Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Hitler and Germany Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Hitler and Germany - Term Paper Example During the World War II, the young scientist served in British intelligence. As soon as the war ended, he was delegated to Berlin. It was Trevor-Roper, who was appointed as the head of the British commission, investigating the circumstances of the death of Hitler. As the result of this work, he published a range of the authoritative studies of the Nazi Germany, among which was Hitler’s Table Talk, 1941-1944. According to Trevor-Roper’s edition, Hitler covered a range of questions and issues that, to his opinion, were crucial for the Nazi Germany, its supremacy in the world, and justification of the regime. The current essay will discuss one of these topics: the status of religion, particularly Christianity, according to Nazi leader and Nazi regime. Christianity was in the deep conflict with the racist ideology of Nazism. It is clearly illustrated by the religious beliefs of Hitler. He was born in the Catholic family, but idealized antiquity. The leader of Nazi rejected the Christian religion for the following reasons: Christianity protected the weak and downtrodden; Christianity had Jewish roots; forces people to bend by the sound of church bells; the first Christians were sick, exhausted, and desperate people (Trevor-Roper 78); the Christian dogma of forgiveness of sin, resurrection, and salvation seemed utterly absurd to the Nazi; Christian compassion was unworthy and harmful to the ideology of the strength of spirit (Trevor-Roper 397); the Christian idea of love to the neighbor was not relevant for Nazi ideology, because it paralyzed man; the Christian idea of equality protected the racially inferior and weak people that were unwanted in Nazi opinion. Initially, the Nazi party program contained a grain of Christian ideas. H owever, Christian commandments could not get along in one party program with strict racist principles. Soon, the religious values had been completely suppressed by the revived Nordic values and the idea of super-human. When
Monday, October 28, 2019
A View Inside The Westboro Baptist Church Essay Example for Free
A View Inside The Westboro Baptist Church Essay Unlike most modern religious groups, the Westboro Baptist Church is unique in the fact that the organization doesn’t meet in a modern church setting. Instead, the Westboro Baptist Church meets on Sundays to picket and protest the funerals of people whom they feel have created blasphemous acts against God. This recently included the funeral of Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs. In an October 7th cbsnews. com article journalist Edecio Martinez quoted Margie Phelps as posting on twitter, â€Å"He had huge platform†¦gave God no glory and taught sin. This in return yielded a great a greatly deal of responses by media, family, and some other government officials as well. This is the story behind the Westboro Baptist Church and its opposing counterparts. It is first important to understand the dynamics of the Westboro Baptist Church. Known for its fight against the alternative lifestyles of the homosexual community, the members of the Westboro Baptist Church have often times been referred to as the serial protesters and also have been characterized as a hate group. This church is an independent church founded by Fred Phelps in 1955. The group contains 71 members most of which are of Phelps family. Their congregations include picketing and the desecration of the American flag. Theologically speaking they refer to themselves as Calvinist. The church’s view is that most religious groups are Satan worshipers, frauds, and teach lies. They believe that â€Å"God Hates fags†and that it should be a crime. The two most notable groups that Westboro Baptist Church has chosen to picket are homosexuals and celebrities. This organization is without a question unique in its own rights. Since the Westboro Baptist Church popped up on the scene in Nov. 27, 1955, the public has had something to say about them. In efforts to expires the disapproval of the Westboro Baptist Church other groups have met in areas where the church was picketing and turned away from churches protesters. Perhaps one of the most famous counter protests happened after the September 11 attacks. One young man Jared Dailey , stood across from the group and held a sign that displayed, â€Å"NOT today Fred. †Two days later the number shifted from 1 to 86 people standing across from the group. In future protest against the group the slogan that began Dailey used has been popular in use. As a means to counter the Westboro Baptist church organizations such as, The Boston Center for the Arts and an ad-hoc group in Richmond countered the protest by doing pledges and then donating the money to LGBT (Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans-gender) organizational projects. Others have arranged protest and hackers have been known to hack the Westboro batiste Church websites and disable them from the internet. There have been violent actions also against the group. There have been recorded incidents of angry mob attempting to attack the group, a fire near their meeting lace estimated at $10,000 in damage, and also Army Veteran Ryan Newell was arrested with ammo and an attempt on an attack of the group. For the most part the general public objects to the Westboro Baptist Church and their beliefs. Arguments on both sides of the debacle have both taking time out to use the First Amendment in their defense. The Westboro Baptist Church found themselves in hot water when the father of the Marine Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder sued them for defamation of character, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress on June 5,2006. Although the court threw out the defamation and privacy suits due to the First Amendment the trial still went on for other charges. The family argued that even though the first amendment gives an American citizen the right to free speech it still is limited. On the judges mark the first amendment was recited and let it be known that if vulgar, offensive, or shocking statements were made, then that would be grounds of a guilty plea. The Plea was guilty on behalf of Fred and the other members of the Phelps family. The Westboro Baptist Church also took action as well, on July 21,2006; the ACLU (The American Civil Liberties Union) of eastern Missouri filed a suit for Shirley L. Phelps-Roper. This suit stated that the Missouri law saying that no one was allowed to picket in front of a church or a funeral an hour before or an hour after was preventing her from utilizing her right to religious liberty and free speech. Although the argument was relevant the courts still shot down the suit stating that â€Å"in individual states and cities the law is interpreted as they see fit because the amendment is vague as to the terms and conditions. The Phelps family continued on still to federal court in hopes of a win. On both sides of the argument each have had valid point that the first amendment protects both sides. As the situation continued, it called for the Supreme Court to step in. The Supreme Court stated that even though they do not agree with the Westboro’s acts they still have to aside with them due to the First Amendment of freedom of speech. The Supreme Court quoted â€Å"that freedom of speech is so central to the nation that it protects cruel and unpopular protests even, in this case, at the moment of a familys most profound grief. The Westboro Baptist Church is an organization of people with their own beliefs and opinions. Their religion no matter how extreme it may be is still what they believe to be a religion. Time has shown the world many interpretations of God worshipers, and many interpretations of religion, and the Bible. This is not the first group to have these views and probably won’t be the last. The world is a big place with many different people and it is important to look past the ignorance and see the importance of accepting everyone for who they are like it or not.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
David Hume - Naturalistic Metaethics, Politics, and Psychology :: Philosophy David Hume
David Hume - Naturalistic Metaethics, Politics, and Psychology ABSTRACT: According to the views expressed in this paper, influences unrelated to the conclusions of Immanuel Kant and G. E. Moore respecting what they saw as the appropriate foundation for moral systems seems to have been at work in the reactions of both to the earlier criticisms of David Hume. Building on a "recent meeting" with Hume in a pub on Princes Street in Edinburgh, I develop the suggestion that both Kant and Moore were loyal to traditional notions of an intuited, non-prudential basis for ethical injunctions. Kant, by his insistence that any morality linked only to hypothetical imperatives cannot be truly "moral," and Moore by his refusal to see the emptiness of his posited "good as simply good" which he felt must be kept free of any corrupting reference to real-world prudential constituents, thus support the foundation of ethical systems in an inner, unanalyzable moral impulse. And they do so in obedience to commitments that antedate their moral philosophies. I also claim that Hume has been misunderstood in that he did not mean to oppose the naturalistic grounding of moral systems in his famous statement disjoining is-statements from ought-statements; what he really intended was to point out the illogic of moralists who improperly pretend to derive categorical or intuited moral imperatives from real-world is-statements while denying any prudentiality or a posteriority to the transaction. Because both maintain that this simple inner moral impulse must be independent of prudential considerations in making moral decisions and judgments, Kant and Moore oppose naturalistic ethical systems which, like J.S. Mill's, suggest that this-worldly welfare and happiness are in large part coexistent with the true meaning of morality. Their position, therefore, places both of these proponents of intuitionist metaethics at odds with the principle of political social democrats that a respectable moral system must place worldly satisfactions and happiness above obedienc e to any putative "higher" moral law and its intuited imperatives. I had a talk with David Hume one rainy night recently in a pub in Edinburgh, overâ€â€naturallyâ€â€kippers with brown bread and a pint of stout or two. He let me in on a secret and gave me leave to whisper it in turn to a few friends. Which is why I jotted down this account of our meeting and am presenting it to you here. Remember what that great analyst wrote to set in motion the train of thought that culminated in G.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
ESL Lesson Plan: Celebrating Christmas in Canada :: essays research papers
Students: 14 adult ESL students at an advanced level in the English language. They all have high levels of literacy in their L1 and are learning English for academic purposes. The students are seem to be very interested in the Canadian culture and have been asking many questions about the upcoming holiday, Christmas. Many of the students have been living in Canada for close to one year and have not experienced the â€Å"Canadian Christmas†. Context: It is the early month of December and the students have been already reading, writing and hearing about Christmas in Canada. To date, they have already shared their cultural practices during Christmas, if any, and are now interested in the Canadian culture. They are familiar with the concept of Christmas and some key terms, like Santa Clause, Christmas tree, etc. The length of this class is two hours with one fifteen minute coffee break, after one hour.      Objectives: ▸     To practice scanning for information ▸     To recall and use vocabulary previously learned ▸     To learn and use new vocabulary: -Christmas/Evergreen tree          -Christmas Decorations (tinsel, ornaments, etc.) -Christmas Carols               -Christmas Presents -Church Services               -Roasted Turkey -Christmas Stockings               -Santa Clause -Christmas Eve ▸     To foster interpersonal relationships through group work ▸     To practice using different descriptive words to illustrate an idea to a peer Materials: ▸     Marx, D.F. (2000). Christmas. Toronto: Children’s Press. ▸     Chalkboard/Chalk or Dry Erase Board/ Markers. ▸     Describe and Draw game rules (from Bryrne, D. (1979). Communication games: a teaching aid. Windsor: NFER Publishing.) ▸     Christmas pictures for Describe and Draw Game from magazines ▸     Magazines with Christmas pictures ▸     14 pieces of poster paper ▸     Scissors/glue/tape               ▸     Tape/CD player with Christmas carols Procedures: (1) Students participate in a discussion of the following questions: (45 min)      A.     What do you already know about the Canadian Christmas? Have you ever celebrated Christmas in Canada before? What would you like to learn about celebrating Christmas in Canada?      B.     (The teacher reads the book Christmas by David F. Marx, ensuring that all students can see the illustrations, to improve comprehension) What words come out of the book that you are unfamiliar with? (The teacher makes a list on board of unknown words). Following completion of the book, the class approaches the unknown word list on the board. The teacher explains the words using pictures from the book as well as relating the words to other things that they already know.      C.     What are some interesting things that you have learned about the multicultural Canadian Christmas? (2) Students will participate in the â€Å"Describe and Draw†game. (See attached rules and pictures). (15 min.)      A.     (The teacher explains rules to the game, and then walks two volunteers through a couple of rounds until students feel comfortable).
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Plato and Moral Authority
Kathryn Kelsven Dr. David Sgarlatta Humanities 253 December 21, 2012 Comparing Two Readings After reading Plato’s Apology and Leviticus 17-27, I found several differences in the way people are judged for the crimes they have committed as well as, by what are actually considered crimes or sins. I want to explore these differences by asking two questions to each reading: What kind of behavior constitutes as a sin or a crime? What is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments? In Plato’s Apology, what constitutes as a sin or a crime?Socrates was accused of being a â€Å"doer of evil, and a corrupter of the youth, and he does not believe in the gods of the state, and has other divinities of his own†(Apology 1). These are all things that Meletus has brought Socrates to court for. These are all these that are considered to be a crime to Meletus and the Athenians throughout Apology, as Socrates proves this by continuously taking each item he is accus ed of and asking Meletus and the Athenians if they believe it to be true. In Leviticus 17-27, what constitutes as a sin or a crime?Throughout the reading there are several different times where the LORD speaks to Moses and tells him to let the people know that if they do not follow his command then they are disobeying him. In Leviticus chapter 22:1-2, it states. †The LORD said to Moses, â€Å"Tell Aaron and his sons to respect the sacred offerings which the Israelites consecrate to me; else they will profane my holy name. I am the LORD. †(Leviticus 22). Here, disrespecting a sacred offering is considered a sin. There are also many other examples of what is considered a sin.In chapter 19:4, â€Å"†Do not turn aside to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I, the LORD, am your God. †(Leviticus 19). In this case, you should not worship idols or make idols because that would be going against the LORD who is your God. Also in Chapter 17:3-4 it says, †Å"Any Israelite who slaughters an ox or a sheep or a goat, whether in the camp or outside of it, without first bringing it to the entrance of the meeting tent to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of his Dwelling, shall be judged guilty of bloodshed; and for this, such a man shall be cut off from among his people. (Leviticus 17). In this section, anyone who does not first present his killing as an offering is automatically considered guilty for bloodshed and is cut off from the people. All of these examples show what are considered sins in Leviticus, and there are many more. In Plato’s Apology, what is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments? Socrates is brought before judges. After asking Meletus what he means by calling him an Atheist, Meletus says, â€Å"I assure you, judges, that he does not believe in them; for he says that the sun is stone, and the moon earth. (Apology 3). Meletus is trying to prove to the judges, being the ones that w ill make the ultimate decision of what happens, that Socrates does not believe in any gods. In the very beginning of all of this, after Socrates makes his opening statement, he says, â€Å"Tell the judges, then, who is their improver; for you must know, as you have taken the pains to discover their corrupter, and are citing and accusing me before them†(Apology 1). Again the judges are to be told something in order to prove a point.This all shows that in Plato’s Apology the judges are the moral authority behind laws and legal judgments. In Leviticus 17-27, what is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments? In each chapter we see that the very first statement is always â€Å"The LORD said to Moses†(Leviticus 17-27). This statement is not only at the beginning of every chapter but it is also throughout the chapters. Each time this statement is made it is followed by a law that the LORD is giving to the people. There will also follow some sort of punishment if that law is not followed. The LORD said to Moses,†Tell the Israelites: Anyone, whether an Israelite or an alien residing in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech shall be put to death†(Leviticus 20). This is a perfect example. The LORD tells Moses what the law is and then follows up with how the people will be punished if not to follow the law; in this case they will be put to death. The LORD is clearly the one and only one to be of any kind of authority when it comes to laws and legal judgments. Both of these readings have very different ideas as to what a sin or a crime is, as well as who is the authority on the laws that have been made.Leviticus is based on there being one authoritarian who decides the laws and decides your punishments if you disobey those laws. In Leviticus you have no way to argue against you convictions. What the LORD says, goes. Also, in Leviticus there are several different criteria for what is considered a sin as com pared to Apology, where there are just a few things brought up that are considered to be a sin or a crime. Apology is based off convincing the people or the judges of what is right or wrong and letting them decide your fate. You have a chance to fight for yourself and prove yourself to be innocent.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
McDonalds Company Corporate Social Responsibility
McDonalds Company Corporate Social Responsibility Competition is an integral part of any firm’s functioning; the choice of the means, strategies, and tools to enhance the firm’s competitive advantage is often the key to understanding the roots to its success or failure, as well as the issues connected with its competitive behavior.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on McDonalds Company Corporate Social Responsibility specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Every business owner wants to be successful, and wants to receive the highest revenue possible. Nevertheless, there are always certain limitations, requirements, and factors that produce a complex influence on the firm’s functioning and predetermine its profitability. Business stakeholders should always keep in mind that the firm cannot function in an isolated way; the strategic success of any company depends first of all on the way it attracts customers. One of the effective tools to improve communicatio n with customers, to raise the corporate image and reputations, and to preserve a positive social image, is to get actively involved in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues. They are nowadays recognized as one of the dominant factors affecting the company performance; CSR has become particularly important under the conditions of the modern economic crisis when large corporations cooperate with worldwide NGOs and governmental authorities in order to help states overcome the problems of unemployment, hazards to health, and inequality of people (Royle 2005, p. 42). The majority of large and successful corporations pose corporate social responsibility as one of their top priorities in business operations; it is evident that this way they manage to cater for their customers and to create the constant, stale, and reciprocal relationships with their clients. In case corporate social responsibility standards are kept to, there is always much more customer confidence loyalty. As in case with McDonalds that is the subject of the present paper, the mission statement of the company clearly states that the main task of the company is to create unique and unforgettable experiences for their customers (McDonald’s Corporate Responsibility Values in Practice). The present mission statement is clearly customer-focused, which will surely create a positive feedback from customers feeling that they are valued.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is true that the core assumption lying in the basis of the Porter’s model is that the industry structure produces a strong and inevitable influence on the firm’s performance. The five forces outlined by Michael Porter include the threat for businesses because of the entry of new market participants, the intensity of rivalry firms experience inside the market segment, the pressure from prod uct substitutes or very similar products of rivals, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers (Ormanidhi Stringa 2008, p. 57). Therefore, engagement in CSR activities falls within the framework of ‘intensity of rivalry’ – all fast food leaders in the field have strong positions, and they can easily survive even under the conditions of fierce competition. McDonalds is the $40 billion company that employed about 1.6 million workers worldwide in 2005, and reported serving 46 million of customer a day (Royle 2005, p. 45). McDonalds has been involved in the corporate social responsibility activities for a long time, since its administration realized the potential for the corporation in the socially responsible approach. Even upon a glance at their CSR philosophy, one can assume that McDonalds provides 10% of Americans with their first job, and has become the number one job training center in the USA, which creates a highly positive reputation and image for the com pany and improves its position regarding its competitors (Royle 2005, p. 45). There is a great number of corporate social responsibility activities in which McDonalds is currently involved; upon viewing its social responsibility page at the official McDonalds website, one can see that there are the following CSR activities McDonalds pursues: Proper care about nutrition and well-being of customer Expanding the food menu for children with proper attention paid to their unique needs Education and information provision about useful nutrition Implementation of the forestry policy Popularizing environmental considerations on product packaging Provision of financial and volunteer support for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Proliferation of volunteer activities through an online management tool Publicizing all production and transportation processes through the â€Å"from Farm to Front Counter†program (McDonalds Corporation Worldwide Corporate Responsibility 2010 Report 2010 , pp. 6-10). It is not only a strong focus on the customer satisfaction but also considerations of profitability that make the CSR activities of McDonalds effective. There is a feasible contribution that McDonalds makes to the economies of the countries in which its major markets operate, such as the USA; for example, the expenditures for philanthropic activities in 2006 constituted $13.6 million, while the 2009 figure equals $19 million.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on McDonalds Company Corporate Social Responsibility specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The McDonalds Corporation paid $493 million of social taxes in 2006, and the figure rose to $568 million in 2009 (McDonalds Corporation Worldwide Corporate Responsibility 2010 Report 2010, p. 10). However, at the same time the corporation experiences substantial gains deriving from the introduction of CSR initiatives. For instance, the electricity consumption rates ha ve decreased considerably to the level of 1.689 kWh/TC, 100% of meat-producing plants go through thorough certification and analysis, and more than 90% of employees receive their professional certification in the McDonalds-owned Hamburger Universities (McDonalds Corporation Worldwide Corporate Responsibility 2010 Report 2010, pp. 7-10). The popularity of CSR activities has been realized by all leaders in the fast food market, which is proven by the active engagement in such actions by other US leaders in the fast food industry such as Burger King, KFC, and Pizza Hut (Royle 2005, p. 45). The present observation supports the claims of Ormanidhi and Stringa (2008) about the applicability of the Porter’s Five Forces model to the assessment of CSR activities as well, since they contain the element of competition for the customer loyalty as well. The deep involvement in community work, volunteer work, and other types of CSR activities called philanthropic activity by the company ar e first of all driven by the effort to reduce the negative impact of such Porter’s force as ‘pressure from substitutes’. There is a clear indication on the emphasis put by the company administration on authenticity of their products and services. Even their mission statement claims about the creation of unique customer experiences for each single client coming to a McDonald’s restaurant. In addition, the business objectives published at the official side of McDonalds indicate the wish to take care about customers’ health, and to place their customers and commitment to them to the core of their corporate values. Obviously, it is a clearly beneficial competitive strategy, since the principle of ‘stakeholder democracy’ is fully retained at each level of the corporation’s functioning (Royle 2005, p. 42).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another popular CSR activity that McDonalds has implemented only recently is the online discussion blog â€Å"Open for Discussion†initiated by the company in order to engage in closer and more active communication with customers and stakeholders on health and environmental issues (Fleck, Fieseler, Meckel 2009, p. 1). It is an experimental form of communication between the complex body of an organization and its stakeholders that proved highly successful and beneficial in terms of ensuring the implementation of corporate business objectives, tracking customer satisfaction, and monitoring the feedback received from customers as well. The present feature of the McDonalds CSR activities is also directed at reduction of the ‘pressure of substitutes’ factor from the Porter’s five forces model of competition. There is a clear advantage in communication tools that McDonalds employs, and the CSR activities it undertakes provide the corporation with a confident co mpetitive advantage, and customer loyalty in the industry with very easy entry conditions. Arriving at a conclusion in the discussion of McDonalds CSR activities ensuring its sound competitiveness in the market of fast food, one should assume that the company has chosen the correct focus of its CSR initiatives, and manages to secure its leading place in the global fast food production and service. The competitive business strategy of the company is highly adjusted to the current needs of all stakeholders, including investors, shareholders, customers, and international controlling institutions. The business strategy of McDonalds is focused on environmental protection, care about health and well-being of clients, education for staff, and adjustment to customer needs. The company also ensures transparency of its processes (e.g., through the â€Å"From Farm to Front Counter†manual). In the industry offering more or less standardized and comparatively cheap products, the present strategy wins a leading role, positive reputation, and beneficial social image for McDonalds, ensuring its profitability and diminished impact of Porter’s five forces of competition. References Fleck, M, Fieseler, C, Meckel, M 2009, ‘Micro-Dialogues in Cyberspace – McDonalds Blogging Efforts in Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility online. The 59th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Chicago, IL. McDonald’s Corporate Responsibility Values in Practice 2011, McDonalds Official Site. Web. McDonald’s Corporation Worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility 2010 Report 2010. Web. Ormanidhi, O, Stringa, O 2008, ‘Porters Model of Generic Competitive Strategies: An insightful and convenient approach to firms’ analysis’, Business Economics, July 2008, pp. 55-64. Royle, T 2005, ‘Realism or idealism? Corporate social responsibility and the employee stakeholder in the global fast-food industry†™, Business Ethics: a European Review, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 42-55.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Trelawny of the Wells Summary and Analyzation essays
Trelawny of the Wells Summary and Analyzation essays Arthur Wing Pinero's Trelawny of the Wells was one that I personally was open-minded to when required to see the production at the Ruth Halls Theatre. Because theatre and art interest me, I expected the production of Trelawny to be quite well. When I came to the Wednesday production, I wanted to examine the design qualities and aspects of the play. In a previous theatre class, I tried to examine the acting quality and styles of the production, but failed to recall as much as I would have liked for the response paper. Although the plot of Trelawny of the Wells was disappointing and bland, the costume, sound, scene, and lighting design helped enhance the performance of the actors and suspense of the audience. The beginning of the first act of Trelawny was confusing. There was not a clear connection to what the characters names were and it was difficult to understand what Mr. Albett was saying. I found myself fiddling through the program trying to figure out whom he was speaking to. I do understand that actor playing Mr. Albett had to use slang type of English, but it was frustrating trying to figure out what was being said. The costume design of this scene had me very interested because the social class of the characters could be determined by their clothing. I first questioned Tom Wrench's costume because I seen a few tears on his shoulder and knee and thought it was the fault of the costume designer, but throughout the production I realized that he was a gypsy and could not afford the lavish The color contrast used for the costume design in the first act was very apparent and positive. Rose Trelawny was introduced in the first act in a white dress that was of higher class than Mr. Wrench's clothing even though they were both employed by the Wells theatre. One could recognize that Rose must have been looked high upon because of white gown, which represented pureness in ...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
The Enron and Worldcom Scandals Essays
The Enron and Worldcom Scandals Essays The Enron and Worldcom Scandals Paper The Enron and Worldcom Scandals Paper E. Boos – Week 2 – Assignment February 17, 2013 The Enron and WoldCom Scandals ENRON 1. The segment of Enron’s operations that got them into difficulties had several parts. They published misleading financial reports. They could not meet their bridge financing commitment with Barclay Bank because outside investors were not found. Because of this, they restated activities of JEDI and Chewco SPEs so they could be retroactively consolidated into Enron’s accounts. The SPEs helped to hide the inaccurate accounting records. Enron’s legal department wrote contracts that helped provide a cover for misuse of funds regarding the SPEs. Future revenue was reported as current revenue. Stocks were paid with promissory notes instead of cash. They also engaged in off-the-books activities and excessive executive compensation. Enron’s board of directors allowed the executives, accountants and legal department to use Special Purpose Entities (SPEs), a type of partnership, in an attempt to camouflage their debt and create a facade of financial stability (Brooks, 2007). 3. Enron’s directors understood how profits were made. They also knew management’s activities were dishonest. Andrew Fastow was active in forming the SPE partnerships and his affiliation with LJM2 was a conflict of interest. When Enron began experiencing financial problems in October 2001, the board of directors began holding special meetings. They were paid with cash, restricted stock, phantom stock units and stock options. The Senate Subcommittee Report, dated July 8, 2002, found that the Enron board of directors was aware that employees participated in management of the SPEs which was a conflict of interest. The directors ignored the inaccurate accounting, extensive unrecorded activities and excessive executive compensation. The Senate report discovered that the board of directors knew of financial activities between Enron and some of the board’s members. The board permitted consulting services, internal audits, and external audits to be performed by the same company, namely, Arthur Andersen (Brooks, 2007). 5. Ken Lay was chairperson of the board. He reassumed the position of CEO after Skilling resigned. As CEO he oversaw all of Enron’s activities. Lay and Whaley directed Causey to sell the Raptor SPEs. The sale price of was privately negotiated between Fastor, on behalf of Enron, and Kopper on behalf of LJM2. Lay did not interfere when Arthur Andersen directed Enron to record the buyout excess money as income. He knowingly allowed fraudulent activities and false information to be included in the financial reports. This was unethical. The Powers Report identifies seven questionable accounting issues concerning the sale of the Raptors (Brooks, 2007). 6. The board of directors did not insist that full disclosure of Enron’s earning be made available to the public and the shareholders. They allowed inaccurate reports to be published. Since they did not challenge management involvement in fraudulent activities, this meant the shareholders interests were not protected (Brooks, 2007). 9. Conflict of interest concerning SPE activities occurred because Enron employees were active in managing certain SPEs. Losses were not reported in end of year reports to offset other nonprofitable dealings. Arthur Andersen did not report all of the earnings and helped Enron cover up losses. When Andrew Fastow, wanted to manage the SPE, Chewco, he was advised by Jeffrey Skilling who was on the board of directors, that he should not manage Chewco because it would be a conflict of interest. Instead, Fastow appointed Michael Kopper who worked for him at Enron, to manage Chewco (Brooks, 2007). WORLDCOM 1. To inflate their profit in the current period, WorldCom created overstatements of cash flow and income by inaccurately reporting line costs. Line costs were a major expense to WorldCom. They were payments WorldCom made to third party telecommunicator network providers for the right to access their networks. These costs should have been shown as an expense rather than appearing on the income statement (Brooks, 2007). 2. WorldCom’s board of directors could have prevented the manipulation of revenue that management used if they had not been intimidated by Bernie Ebbers. They allowed themselves to be intimidated by Bernie Ebbers when he did not want their questions answered or give them more definitive explanations. Eventually, they demanded Bernie Ebber’s resignation and he resigned. The board of directors scheduled periodic meetings with WorldCom. The directors should have been more involved and familiar with WorldCom’s activities and efforts to manipulate expenses and decreased income (Brooks, 2007). 4. Bernie Ebbers was the CEO of WorldCom, the CFO was Scott Sullivan and David Myers was the Controller. Prior to working for WorldCom they had worked for Arthur Andersen. Arthur Andersen was the auditor for WorldCom. That is why the accountants did not say or do anything to prevent Ebbers’ manipulation of WorldCom’s financial reports (Brooks, 2007). . Ebbers received $408. 2 million dollars as a loan to buy WorldCom stock or for margin calls as the stock price fell. Instead of using the money for the purpose he received it, he used it to buy a cattle ranch in Canada, build a new home, pay for personal expenses of a family member, and provide loans to family and friends (Brooks, 2007). Reference: Brooks, L. J. (2007). Business professional eth ics for directors, executives, accountants (4th ed. ). 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Saturday, October 19, 2019
H.W Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2
H.W - Assignment Example Secondly, teams at the workplace improve professional relationships, cooperation, and understanding among workers. Consequently, improved quality and quantity of work output enhances organizational success. In addition, teams significantly contribute towards enhancing motivation among employees. Further, they also help in shaping up trust among employees and the top management resulting into better and high productivity. It is imperative for every manager to adopt initiatives that ensure improvements in team performance. The foremost step is to organize for a day trip. Manager should organize for trips in an effort to reward the employees who showed exemplary performance in their past work. Bonding, free interaction, and encouragement take effect. Further, it gives employees break from work. The second way of improving performance is through encouraging informal address. At this point, managers take a break from the norms of formal interaction with the employees and urge them to speak freely (Griffin and Gregory 261). As a result, workers and their bosses share ideas through open communication hence maintaining healthy work relations. Management should also recognize and celebrate performance of identified exemplary employees. The employees who achieve excellence or success in their duties demand appreciation and recognition. Management rewards the employees with either promotion or special packages that motivating workers and inspires the other employees. Managers should encourage group discussion sessions that act as a forum for successful team members to shares their achievement with colleagues. Similarly, the managers may inquire about employees about their views and suggestions. Consequently, the gesture promotes teamwork, employee confidence, value, and a feeling of belonging by all staff members. To ensure effectiveness in the team, manager should conduct activities including employee feedback
Friday, October 18, 2019
Long-Term Investment Decisions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Long-Term Investment Decisions - Research Paper Example Internal factors are the factors that are influenced by the business establishment internally while external factors are factors that affect an investment where the business establishment has no control over. An example of such factors is government involvement. Why Government Regulation is or is not needed Normally, market structures and systems are formed by the various aspects of demand and supply. However, governments intervene in the market systems in various ways. Such ways include taxation, subsidies, allocation of rights, and rules and regulations among others. One reason why the United States of America government intervenes in the market economy is to ensure that there is free and fair competition. This, it does in various ways the notable one being putting various rules and regulation in the market economy. This is especially done to allow new business establishments entry into the market. Major corporations are known to merge or acquire another business establishment in o rder to ensure that they maintain their control over the market. This makes it hard for small business establishments especially new ones to enter the market thus discouraging entrepreneurship which repels investments. Another reason why there is the need for government intervention in the market economy is to ensure that indigenous companies and business establishments are safeguarded. This is especially the case when it comes to the farming industry where the United States of America government offers help to farmers through subsidies and tax exemptions to farmers in order for them to compete with International Corporation, which has an advantage of the farmers in terms of various factors such as availability of cheap labor. There is the need for government’s intervention in the market economy when it comes to goods and services which are sensitive to nature. For example, the government must control the production, sale, and buying of firearms and ammunition since this is a n issue which is sensitive. Another sector that the government intervenes as a necessity due to sensitivity is the provision of public services such as health, water, education, security, and electricity. There is need of government intervention is such instances due to the fact that these are human needs that when left to the private-sector control they might lead to chaos due to various factors. Finally, yet importantly, the government intervenes in a market economy to ensure that it has access to enough revenue to meet the country's needs. This is usually done through taxation where the government influences the market economy in order to generate its revenue. The rationale for the Intervention of Government in the Market Process in the U.S The need for government intervention in economic markets in the United States of America provides the rationale for the government’s involvement in the market process in the country. Firstly, the fact that government intervention in the market process in the United States of America results in social equity is a major motivator for the government to regulate the business processes in America. Â
Marketing distribution management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Marketing distribution management - Essay Example For instance, even though Windows 7 was a perfectly competent operating system, Microsoft felt the need to come up with a superior variant in Windows 8 which provides users with a more interactive interface with more engaging features. Microsoft’s primary market segment is that of teenagers and young adults. Its new line of products include Windows phones and tablets, as well as the Xbox One, which are all products demanded by people belonging to these age groups. The need to constantly innovate to protect market share due to the continuous emergence of inventive products, such as Android smartphones and PlayStation 4, by competitors remains the company’s biggest challenge. The recent outlay of $405 million on the marketing of Windows tablets is testament to this fact (Warren). Microsoft has traditionally held a very mature and adult like persona in the minds of the public due its strong association with Windows operating systems. However, the company has recently undergone a rebranding process of transforming its logos and portfolio (The Globe and Mail). Its entry in the tablets market and its acquisition of Nokia’s cellphone division and subsequent marketing of ‘Lumia’ has showcased that it now wants to appeal to a younger audience and portray itself as ‘cool’. However, it faces stiff competition with the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC having already occupied that position and possessing greater experience in these markets. The Globe and Mail. Microsoft Rebrands: First New Logo in 25 Years. 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/business-technology/microsoft-rebrands-first-new-logo-in-25-years/article4495185/ Warren, Tom. "Microsoft to Spend $405 Million on Windows Marketing, Aims for 16 Million Tablet Sales." The Verge, 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Microbial Fuel Cells (Design Study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Microbial Fuel Cells (Design Study) - Essay Example We are, today, faced with an extraordinary situation in which the world population has reached a stage where the conventional sources of energy like fossil fuels have been depleted so much that there is little hope for the coming generations to be able to harness any of it. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover sustainable sources of energy that will not only help in reducing the carbon footprint but can also be replicated in the developing nations. A literature review on such alternative sources of energy revealed that microbial fuel cells, which employ microorganisms to biodegrade pollutants from the environment to generate electricity, are a novel method of reclaiming natural resources along with providing a new means of generating energy. This design study will be an effort towards determining the cost-efficiency of traditional MFCs versus a simple, single chambered MFC comprising of cheaper components. The purpose of the experiment will be to popularize the inexpensive MFCs and show if scaled up, they can present a low-price energy source, which will at the same time be used for bioremediation of water resources polluted by effluents. Microbial fuel cells work on the principle that some microorganisms called electricigens produce electricity while metabolizing wastewater for their sustenance. The MFC consists of a semi-permeable membrane or cation exchange membrane that allows ions to pass through them but not the microbes; two electrodes, usually the cathode is made up of platinum and the anode is carbon graphite or carbon cloth. It is fitted by a wire to complete the external circuit (Microbal Fuel Cell, 2008). Wastewater is made to flow through the anaerobic compartment and the bacterial metabolic action on the wastewater allows electrons to become free and the cell starts conducting electricity. To compare the electricity outputs
Resident in Singapore Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words
Resident in Singapore - Assignment Example Therefore, any individual who does not lie in the definition given or a company, in that case, is definitely a non-resident. (statutes.agc.gov.sg, 2007) The main difference between resident and non-resident individuals and companies comes in when the tax is subjected to them. This is as is explained. Individuals who are non-resident are liable to pay tax on the entire income that is sourced from Singapore but for situations where the income in question is exempted from taxation. Exempted income may include interest income that is gained from amounts deposited in a Singapore approved bank as stipulated in Section 13(1)(t). Any income derived from foreign by a non-resident individual in Singapore is not subject to tax as per Section 13(7A)(a). Non-resident individuals were charged tax on all income derived from Singapore at 20% in the year 2008. (Tan, 2009 p348) The taxation basis for resident and non-resident companies alike is the same from a generic point of view. The only differenc e is that some benefits are enjoyable by resident companies only like the benefits that arise from Double Taxation Agreements by Singapore and other nations. The partial exemptions of tax like lower effective rates of tax that are usually capped at the rate of 8.5% upon the first SOK of the profits that are subject to tax per annum of tax assessment. Tax-exempt dividends, as well as Goods and Services Tax, are other tax-exempt incomes that Singaporean Companies enjoy, unlike non-resident companies. (urbanaohio.org, 2009) Types of payment subjects to and exempted from withholding tax Withholding tax is a kind of tax where tax is deducted at source and it only applies to specific income types to both non-resident companies and individuals. The income in question should have been derived from Singapore and it must have been by non-resident persons either for work done or services provided in this nation. In the transaction case where a Singapore individual or company pays services to a non-resident, a portion of that payment has to be withheld and later handed over to IRAS- Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. This withheld amount is known as withholding tax. This tax type does not, however, apply in any way to resident companies or individuals. Specific payment types are subject to withholding tax for companies that are non-resident. These are; firstly, fee, commission, and interest with regards to any indebtedness or loan. Here where a resident company/individual is liable to pay interest on unpaid trade accounts or on credit terms to a non-resident person who has supplied such or even a loan, here withholding tax is applicable. These kinds of payment attract withholding tax at 15% rate.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Microbial Fuel Cells (Design Study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Microbial Fuel Cells (Design Study) - Essay Example We are, today, faced with an extraordinary situation in which the world population has reached a stage where the conventional sources of energy like fossil fuels have been depleted so much that there is little hope for the coming generations to be able to harness any of it. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover sustainable sources of energy that will not only help in reducing the carbon footprint but can also be replicated in the developing nations. A literature review on such alternative sources of energy revealed that microbial fuel cells, which employ microorganisms to biodegrade pollutants from the environment to generate electricity, are a novel method of reclaiming natural resources along with providing a new means of generating energy. This design study will be an effort towards determining the cost-efficiency of traditional MFCs versus a simple, single chambered MFC comprising of cheaper components. The purpose of the experiment will be to popularize the inexpensive MFCs and show if scaled up, they can present a low-price energy source, which will at the same time be used for bioremediation of water resources polluted by effluents. Microbial fuel cells work on the principle that some microorganisms called electricigens produce electricity while metabolizing wastewater for their sustenance. The MFC consists of a semi-permeable membrane or cation exchange membrane that allows ions to pass through them but not the microbes; two electrodes, usually the cathode is made up of platinum and the anode is carbon graphite or carbon cloth. It is fitted by a wire to complete the external circuit (Microbal Fuel Cell, 2008). Wastewater is made to flow through the anaerobic compartment and the bacterial metabolic action on the wastewater allows electrons to become free and the cell starts conducting electricity. To compare the electricity outputs
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10
Economics - Essay Example Keynesian economists Before Keynes, the classical school of economic thought prevailed and this school did not develop any integrated macroeconomic theory, there existed mainly postulates which expressed economic ideas. Their key postulates suggested that full employment will prevail in the long run is market forces of demand and supply were permitted to perform freely. Even if unemployment occurs it will be a short run impact. They also suggested that demand will always be equal to output in such a case and equilibrium will continue to exist in the long run. These ideas were proven to be wrong with the advent of the Great Depression of the 30s. The classical laissez-faire doctrine failed to hold. Unemployment (3 percent to 25 percent from 1929 to 1933) began to spread largely in the economies ruled by the free market industrial mechanism leading to fall in Gross National Production (fell by 30 percent) and price level fell by 23 percent (Dwivedi, 2005, p. 13). In an attempt to solve the problem, Keynes developed the modern macroeconomic theory which is associated with employment, growth and stability. According to Keynes, output and employment levels are functions of total resources available in the economy, unemployment is the result of shortfall in aggregate demand as well as economic variations brought about by deficiency in demand. This can be got rid of through government spending. This last aspect was introduced by Keynes as a tool for demand management. Such spending would therefore crowd out private investments and via the multiplier effect it would have favourable impact on income and employment. The time span between the 30s and 90s is known as the period of ‘Keynesian Revolution’ (Dornbusch, 2005, p.443). Keynesian policies were adopted by most nations’ governments in developed economies. However in reality, economic world goes through evolutions from time to time and transits form one system to another. Monetarists In the 1970s Keynesian economic thoughts began to show its loopholes as the fiscal policies did no longer solve the economic problems of developed nations consisting of low growth, high unemployment and inflation levels. Then there was the problem of stagflation in the early 70s. Keynes had theorized that disflation would be brought about with unemployment but the economy witnessed bad performance in both areas. As per Keynes’ suggestion, taxes and interest could be reduced in order to ensure inflow of money into the economy. However that would bring about inflation. A new phase of economists, who were popularised as monetarists, emerged. Monetarism could be known as ‘Counter Revolution’ and this group was directed by Milton Friedman who showed that Keynesian policy failed to forecast gross national output, price, unemployment rate and interest rate. He showed money supply changes could influence inflation levels in future time periods in nonlinear manner. This led to the eme rgence of a new thought of revolution. Where the role of money was the key idea behind growth and national income’s stability in the short run and determines price level in long run. This shifted the idea of aggregate real output’s demand towards the demand and supply of money at aggregate level. This also brought about a long span of debate between the monetarists and Keynesians centring on â€Å"
Web Conferencing Programs Research Memo Essay Example for Free
Web Conferencing Programs Research Memo Essay Selecting the Best Web Conferencing Option to Suit the Organization During last Friday’s daily update briefing, my team was informed to begin conducting research on some cost efficient choices to best suit our needs to effectively communicate to our counterparts located in remote locations. Rather than attempting to expunge the organizations financial resources by upgrading all our communication devices; our team decided the best option would be to source out this service and bring in a third party application via the internet to meet our teleconference requirements. Below is a list of several different software options with pros and cons to within each option. Software Requirements We met with the technical support team on Monday to verify the specifications of the systems from this location as well as all other locations which would utilize the web conferencing applications. Technical support ensured that all systems we running the latest update of Windows 8.1 and its hardware was compatible with all options listed below. Cisco WebEx Cisco’s WebEx option has three different packages to choose from depending on the amount of individuals are logging in the web conference, prices range from $19 a month for 8 seats to $69 a month for 100 seats with an annual subscription. Some of the features that come within these premium plans are: Video conferencing (full screen, up to 7 video feeds, or split-screen) Share applications or your whole screen VoIP or phone call-in Markup tools and whiteboard Record meetings (including video) Free mobile apps Share the presenter role Adobe Connect Adobe Connect does not offer multiple packages like other options but does offer the ability to connect up to 99 individuals at a fixed price of $55 a month. Adobe connect comes with desktop sharing, VOIP options, mobile phone access. Remote control, HD and SD video conferencing, document sharing, and virtual shareable whiteboard. Fuze Meeting Pro Fuze Meeting Pro is the newest option present but also comes with the highest price tag at $69 per month. Provides HD resolution, Skype © integration, highest rated graphic user interface, and mobile capability as well as mobile support. However, Fuze Meeting Pro was rated to use the most resources on system out of all of the option provided. These options were researched thoroughly by my team so we could provide the best option moving forward for our organization. If there is a need for a specific service that none of these options provide please inform myself or my team so that we can the process of looking for an application that we utilize within our working environment as well as our counterparts abroad. References Fuze Meeting Pro Videoconferencing at PC Magazine. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388117,00.asp?tab=Specs Adobe Connect Features. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect/features.html Cisco WebEx Meetings. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://www.webex.com/products/web-conferencing.html
Monday, October 14, 2019
Substance Abuse Prevention Program
Substance Abuse Prevention Program Substance abuse is a serious problem. It can cause a lot of problems in peoples day to day functioning. Problems of substance abuse can be correlated to family problems, health problems, school problems and also occupational problems. Bigger problems lay within adolescents that have substance abuse problems. Substance abuse of adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17 has increased to 11.4%. This data was collected in 1997 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. Their data also presented an increase from 2.2% to 3.8% between the ages of 12 to 13 years old (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, 1999). Therefore it is to be said that substance abuse is becoming more relevant at younger ages as time progresses. According to the National Institution of Health, the abuse of Ecstasy has increased in 12th graders from 3.0% to 4.5% and has also increased in 10th grades from 2.4% to 3.5% between the years of 2005 to 2007. Hansen and Ponton indicat ed that adolescent risk behavior of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs will only get worse in the future. Adolescents that continue to abuse substances often experience a number of problems. Another substance that adolescents are increasingly abusing is alcohol in which 40.9% of 10th graders reported they had been drunk in the past year. According to the DSM-IV a substance abuse can be diagnosed if there is a continual pattern of substance use resulting in either failing to complete task such as school, work, or home, risking the harm of others by operating heavy machinery while under the influence. If the recurrent substance also creates legal problems by getting arrested or creates social or interpersonal problems within a 12 month period is to be considered a substance abuse. Because of these dangerous affects this paper will focus on the prevention of substance abuse rather than treating it. Negative Consequences: Adolescents are taking more risk than ever before. The consequences of these risks can encounter problems that affect their health, their lives, and their futures (Danish, 1997). Because of this early age of substance abuse more and more adolescents who are being treated are found to have more social and emotional problems (Fisher Harrison, 2000). One major consequence of a substance abuse is that it can negatively affect users health. Adolescents that are abusing illicit drugs increase their risk of death by suicide, homicide, accidents and illness (McCaig, 1995). The results of the drug abuse warning network study revealed that drug related emergencies increased by 17 % (McCaig, 1995). Not only is the physical health perceived as a negative consequence but also the users mental health. Adolescent illegal drug use causes problems involving healthy psychological growth and functioning for a healthy lifestyle (Brook et al., 1998a). Substance abusers frequently leads to depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal and psychosocial dysfunctions (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1992).Substance abusers can also develop a wide cluster of personality disorders. One personality disorder that is associated with adolescent substance abuse is conduct disorder (Stratton, 1998). Conduct disorder consist of behavior and emotional problems in adolescents. Adolescents with this disorder are viewed as bad or delinquents. They have a difficult time following the basic social and cultural norms and rules in which they behave in ways that are considered socially unacceptable. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1992) Another consequence that is related to adolescent substance abuse has to do with the performance in academics. Hawkins, Catalano, and Miller (1998) cited research revealing that low levels of commitment to education and high truancy rates are related to an adolescent substance abuse. Truancies rates are also know as inexcusable absences. Low commitment to school and inexcusable absents set up bigger problems for education in the future. These bigger problems include users producing low standings compared to their class and even dropping out of school. The school consequences are very important to consider in the development of adolescents. Education is one aspect that dictates ones present and future quality of life. School dropout rates are highly correlated with adolescents that have substance abuse problems (Crowe, 1998). It is important to understand the different causes of the negative effects from a substance abuse. The more knowledge we know the better chance we have to preven t it. Cause: One cause that can make an adolescent vulnerable to start abusing substances at an early age could be due to social influences. Instead of only looking at the individual for explanations of the cause/origin of adolescent substance abuse it is also important to consider the social influences in which adolescents are surrounded by as an important causal contribution. Chau-Kiu Cheung and John Wing-Ling (2008) had conducted a study concerning the impact of social influences of adolescent substance abuse. Their study was directed to demonstrate how social influences, such as social encouragement and support are relevant to a cause of a substance abuse (Cheung and Ling, 2003). An adolescent is more likely or at greater risk of substance abuse when the adolescent is helpless due to contextual unhappiness (Patterson, 1999). From the results of Cheung and Lings study (2003), found a main interaction between social influences and contextual unhappiness. When external social influences engage i n an adolescent while they are unhappy, can create a vulnerability to abuse a substance (Cheung and Ling, 2003). Adolescents being stressed combined with an external social influence (encouragement support) also creates a vulnerability to cause a substance abuse (Cheung and Ling, 2003). The overall findings from Chau-Kiu Cheung and John Wing-Lings study (2008) shows that external forces play an important role in an adolescent substance abuse. These external forces lay in lines of our environment (peers, family members, and others) and are a huge contributor to the cause of a substance abuse. The findings from the previous study suggested that our environment is a causal factor to substance abuse. To better understand why our environment possess causality to substance abuse, we need to determine what aspects, domains, or settings put adolescents at risk for becoming substances abusers. Settings that include risk factor can include families, peer groups, schools, and your community. The more risk factors that adolescents are exposed to, the more likely the child will abuse a substances. (Hawkins and Spoth, 2001) Risk factors that appear in a family setting converse around the parents. Furthermore the risk factors revolve around parental active roles of supervision and appear in family situation (Kumpfer, Olds, Zucker,1998). For example, if there is a lack of attachment or nurturing between the parent/caregiver while that adolescent is developing. A number of investigators have shown that a close and mutually warm bond between the parent and the child is associated with less adolescent abusing drugs (Brook et al., 1993;Schmidt et al., 1996). Also drug use by a parent or sibling has been found to cause a substance abuse (Conger and Rueter, 1996; Duncan et al., 1995; Kandel, 1990; Kazdin, 1987; Loeber and Dishion, 1983; Patterson et al., 1989). If a family member is or has abused a substance and if there is a poor relationship between the child and the parent will put adolescents at risk of a substance abuser (Brook et al., 1990, 1998b). Children that have used drugs were compared to kids that have not and were found to be three times more likely to have a family member who is or has abused a substance (Brooks, La Rosa,Whiteman, Johnson, Montoya, 2000). In a study done by Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2000) did research examining family drug use, parent and child relationship, and environmental factors that contribute to a cause of a substance abuse. Strong parent and child relationships were found to decrease the chances of a substance abuse. In this study, parent-child relationship were described by support, identification, and non-conflict relationships. Results from the study (200) about parental identification suggest for a better internal representation of the father will decrease the chances of a substance abuse. This means not only the mother but the father has to spend more time with the child engaging in his or her life. This creates a close mutual relationship that will allow the child to admire his or her parental figure as a role model according to Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2002). Another aspect of the parent-child relationship was found to decreased a substance abuse was the amount o f time the parent spends with his or her child. Furthermore by parents not having a close mutual relationship and not engaging with the child will create a risk factors for a substance abuse. Overall this research presented by Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2000) demonstrated that parental drug use and poor parent child relationships are key risk components to developing a substance abuse. (Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya, 2002) Environmental causes outside of the family home setting can decrease the chances of a substance abuse (Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya, 2002). For instance, by having children attend to church regularly. Church can teach morals, values, and give guidance about life. Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2000) also hit on the importance of neighborhoods being a component of an environmental cause. Neighborhoods that are found to have violence, drug availability, low familism and non regular attendance to church will increase the chance of causality of a substance abuse. Like I mentioned previously there is more than one domain or setting that can cause an adolescent being involved in substance abuse. Not only can the family play apart in the causality of developing a substance abuse but also schools. Instead of blaming the victim we can put blame on our school systems. For example, the classrooms adolescents are attending to might not be conducting good classroom behavior or good social skills. These skills play a big role in the developmental process of an adolescent. This leaves kids very vulnerable to external forces from the classroom. Not only can the classroom be the problem but the school itself. Schools offer a lot of social activity and interactions. While being at school adolescent are at risk of associate and becoming involved with adolescent that have a substance abuse problem. This also opens up new doors for the availability of getting a hold of drugs; quantity and variety. (NIDA, 2001) Pervious intervention: Although there are a variety of types of treatments that show positive effects for a substance abuse. I want to focus on preventing a substance abuse and not blame the victim. Some adolescent substance abuse programs have attempted school based approaches, community approaches, and family based approaches. Pervious school based drug prevention programs have focused on protective factors of social influences on drug abuse. Some have been successful by delaying the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs for adolescents in middle school. Programs that have been targeted toward middle school have been found to miss the importance of the transition phase from middle school to high school. It is important to set prevention programs to gear in to adolescents that are making this transition phase. (Lynskeyet al., 2003) Another problem with previous prevention programs (ALERT) found that their programs affect boys more that girls. The cause of this problem still remains unknown (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007). The Project ALERT program was focused on middle school students. This programmed aimed its principles to motivate youth against using drugs and develop skills for resistance behavior. Project ALERT used small group activities and used techniques to examine questions and answers. These are important components to an effective program (Tobler, 1992). Pervious trials of the ALERT program have produced positive results, but they found room for improvement. Their new program called ALERT PLUS is based off the same fundamental principles of their old program; however, they have made changes to address problems. The ALERT PLUS added changes to focus on developmental changes during the transition phase of middle school to high school. Developmental changes can affect opportunities and motivation to drug use (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007). These developmental changes include friendship networks and dating opportunities. Overall, the new program goals were to strengthen norms a gainst drug use, help students cope with drug situation, and learn ways to quit. Furthermore they wanted to have a better educational system for teaching students consequences of drug and cope with emotional stress. (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007) Pervious results from their old program were able to prevent and reduce marijuana and tobacco in 8th grade students. However the program was not able to help students how have already smoked cigarettes. Also the old program only affected alcohol use in the short-run and not long-run. Therefore the PLUS program strengthened their lessons to improve education on alcohol use and was designed to help those who have already smoked more than one cigarette. (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007) The results of the ALERT PLUS program showed significant improvements. Girls in the PLUS program reported lower rates of weekly alcohol use. Girls in the plus program were compared to girls in the original program showing a reduction of alcohol by 32%. Reductions were also found in marijuana use by 49%. Another important finding that contributed to the new program was the scores of alcohol consequences and high risk alcohol use all showing improvements. (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007). Other programs mostly rely on school teachers and police officers to educate the youth during school time. In my opinion they never left enough time that adolescents need to be well educated/rounded on substance abuse. This next prevention program created by Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, (2002) set its principles on family based substance abuse prevention. This program offers skills that are directed toward parents. These skills are designed to increase family communication and bonding. Skills in this direction will decrease the chances of an adolescent substance abuse. The families in Action (FIA), includes techniques for a stronger parent-child communication, positive behavior management, ways of interacting among the family, factors for school achievements, and education on substance abuse. These were designed to create a better overall relationship. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) The FIA programs goal was to increase resiliency and protective factors within the family. The program was aimed toward children who are entering middle school. This prevention took place between 1994 to1995. It involved 37 children and 38 parents. The program involved once a week sessions for six consecutive weeks. The session went no longer than 2.5hrs. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) Families were measured on three different accounts for pre and post data. They were measured on family cohesion, family communication, and family fights. Cohesion was measured by the family environment scale on a nine point rating. Family communication was also measured on a nine point scale by participants indications the number of times they had different behavioral patterns. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) There were no significant finding presented between children in the FIA program when compared to a baseline group. However, the parents produced an important finding when compared to the comparison group. Parents in the FIA program had lower scores on attitudes toward tobacco, an appropriate age to drink at, and family cohesion. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) Program Description: Because substance abuse is becoming active at earlier and earlier ages as the time goes on, it is important to start prevention early in a childs life. What is needed is more consistent and long term adolescent substance abuse prevention that stays associated and involved with children during their courses of development. The program needs to be consistent by reaching out to where adolescent spend most of their time. This adolescent substance abuse program includes educations and developmental skills across the family and school settings. Because substance abuse can affect ones academics, physical and mental health and ones future, it is important to start prevention as early as 8 years old. For prevention to start this early prevention needs to be focused on families and more so on parents. One leading cause to a substance abuse is having a family history or a parent who was chemically dependent. Family members who were chemically dependent put their child to be genetically vulnerable to a substance abuse (Kumpfer, 1999). The first step of prevention is to get the parents to be well rounded and educated on drugs and substance abuse. Parents need to become aware of the origins of substance abuse. Meaning they need to know the causes and effects of a substance abuse. A great way for parents to become educated is to take part in neighborhood leader groups. Leader groups offer a great opportunity for getting and giving input and output. This also leads to another important prevention aspect in the family setting. Getting involved and paying attention to the child is important. Parents need to become very active when it comes to supervising. Staying involved with your child will heighten protective factors to outweigh the risk factors. Parental involvement is a crucial ingredient to preventing a substances abuse. Involvement doesnt just mean being around the kid when he/she is at home. Parents need to reach out past the home setting. A great skill for prevention is to get involved with your childrens interest. This can include friends, activities and their fantasies like a hero/role model. This is why it is important to take part in neighborhood leader groups. It gives the chance to know your childs friends and their families. Becoming aware of who their friends are, where they come from, and getting to know the parents makes for a very strong and effective way for staying involved and having a tight relationship. Getting to know your childs interest can really make a positive impact on the child an d is a great skill for prevention. For example, take your childs favorite superhero/role model and exemplify a new anti drug message once a week that has consequence toward that hero or role model. Parents being educated, staying involved with the childs interest and having good supervising skills offers a big part in keeping this prevention program consistent and long-term. Because it is important to keep the program consistent and long term in the development of the child, education and skills need to be implemented at school settings. At this point schools offer more risk factors than protective factors for substance abuse. Because of this window of risk factors and because schools take part in a big section of development of children; prevention needs to be enforced. Most school systems do not seem to be aware of the severity of negative effects of a substance abuse. This is apparent because of how high dropout rates are correlated to substance abuse in which rates are only going up. Instead of school systems only setting aside 15-20 minutes for drug awareness assemblies, school need to set aside more time for children just as their parents. In doing so the school systems have to change their academic system. They need to implement a full education class three days a week. Instead of the children just sitting in the class room and listening to the te acher, the class is going to involve a lot of participation. This participation will not only involve inside the classroom but will also take part as an extracurricular active outside of the school. By giving children extra actives to do outside and inside of school, will lessen the chance of them becoming involved with children that already have a substance abuse problem and take away from the availability of drugs. Inside the classroom teachers will be instructed to keep kids well rounded on types of drugs, health effects, academic affect, behavior affects and what a substance abuse can lead you to, like in the juvenile system. Activities inside the class room will be meant for participation toward learning coping skills, emotional control skills and social skills. Because this program is constructed to be long term and consistent, inside school classes and the extracurricular activities need to be practiced and implemented into school academic circular systems and not just as a b rief assembly or an announcement. The extracurricular actives outside of school are going to involve children reaching out into their communities beyond the school and family settings. This component to the program will stay active throughout the whole year and the summer so transition phases are not in effect. These activities will involve children from schools giving educational seminars in public place around their community. They will take what they have learned from inside the classroom and propose anti drug messages consistently across their community. Seminars will include places such as libraries, parks, beaches, neighborhoods, churches and shopping centers. Unlike other program this program needs to stay consistent and long-term through the stage of development. That is why this program is implemented into the family, school and beyond. In summary, this educational and skills substance abuse prevention program will strengthen the protective factors and weaken the risk factors of a substance abuse. For this program to be affective it has to take place in our families and school staying consistent and long term. All the aspects of family and school settings combine to create a chance of involvement of socializing creating strong relationship in a positive manner for being substance free. By having the protective factors outweigh the risk factors we can stop this continual pattern of adolescent substance abuse.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Is Doubt the Key to Knowledge? Essay -- Proverb Analysis
Doubt is the middle ground between blind acceptance and outright refusal to believe. Doubt lends itself to a certain uncomfortable feeling of questioning but is a necessary tool to reach perceived truth and knowledge. Without doubt, one would believe anything he or she is told; it is a natural filter for the information thrust upon us. Doubt is in some ways the opposite of faith. Faith insinuates an acceptance so powerful that one does not need evidence to back up one’s claim. The lack of evidence does not bother the faithful, but it will pester the doubter like an insatiable itch. But the specter of doubt looms over the doubter, demanding that questions be asked of whatever â€Å"fact†has been presented. The doubter will use the four ways of knowingâ€â€emotion, reason, language, and sense perceptionâ€â€to answer the questions and become a knower. Doubt is especially necessary in two areas of knowledge: history and human sciences. When studying history, one mu st doubt the stories presented as facts and consider possible distortions created by biases or the passage of time. Without doubt, the field of human science would never advance past the current understanding, leaving human kind stuck in an age of primitive treatment and technology. The accuracy of history is weakened by time, perception, and memory. The Bible, for example, is particularly prone to such weaknesses. Millions of people accept it as fact despite its many fallacies. The events in the Bible are considered to be part of history. Yet such events were written about many years after they actually occurred. For example, Jesus is thought to have died in 33 A.D. This date is considered likely as his death must have occurred before Pontius Pilate left his position in 36 A.D. Y... ...iam. â€Å"The Gospel According to Luke.†The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible.†Nashville: Abingdon, 1971. 672-706. Print. Bawer, Bruce. "What is Truth?" Rev. of Pontius Pilate , by Ann Wroe. Reviews by Bruce Bawer Fall 2001. Web. 1 Jan. 2011. . Leo, Johnathan. "The Fallacy of the 50% Concordance Rate for Schizophrenia in Identical Twins." Rev. of The Gene Illusion , by Jay Joseph. Human Nature Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. . Pentecost, J. Dwight. The Word and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000. Amazon.com. Web. 1 Jan2011.. The Ryrie Study Bible. Chicago: Moody, 1976. Print. New American Standard Translation. Is Doubt the Key to Knowledge? Essay -- Proverb Analysis Doubt is the middle ground between blind acceptance and outright refusal to believe. Doubt lends itself to a certain uncomfortable feeling of questioning but is a necessary tool to reach perceived truth and knowledge. Without doubt, one would believe anything he or she is told; it is a natural filter for the information thrust upon us. Doubt is in some ways the opposite of faith. Faith insinuates an acceptance so powerful that one does not need evidence to back up one’s claim. The lack of evidence does not bother the faithful, but it will pester the doubter like an insatiable itch. But the specter of doubt looms over the doubter, demanding that questions be asked of whatever â€Å"fact†has been presented. The doubter will use the four ways of knowingâ€â€emotion, reason, language, and sense perceptionâ€â€to answer the questions and become a knower. Doubt is especially necessary in two areas of knowledge: history and human sciences. When studying history, one mu st doubt the stories presented as facts and consider possible distortions created by biases or the passage of time. Without doubt, the field of human science would never advance past the current understanding, leaving human kind stuck in an age of primitive treatment and technology. The accuracy of history is weakened by time, perception, and memory. The Bible, for example, is particularly prone to such weaknesses. Millions of people accept it as fact despite its many fallacies. The events in the Bible are considered to be part of history. Yet such events were written about many years after they actually occurred. For example, Jesus is thought to have died in 33 A.D. This date is considered likely as his death must have occurred before Pontius Pilate left his position in 36 A.D. Y... ...iam. â€Å"The Gospel According to Luke.†The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible.†Nashville: Abingdon, 1971. 672-706. Print. Bawer, Bruce. "What is Truth?" Rev. of Pontius Pilate , by Ann Wroe. Reviews by Bruce Bawer Fall 2001. Web. 1 Jan. 2011. . Leo, Johnathan. "The Fallacy of the 50% Concordance Rate for Schizophrenia in Identical Twins." Rev. of The Gene Illusion , by Jay Joseph. Human Nature Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. . Pentecost, J. Dwight. The Word and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000. Amazon.com. Web. 1 Jan2011.. The Ryrie Study Bible. Chicago: Moody, 1976. Print. New American Standard Translation.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
A Mental Play About Everyday Language :: Dialogue Conversation Essays
A Mental Play About Everyday Language Characters: Alicia, an executive office worker Cindy, Alicia's secretary Mike, a local lawyer and acquaintance Carl, Alicia's husband Larry, one of Alicia's co-workers Mr. Alexander, a high standing government official Marnie, me, Alicia's friend and confidant Josh, Alicia's son PART I ALICIA: Cindy get me Mike on five please. CINDY: Alright. ALICIA: (on phone) Mike, it's Alicia Van Kleef. MIKE: (also on phone) Good morning Alicia. ALICIA: Say...I wanted to ask if you've heard anything new about the Dreyer case? Any ground-breaking material I should know or any new releases? MIKE: Dreyer...Martin Dreyer...yes. Another arraignment has been set for the fourteenth of next month with a few more pieces of evidence concerning the pre-event occurrences, and Judge Wilson is being replaced by Judge Lidboe. ALICIA: Any word yet about the plaintiff's tax evasion claim? MIKE: Other than the fact that they may have found more substantial material, I don't think their argument has changed. ALICIA: O.K. So the new hearing is on the fourteenth. MIKE: Yes. ALICIA: Great. Any particular reason for Judge Lidboe stepping in? MIKE: I heard that Wilson is taking another big case next week, and the court ruled that it was an open position for Lidboe then. ALICIA: Is that that upcoming negligence case from that Richland couple? MIKE: No, this is something out of down south. ALICIA: O.K. Thank you so much for the info, Mike. MIKE: No problem. ALICIA: I'll talk to you later. MIKE: O.K. ALICIA: Good bye. (She hangs up the phone.) CINDY: (entering office) Alicia, this is some mail that came in late yesterday, and a few reminders of things you wanted for today. ALICIA: Great. (paging through mail) Thanks Cindy. CINDY: You're welcome. Larry made some flavoured coffee from home this morning. It's pretty good. ALICIA: I'll have to give it a try before it's all gone. (mumbling to herself) I just hope Larry isn't hangin' around. (phone rings, CINDY waves and leaves the office) ALICIA: Hello, Alicia VanKleef speaking. CARL: Hey sexy. ALICIA: Hi Carl. CARL: How're you doin' so far? ALICIA: Just fine sweetie. I just got my coat off. CARL: Did you take anything else off? ALICIA: No, dear. Strip shows aren't allowed in the office. You know that. CARL: (laughing) Sorry. ALICIA: Did Josh find his other shoe this morning? CARL: Yeah, under his bed, like you said. ALICIA: He gets so frustrated over little things like that. CARL: He calmed down after he found it. ALICIA: Good. It was his jacket last week. CARL: Yeah.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Emperor Tewodros Analysis Essay
Tayo Shonubi IB1 History 28/9/2012 Emperor Tewodros of Ethiopia Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia’s rise to power began in 1845 with a meticulous rule which to his oppositions favor, ended in dismal failure and led him to commit suicide in 1858, after thirteen years of power. Tewodros was the heir-apparent to emperor Tewodros I, his father’s throne, but after his father’s death, he became the adopted son of his half-brother. He grew to be an accomplished soldier and leader and was then allotted governor of Qwara by the nominal then king of kings, Ras Ali who had ruled since 1832.Tewodros was the leader responsible for reviving the concept of king of kings, and after reforms to his army, he made a determined and driven submission for king of kings. After Tewodros made the realization of his absolute power, he carried out expeditions against Gojjam province where he defeated Biru Goshu in the Ethiopian battle of Taquosha not long after, in 1855, he defeated the provi nce of Tigre was crowned emperor Tewodros II, by Abu Salama, the head of the church of Ethiopia.Tewodros made one of his most grave and major expeditions of his rule in 1856 when he battled against the Wallo Galla and thoroughly thrashed the Muslim community, shamelessly and filled with pride, he moved on to occupy the province of Shewa where he captured an eleven year old boy known was heir-apparent to the throne of Sahle Mariam, the boy later became known as emperor Manelik. Tewodros responded very favorably to European approaches, ‘expecting not their protection and imperialism but assistance in getting technology and arms’.One of his earliest European contacts was Britain. Through his association with the British sprouted a friendship with two Englishmen, Yohannes Bell and Walter Plowdon who were part of the protestant German missionaries. On his journey to eastern Ethiopia, Plowdon was killed, upon hearing this news, Tewodros chose to ‘vent’ by organiz ing an expedition that unfortunately and ironically killed his other good friend, Yohannes Bell. To take over from Plowdon was a man by the names of Duncan Cameron, Tewodros and Cameron did not get along as much as he did with Plowdon.There was a lack of initiative and enthusiasm coming from Cameron’s end. In 1862, seeing as he had an established relationship with the British, Tewodros wrote to Queen Victoria, the then ruler of Great Britain, concerning the setup of an Ethiopian embassy in Britain. Tewodros never received a reply from Her Majesty, and it was assumed that the letter was either overlooked intentionally or failed to reach her. As does every leader, Tewodros came across challenges during his reign.The nobility i. e. the upper class were previously not required to pay taxes, however after Tewodros came into the power, they were required to, this change in the system set the aristocracy against him. Furious about this new obligation, they held riots between 1855 an d 1861, these rebellions were brutally suppressed by his soldiers who looted and massacred their captives. One may try to control another in order for them to convert/conform to their beliefs such that there is less rebellion.Although Tewodros was a believer of the Christian faith, he confiscated church property and land and abolished privileges of the clergy, for his personal gain and in advantage of his new found glory and power. The Ethiopian church leaders began to preach against Tewodros making him lose the support of the majority of Ethiopians. Tewodros was a proud man with a lust for power, one of the largest mistakes he made during his power was his amendment to the law of the church. Ethiopia was a predominantly Christian state, and before Tewodros’ rule, any church within the nation was not required to pay tax.After he came into power, Tewodros felt as though there was not enough tax and he wanted more money coming to him, with this in mind, he lifted this law and m ade it so that churches were required to pay tax and through this, he was indeed getting more money, but simultaneously getting less support. All these events, occurrences and people in one way or another contributed to the rise and fall of Tewodros. However his ways of self-praise, egotistic ways and pride led him to his own defeat.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Deception Point Page 29
Rachel noted how careful the President was being not to mention her father. He spoke only in terms of â€Å"the opposition†or â€Å"political opponents.†â€Å"And you think your opposition will cry conspiracy simply for political reasons?†she asked. â€Å"That is the nature of the game. All anyone needs to do is cast a faint doubt, saying that this discovery is some kind of political fraud concocted by NASA and the White House, and all of a sudden, I'm facing an inquiry. The newspapers forget NASA has found proof of extraterrestrial life, and the media starts focusing on uncovering evidence of a conspiracy. Sadly, any innuendo of conspiracy with respect to this discovery will be bad for science, bad for the White House, bad for NASA, and, quite frankly, bad for the country.†â€Å"Which is why you postponed announcing until you had full confirmation and some reputable civilian endorsements.†â€Å"My goal is to present this data in so incontrovertible a way that any cynicism is nipped in the bud. I want this discovery celebrated with the untainted dignity it deserves. NASA merits no less.†Rachel's intuition was tingling now. What does he want from me? â€Å"Obviously,†he continued, â€Å"you're in a unique position to help me. Your experience as an analyst as well as your obvious ties to my opponent give you enormous credibility with respect to this discovery.†Rachel felt a growing disillusionment. He wants to use me†¦ just like Pickering said he would! â€Å"That said,†Herney continued, â€Å"I would like to ask that you endorse this discovery personally, for the record, as my White House intelligence liaison†¦ and as the daughter of my opponent.†There it was. On the table. Herney wants me to endorse. Rachel really had thought Zach Herney was above this kind of spiteful politics. A public endorsement from Rachel would immediately make the meteorite a personal issue for her father, leaving the senator unable to attack the discovery's credibility without attacking the credibility of his own daughter-a death sentence for a â€Å"families first†candidate. â€Å"Frankly, sir,†Rachel said, looking into the monitor, â€Å"I'm stunned you would ask me to do that.†The President looked taken aback. â€Å"I thought you would be excited to help out.†â€Å"Excited? Sir, my differences with my father aside, this request puts me in an impossible position. I have enough problems with my father without going head-to-head with him in some kind of public death match. Despite my admitted dislike of the man, he is my father, and pitting me against him in a public forum frankly seems beneath you.†â€Å"Hold on!†Herney waved his hands in surrender. â€Å"Who said anything about a public forum?†Rachel paused. â€Å"I assume you'd like me to join the administrator of NASA on the podium for the eight o'clock press conference.†Herney's guffaw boomed in the audio speakers. â€Å"Rachel, what kind of man do you think I am? Do you really imagine I'd ask someone to stab her father in the back on national television?†â€Å"But, you said-â€Å" â€Å"And do you think I would make the NASA administrator share the limelight with the daughter of his arch enemy? Not to burst your bubble, Rachel, but this press conference is a scientific presentation. I'm not sure your knowledge of meteorites, fossils, or ice structures would lend the event much credibility.†Rachel felt herself flush. â€Å"But then†¦ what endorsement did you have in mind?†â€Å"One more appropriate to your position.†â€Å"Sir?†â€Å"You are my White House intelligence liaison. You brief my staff on issues of national importance.†â€Å"You want me to endorse this for your staff?†Herney still looked amused by the misunderstanding. â€Å"Yes, I do. The skepticism I'll face outside the White House is nothing compared to what I'm facing from my staff right now. We're in the midst of a full-scale mutiny here. My credibility in-house is shot. My staff has begged me to cut back NASA funding. I've ignored them, and it's been political suicide.†â€Å"Until now.†â€Å"Exactly. As we discussed this morning, this discovery's timing will seem suspect to political cynics, and nobody's as cynical as my staff is at the moment. Therefore, when they hear this information for the first time, I want it to come from-â€Å" â€Å"You haven't told your staff about the meteorite?†â€Å"Only a few top advisers. Keeping this discovery a secret has been a top priority.†Rachel was stunned. No wonder he's facing a mutiny. â€Å"But this is not my usual area. A meteorite could hardly be considered an intelligence-related gist.†â€Å"Not in the traditional sense, but it certainly has all the elements of your usual work-complex data that needs to be distilled, substantial political ramifications-â€Å" â€Å"I am not a meteorite specialist, sir. Shouldn't your staff be briefed by the administrator of NASA?†â€Å"Are you kidding? Everyone here hates him. As far as my staff is concerned, Ekstrom is the snake-oil salesman who has lured me into bad deal after bad deal.†Rachel could see the point. â€Å"How about Corky Marlinson? The National Medal in Astrophysics? He's got far more credibility than I do.†â€Å"My staff is made up of politicians, Rachel, not scientists. You've met Dr. Marlinson. I think he's terrific, but if I let an astrophysicist loose on my team of left-brain, think-inside-the-box intellectuals, I'll end up with a herd of deer in the headlights. I need someone accessible. You're the one, Rachel. My staff knows your work, and considering your family name, you're about as unbiased a spokesperson as my staff could hope to hear from.†Rachel felt herself being pulled in by the President's affable style. â€Å"At least you admit my being the daughter of your opponent has something to do with your request.†The President gave a sheepish chuckle. â€Å"Of course it does. But, as you can imagine, my staff will be briefed one way or another, no matter what you decide. You are not the cake, Rachel, you are simply the icing. You are the individual most qualified to do this briefing, and you also happen to be a close relative of the man who wants to kick my staff out of the White House next term. You've got credibility on two accounts.†â€Å"You should be in sales.†â€Å"As a matter of fact, I am. As is your father. And to be honest, I'd like to close a deal for a change.†The President removed his glasses and looked into Rachel's eyes. She felt a touch of her father's power in him. â€Å"I am asking you as a favor, Rachel, and also because I believe it is part of your job. So which is it? Yes or no? Will you brief my staff on this matter?†Rachel felt trapped inside the tiny PSC trailer. Nothing like the hard sell. Even from three thousand miles away, Rachel could feel the strength of his will pressing through the video screen. She also knew this was a perfectly reasonable request, whether she liked it or not. â€Å"I'd have conditions,†Rachel said. Herney arched his eyebrows. â€Å"Being?†â€Å"I meet your staff in private. No reporters. This is a private briefing, not a public endorsement.†â€Å"You have my word. Your meeting is already slated for a very private location.†Rachel sighed. â€Å"All right then.†The President beamed. â€Å"Excellent.†Rachel checked her watch, surprised to see it was already a little past four o'clock. â€Å"Hold on,†she said, puzzled, â€Å"if you're going live at eight P.M., we don't have time. Even in that vile contraption you sent me up here in, I couldn't get back to the White House for another couple of hours at the very fastest. I'd have to prepare my remarks and-â€Å"
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