Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Stephen Kings All That You Love Will Be Carried Away

Stephen Kings All That You Love Will Be Carried Away Free Online Research Papers Stephen King’s â€Å"All That You Love Will Be Carried Away† is about a frozen food salesman Alfie Zimmer, who has to decide to either change his life and write a book or end his life by his own hand. He wants to write about his collection of sayings he has written down during his traveling. King’s ending of the story is obscure, and I want to prove that Alfie has too much to live for and that he is too committed to his notebook to end his own life. Alfie Zimmer makes money for his family by selling gourmet foods from the trunk of his car. However he is intrigued by the graffiti that litters the walls of rest stops and truck stops that he has encountered on his monotonous sales route. Alfie feels that writing a book about the sayings would be too hard of a change in his life and decides to commit suicide instead. Alfie chooses Room 190 at the Motel 6 in Lincoln, Nebraska to end his life. When he enters the room and sits on the bed â€Å"he reached for the telephone then remembered his notebook† (83). Alfie is intrigued by the old spiral notebook; it was more than a hobby now â€Å"(he) had been carrying this notebook, for almost seven years†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (83), it now was his work, his life. Alfie eats, drinks, and lives for the graffiti on the walls. He even analyzes it to make sure it is fit for his book, â€Å"â€Å"Poopie Doopie you so loopy (Papillion Neb)† Something about the â€Å"-ie –ie† and then, boom you got â€Å"y†Ã¢â‚¬  (84). Alfie thinks about the English Classes he wants to take to learn about the rules of writing. Although Alfie has decided to end his life that day, he says â€Å"Time to record today’s finds† (84) because it is his routine and his fun in life. As Alfie flips to an open page he thinks â€Å"Now two in one day. Two on the last day. Like some sort of omen† (84) it’s like he is searching for an excuse or answer not to take his life. Alfie also thinks of his family and calls them twice to remind them about errands and appointments tells them, he loves them for the first time in five years, hangs up the phone and inserts the fully loaded gun into his mouth. He pauses to think of his own graffiti about his death, â€Å"Here I sit, about to cool it, my plan to eat a fuckin’ bool it’. He grinned around the barrel. That was terrible. He never would have written that down in his book† (86). I also believe he knows that suicide is not written in his book of life. Alfie knows that by writing the book, it would change his life, he may be reje cted or accepted and he is not sure it is worth it. Alfie â€Å"had thought of writing a book, just a little one† (85) he just felt that society would not get the humor that he did out of the poetry. While sitting on the bed writing his daily finds â€Å"he put the pen back in his pocket wondering why he or anyone would continue anything this close to ending everything† (84). He cannot control his intrigue with the notebook, he compares it to â€Å"just†¦well†¦breathing he said, and smiled.† (84). When Alfie had called his family and recorded his notebook entries, he thought he was ready to do the â€Å"end† deed but then â€Å"he frowned and put the gun down. The book was open to the last four entries† (86) the notebook once again stopped him from shooting his brains out. He thought of what the police would think. Finding a dead man with a notebook of crazy sayings â€Å"he was not crazy, and the things he had written here over the years weren’t crazy, either† (86). So Alfie thinks of ways to destroy or hide the notebook He decides to flush it down the toilet, but makes the excuse that it would clog the toilet but he also thinks â€Å"besides, the notebook had been with him so long†¦He hated the idea of flushing it away† (87). He keeps thinking of the notebook, he is very compulsive about his findings â€Å"he loved the stuff in the notebook† (87). Alfie realizes that without him â€Å"the notebook might be a real embarrassment once he was dead† (87) and he just can’t come to destroy the notebook. Alfie still feels the need to commit suicide but â€Å"there was no need to destroy it (notebook) after all† (89). So he goes out into the blustery January day and throw the notebook into the farmer’s field â€Å"Alfie drew the book back to throw it, then lowered his arm. He hated to let it go, that was the truth of it† (89). He was not ready for the future, but with his book in hand, he felt alive. With notebook in hand he made himself a deal, â€Å"if the spark lights of the farmhouse reappeared at anytime during the count, he would try to write the book† (89). Alfie once more intrigued by his collections, he thinks about the book, what it should contain, the des criptions, noises, and smells of the rest stop restrooms and truck stops. Alfie had already thought of a title for the book, he was just scared that the book would be rejected by society and he would be laughed at. As â€Å"Alfie stood there counting inside his head waiting to see if the wind would drop† (89) however I believe that Alfies own spark lights came on because he realized the book is his life, his life that would be filled with fun and enjoyment. I also think he knows he can’t kill â€Å"Alfie the Salesman† because it would kill â€Å"Alfie the Writer† and â€Å"Alfie the Dad†. The notebook is Alfie’s life if he cannot destroy the notebook, he cannot destroy himself. Research Papers on Stephen King’s â€Å"All That You Love Will Be Carried Away"Book Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Trailblazing by Eric AndersonEffects of Television Violence on Children19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentMind Travel

Friday, November 22, 2019

Definition and Examples of False Analogies

Definition and Examples of False Analogies The fallacy  of false analogy is an argument  based on misleading, superficial, or implausible comparisons. Also known as  faulty analogy, weak analogy, wrongful comparison,  metaphor as argument, and analogical fallacy. The analogical fallacy, says Madsen Pirie, consists of supposing that things which are similar in one respect must be similar in others. It draws a comparison on the basis of what is known, and proceeds to assume that the unknown parts must also be similar (How to Win Every Argument, 2015).   Analogies are commonly used for illustrative purposes to make a complex process or idea easier to understand. Analogies become false or faulty  when they are overextended or presented as conclusive proof. Etymology: From Latin  fallacia  deception, deceit, trick, artifice Commentary There are seven windows given to animals in the domicile of the head: two nostrils, two eyes, two ears, and a mouth...From this and many other similarities in Nature, too tedious to enumerate, we gather that the number of planets must necessarily be seven. (Francesco Sizzi, 17th-century Italian astronomer)[F]alse analogy is central to jokes whose humour derives from ill-judged comparisons, as in the old joke where a mad scientist builds a rocket to the sun but plans to embark at night to avoid being cremated. Here a false analogy is created between the sun and a light bulb, suggesting that when the sun is not shining it is not turned on, and hence, not hot. (Tony Veale, Computability as a Test on Linguistic Theories. Cognitive Linguistics: Current Applications and Future Perspectives, ed. by Gitte Kristiansen et al. Mouton de Gruyter, 2006)When you find yourself reasoning by analogy, ask yourself two questions: (1) are the basic similarities greater and more significant than the obvi ous differences? and (2) am I over-relying on surface similarities and ignoring more essential differences? (David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, Writing Analytically, 6th ed. Wadsworth, 2012) The Age of False Analogies We are living in the age of the false, and often shameless, analogy. A slick advertising campaign compares the politicians working to dismantle Social Security to Franklin D. Roosevelt. In a new documentary, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Kenneth Lay compares attacks on his company to the terrorist attacks on the United States.Intentionally misleading comparisons are becoming the dominant mode of public discourse...The power of an analogy is that it can persuade people to transfer the feeling of certainty they have about one subject to another subject about which they may not have formed an opinion. But analogies are often undependable. Their weakness is that they rely on the dubious principle that, as one logic textbook puts it, because two things are similar in some respects they are similar in some other respects. An error-producing fallacy of weak analogy results when relevant differences outweigh relevant similarities.  (Adam Cohen, An SAT Without Analogies Is Like: (A) A Confused Citizenry... The New York Times, March 13, 2005) The Mind-As-Computer Metaphor The mind-as-computer metaphor helped [psychologists] to focus attention on questions of how the mind accomplishes various perceptual and cognitive tasks. The field of cognitive science grew up around such questions.However, the  mind-as-computer metaphor  drew attention away from questions of evolution... creativity, social interaction, sexuality, family life, culture, status, money, power... As long as you ignore most of human life, the computer metaphor is terrific. Computers are human artifacts  designed to fulfill human needs, such as increasing the value of Microsoft stock. They are not autonomous entities that evolved to  survive and reproduce. This makes the computer metaphor very poor at helping psychologists to identify mental adaptations that evolved through natural and sexual selection. (Geoffrey Miller, 2000; quoted by  Margaret Ann Boden in  Mind as Machine: A History of Cognitive Science. Oxford University Press, 2006) The Darker Side of False Analogies A false analogy occurs when the two things compared are not similar enough to warrant the comparison. Particularly common are inappropriate World War II analogies to Hitlers Nazi regime. For example, the Internet has more than 800,000 hits for the analogy animal Auschwitz, which compares the treatment of animals to the treatment of Jews, gays and other groups during the Nazi era. Arguably, the treatment of animals is terrible in some cases, but it is arguably different in degree and kind from what happened in Nazi Germany. (Clella Jaffe, Public Speaking: Concepts and Skills for a Diverse Society, 6th ed. Wadsworth, 2010) The Lighter Side of False Analogies Next, I said, in a carefully controlled tone, we will discuss False Analogy. Here is an example: Students should be allowed to look at their textbooks during examinations. After all, surgeons have X-rays to guide them during an operation, lawyers have briefs to guide them during a trial, carpenters have blueprints to guide them when they are building a house. Why, then, shouldn’t students be allowed to look at their textbooks during an examination?There now, [Polly] said enthusiastically, is the most marvy idea I’ve heard in years.Polly, I said testily, the argument is all wrong. Doctors, lawyers, and carpenters aren’t taking a test to see how much they have learned, but students are. The situations are altogether different, and you can’t make an analogy between them.I still think it’s a good idea, said Polly.Nuts, I muttered. (Max Shulman, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Doubleday, 1951)

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) - Essay Example Even though it builds up models, and those models are not considered to correspond to the â€Å"existent world†, however with the help of those rules and principles you can form or arrange your thoughts about the actual world. These models are not considered as descriptive or normative on the other hand they may comprise attributes of both (Williams, 2005). One of the most useful benefits of soft system methodology is that it imposes restrictions on your thinking in order to improve your thinking (Williams, 2005). Soft Systems Methodology efforts to promote knowledge and positive reception of the problem circumstances between a group of stakeholders rather than get started to resolve a predefined problem. The complication of numerous managerial/social problem circumstances overcomes efforts at defining a problem: in numerous such circumstances the problem is what is the problem? SSM presents a structure for handling such circumstances (Richards, 2004). Soft Systems Methodology is the only one of its kind in the fields of practical systems judgment, carrying unfussiness to perplexed and compound conditions. The tools of Soft systems methodology conceptualization, encrusted observation and design hold up the model structuring stage as well as contain the dissimilar Weltanschauungen of the circumstances. Contrast of the representations by means of the prosperous as well as disordered real-world offer general imminent concerning what must be as well as, in an iterative mode, authorize single-minded deeds to be in use (Yinghong, 2007). The application of this soft systems methodology knowledge gave way imminent to increase services. One main field spotlighted has been that of contact. Efficient information communication among and within organizations is compulsory to carry the more victorious accomplishment of information system. Getting this feature accurately will aid to take the other significant fields those are ease of access

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL - Essay Example This is because each nation has adopted only some portions of the international standards of their choice and as recommended by their home standard-setting board. As different nations adopted different parts of the international accounting standards that were adhering with their home nation standard-setting body and hence, international comparability cannot be carried out. To drive out anomalies due to inconsistencies, the IASC was reorganised as IASB, and its sole aim is to establish a uniform accounting standard to be perused by all the nations without any deviation (Deloitte 2014). He cited that how both Japan and India allowed to use IFRS on a voluntary basis whereas the Japanese government encouraged prominent usage of IFRS. Those Chinese companies that had dual listings in Hong Kong are using full IFRS for their financial reporting. â€Å"Since 2007, U.S.A permitted non-US companies to use IFRS reporting† (Deloitte 2014). He buttressed the mutual reliance and interlinks between economies and added that in the post-crisis background, all policymakers are now able to understand how each national capital market around the globe , even the giant , acts as just like a satellite of the international financial system. He further observed that presently, about 33% of all the financial investments are global transactions in nature. According to him, about 81% of the nations which took part in the survey prefer or mandate the usage of IFRS for either the majority or all the public companies. Further, the majority of the remaining nations that have yet to mandate IFRS in home nation, including Japan, India, U.S.A and China, but these nations are permitting IFRS usage in some scenarios. Mr. Mackintosh highlighted that the ISAB’s high-standards have been already approved in various economies as it is being used by more than a decade. Mr.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

College Entrance Essay Essay Example for Free

College Entrance Essay Essay Over the past few years I have increasingly become confident that a career in psychology is the right path for me. I am by nature a very caring, helping person, a good listener and someone who enjoys being able to connect with others. My friends and family see me as the kind of person they can go to when they need to talk about their problems, and they know that I am someone that they can trust. To me, there is nothing more fulfilling than the feeling of reaching out and connecting with an individual, and being able to offer them support. Both my parents were clinical psychologists, and undoubtedly this influenced my desire to become a psychologist. They exposed me at an early age to psychological ideas and the practice of psychotherapy. I could see the passion they brought to their profession, and the satisfaction they experienced by helping others. I believe also that my mothers death when I was ten helped influence my interest in psychology. My mothers death was a traumatic event for me and my family, and when she passed away I had to help emotionally support my younger brothers. Our subsequent participation in family therapy showed me how important it is to talk about feelings and problems, and how families can heal and move on from even the most traumatic experiences. In order to make a career of my interest, I will need both undergraduate and graduate training in psychology. If I should choose to open up a practice, I will need business training as well. My choice of college is based on finding a strong psychology program and an environment where I can feel like I can make a personal connection with my professors and my peers. In addition to having a strong psychology department, I am looking for a college or university in New England with a small faculty/student ratio. I want to feel like I can personally connect with my professors and peers, and not be just a number in large classes. Castleton State College meets all of these requirements. To me, Castleton State seems to be more then just an  institute of learning, its a place where the students are able to experience new ideas and encounter new challenges that will later help them learn critical skills needed to be successful in a diverse and interdependent world. In addition to a good education, I feel that Castleton State is a place that will allow me to grow intellectually, socially, and spiritually. The health field, and mental health in particular, is becoming increasingly challenging and competitive. After my bachelors degree, I plan to pursue either my masters degree or my doctorate in psychology, and I know that I will need strong undergraduate training to be effective at the graduate level. I believe that Castleton State College will provide me with the training and perspective on myself and my career that I will need to be successful and to pursue my dream.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

Should we always act rationally? Rationality is the practice of acting by reason, yet reason is variable and individual specific. Reason means in accordance with the facts of reality while the alternative would be acting by impulse. This result is an undesired consequence and in result is irrational due to the action being based upon belief. Reason is man’s mean of survival, having the mindset of not making the right decisions challenges the ability to live. Additionally, a consequence of acting irrationally is that it weakens the ability to act rational in the future. Upon choosing to act irrationally, one is acknowledging a lack of trust within the mind; repeated actions or irrationality will result in a belief of one’s practice. Man’s basic vice is suspension of his consciousness or having an unfocused mind resulting in refusal to know. Also, commonly used terms include stating something is rather rational or quite rational implying that rationality is a matter of degree. Now, we sometimes assess the rationality of a given decision. Indeed, we very often do in the sense that if ...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Substance Abuse: Driving Under the Influence

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 16,694 people died in 2004 in alcohol and drug related traffic collisions, representing 40% of all traffic related deaths in the United States. (â€Å"2004 Traffic Safety†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2005) In addition about half of the one million people injured in road accidents were also due to driving under the influence (DUI). These are startling statistics, which underscore the enormity of the problem posed by the vast number of people who drive while intoxicated. Another point of concern regarding drunk driving or DUI is that repeat or hardcore offenders are the cause of a large proportion of traffic accidents with one out of eight intoxicated drivers in fatal crashes having had a prior DUI/DWI conviction within the past three years. (Pena, 2005) As a result, a number of programs have sprung up around the country seeking to rehabilitate the repeat DUI offenders through education, counseling, and treatment. The laws against DUI and rehab programs have resulted in a gradual but steady decline in fatalities from drunk driving since the 1980s. In this essay, I shall focus on such programs that seek to address the problem of DUI, particularly programs for the chronic and repeat offenders. The laws and penalties against driving while intoxicated have been made stricter in the US since the 1970s. The drinking age has also been uniformly raised to 21 years, while it was 18 in several states prior to the 1980s.1 Currently, driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions within the United States.2 The punishment for DUI includes jail terms, monetary fines, mandatory DUI programs, and confiscation of driver's license for repeated offenders. Some states even treat DUI as a felony under certain circumstances such as the presence of a very high blood alcohol content (BAC), the severity of the accident caused by the drunk driver, or in cases where the driver is a repeat offender. (â€Å"Drunk Driving-United States† 2005) In case of alcohol consumption, most states laws have designated the legal limit of blood alcohol content (BAC) for drunk driving at 0.08 (i.e., 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood). In cases of driving under the influence of prescription medication or illicit drugs there is no â€Å"per se† or legal limit. Instead, in cases of driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol, the key factor is whether the driver's faculties were impaired by the substance that was consumed. Due to this reason, the detection and successful prosecution of drivers impaired by prescription medication or illegal drugs is difficult. Besides performing a chemical test (blood, urine, or breath analysis) in order to determine the BAC of the offender, a law enforcing officer may also administer a Field Sobriety Test (FST) on a suspect driver. There are certain standardized FSTs such as the â€Å"Walk and Turn† test, the â€Å"One-leg Stand† and â€Å"Horizontal Gaze Test,† which can reliably determine the level of impairment of an intoxicated driver. (Ibid.) The Transportation Equity Act (TEA-21) enacted in 1998 encourages States to enact Repeat Intoxicated Driver laws providing for minimum penalty for repeat offenders such as: a)Suspension of driver's license for not less than one year b)Impoundment, immobilization, or installation of ignition interlock system on vehicles c)An assessment of the individual's degree of abuse of alcohol and treatment as appropriate d)Not less than 30 days community service or 5 days of imprisonment for 2nd offense and not less than 60 days community service or 10 days of imprisonment for 3rd and subsequent offense. (â€Å"Minimum Penalties for Repeat offenders† n.d.) As mentioned in the introduction, there are a number of DUI programs in the United States that seek to control the menace of drunk driving through education, counseling and treatment of the offenders. Some of these programs are described below: California's Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Program: California was among the first states in the US (along with New York) to introduce laws pertaining to drunk driving. It has also introduced an effective DUI Program, which is governed by legislation enacted in 1978. The State has a system in place that determines the need for DUI program services, licenses DUI programs, establishes regulations, approves participant fees and fee schedules, and provides DUI information. A person convicted of a first DUI offense are required to complete a state-licensed three-month, 30-hour alcohol and drug education and counseling program. Drivers detected with a blood alcohol content of 0.20 or higher must complete a state-licensed sixmonth, 45-hour alcohol and drug education and counseling program. These programs are designed to enable participants to consider attitudes and behavior, support positive lifestyle changes, and reduce or eliminate the use of alcohol and/or drugs. (â€Å"An Overview of California's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2004) Repeat DUI offenders (second and subsequent DUI convictions) must complete an 18-month multiple offender program. Such programs provide 52 hours of group counseling; 12 hours of alcohol and drug education; 6 hours of community reentry monitoring; and biweekly individual interviews during the first 12 months of the program. A county in California may elect to provide 30-month DUI programs for third and subsequent DUI offenders, which provide longer periods of counselling, education, and community service, i.e., 78 hours of group counseling; 12 hours of alcohol and drug education; 120-300 hours of community service; and close and regular individual interviews. Presently, such services are available in Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties. (â€Å"An Overview of California's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2004) The California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment Programs (â€Å"CADDTP†) has been formed to help promote understanding of, and improve the role of the DUI programs in California. Most people agree that California's DUI program network is â€Å"the most inclusive, structured, and complex† and its entire programs are self-supporting through fees paid by participants. They have caused DUI arrests and alcohol-related fatalities to decline steadily in the last two decades when it was introduced. (â€Å"California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment Programs† n.d.) Drug Courts for DUI: An American Council on Alcoholism (ACA) Program: In collaboration with the National Association for Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and the National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD), the American Council on Alcoholism Program (ACAP) seeks to promote and establish courts that focus on alcoholism treatment for drunk driving offenders. This is because ACA believes that the root cause of the drunk driving problem is alcohol abuse and alcoholism and unless we address the root problem of alcoholism, we will not be able to solve the problem of drunk driving. The ACA also believes that traditional means of prevention have had little or no effect on â€Å"hard core† drunk drivers or repeat offenders; therefore it is working for the application of the highly successful drug courts model to cure hardcore drunk drivers of their alcoholism. Drug Court Programs have been found to be highly successful in rehabilitating repeat and hardcore DUI offenders. Recidivism rate in such programs is remarkably low (about 11% v 60% for most other programs). A unique feature of Drug Court is the direct involvement of the judge in the treatment process who remains in direct contact with the defendant and engages in frequent discussion of the progress. The frequent contact between the judge and the defendant creates a paternal-like relationship between them and the judge is able to give positive reinforcement, issue instant reprimands or order incarceration for up to 30 days as the situation demands. (Kavanaugh, 2003). An example of a successful DUI Drug Court Program is the Butte County Revia Project started in 1996 for repeat drinking drivers. The key to this model of treatment is the use of ReVia (generic name: naltrexone) for weaning the repeat DUI offenders from their alcohol dependence. (â€Å"Butt County Revia Project,† 2003) The Century Council3 created The National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project in 1997 in order to coordinate efforts directed towards deterrence of hardcore drunk drivers who habitually drive while highly intoxicated. The Council's main aim is to call attention to the serious nature of the crime of drunk driving and to provide the needed framework in order to close loopholes in existing laws and programs, enact needed legislation, and ensure that the responsible agencies and organizations work together effectively to address the problem. The Council stresses that successful DUI programs for repeat and hardcore offenders should be based on swift identification, certain punishment and effective treatment. It conducts research on DUI and has published a comprehensive source book on the topic, which provides up-to-date data to assist legislators, highway safety officials, law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, community activists, corrections personnel, and treatment professionals in developing programs to reduce hardcore drunk driving. (â€Å"National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project† 2003) There are a number of other organizations in the US as well as many other countries that are engaged in conducting programs for the treatment of chronic and repeat DUI offenders. These include the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-a support group of alcoholics that seeks to cure alcohol addicts from their addiction through a twelve-step process; the Al-Anon/ Al-Ateen Family Groups–a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope, in order to solve their common problems.4 The Al-Anon programs are based on the belief that alcoholism is a family illness, and that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Convicted DUI offenders can be sent to jail and fined, particularly in case of repeat offenders. Other alternatives to jail sentence, apart from the DUI Programs for rehabilitation that were discussed in the preceding paragraphs are: Electronic Monitoring (wearing of an ankle bracelet that monitors the whereabouts of the wearer); Work Release-the convicted person works at a place determined by the Probation Department and goes home to sleep; Work Furlough-an arrangement in which the participant keeps his job but returns to a dormitory style facility at night; and City Jail-operated by the local police where the participants spend the night but are released during the day. (â€Å"Jail Alternatives† 2005) Most DUI laws are aimed at deterring driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. One way of deterring DUI offenses is by making policies and laws that change the drivers' attitude towards DUI and by altering their perceptions of the likely consequences as a result of DUI behavior. (Greenburg et al, 2004). Such anti-DUI laws could be enacted and public information campaigns launched that enhance a driver's perception of â€Å"the certainty, swiftness and severity of prosecution† for drunk-driving offenses, or by increasing awareness of the physical dangers associated with driving while intoxicated (Ibid.) Some experts believe that the â€Å"moral component† of the laws is much more important than the â€Å"fear factor† of apprehension and punishment in the long-term control of drunk driving. This is mainly because the likelihood of detection for DUI offenders is very low or uncertain. According to a study quoted by Robin, â€Å"On any given outing, an intoxicated driver has less than a 1-in-1000 chance of being apprehended by the police.† (Robin 1991) Tough laws against drunken driving have a moral aspect that gradually develop a culture in a society that is intolerant of DUI regardless of the perceived legal risks to the driver involved. Hence, DUI laws are more likely to achieve their objective of controlling drunk driving if we emphasize the morality of the law rather than expect the hardcore violators to be deterred by the fear of getting caught. Despite a steady decline in the number of accidents and fatalities due to driving under the influence (DUI) in the US since the 1980s, the numbers are still unacceptably high. It is even more alarming that a large proportion of these accidents are caused by repeat offenders or hard core drinkers. As discussed in this paper, measures taken to control DUI range from stricter punishment to rehabilitation programs aimed at changing the behavior of chronic DUI offenders. Some of these programs have contributed significantly in reducing DUI offenses. However, a sustained, coordinated, and long-term effort is required for further reduction in DUI cases. Substance Abuse: Driving Under the Influence According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 16,694 people died in 2004 in alcohol and drug related traffic collisions, representing 40% of all traffic related deaths in the United States. (â€Å"2004 Traffic Safety†¦ † 2005) In addition about half of the one million people injured in road accidents were also due to driving under the influence (DUI). These are startling statistics, which underscore the enormity of the problem posed by the vast number of people who drive while intoxicated. Another point of concern regarding drunk driving or DUI is that repeat or hardcore offenders are the cause of a large proportion of traffic accidents with one out of eight intoxicated drivers in fatal crashes having had a prior DUI/DWI conviction within the past three years. (Pena, 2005) As a result, a number of programs have sprung up around the country seeking to rehabilitate the repeat DUI offenders through education, counseling, and treatment. The laws against DUI and rehab programs have resulted in a gradual but steady decline in fatalities from drunk driving since the 1980s. In this essay, I shall focus on such programs that seek to address the problem of DUI, particularly programs for the chronic and repeat offenders. The laws and penalties against driving while intoxicated have been made stricter in the US since the 1970s. The drinking age has also been uniformly raised to 21 years, while it was 18 in several states prior to the 1980s. 1 Currently, driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions within the United States. The punishment for DUI includes jail terms, monetary fines, mandatory DUI programs, and confiscation of driver's license for repeated offenders. Some states even treat DUI as a felony under certain circumstances such as the presence of a very high blood alcohol content (BAC), the severity of the accident caused by the drunk driver, or in cases where the driver is a repeat offender. (â€Å"Drunk Driving-United States† 2005) In case of alcohol consumption, most states laws have designated the legal limit of blood alcohol content (BAC) for drunk driving at 0. 08 (i. e. , 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood). In cases of driving under the influence of prescription medication or illicit drugs there is no â€Å"per se† or legal limit. Instead, in cases of driving under the influence of drugs other than alcohol, the key factor is whether the driver's faculties were impaired by the substance that was consumed. Due to this reason, the detection and successful prosecution of drivers impaired by prescription medication or illegal drugs is difficult. Besides performing a chemical test (blood, urine, or breath analysis) in order to determine the BAC of the offender, a law enforcing officer may also administer a Field Sobriety Test (FST) on a suspect driver. There are certain standardized FSTs such as the â€Å"Walk and Turn† test, the â€Å"One-leg Stand† and â€Å"Horizontal Gaze Test,† which can reliably determine the level of impairment of an intoxicated driver. (Ibid. ) The Transportation Equity Act (TEA-21) enacted in 1998 encourages States to enact Repeat Intoxicated Driver laws providing for minimum penalty for repeat offenders such as: a)Suspension of driver's license for not less than one year b)Impoundment, immobilization, or installation of ignition interlock system on vehicles )An assessment of the individual's degree of abuse of alcohol and treatment as appropriate d)Not less than 30 days community service or 5 days of imprisonment for 2nd offense and not less than 60 days community service or 10 days of imprisonment for 3rd and subsequent offense. (â€Å"Minimum Penalties for Repeat offenders† n. d. ) As mentioned in the introduction, there are a number of DUI programs in the United States that seek to control the menace of drunk driving through education, counseling and treatment of the offenders. Some of these programs are described below: California's Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Program: California was among the first states in the US (along with New York) to introduce laws pertaining to drunk driving. It has also introduced an effective DUI Program, which is governed by legislation enacted in 1978. The State has a system in place that determines the need for DUI program services, licenses DUI programs, establishes regulations, approves participant fees and fee schedules, and provides DUI information. A person convicted of a first DUI offense are required to complete a state-licensed three-month, 30-hour alcohol and drug education and counseling program. Drivers detected with a blood alcohol content of 0. 20 or higher must complete a state-licensed sixmonth, 45-hour alcohol and drug education and counseling program. These programs are designed to enable participants to consider attitudes and behavior, support positive lifestyle changes, and reduce or eliminate the use of alcohol and/or drugs. (â€Å"An Overview of California's†¦ 2004) Repeat DUI offenders (second and subsequent DUI convictions) must complete an 18-month multiple offender program. Such programs provide 52 hours of group counseling; 12 hours of alcohol and drug education; 6 hours of community reentry monitoring; and biweekly individual interviews during the first 12 months of the program. A county in California may elect to provide 30-month DUI programs for third and subsequent DUI offenders, which provide longer periods of counselling, education, and community service, i. e. 78 hours of group counseling; 12 hours of alcohol and drug education; 120-300 hours of community service; and close and regular individual interviews. Presently, such services are available in Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties. (â€Å"An Overview of California's†¦ † 2004) The California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment Programs (â€Å"CADDTP†) has been formed to help promote understanding of, and improve the role of the DUI programs in California. Most people agree that California's DUI program network is â€Å"the most inclusive, structured, and complex† and its entire programs are self-supporting through fees paid by participants. They have caused DUI arrests and alcohol-related fatalities to decline steadily in the last two decades when it was introduced. (â€Å"California Association of Drinking Driver Treatment Programs† n. d. ) Drug Courts for DUI: An American Council on Alcoholism (ACA) Program: In collaboration with the National Association for Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and the National Commission Against Drunk Driving (NCADD), the American Council on Alcoholism Program (ACAP) seeks to promote and establish courts that focus on alcoholism treatment for drunk driving offenders. This is because ACA believes that the root cause of the drunk driving problem is alcohol abuse and alcoholism and unless we address the root problem of alcoholism, we will not be able to solve the problem of drunk driving. The ACA also believes that traditional means of prevention have had little or no effect on â€Å"hard core† drunk drivers or repeat offenders; therefore it is working for the application of the highly successful drug courts model to cure hardcore drunk drivers of their alcoholism. Drug Court Programs have been found to be highly successful in rehabilitating repeat and hardcore DUI offenders. Recidivism rate in such programs is remarkably low (about 11% v 60% for most other programs). A unique feature of Drug Court is the direct involvement of the judge in the treatment process who remains in direct contact with the defendant and engages in frequent discussion of the progress. The frequent contact between the judge and the defendant creates a paternal-like relationship between them and the judge is able to give positive reinforcement, issue instant reprimands or order incarceration for up to 30 days as the situation demands. An example of a successful DUI Drug Court Program is the Butte County Revia Project started in 1996 for repeat drinking drivers. The key to this model of treatment is the use of ReVia (generic name: naltrexone) for weaning the repeat DUI offenders from their alcohol dependence. (â€Å"Butt County Revia Project,† 2003) The Century Council3 created The National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project in 1997 in order to coordinate efforts directed towards deterrence of hardcore drunk drivers who habitually drive while highly intoxicated. The Council's main aim is to call attention to the serious nature of the crime of drunk driving and to provide the needed framework in order to close loopholes in existing laws and programs, enact needed legislation, and ensure that the responsible agencies and organizations work together effectively to address the problem. The Council stresses that successful DUI programs for repeat and hardcore offenders should be based on swift identification, certain punishment and effective treatment. It conducts research on DUI and has published a comprehensive source book on the topic, which provides up-to-date data to assist legislators, highway safety officials, law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, community activists, corrections personnel, and treatment professionals in developing programs to reduce hardcore drunk driving. (â€Å"National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project† 2003) There are a number of other organizations in the US as well as many other countries that are engaged in conducting programs for the treatment of chronic and repeat DUI offenders. These include the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-a support group of alcoholics that seeks to cure alcohol addicts from their addiction through a twelve-step process; the Al-Anon/ Al-Ateen Family Groups–a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope, in order to solve their common problems. 4 The Al-Anon programs are based on the belief that alcoholism is a family illness, and that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Convicted DUI offenders can be sent to jail and fined, particularly in case of repeat offenders. Other alternatives to jail sentence, apart from the DUI Programs for rehabilitation that were discussed in the preceding paragraphs are: Electronic Monitoring (wearing of an ankle bracelet that monitors the whereabouts of the wearer); Work Release-the convicted person works at a place determined by the Probation Department and goes home to sleep; Work Furlough-an arrangement in which the participant keeps his job but returns to a dormitory style facility at night; and City Jail-operated by the local police where the participants spend the night but are released during the day. (â€Å"Jail Alternatives† 2005) Most DUI laws are aimed at deterring driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. One way of deterring DUI offenses is by making policies and laws that change the drivers' attitude towards DUI and by altering their perceptions of the likely consequences as a result of DUI behavior. (Greenburg et al, 2004). Such anti-DUI laws could be enacted and public information campaigns launched that enhance a driver's perception of â€Å"the certainty, swiftness and severity of prosecution† for drunk-driving offenses, or by increasing awareness of the physical dangers associated with driving while intoxicated (Ibid. Some experts believe that the â€Å"moral component† of the laws is much more important than the â€Å"fear factor† of apprehension and punishment in the long-term control of drunk driving. This is mainly because the likelihood of detection for DUI offenders is very low or uncertain. According to a study quoted by Robin, â€Å"On any given outing, an intoxicated driver has less than a 1-in-1000 chance of being apprehended by the police. (Robin 1991) Tough laws against drunken driving have a moral aspect that gradually develop a culture in a society that is intolerant of DUI regardless of the perceived legal risks to the driver involved. Hence, DUI laws are more likely to achieve their objective of controlling drunk driving if we emphasize the morality of the law rather than expect the hardcore violators to be deterred by the fear of getting caught. Despite a steady decline in the number of accidents and fatalities due to driving under the influence (DUI) in the US since the 1980s, the numbers are still unacceptably high. It is even more alarming that a large proportion of these accidents are caused by repeat offenders or hard core drinkers. As discussed in this paper, measures taken to control DUI range from stricter punishment to rehabilitation programs aimed at changing the behavior of chronic DUI offenders. Some of these programs have contributed significantly in reducing DUI offenses. However, a sustained, coordinated, and long-term effort is required for further reduction in DUI cases.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

View of Love and Sex in “Wuthering Heights”

â€Å"Wuthering Heights† accurately reflects many of the attitudes associated with love and sex in the Victorian Era. With reference to appropriately selected parts of the novel and relevant external, contextual information on Victorian attitudes to love and sex, give your response to the above view. The Victorian era when â€Å"Wuthering Heights† was written and first published was a time when love and romance and true emotion were the antithesis of reasons to marry. Sexual love was frowned upon greatly and no woman should ever have had sex outside of marriage. Sex was something that was solely for procreating and nothing else. Although, it was considered that a man could not control his animal instincts and so if he had sex outside of marriage of ever cheated on his wife, it would not damage his social desirability or impair his reputation on society. Marriage in Victorian times was for a place in high society and financial stability and children. This is shown in Wuthering Heights when Cathy marries Edgar Linton instead of Heathcliff because she knows it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff. This is also very common in Victorian times; people were not to marry below their own class. They would marry above or in the same class as themselves. Victorian literature always focused on idealised representation of people who use work hard, perseverance and love to win out in the end. Good deeds will always be rewarded and wrongdoers will be punished. All novels were very moralistic and usually had a good social message or comment on society, for example, Oliver Twist. Victorian novels tended to be melodramatic, including features such as pathetic fallacy, exaggerated emotions, extreme passion and unrealistic characters. Victorian novels are also very long, with lots of characters, plots and intertwining sub plots. Wuthering Heights is very different from this in that it is set in a very isolated scene with a small number of characters. The relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff completely defies everything that was typical about a Victorian real-life relationship and the relationships in novels. They share such extreme passion and love for each other that shocked everyone who read in and the contemporary critics such as H. F. Chorley, who said the novel â€Å"was disagreeable and seem to affect painful and exceptional subjects. † The Atlas also said that each chapter â€Å"seems to affect painful and exceptional subjects†. People didn’t understand how a woman could understand and write so convincingly about something that she couldn’t possibly have experienced. Victorians were not allowed to spend any time alone with their partners until their engagement was official and even then they were only allowed to hold hands and were not to be alone together after midnight. Cathy and Heathcliff had grown up together and slept together as children and spent a lot of time alone in the moors and this was not accepted easily. Wild passion is a major theme in Wuthering Heights. The relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff is haunting and powerful and from the very start we can see the intensity of their feeling towards each other. There are various parts of this novel which make us certain that nothing could ever come between Cathy and Heathcliff. Cathy confesses her love for Heathcliff so passionately and sincerely, â€Å"I love him, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because whatever souls are made of his and mine are the same. † The reference to the souls shows that it is not physically love that they share but, even after death, their souls will still be as one and together. Nelly, I am Heathcliff,† they are the same person and even when Cathy dies she knows she will still be alive through Heathcliff. It is not physical, sexual desire that causes them to need each other, even though Cathy’s death destroys Heathcliff, but kind of a spiritual force which connects them together. This is also showed when Heathcliff says  "Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul! † There are also other love relationships to explore throughout Wuthering Heights, one of them being the relationship of Edgar Linton and Cathy. The relationship between the two is the exact opposite of that of Cathy and Heathcliff. Their marriage is of convenience to Cathy although Linton does adore Cathy very much. Cathy has typical reason to marry Edgar such as, â€Å"he’s handsome and pleasant to be with †¦ he is young and cheerful †¦ he will be rich, and I shall be the greatest woman of the neighbourhood. † At the time of the novel these were all perfectly acceptable reasons for wanting to marry someone and these were not things the Heathcliff could provide Cathy with. Cathy explains her conflicting emotions between Edgar and Heathcliff as, â€Å"moonbeam from lightning, or frost form fire. † Cathy and Edgar marriage is very Victorian, very typical and very acceptable, love was not a necessity. Although we can tell Edgar loves Cathy and that it means something in its own way, it is still only a mere affair next to the wild, uncontrolled passion of Cathy and Heathcliff. All of this leads me to say, no, Wuthering Heights does not reflect the attitudes of love and sex in Victorian times. Cathy and Edgars relationship defiantly does but it is not the main relationship in the novel and even so, Cathy, as a married woman still loves Heathcliff and spends time alone with him and this is not typical of a Victorian relationship as women practically belonged to their husbands and this is not the case here. This novel is completely different from other novels of its time as it doesn’t have a moral, the good are not rewarded and the bad are not punished and there was no social message, it has no defined place in literature.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on West African

The West Africa Regional War For observers of the West Africa regional war, the recent calm in the war-torn Mano River Union (MRU) states Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea has given rise to optimism. Guarded, as this optimism might be, the decrease in violence in West Africa during the second half of 2001 is an important development given the scope and intensity of fighting that gripped these states earlier in the year. While observers agree that the current absence of widespread violent conflict in the MRU is a much-welcomed development, it must not mask the profound cleavages within these societies, the tenuous nature of the UN-imposed peace in Sierra Leone, and the continued serious threat of renewed warfare in the region. A brief overview of the horrendous and persistent conflicts that have engulfed the MRU over the past decade underscores the need for vigilance by the international community in its pursuit of lasting peace in West Africa. The past dozen years of violent conflict in West Africa have led to the death, injury, and mutilation of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more. Conservative estimates place the total number of war-related deaths during the seven-year civil war in Liberia (1989 1996) at 150,000, more than 5 percent of Liberia's estimated population (SIPRI Yearbook, 1996). But this number only begins to tell the story of the horror that civil war brought to this small nation of 2.8 million [United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Human Development Report, 1995]. Hundreds of thousands more Liberians were injured, displaced, and terrorized by the conflict, and today the tiny state remains the hostage of its corrupt and brutal dictator, Charles Taylor. After the war spread into Sierra Leone in 1991, it had a similarly devastating effect. As in Liberia, armed insurgents preyed on the rural populations, raping, pillaging, and forcefully inducting children into their ranks. During t... Free Essays on West African Free Essays on West African The West Africa Regional War For observers of the West Africa regional war, the recent calm in the war-torn Mano River Union (MRU) states Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea has given rise to optimism. Guarded, as this optimism might be, the decrease in violence in West Africa during the second half of 2001 is an important development given the scope and intensity of fighting that gripped these states earlier in the year. While observers agree that the current absence of widespread violent conflict in the MRU is a much-welcomed development, it must not mask the profound cleavages within these societies, the tenuous nature of the UN-imposed peace in Sierra Leone, and the continued serious threat of renewed warfare in the region. A brief overview of the horrendous and persistent conflicts that have engulfed the MRU over the past decade underscores the need for vigilance by the international community in its pursuit of lasting peace in West Africa. The past dozen years of violent conflict in West Africa have led to the death, injury, and mutilation of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more. Conservative estimates place the total number of war-related deaths during the seven-year civil war in Liberia (1989 1996) at 150,000, more than 5 percent of Liberia's estimated population (SIPRI Yearbook, 1996). But this number only begins to tell the story of the horror that civil war brought to this small nation of 2.8 million [United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Human Development Report, 1995]. Hundreds of thousands more Liberians were injured, displaced, and terrorized by the conflict, and today the tiny state remains the hostage of its corrupt and brutal dictator, Charles Taylor. After the war spread into Sierra Leone in 1991, it had a similarly devastating effect. As in Liberia, armed insurgents preyed on the rural populations, raping, pillaging, and forcefully inducting children into their ranks. During t...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Difference Between Transgender and Transsexual Women

The Difference Between Transgender and Transsexual Women Transgender and transsexual are commonly confused terms that both refer to gender identity. Transgender is a broader, more inclusive category that includes all individuals who do not identify with the gender that corresponds to the sex they were assigned at birth. Transsexual is a more narrow category that includes individuals who desire to physically transition to the sex that corresponds with the gender with which they identify. (Note that the word gender is usually used to refer to social and cultural roles, while sex refers to physical attributes.) All transsexual persons are transgender. However, not all transgender persons are transsexual. Transgender women are sometimes referred to as trans women. Some may also be known as male-to-female transsexuals, MTFs, transsexual women, transgirls, or tgirls.  The term transsexual  originated as a medical term  and is  sometimes considered pejorative. It is always best to ask a person which term is preferred. Transgender vs. Transsexual   Although they both refer to gender identity, transgender and transsexual are terms with distinct meanings. That they are often used interchangeably has led to some confusion. In most cases, a transgender woman is a woman who was designated (also commonly referred to as assigned) male at birth but who identifies as a woman. Some transgender women may use the term AMAB (assigned male at birth) in describing their identity. She may take steps to transition, but these steps do not necessarily involve surgery or physical alterations. She may dress as a woman, refer to herself as a woman, or use a feminine name. (Note that some trans men may use the term AFAB, or assigned female at birth.) Not all transgender persons, however, identify with the man/woman, masculine/feminine binary. Some identify as gender nonconforming, nonbinary, genderqueer, androgynous, or third gender. For this reason, it is important never to assume that a transgender person identifies with a particular gender nor to assume what pronouns a person uses. Transitioning A transsexual woman is one who desires to physically transition to the sex that corresponds with the gender with which she identifies. Transitioning often includes taking hormones to suppress the physical characteristics of her assigned gender. Many transsexual women in the U.S. take hormone supplements, which can promote breast growth, change vocal pitch, and contribute in other ways to a more traditionally feminine appearance.  A transsexual might  even undergo gender reassignment surgery (also referred to as gender confirmation surgery or gender affirming surgery), where the anatomical features of the gender and sex assigned at birth are physically altered or removed. Strictly speaking, theres no such thing as a sex change operation. A woman can elect to have cosmetic surgeries done to alter her physical appearance to match conventional norms associated with the gender with which she identifies, but anyone can have these procedures done, regardless of their gender identity. These surgeries are not limited to transsexual people. Gender Identity vs. Sexual Orientation Gender identity is often confused with sexual orientation. The latter, however, refers only to a persons enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people and is not related to gender identity. A transgender woman, for example, may be attracted to women, men, both, or neither and this orientation has no bearing on her gender identity. She may identify as gay or lesbian, straight, bisexual, asexual, or may not name her orientation at all. Transgender vs. Transvestite Transgender women are  often incorrectly identified as transvestites. A transvestite, however, is an individual who wears clothing primarily associated with  the gender with whom he or she does not identify. A man may prefer to dress as a woman, but this does not make him transgender if he does not identify as a woman.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Manifest Destiny and the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Manifest Destiny and the Civil War - Essay Example The notable opposition on the issue led to a division in the Democratic Party (Catton, 2006). The sectional Debate was a special debate that revealed very difficult differences the USA had amongst itself. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, introduced by Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, had a huge impact on the Northerners. This is because it made them believe that the Act was slave power conspiracy to control the federal government. The Minnesota moved and amended the constitution that abolished slavery. Ohio decided to make it a punishable offence to own or have slaves. The Kansas-Nebraska Act seemed to favor the Southern parts. This was because they raised opposition against the passing of the railroad in their land. The Act was amended such that they were allowed to states that allowed the owning of slaves. This later led to the introduction of the many slave states. The Northerners in general opposed the idea and some of the big Whigs decided to form the Republican Party (Catton, 2006). Some of the slave in the United States included Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and New York. Later, New York and New Jersey became Free states. The Free states included Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Oregon, Iowa and Minnesota. The altering of the latitude line in the redrawing of the map made Utah and New Mexico areas that were open to slavery. The South did not gain from the compromise of 1850. This is because the states were highly dependent on the slave labor provided for by the slaves they owned. Unlike their Northern counterparts, the Southern lacked the ability to industrialize since they relied solely on cash crop production. The Northern states, however, were much luckier since they had added more miles of railroad, steel production, modern factories and even t he