Copyright and Pusblishing in the UK - 1198 Words

There are no specific laws in the UK governing publishing, there is no censorship, and so we have what’s called a free press, there is no government censorship. However there are some laws that are particularly relevant, of course they comprise principles of ethics and of good practice as applicable to the specific challenges faced by journalists and publishers. For example, phone hacking scandals such as the one recently publicised, which involved The News of the World phone hacking scandal. Although phone hacking isnt illegal, it does become so if it interferes with another law for example, interfering with the course of justice. A copyright are exclusive rights given to the creator of an original product so that they have rights to copy, distribute and adapt their own work. However these rights only last for a certain number of years. Currently the rights only last for 70 years but other creators are trying to extend this. A prime example is Shakespeare; his work is now currently in the public domain after his copyright law expired, other companies, for example, clothes shops, now use his quotes on t-shirts.However if the product hasn’t expired and is used by other companies without authorization this is called copyright infringement. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act came into force after July 31st. It protects any work such as musical or artistic, dramatic, sound recording, film, broadcast or typographical arrangement. Defamation is the communication of a

Analysis of Urban Composition using Space Syntax and Computer Techniques Free Essays

string(83) " which pass down each line has a high grade of influence by its integrating value\." A esteemed axiom from Winston Churchill goes that people shape edifices, and so edifices transform people. The affects from edifices, or more specifically, from the built environment to people is widely-belive in the thought of architectural and urban forms. It has led to some phantasies that trying to reform society by bettering design, such as the Claude-Nicholas Ledoux’s thought of â€Å"cites ideales† in 18Thursdaycentury and the thought of â€Å"reforming the environment alternatively of reforming the people. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Urban Composition using Space Syntax and Computer Techniques or any similar topic only for you Order Now Peoples could alter themselves if the environment bend to be correct† by Buckminster Fuller in the sixtiess. The overtures to polish the interior relationship between built environment and societal life are truly uncommon apart from above. Under this circumstance, infinite sentence structure, a theory started twenty old ages ago which seting forward by Hillier and Hanson ( 1984 ) , being developed at the Laboratory of University College London and globally distribute over the old ages. Space sentence structure is to analyze the urban composing by utilizing computing machine techniques. In the words of Hillier et Al, infinite sentence structure is a group of techniques which contains the comprehensive cognition of some facets in edifices and colonies, such as quantitative analysis, representation and spacial constellation account. As a broadly definition of constellation, on one manus, it should see one tierce of the relation between two infinites at least, on the other manus, it should see complex dealingss among all infinites at most. Hence, spacial constellation is far more than merely a simple thought of spacial relation and demand to mention non merely a brace of related infinites ( 1987, p.363 ) . Harmonizing to Hillier ( 1984 ) , the 1 who made a breakthrough beyond others, in that infinite sentence structure had by now developed a precise method to depict topological dealingss, locally and globally at one time, in one graph, for edifice and colonies, as a social-spatial issue, with a witting theory about a deep construction in societal infinite in the built environment, in the original signifier of infinite sentence structure, it chiefly emphasized urban forms of the motion of prosaic. It was subsequently generalized to a figure of other countries, such as urban conveyance mold, calculating the grade of air pollution, measuring different vicinities burglaries occurred, and gauging the possibility of development of retail around the streets. In the work of â€Å"Space sentence structure: a different urban perspective† ( 1984 ) , Hillier mentioned three different facets. The intelligibility of infinite, the continuity of business and the predictability of infinite. He thought the spacial organisation of urban countries affects forms of motion and usage harmonizing to good defined rules. And he went on presenting how infinite sentence structure works. It is based on a dweller or a human organic structure in a local point, sing two points, visibleness and the permeableness and doing two waies, the longest axial line and the smallest bulging infinite to develop two maps, axial map and convex map, for urban colonies or edifices. In this manner of analysis, every point in the system has both a one- and two- dimensional facet which means every point has a local and planetary dimension. Now allow us concentrate on most widely used technique of infinite sentence structure in urban analysis, the axial map. Harmonizing to Hillier, in order to understand the â€Å"axial map† , the significance of â€Å"axial lines† and the word â€Å"integration† should be understand clearly. â€Å"Axial line† is basic elements of infinite sentence structure analysis, which is from unconditioned two human inherent aptitudes, visibleness and permeableness. ‘Axial line’ represents the lower limit and longest ocular line associating the different ‘convex space’ . The word â€Å"integration† is initial of import in infinite sentence structure. To explicate it, the construct of deepness should be known first. Take the five different plane types in Figure 1 ( from left to compensate 1-1-1, 1-1-2, 1-1-3, 1-1-4, 1-1-5 ) for illustration, each program consists of three indoor infinites and an out-of-door infinite O. The Justified Graph , which show the relation between out-of-door infinite O and the remainder of infinites, is shown blew each program. The syntactic characteristics of infinites of five different program could be discerned from the Justified Graph. Comparing with F1-1-5 ( F= figure ) , F1-1-1 is a deep sentence structure. Therefore, F1-1-5 is a shallow sentence structure. However, F1-1-1 and F1-1-5 are deep tree sentence structure when comparing with F1-1-2 and 1-1-3. And F1-1-2 and F1-1-3 are two different deep ring sentence structure. Besides, F1-1-4 is a sentence structure between shallow tree sentence structure and shallow ring sentence structure. From the Justified Graph, convenient grade of different convex infinite could be easy shown. In F1-1-2, bulging infinite b2 locates on a deeper and less convenient topographic point comparing with a2 and c2. Although b4 locates on a shallow place, the convenient degree is inferior to infinite O. Because it is two justified stairss off from c4. However, c4 is the most inconvenient topographic point of the system, which is two justified stairss to a4 and b4. It should be noticed that the â€Å"deep† , â€Å"shallow† and â€Å"step† being discussed donnot stand for the existent distance. It is a construct of morphological. â€Å"Deep† and â€Å"shallow† merely show the degree of artworks and â€Å"step† means the figure of infinites from one convex infinite to another in the artworks. img alt="" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/aaimagestore/essays/1094306.001.png"/ The value of integrating of a line linked to its deepness to other lines in one system. To be more specific, the integrating value in infinite sentence structure means how good of the system integrated, how good the elements within the system connect with each other. The most incorporate systems are those with shallowest lines on norm, and the most detached are those with deepest lines ( Hillier et al, 1993, page 35 ) . Integration is the chief portion of the analysis of axial map. The motion of people strongly depend on the integrating value of each line. Integration values play a important function in understanding the map of urban systems in line maps since it result in that the Numberss of motion which pass down each line has a high grade of influence by its integrating value. You read "Analysis of Urban Composition using Space Syntax and Computer Techniques" in category "Essay examples" From some of the point of view, infinite sentence structure is to widen the construct of web analysis to architecture design and urban planning. Its prognosis of motion is controversial. However, the map of infinite sentence structure can non be negated. To be more thorough, I read the book of â€Å"Space is a machine† , anther one written by Bill Hillier. In this subdivision some reappraisals of this book will be illustrated. 1. The position of â€Å"configuration† In the debut at the beginning, Bill Hillier stated that the most critical consequence in these surveies is the construct of â€Å"configuration† bit by bit enter into the centre of the phase. In short, the â€Å"configuration† is intended as a set of relationships. Each of them depends on all others’ association with it. New techniques of spacial analysis have been developed from these, which brings the spacial logic of architecture and urban to visible radiation. What is more, it besides quantifies a truth of the cardinal point being â€Å"how to form things together. Similar with the word â€Å"pattern† , constellation stress the overall construct of complex systems instead than partial. However, we do non utilize the word â€Å"pattern† due to the fact form means to follow regularity. The construct of â€Å"spatial configuration† means the unity of a relationship with any of the relationship depends on the relationships of all other relevant. Here showing a formal but simple definition: for two infinites, if we define the spacial relationship of any sort of connexion between them, such as next or exchange, the relationship between them will alter depend on the manner of any one or both of these two infinites linking with the 3rd infinite. Wherein the constellation is present ( p.14 ) . In the book, Hillier aimed to suggest a new design method, which the constellation is the nucleus construct. It insists that architecture design or urban planning is a procedure with constellation, which means the local alteration promote the overall alteration. Even if merely rely on the cognition of constellation can back up the design. Hillier recalled the infinite sentence structure theory and methodological analysis of some of import new accomplishments in the preamble. These consequences make a more solid and effectual theoretical foundation for infinite sentence structure. Space as a thing in itself Space is an nonsubjective property of houses, which can be independently described as material things. However, in architecture, it is rare to depict infinite wholly independent, such as â€Å"enclosed space† is to depict the infinite trusting on the physical signifier instead than to specify infinite as a unrestrained signifier. Roger Scruton see the construct of infinite is a consequence of an chesty architect’s systematic mistake. In the position of Scuton, infinite is non a thing in itself, but simply the antonym of physical entities, that is, the staying of the houses. The infinite of the Fieldss and interior infinite within the church seem no difference except the ornament of the church. Hillier made an illation about the beginnings of Scruton: Descartes thought that the first property of material objects is their â€Å"extension† , which are the properties can be measured, such as length, tallness and breadth. All of these do non trust on worlds. And the 2nd property is, to some extent, dependant on the subjective feeling of worlds, such as â€Å"green† or â€Å"good† . Widening to the construct of infinite, taking the objects from the infinite it occupies, the extension still exist. And this is an property of infinite. Therefore, infinite can be summarized as an extension without object. So when we remove the object from the infinite it occupies, we do non believe that the extension of the infinite has besides been removed. In this position, infinite is matching to the physical properties being defined so it becomes a mensurable belongings of material objects. Hillier believes that one time look upon the infinite from this position, you can non understand how it works in the infinite of human events. From the position of civilization and society, infinite is non merely a impersonal model of societal and cultural concept, but to the full integrated into the societal and cultural signifiers. Human behaviour is non easy occur in the infinite, but has its ain spacial forms. In the subdivision of â€Å"space as configuration† , the relationship between infinite and society does non be on the degree of a individual infinite or the person ‘s activities, but in the constellation of human and infinite. From this subdivision, the layout of spacial relationships is converted into J-diagram ( Figure accommodation ) to make analysis ( p. 11 ) . img alt="" src="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/aaimagestore/essays/1094306.002.jpg"/ The demand for an analytic theory of architecture Architectural theory is to utilize the constructs, words and Numberss to depict the unexpressible intuition, seeking to uncover one or a few unexpressible regulations. Possibly we can state that architectural theory is seeking to make a â€Å"inexpressible technology† , which we can manage those unexpressible signifiers, figuration and spacial forms. At least in some facets, architectural theory describes and steer the design. So in the footings of design, we can state architectural theory is an effort to command edifice design. The architectural theory discussed more in standardized in the yesteryear. They are deficiency of analysis. This is because those unexpressible engineerings merely depict a certain type of figuration. P36 After tonss of treatment about construct of â€Å"rule† and â€Å"theory† , the first measure of seting frontward the theory is the standardization of construct. And so get down to construct our â€Å"inexpressible technology† . The method Hillier used is turning the existent infinite into abstract infinite, to acquire a clear apprehension of these features. Using abstract co-ordinate system replace the infinite with object. In this system, the axis represent the belongingss which can be ruled. P38 With this co-ordinate system, change overing the belongingss of object into coordinate infinite and turn uping the object by utilizing a series of points. So the regularity of the belongings was revealed. This is a basic recording method, which can enter the similarities, differences and relationship between objects in an nonsubjective and independent manner. However, it should be noticed that what we have seen is non the theory. It is the procedure theoretical accounts produce those regulations. In the book, many of the constructs are divided into two different dimension of belongingss by â€Å"dichotomy† , such as the scientific and artistic of the architecture ( p.31 ) . For illustration, architecture is defined as a object and a activity at the same clip ( p.5 ) . And the most of import conceptual differentiation is the standardisation and analytic of architectural theory. Architectural theory by and large appears in normative manner. However, on a deeper degree, it is no less than scientific theories about analytic. Architectural theory is non and can non be a simple regulation. At least, it is a composite of analytic and normative. If the analysis of the theory is incorrect, so the design will non be successful. Architectural theory Tells us how the universe should be like, but we foremost have to cognize what sort of universe it is. ( p.29 ) Why architectural theory should utilize in this alone signifier? The reply lies in the kernel of the work of designers. To be more specific, it is the design. The kernel of design is an activity. It raises all sorts of issues, and architectural theoretician using theory in the signifier of analysis and normative and propose solutions to these jobs. The kernel of the procedure of design is create and anticipation. Theories are used to back up the procedure of create and the analysis of calculating procedure. R. A. Scruton, A Short History of Modern Philosophy: from Descartes to Wittgenstein, ARK Paperbacks,1984. How to cite Analysis of Urban Composition using Space Syntax and Computer Techniques, Essay examples

With the growing years, Emotio... free essay sample

With the growing years, Emotional Intelligence has become a very important indicator of a persons knowledge, skills and abilities. It is being widely researched at the workplace, school as well as how beneficial it is in our daily lives. John Mayer and Peter Salovey first coined the term ?Emotional Intelligence in 1990. Emotional Intelligence is defined as The ability to perceive and express emotion, assimilate emotion in thought, understand and reason with emotion, and regulate emotion in the self and others (Mayer, Salovey, ; Caruso, 2000, p. 396 ). Mental Ability model of Emotional Intelligence by Mayer and Salovey comprises four tiers of abilities : 1. Perceiving Emotions : the skills that help an individual to perceive, evaluate, and express emotions. 2. Using emotions/Facilitating Thought : The ability to use emotions to accelerate thinking, and understand alternate emotional states and perspectives which can help in problem solving3. Understanding emotions : This ability involves labelling and distinguishing between emotions, understanding complicated mixtures of feelings, and formulating rules about feelings. We will write a custom essay sample on With the growing years, Emotio or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 4. Managing emotions : involves the general ability to arrange, monitor and regulate emotions in oneself and in others. Bar-Ons Model of emotional intelligence is reflects the potential and performance of an individual, rather than performance or success itself, and is considered process-oriented rather than outcome-oriented (Bar-On, 2002). Golemans (1998) first model of emotional intelligence identified five domains, or dimensions, of emotional intelligence encompassing twenty-five competencies. Richard Boyatzis (2000) modified the model into 20 competencies , and four domains: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management (Boyatzis, Goleman, ; Rhee, 2000). Golemans new model outlines four main EI constructs: 1. Self-Awareness: It includes the capacity to read, recognize and comprehend ones emotions and their impact on others surrounding us. Among several hundred managers from twelve different organizations, Accurate Self-Assessment was the hallmark of superior performance (Boyatzis, 1982). 2. Self-Management: The ability to evaluate and regulate our emotions and emotional reactions according to the situation and also adapting appropriately to the changing surroundings.3. Social Awareness: The ability to identify, understand and react to others emotions appropriately. For instance, physicians who are better at recognizing emotions in patients are more successful than their less sensitive colleagues at treating them (Friedman DiMatteo, 1982). 4. Relationship Management: involves the skill to influence, motivate and help others in strengthening their abilities. Developing competence in others is a hallmark of superior managers; among sales managers, for example, it typifies those at the top of the field (Spencer Spencer, 1993). It has also emerged as a vital skill for effective leadership at high levels (Goleman, 2000).

Us Constitution Essays - Constitutional Law, James Madison

Us Constitution The US Constitution The Constitution is the basis of all laws in the United States. This Constitution is a document written by outcasts of England. The Constitution of the United States sets forth the nation's fundamental laws. It establishes the form of the national government and defines the rights and liberties of the American people. It also lists the aims of the government and the methods of achieving them. The Constitution was written to organize a strong national government for the American states. Previously, the nation's leaders had established a national government under the Articles of Confederation. But the Articles granted independence to each state. They lacked the authority to make the states work together to solve national problems. After the states won independence in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), they faced the problems of peacetime government. The states had to enforce law and order, collect taxes, pay a large public debt, and regulate trade among themselves. They also had to deal with Indian tribes and negotiate with other governments. Leading statesmen, such as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, began to discuss the creation of a strong national government under a new constitution. The United States is a republic that operates under a federalist system. The national government had specific enumerated powers, and the fifty states retain law biding powers over their citizens and their residents. Both the national government and the state government are divided into three different branches, executive, legislative, and judicial. Written constitutions, both federal and state form a system of separated powers. Amendments to the Constitution of the United States may be proposed in two ways: (1) If two-thirds of both houses approve, Congress may propose an amendment. The amendment becomes a law when ratified either by legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states. (2) If the legislatures of two-thirds of the states ask for an amendment, Congress must call a convention to propose it. The amendment becomes a law when ratified either by the legislatures or by conventions in three fourths of the states. This method has never been used. The Federal Government is comprised of three branches: Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The executive branch includes the President the vice President, the cabinet and all federal departments, and most governmental agencies. The President has the power to make treaties, but only with two-thirds of the US senate The President of the US has the power to nominate all Supreme Court Justices, all other federal juries, ambassadors, and all other officers of the United States. The President had the jurisdiction to veto legislation. The vice President is the President of the Senate. The President is the head of the thirteen government departments. These departments are not listed in the constitution and have varied in name and in number over the years. Currently they are the DEPARTMENTS OF STATE, TREASURY, DEFENSE, JUSTICE, INTERIOR, AGRICULTURE, COMMERCE, LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY, and EDUCATION. The heads of each department form the cabinet, which is the highest advisory group to the President. The executive branch also includes dozens of government agencies. There is a difference between departments and agencies. Agencies have a very specific purpose while the departments are broader. Heads of any governmental agencies are not members of the cabinet. All federal legislative powers are vested in the Congress of the United States, which contain two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives. There are one hundred Senators, two from each of the fifty states. Senators serve six-year terms. The House of Representatives has 435 members, the population of each state determines this number. Each state is granted minimum of one representative. Each representative serves a two-year term. The powers of Congress are specifically enumerated in the Constitution and include, among other things, the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, and tariffs. Congress also has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among several states, and with Indian tribes. To pass a law, a bill must be passed by both the House and the Senate, and signed by the President. The President has the option of vetoing the legislation, but the Congress can override the veto with

Review of The Monkeys Paw Essays

Review of The Monkeys Paw Essays Review of The Monkeys Paw Essay Review of The Monkeys Paw Essay This story is set in a rural, out of the way area, with a family of three, elderly parents and a Son. The father and Son are chess players, with a good relationship. The father is a sneaky old character, as he tries to cheat at Chess. The Mother is a quiet lady, who knits as the pipe smoking me plays chess. She is typical of ladies of that era, and only works as a housekeeper, and knits for a hobby. She does what her husband tells her, and humours him when the son beats him at Chess. The Mum and son know the Dad cheats, and its their private joke. They are expecting a visitor, who turns out to be a Sergeant Major. The father knows him from a previous job. The Sergeant Major was only a young boy, who worked in a warehouse before he went to War. The family were curious about the soldiers experiences, particularly the old man. The old man acts as the host and gives the soldier some punch-thats whiskey and warm water. The Mum puts on supper. The old man is jealous because he never had the guts to leave the area, so he is very interested in what the soldier was saying. He then told them about some magic, a magic charm, which he had in his pocket. The old man was very interested, and wanted to hear everything, but the soldier was reluctant. The soldier threw the charm into the fire, but the old man got it back, it was a monkeys paw, a shrivelled old hairy thing. The soldier left, and the father eventually made one wish, He wasnt sure what he should wish for, but finally agreed that he should wish for 200. The Mum and Son made fun of him, as they felt it was all stupid. The following morning, they all had breakfast together, and the Son went off to work. Soon afterwards, a well-dressed stranger came to the house. He introduced himself as a representative of the Company, where their son worked. Instinctively the Mum knew her Son was hurt, but unfortunately the news was worse, a machine at work had mangled him. The Rep said the Company were not to blame, but they were giving the old couple 200, compensation. The old couple are in shock, although they have other children, this son is the only one at home, with them. This charm had brought such bad luck to this family. The old man felt he had killed his son. After the funeral, the awful truth set in, the old man had killed his son, and they would never see him again. They missed him greatly, and the Mum found it hard to sleep. One night the Mum remembered about the Paw and insisted that her husband would make another wish that the son would come back. Although the husband knows his wife is not thinking straight, and he is terrified, he makes the wish. Then they heard knocking on the door. He is panic-stricken. He tries to cover up, and tell his wife its a rat, but she insists it is the Son. In the dark he finds the Paw again, and makes the third wish, that this is not in fact his son. Finally the knocking stops, the wife opens the door and there is no one there. The ending is a Cliff Hanger. The magic charm, which appeared harmless had changed this family, had changed the atmosphere, and changed the family, although there was a great bond that was broken. There was a strong relationship between husband and wife, it was strained by the death of the son, and the wifes mental state became poor. The old man blamed himself and was afraid and worried.  The language used was expressive and descriptive. It was written pre 1900, and difficult to understand. The language has changed greatly since the story was written.

Cunto es posible sacar la green card sin patrocinador

Cunto es posible sacar la green card sin patrocinador    Esto es una excepcià ³n ya que, en general, para conseguir visas de trabajo o la green card se necesita que un ciudadano americano, un residente permanente legal o una empresa americana patrocinen a un extranjero. Pero hay algunas excepciones como la de la EB-5 para inversionistas o, menos conocido pero ampliamente utilizado, del la EB-2 NIW. Quà © es la EB-2 NIW Es un camino hacia la green card sin patrocinador. En otras palabras, los interesados pueden aplicar por sà ­ mismos y no necesitan ni tener un familiar en Estados Unidos ni una oferta de trabajo. NIW significa National Interest Waiver, es decir, esta es una visa EB-2 con ciertas particularidades y en la que se conceden determinados privilegios por razà ³n del interà ©s nacional. Quà © profesionales o empresarios pueden aplicar para la green card sin patrocinador Las personas con estudios de postgraduado, como maestrà ­as o doctorados. O que sean licenciados y puedan demostrar experiencia laboral en su campo de especializacià ³n por un mà ­nimo de cinco aà ±os. Es importantà ­simo que los estudios sean necesarios para desempeà ±ar su ocupacià ³n. Por ejemplo: profesores de escuelas de primaria o secundaria o de universidad, mà ©dicos, cirujanos, abogados, ingenieros, arquitectos, etc. Los extranjeros que puedan demostrar que son profesionales excepcionales, superiores a la media en las Ciencias o en las Artes.Los empresarios excepcionales. En los dos à ºltimos casos el Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a  (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) pide que se cumpla adems con tres de los requisitos siguientes: Diploma o certificado de una universidad o de una institucià ³n relativos con el campo en el que son excepcionales.Las titulaciones extranjeras debern homologarse. Cartas en las que se documente experiencia laboral por un mà ­nimo de diez aà ±os en el rea de especializacià ³n.Membresà ­a en asociaciones profesionales.Licencia para trabajar en esa profesià ³n.Prueba de los salarios recibidos, incluyendo pagos en especie. Deben mostrar el carcter excepcional de la labor realizada. Reconocimiento por parte de colegas, instituciones pà ºblicas, empresariales o profesionales de los logros profesionales o de aportaciones al campo de especializacià ³n.Se admitir cualquier otra prueba semejante que sirva de evidencia de la excepcionalidad profesional. Quà © es el interà ©s nacional en el contexto de la EB-2 NIW Debe entender como de interà ©s nacional las actividades que benefician a la economà ­a de Estados Unidos o a sus intereses culturales o educativos, o al bienestar general del paà ­s. El USCIS debe juzgar que efectivamente las aportaciones laborales que puede hacer el extranjero son substancialmente mayores que las que podrà ­a ofrecer un trabajador americano con las calificaciones mà ­nimas para desempeà ±ar ese trabajo. En el caso de los empresarios, el USCIS ha aclarado que la creacià ³n de empleo y el crecimiento econà ³mico – directo o indirecto- podrà ­an llegar a calificarse como que cumple la exigencia de interà ©s nacional. Quà © pasa si no se cumple con el requisito de interà ©s nacional No podrn auto patrocinarse para una green card. Sin embargo todavà ­a ser posible conseguir una siempre que: Se tenga una oferta de trabajo en la mano. Para conseguirlo hay que buscar trabajo (en inglà ©s)Una empresa o institucià ³n americana està © dispuesta a patrocinar una EB-2 simple. Es la parte patrocinadora quien debe empezar todo el trmite con la forma I-140.Se obtenga una certificacià ³n del Departamento de Trabajo, la forma a rellenar para obtenerla es la ETA-750. Familiares de personas que aplican por una EB-2 NIW La mujer o el marido y los hijos menores de 18 aà ±os podrn obtener una green card (visas E-21 y E-22). Trmites para conseguir la EB-2 NIW Solicitante en Estados Unidos Presentar ante la oficina del USCIS que corresponda la forma I-140 para que apruebe la peticià ³n de la green card y, al mismo tiempo, enviar debidamente cumplimentado el formulario I-485 para el ajuste de estatus. En la actualidad, la resolucià ³n sobre la aprobacià ³n de la peticià ³n suele tardar una media de cuatro meses. El ajuste de estatus, y con à ©l la tarjeta de residencia, se puede demorar entre seis meses y un aà ±o. Mientras se espera es posible solicitar un permiso de trabajo para el beneficiario y para su cà ³nyuge. Hay que destacar que las personas en situacià ³n de ilegalidad migratoria no pueden ajustar su estatus por esta causa. Solicitante fuera de Estados Unidos El proceso se inicia de igual manera: enviando al USCIS la forma I-140. Adems habr que enviar el formulario DS-230 para que una vez que se apruebe la solicitud los papeles (unos cuatro meses) estos se envà ­en a la oficina consular en el extranjero donde se tramitarn las green card para el solicitante y su familia. En casos de paà ­ses con un nà ºmero elevado de inmigrantes en Estados Unidos, como por ejemplo China o India Filipinas, o Mà ©xico, es posible que haya que esperar incluso aà ±os antes de poder completar todo el proceso. Ello se debe a que hay un là ­mite global anual de residencias que se pueden conceder por este motivo y un mximo de green cards de este tipo que se conceden por paà ­s. Para tener una estimacià ³n ms clara de cunto hay que esperar en el extranjero por la tarjeta de residencia una vez que se tiene la aprobacià ³n del USCIS lo mejor es consultar el Boletà ­n de Visas del Departamento de Estado.  (En ese enlace puedes ver hacia el final los tiempos de espera que aplican para este caso). Problemas, opciones y cosas que conviene saber Es posible que el USCIS no apruebe la solicitud de green card por cualquiera de estas causas que convierten a una persona en inadmisible en Estados Unidos. Las personas con habilidades excepcionales que no cumplen los requisitos para obtener una green card mediante patrocinio (EB-2) o sin patrocinio (EB-2 NIW) todavà ­a tienen opcià ³n para conseguir un visado. La visa O es la que aplica para estos casos. En el caso de emprendedores,  estas son 8 opciones de visa para crear una empresa en Estados Unidos. Adems, todas las personas que estn considerando la posibilidad de emigrar a los Estados Unidos pueden ahorrarse muchas sorpresas y problemas si se familiarizan e informan cuanto antes sobre aspectos migratorios y legales del paà ­s. Finalmente, se recomienda tomar este  trivial o test- para asegurar saber  cà ³mo conseguir la tarjeta de residencia  y cà ³mo conservarla. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Survey of Healthcare Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Survey of Healthcare Management - Essay Example This can also mean that the service delivery becomes slow or there are resources which might fall short of the expected count. This can result in many other service related failures which shall have a direct effect on the lives of the people who come to this healthcare organization and seek help. The need is to understand where the healthcare organization is going wrong and what corrective measures are required on its part to achieve success in the long run (Haines 1993). The service strategy should be such that any issues or concerns are directly addressed by the people who are at the helm of affairs. This would mean that there is a concerted effort to look after the customers so that the customer service can be made better and any issues that might seem failing are addressed at the earliest. This is the need of the hour as far as ensuring that a culture of customer service is developed within a healthcare organization. The service strategy at the healthcare organization creates an environment for employees by detailing each and every policy and standards to them. It has chalked out a plan under which the employees are acutely aware of what is expected of them and what they need to do in order to deliver at the facility. This keeps each and every action of theirs under a check and allows them to be vigilant no matter what happens. Also the healthcare organization is quite aware of the signed rules which have been done by all the employees so that there are no ambiguities which might result from time to time. The need is to understand where the employees might go wrong and what corrective steps shall be required on their part. This is the reason why the service strategy is more focused towards the tasks of the employees than anything which is different from the same. Hence the healthcare organization does not have any issue in understanding where employees might go wrong or what steps would be neede d in the wake of difficult

Educational Paradigms and Models Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational Paradigms and Models - Assignment Example Also, students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to engage in complicated paths in school, for example, restarting or repeating their programs due to economic issues. They may also be forced to defer their enrollment in school due to financial difficulties. This may have a negative impact on the number of students in the school and the performance of the school in general. Moreover, students from poor families suffer from poor nutrition because they cannot afford meals that contain a balanced diet. As a result, their memory and attention during instruction may be affected, thus leading to a decreased intelligence quotient score than students from wealthy households (Darling-Hammond, 2010). The Effects of Moral Order Factors on Schools Moral order factors in schools may be attained using several approaches. One strategy is to establish a code of conduct that will highlight rules of action for every condition. Such a code requires a procedure of execution. The mor al order factors under this approach will require schools to have a standard-setting authority. In addition, schools will be compelled to have control systems and agents to the people who are required to abide by these regulations. Also, the individuals who are subjected to the code of conduct will be required to seek more detailed rules or norms for each and every specified case which will be encountered in the school. In addition, the moral order factors will require being continuously moderated to meet the changing situations in the school environment. Moral order factors will also empower and enable people to individually make the right choices and pursue the required way of life, even at the cost of sacrificing their instantaneous desires. Additionally, moral order factors will require a distinctive frame of reference for moral education in schools. Consequently, this will lead to high attachment to school enhanced, school attendance and performance, and elevated commitment to schooling. The Effects of School Board Leadership on Schools School board leadership has a number of effects on schools. School board leadership leads to satisfactory leadership and management of the schools. The board of a school holds the school accountable for its performance. The school board leadership is also active, and this has a positive impact on the development and work of different schools. In addition, a school which is led by a school board has a positive impact on its members of staff. School board leadership makes the principal give sound leadership making all members of staff committed to both the school and to further development. As a result, learning and teaching become satisfactory. Also, school board leadership makes the principal firm, inspirational and focused. This motivates the staff to meet the learners’ educational needs and make significant progress. A highly experienced school board may also offer unlimited advice for the progress of the school a nd support the initiatives executed by the principal (Fullan, 2010).  Ã‚  

The Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay Example for Free

The Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay The Electronic Frontiers Australia, Inc. (EFA) has launched a campaign â€Å"Generation Z safely surfing the Internet†, in an attempt to revoke the Australian law of forcefully blocking inappropriate content from teenage children. EFA is a NGO dedicated to the cause of promoting Internet users rights. The Australian government had earlier passed a law in 2007 requiring all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to implement Internet filtering; which the EFA opposes. Though the proposal was held in principle by the Rudd Labor government without any detailed subsequent information, its application was confirmed in January 2008 by Minister Conroy. The campaign by EFA aims to promote safe Internet usage of the Generation Z through media and communication. The education of parents on monitoring their children’s Internet usage is also emphasized. Forcefully blocking content is an infringement of civil liberties of the computer operators, which needs to be resisted. Apart from civil rights, such blockages deprive parents of the opportunity to guide their children towards safe surfing, through habit cultivation. EFA expects communities like Adolescent Family Counseling, Anglicare and Australian Camp Connect Association to extend support for its campaign. The EFA has pointed out to the results of a 2005 survey by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) that showed that most parents are against the filtering system. With only three out of ten parents using the system, most parents maintained that they trusted their children’s ability to judge right from wrong. Some parents felt that the software of the filtering system was ineffective and therefore the objectives of the system cannot be realized. Many parents also felt that the implementation of the filters drastically reduced Internet speed. The EFA questioned the technical feasibility of the system saying that both the filtering systems, content analysis and index filtering are not completely foolproof. There are several ways through which the black listed content can pass through the system. Also the harmful content identified by the Australian Communications Media Authority for black listing does not include content originating outside Australia. Elaborating on the costs to the government on account of the filtering system, EFA spokesman Colin Jacobs said that the $24. 3 million allocated for this in the current budget and the $51. 4 million anticipated for the next year can be put to better use. The government in its 2004 report, revealed that the expense of executing ISP-level Internet filtering systems would be $45 million towards initial installation, extra servers to run the software and ISP personnel to set up the system, and $33 million required subsequently each year. The government had maintained that it is unsafe for children to access the Internet without the controls. However children belonging to the Generation Z have high curiosity and needs, always wanting to seek and explore. This aspect of childhood trait should be not be chopped down by forcefully blocking content. Children need to be encouraged to explore; however they need to be guided by the parents. As part of its strategy, EFA banks on major media releases on the topic to gather support. With a media portfolio of three newspapers, five online media, two journals and airtime on two radios, EFA intends to put the issue in the lime light of public sphere. Social workshops to attract journalists and establishing of strategic partnerships with media groups and publications sharing EFA views, are also in the agenda. Holding community meetings, interviews with the focus group, delivering speeches, distributing pamphlets and publishing monthly newsletters are part of the campaign’s strategy.

Explain the low turnout in U.S. elections. :: essays research papers fc

Explain the low turnout in U.S. elections. "Miller light and bud light†¦either way you end up with a mighty weak beer!" This is how Jim Hightower (a Texan populist speaker) described the choices that the U.S. electorate had in the 2000 elections. This insinuates that there is a clear lack of distinction between the parties. Along with numerous others, this is one of the reasons why the turnout is so low in the U.S. elections. In trying to explain the low figures at the U.S. elections, analysts have called American voters apathetic to indifferent to downright lazy. I disagree that the 50% (in recent elections) of voters that fail to turnout to vote are lazy and that they have just reason not too. I will also show that the problem lies within the system itself in that the institutional arrangements, electoral and governmental, do not create an environment that is conducive to mass participation. I will address these main issues and several others that have an effect on voter participation. In doing so I will comp are America to other established democracies. Some registration laws in the past had clearly been designed to abstain certain races and types of people from registering, these restricted rather than assisted voter turnout. In the South they made provisions to stop African-Americans voting and the North implemented obstacles such as the poll tax and literacy tests. These were blatant attempts to stop people who were not of the typical voter, an educated white male landowner from casting a ballot. Typically in the South turnout historically tends to be lower than that of the North. An example of this is the contest between Kennedy and Nixon when only 40% of the south turned out to vote compared with 70% of the rest of the nation. These southern states tend to be the ones who were part of the old Confederacy. They still seem to have similar political ideologies, as in the most recent election George W. Bush took all these states in defeating Al Gore. It seems that the stigma connected to the civil war that ended over 130 years ago still seems to loom over American politics. However due to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, procedures for registration have become much more user friendly in allowing a much wider scope of American citizens to register. Because of this Act I am going to concentrate on the more recent elections and explanations for the low turnout.

Belonging, Les Murray Poems Essay

The concept of belonging is interesting to me because the idea is really that of ‘self’. There are many varied notions of belonging revolving around the ‘inclusion/exclusion’ of a person in a societal group, ‘attraction/alienation’ to values, attitudes and behaviours, ‘security/marginalisation’. But ultimately the idea of belonging is the development of our own sense of personal identity being defined by the groups, communities, lifestyles we align ourselves with. Les Murray’s poems â€Å"The Widower in the Country† and â€Å"The Away-Bound Train† explore the sense of belonging by his speaker in different ways. We experience through â€Å"The Widower in the Country† a loss of a sense of belonging caused by the death of the speaker’s wife. In â€Å"The Away-Bound Train† the speaker describes the rural landscape in his poetry, and his sense of belonging to it. Les Murray in â€Å"The Widower in the Country† uses descriptive imagery and emotive language to highlight the loss of belonging. The depression of the speaker by having no real direction in life is shown by the words â€Å"and pause to look across the Christmas paddocks†. He is delaying his duties as he is aimless. The reference to Christmas also illustrates widower being alone for a holiday previously celebrated with family. The ellipses run after â€Å"The nettles in the yard†¦Ã¢â‚¬  showing there is further work to be done and the neglect of the speaker evidencing his absence of involvement. The speaker sits alone â€Å"at the head of the table† eating a plain meal of â€Å"corned-beef supper† reinforces the widower’s absence and direction in life and also an inability to enunciate his emotions. The speaker in â€Å"The Away-Bound Train† experiences a feeling of belonging to  the country through the exploration of the landscape. The speaker is a man on a train leaving the countryside, which he loves, to travel to the city, which he despises. At the start of the poem the speaker describes his ideal home in the country â€Å"I stand in a house of trees †¦ a creek runs grey with sand†. The speaker then describes the landscape (â€Å"the near hills rise steeply and fall†, â€Å"the upland farms are all bare†) which is followed by a declaration of allegiance to the country (â€Å"and this is my country†). The warmth of the cold July fire reflects his sentiment of home. Even though he reminds himself that the warmth of the fire â€Å"is the past†, his mind, he says, â€Å"trails far in the wake of the train†. At the end of the poem, the speaker wills himself to go back to sleep and his dream. He literally closes his eyes against reality and returns in his imagination to the country he is leaving. In an alternative medium, the musical song â€Å"Creep† by the band â€Å"Radiohead† describes the desire to belong, yet the eventual alienation and loneliness of an unrequited crush. The song is a story of a person’s infatuation with someone whom he feels he  As a contrasting view, â€Å"Creep† composed by Thom Yorke presents the idea of belonging through alienation – the story of a person’s infatuation with someone whom he feels he cannot attain. The use of the simile â€Å"just like an angel †¦ your skin makes me cry† conveys how unreachable, unapproachable the girl is to him. This expression of distance illustrates how inadequate the person feels when compared to his object of desire. The use of obscenity â€Å"What the hell am I doing here?† conveys the frustration and anger felt by the person at not being accepted. This is supported by  the change from poetic language to blunt speech â€Å"I don’t belong here†. The contrast between the opening of the song and the chorus stresses the impact of the anger and frustration over wanting to belong. The opening lyrics are very soft with gentle imagery â€Å"You float like a feather, in a beautiful world†. The lazy guitar tone and rhythm then build up to what seems like an emotional breakdown with the singer and the guitar screaming in despair and anger â€Å"But I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo†. The ostinato (musically) portrays the songs obsessive lyrics, which depict the angry rage of an unsuccessful crush. The theme of alienation is reinforced â€Å"I want you to notice when I’m not around†. â€Å"You’re so special, I wish I was special† shows the person wanting to belong with the other who he sees as extraordinary.

Psychology Quiz: The Case of Ralph Tortorici Essay

In 1994, Ralph Tortorici, 26 years old, took a class hostage and ended up shooting one student in the leg and the groin. This kind of act could easily be categorized as one that would be surely convicted to a prison sentence of no less than 15 years. However, Ralph Tortorici’s case was not just because of rage and aggression; it was caused by mental illness – delusion disorder. How the court dealt with Ralph’s case is where things went wrong, and made it a torturous journey for him, ending when he took his life three years after his conviction, by hanging himself in his cell. He was sentenced to 20-47 years in prison, rather than to be sent to a mental institution. Two years before this incident, Ralph showed evidence of mental illness, and was well documented as he went to a university health worker and a state trooper for aid. He claims that a microchip is implanted in his penis as a part of a government experiment, and he could not take it anymore. He claims to hear voices from this microchip, telling him what to do. With such, actions should have been immediately made to intercede Ralph’s delusions, which perhaps wouldn’t have worsened, and more significantly, he might be still alive today. One fact I have learned about insanity defense is that pleading not guilty by reason of insanity isn’t by far the easy way out. Once an individual pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, this person is monitored by the state for the rest of his life. They must report to the state, and they become attached to the state until they die. So unless one is really mentally ill, lawyers do not advise their clients to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Work Cited â€Å"A Crime of Insanity†. 17 Oct 2002. Pbs. org. 13 Jun 2009. .

Tun Abdul Razak Essays

Tun Abdul Razak Essays Tun Abdul Razak Essay Tun Abdul Razak Essay On 8 August 1967, five leaders _ the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand _ sat down together in the main hall of the Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok, Thailand and signed a document. By virtue of that document, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was born. The five Foreign Ministers who signed it _ Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso R. Ramos of the Philippines, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S.Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand _ would subsequently be hailed as the FoundingFathers of probably the most successful inter-governmental organization in the world today. And the document that they signed would be known as the ASEAN Declaration. It was a short, simply-worded document containing just five articles. It declared the establishment of an Association for Regional Cooperation among the Countries of Southeast Asia to be known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and spelled out the aims and purposes of that Association.These aims and purposes were about cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. It stipulated that the Association would be open for participation by all States in the Southeast Asian region subscribing to its aims, principles and purposes.It proclaimed ASEAN as representing the collective will of the nations of Southeast Asia to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity. It was while Thailand was brokering a reconciliation among Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia over certain disputes that it dawned on the four countries that the moment for regional cooperation had come or the future of the region would remain uncertain.Recalls one of the two surviving protagonists of that historic process, Thanat Khoman of Thailand : At the banquet marking the reconciliation between the three disputants, I broached the idea of forming another organization for regional cooperation with Adam Malik Malik agreed without hesitation but asked for time to talk with his government and also to normalize relations with Malaysia now that the confrontation was over. Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Office prepared a draft charter of the new institution. Within a few months, everything was ready.I therefore invited, the two former members of the Association for Southeast Asia (ASA), Malaysia and the Philippines, and Indonesia, a key member, to a meeting in Bangkok. In addition, Singapore sent S. Rajaratnam, then Foreign Minister, to see me about joining the new set-up. Although the new organization was planned to comprise only the ASA members plus Indonesia, Singapores request was favora bly considered. And so in early August 1967, the five Foreign Ministers spent four days in the relative isolation of a beach resort in Bang Saen, a coastal town less than a hundred kilometers southeast of Bangkok.There they negotiated over that document in a decidedly informal manner which they would later delight in describing as sports-shirt diplomacy. Yet it was by no means an easy process: each man brought into the deliberations a historical and political perspective that had no resemblance to that of any of the others. But with goodwill and good humor, as often as they huddled at the negotiating table, they finessed their way through their differences as they lined up their shots on the golf course and traded wisecracks on one anothers game, a style of deliberation which would eventually become the ASEAN ministerial tradition.Now, with the rigors of negotiations and the informalities of Bang Saen behind them, with their signatures neatly attached to the ASEAN Declaration, also known as the Bangkok Declaration, it was time for some formalities. The first to speak was the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Narciso Ramos, a one-time journalist and long-time legislator who had given up a chance to be Speaker of the Philippine Congress to serve as one of his countrys first diplomats. He was then 66 years old and his only son, the future President Fidel V.Ramos, was serving with the Philippine Civic Action Group in embattled Vietnam. He recalled the tediousness of the negotiations that preceded the signing of the Declaration that truly taxed the goodwill, the imagination, the patience and understanding of the five participating Ministers. That ASEAN was established at all in spite of these difficulties, he said, meant that its foundations had been solidly laid. And he impressed it on the audience of diplomats, officials and media people who had witnessed the signing ceremony that a great sense of urgency had prompted the Ministers to go through all that t rouble.He spoke darkly of the forces that were arrayed against the survival of the countries of Southeast Asia in those uncertain and critical times. The fragmented economies of Southeast Asia, he said, (with) each country pursuing its own limited objectives and dissipating its meager resources in the overlapping or even conflicting endeavors of sister states_carry the seeds of weakness in their incapacity for growth and their self-perpetuating dependence on the advanced, industrial nations. ASEAN, therefore, could marshal the still untapped potentials of this rich region through more substantial united action. When it was his turn to speak, Adam Malik, Presidium Minister for Political Affairs and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, recalled that about a year before, in Bangkok, at the conclusion of the peace talks between Indonesia and Malaysia, he had explored the idea of an organization such as ASEAN with his Malaysian and Thai counterparts. One of the angry young men in h is countrys struggle for independence two decades earlier, Adam Malik was then 50 years old and one of a Presidium of five led by then General Soeharto that was steering Indonesia from the verge of economic and political chaos.He was the Presidiums point man in Indonesias efforts to mend fences with its neighbors in the wake of an unfortunate policy of confrontation. During the past year, he said, the Ministers had all worked together toward the realization of the ASEAN idea, making haste slowly, in order to build a new association for regional cooperation. Adam Malik went on to describe Indonesias vision of a Southeast Asia developing into a region which can stand on its own feet, strong enough to defend itself against any negative influence from outside the region. Such a vision, he stressed, was not wishful thinking, if the countries of the region effectively cooperated with each other, considering their combined natural resources and manpower. He referred to differences of outl ook among the member countries, but those differences, he said, would be overcome through a maximum of goodwill and understanding, faith and realism. Hard work, patience and perseverance, he added, would also be necessary.The countries of Southeast Asia should also be willing to take responsibility for whatever happens to them, according to Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, who spoke next. In his speech, he conjured a vision of an ASEAN that would include all the countries of Southeast Asia. Tun Abdul Razak was then concurrently his countrys Minister of Defence and Minister of National Development. It was a time when national survival was the overriding thrust of Malaysias relations with other nations and so as Minister of Defence, he was in charge of his countrys foreign affairs.He stressed that the countries of the region should recognize that unless they assumed their common responsibility to shape their own destiny and to prevent external intervention and i nterference, Southeast Asia would remain fraught with danger and tension. And unless they took decisive and collective action to prevent the eruption of intra-regional conflicts, the nations of Southeast Asia would remain susceptible to manipulation, one against another. We the nations and peoples of Southeast Asia, Tun Abdul Razak said, must get together and form by ourselves a new perspective and a new framework for our region.It is important that individually and jointly we should create a deep awareness that we cannot survive for long as independent but isolated peoples unless we also think and act together and unless we prove by deeds that we belong to a family of Southeast Asian nations bound together by ties of friendship and goodwill and imbued with our own ideals and aspirations and determined to shape our own destiny. He added that, with the establishment of ASEAN, we have taken a firm and a bold step on that road. For his part, S.Rajaratnam, a former Minister of Culture o f multi-cultural Singapore who, at that time, served as its first Foreign Minister, noted that two decades of nationalist fervor had not fulfilled the expectations of the people of Southeast Asia for better living standards. If ASEAN would succeed, he said, then its members would have to marry national thinking with regional thinking. We must now think at two levels, Rajaratnam said. We must think not only of our national interests but posit them against regional interests: that is a new way of thinking about our problems.And these are two different things and sometimes they can conflict. Secondly, we must also accept the fact, if we are really serious about it, that regional existence means painful adjustments to those practices and thinking in our respective countries. We must make these painful and difficult adjustments. If we are not going to do that, then regionalism remains a utopia. S. Rajaratnam expressed the fear, however, that ASEAN would be misunderstood. We are not agai nst anything, he said, not against anybody. And here he used a term that would have an ominous ring even today: balkanization.In Southeast Asia, as in Europe and any part of the world, he said, outside powers had a vested interest in the balkanization of the region. We want to ensure, he said, a stable Southeast Asia, not a balkanized Southeast Asia. And those countries who are interested, genuinely interested, in the stability of Southeast Asia, the prosperity of Southeast Asia, and better economic and social conditions, will welcome small countries getting together to pool their collective resources and their collective wisdom to contribute to the peace of the world. The goal of ASEAN, then, is to create, not to destroy.This, the Foreign Minister of Thailand, Thanat Khoman, stressed when it was his turn to speak. At a time when the Vietnam conflict was raging and American forces seemed forever entrenched in Indochina, he had foreseen their eventual withdrawal from the area and ha d accordingly applied himself to adjusting Thailands foreign policy to a reality that would only become apparent more than half a decade later. He must have had that in mind when, on that occasion, he said that the countries of Southeast Asia had no choice but to adjust to the exigencies of the time, to move toward closer cooperation and even integration.Elaborating on ASEAN objectives, he spoke of building a new society that will be responsive to the needs of our time and efficiently equipped to bring about, for the enjoyment and the material as well as spiritual advancement of our peoples, conditions of stability and progress. Particularly what millions of men and women in our part of the world want is to erase the old and obsolete concept of domination and subjection of the past and replace it with the new spirit of give and take, of equality and partnership.More than anything else, they want to be master of their own house and to enjoy the inherent right to decide their own dest iny While the nations of Southeast Asia prevent attempts to deprive them of their freedom and sovereignty, he said, they must first free themselves from the material impediments of ignorance, disease and hunger. Each of these nations cannot accomplish that alone, but by joining together and cooperating with those who have the same aspirations, these objectives become easier to attain.Then Thanat Khoman concluded: What we have decided today is only a small beginning of what we hope will be a long and continuous sequence of accomplishments of which we ourselves, those who will join us later and the generations to come, can be proud. Let it be for Southeast Asia, a potentially rich region, rich in history, in spiritual as well as material resources and indeed for the whole ancient continent of Asia, the light of happiness and well-being that will shine over the uncounted millions of our struggling peoples. The Foreign Minister of Thailand closed the inaugural session of the Associati on of Southeast Asian Nations by presenting each of his colleagues with a memento. Inscribed on the memento presented to the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, was the citation, In recognition of services rendered by His Excellency Adam Malik to the ASEAN organization, the name of which was suggested by him.

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business ethics - Essay Example However, the absence of these health professional in over-the-counter prescription and the advertisement of this drugs as created a new challenge that ought to be confronted. There are even cases where these advertisements have been found to pressure health professionals to prescribe particular drugs that might as well be less effective and dangerous. This idea intrudes in the relationship between patients and medical practitioners, thereby, interfering or even impeding the therapeutic process. Additionally, prescription advertising is not educational, instead it is inherently misleading if the omission of crucial information on drugs in its features is anything to go by. This therefore demonstrates just how dangerous consumer marketing of prescription drugs is and why it should be prohibited (Jeffrey, 2004, p. 21). II. What do you think is the most effective means to market a drug that is chemically and theoretically identical to its competitors? What do you think is the most ethica l way to market such drugs? Pharmaceutical products are those chemicals that improve the health of human beings, although in certain instances they can cause serious side effects to certain people who might be allergenic to these chemicals. Normally, producer of medical drugs compete both in terms of advertisement as well as prices, up to a point where advertisement and prices reach an equilibrium point (Harold, 2004, p.44), a point at which people are free to make choices based on their capability. This leaves the choice of drug administration in the hands of the physician. At times it is even the patient who is left with the decision of expressing his/her preference for one drug over the other and particularly if he/she has been exposed to some form of advertising. I strongly believe that a sale promotion involving packaging is not a bad idea to market a homogenous drug. Presentability of a drug can make all the difference in a contest pitting two theoretically and chemically iden tical with another already in the market. In fact, because the drugs are similar chemically and theoretically, one can focus on the cleanliness and hygiene of the drug through packaging the drug in a fashion that demonstrates hygiene and cleanliness to weather the competition. III. In what ways might a consumer suffering from a medical condition be less than fully free in making choices about medications? What psychological conditions undermine consumer autonomy? In most instances, patient fear of health deterioration leads to pharmaceutical inertia i.e. resistance to making any changes in their medicine regimens, which may also emerge due to unwillingness to use medication since they is no guarantee of improvement as one has no idea that it is going to improve the condition. This is one of the factors that put patients at the mercies medical practitioners or medical adverts in cases where the medical practitioners might not be available for whatever reason. Lack of proper medical a wareness might impair a patient’s decision concerning the medication to take. A patient might as well be in a state that makes him/her unable to make rational decision concerning the medication to take. Mostly, these are extreme case of sickness like stroke-induced coma or patient in vegetative state and therefore unable to even communicate. Psychologically affected

Debt Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Debt Crisis - Essay Example The debt/equity ratio increased from 15:1 to 30:1 after the US Securities and Exchange Commission allowed shadow banks to borrow as much as their own risk management departments considered prudent. So while commercial banks formed only 40% of total lending, shadow banks accounted for almost 60%. Banks borrowed a ton of money, made great deals and grew tremendously rich. They then paid back the borrowed money. Investors saw this and wanted a part in it. This gave banks the idea to connect investors to home owners through mortgages. Because real estate had been doing so well, investment banks were interested in buying the mortgage. The lender agreed to sell it to them for a fee. The investment banks then borrowed heavily, bought more mortgages and collected them in a box. The bank then cut the box into 3 slices: Safe, Okay, and Risky. It packed the slices back up and called it a Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO). A CDO works like three layers. As the money comes in from homeowners p aying off their mortgages the top tray fills first then the rest goes into the middle and the remainder goes into the last tray. If owners are unable to pay their mortgages, fewer payments are received and the last tray remains empty. For taking more risk, the lowest tray receives a higher rate of return as compared to the first tray which receives the lowest rate as it is the safest. Banks insured these slices for a minor charge called a Credit Default Swap (CDS). Credit rating agencies rated the top as a safe AAA investment and the middle as BBB. Because of the ratings, the investment banker could sell the slices to investors with different risk preferences. They made millions through this, and then repaid the loans. Since investors were making a lot more than 1%, they wanted more CDOs, investment banks wanted more mortgages and the demand for mortgages rose. They then approached the subprime market because if the homeowners defaulted on their mortgage, the lender would get the ho use which would increase in value. They started giving mortgages without requiring down payments, proof of income and any documents at all. These mortgages were Adjustable Rate Mortgages. The mortgage payments were attractively low during the initial period but they increased exponentially after the teaser period. As a result, from 2004 to 2006, the subprime mortgages accounted for approximately 1/5th of the overall mortgage market. Eventually the subprime borrowers started defaulting after the teaser period. The bank that was now the owner of the house went into foreclosure and put the house up for sale. Eventually, more houses went up for sale. Now there were so many houses for sale, increasing supply, causing house prices to fall, rather than rise. This created a problem for homeowners who continued to make their mortgage payments. The value of their houses began to decline as the number of houses for sale in the market increased. People refused to pay their mortgages. Default ra tes increased exponentially and prices nosedived. Consequently the value of CDOs which were backed by these mortgages also fell. Investment banks tried to sell the CDOs but there were no buyers. Through CDOs the problem spread to other financial markets. The problem was further compounded by CDS because sellers of CDS bought CDS from others to protect themselves. The Secondary market for subprime CDO trading halted because of lack of buyers in the market. Private financial institution refused to lend any cash

How did the increasing size of corporations in the US up to the 1930s Essay

How did the increasing size of corporations in the US up to the 1930s affect the pattern of ownership What advantages and disadvantages did this pattern of ow - Essay Example Although foreign investment slowed as a result of the First World War, it had being a major advantage up to 1913. For instance 19% of British investments went to the US between 1911 and 1913 (Hobsbawm, 1987 p. 348). Increased profits made it an advantage for American corporations to get bigger in size. It made good sense to concentrate ownership as much as possible (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 86). The First World War certainly presented leading American companies with advantages to expand their size, markets, and profits. As a consequence of the conflict British and German companies had not been able to export as many of their products to other countries. The drop in exports from the US most success rivals allowed its leading companies the advantage of exporting more goods. Before the US entered the war, its companies took advantage to boost their profits by exporting supplies and munitions to the combatant nations, especially France and Britain. American exports were vital to sustain the British war effort in particular. American entry into the First World War led to an expansion of industrial output, which contributed to the Allied victory and proved advantageous for the growth of American corporations. Once again events seemed to reinforce the belief that the concentration of ownership would be best (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 85). More effective production techniques made a significant contribution to the expansion of the leading American corporations, as a higher volume of products was produced with lower costs. American corporations led the field in the development and use of mass production techniques, most notably the Ford Motor Company (Brandon, 2000 p. 70). For much of the 1920s the size of the domestic market, the growing affluence of many Americans, as well as the relative low costs of production seemed very advantageous for the expansion of the leading American companies. Arguably mass production led to a more concentrated pattern

Cold war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cold war - Essay Example The domestic influence of the Cold War brought to their prominent leadership anti-communist presidents such as Truman, Kennedy, and Nixon who not only waged political and cultural battle with the Soviet Union, but also fought with the latter in the endeavor to achieve greater favor for the American economy. Though the nature of Cold War bore domestic consequences upon local affairs, political battles between the Soviet Union and the United States were mostly staged on an international level. By the time ‘Sputnik’ took off, most schools functioned as fighting grounds in allowing intellectual ideas to flourish over ideological conflicts of the 50s and this incident drew education to a sense of drastic reformation that appeared to radicalize certain schools of thoughts in various levels. Democratic enthusiasts would normally stress that acquisition of good scholastic foundation was beyond primary necessity, being an accountability and contribution to gaining victory over th e communists so that state and federal sovereignties expressed support through generous funding of academic institutions. Fields of maths and sciences had been able to receive more than sufficient financial assistance with adequate books and facilities.

Definitions Of Crime: Social And Ideological Constructs

Definitions Of Crime: Social And Ideological Constructs The social construct of crime is extremely significant within the victimised actor model that purposes that criminal behaviour only manifests because those with power and authority define certain activities, typically those engaged in by the poor and powerless as criminal, while those of the powerful are ignored (Burke, 2009 p. 349). Dorling et al. (2008, p. 7) states that crime has no ontological reality; but is a myth of everyday life. This construction can be enlightened by considering what is included and excluded. Mars (1982) states that hard words such as crime, theft and offence are different from softer words such as fiddle or perk, which are often used to describe criminal activities in the workplace (cited in Burke, 2009). Furthermore, in the context of safety crimes, in Britain over one million workplace injuries are recorded every year; but due to the restriction to the term crimes approximately only one thousand are prosecuted health and safety offences (Dorling et al., 2008). Tombs (2000) claims that such differences have implications in terms of what can be done with such data conceptually, theoretically and politically (cited in Dorling et al., 2008). This is an insight towards the different crimes that are committed, yet some of these criminal activities are completely excluded from the social construct of crime (Croall, 1998; Burke, 2009). Crime as social and ideological constructs can be applied to other areas in society including gender and age. Livingstone (2001) argues that the media make a significant contribution to the social construction of crime (cited in Reiner, 2007), and crime in general is usually associated with particular groups such as young men or the unemployed, which is reflected in the media and portrays what constitutes the crime problem (Burke, 2009). Muncie (2003) argues that this stereotype against certain groups means they receive little attention as victims (cited in Walklate, 2007). As a result policies are introduced to tackle crimes such as burglary or street crime but environmental crimes such as pollution, corporate crimes and major frauds are overlooked (Burke, 2009). The vast majority of criminological research has been conducted on lower socio-economic groups and their activities (Burke, 2009). However, white collar, business or corporate crime continues to be neglected and under-resea rched by criminologists (Burke, 2009). For example the previous and third edition of The Oxford Handbook of Criminology contains no discussion that crime has no ontological reality, nor does it establish how the criminal law fails to apprehend the more damaging and extensive forms of harm (Dorling et al., 2008). Another point which can constitute the social construct of criminal behaviour is homicide. Pfohl (1985) illustrates how some types of killing are categorized as homicide while others are not (cited in Lilly, Cullen Ball, 2007). Pfohl states that what differs is not the behaviour but the reactions to that behaviour. For example killing a police officer or killing by a police officer; death by dangerous driving or dying from cancer caused by a polluting factory are just a few examples. Whilst some are labelled homicide, others are excused and justified (Lilly, Cullen Ball, 2007). According to constructionist theories, crime is in the eyes of the beholder, and the beholder is the law (Fitzgerald, 2011 p. 303). Constructionists argue that crime, criminal activity, and criminal law are dependent on time, place and culture (Fitzgerald, 2011). Friedman (1993) states that definitions of crime alter throughout time, meaning crime has no ontological reality because acts have been criminalized, decriminalized, and recriminalized (cited in Fitzgerald, 2011). From a social constructionist perspective, a given act or behavior such as abortion, domestic violence, race or ethnic bias becomes a social problem through a process of successful claims making by social movements or groups that lay forward a particular definition of a problem (Rosenfeld, 2009). Constructionist theories include labelling theory, social control theory, and critical theory (Fitzgerald, 2011). Labelling theory is concerned with what happens after an act is committed, and that deviance does not inherent in the act, but the reaction to it (Newburn, 2007). Essentially, the argument is that the criminal or deviant is an individual who has been labelled by society (Marsh Melville, 2006). According to Becker (1963) rules and criminal laws are made by people with power and dictated upon people without power (cited in Burke, 2009). The key perspective from the labelling theory is that many offenders do internalise their criminal labels and therefore a career in criminality arises as a result to societys reaction to them (Burke, 2009). However, labelling theorys central hypothesis has not been without critical analysis. Although conflict or radical criminologists agreed that crime was socially constructed and that labels were differently applied, radical theorists argued that the origins and application of criminal labels were influenced by inequities rooted in the structure of ca pitalism (Lilly, Cullen Ball, 2007). Radical theorists claim that differences in power determined that behaviours of the poor, but not those of the rich would be criminalized. Labelling theorists acknowledged that political interest and social disadvantaged influenced societal reaction, but they did not express the connection of the criminal justice system to the underlying economic order (Lilly, Cullen Ball, 2007). Labelling theory has also been criticised on the use of soft and hard deviance (Burke, 2009). Gibbs (1966) argues that hard deviance such as violent assault and burglary have always been universally condemned, and the deviant is fully aware that what they are doing is criminal but freely choose to commit such offence because it is profitable or exciting (cited in Burke, 2009). In this case it is argued that labelling is irrelevant. Social control theory, with its roots in a Marxist tradition marginalizes certain populations for social, economic and political elites to maintain order (Fitzgerald, 2011). Social control theory acknowledges that law-making is embedded in power relations, and those with access to power are likely to construct the law to suit their interests (Fitzgerald, 2011). In which offences committed by the powerful such as white-collar crime are disregarded as it is not in their interest (Fitzgerald, 2011). Reidel and Welsh (2008) claim that as long as society maintains the perception that the law is morally justified, social order is sustained and authorities hold the power (cited in Fitzgerald, 2011). Muraskin (1976) claims that the middle class were interested in the structure of criminal law (cited in Fitzgerald, 2011), in which Becker (1963) states that rules are made by the old for the young, by men for women, by whites for blacks and by the middle class for the working class (cited in Bu rke, 2009). Criminological theories have different ideas on the concept of defining crime, although it cannot be dismissed that crime is a social and ideological construct. Constructionist theories locate power in the ability to classify and label what behaviour is criminal. This has complications for policies as the definitions of crime are not self evident; but are embedded in power relations that implicate all human behaviours and all people (Fitzgerald, 2011). Word count- 1,163

Abusive Relationships and Domestic Violence :: Violence Against Women Essays

Domestic violence describes a situation where one person in a relationship is using violence to control and dominate another person. Domestic violence victims and their batterers cut across all socioeconomic, demographic, and professional lines. It is an epidemic that is emphasized particularly with the female gender. While physical assault is often times the most common form of abuse, it is important to acknowledge that other forms of abuse are just as detrimental. Often times, fear and isolation are particularly powerful in preventing women from leaving a violent relationship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Domestic violence is a common crime in America, especially amongst the female gender. Studies indicate that nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or intimately abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives (Commonwealth Fund Survey, 1998). Domestic Violence towards women is a problem in the United States that is usually over looked and almost always not noticed by Society today. Violence is defined by the Riverside Webster's Dictionary (p.755) as: 1. Physical force employed so as to damage or injure. 2. As an instance of violent action. If this is the case than why is it that so many women are beaten by loved ones each year and little or nothing is done to correct this violent and hostile situation?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The battered woman is pictured by most people as a small, fragile, haggard person who might once have been pretty. She has several small children and is frequently assumed that she is poor and from a minority group. She is accustomed to living in violence, and her fearfulness and passivity are emphasized above all. Although some battered women do fit this description, research proves it to be false stereotype(Walker p.18). In fact most battered women have highly lucrative jobs such as doctors or lawyers, Corporation executives and nurses. Battered women are found in all racial, religious and ethical backgrounds as well as age groups and educational levels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statistical information on domestic abuse commonly notates that women in intimate relationships are amongst the greatest risk. Statistics also revealed that domestic abuse is the leading cause of harm amongst females of all races that usually involve a weapon. "Approximately one in four attacks involved the use of a gun or knife,† according to a studies. Young, black and Hispanic women were especially vulnerable, as were poor single women with low education levels who lived in inner cities.

Reflection Paper for Philosophy of Religion Essay

Religion has been as part of society as far as its beginnings. All ancient human civilization had some sort of belief in a God or the transcendent. Beliefs have always been an issue within any human society. The belief of the transcendent gives humans a chance or hope for eternal happiness for people who abide their beliefs. But through out history, different religions and beliefs emerged which gives rise to the inconsistency. There are numerous differences between religions: one versus many gods, personal versus impersonal gods, personal survival of believers versus no survival of believers, moral codes, religious life, etc. As observable in human history, though religions often offer some sort heaven it often paradoxically entails conflicts and controversies. And despite the fact that religions supposedly gives people a sense of what’s right or wrong, atrocities have been committed in the name of religion; the hundred years war, the inquisition, jihad, ethnical cleansings etc†¦ And amidst the variety of beliefs that populate contemporary society, one cannot help to think how to take in hand the overabundance of truths that sometimes overlaps, dissent, and eventually oppose each other. There are three stances one can take. First is to (1) treat all religions as valid and true (pluralism). Another way is to (2) view beliefs in way that some are right and some are wrong (exclusivism). Finally, one can also (3) think about all religions as false (atheism). Let me take into consideration the third stance first. By arguing that all religious beliefs are false, it also means arguing that God or any form of the transcendent does not exist. And by arguing this, means rejecting all of the theistic theses that were formulated in the history of man. And this is the part where the catholic philosopher’s shear my head off, as countless theologians in history were also philosophers. With atheism in hand, the question God’s Being is also raised. Paul Tillich argues that God is Being, where â€Å"Being† represented the ultimate reality that underlies all existence, whether natural or supernatural. In fact, Being doesn’t necessarily pertain to a personal God at all. Tillich wanted  to make Being stand for the ultimate concern of all humans, conceived in the broadest sense. Furthermore, any attempt to define what Being is, by giving it the name of a particular God, fails to capture the true Being. Tillich thinks that all particular conceptions of Being that we are familiar with in the West constitute idolatry. When we give religious symbols too much importance, then we have fallen into mere idolatry. It might be plausibly argued that a religion must possess religious symbols and rituals to qualify as a religion-but, if this is true, then all religions must in a way be idolatrous. This is quite a strong and ridiculous thing to claim. But on the other hand it can also be claimed that atheism is really theism because it possesses infinite concern. The unknowable â€Å"God behind God† symbols mediate our relationship with God. God is beyond existence and non-existence. This leads us to the more theistic approach on the variety of human belief. First is the idea of pluralism which is spearheaded by John Hick. Hick’s theory holds that all religions are expressions of the same ultimate reality. However, how is it possible for all religions to be true images of the same ultimate reality? They can’t all be correct because this would be a violation of the law of non-contradiction (the thesis that something cannot possess a property and lack it at the same time and in the same way). For example, to argue that God is personal from my religion’s perspective and not personal from another religion’s perspective and thus avoid the violation of the law of non-contradiction is to say that God is not ultimately personal. Since it has just been accepted that some other religion has an equally valid view of God which contradicts my own religion’s view, this conclusion once again dents the justification for believing in the specifi c theories of God by my particular religion (in fact, many religions will reject this compromise for this very reason; namely, because the religion’s views are not really believed to be entirely true). At one point, Hick argues that the ultimate reality of God has no properties or attributes by itself, but only in relation to believers. So the properties we attribute to God are relational properties, which don’t exist or pertain to God if we don’t exist to assign those properties to God. Yet, this theory still implies that each religion’s view of that ultimate reality is not completely true since there exist other, contradictory and  equally correct relative views of God. And this undermines the importance of that particular religion’s beliefs. Also, a being that has no properties or attributes in itself seems incoherent, because, once again, the law of non-contradiction does not seem to apply to that being in the absence of any believers. Besides, a being that has no properties is almost identical to nothing. On the other hand, one can also take the path of an Exclusivist. Exclusivism states that one’s own religion is true, all the other are false. Which yet again sets it in conflict with every other thought out there: Which religion is the true religion? For the exclusivist, salvation comes from faith in that one true religion. But, there are exceptions that present several problems. Examples of these are people who didn’t hear the religion’s message. Also there are those virtuous and good people who did hear the religion’s message but rejected it. One way to solve these problems is to accept a view that still accepts that there is one true religion (and all the others are false), but who is included in that religion is increased to include all of the people covered in the aforementioned examples (â€Å"Inclusivism†). In addition, the same difficulty mentioned above, of determining which religion is the one true religion, this theory also suffers in that it seems to undermine the importance of being one of the people who essentially hears and follows the message of that one religion. Since merely being a virtuous person is enough to get into heaven, it no longer seems to be all that important to hear any religion’s message, and this weakens the motivation for following that religion. Another way is to deal with the variety of belief is to treat them as some are more right than others. Although all beliefs may hold some truth in them as what a pluralist might say, there is also the notion of some beliefs holding more sensible, plausible, and appealing aspects than others. Treating beliefs that some are more right than others will impose some sort of hierarchy among them. Being so, there is no sense to take what is less that the optimal path or any belief other than the belief on the top of the ladder. This might be attributed to a sense of rationality or a mental faculty for deciding what people should hold is true or a sense of epistemic  duty. Since belief holds such importance in a person’s personal and social life as was mentioned earlier, it cannot be helped to seek verification of what is true and what is not. Then again, an argument can arise from here asking what basis of rightness or wrongness of a certain belief is in the aforementioned hierarchy. Certainly, we cannot take an objective perspective here due to nature of the subject as argued in numerable articles about belief (belief cannot be grounded empirically). This then leaves me with no means to measure the rightness or wrongness of a certain belief. If this is so, it can be said then that the matter of belief can be left to the personal opinions and values of the believer, or simply put, belief is completely subjective. Just like understanding any other major term in philosophy of religion, completely understanding the existence of variety of human beliefs in this case would be as hard as pinning gelatin to a wall. Just as one thinks one has held the whole thing in one point, the rest of it slips away and falls apart. And in the end we are back to ground zero, stuck in a standstill conflict of being either an atheist, pluralist or an exclusivist; a sort of conflict between two extremes of anarchy and tyranny. Pluralism in its purest form can lead to anarchy of beliefs due to the equal treatments of all beliefs as in way true and valid. Exclusivism taken to the extreme may is tyranny in sense that only one or some beliefs are the plausible ones to take. And the supposedly safe answer of atheism which every other theistic argument rebukes. Alluding to the idea of the other that cannot be consumed by the I in Hegelian manner of the thesis and the anti-thesis having a compromise in the form of the synthesis, religions can neither be equalized by a common denominator nor taken separately and treated with bias. Hick, Plantinga, and Tillich tried nobly to create stable grounds by creating bases for beliefs by conceptualizing the whole idea of religions and beliefs. Yet with the contradictions to every argument presented, loose or dead ends appear due to the infinitely vast reality (and paradoxically ambiguous) of religious beliefs, thus one cannot firmly hold his belief in every ground. Therefore, it can be said that there is no safe answer. A risk then of making a mistake is not avoidable just as every evil is inevitable in the world. And just as uncertain the issue of human belief is as every  philosophical paradox goes, it is left in the riddle of choice.

The Wrong Side of Attraction

â€Å"Love Can Be Deceiving†, most people would say, but Tommy Shooter did not believe so. A General in the United States Marines in his mid-30’s, Tommy was muscular, quick-tempered, highly trained sniper. One day Tommy led his troops to Afghanistan in search of terrorists when they were ambushed. Tommy was shot in the leg during this and, the medics quickly carried him and his other injured soldiers to the chopper where they were air lifted to the military hospital in Paris, France. Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctors took Tommy to a room for emergency surgery. Dr. Scholl’s Ph. D. , calls for his top nurse to come and assist him. Walking into the room with her candy stripe nurses uniform, was a mid-20s Italian brunette woman with hazel green eyes and a smile to brighten any man’s day. Smitten with love at first sight, Tommy tried repeatedly to gain Blair’s attention. Blair growing up in a wealthy family was very independent and did not want to have to live on her family’s fortune. Blair wanted to work and make her own money. Her dream was to become a Certified Nurse in a big city. She found her dream job in Paris miles away from her family back in Italy. Blair saw Tommy as a cocky general, who always tried to sweet talk her. Every morning when Blair entered his room, the first thing she dreaded to hear from Tommy was â€Å"Hello Nurse†!!!!!! Tommy wore the biggest smile after yelling this to her. After a while, she began to enjoy hearing him say that to her. â€Å"At least I know he has great taste†, Blair would always say. Tommy was held in the hospital for a month before being released, but every morning he would come to Blair with his â€Å"Hello Nurse† and twelve dozen roses, before leaving he always told Blair that she would be his wife. Blair found his persistence very attractive, so she decided to give him a chance; they were married under the Eiffel Tower, and they settled in and off base fancy townhouse flat near every tourist attraction and venue in the heart of Paris, France. They love their new home, marriage, and romantic Paris atmosphere. One day Blair opens her mailbox to find a â€Å"FREE Two Person Admission† to The Number One Magic Show in Paris, France. The night of June Fourteenth two-thousand seven, Tommy received a call that would change everything for Blair and him. He was to be deployed back to Afghanistan. Tommy was not surprised, but he did not know how to tell Blair, since it was the night before their one year anniversary. Upon departure, Tommy says to Blair that he is in love with her and that he would love for her to enjoy herself at the show even though he will not be there, but he will come back home to her soon. After Tommy’s departure, Blair decides to pick up her tears and to enjoy the Paris scenery. Leaving her townhouse flat, Blair sits to an outside restaurant and helps herself to a meal. As the night falls, Blair decides to attend the magic show. â€Å"I will write Tommy as soon as I get home to tell him about my day†. Blair says sipping her martini. â€Å"Hello my name is Johnny Chan and this is my friend Natasha McBain. There before her stood a good-looking low-musculared Asian man. â€Å"Hi my name is Blair Shooter, I am a LPN at the Paris Military Hospital, what about you guys†, Blair says with a smile. â€Å"I have recently opened a Computer Technician’s Store and if you need your computer or laptop fixed, don’t hesitate to let me know. FREE of Charge first visit,† Johnny says sipping his beer. â€Å"Hello my name is Natasha McBain she wore dark-blonde hair as if painted by an artist, curvaceous , and in her early thirties. I’m a supermodel in every top magazine, and it’s so nice to meet you. † Blair did not really like Natasha but enjoyed her and Johnny’s company. Suddenly, the lights dims, â€Å"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Michael Dunn and I am your magician for tonight prepare to be amazed!!!! † Blair was very amazed not at the show, but with her love of magic and mystery Blair saw most of the tricks. The disappearing act, cutting the box in half, and the pulling the rabbit out of the hat trick, but Blair’s attention was on Michael himself. This white debonair magician, â€Å"Looks like he’s in his mid-twenties†, Blair says to herself. â€Å"And for my last trick ladies and gentlemen, I will need one volunteer, How about you miss†, Michael says smiling at Blair. â€Å"Why not, I love magic† Blair says. â€Å"Great I am going to hypnotize you with your consent or course†, Michael says. â€Å"Of course,† Blair says before falling asleep. The crowd clasp and Blair becomes awakened, blinded by the spotlight Blair smiles confusingly and sits back in her seat. She’s was puzzled without any recollection of the trick or anything. After the show, Blair could only think of Michael, he approached her before she went out of the theatre. â€Å"I know you feel this connection between us†, Blair looked into Michael’s eyes. â€Å"Yes† she says. That night, Blair slepted in Michael’s arms, as if she was with her true love. â€Å" Be Careful Who You Fall For† â€Å"It has been two years, and I am ready to see my wife. PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) will not hold me down, my wife’s love can heal me†, Tommy says to himself. Departing the plane he notices that Blair is not there to greet him, puzzled he catches a cab to his townhouse flat. â€Å"Honey, I’m here!!! Tommy yells to find her not there. â€Å"I wonder where she could be Tommy thought to himself. Two months pass and Blair finally enters their townhouse flat. â€Å"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!? † Tommy yells. Nonchalantly Blair says â€Å"Oh with friends, and when did you get here umm Tommy, yeah that’s right, as if forgetting his name. â€Å"Friends for two months!!! Tommy snarled â€Å"Yes† Blair smiled. â€Å"I am not going to argue with you umm Tommy I’m going out we will talk later† Blair says slamming the door behind her. Suspicious Tommy follows his wife to a Magic Theatre, walking closer Tommy hears his wife involved with another man. Love can be deceiving,†Tommy says leaving the theatre he gets into his car and grabs his pistol thinking to himself. â€Å"I am confused, broken-hearted and in rage†¦I will kill him, and her† â€Å"NO!!.. † â€Å"I need a drink†, Tommy says getting back into his car he drives to the bar near his home. At the bar, drowning in liquior, Tommy is approached by this gorgeous, dark blonde-haired, blue eyes, curvaceous woman. â€Å"Hi do you need a friend my name is Natasha McBain, I noticed that you seem in need of someone to talk to as well as I do†. â€Å"That’s fine†, Michael says gathering his attention back to his drink. Tommy and Natasha confide in one another over the night, Natasha tells Tommy of her on again off again friend/lover Johnny Chan, and Tommy confides to Natasha by telling her of his wife’s betrayal, his marriage, and uncertain future. â€Å"I will fight for my marriage!! †, Tommy says in a drunken bluster. As the time passes they comforted each other physically and emotionally, and the next morning Natasha was gone. Without any sign from Blair, Tommy grabs his rifle and sets out to her lovers place. Seven o’ clock that morning, Tommy wakes to hear Blair’s laughter. Posted above the roof-top across the street from Blair and her lovers place, Tommy quickly wiped his eyes and perched himself across the ledge with his rifle assembled and aimed. As Tommy looks in the scope to pull the trigger on Michael, Blair jumps into the shot hugging and kissing Michael. Tommy heart drops â€Å"this was a waste of my time, maybe I should just let her be with him†, Tommy says packing up his gun. â€Å"NONSENSE† a voice in the shadows says. â€Å"Who is that? Who is there†, Tommy says frightened. â€Å"Pardon me sir, I would love to offer you a deal in your dilemma,† says the stranger. That man you tried killing. I can give you all of the power you can ever imagine, all you have to do is succeed in eliminating him. He’s cheating with your wife and that’s not right, I will give you a more powerful life.. a better life†¦his life†, says the stranger . â€Å" Who are you and how do you know what I am going through? † Tommy yells. â€Å"My apologies†, the stranger says, my name is Steven Clay appearing from the shadows there stood a very big intimidating, white male with long straight black hair, and piercing wicked green eyes, which made Tommy’s hair stand on the back of his neck and he begin to sweat. That man you tried to kill, his name is Michael Dunn, he is an imposter, he is not a true sorcerer†, says Steven. That night at his little Magic Show, he hypnotized your wife and she fell in love with him. † â€Å"I will not allow him to trick anyone into falling in love with them, that is against the rules and he knows that. † â€Å"A master of the arts, my mentor, and my teacher,† says Steven, BUT when it comes to women he is a fool always that is when a true sorcerer is truly weak and vulnerable,† Steven says smiling at Tommy. What do you want me to do? † Tommy says looking at Steven. â€Å"The deal is for you to come her again in the morning and shoot him again I will give you a special bullet. When Michael Dunn is dead I will know, then and ONLY then will I make you immortal. † â€Å"BUT if you FAIL AGAIN. I will take your life, body, and soul, you see I am a shape shifter, and a soul reaper ALWAYS looking for damned souls, your life will become my and a part of me for all eternity,† â€Å"SO DO YOU AGREE? † Steven says whose eyes were turning red. Yes I agree â€Å" replies Tommy, â€Å"Great, I will know when the job is done†, Steven says before vanishing. It is 2:00 a. m. , fueled with drunken rage, Tommy has not been sleep, â€Å"I can’t sleep, today is the day that Blair’s lover dies,† Tommy says. With his bottle of Jack Daniels in hand and his rifle in his car, Tommy drives to the Magic Theatre, and falls asleep on the roof-top across the street from his wife and her lovers place. It is now 7:00 a. m. , Tom my wakes to hear Blair’s laughter, he then again props himself along the ledge with his rifle assembled and aimed. Tommy sets his scope and waits for Blair to leave, â€Å"See you later Amore†, Blair says â€Å"Okay† says Michael with a look of disgust as he walks back into the Magic Theatre. Ready to aim, Tommy fires his rifle and the bullet shoots out the barrel like lighting, â€Å"BOW†. Michael turns and blocks the bullet with his supernatural powers, when he sees’ Tommy on the roof-top across the street from his building. Michael throws the bullet back toward Tommy knocking his rifle off of the ledge and onto the sidewalk. â€Å"Fool† Michael says as he walks back into the Magic Theatre. Failing miserably, Tommy rushes home to gather his things to escapes Steven’s raft. Barreling into his townhouse flat, Tommy begins packing his things to go back to the United States. â€Å"I have to get away from the liers, cheaters, and most importantly I must keep my soul,† Tommy says laughing nervously. Suddenly Steven appears in a puff of black smoke, â€Å"YOU HAVE FAILED, I WILL SUCCEED WITHOUT YOU!!! † Without a word Steven steals Tommy’s soul, and has the power to now shape shift into Tommy and back to himself. Steven now pleased with enough power to conquer Michael, along with Tommy’s body. The next morning, Steven walks up to Michael and grabs his chest looking into Michael’s eyes, Steven says â€Å"You will NEVER Be ME† showing his true face. â€Å"STEVEN!!! † Michael says before falling dead. Gaining all of Michaels power and stealing his soul, Steven decides to continue roaming the Earth for eternity searching for new souls to take. Meanwhile, Blair reading the morning paper, see’s that her lover Michael has died, she immediately breaks down and goes mentally, physically, and emotionally insane. Her wealthy family finds her homeless in downtown Paris. We have searched all over for you†, Blair’s mother says as tears roll down her cheeks, â€Å"our daughter has become delusional,† Blair’s father says. â€Å"She’s has all these crazy fantasies of magic spells, of disappearing shape shifting men. † â€Å"And all she keeps repeating and the end of all of this nonsense is PIERCING WICKED GREEN EYES, PIE RCING WICKED GREEN EYES, PIERCING WICKED GREEN EYES†, before fainting Blair’s father adds. â€Å"We will just have to admit her, she has gone insane my daughter always believed in that magic nonsense† as he walks away. Blair’s mother kisses her good-bye and they transport her to The Paris Asylum, for the Mentally Insane. It is now Sunday morning, and Natasha McBain wakes up with hope of true love in her eyes. As she begins her day, she walks out of her penthouse suit onto the sidewalk and she says to herself, â€Å" Today will be the day that I will FINALLY tell Johnny Chan how I truly feel,† says Natasha sipping her coffee. â€Å"This time without magic or tricks,† her eyes changing from blue to red as she puts on her shades.