The key to a lasting marriage. A literature review Essay

The key to a lasting marriage. A literature review - Essay Example With the onslaught of industrialization however, the institution seems to have lost the respect and honor that was accorded to it with the result that divorce rates are on the rise. This paper discusses the respectable institution of marriage as a literature review of academic peer reviewed journal articles that discuss the key to a happy and successful marriage while relating to the discipline of psychology. I would like to start this literature review by discussing the financial aspect of marriage by reviewing a journal article that discusses how a change in the income level of a wife may affect the marriage. The article titled "Changes in wives' income: Effects on marital happiness, psychological well-being, and the risk of divorce." by Rogers and DeBoer. The article tries to answer "what happens in marriages in which wives have increased their income Does subsequent marital happiness improve or worsen Does the psychological well-being of husbands and wives increase or decline Does the risk of divorce increase, or is it lessened" (Rogers) This article is a good starting point as in today's modern world it is very much a norm that both husband and wife are working. Hence this article relates to a key aspect of modern married life. As per the article the authors found that a significant increase in a married women's income doesn't have any significant effects on their husbands. However the article does make us realize that a married man is comparatively less happy when his wife's percentage contribution to total family income increases. Nevertheless as per the article the chances of divorce is not significantly affected by the change in this percentage. Although the authors suggest that the increase in relative Income does on the contrary indirectly lower the risk of divorce by increasing the wife's martial happiness. To get to these results the authors used date from a sample of 1,047 married individuals (not couples) in medium-duration marriages, taken from a survey that begun in 1980 and continued to 1997. The authors have used structural equation modeling to gauge the discussed impact from 1980 to 1988. Final analysis was based on analysis using information of how these changes affect the risk of divorce between 1988 and 1997. I feel that although this article was fully researched but further research also needs to be conducted on the consequential affects on married life when the same females who had experienced a rise in income, experience a decline or a total loss of income. My second choice for the literature review is an article by Arturo Roizblatt, and other authors on long lasting marriages in Chile that was published in the Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal. The article discusses the Chilean segment of a study that included Canada, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden and the United States of America with respect to long-term marriages. The study aimed to identify the main reasons for couples surviving for a long term while identifying their characteristics. The article also aimed at to prove if there could be an

My Antonia and Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

My Antonia and Huckleberry Finn Essay Characters from various books that may or may not have anything to do with one another can be similar and different in many ways. Huckleberry Finn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, and Antonia Shimerda from My Antonia by Willa Cather are similar in a variety of ways, however they have important differences. Huckleberry Finn is always ready to go on any type of adventure with his best friend Tom Sawyer. Also, the pair are extremely superstitious. Huck is discriminated against for a myriad of reasons. Some being, he is the son of the town drunk, so the adults frown upon him. Because of his father’s lifestyle he is basically an orphan, he has to find his own food, clothes, and a place to sleep. He also does not attend church or school. Opposite to that, the boys of the town envy him for his freedom and lack of discipline. The Widow Douglass who lives in town offers Huck a place to stay. She says he can live in her house, and with the money from the treasure he and Tom found she would be able to support him. Tom encouraged Huck to take advantage of this offer while he could. This was a hard decision for Huck to make because he is not willing to give up his independence that he is accustomed to. He lives with the widow for a short period of time then decides he enjoys being on his own and is willing to face the hardships of life by himself to maintain his freedom. Antonia Shimerda is extremely generous and optimistic. Through the hardships of immigrating to America from Bohemia, her father committing suicide, and her fiance leaving her before they get married, and at this time she is pregnant, she never looses hope. She looks for the best in every situation and tries to find a solution for everything. Everyday she has to face racial and gender discrimination. She is judged brutally by the townspeople because of her love for dance. Her and her family, which now consists of her mother, brothers and sisters, have to face the difficulties of life after the death of their father along with the difficulties of living in a new country. Her and her family are living in poverty, and are trying extremely hard just to survive. Later, Antonia works as a servant. Her boss does not like her habit of attending the dances she enjoys going to. He threatens to fire her if she continues to attend these dances. She loves her independence too much to let someone take it away. So she works for a brutal boss and suffers so she can have her independence and go to her dances. Huckleberry Finn and Antonia Shimerda have many similarities and differences. They have very different characteristics, however they both face many hardships, discrimination on a daily basis, and they both value their independence a lot that they would rather live harder lives so they can be independent.

The Importance of Justice in Society Essay -- essays papers

The Importance of Justice in Society One component of the definition of justice is the final outcome of the process of the law, whereby justice is distributed by the State. According to this definition, justice is the mechanical process of the structure of law – set in place and agreed to by the people of the State. Another definition is concerned with the value inherent in ‘just’ behavior. One distinction between these two definitions is the difference between an individual viewpoint and the larger view of the society. Either view incorporates the concept of moral judgment; ‘good’ as opposed to ‘bad.’ Man has recognized the importance of justice in his society since the earliest of times. In order to serve justice, there has to be a law to settle differences among the people of the state. The history of law in relation to society reveals that humanity’s earliest efforts at lawmaking were prompted by the basic desire of self-preservation. Although engulfed by a society that necessitated such combinations as clans and tribes for protection, as well as for social and economic advancement, the nature of the individual led to the development of certain expressed general rights with regard to person and property1. Generally, these unwritten rules governing social and economic interaction recognized the right to defend oneself from injury as well as to enjoy property without outside interference. While sufficient for primitive societies, unwritten rules of social control were ineffective in a rapidly developing society. So, an effort was made to clarify them so that all the peop le would know their definitions, limits, and applications. After reading Fuller’s Speluncean Explorers fictional case and seeing the conflict... ...een the poor and rich, the weak and the strong. To fight poverty the state should spend more money on education, employment, and child welfare. The state must give the individual his rightful place of dignity as a free man equal to all his fellow men where he shall have the right to live under a rule of law based on a sense of obligation. In that society, respect for law must be the cohesive force holding it together and not mere obedience based on surrender to the weapons of state power. Bibliography: Fuller, Lon L. The Law as Literature. Wofford Press, Toronto. 1978. Swift, Jonatham. The Complete Works. Oxford Univesity Press, New York, 1987. Smith, Alexander B. Crime and Justice in a Mass Society. Xerox College Publication, Massachusetts, 1972. Waldron, Ronald J. The Criminal Justice System: an introduction. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1976.

Case study Essay

This paper addresses the principles of Choice Theory with the origin of Classical Theory, as well as the Trait Theory which originated from the Positivist Theory. It establishes the differences between the two criminological theories. The defining characteristics are addressed to help the reader understand the relation between the two as well. The distinctions and descriptions are supported by various scholarly authors, and will be listed below. The ideas of the Choice Theory originated from the principles and ideas of the Classical Theory. Back in the late 1700’s it was the understanding of the criminologist, that criminals would typically assess the possible benefits of conscious and rational choice before committing a crime. Choice theory establishes a mindset focused on the benefits they will render by becoming involved in a criminal act over the possibilities of punishment or rather conviction of the crime in question. Classical Theory was developed by Cesare Beccaria, an Italian social thinkers as stated in the text (pg. 84) after which, about a hundred years later the idea of Positivist Theory was developed and became the focus of the criminologist. Although the Positivist Theory made an appearance within the study, not much longer after they shifted back to the original thoughts of Cesare Beccaria. As the years went on Beccaria original idea of Choice Theory developed into something greater and more advanced in its description. According to one article â€Å"Rational Choice Theory, Crime Control Policy, and Criminological Relevance† states it is matured into a more comprehensive perspective that ultimately appreciates the complexity of the nature of criminal behavior. Within this crime theory, suggest that criminals are typically not fearfully of breaking the law because the excitement and thrill of the crime is far too enjoyable for these criminals. However if the criminal believe the punishment was too severe they will not engage in or every think to repeat their criminal offense. The notion that physical and mental traits distinguish a criminal from another is the principles of the Trait Theory. These criminals commit crime based on environmental effects as well the diet or food in which they may consume. It originated from the Positivist Theory that rejects the idea that the criminal makes a conscious and/or rational choice to commit a crime; but rather their character differences is what constitutes their criminal behavior. These differences suggest the criminologist conclusion of deviant member within society and helps them identify them as such. The idea of this theory suggest that criminals have a distinct characteristics that causes them to commit a crime but it is in fact an unconscious act because it a personal trait in which only few possess. It is easy to distinguish the difference between the Choice theory of Classical criminology and the Trait Theory of Positivist criminology. These differences include the free will of the classical criminology philosophy where the criminal calculates or determines if the crime is worth the risk of being convicted, whereas positivist criminology philosophy indicates the criminal is subject to external forces causing them to commit a crime. Choice theory suggest that the solution to this philosophy is any form of deterrence. And the solution for Positivist criminals is also some form of intervention. Classical criminology places importance on the idea of agency verses positivist places it concern on structure. Classical criminals must be punished whereas positivist criminals need rehabilitation. The similarities include they are both criminals act that need to be addressed to prevent them from occurring. Whatever form to therapy, rehab or intervention that needs to take place has to occur. Another similarity is the time it was founded. Both theories were established around the same time era.

Research Preliminaries Essay

This course is a brief overview about research design that is intended to cover the basics of designing and implementing a scientific study. Although this course will address every step of the research process, it is by no means exhaustive and is no substitute for a college level course in research methodology, nor is it a substitute for an experienced research advisor. Choosing a Topic For a researcher to choose a topic for a project, it is important to consider a broad area of inquiry and interest. This may be as broad as â€Å"global eye health† or â€Å"personality psychology,† but it should be an area that is of interest to the researcher. However, a broad area is useful only at the beginning of a research plan. Within a broader topic of inquiry, each researcher must begin narrowing the field into a few subtopics that are of greater specificity and detail. For example, a researcher may be interested in â€Å"global eye health,† but could focus more specifically on â€Å"proper eye care and how it affects individuals.† Although this topic is still too broad for a research project, it is more focused and can be further specified into a coherent project. Literature Review The literature review should be conducted early in the research process, directly after you choose a topic. A literature review can bring clarity and focus to your research problem and broaden your knowledge base in your research area. The literature review is crucial because an important responsibility in research is to add to a body of knowledge and to compare your findings with others. The procedure is simple: search the literature in your area of interest, review the selected studies, and develop a theoretical framework for your own study What makes a good research question? Not all research questions are good ones—in other words, not all questions can be answered through qualitative and quantitative research methodology. A good research question needs to: 1. â€Å"Make sense†: In other words, you must clearly define your terms using known definitions outlined in the literature. For example, a poor research question would be: How do people’s lives improve after surgery? Not only does this research question fail to specify the study population, it contains the vague term â€Å"improve†. The researcher must specify what he/she means by this term—does it involve a physical improvement or rather an improvement in mental state? The more specific your research question, the better. 2. Address an important and relevant issue: Scientific research is done to increase knowledge, not simply for a single researcher’s personal satisfaction. Whatever question the researcher sets out to solve must have some beneficial implications. A good research question will also always have relevance to the time, place, and population of the study. Not already have been done: A good research study will be novel. This means that there will be some new aspect of the study that has never before been examined. In fact, not only is replication a good way to get a research methodology, it is how science is supposed to advance knowledge. When replicating a pervious study, it is best to add or change one or two things to increase the novelty of the research. 3. Be â€Å"operationalizable†: Oftentimes, beginning researchers pose questions that cannot be operationalized, or assessed methodologically with research instruments. From the example above, the idea of life improvement could be operationalized by a Quality of Life survey—a well known and validated research tool. In general, the more abstract the idea, the harder it is to operationalize. 4. Be within a reasonable scope: A good research project will be manageable in depth and breadth. The scope will depend on the amount of time and the availability of resources you have for your study. In general, the more focused the research question the more likely it will be a successful project. For example, a study that seeks to identify the prevalence eye disease in a specific village is more likely to succeed than a comparable study that seeks to identify eye disease prevalence in the world population. Qualitative and Quantitative Studies Not all research projects require study measures. Some research simply involves observing the results of events in the field and drawing conclusions based on a theoretical framework. Others may involve analyzing data from clinics or other institutions, using statistics and reasoning to find patterns that may have important implications. However, many projects involve direct contact with participants, using an operationalized definition of a phenomenon. These projects require well-designed measures in order to be considered valid. There are two broad categories of research: quantitative and qualitative. A study is classified as qualitative if the purpose is primarily to describe a situation, phenomenon, problem or event; the information is gathered through the use of variables or measured on qualitative measurement scales, and if analysis is done to establish the variation in the situation or problem without quantifying it. Qualitative studies tend to be more â€Å"in-depth†, focusing on a smaller population but probing deeper into a given problem. This research is often associated with focus groups, interviews or surveys and seeks to answer open-ended questions. Thematic and content analysis are two methods used to analyze qualitative data. Disciplines such as anthropology, history, and sociology are more inclined towards a qualitative approach. On the other hand, quantitative studies often use standardized measures, numerical values, have larger sample sizes, and analyze data using statistical programs. A study is classified as quantitative if the researcher seeks to quantify the variation in a phenomenon and if information is gathered using quantitative variables. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, and advantages and disadvantages. Disciplines such as epidemiology, economics and public health are more inclined towards quantitative research. Hypothesis A hypothesis is a suggested explanation for an observed relationship or a causal prediction about a relationship among several variables. Every research project is based on a hypothesis, which generally begins with a specific question. A hypothesis takes the operationalized definition of the factors to produce a clear prediction of the causal relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable in the statement. The independent variable is a factor that the researcher can control or manipulate (whether or not a person receives basic eye care services), and a dependent variable is a factor that the researcher cannot manipulate, but instead varies in relation to the independent variable (the economic productivity of the individual). For example, a hypothesis might be â€Å"We predict that if nearsighted participants are provided with corrective lenses that bring their vision to 20/20, they will earn more money per week on average over the course of three months than nearsighted participants who did not receive corrective lenses.† When formulating a hypothesis, it is important not to try to â€Å"prove† that the hypothesis is true. Instead, one should seek to find evidence that it is not true.

Change a Column Name in MySQL

Change a Column Name in MySQL If you already created your MySQL database, and you decide after the fact that one of the columns is named incorrectly, you dont need to remove it and add a replacement; you can simply rename it. Renaming a Database Column You rename a column in MySQL using the  ALTER TABLE and CHANGE  commands together to change an existing column. For example, say the  column is currently named Soda, but you decide that Beverage is  a more appropriate title. The column is located on the table entitled Menu. Here is an example of how to change it: ALTER TABLE menu CHANGE soda beverage varchar(10) ; In a generic  form, where you substitute your terms, this is: ALTER TABLE tablename CHANGE oldname newname varchar(10) ; About VARCHAR The VARCHAR(10) in the examples can change to be appropriate for your column. VARCHAR is a character string of variable length. The maximum length- in this example  it is 10- indicates the maximum number of characters you want to store in the column. VARCHAR(25) could store up to 25 characters. Other Uses for ALTER TABLE The ALTER TABLE  command can also be used to add a new column to a table or to remove an entire column and all its data from a table. For example, to add a column use: ALTER TABLE table_nameADD column_name datatype To delete a column, use: ALTER TABLE table_nameDROP COLUMN column_name   You can also make changes to a columns size and type in MySQL.

Essay on Water ShortagesEssay Writing Service

Essay on Water ShortagesEssay Writing Service Essay on Water Shortages Essay on Water ShortagesThe article under discussion deals with the problem of water scarcity in the US. It primarily states that water is undoubtedly an irreplaceable resource that is used not only by the population of the US, but also in the spheres of agriculture and manufacturing. The article gives many examples of how the US government strives for solving this problem, but all efforts seem to be insufficient. Thus, there have been implemented a number of legal acts aimed at enhancing the quality of water in many regions of America. Among the acts named by the author are the 1972 Clean Water Act, the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act and some others (Weeks 531). These acts were purposed to not only solve the problem of water shortage, but also deal with the corresponding issue of water pollution that also poses a threat in many regions of the US. However, it can be stated that although such measures have undoubtedly brought about obvious progress, the US still faces a problem of high urgency and severity – water shortage.The article further explores on the subject admitting that nowadays, the US high-tech and energy production suffer from the problem of water scarcity more and more. This problem is also of high importance for the agricultural sphere of the country. Furthermore, not all regions of the US fully understand their responsibility for this issue. Thus, while certain regions of the country pay much attention to the conservation of water, others do not even measure the extent of water spent for household purposes (Weeks 532). Consequently, the problem cannot be solved if the situation does not change for the better. It is evident that although more and more citizens of America feel their responsibility for the amount of water they consume, there are always those who neglect this issue, and with the ever rising population, the problem seems to remain unsolved without any progress.In general, it can be said that the author of the article investigate s the ever growing problem of water shortage in the US to full extent. It provides full-fledged data on the issue of water scarcity and the corresponding problem of water pollution within the country. As for my personal point of view on the subject, I need to say that in regard to the above-stated problems, there is a consequential issue that has been briefly mentioned in the article as well. That is the negligence of the government to take into consideration the ever rising problem of dumping wastes into the lakes and rivers by the industrial enterprises. Although, this problem has been considered by a number of legal acts advocating for the cleanness of drinking water, it still remains unsolved.All this leads to a conclusion that even though the US has a number of environmental laws, the issues of water pollution and water shortage are not of the utmost importance for the US government. In this regard, it can be said that the legal authorities of the country do not pay enough atte ntion to the environmental issues as they always have some more important problems to solve. But it should be admitted that it is environmental problems that pose the major threat not only for the population of the US, but for other nations of the world as well. It can be concluded that the US certainly faces the water crisis and immediate actions should be taken to prevent its progress.

Getting an Internship in Geography

Getting an Internship in Geography ​For every college student, an internship is a very valuable method by which to obtain on-the-job experience that will not only benefit your resume and provide contacts to employers but will also help you to determine what to do after graduating. Its worth trying to obtain more than one internship during your academic career the more experience, the better. Jobs for Geographers Now, we all know that the job listings for geographer in the classifieds are few and far between. If this were not the case, our parents and relatives would never need to ask, What are you going to do with a degree in geography, teach? (However, it is true that the U.S. Census Bureau and a few other government agencies do have positions classified as geographer!) However, the job prospects for geographers are becoming brighter with each autumnal equinox. Jobs in GIS and planning are becoming more common and geographers can easily fill these positions with experience gained in the classroom and in an internship. These two areas offer ample opportunities for internships, especially with local government agencies. While some internships are paid, the vast majority are not. A good internship will allow you to be part of the day-to-day activities of your agency - you should be part of not just the work, but also the departmental planning, discussion, and implementation. How to Get a Geography Internship While the status quo for obtaining an internship might be to go through your universitys internship office, it isnt always necessary. You can go directly to agencies youre interested in working for and inquire about internship programs. A contact through a friendly faculty member is also a good route to take. By directly volunteering your services to an agency that youre interested in working for is a quick method to begin a fun-filled educational experience outside of the classroom. Just be sure that if youre asking about an internship, that you have the appropriate skills for the job (for example, you should probably have some coursework in GIS prior to an internship in GIS.) When contacting a prospective agency about an internship, be sure to have a fresh and up-to-date resume and cover letter. Youd be amazed by the number of geography students who dont take advantage of the opportunity to intern. Youll be amazed at how much you learn from the on-the-job experience and youll be much more employable afterward. Additionally, the odds are pretty favorable that you could end up working for the agency where you had your internship. Try it. You might like it!

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Marketing - Essay Example ographic and behavioral factors specifically computer and internet literacy and the costumers’ need for a more convenient and high quality education. Through the help of technology, the company is able to learn more about the interests and lifestyles of prospective customers. For instance, the company analyzes the online behavior of customers, finds out which affiliates send the most visitors, and tracks response to online promotion. The company also looks at the demographic factors of their previous and current students in order to know more about their prospective customers and employ effective marketing strategies to target them. As with any other business organization, Cyber Health has formulated its own marketing mix using the 4Ps-product, price, promotion, and place. Looking at the company’s marketing strategy, it can be seen that they are utilizing 4Ps which closely complement each other. In the surface, the company’s product is high quality medical education through the use of advanced technology. However, it can also be seen that the company is also selling convenience for students who are also preoccupied with other responsibilities. It should be noted that as opposed to the traditional educational system which handles thirty or more students in a class, Cyber Health gives a more customized product by letting the student study at his or her own pace and by giving exercises to the areas that each student needs most. In terms of pricing strategy, Cyber Health can afford to price more competitively due to the lower operational and administrative cost. As opposed to traditional institutions, promotions in the company are mostly online, from search engines and affiliates. The company also uses its accreditation from medical institutions to enhance its image. Cyber Health operates in the cyberspace and is not limited by geographic boundaries. Thus, the company can afford to serve almost all states in the

Project Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project Research - Essay Example Here we will analyze respective ratios like Profitability ratio, asset management ratio, Debt management ratio and Leverage ratio to understand the financial position and performance of the company. Profitability Ratio can be defined as financial a tool which is used to justify a company’s ability to generate revenue. Profitability of Emirates Insurance Company has decreased over the years as the ROE, gross profit margin and net profit margin of the company has declined in 2012 as compared to 2011. Liquidity ratio measures the firm’s ability to fulfill its short term requirements which defines the firm’s capacity to pay off the current liabilities as and when needed. The company does not have enough liquid cash ready in its hand and it needs to improve its liquidity position. Asset management ratio can be defined as the relationship between sales and assets. The company is efficient in managing its assets except its payables turnover ratio. Debt management ratio measures the ability of the company to reduce the risk of financial problems in long run. The financial leverage of the company is higher on 2012. Thus it can be concluded that the company is having average position in the market and it should improve its sales to generate more profitability in future. Introduction Emirates Insurance Company was established in the year 1982 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It has total assets of more than AED 1.5 billion and its gross written premium for 2012 was AED 650 million. The company operates over 20 locations in UAE. Emirates Insurance Company offers a wide range of insurance related products and services to serve its various customers like corporate, business organization, other financial institution and individuals. The company provides different insurance benefits like Hotel Block Insurance, Jeweler’s Block Insurance, and office comprehensive insurance. Under corporate insurance it provides General Third Party Liability Insurance, Workmenâ€⠄¢s Compensation Insurance, Fidelity Guarantee Insurance and loss of money insurance. The company also has a policy of covering money loss if it occurs during the money is in locker or money loss in the company premises during business hours or in transit between bank and office premises. Oil and Energy team of Emirates insurance Company offers various services to its clients in the world and it focuses on the risk related to oil and gas. It has a wide range of insurance products like Motor Insurance, Marine Hull Insurance, Medical Insurance, Third party general insurance, Aviation insurance, Banker’s Blanket Bond Insurance, Cargo Insurance, fidelity Guarantee Insurance and Life Insurance. Here we will analyze respective ratios like Profitability ratio, asset management ratio, Debt management ratio and Leverage ratio to understand the financial position and performance of the company. Ratio Analysis Ratio analysis states the systematic analysis of the financial statement of a company to understand and interpret its performance and financial positions for a particular period of time. Ratio analysis can be compared

Cyberbullying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cyberbullying - Essay Example The website stopcyberbullying.org defines cyberbullying or online bullying as â€Å"when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.†The site further states cyberbullying involves minors; otherwise, if adults are involved it is labeled as cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. There are several ways how a minor is cyberbullied. These include pretending to be someone else to trick the other person, spreading lies and rumors about the victim, deceiving people to provide personal information, sending cruel or malicious messages and posting pictures of the victims without their knowledge.2 There are a number of measures which can be done to prevent cyberbullying. â€Å"Education and awareness is the key. Parents and teachers need to understand the problem, and understand the technology.† Since it is next to i mpossible to limit the access of kids to electronic technologies, parents can purchase software programs which can monitor their children’s communications and the websites they visit. On the other hand, schools should educate their students regarding cyber ethics, discuss cyberbullying, advice students how to stay away from it and talk about its negative effects. Among the other institutions, it is the schools that play an important role in stopping and remedying cyberbullying. They should promulgate policies that will discipline students who engage in such acts, whether inside or outside the campus, especially if it adversely affects other kids in school. Schools, however, should be careful not to exceed their authority, lest they be sued. They should encourage their students to report to their teachers or other school authorities if they are victims or are aware of cyberbullying incidents. Schools can also provide pamphlets which could give advice on how to be â€Å"cyber- safe†, such as not sharing or posting personal information online; not divulging internet passwords with anyone except their parents; not personally meeting anyone whom they just know through the net and to always remember to talk to their parents on what activities they do online.4 As of February 2011, there are already 44 states that have cyberbullying laws according to the Cyberbullying Research Center.The Center goes on to specify that of these 44 states, six states specifically mention â€Å"cyberbullying† while 31 states specifically mention â€Å"electronic harassment†. These legislations are indeed a welcome improvement in the status of prevention of cyberbullying. In an article written by O’Neil, he suggested that it is difficult to pursue a civil or criminal case on cyberbullying because of the high standards that the Supreme Court has established for incitement.6 He pointed out further that although the Tort and Libel Laws are in place, they are inadequate to protect an individual from cyberbullying. I believe that legislation against cyberbullying have a long way to go. The state should not be reactive in introducing new laws against cyberbullying; rather it should be proactive and not wait for more tragedies to happen before it begins to act. Aside from government policies, the business sector also has a responsibility in barring cyberbullying.  

Evaluating the Project Framework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Evaluating the Project Framework - Assignment Example Define the practices that aid the organization in: learning from individual projects Speaking from a research he carried out on his design of the gas-lift chairs, the person seated on the chair is bound to be seated on a hip inclination of 90o, or even less. The hip inclination is the angle between the torso and legs, causing the torso to press against the heart and lungs. Accordingly, there is a reduction in the inhaling volume of an individual (Cabinet Maker, 2011, p. 49). Finding which processes work well, and deploying those processes as standards 1. The study of the production procedure: This process involves extraction of raw materials, handling of the tools used, conveyance, and assemblage of the chairs, packing, supply, and the practice of working on such a chair (Cabinet Maker, 2011, p. 50). 2. Stimulation: Stimulation involved the use of a 2D model of the hydraulic fracture of the children’s gas-lift chair that can be sustained. This methodology also involves the aci d breaking, and forecasting of sustained and the incorporation of a well-performing model (Cabinet Maker, 2011, p. 50). B. ... Functionally, the child gas-lift chair fundamentally allows the user to perform their usual tasks. Nevertheless, the chair can also be used as a non-conventional or extraordinary surrounding or user for this type of chair. Children have to find this chair very simple to work with or use during a lesson or before a desk. The chairs also have to be affordable for the client, and minimal production costs have to be maintained (Fisher-price, 2011). C. Does the organization know if it is spending its limited improvement resources effectively? These discrete roles of the planned chair have been incorporated into one package that offers interactive usage of shared information and findings. Such a gas-lift chair will defines the business designs employed in the model and depict the findings that are able to be obtained easily (Fisher-price, 2011). To enable the lifting feature of the chair for children with different heights and development rates, the Hydraulic model has to be designed to op erate through plotting the tank influx and tubing movement putting both the tank influx and tubing current arches on one plot. Define a method of measuring yourself and periodically determining the impact and effectiveness of your improvement efforts. The LCA methodology applied by Fisher Price, a child gas-lift chair manufacturing organization has enabled numerous research findings into the comfort of children and concentration to assess the ecological effect. The materials used in these designs have been used to project the life cycle of the durability of the seats through an exhaustive analysis of every phase of the life-cycle procedure (Langham, 2011, p. 1). D. Are improvement efforts successful and

Listening assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Listening assignment - Essay Example The piano provides a quirky and unique harmony which helps to push the limits of the jazz composition beyond what had been there before bebop. The focus of the drummer is on using the cymbal as the main element for time-keeping in his drum set. This has served to allow a more flexible and freer sound which in turn gives the soloist room in which he experiments and with the rhythm. The end result is a very unique collaboration between the drummer and the soloist. In my opinion, the solo is very successful as it is done in a very ingenious way leading the whole band in the creation of the rhythmic melody that is so mellow and captivating. The description of the melody as being cool is very accurate and on point. The solo progresses through the whole performance through an intricate build up that starts off a bit slow and mellow and has several crescendos in the course of the performance until it reaches the climax where it becomes the most dominant melody in the whole rhythm guiding the listeners all along the performance in an entrancing and captivating dominating performance which still allows for the other melody components to shine through. The bebop rhythm runs through the performance and it is the clearest example of how the bebop era began in jazz music. The composition is soul full and very inspirational as well and the instrumentation is perfect and deserves to be taken as the trend setting performance it

Federalist paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Federalist paper - Essay Example It was published on November 22, 1787, under the pseudonym Publius, the name under which all the Federalist Papers were published. The essay is the most famous of the Federalist Papers and among the most highly regarded of all American political writings (qtd from Federalist No. 10 2005). Federalist Paper No. 10 addresses the question of how to guard against "factions," groups of citizens with interests contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community (Federalist No. 10 2005). Madison defines "factions" as a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community (Madison 1787). Madison begins his essay by arguing that a well-constructed Union can have the tendency to break and control the violence of faction. Moreover, he continues that instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished as they continue to be the favorite and fruitful topics from which the adversaries to liberty derive their most specious declamations (M adison 1787). Madison takes the position that there are two ways to limit the damage caused by faction: removing the causes of faction or controlling its effects. He contends that there are two ways to remove the causes that provoke the development of factions. One, the elimination of liberty, he rejects as unacceptable (Federalist No. 10 2005). The other, creating a society unified in view and interest, he sees as impractical because the causes of faction, among them variant economic interests, are inherent in a free society. Madison concludes that the damage caused by faction can be limited only by controlling its effects (Federalist No. 10 2005). He continues to argue that Liberty is necessary to its survival. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. However, it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it breeds faction, than it would be to wish the extinction of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency (Madison 1787). As long as the connection subsists between man's reason and man's self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a give-and-take influence on each other; and the former will be objects to which the latter will connect themselves. The variety in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an undefeatable barrier to an equality of interests (Madison 1787). By controlling its effects in order to secure the public good and private rights against the danger of such a faction, and at the same time to preserve the spirit and the form of popular government, is then the great object to which our inquiries are directed (Madison 1787).A republic, Madison writes, differs from a democracy in that its government is delegated to representatives, and because of this, it can be extended over a larger area. The fact that a republic can encompass larger areas and populations is strength of th at form of government (Federal No. 10, 2005). Madison believes that larger societies will have a greater variety of diverse

Listening assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Listening assignment - Essay Example The piano provides a quirky and unique harmony which helps to push the limits of the jazz composition beyond what had been there before bebop. The focus of the drummer is on using the cymbal as the main element for time-keeping in his drum set. This has served to allow a more flexible and freer sound which in turn gives the soloist room in which he experiments and with the rhythm. The end result is a very unique collaboration between the drummer and the soloist. In my opinion, the solo is very successful as it is done in a very ingenious way leading the whole band in the creation of the rhythmic melody that is so mellow and captivating. The description of the melody as being cool is very accurate and on point. The solo progresses through the whole performance through an intricate build up that starts off a bit slow and mellow and has several crescendos in the course of the performance until it reaches the climax where it becomes the most dominant melody in the whole rhythm guiding the listeners all along the performance in an entrancing and captivating dominating performance which still allows for the other melody components to shine through. The bebop rhythm runs through the performance and it is the clearest example of how the bebop era began in jazz music. The composition is soul full and very inspirational as well and the instrumentation is perfect and deserves to be taken as the trend setting performance it

An esay about the culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An esay about the culture - Essay Example This particular civilization and culture was one that developed in an isolated area of the globe in which little if any interaction with foreign cultures took place. As a result of this, the unique cultural level of development place within the Eskimo culture was almost entirely naked; not borrowing from the experiences, religions, points of view, or technologies that other cultures might have provided. By means of comparison and contrast, the culture of the Arabs was one that impacted greatly upon other regions in and around those areas that were primarily settled by Arabs. The underlying impact that geography had with regards to this level of cultural development had to act that there were few if any actual barriers within the Arab world between those regions that they colonized, traded with, and impacted in terms of their religion. When viewing North Africa, or the Arabian Peninsula for that matter, is readily noted that few if any barriers exist with respect to individuals freely moving about. As compared to the litany of different cultures, religions, and philosophies that existed within a divided Europe, the similarity and cohesion that existed within the Arab cultures was facilitated by this overall lack of geographic barriers. Finally, the cultures of South America, prior to the introduction of Europeans to this land, were extraordinarily insular. This is not to say that powerful empires such as the Inca did not exist; rather, it merely helps to underscore the fact that even though these powerful empires existed, they only had an immediate cultural impact within a close geographic proximity of themselves. However, unlike the case of the Eskimo culture which is previously been discussed, the issue that was exhibited within South America in pre-Columbian times had to do with the fact that the geography of South America was so formidable and differentiated. Massive rivers, high mountain ranges, deserts, and dense jungles

A Tale Of Two Cities Essay Example for Free

A Tale Of Two Cities Essay We learn that the Signal man has seen very disturbing events such as the train crash and the bride dying and what is more troubling is that he seen it coming, throughout the story we see how the signal man opens up to the narrator on how he is troubled and is emphasizing how he saw a ghost but the narrator starts to doubt his new friends mind and starts to have a very patronizing attitude towards the signal man. Throughout the story the fear is spreading. Dickens also uses tactile imagery Frozen finger tracing out my spine and also Dickens uses olfactory imagery an earthly deadly smell. The relationship between the narrator and the signal man is one of trust as the signal man opens up to him on their second meeting do the signal man and the narrator linked in some way? Dickens has made the story raise some doubts about the afterlife and fate. However Bram Stoker famed for his book Dracula has created a short story that is much like The Signal Man but has a different approach to the horror genre for the first few pages are a little bit of a mysterious Draculas Guest is full of suspense the title alone raises the expectation for the reader as it does not give away the plot but creates a feeling of intrigue making the reader want to read on, this is a clever ploy Stoker has used and it was also a popular theme to use as in the middle ages and Victorian era the legends of vampires have been popular among the people of Britain and Ireland and perhaps the world. The short story contains many dark themes that create mystery and also adds to the mounting tension that is created by the title Draculas Guest Bram who is Known for his Dark stories that contain major supernaturalist elements such as Mythism and oppressive that are including as the novel The Lair of the White Worm, Bram creates the prefect atmosphere for the short stor y and for the century as the Victorian era had a thing for vampirism stories. The story begins in Munich the weather is idyllic The sun was shining brightly on Munich, and the air was full of the joyousness of the early summer is the weather too idyllic? Bram cleverly opens the story this way to lull the reader into a sense of false security a very smart move I think personally, but that all ends when still holding his hand on the handle of the carriage door is used which is very arousing and causes a lot of interest, He also uses personification a shiver in the north wind adds more dramatic effect so does the use of alliteration Sudden Storm but the line But I am sure you will not be late, here he smiled and added for you know what night is it mysterious what is the night in question? And why is it so important? The 1st paragraph creates a sense of importance for the night and adds to the mystery and we then learn the reason the maitre and coachman fears the night and also we learn the name Walpurgis Nacht which translated from German means Night of Evil this term is very important to Catholics this is the first relation to religion, later on we here Walpurgis nacht! , Stoker uses the language barrier and the fail to understand adds to the suspense and surreal aspect, later the weather changes to dark clouds drifted rapidly across the sky the atmosphere changes to a sinister dull mood. Again the language barrier is there and the personification has the desired effect the storm of snow he comes before long time also the dialogue become vague and broken creating more tension here vampirism applied mouths red with blood, we see that the protagonist seems to doubt his sanity a lot like Dickens character The Signal Man it seems he also is succumbing to his fear Paroxysm of the fear- white face perspiring, trembling Bram Stokers technique second to none he uses detailed descriptions for his characters and settings and his use of the language devices such as metaphors glistening white carpet and his alliteration Sudden Storm and lastly repetition Walpurgis nacht. Each writer Dickens and Stoker uses different methods to create a spine-chilling effect on the reader each could even be masters of horror and suspense, all the aspects that the gothic genre needs to be successful and The Signal Man and Draculas Guest where very successful in that age and successful today in the study of literature . In conclusion after close analysis of both stories I have seen that both stories are great for maintaining tension and use techniques such as alliteration, pathetic fallacy and are good to create confusion among the readers. This wining combination gives the story a kick and keeps the reader engrossed in the story. I believe that stoker is perfect for building suspense and tension while Dickens plays on the readers emotion by lulling them into a sense of security and then confuses them and then plays on their confusion. Gavin Teggart Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

The Moor in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

The Moor in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   Who can resist empathizing with the unfortunate protagonist in William Shakespeare’s Othello? He is so noble, and yet so victimized by the cunning Iago.    Is it his â€Å"gullibility† which leads to his downfall? Morton W. Bloomfield and Robert C. Elliott   in Great Plays: Sophocles to Brecht posit the â€Å"lack of insight† of the hero as the cause of his tragic fall:    Othello’s lack of insight, cunningly played upon by Iago, leads to his downfall. And as the full enormity of his deed dawns upon him in the great scene of tragic self-revelation at the end, the audience may perhaps experience catharsis, that purgation of the soul brought about by an almost unbearable pity for him and his victims, and by terror at what human nature is capable of and what pitfalls await us in life. Throughout the play, the audience posses the information which Iago's victim does not have; the viewers know all along what Othello does not know. From that omniscient view, they look upon this tortured human being with a strong sense of the irony and tragedy of his position.   (39)    From the text of the play a number of clues can be gleaned which round out the description of the general. In William Shakespeare: The Tragedies, Paul A. Jorgensen describes the general in Othello:    Though scarcely the â€Å"barbarian† (1.3.353) he is called, the Moor is emphatically black, probably rough, even fearsome, in appearance, and a foreign mercenary from Mauritania in refined Venice. Though of royal blood, since the age of seven he had a restrictive, painful life, being sold into slavery and spending most of his life in â€Å"the tented field† (1.3.85). His â€Å"occupation† (3.3.357), to a degree found in no other Shakes... ...ice his life next to the corpse of Desdemona; for he â€Å"Like the base Judean, threw a pearl away / Richer than all his tribe [. . .] .† He dies a noble death, just as he has lived a noble life. Michael Cassio’s evaluation of his end is our evaluation: â€Å"This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon; / For he was great of heart.†       WORKS CITED    Bloomfield, Morton W. and Robert C. Elliott, ed. Great Plays: Sophocles to Brecht. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1965.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.

Essay --

The marketing environment has influenced the decision making of Dixons through the micro environment. This "consists of those organisations who either directly or indirectly influence an organisations operational performance" (Baines et al 2011) It consists of for example competitors. For Dixons in the uk they were influenced by "Best Buy" a retailer in the US, who is renowned for going the extra mile for their customers. They were going to open their first store in the uk in 2009, which would give Dixons even more competition in an already highly competitive market. This prompted Dixons to change their strategy to customers focused, as they knew with other firms offering service led businesses, they would fall behind. Best Buy delayed their launch until the first quarter of 2010, this allowed Dixons time to get their strategy in place before best buy launched. This enabled Dixons to get ahead of the competition. By the time Best Buy did roll out their first store, it was not a ma jor success and they eventually closed all stores, exiting operations in the uk in 2011. Dixons was a... Essay -- The marketing environment has influenced the decision making of Dixons through the micro environment. This "consists of those organisations who either directly or indirectly influence an organisations operational performance" (Baines et al 2011) It consists of for example competitors. For Dixons in the uk they were influenced by "Best Buy" a retailer in the US, who is renowned for going the extra mile for their customers. They were going to open their first store in the uk in 2009, which would give Dixons even more competition in an already highly competitive market. This prompted Dixons to change their strategy to customers focused, as they knew with other firms offering service led businesses, they would fall behind. Best Buy delayed their launch until the first quarter of 2010, this allowed Dixons time to get their strategy in place before best buy launched. This enabled Dixons to get ahead of the competition. By the time Best Buy did roll out their first store, it was not a ma jor success and they eventually closed all stores, exiting operations in the uk in 2011. Dixons was a...

The Myanmar’s Government

There are several initiatives that I would like to take after the completion of my studies. The Myanmar's government has a five-year National Education Sector plan for 2016-2021 which plans a transformational agenda, priorities and approaches to education reform, including higher education. These proposals in transformation of Myanmar's education system will bring various of significant demands upon, struggles, leaders in schools, universities and ministry official. First, to make positive change, there is a high demand for good leaders and good policy makers. These changes also require management, planning, inclusive curriculum development along with institutional strategy, and inclusive policy formulation. In addition, teachers and staff in schools and universities require skills on teaching and research, while managers need provision with leading and managing change, motivational skills, and effective decision making. I am confident to contribute my knowledge and experience to positive changes as good teacher, researcher, and manager at education institutions especially in ethnic minority areas. Secondly, with a master degree from Monash University would give me opportunities to join various non – government organizations in the education field. I understood that many poor and children in remote areas in Myanmar are not receiving good education. Thus, my vision is to create chances for individuals to access a good and quality education. In doing so, I am keen to work with education department and other national level organizations addressing better education policy changes that would have positive impact at the grassroot level as good policy is key for educational reform and development. To make this happen, I would join for instance, National Network for Education Reform as I want to provide inputs, knowledge and discussions for policy change at regional and national levels especially for the minority groups. Lastly, with all the knowledge and practical skills that I would from Australia, I hope that I can work for non- government organizations in ethnic minority area especially in Chin State, where I have a chance to mobilize the Chin community and religious leaders to better address education system for the Chin as part of the decentralization process that can inform the wider national level educational policy especially for the ethnic minority groups in Myanmar.

Talk Shows

If social order is not a given, if it is not encoded in our DNA, then to some extent we are always in the process of producing â€Å"virtual realities,† some more functional than others. Habits, routines, and institutions are the patterns that create the â€Å"world taken for granted. † Knowledge of how to behave is contained in cultural scripts that are themselves products of human interaction and communication about the nature of â€Å"reality. † Shame, guilt, embarrassment are controlling feelings that arise from â€Å"speaking the unspeakable† and from violating cultural taboos. Society is a result of its boundaries,of what it will and won’t allow. As we watch, listen, and are entertained, TV talk shows are rewriting our cultural scripts, altering our perceptions, our social relationships, and our relationships to the natural world. TV talk shows offer us a world of blurred boundaries. Cultural distinctions between public and private, credible and incredible witnesses, truth and falseness, good and evil, sickness and irresponsibility, normal and abnormal, therapy and exploitation, intimate and stranger, fragmentation and community are manipulated and erased for our distraction and entertainment. A community in real time and place exhibits longevity, an interdependence based on common interests, daily concerns, mutual obligations, norms, kinship, friendship, loyalty, and local knowledge, and real physical structures, not just shared information. If your neighbor’s house is on fire, you are motivated to help put it out, or at least interested in having it put out, because you care about your neighbor and the fire is a threat to your own house. Television talk shows create an ersatz community, without any of the social and personal responsibilities that are attached to real life. Therapy as entertainment is the appeal of these shows. The so-called hosts rely on the cynical use of the therapeutic model for psychological sound bites. The need to educate and inform the audience is the voiced rationale for getting the so-called guests to give ever more titillating details of their misdeeds, or of the misdeeds done to them by family or friends (often not on the show). The underlying assumption — that most social pathology is the result of a medical problem beyond the control of the so-called â€Å"victim† — encourages, at least indirectly, people to come on to these shows confessing outrageous stories of anti-social behavior to millions of strangers. Rather than being mortified, ashamed, or trying to hide their stigma, â€Å"guests† willingly and eagerly discuss their child molesting, sexual quirks, and criminal records in an effort to seek â€Å"understanding† for their particular disease. Yet these people remain caricatures, plucked out of the context of their real lives, unimportant except for their entertaining problem. (In real life someone might question the benefits of publicly confessing to people who really don’t care about you or don’t have the expertise to give advice. Exploitation, voyeurism, peeping Toms, freak shows all come to mind. ) The central distortion that these shows propound is that they give useful therapy to guests and useful advice to the audience. And that they are not primarily designed to extract the most riveting and most entertaining emotional displays from participants. This leads to such self-serving and silly speeches by hosts as: â€Å"I ask this question not to pry in your business but to educate parents in our audience† (Oprah, trying to get graphic details from a female guest who claims to have been sodomized by her father) and â€Å"Do I understand, Lisa, that intercourse began with your dad at age 12, and oral sex between 5 and 12? Do I understand that you were beaten before and after the sexual encounters? (Phil, reading from prepared notes, to a crying teenager). The audience at various points in the hour has a chance to get on television too. Their questions are often rude by conventional standards and reinforce the host’s requests for more potentially entertaining details. Their advice ranges from merely simplistic, under the circumstances, to misleading and erroneous. For example, in a recent Sally Jessy Raphael Show entitled â€Å"When Your Best Friend Is Sleeping With Your Father,† the daughters on stage were advised to â€Å"just love them both and accept the situation. † The most problematic part of this is the generally nonjudgmental tenor of the dialogue. Society’s conventions are flouted with impunity, and the hidden message is that the way to get on television is to be as outrageous and antisocial as possible. The 20 million home viewers have no direct contact, physically, with the social situation in the studio. Home viewers can be listening to people recounting concentration camp horrors while popping a frozen dinner into the microwave. The ordinary, everyday world of the home audience is made bizarre by the contrasting tales of horror and woe they are only half listening to. The viewer has two basic options: He or she can, like the hero of Nathanael West’s tragic Miss Lonelyhearts, go crazy listening to these stories of hideous pain and pathology. Or he or she must become inured, apathetic, or amused, or, to use the darkly delicious German word schadenfreude, he or she may get a deep sense of glee at another’s misfortunes. People come into view, talk, cry, disappear, and in between we watch the commercials for consumer products that promise to improve our lives. Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? revolves around the seemingly out-of-place confessions by a husband and wife of their most private life together to two guests in their home who are virtual strangers. Traditional expectations of polite formalities and barriers are constantly breached within the action of the play. The husband, at one point says, â€Å"Aww, that was nice, I think we’ve been having a, a real good evening, all things considered. We’ve sat around, and got to know each other, and had fun and games.. .† Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , however disconcerting to the audience, is just a play with actors. Television talk shows are arenas for real people. Their manipulation by â€Å"hosts,† who alternate between mocking, a patronizing cynicism (†I want to be as smart as you someday† — Phil), and a carefully constructed verisimilitude of caring (†Thank you for sharing that with us† — Oprah) must have repercussions for the â€Å"guests† after the show is over. These people may really be seeking help or understanding. Appropriate reactions seem virtually impossible under the circumstances. We the viewing audience have entertained ourselves at the disasters of real lives. This is one of the more shameless aspects of the talk show spectacle. As passive witnesses, we consume others’ misfortunes without feeling any responsibility to do anything to intervene.

Deception Point Page 93

POTUS. She felt a sudden surge of hope. Something about POTUS struck Gabrielle as being a perfect Sexton password. Simple, positive, self-referential. She quickly typed in the letters. POTUS. Holding her breath, she hit â€Å"return.† The computer beeped. Invalid Password – Access Denied Slumping, Gabrielle gave up. She headed back toward the bathroom door to exit the way she had come. She was halfway across the room, when her cellphone rang. She was already on edge, and the sound startled her. Stopping short, she pulled out her phone and glanced up to check the time on Sexton's prized Jourdain grandfather clock. Almost 4:00 A.M. At this hour, Gabrielle knew the caller could only be Sexton. He was obviously wondering where the hell she was. Do I pick up or let it ring? If she answered, Gabrielle would have to lie. But if she didn't, Sexton would get suspicious. She took the call. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Gabrielle?† Sexton sounded impatient. â€Å"What's keeping you?† â€Å"The FDR Memorial,† Gabrielle said. â€Å"The taxi got hemmed in, and now we're-â€Å" â€Å"You don't sound like you're in a taxi.† â€Å"No,† she said, her blood pumping now. â€Å"I'm not. I decided to stop by my office and pick up some NASA documents that might be relevant to PODS. I'm having some trouble finding them.† â€Å"Well, hurry up. I want to schedule a press conference for the morning, and we need to talk specifics.† â€Å"I'm coming soon,† she said. There was a pause on the line. â€Å"You're in your office?† He sounded suddenly confused. â€Å"Yeah. Another ten minutes and I'll be on my way over.† Another pause. â€Å"Okay. I'll see you soon.† Gabrielle hung up, too preoccupied to notice the loud and distinctive triple-tick of Sexton's prized Jourdain grandfather clock only a few feet away. 113 Michael Tolland did not realize Rachel was hurt until he saw the blood on her arm as he pulled her to cover behind the Triton. He sensed from the catatonic look on her face that she was not aware of any pain. Steadying her, Tolland wheeled to find Corky. The astrophysicist scrambled across the deck to join them, his eyes blank with terror. We've got to find cover, Tolland thought, the horror of what had just happened not yet fully registering. Instinctively, his eyes raced up the tiers of decks above them. The stairs leading up to the bridge were all in the open, and the bridge itself was a glass box-a transparent bull's-eye from the air. Going up was suicide, which left only one other direction to go. For a fleeting instant, Tolland turned a hopeful gaze to the Triton submersible, wondering perhaps if he could get everyone underwater, away from the bullets. Absurd. The Triton had room for one person, and the deployment winch took a good ten minutes to lower the sub through the trap door in the deck to the ocean thirty feet below. Besides, without properly charged batteries and compressors, the Triton would be dead in the water. â€Å"Here they come!† Corky shouted, his voice shrill with fear as he pointed into the sky. Tolland didn't even look up. He pointed to a nearby bulkhead, where an aluminum ramp descended belowdecks. Corky apparently needed no encouragement. Keeping his head low, Corky scurried toward the opening and disappeared down the incline. Tolland put a firm arm around Rachel's waist and followed. The two of them disappeared belowdecks just as the helicopter returned, spraying bullets overhead. Tolland helped Rachel down the grated ramp to the suspended platform at the bottom. As they arrived, Tolland could feel Rachel's body go suddenly rigid. He wheeled, fearing maybe she'd been hit by a ricocheting bullet. When he saw her face, he knew it was something else. Tolland followed her petrified gaze downward and immediately understood. Rachel stood motionless, her legs refusing to move. She was staring down at the bizarre world beneath her. Because of its SWATH design, the Goya had no hull but rather struts like a giant catamaran. They had just descended through the deck onto a grated catwalk that hung above an open chasm, thirty feet straight down to the raging sea. The noise was deafening here, reverberating off the underside of the deck. Adding to Rachel's terror was the fact that the ship's underwater spotlights were still illuminated, casting a greenish effulgence deep into the ocean directly beneath her. She found herself gazing down at six or seven ghostly silhouettes in the water. Enormous hammerhead sharks, their long shadows swimming in place against the current-rubbery bodies flexing back and forth. Tolland's voice was in her ear. â€Å"Rachel, you're okay. Eyes straight ahead. I'm right behind you.† His hands were reaching around from behind, gently trying to coax her clenched fists off the banister. It was then that Rachel saw the crimson droplet of blood roll off her arm and fall through the grating. Her eyes followed the drip as it plummeted toward the sea. Although she never saw it hit the water, she knew the instant it happened because all at once the hammerheads spun in unison, thrusting with their powerful tails, crashing together in a roiling frenzy of teeth and fins. Enhanced telencephalon olfactory lobes†¦ They smell blood a mile away. â€Å"Eyes straight ahead,† Tolland repeated, his voice strong and reassuring. â€Å"I'm right behind you.† Rachel felt his hands on her hips now, urging her forward. Blocking out the void beneath her, Rachel started down the catwalk. Somewhere above she could hear the rotors of the chopper again. Corky was already well out in front of them, reeling across the catwalk in a kind of drunken panic. Tolland called out to him. â€Å"All the way to the far strut, Corky! Down the stairs!† Rachel could now see where they were headed. Up ahead, a series of switchback ramps descended. At water level, a narrow, shelflike deck extended the length of the Goya. Jutting off this deck were several small, suspended docks, creating a kind of miniature marina stationed beneath the ship. A large sign read: DIVE AREA Swimmers May Surface without Warning – Boats Proceed with Caution- Rachel could only assume Michael did not intend for them to do any swimming. Her trepidation intensified when Tolland stopped at a bank of wire-mesh storage lockers flanking the catwalk. He pulled open the doors to reveal hanging wetsuits, snorkels, flippers, life jackets, and spearguns. Before she could protest, he reached in and grabbed a flare gun. â€Å"Let's go.† They were moving again. Up ahead, Corky had reached the switchback ramps and was already halfway down. â€Å"I see it!† he shouted, his voice sounding almost joyous over the raging water. See what? Rachel wondered as Corky ran along the narrow walkway. All she could see was a shark-infested ocean lapping dangerously close. Tolland urged her forward, and suddenly Rachel could see what Corky was so excited about. At the far end of the decking below, a small powerboat was moored. Corky ran toward it. Rachel stared. Outrun a helicopter in a motorboat? â€Å"It has a radio,† Tolland said. â€Å"And if we can get far enough away from the helicopter's jamming†¦ â€Å" Rachel did not hear another word he said. She had just spied something that made her blood run cold. â€Å"Too late,† she croaked, extending a trembling finger. We're finished†¦ When Tolland turned, he knew in an instant it was over. At the far end of the ship, like a dragon peering into the opening of a cave, the black helicopter had dropped down low and was facing them. For an instant, Tolland thought it was going to fly directly at them through the center of the boat. But the helicopter began to turn at an angle, taking aim. Tolland followed the direction of the gun barrels. No!

Not sure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Not sure - Essay Example In the speech â€Å"Repeal of the Missouri Compromise,† former U.S President Abraham Lincoln noted that basic understanding of democracy is that citizens must be given equal say to their government and that thus, democracy derives its powers from the consent of those it governs. Likewise, the rules of democracy are the same for those that govern as those that are governed. The basics of democracy align with views of what is considered good or bad in fairness and equality of all persons (Lincoln 6). Reason derives from the same thought that man, in his thinking, cognitive ability, and intellect is able to understand good and bad. All aspects of democracy cannot exist without reasoning which is part of every human being. What one person or a group of people perceive and believe to be right or otherwise is expressed in exercise of democratic right. Abraham Lincoln’s speech given in Peoria supports this ideal. He quotes from the U.S Declaration of Independence which consent s to the truth that all men having being created equal have the basic rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (Lincoln 7). In this speech Lincoln outwardly speaks of the wrong about the Missouri Compromise which in its passing in 1820 sought to create a ‘balance’ between Western U.S states that were pro-slavery and anti-slavery. Lincoln’s view was that slavery does not comply with either of the democratic views of governing with consent of the governed and application of the same rules to both the governing and the governed. In his view too, Lincoln argued that moral reason did not agree with Whites having the right to self-government while Blacks having no such rights yet all are under one government and under the same Declaration of Independence. Democracy all over the world is practised uniquely to each country. Principles and traditions of different nations often influence the understanding of democracy and it is only fair to respect each nationâ₠¬â„¢s understanding of this whether the democratic policies are agreeable or not. However, there are some universal beliefs and attitudes, derived from reasoning that must be addressed by every democracy. These beliefs and attitudes are manifest in human rights that each nation must adhere to. The rights to free-state and peaceful living are from logical thinking and they cannot be thought of separately from democracy. As a nation, United States of America justifies its war with Afghanistan with the democratic right of American citizens to security and peaceful living. The U.S pursuit of Al Qaeda is supported by the U.S president’s obligation as well as the entire government’s duty to keep intact the democratic rights promised to its citizens in the U.S constitution (Obama 2) Another issue that proves the close link between reason and democracy is that reason is public and it is free just as democracy is. Whatever man thinks of or applies logic to is up to him just as the same man is free to make a democratic choice as he sees fit to his thinking or logic. In the Theban Dialogue between Theseus and the Theban Herald, Theseus describes the state of freedom as one which permits an individual to speak or remain silent as he chooses to (Euripides_The Suppliant_Trans. Coleridge 2). No one person can prevent another human from naturally applying reasoning to justify actions of behaviours. Likewise in democracy not even the leaders or

Applying Lean To E-Commerce Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applying Lean To E-Commerce Business - Essay Example The typical example of such well-known e-commerce business with production problem is Disney Shop.Disney Store uses e-commerce as a mainstream approach to the sale of the variety of products through online stores. Users of the online store login, create the account, select preferred items, go through a payment system, and have the products shipped to them within an identified time. Financial records from the business, however, shows production related problems whereby the companies are recording increases in revenues but still have declining profits (Disney Stores, 2014). Hines (2008) noted that a typical cause of such a situation is the high level of waste in the production system, reducing the productivity and efficiency levels of the company significantly. With such reduced productivity and efficiency, the company will be making more revenue but due to high expenditure, the income does not balance the expenditure and so there are losses. The overall aim of lean thinking is to ensure that there are high benefit and value from production through the elimination of waste (Womack, Jones & Ross, 1990). The reason lean is seen as useful in solving the problem is that it will ensure that all forms of waste that have created unwarranted expenditure will be done away with. In any typical organization such as Disney Store, when lean is adopted, there are seven major types of wastes that are targeted for elimination. These include production defects, overproduction, unnecessary transportation, long waiting, unnecessary inventory, unnecessary motion, and over-processing (Hines, 2008). For most companies, once these forms of wastes are available, they would be seen to be making a lot of sales but in reality, they lack profitability. The reason for lacking profitability is because the wastes bring about the huge cost of production that consumes the sales.

Life in Thailand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Life in Thailand - Essay Example Since that time I wanted to write a book myself. When I turned five years old, I and my family moved back to Bangkok. So I know two dialects of Thai language. At the age of nine, my parents sent me to Singapore for my education. There Singapore, I was taught English that followed the British System. I didn’t get that British accent but got used to it. People in Singapore have a unique accent called â€Å"Sing-lish†. There are many people of different races and cultures in the city of Singapore. Most of them are Chinese, Malay, and Indian. So I even studied the Chinese language when I was in Singapore and that also influenced my speech. So now have something like English-British-Singlish-Thai accent and a mix of languages in my mind. After that, I moved to Los Angeles for studying in Junior High. When I began living in the USA I also heard and adopted the American accent and because of that, I have had a hard time speaking and understanding. It felt like all the language s and dialects were mixed up in my head. It was a difficult time not only for me but also for my new friends and teachers, it was hard for them to understand what I was trying to say. And even now I still have an echo of this problem in my life. Sometimes I still feel that it is difficult for people to understand my speech. But, unfortunately, I cannot do anything with that. The name of my native country is the word, which sounds like â€Å"Thai† in our language, means â€Å"freedom† and we call our country â€Å"Prathet Thai† while the name that all the people got used to Thailand appeared only in 1930th. Speaking about the culture of Thailand I should mention that Buddhism and other religions and beliefs greatly influenced Thai art and way of life.  Ã‚  

Iodine 131 properties and usages in Brachytherapy Essay

Iodine 131 properties and usages in Brachytherapy - Essay Example In the testing of the thyroid gland and its functioning, iodine absorption by the cells makes use of iodine 131. Iodine 131 has certain chemical properties. It is a non-metallic, purplish-black crystalline solid. In a process known as sublimation, it can change its state from a solid to a gas directly, without changing into the liquid state. At room temperature it sublimes into a deep violet vapour which irritates the eyes, nose and throat. Iodine 131 dissolves in water or alcohol fairly easily and melts at 236F. Since it does not remain in its pure state when released, it is generally found as a compound because of its capacity to bind with other elements. In medical treatment, Iodine 131 capsules contain I-131 sodium iodide granules specially produced to be easily swallowed by the patient. The liquid form of Iodine 131 is a clear liquid and is used to diagnose and treat thyroid problems. When a person is exposed externally to large quantities of iodine 131 it can cause burning of the eyes and skin. Internally, the thyroid gland is affected. This gland utilizes iodine to produce thyroid hormones but is unable to differentiate between radioactive iodine and the more stable iodine. Precautions must be taken when using Iodine 131 as there are harmful effect of gamma radiation, the maximum energy being 0.723 MeV (Bentel p.537). Iodine 131 is administered orally in doses of >100 mCi for thyroid malignancy. Lower doses of 1 to 3 mCi are given for diagnostic reasons. The exposure rate constant for iodine 131 = 2.2 (R/mCi-hr at 1 cm). Also known as Gamma Factor, exposure rate constant is the exposure rate at a certain distance from a quantity of photon-emitting radionuclide. This constant is commonly used for radiation protection reasons. The following equation calculates the exposure time t at a distance r from the patient. D(t) = (34.6 Q0 Tp (1 - e -0.693t/Tp )) / r2. Here D(t) is the accumulated exposure at time t (in roentgens). 34.6 is the conversion factor of 24hours / day times the total integration of decay (1.44). is the specific gamma ray constant for a point source, R/mCi-hr at 1cm. Q0 is the initial activity in millicuries of the point source at release time. Tp is the half-life in days. r is the distance from the point source to the subject in centimetres and 't' is the exposure time in days. In the environment, radioactive fallout can cause high concentrations of Iodine 131 which may be absorbed by the body and harm the thyroid gland. To counter the harmful absorption of radioactive iodine, the intake of higher doses of iodine supplements raises the overall quantity of iodine in the body which does not necessitate the absorption and retention in body tissues thereby lessening the assimilation of radioactive iodine. One historical use of iodine supplements was after the Chernobyl disaster where enormous quantities of radioactive material was released. Iodine supplements protected the population in the vicinity of the disaster from absorbing radioactive iodine. It has been found that with exposure to iodine 131, the risk of thyroid cancer increases but even among those exposed to iodine 131, not many develop thyroid cancer. The highest exposure people received was during the nuclear test explosions in the 1940's. Although iodine 131 settled on leafy vegetables and fruits, people received

CVS Caremark Company`s Finantial results Research Paper

CVS Caremark Company`s Finantial results - Research Paper Example Similar increases and trends were seen in the net income of the company where a decrees was seen in year 2010 as compared to year 2009 followed by an increase in year 2011 where the reported net income was $3,461 million. The company’s debt to equity ratio in 2011 can be calculated as 24% which is reasonable when compared to industry average of 25% which means company have balanced structure of finance and is doing well. The current ratio of the company for year 2011 is 1.5 as compared to industry ratio of 1.6. The company is doing well when it comes to its liquidity position and seems to have enough cash resources cash dividends were also increased from 35 cents/share in 2010 to 50 cents/share in 2011. Further all the positivity in the financial results were reflected in an increase in the stock price of the company too which increased from $34.77 to $40.78 in year 2011 with an increase of 17.3%. The EPS of the company has also improved from $ 2.49 in 2010 to $ 2.59 in 2011 w ith an increase of 4%. Overall the company has a strong financial position with growth and stability in the company. (CVS Caremark. Annual Report 2011) Coinstar Inc. Financial Results: Coinstar Inc. ... ’s recorded revenue in year 2009 was $1,032 million, in year 2010 it increased to $1,436 million where an increase of 39% was seen and in year 2011 these results were increased to $1,845 million, with an increase of 28%. Similar increases and trends were seen in the net income of the company where an increase was seen in year 2010 as compared to year 2009 followed by an increase in year 2011 where the reported net income was $103 million. The company’s debt to equity ratio in 2011 can be calculated as 68% which is almost double when compared to industry average of 38% which means company relies too much on debt as a source of finance and doesn’t have a balanced structure of finance. The current ratio of the company for year 2011 is 1 as compared to industry ratio of 2. The company seems to have major cash flow issues which are evident from the non-payment of dividends and the increased debt to equity ratio which means the company is paying heavy finance costs. Ov erall the company is profitable but seems to have some concerning areas like cash flow issues due to using debt as source finance. (Coinstar Inc. Annual Report 2011) The CVS Company is a huge company as compared to Coinstar. The CVS has a strong financial status with billions of dollars of sales and large scale of operation while the Coinstar though has a lot of presence in many countries is also a profitable business. The revenues and reporting profits of both the companies are growing and it is always a wise idea to acquire a company with increasing revenues as is seen in Coinstar. The revenues of Coinstar are in much higher increasing trends as compared to CVS Company which shows the company has a lot of potential to grow sales. (Coinstar Inc. Annual Report 2011) Both the companies CVS and Coinstar are

African American Literature Essay Example for Free

African American Literature Essay African American literature has a strong deeply rooted background in the history of America, thus giving the writers categorized in this genre a strong message to convey in any story they chose to tell. From tragic life moments to happy life moments, the writers have the ability to tell their story in a variety of methods. This canon of literature serves as a diary for the African American community. All of the literary works that compile this genre reflect the many twists and turns a collective group of persons must endure while struggling to achieve a place in history. The following discussion of three historically significant African American stories reflects the struggles one race of persons had to endure on their journey throughout various time periods in America. The Short Stories In the short story, My White Folks Treated us Good by Mariah Hines the author describes in first person account of a situation when African American slaves were treated well in comparison to the stories of abuse, rape, and neglect most persons are accustom to reading from this era. The slaves never went hungry, always had clothes to wear, were able to work under their own accord, always treated with respect, and were told to take Sundays off while also being encouraged to attend church on Sundays. The slaves were in fact treated so well that when they were free to leave, they choose to remain at their former master’s farm and continued working for him. Hines concluded the Master continued to support his former slaves. Hines stated â€Å"Master helped us much as he could. Some of us he gave a cow or mule or anything he could spare to help us (p. 34). † Moving forward in time, the short story Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston describes a situation of domestic abuse in a long term relationship between a wife, Delia Jones, and her husband, Sykes Jones. Sykes enjoyed torturing Delia, he would find ways to make her job as a washwoman more difficult by kicking the clothes across the room or by scaring her with ways related to her fear of snakes. Sykes enjoyed fighting; he in fact enjoyed it so much so that he intentionally picked fights with Delia. This type of torture strained their marriage to the point of near silence on a daily basis. Sykes thought it to be a good idea to bring a rattlesnake into their home. The rattlesnake got lose in the home, Delia was able to get outside the home but Sykes remained in the home and was attacked in their bedroom. Sykes yelled to Delia for help and comfort, but she was unable to come to him related to fear. Delia finally walked to the door, but due to the nature of his injuries and the distance to the doctor she understood he would not make it through this attack, therefore she allowed him to pass in their backyard. â€Å"She could scarcely reach the chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heat while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which much known by now that she knew (p. 108). † This story shows how those who choose to abuse others always pay for those actions in the end. Alice Walker wrote the story Nineteen Fifty-Five, about a young white singer, Traynor, who purchased a song from a young African American woman, Gracie Mae, and went on to become famous after recording and releasing his own version. His version of Gracie Mae’s song continued to eat away at Gracie Mae for the rest of her life. It did not have the same meaning, nor was it loved by his fans for the same reasons she hoped it would be. The fans loved Traynor, not the song. Traynor continued to keep in contact with Gracie Mae throughout his time in the army, touring, marriages, and divorces. Then towards after many years, contact stopped and Traynor was found dead after 15 wives and a troubled road in the end. Gracie Mae lived vicariously through Traynor and his portrayal of her song. Gracie Mae herself lived quite happily through the birth of many children, the divorce and/or death of three husbands, the showering of gifts from Traynor, and his ultimate death. Gracie Mae did have a connection to Traynor that flowed deeper than her song. â€Å"One night I dreamed Traynor has split up with his fifteenth wife p. 297). † Due to the stereotypes and prejudices of this time period Gracie Mae and Traynor were never able to express the emotional connection they felt between each other. Common Literary Conventions Literary conventions and themes were similar in the stories; connotations, culture, undertones, and main characters were alike. The three stories were written in first person and portrayed a personal struggle endured by each main character. The main character was always female, strong, and independent in different way. The stories span three different periods of time, yet still reflecting similar struggles in very different settings. These conventions are important when connecting the messages of these stories. Each has a story of struggle, some are internal while others are outward, and each woman must find inner strength to change or cope with their situations. Beginning with My White Folks Treated us Good, this story was historically important in relation to conveying the happiness that could be found in such a dire situation as slavery. Hines showed not all slavery conditions were adverse or abusive; there was still the possibility of enjoying life, and gaining independence by getting the break needed, such as the freeing of all slaves, to make one’s own life better. In Sweat, Hurstson was able write a story about a woman able to persevere in a dreadful situation of both mental and physical abuse. During this time in history, women were not able to be independent and outspoken due to a fear of judgment or increased abuse. Delia was given the chance to be free from the abuses of Sykes and took that chance by allowing him to die from his injuries, thus resulting in her freedom. Following in the same suit, Nineteen Fifty-Five expressed the internal struggle of a woman’s desire to be understood and independent. Gracie Mae wanted to sing her own song and live her own life, without connection to a version of her song that did not represent the original intent. Gracie Mae was happy with her life, but was never free from what the release of her song brought to her life. Conclusion Culturally, these stories are important to all American’s. The historical significance of these stories and the emphasis on equality places a connotation of acceptance and availability of equal opportunity to all persons regardless of color, social class, age, race, gender, or personal situation. African Americans are able to tell their personal stories of struggles and triumphs through literature. This literature is a valuable tool for all persons wanting to educate themselves about significant times in American history. References Young, A. (1996). African American Literature: A brief Introduction and Anthology. New York, New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.

Manage Sex Offenders Effectively Psychology Essay

Manage Sex Offenders Effectively Psychology Essay The aim of this essay is to provide a historical overview of the developments on the risk assessment of sex offenders literature, focusing specifically on the advances in this area of research. Firstly, a definition of risk will be provided, followed by the aims of risk assessment and an example of the practical implications of inaccurate risk assessment. Subsequently, this essay will outline four generations of risk assessment for sex offenders, which were inspired on Bontas (1996) three generations of risk assessment. Particular regard will be given to the third and fourth generations, since these are the ones that reflect the recent advances in risk assessment. Due to the heterogeneity inherent to the concept of sexual offenders, and because most of the risk assessment tools have been developed and validated on adult male sexual offenders (Craig Beech, 2010), only instruments used with this sub-group will be discussed in this essay. As stated by Hart, Laws and Kropp (2003), the definition of risk is not straightforward. For the scope of this essay, risk will be conceptualised as the probability of an offender being reconvicted for a sexual or violent offence. Risk assessment has two main aims. The first one is predicting the likelihood of reoffending of an individual, and the second one is guiding risk management, including the identification of risk factors associated with the offending behaviour and the selection of appropriate treatment programmes. Inaccurate prediction of risk can have serious consequences such as prolonged incarceration, in case of overestimation, or the release of dangerous offenders, in case of underestimation of risk (A. R. Beech, Craig, Browne, 2009). Clinical Judgement The first generation of risk assessment procedures will be called Clinical Judgement. This is an ideographic approach, according to which the practitioner relies on his/her professional experience to evaluate the individuals characteristics and make a decision regarding the risk he poses. However, the processes through which a practitioner reaches a decision are rarely easily observable and are not easy to replicate (A. R. Beech, 2001). Structured assessment tools The subjectivity inherent to clinical judgement led to the development of more structured assessment tools. Actuarial measures are the most widely used structured instruments for risk assessment of sexual offenders. The most commonly used risk tools with adult male sexual offenders are the RRASOR (Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offense Recidivism; Hanson, 1997); SACJ (Structured Anchored Clinical Judgement; Grubin, 1998; Hanson Thornton, 2000); Static-99 (Hanson Thornton, 2000); RM 2000 (Risk Matrix 2000; Thornton et al., 2003); and the SORAG (Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide; Quinsey et al., 1998). For the purpose of this essay, only some particularities of each tool will be discussed. The RRASOR is simple and easy to use. The fact that it was designed using data from seven different follow-up studies makes it more comprehensive than other tools. It was designed to screen offenders into levels of risk. The SACJ can be used with missing data, is brief and easy to use. However, it has been stated that it works better as a predictor of non-sexual offences (Craig, Browne, Beech, 2008). Static-99 is a combination of RRASOR and SACJ. It is the most commonly used risk tool with adult sex offenders (Hanson Morton-Bourgon, 2009) and it is intended to measure long-term risk potential. The RM 2000 has two counterparts: sexual and violent. It is widely used in British Prison and Probation Services (Hanson Morton-Bourgon, 2009). The SORAG was designed to predict at least one reconviction of a sexual offence. It measures both violent and sexual recidivism. Although the predictive accuracy of these tools commonly outperforms clinical judgement (Grove, Zald, Lebow, Snitz, Nelson, 2000), several limitations have also been pointed. Is has been argued that the static nature of actuarial measures makes it impossible to identify the psychological factors underlying risk and hence provides no guidance for treatment and case management (Craig, Browne, Beech, 2008). Furthermore, because actuarial tools are derived from base rates which are officially recorded as reconviction, the probabilities will underestimate true offence rates. The reason for this being, for instance, the high number of underreporting of sexual offences (Janus Meehl, 1997) and the fact that some sexually motivated offences are recorded as violent offences (Corbett, Patel, Erikson, Friendship, 2003). In addition, sub-groups of sexual offenders, like sexual offenders with learning disabilities, should not be assessed with the use of actuarial tools that have not been devel oped specifically for these populations, since different sub-groups will have different base rates (Craig Beech, 2010). Also, we should take into account what is called the statistical fallacy, according to which group data are used to make decisions on a single individual. This practice has its dangers since the practitioner might disregard unusual factors that are relevant to a particular case (A. R. Beech, Fisher, Thornton, 2003) . Finally, actuarial instruments do not estimate long-term risk since they are based on unchangeable, historical static factors, taking no account of changeable, dynamic risk factors that might indicate imminent risk (A. R. Beech, Fisher, Thornton, 2003). Dynamic approaches to risk assessment The statement presented by Hart, Laws and Kropp (2003) is illustrative of the contention around the utility of actuarial tool. The main reason for this being that these tools represent probabilities of recidivism, not a certainty (A. R. Beech, Fisher, Thornton, 2003), which are based solely on historical factors. This debate encouraged researchers to developed instruments which additionally integrate factors that account for the context in which offences occur, and that are amenable to change. These factors have been named dynamic risk factors or criminogenic needs (Andrews Bonta, 2003). A significant landmark in the research of dynamic risk factors was the development of a deviancy construct (A. R. Beech, 1998) which led to the creation of a system named STEP (Sex Offender Treatment Evaluation Project; Beech, 1998). This framework is used by Probation Services to categorise child molesters into high or low deviancy groups (A. R. Beech, Fisher, Thornton, 2003; A. R. Beech, 1998) . Evidence for significant differences between these two groups has been found by Fisher, Beech and Brown (1999) and by Beech and Ford (2006). Moreover, a six years follow-up study suggested that deviancy contributes independently to prediction of reconviction once static risk factors had been considered (A. R. Beech, Erikson, Friendship, Hanson, 2002). It can then be suggested, that categorisation of sexual offenders into high and low deviancy groups not only informs treatment options, but it also adds to the predictive value of static risk factors. Another marker in risk assessment literature was the differentiation between two types of dynamic risk factors: stable and acute risk factors (Hanson Harris, 2001; Hanson Harris, 2000). Stable dynamic risk factors are those which represent relatively persistent characteristics of the individual that can be changed through therapy (Craig Beech, 2010). Acute dynamic risk factors are rapidly changing factors that are useful in predicting imminent risk (Craig, Browne, Beech, 2008). From this research, the authors created the SONAR (Sex Offender Need Assessment Ratings) which has been developed into the STABLE and ACUTE scales (Hanson Harris, 2000). These scales, as the names suggest, rate stable and acute dynamic factors. The ACUTE scale has the particularity of including a unique factor at the end, which can be any factor that might trigger offending behaviour. It might be, for instance, contact with a specific person that elicits a strong emotional response in the offender. This f actor illustrates the changeable, contextual nature of these scales, emphasising the importance of addressing individual differences and idiographic characteristics. Thornton (2002) reported a further innovation in risk prediction with sexual offenders. He suggested that dynamic risk factors fall within four domains: sexual interest, distorted attitudes, socio-affective functioning, and self-management (Thornton, 2002). This categorisation has been standardised in a measure called SRA (Structured Risk Assessment; Thornton, 2002) which is a risk/need instrument. It can be operationalised through structured clinical ratings, leaving open the question of how to best score needs. The IDA (Initial Deviance Assessment) has been routinely used in HMP services as part of SARN (Structured Assessment of Risk and Need, Thornton, 2002), which is a version of the SRA. In order to score the dimensions mentioned above, the practitioner usually gathers information from several sources such as psychometric tests, clinical interview and self-report scales. Sexual interests in specific, have been commonly measured by physiological measures such as the plethysmograph (PPG), response-time based measures, and the polygraph (A. R. Beech, Craig, Browne, 2009). However, these measures have been criticised on several grounds. It has been suggested that they are intrusive, lacking construct validity and standardisation (Williams, 2003). It has also been suggested that individuals can use countermeasures to suppress arousal (Laws, 2003). In order to tackle these limitations, some authors have suggested the use of the Multiphasic Sexual Inventory (MSI; Nichols Molinder, 1984) as a reliable way of measuring psychosexual characteristics (Craig, Browne, Beech, Stringer, 2006; Grady, Brodersen, Abramson, 2011). The use of MSI to measure sexual interests might be considered an advance in risk assessment research. It seems to add objectivity and standardisation to physiological measures, and it is ethically more appropriate. Thornton (2002) tested the last three aspects of the model (distorted attitudes, socio-affective functioning, self-management) with a sample of child molesters and also replicated the results with rapists, showing that the dynamic risk factors tested in the model were predictive of sexual offending independent of static factors (Craig, Browne, Beech, 2008). One again, this provides evidence for the importance of including dynamic factors is risk assessment tools. At this point in the history, the static and dynamic approaches to risk assessment have never been clearly integrated into a single tool (A. R. Beech Ward, 2004; Olver, Wong, Nicholaichuk, Gordon, 2007). The development of a tool named VRS-SO (Violence Risk Scale Sexual Offender version; Wong, Olver, Nicholaichuk, Gordon, 2003) does this integration, representing an important advance in risk assessment of sex offenders. This tool incorporates static and dynamic risk factors, also comprising treatment planning and the measurement of treatment change, within a single tool for assessing risk in sexual offenders. It has been suggested that this tool has good inter-rater reliability, concurrent validity, and that total scores were predictive of sexual recidivism. It has also been suggested that the dynamic scale made significant contributions to the predictive value of the tool after controlling for static risk (Beggs Grace, 2010). We now move to a point where the importance of integrating, static and dynamic risk factors, alongside information for case management is recognised. However, risk assessment tools have been constructed through statistical analysis and the application of meta-analysis to identify which risk factors are mostly correlated to future recidivism. It has been suggested that this work is atheoretical and reductionist in the extent that it lacks a strong theoretical background and focuses too much on specific factors of risk (Beech, A. Ward, T., 2007). Multi-factorial approaches Efforts to integrate risk within a theoretical framework mark the fourth generation of risk assessment. One of the most promising multi-factorial approaches to risk assessment of sexual offenders has been presented by Beech and Ward (2007) as the Etiological Model of Risk. The main aim of this model is to incorporate the conceptualisation of risk within an etiological and developmental framework based on current theories of sexual offending (A. R. Beech Ward, 2004). The model starts by including developmental factors such as rejection and attachment problems, which can increase vulnerability to sexually abuse. This first step of the model is theoretically based on Marshall and Barbarees Integrated theory of sex offending (Marshall Barbaree, 1990). It is then proposed that developmental factors might impact on vulnerability trait factors. These are composed by static factors and stable dynamic risk factors. In this model static factors are seen as historical markers for psychological dispositions (stable dynamic risk factors). As follows, triggering/contextual risk factors such as vic tim access behaviour, non-cooperation with supervision and hostility (previously described by Hanson and Harris (2001) as acute factors) impact on the vulnerability factors. These vulnerability factors are then expressed into transient states of high-risk, since they are reflective of an individuals psychological state (eg. physiological arousal and affective states). This chain of events, moving gradually from distal factors to more imminent, contextual factors, places individuals at an overall level of risk (Beech, A. Ward, T., 2007). This approach to risk assessment has several practical implications. As a starting point, it encourages practitioners to consider a wider range of risk factors, enabling objective case formulation, which will link closely to each domain of risk (Beech, A. Ward, T., 2007) . Additionally, the reformulation of acute and stable dynamic factors into more psychologically meaningful terms enables the practitioner to contextualise risk into theoretical frameworks that explain the process of offending as a gradual sequence of events (A. R. Beech Ward, 2004). Also, this model addresses individual differences to a greater extent than other models of risk assessment. This approach perceives the offender as a changeable organism, who is shaped by early developmental experiences, psychological traits and more transient states; and will respond to environmental stimuli accordingly. Moreover, this approach also has heuristic value, proposing ways in which research could be conducted to develop this model further. However, for the purpose of this essay, these suggestions will not be explored (see (Beech, A. Ward, T., 2007) for more details). The MARA model (Multiaxial Risk Appraisal; Craig, Browne, Hogue, Stringer, 2004) was developed taking into account a number of developments in the risk assessment literature, also representing a considerable advance in the area. This model structures risk-related information into three main domains: risk scales, psychopathology and empirically guided clinical assessment, from which an overall estimate of risk can be made. It provides a more global assessment of risk by considering both idiographic (the uniqueness of individuals) and nomothetic (general traits of personality) properties. The MARA encourages the use of actuarial methods as a way of providing estimates of risk within specified time-periods, considers the use of psychometrics to assess psychological constructs and suggests the use of empirically guided clinical assessment (functional analysis) as a method of monitoring acute changes. Furthermore, this approach encourages an efficient management of risk, taking into acco unt all the factors cited above (Craig, Browne, Beech, 2008) . Such as the etiological model, this approach aims to investigate risk of recidivism from different trajectories, allowing a more global assessment. However, it is not yet known whether adding idiographic factors actually enhances or undermines predictive accuracy (A. R. Beech, Craig, Browne, 2009) . Hence, until further testing, this model of risk assessment must be used with caution. Nevertheless, both the etiological model of risk and MARA can be described as comprehensive approaches to risk assessment, which offer a broad range of topics which are relevant for an accurate assessment of risk. Regarding the practical utility of these approaches, this essay argues that even though it might not be possible to address all the areas of risk in intervention due to effective management of resources, practitioners using these models would have a wide conceptualisation of the risk posed by individuals, and which areas would be more relevant to address at a specific point in time. As a final remark in the advances in risk assessment, this essay would like to highlight the utility of the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) model (Andrews Bonta, 2003) . This model emphasises the importance of accurate risk assessment, in order to provide the right degree of intervention; suggests a focus on the changeable risk factors presented by individuals and encourages practitioners to consider factors that may affect or impede an individuals response to treatment. As means of conclusion, and referring back to the statement in discussion (Hart, Laws, Kropp, 2003) it can be stated that throughout time risk assessment has moved to being a more understood and certain process than it when the assessment of risk was based on intuition. In an attempt to confer objectivity to this procedure, several researchers developed statistical-based, standardised approached such as actuarial tools. Thereafter, the limitations of these tools, and mainly their static nature led researchers to explore the dynamic, changeable factors related to risk and developing several useful tools. At this point it was also felt necessary to construct tools that informed case management. As proposed by Harkins and Beech (2007), it was crucial to account for risk level to an extent that it could also influence success of treatment. The most recent advances employed multi-factorial, broad models of risk which perceive risk assessment as an ongoing process, which needs to consider idiographic, historical and contextual factors. Furthermore, the RNR model provided useful guidelines for risk assessment of sexual offenders. Applying the principles of this model to exiting assessment tools has the potential of not only conferring more certainty to thi s process, but also to influence treatment outcomes. This essay suggests that multi-factorial models, together with RNR principles, represent a step forward in moving risk assessment from a probability to a more certain science. This could potentially lead to a decrease in inaccurate prediction of risk, further decreasing the consequences that it involves, such as putting society at risk or unnecessary monetary expenses. It also goes without saying, that enhancing risk assessment tools is an everlasting effort, which is far from being finished.