dairy (blue) and Protein (purple). Students will be assessed on their ability to place and/or name foods in the appropriate food group. Students will be placed in assessment groups based on their level of English proficiency. The students will be assessed as follows: * Beginning ELL – students will be shown a photograph of a food and be told the name of the food (ie: photograph of an apple with teacher speaking the word apple) the student will then be asked to point to the food group on MyPlate (see attachment 1) (www. cnpp. usda. gov) in which the apple belongs. Intermediate ELL – Students will be given photographs of food with the name of the food along with a blank MyPlate (see attachment 2) (www. choosemyplate. gov). They will be asked to color each food group and then place the foods in the appropriate food group. * Advanced ELL – Students will be given a blank MyPlate (see attachment 2) (www. chosemyplate. gov) and be asked to write the names of at least three of their favorite foods in each group and then color the food groups the appropriate colors. The data gathered from the assessments will let me know how they comprehended and understood the lesson and will start to give me a snapshot of their English proficiency. Did they understand the words when they were spoken to them? Are they apple to read words associated with a photograph? Can they write words based on their knowledge and the lesson that was taught? Nutrition is taught every year in Kindergarten through 5th rade so a student of any level†¦ELL, SPED, Gifted, and Regular Education can be evaluated and previous years knowledge can be compared. Did the first grade beginning ELL student move up at least one level by second grade? Are they considered proficient by fifth grade? Portfolios can be made and follow the ELL student through school so that teachers can compare previous year’s work to the work they are doing that year. They can look for improvement in their English proficiency as well as the knowledge in the content areas being taught. As a teacher with ELL students I would not only look to teach them our English words for our foods but I would try to pull photographs of foods that might be important to their culture. I would try to find foods they are already familiar with and show them where they fit in the world of nutrition. Using this data would help create a comfort zone for them because they would at least recognize the photograph of the food and learn how we say it in English. Once the assessments are performed we will be able to determine if the student is capable of learning the content even though English proficiency may be low. If they score low then we will know that we have to continue to improve their English to help them in all content areas. If they are scoring high, while we will continue to improve their English but we will know they are capable of learning and understanding the content being presented to them. A teacher might consider placing the ELL student in peer groups with English speaking students to help increase their fluency.

Eco friendly theme parks Essay

Inquiring and analyzing Theme parks contribute to a number of environmental problems, one being air pollution. Theme parks require large amounts of energy; they need energy to power the rides, to keep the ac running, to light the park etc. Providing all this energy contributes to CO2 emissions. Not only does the park need huge amounts of energy, the transport to the theme park (e.g. cars, trains, buses etc.) also emit CO2. Also there’s lots of excess waste produced due to the large crowds attracted to the theme park creating trash. Also, water parks use an excessive amount of water to run their water slides, this creates water wastage. Theme parks may also destroy animal and plant habitat in order for them to be built on the right location but this varies from different theme parks. Why do we need a solution? Global warming is one of the biggest issues that our generation faces, by contributing in this battle against global warming every bit helps. Creating a more ecofriendly form of entertainment can possibly help save our planet. By providing an eco friendly theme park we’re not only making teenagers more aware of our environment but we’re also saving our earth from large emissions of carbon dioxide. Theme parks are mainly here for people’s amusement and entertainment where people can relax and have fun. They’re socially beneficial to escape from one’s daily life and bond with others. Identify and prioritize the primary and secondary research needed to develop a solution to the problem Conducting an online Survey using survey monkey targeting teenagers. 1) Conducting how often teenagers visit theme parks and what types to find a suitable solution (ages 14-19) of 20 students. How often do you visit a theme park? Never Once a year Once every couple of months Every months Every week What irritates you the most? Crowded areas Trash Diluted Air What type of Theme park do you prefer Water Park Amusement Park What would you think is a suitable solution against global warming? Solar panels Wind mills Recycling Hydroelectricity http://www.ehow.com/info_8483212_environmental-come-making-theme-park.html http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-power-help-environment.htm

Economy of the United States Essay

The time is considerably improved for the distinctive American citizen of 2007 than for a citizen of the 1800s. An array of economic policies known as import substitution is frequently quoted as the central reason of Latin America’s crises in the 1980s. The stratagem had outsized harmful upshots on economic growth in the 1980s reacting to the 1970s and 1980s progress. However, in the mid 1990s, import substitution policies had slight hit in renovating Latin American countries into sellers of feigned products. In fact, the condition was even worse in 1980s, as anxieties about non-payment raised; mean yearly price rises climbed radically from 1980 to 1985. And the economic deformations linked with hikes in inflation are stern. From last 1990s, numerous efforts have been carried out to alleviate the dilemma related to Latin America’s huge outside debt. A few restructurings in the 1990s had no brunt or were untied almost immediately as they were brought in. Just the once recent economic development and dependable growth in input & output, and output per person commences, it is liable to persist on a usual source and progress public’s being. It is constant with the world’s practice in the 80s and 90s era. For now, in the United States, the introduction of Information technology generated an innovative market that created the hardware and generated the software required to suit the ignition claim for these appliances that had grown to be reasonable to about everybody. That market substituted the previous; a belief of capitalist theory called creative destruction which envisaged that outcome, truly emerged to be operational, even as the economy appeared to be strong. Obstinately, United States government tax policy also offers inducements for U. S. multinational firms to set up abroad. In current tax laws, firms are allocated without letting up to suspend disbursing business revenue taxes on incomes made offshore. The suspension is fine in anticipation of these firms send back the incomes to the home, upon which occasion they are taxed at the typical business income tax charge. However the U. S. business income-tax charge is one of the biggest in the planet, there is an extremely well-built inducement for firms to reinvest those profits outside of the United States. As a result, United States Government; the Congress agreed to provide tax relief per annum, in order that firms could send back incomes back to the home at a lesser tax charge. Firms made it in having this 2004 tax break by saying that it would facilitate them to employ those incomes to invest in the home and make employments for US citizens. Certainly, it’s almost unfeasible to establish they performed the deed or not. The initial phases of globalization and outsourcing charge millions of U. S. manufacturing employments but different specialists declared us that this was nil to agonize about since they were blue-collar Rust Belt employments. United States of America was converting itself into an overhaul economy, and facilitated all along by the Information technology. Internet tune-ups, cutting-edge research and growth made the transparent, high-paying employments that kept U. S. ahead in the current era. However, supporters of globalization disagree that outsourcing millions of mechanically transportable service jobs will decrease rates and increase productivity in the U. S. Except the assets of globalization don’t seem so gentle from the perspective of an American computer analyst or auditor. They have performed what they were expected for but their effort was obstinately spoilt when the home employers hired overseas staff working so cheap. When lucrative manufacturing and service jobs shift abroad, relocated American employees are frequently obliged to accept low pay jobs and upward mobility. Paradoxically, at the instance millions of jobs are being outsourced and millions of unlawful migrants are overflowing into the U. S. , to get away form their domestic scarcity and joblessness; hence purely spoiling U. S. internal economy. Ironically, the good news is that, while United States governed Congress helped out to generate this chaos with poor economic and foreign policies, she can assist to overcome it. Still, U. S. is the best-positioned to make sustainable advantage of the growing world economy in the global marketplace. Modern economic trends, together with a huge trade shortage, on its last legs of norm revenues, comparatively weak job growth, have been to state the slightest rather intimidating. However there is one thing encouraging, the strong growth of productivity in the U. S. Commencing in the mid-1990s, productivity has recovered after 20 years of comparatively meager presentation. Regrettably, economists have hardly any solutions for progressive economic growth, as conservative neo-traditional growth forms pay no heed to technological modernization. On the contrary, a â€Å"neo-Schumpetarian† examination proposes that the revitalization and immobility of productivity are tied to the materialization and succeeding collapse of new techno-economic manufacture procedures. While an old economy attains its perimeters from the perspective of innovation and the dispersal of the technology structure, it grows to be ever more intricate to spin out productivity growth. Just after an innovative technology system suits reasonably priced as much as necessary and invasive adequate is it capable to rejuvenate the engine of productivity patterns. This examination recommends that though the modern information technology based technology system is probable to prolong to impel strong productivity growth for at any rate the coming 20 years, an innovation-exhaustion hold up may be very soon above the prospect. In fact, IT is really improving productivity, however merely in peculiar segments. Since the 1990s, productivity grew 1. 1% per year in segments spending greatly in computers and about 0. 35% in segments spending less. During 1990 and 2003, productivity growth in IT-exhaustive production averaged 3. 03% per annum, in contrast to just 0. 2% per annum in less-IT-exhaustive industry. In effect, the increase in mechanical automation was the really enormous growth of the economy of the era. Since many economists declare that globalization and technology have merged to generate up-to-the-minute tenets for the U. S. economy. However this economist considers old economics still offers the unsurpassed elucidation for current happenings. However, the new-economy model is not only a design that is obviously cleared by a particular economist and an extensive choice of thoughts descends below the new-economy streamer. Relatively than reviewing the concepts of a range of new-economy researchers, the subsequent argument assembles the thoughts into three extensive reports of the new economy; a long-run-growth, a sources-of-growth version, and a business-cycle version, which reveal the combined concept of several economists. Even as these reports disagree in particular calculations and inferences; butt all contribute to a widespread center that constructs them ingredient of the new-economy structure. In the past few years, the U. S. conomy has gained from a pointed deterioration in oil and commodity costs, a well-built American dollar, a tendency on the way to handled concern and reserved health-care prices, an impartial budget, and a fall in military expenses. Each one of these transient causes may have assisted the economy and guided to the unforeseen blend of falling inflation and unemployment rates. While distinguishing between temporary factors and structural changes, it is a hard chore that entails cautious empirical analysis and, additionally significant is a lengthier instant sequence of information. Simply by scrutinizing unemployment and inflation under a broad variety of economic circumstances for several years will it be achievable to wrap up if a structural change has in fact risen? Fast track and fiscal policy for the International Monetary Fund are merely fractions of a better scheme the United States Government must create to facilitate its citizens retain their leadership in what is, incontrovertibly, an accurately global economy. Moreover, the Federal Reserve should reduce interest rates, at this time sprinting at approximately four times the rate of inflation, with no less than one-half of 1%. Moreover, Conformist economics observes economic growth as a consequence of input accumulation and technological growth in a world of nearly invariable come backs to level. At the same time, there is a little argument about how to determine inputs and how to describe technological growth, there is an agreement that a great deal of economic growth engages trade-offs, such as increasing capital means investment, forgone consumption and savings, though increasing labor input needs education expenses and relinquished freedom. Whichever unsolved growth is branded the input of total factor productivity (TFP), also called the famous Solow residual, which reveals technical progress, improved efficiency, spillovers, scale economies, demand side policy, pull inflation and so on. Countless economic studies of foreign direct investment center on the features of the companies in creating its resolution to spend overseas. While the rest employ features of host nations as independent variables, that U. S. oreign direct investment runs to Europe contain such independent variables as growth of market size and size in host countries, levels of protectionism in host countries, and capital control programs of the U. S. Government. The causes for the disparity in corresponding the employment and productivity growth amid the two regions may be vibrant, except mostly dialogue they go down into three types. At the outset, the expansion of the pay, the rental ratio is a typical macroeconomic elucidation for modifications in labour and capital intensity influencing the employment growth productivity. During the 2000-s, pay control and active labour market policies elevated labour force membership statistics in Europe however, simultaneously decreased the growth of labour charge comparative to the capital cost. The quicker employment growth but lower growths of labour productivity are probable consequences of these policies of the U. S. Government. Seeing the initiation of the global economy and amplified tax competition, businesses and other shareholders employ geographically fungible capital to reduce their tax charges by shifting their assets to lower tax regions. Hence the capacity for capital flight compels limitations on the point of taxation that in order compels fiscal discipline on the U. S. Government. However the normative economic research have demonstrated that the optimal tax rate on capital is zero, while the optimal tax rate on labor is positive, proposing that the expressive decline of taxes on capital, during tax competition, would offer wide-reaching advantages in the global market. In addition, in a more competent market, investment will be owed more effectively, escorting to worldwide welfare profits in the all-embracing race. The interconnected concepts comprise nonlinear growth once a critical mass is attained, worthy rounds of positive feedback in manufacturing and communal firms for example Silicon Valley, and declining costs and amplified excellence by means of technology and scale economies. These concepts are not new-fangled to conservative US economics; however the new economy offers them far better magnitude and looks them as the dynamic energy of growth economy-wide (Fretz, 4-15). The recent facts propose that it is yet excessively untimely to let know if a new economy has actually materialized. The new economy is resolutely constructed on the supposition of structural changes in the economy; however there is just not sufficient information yet to differentiate elemental transformations from unconventional accounts, for example transitory shocks can escort to the identical upshots. By building up these concepts at this instant, economists and policymakers would be capable to come to a decision if there truly is a new economy in the United States

Bioethics of Euthanasia

Therefore, the family is also an institution which generates the same attachment to objectivity that encourages a certain set of goals. Ultimately though, it is one’s subjective experience that has it’s own social, physical, mental, and spiritual habits and attachments that cause the mind and body to perform and exist in a particular way. The overarching illegality of euthanasia across North America is supported by religious institutions which act as the sole moral platform for questioning the professional conduct of medical practitioners. The hegemonic belief that is fostered views euthanasia as a breach of non-maleficence, though doctors have and will likely continue to comply with life-ending aid in North America, regardless of recent deliberation regarding legislation. A legalization of euthanasia could ease tensions for physicians and patients dealing with chronic fatal health conditions, but would require specific criteria for legality. The debilitating suffering from a terminal illness should be the first criteria, as well as an autonomous request made by the sufficiently competent patient. Those who advocate for the legalization of euthanasia are part of a particular morality that sees beyond the mystical value of medical non-maleficence and opposes overarching institutional moralities that forbid life-ending decisions. Also of concern is the slippery slope argument, whereby any level of legal euthanasia would likely incite requests for more flexible criteria, publicly bringing into question the intangible value of human life. A central notion of biomedical ethics that stands as a major contender against the legalization of euthanasia is non-maleficence. To generally adhere to the principles of non-maleficence, physicians should not provide ineffective treatments to patients as these offer risk with no possibility of benefit and thus have a chance of harming patients. In addition, physicians must not do anything that would purposely harm patients without the action being balanced by proportional benefit (Beauchamp, 155). This benefit is not necessarily beneficial to the terminally ill individual who has requested euthanasia. The benefit referred to in the medical field is generally an extension of life and a restoration of health, which is not a reality for the terminally ill, rather a benefit might be an end to incurable suffering. Because many medications, procedures, and interventions cause harm in addition to benefit, the principle of non-maleficence provides little concrete guidance in the care of patients, and acts as a fairly weak argument against euthanasia. A helpful distinction when debating the validity of physician assisted suicide is that of ‘killing’ and ‘allowing to die’. If a patient is too frail to undergo restorative treatment, it can be said that the withholding of that treatment is allowing the patient to die. On the other hand, ‘killing’ entails taking action that would hasten the onset of death. There is considerable overlap between these two concepts, to the point that a clear distinction is not readily discernible (Beauchamp, 172). The prima facie nature of allowing a patient to die, as expressed by Beauchamp is acceptable under certain conditions whereby a medical technology is considered futile, or ineffectual, or a patient and/or surrogate decision maker has validly denied a medical technology (173). In the case that a patient is suffering unnecessarily, and has denied or been denied the opportunity for treatment due to severity of illness, should euthanasia not be an acceptable option? This action would undoubtedly fall under the category of ‘killing’, but if the nearest solution is the imminent death of a terminally ill patient, the concept of non-maleficence should not apply to a deliberate hastening of the patients’ biological shutdown. It can also be argued that fading to death in palliative care with little to no cognition is of little value, and coming from a strictly utilitarian perspective, in some cases, may be unnecessary. If an elderly patient has no immediate family, and is in the final stages of a degenerative disease, the option of the patient to deny extended care and hasten the imminence of death should ot be considered immoral. The approval of certain cases such as the example above would definitely introduce a ‘slippery slope’ argument whereby the notions and parameters of conducting euthanasia would be challenged, inflated, and publicly scorned. The infamous example of Dr. Kevorkian is indicative of the demand for physican-assisted suicide, and the flexible moralities of perhaps many physicians who are faced with the challenge of allowing a patient to pursue a hastened death. Michigan doctor Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder for delivering a lethal injection to a 52-year-old man suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. It was the first time in five trials that Kevorkian was found guilty of a crime after participating in, by his count, at least 130 assisted suicides. Likened to â€Å"a medical hit man† by the prosecution, Kevorkian compared himself to Martin Luther King and told the court he was no more culpable than an executioner. The 70-year-old doctor had dared prosecutors to charge him and threatened a hunger strike if convicted. â€Å"Suicide†). The case of Kevorkian’s assisted suicides shows that public hegemonic belief places all burden on the physician involved, for it is technically legal to carry out or attempt suicide, but not with the aid of any other person, especially a clinician. These laws tend to make sense in every realm except the medical world, where euthanasia is an issue that arises with the terminally ill, and particular moralities strongly advocate for the right to die under certain circumstances, as illustrated by Kevorkian’s rash threats of a hunger strike if convicted. Obviously viewing himself as a liberator, Kevorkian’s particular morality quickly earned him a reputation, and having participated in over one hundred assisted suicides, he stands not as a reputable opposition to hegemony, but rather a moral pariah. Kevorkian’s comparison of his ‘moral fallacy’ with the conduct of an executioner is an interesting philosophical idea, and also illustrates the exclusivity of moral professionalism within the medical world. This is mostly apparent in the United States where there is a domination of privatized health care, and plenty of capital punishment. The application of morality is varied when it comes to death and dying, in a society where a 20 year old can be put to death for committing murder, and in the same society, a terminally ill, suffering patient cannot decidedly seek a peaceful death without moral intervention. In both cases, strong moral impositions are made, and guide the fate of both individuals. The convict has a chance at rehabilitation, and renewing his moral adherence and contribution to society, but is not rewarded the chance because his actions stripped him of his dignity. On the other hand, the dying patient is not permitted to seek assistance in death because common morality forbids it, much like the same common morality denies the convict a second chance. The patient is denied euthanasia because the hegemonic function of the medical field is to avoid non-maleficence, so according to the same morality, the criminal is denied rehabilitation and put to death because the function of the law is to appropriately punish offenders. This paradox shows how two distinct versions of the same common morality are stamped like a ‘cookie cutter’, yielding the anticipated results of the societal function: the patient can’t die because medicine is designed to keep him alive, and the criminal can’t live because capital punishment is designed to eliminate him. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to suggest that the application of euthanasia in the medical field should be acceptable in certain circumstances, and that exclusive clinical moralities should allow deliberation on the subject, and not continue to function in a ‘cookie cutter’ fashion. In Canada and the United States, laws distinguishing ‘active’ and ‘passive’ categories of euthanasia are divided into four sections: â€Å"deliberately killing persons who wish to die or assisting them in suicide (active voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide), deliberately killing persons whose wishes are unknown or opposed to such treatment (active involuntary euthanasia), withholding or withdrawing life-preserving means from those who do not want them used (forgoing treatment of competent individuals), and letting persons die by withholding or withdrawing life-preserving means when their wishes are unknown or when they want, or would tolerate, such means to be applied or maintained (forgoing treatment of incompetent individuals)† (Dickens, 136). According to these legal parameters, it would seem that active and passive euthanasia should only occur when indicated by the patient, living will, or a surrogate, such as active voluntary euthanasia, an d the forgoing of treatment to competent individuals. These two forms provide the patient with the moral decision to adopt the institutional values of their choice and affect their course of longevity and suffering. In the cases of active involuntary euthanasia, and the withholding of treatment from incompetent patients it can be said that, morally, the physician has no right to change the course of the patient’s treatment without clearance from a living will or surrogate. To conduct active involuntary euthanasia, or withhold treatment for no apparent reason indicated by the patient or surrogate, negligence would necessarily apply and represent the justified fault of the attending physician. Dealing with death is a subjective experience that generates fear, and causes humans to seek comfort in institutional beliefs, whether that be family, religion, other forms of spirituality, or modern medicine itself. Death reminds humans of their biological capacities and fleeting opportunities for experience in life, and generates a desire to medicalize suicide. â€Å"We want physicians to provide the means to end life in an antiseptically acceptable fashion. Knives, guns, ropes, and bridges tend to be messy. We seek a more aesthetically pleasing way of terminating life, one that leaves the patient looking dead, but not disgusting. For this, as in so much else in the 20th-century quest for happiness, we turn to the physician† (Paris, 33). Much like we seek aesthetic modifications from plastic surgeons, and mental stability from psychologists, we turn again to professional doctors for a method of dealing with the harsh reality of death. Though euthanasia may be an acceptable option for some people in certain sets of dire circumstances, it is the fear of death generated by the triumphs of medicine that provide the illusion that death and suffering are something a physician can cure. Medicinal miracles and the rise of technological medicine give people the impression that old losses are new triumphs, at least insofar as one can be kept alive for longer with chronic diseases. This notion sparks the fear of suffering before death, and that morbidity will be extended instead of compressed. Essentially then, it is the physician who bears all weight of the laws pertaining to euthanasia, which seems unjust when there is little more that medicine can do for a terminally ill patient than aid in their peaceful departure from life. The argument that legalized euthanasia would initiate the slippery slope, and â€Å"hospitals would become cruel and dehumanized places† are refuted by the suggestion and observation of the exact opposite (Schafer). As Schafer suggests, â€Å"experience has shown that what happened was exactly the opposite of what was predicted by the naysayers: Doctors and hospitals have become kinder and gentler, patients’ wishes are better respected than previously and society has come to accept the importance of individual autonomy at the end of life† (3). Clearly, the legalization of euthanasia would not entirely disrupt the nature of medical care in Canada, and with current debates indicating the possibility of change, society may undergo a change of ideas in the near future. The idea that euthanasia may provide a patient with more dignity at death than what is often referred to as ‘sedation to unconsciousness’ is becoming more common, and should not be deemed unacceptable next to palliative care. With the right safeguards in place, euthanasia should be one of many life-ending options available to Canadians near the end of their life, with palliative care being a morally adjacent decision. The subjective experience of death is one’s own, and even familial institution can only do so much to comfort the process of being terminally ill. Therefore it should be a decision of the patient to seek medical help, either in the form of sedation and longevity, or immediate peace. Bioethics of Euthanasia Therefore, the family is also an institution which generates the same attachment to objectivity that encourages a certain set of goals. Ultimately though, it is one’s subjective experience that has it’s own social, physical, mental, and spiritual habits and attachments that cause the mind and body to perform and exist in a particular way. The overarching illegality of euthanasia across North America is supported by religious institutions which act as the sole moral platform for questioning the professional conduct of medical practitioners. The hegemonic belief that is fostered views euthanasia as a breach of non-maleficence, though doctors have and will likely continue to comply with life-ending aid in North America, regardless of recent deliberation regarding legislation. A legalization of euthanasia could ease tensions for physicians and patients dealing with chronic fatal health conditions, but would require specific criteria for legality. The debilitating suffering from a terminal illness should be the first criteria, as well as an autonomous request made by the sufficiently competent patient. Those who advocate for the legalization of euthanasia are part of a particular morality that sees beyond the mystical value of medical non-maleficence and opposes overarching institutional moralities that forbid life-ending decisions. Also of concern is the slippery slope argument, whereby any level of legal euthanasia would likely incite requests for more flexible criteria, publicly bringing into question the intangible value of human life. A central notion of biomedical ethics that stands as a major contender against the legalization of euthanasia is non-maleficence. To generally adhere to the principles of non-maleficence, physicians should not provide ineffective treatments to patients as these offer risk with no possibility of benefit and thus have a chance of harming patients. In addition, physicians must not do anything that would purposely harm patients without the action being balanced by proportional benefit (Beauchamp, 155). This benefit is not necessarily beneficial to the terminally ill individual who has requested euthanasia. The benefit referred to in the medical field is generally an extension of life and a restoration of health, which is not a reality for the terminally ill, rather a benefit might be an end to incurable suffering. Because many medications, procedures, and interventions cause harm in addition to benefit, the principle of non-maleficence provides little concrete guidance in the care of patients, and acts as a fairly weak argument against euthanasia. A helpful distinction when debating the validity of physician assisted suicide is that of ‘killing’ and ‘allowing to die’. If a patient is too frail to undergo restorative treatment, it can be said that the withholding of that treatment is allowing the patient to die. On the other hand, ‘killing’ entails taking action that would hasten the onset of death. There is considerable overlap between these two concepts, to the point that a clear distinction is not readily discernible (Beauchamp, 172). The prima facie nature of allowing a patient to die, as expressed by Beauchamp is acceptable under certain conditions whereby a medical technology is considered futile, or ineffectual, or a patient and/or surrogate decision maker has validly denied a medical technology (173). In the case that a patient is suffering unnecessarily, and has denied or been denied the opportunity for treatment due to severity of illness, should euthanasia not be an acceptable option? This action would undoubtedly fall under the category of ‘killing’, but if the nearest solution is the imminent death of a terminally ill patient, the concept of non-maleficence should not apply to a deliberate hastening of the patients’ biological shutdown. It can also be argued that fading to death in palliative care with little to no cognition is of little value, and coming from a strictly utilitarian perspective, in some cases, may be unnecessary. If an elderly patient has no immediate family, and is in the final stages of a degenerative disease, the option of the patient to deny extended care and hasten the imminence of death should ot be considered immoral. The approval of certain cases such as the example above would definitely introduce a ‘slippery slope’ argument whereby the notions and parameters of conducting euthanasia would be challenged, inflated, and publicly scorned. The infamous example of Dr. Kevorkian is indicative of the demand for physican-assisted suicide, and the flexible moralities of perhaps many physicians who are faced with the challenge of allowing a patient to pursue a hastened death. Michigan doctor Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder for delivering a lethal injection to a 52-year-old man suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. It was the first time in five trials that Kevorkian was found guilty of a crime after participating in, by his count, at least 130 assisted suicides. Likened to â€Å"a medical hit man† by the prosecution, Kevorkian compared himself to Martin Luther King and told the court he was no more culpable than an executioner. The 70-year-old doctor had dared prosecutors to charge him and threatened a hunger strike if convicted. â€Å"Suicide†). The case of Kevorkian’s assisted suicides shows that public hegemonic belief places all burden on the physician involved, for it is technically legal to carry out or attempt suicide, but not with the aid of any other person, especially a clinician. These laws tend to make sense in every realm except the medical world, where euthanasia is an issue that arises with the terminally ill, and particular moralities strongly advocate for the right to die under certain circumstances, as illustrated by Kevorkian’s rash threats of a hunger strike if convicted. Obviously viewing himself as a liberator, Kevorkian’s particular morality quickly earned him a reputation, and having participated in over one hundred assisted suicides, he stands not as a reputable opposition to hegemony, but rather a moral pariah. Kevorkian’s comparison of his ‘moral fallacy’ with the conduct of an executioner is an interesting philosophical idea, and also illustrates the exclusivity of moral professionalism within the medical world. This is mostly apparent in the United States where there is a domination of privatized health care, and plenty of capital punishment. The application of morality is varied when it comes to death and dying, in a society where a 20 year old can be put to death for committing murder, and in the same society, a terminally ill, suffering patient cannot decidedly seek a peaceful death without moral intervention. In both cases, strong moral impositions are made, and guide the fate of both individuals. The convict has a chance at rehabilitation, and renewing his moral adherence and contribution to society, but is not rewarded the chance because his actions stripped him of his dignity. On the other hand, the dying patient is not permitted to seek assistance in death because common morality forbids it, much like the same common morality denies the convict a second chance. The patient is denied euthanasia because the hegemonic function of the medical field is to avoid non-maleficence, so according to the same morality, the criminal is denied rehabilitation and put to death because the function of the law is to appropriately punish offenders. This paradox shows how two distinct versions of the same common morality are stamped like a ‘cookie cutter’, yielding the anticipated results of the societal function: the patient can’t die because medicine is designed to keep him alive, and the criminal can’t live because capital punishment is designed to eliminate him. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to suggest that the application of euthanasia in the medical field should be acceptable in certain circumstances, and that exclusive clinical moralities should allow deliberation on the subject, and not continue to function in a ‘cookie cutter’ fashion. In Canada and the United States, laws distinguishing ‘active’ and ‘passive’ categories of euthanasia are divided into four sections: â€Å"deliberately killing persons who wish to die or assisting them in suicide (active voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide), deliberately killing persons whose wishes are unknown or opposed to such treatment (active involuntary euthanasia), withholding or withdrawing life-preserving means from those who do not want them used (forgoing treatment of competent individuals), and letting persons die by withholding or withdrawing life-preserving means when their wishes are unknown or when they want, or would tolerate, such means to be applied or maintained (forgoing treatment of incompetent individuals)† (Dickens, 136). According to these legal parameters, it would seem that active and passive euthanasia should only occur when indicated by the patient, living will, or a surrogate, such as active voluntary euthanasia, an d the forgoing of treatment to competent individuals. These two forms provide the patient with the moral decision to adopt the institutional values of their choice and affect their course of longevity and suffering. In the cases of active involuntary euthanasia, and the withholding of treatment from incompetent patients it can be said that, morally, the physician has no right to change the course of the patient’s treatment without clearance from a living will or surrogate. To conduct active involuntary euthanasia, or withhold treatment for no apparent reason indicated by the patient or surrogate, negligence would necessarily apply and represent the justified fault of the attending physician. Dealing with death is a subjective experience that generates fear, and causes humans to seek comfort in institutional beliefs, whether that be family, religion, other forms of spirituality, or modern medicine itself. Death reminds humans of their biological capacities and fleeting opportunities for experience in life, and generates a desire to medicalize suicide. â€Å"We want physicians to provide the means to end life in an antiseptically acceptable fashion. Knives, guns, ropes, and bridges tend to be messy. We seek a more aesthetically pleasing way of terminating life, one that leaves the patient looking dead, but not disgusting. For this, as in so much else in the 20th-century quest for happiness, we turn to the physician† (Paris, 33). Much like we seek aesthetic modifications from plastic surgeons, and mental stability from psychologists, we turn again to professional doctors for a method of dealing with the harsh reality of death. Though euthanasia may be an acceptable option for some people in certain sets of dire circumstances, it is the fear of death generated by the triumphs of medicine that provide the illusion that death and suffering are something a physician can cure. Medicinal miracles and the rise of technological medicine give people the impression that old losses are new triumphs, at least insofar as one can be kept alive for longer with chronic diseases. This notion sparks the fear of suffering before death, and that morbidity will be extended instead of compressed. Essentially then, it is the physician who bears all weight of the laws pertaining to euthanasia, which seems unjust when there is little more that medicine can do for a terminally ill patient than aid in their peaceful departure from life. The argument that legalized euthanasia would initiate the slippery slope, and â€Å"hospitals would become cruel and dehumanized places† are refuted by the suggestion and observation of the exact opposite (Schafer). As Schafer suggests, â€Å"experience has shown that what happened was exactly the opposite of what was predicted by the naysayers: Doctors and hospitals have become kinder and gentler, patients’ wishes are better respected than previously and society has come to accept the importance of individual autonomy at the end of life† (3). Clearly, the legalization of euthanasia would not entirely disrupt the nature of medical care in Canada, and with current debates indicating the possibility of change, society may undergo a change of ideas in the near future. The idea that euthanasia may provide a patient with more dignity at death than what is often referred to as ‘sedation to unconsciousness’ is becoming more common, and should not be deemed unacceptable next to palliative care. With the right safeguards in place, euthanasia should be one of many life-ending options available to Canadians near the end of their life, with palliative care being a morally adjacent decision. The subjective experience of death is one’s own, and even familial institution can only do so much to comfort the process of being terminally ill. Therefore it should be a decision of the patient to seek medical help, either in the form of sedation and longevity, or immediate peace.