Learning Principles in Video Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning Principles in Video Games - Essay Example Presently the â€Å"Play- station† has revolutionized gaming as it is fun, trendy, at times violent and at most times intelligent and kindles curiosity. It appeals to all age groups because it includes sped, accuracy with a filmic production values and background. Game Chosen – â€Å"Democracy†: Democracy is a highly educational game. It featured as the best Sim Game of the Year in 2005. It is related to politics where the player finds himself as the President or the Prime Minister of a country. â€Å"Democracy†, lets you find out how you would fare as a leader of a developed country such as The United States of America, France, Germany or Canada. The game allows you to take charge and manage your country’s finances, policies, internal affairs and security. Principles of Democracy: The most important principle of any video game is its multi media form of entertainment involving a unique synthesis of 3D art, CG effects, architecture, dramatic performance, music, sound effects, story telling, artificial intelligence and most importantly inter- activity. The basic principles of this particular game, is to educate a person on how to cope with a situation using good leadership tactics. The player is very often placed in the middle of a dilemma or a crisis where he has to use his skill and intelligence to get out of it. The most difficult aspect faced by the player is in finding the correct balance between finances, taxation and legislation to ensure the country doesn’t go into bankruptcy.

World War I, World War II Essay Example for Free

World War I, World War II Essay Technological innovation has played a significant role in most modern twentieth century armed conflicts In both the great wars- World War I, World War II and in the consequent Cold War era ,technology was used to enhance and develop weapons to garner military advantage and turn the conflict in favour of a particular country or respective front. In fact technology has helped to revolutionize the manner in which both the great wars were fought and eventually won. The cold war was actually more of a foreign policy exercise than an actual war. After the Second World War the new world order stipulated the polarization of most of the world into two blocs- the Capitalist Bloc headed by the United States and the Communist Bloc headed by the USSR. Though the cold war was never fought as a military battle the accumulation of weapons of destruction was a major feature of the foreign policy tactics of both the USSR and the US. Known aptly as the arms race this tactic was a key factor that helped determine regional power play in the thirty to forty odd years of the cold war. Some of the weapons introduced by various countries to secure military advantage in the first and Second World War as well as the cold war have been developed and widely adopted to form the military arsenal of most countries world wide Today when we look at armed conflict it is difficult to imagine a battlefield without machine guns, grenade and tanks. But prior to world war one most battles were fought with bayonets, swords, rifles and muskets. The use of technology to develop new weapons to be used in conflict revolutionized combat in World War One. Combat underwent a metamorphosis from a battle fought by infantrymen on a battle ground to a new model: trench warfare. This new style of warfare is attributable to technological development that was taking place in the factories of an industrial Europe. The innovative weapons that helped changed the course of the First World War can be essentially categorized as follows: Machine guns: Though machine guns were first developed and employed in the American Civil War to achieve a devastating effect it was in World War One that the effectiveness of these weapons reached a new height. These weapons achieved the capability to fire up to 600 bullets a minute- the equivalent of 250 men firing bullets with rifles and were classified as a weapon of mass destruction. This was highly beneficial to the armies deploying the weapons because it increased both effectiveness and reduced the number of infantry men employed in combat. These additional infantry could be trained and deployed in Ariel and naval combat Artillery: The First World War set a new standard in the number of cannons used. Never before were so many cannons used in one war. German scientists were responsible for developing Big Bertha the deadliest artillery of the time. This cannon was so powerful it had the potency to fire into the heart of Paris from a distance as far away 120 kilometres away. The scientists of the time did not only work on improving the cannons they also developed high-explosive shells. Instead of using the conventional materials these shells used thin casings filled with tiny lead pellets. These shells were highly effective and artillery power killed hundreds and thousands of men during the course of the war. The artillery was also used to blow up the ground and render trench warfare ineffective as it mad hiding underground in trenches more difficult. Gas Warfare: the First World War introduced humanity to the horrors of gas warfare. Invented by the Germans gas grenades were extremely toxic and highly effective in wiping out battalions of enemy soldiers. There were 3 main types of gas warfare which was used in the First World War. The first type of warfare employed a tearing agent which was responsible for causing temporary blindness and resulted in greatly inflaming the nose and throat of the victim. The second type of Warfare employed poisonous gases, including chlorine, phosgene and diphosgene which were highly toxic and resulted in almost certain death. Though gas masks were used during the war to protect against these gases they did not prove to be very effective. The third type of warfare employed the most dreaded of all chemical weapons in World War I mustard gas. Mustard gas burnt the lungs and skin of the inhaler leaving them to die a slow agonizing and extremely painful death. Thousands of troops were forced to die a painful death as a result of the gas warfare employed in the First World War. Tanks: Manufactured and deployed during the First World War to aid trench warfare the early tanks were no more than giant blocks of metal that could carry 1-2 people and travelled at 5 kilometres per hour. The benefits of these early tanks were that they served as moving armour car that could stand machine gun fire and could move over bared wire and destroy the machine gun nests of the enemy. Though they still required considerable developments the early version of the tank did meet with some success and created a permanent place for itself in the contemporary battle field. Planes: In the First World War planes were not armed and air combat did not play an active role in the war. Warplanes were developed in 1914 and were used primarily to observe enemy troop movements provide support to ground troops and provide information about artillery deployment. The Germans in particular deployed a number of aircrafts to help their war efforts including mini scout planes to huge floating blimps called Zeppelins that were used to carry bombs and throw them at the unsuspecting enemy. Naval Units: Naval combat played a very important and significant role in the First World War. The majority of the conflicts were fought at sea with the Allied powers aiming to negotiate a blockade of the Central Powers by sea and the Central powers attempting to break this blockade. Technoloy was used to create and deploy battleships that could carry weapons and engage in naval warfare. While the British excelled at producing and deploying Battleships the Germans developed the initial version of a submarine which would attack these battleships with stealth and speed and benefit from the element of surprise by submerging itself in the water. Technological warfare played a crucial role in determining the outcome of World War II. By the time the Second World War broke out in 1939 Scientists and researchers had already developed most of the weapons that were initially deployed in the First World War including tanks, and submarines and also developed new technology to accommodate a new brand of warfare known as aerial combat. The war greatly escalated technological development in most nations throughout the world and when the war ended many nations found them in possession of invaluable technological knowledge. This research and technological knowledge initially carried out during the war to develop new weapons of technological warfare later lead to several new sciences and developments after the war ended like cybernetics and the production of nuclear energy to name a few some innovative weapons that defined and characterized the course and outcome of the Second World War include Air Bombs Torpedoes and Missiles. Air combat was one of the biggest strategies used during the Second World War to bomb and eliminate enemy targets. Considerable research was put into developing aerial â€Å"smart bombs† which could be manoeuvred to destroy enemy targets. The German Military lead the development and deployment of these aerial weapons. Some of the weapons developed for air combat by Germany include the Glide bombs which were the world’s first smart bombs and the Fritz X anti-shipping missile, which was operated using radio remote control. The German Military also developed and deployed the world’s first jet fighter known as Messerschmitt 262 as well as the first jet bomber called Arado 234 as well as first operational military helicopters known as Flettner Fl 282 and the worlds first rocket-powered fighter (Messerschmitt 163) The war also witnessed the development of the worlds first cruise missile known as the Pulse jet powered V-1 flying bomb as well as the creation of self guiding weapons such as Torpedoes. Considerable research and development was also done on aiming devices for bombs, torpedoes, artillery and machine guns. Radar The development of digital electronics was given a massive boost by war-related research one such important invention which was used to garner significant military advantage during the Second World War was an instrument known as the radar. The UK and the US achieved prominent breakthroughs in the development and deployment of these devices which were used to track and destroy enemy aircraft, ships, submarines and carriers these devices proved to be very useful and extremely strategic in helping the Allies win the various battles. After the war these radars were deployed in various capacities for policing, monitoring and supervisory purposes in the civilian context. Submarines and Air craft Carriers Though submarines were initially deployed during the First World War they developed increased capability during the Second World War and helped change the face of naval combat. Another major development which changed the manner in which naval battles were fought was the production of the world’s first aircraft carrier. These ships made it easy for fighter planes to launch aerial attacks on enemy battleships and destroy them. Atomic Bomb: The extensive research and the quest to develop new and dangerous weapons to advance the cause of the war lead to the institution of what came to be known as the Manhattan Project which was dedicated to the endeavour of developing an atomic bomb. Today the atomic bomb remains the most profound military development of the Second World War and the ultimate weapon which helped the allies win the war irrevocably. Though there is evidence that Germany was endeavouring to develop the bomb before America the German atomic Bomb project did not come to fruition. The world’s first atomic bomb was developed and deployed by the American military against Japan in 1945. The use of the nuclear bomb against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the turning point and also the virtual end of the Second World War. The devastating effects of the bomb in these two cities made the bomb a horrendous weapon of mass destruction which grew to be feared by most nations. The atomic bomb thus became a symbol of the ultimate power the possession of which gave a country significant leverage over others. After the Second World War ended the new world order was dominated by a conflict between two ideologies: communism and Capitalism. After the defeat of Nazism and fascism the Allied forces of the Western World found a new enemy: the USSR and its doctrine of Communism. Though the USSR had been among the allied nations during the Second World War it soon became apparent that the ideological differences between the country and its neighbours could mot let them exist together peacefully? The ensuing cold war between the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union was essentially a clash of the two rivalling ideologies of Communism and Capitalism. The cold war never played out an actual war between the two super powers. It was manifested in the arenas of espionage diplomacy and to some extent in the early 80’s in the field of sports. It was also manifested in lands ravaged by internal strife and struggling to find a new political system to function under. Over the course of the cold war there were several conflicts and wars which were connected and influenced by this ideological conflict. These wars include The Korean War of 1952, the Cuban Missiles Crises 1962, the Vietnam War of 1969 and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980 to name a few. The majority of the weapons used in these wars were developed and manufactured by the US and the USSR The Cold War witnessed the development of may new weapons ranging from improved fire arms to new technology deployed in tanks , jets submarines ships helicopters , explosives and missile guidance systems. In the Korean War the American military supplied technologically advanced weapons to the UN forces as well as the South Korean forces. Since the battles in South Korea and Vietnam involved jungle warfare the weaponry involved in both battles followed a similar pattern. However the weapons used in Vietnam were more technologically advanced than those used in Korea. Some of these weapons include: M1 Garand the world’s first successful semiautomatic rifle which had the capability to dominate the battle field. A more advanced variation of these rifles was used in military hand combat in Vietnam. The Sioux and Huey Helicopters these were used predominantly by Allied troops in Korea to ferry troops to battle fields. Advanced versions of these helicopters were also used in Vietnam by the American troops T-34 Tanks These technologically advanced tanks were designed in Russia and used by the Communist forces in North Korea. A highly technological advanced version of this tank was also used in Russia Fighter Jets F-86 Sabres and the MIG-15 Fagot The Korean War is known for some of the intense jet fights which took place between USAF pilots flying their F-86 Sabres and North Korean and Russian pilots flying the MiG-15 â€Å"Fagot†. Both of these planes incorporated the latest technology and set the standard for future jet planes designed and deployed by both the countries Napalm Gas: Used as a biological weapon of mass destruction by American troops in the Vietnam War, the Napalm gas was developed for use in the Second World War but was never deployed. It gained notoriety in Vietnam for destroying both the agricultural lands of Vietnam and poisoning the Vietnamese people. The Cold war also led to the development of technology to aid espionage activity. The U2 spy plane was one such weapon which was developed in the United States to record and photograph military activity in the USSR and other communist States. These planes used especial technology that was not easily distinguishable on the radar and could easily take pictures and document confidential activity without detection. The pictures from one of these spy planes had led to the escalation of Cuban Missiles Crises of 1962 when the US discovered that Cuba was building a missiles program with USSR’s backing The so-called stealth bomber should be able to penetrate the Russian air defence system better than existing American bombers. The Cuban Missiles Crises was perhaps the closest the world ever came to a nuclear confrontation. The Cold war and the policy of brinkmanship often cantered on the crucial deployment of both the super powers ability to use nuclear bomb. In 1949 the US lost its monopoly over the atomic or hydrogen bomb as it was called at the time when the tested their first nuclear weapon The importance of the hydrogen bomb, and its even more powerful successors lead to a competition between the two superpowers to develop the most deadliest weapon first . This mad rush to build nuclear weapons lead to an arms race with each nation spending billions of dollars to build a military arsenal designed to effectively eliminate enemy weapons. One of the weapons that were given considerable importance from both sides was the ballistic missile. This is essentially a rocket which shoots its warheads into space and then guides them towards the desired targets. The ballistic missiles were developed by both sides at a cost of billions of dollars to ensure that neither party retains the upper hand in the arms race. The development and search for elusive technology to create weapons deployed in the First World War second war and the cold war has left an enduring legacy. Though these weapons help determine the fate of the war they also left humanity with a source to wreck endless destruction and havoc. The negative effects of the race to build nuclear weapons were witnessed in the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. With the end of the cold war the endless arsenal of weapons of mass destruction that both the USSR and the US spend billions of dollars to build was rendered useless. However as evidenced in history as one conflict ends another begins and the US has found other battles and causes to fund more development of new weapons to fight new enemies. Many of the weapons used in all three of the conflicts are the predecessors of the modern weapons deployed in modern military combat throughout the world and therefore present considerable historical significance Works Cited History on the Net dot com. World: War One Weapons Retrieved May 27 2010 from the website, http://www.historyonthenet. com/WW1/weapons. htm First World War dot com: Weapons of War Retrieved. May 27 2010 from the website, http://www. firstworldwar. com/weaponry/machineguns. htm World War Two dot net :Weapons . Retrieved May 27 2010 from the website http://www. worldwar-two. net/armamento/ Military Discovery dot com: Korean War Weapons and Vehicles. Retrieved May 27 2010 from the website http://military. discovery. com/history/korean-war/weapons/weapons. html

Thomas Paine :: essays research papers

Library: Historical Documents: Thomas Paine: Rights Of Man: Part The First -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order The Rights of Man now. Part The First Being An Answer To Mr. Burke's Attack On The French Revolution -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- George Washington PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SIR, I present you a small treatise in defence of those principles of freedom which your exemplary virtue hath so eminently contributed to establish. That the Rights of Man may become as universal as your benevolence can wish, and that you may enjoy the happiness of seeing the New World regenerate the Old, is the prayer of SIR, Your much obliged, and Obedient humble Servant, THOMAS PAINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Author's Preface to the English Edition From the part Mr. Burke took in the American Revolution, it was natural that I should consider him a friend to mankind; and as our acquaintance commenced on that ground, it would have been more agreeable to me to have had cause to continue in that opinion than to change it. At the time Mr. Burke made his violent speech last winter in the English Parliament against the French Revolution and the National Assembly, I was in Paris, and had written to him but a short time before to inform him how prosperously matters were going on. Soon after this I saw his advertisement of the Pamphlet he intended to publish: As the attack was to be made in a language but little studied, and less understood in France, and as everything suffers by translation, I promised some of the friends of the Revolution in that country that whenever Mr. Burke's Pamphlet came forth, I would answer it. This appeared to me the more necessary to be done, when I saw the flagrant misrepresentations which Mr. Burke's Pamphlet contains; and that while it is an outrageous abuse on the French Revolution, and the principles of Liberty, it is an imposition on the rest of the world. I am the more astonished and disappointed at this conduct in Mr. Burke, as (from the circumstances I am going to mention) I had formed other expectations. I had seen enough of the miseries of war, to wish it might never more have existence in the world, and that some other mode might be found out to settle the differences that should occasionally arise in the neighbourhood of nations. This certainly might be done if Courts were disposed to set honesty about it, or if countries were enlightened enough not to be made the dupes of Courts.

Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere

Using material from item A and elsewhere assess the view that social class differences in educational achievement are the result of school processes such as labelling. Social class is typically known as social grouping or hierarchy based on differences in wealth, income or occupation. In the UK there are mainly two social classes; working class and middle class. 33% of students who are currently on free school meals achieve 5A*-C at GCSE, however 61% of students who are not on free school meals also achieve 5A*-C grades. 0% of the failing school are from deprived areas, and 79% of children from a higher professional family are more likely to go to university, whilst only 15% of children from unskilled and manual backgrounds go to work. Sub cultures are a group of people within society who share the same norms, values, beliefs and attitude that go against the main stream in society. This is usually different from or opposed to the main stream culture, for instance an anti-school subcu lture is more likely to be formed by pupils in lower streams.This is backed up by â€Å"They have examined the way in which labelling is linked to other processes within schools that result in class differences in achievement† (Item A) â€Å"These processes include self-fulfilling prophecy, streaming and the formation of pupil subcultures† (Item A) Therefore working class children will underachieve and middle class children will continue to progress. This can disadvantage working class children because of the use of home and school contracts.The education triage for working class are labelled as â€Å"hopeless cases† which then produces a selffulfilling prophecy and failure, which then leads to working class children going under stereotypical ideas. However, some labelled students go against their label to prove teachers wrong, which pushes them to do just as well as middle class children. Labelling is to attach a meaning or definition. Typically teachers label students as, bright, thick or hardworking. This usually affects working class students as they are labelled ‘thick’.This is backed up from item A â€Å"some sociologists explain social class differences in achievement in terms of school processes such as labelling† According to Cicourel and Kitsuse teachers judge students according to their ability, social class and race. Labelling can lead to self fulfilling prophecy where the student will accept the label and do what is expected of that particular label. However, this can advantage working class children to work against their label and achieve the best possible grades.According to the Sutton Trust 80% of ethnic minority pupils aspire to go to university. This goes on to show that labelling working class children can affect their final grade. Another process that school use that affect educational achievement is streaming. This process is when students are put into groups according to capability. â€Å"These pr ocesses include the self-fulfilling prophecy, streaming and the formation of pupil subcultures† (Item A). Becker begins to believe that the capability groups are those who will pass, those who might pass and those who will not pass.However, Stephen Ball takes the analysis a step further to abolish banding, in favour of teaching mixed ability groups. This has created new opportunities for schools and teachers. This is to differentiate between pupils on the basis of their class, ethnicity or gender and to not treat them unequally. Therefore showing that streaming is a major factor in underachievement. Finally Self-fulfilling prophecy can affect educational achievement. This process consists of a prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having it being made.This can affect those less able because it foes against the main stream. This is backed up by â€Å"Gilbourn and Youdell have examined the role of educational policies in creating the context for such school processe s to take place† (Item A) Gilbourn and Youdell shows how teachers notions of ability conclude to their decisions of which pupils have the potential to achieve 5A*-C grade gcse’s. Neil Keddie then argues that the more intelligent students get taught more complex and advanced information and methods while the students in the lower sets are not recognised and being left behind.However Rosenthal and Jacobson performed an experiment where they picked random students from the class who were also working class and told teachers they are able to improve, this later resulted in teachers spending more time with these ‘selected’ students which made them improve and achieve better. Therefore showing that self-fulfilling prophecy can have an effect in education underachievement. To conclude sub cultures, labelling, streaming and self-fulfilling prophecy can effect education underachievement, due to social class, gender and race.Being labelled tends to be based on your s ocial class, where you will be labelled between smart and dumb. Streaming is typically based on your ability on whether you’re smart or dumb. Also, sub cultures and self-fulfilling prophecy is known to go under all social class, gender and race as it is a group of people who tend to go against the norms, beliefs and values of mean stream sub culture. However education underachievement cannot just be a social class difference, it has internal factors as well as external factors.

Deena Shakir Essay

Richard Watts Jr. describes the striking similarity between the Salem witch trials and the McCarthy Era as a â€Å"struggle between the rights of freeman and the mass efforts to destroy them under the guise of defending decency. † All good writing conveys a strong message for the reader to take away, and effectively apply to his everyday life. In the novel The Crucible, author Arthur Miller uses 17th Puritan society, and the Salem witch trials as a vehicle to make a strong political statement about the nature of conformity in an overly hysterical society, and the fundamental struggle man faces to retain moral righteousness in the face of a cruel world. Written in the heart of the McCarthy Era, The Crucible makes sweeping statements about the nature of society during a crisis, and how people deal with the introduction of beliefs that differ from their traditional way of thought. Claiming the people of his society are just as intolerant as the Puritans, Miller desperately pleads with them to learn from their mistakes, and not persecute others based on the nature of their beliefs. Through the story of the Salem witch trials, Miller epitomizes the never-ending conflict between an individual and society as a continuous struggle to retain one’s moral righteous, and not give in to illogical societal demands. Through the actions of the court officials, the girls, and the Christ figures, Miller effectively points out the manner in which society persecutes those who refuse to conform in their ways of thinking, and the nature of the challenging test individuals are forced to make in such a conflict. The society in Salem also demands conformity from the court system, a place where those who dare to be different are tried. At least on face, it appears that the court simply wants those people who challenge society to be brought to justice. However, during the Salem witch trials, the court officials, who ironically are the one group in society who are single-handedly responsible for administering justice fairly, act simply out of self-interest, striving only to appease the community, and gain fame. Relaying on nothing more than spectral evidence, Danforth and the other court officials condemn those who refuse to conform to society’s beliefs. Under the guise of religious duty, Danforth strives solely to appease the community, and benefit his standing in society. He believes that â€Å"a person is either with the court or he must be counted against it. † When one does not conform to the norms of society and challenges it, he is condemned to die. For example, upon discovering that John Proctor does â€Å"not come to church† on Sundays, he automatically assumes that Proctor must be guilty, and must be hanged. He appears motivated solely by the desire to gain fame. For example, in the final act of the play right before the hanging, Reverend Hale tries to convince Danforth to postpone the hanging. Danforth knows that â€Å"the village expects to see them die this morning† and cannot postpone the event because â€Å"postponement now speaks a floundering on my [Danforth’s] part. † Danforth’s actions show that he not only acts out of self motivation and the desire to appease society, but also fails the to overcame his conflict with society. Reverend John Hale, on the other hand, also appointed to work with the court during the witch trials, makes his decisions based on his own morals instead of what society prefers. Hale, an expert on witch trials and a â€Å"stranger† in Salem finds â€Å"it difficult to draw a clear opinion on them that come accused before court. † Being a minister of the Lord, Hale judges others based on clear evidence and does not â€Å"dare [to] take a life without proof. † His morals prevent him from just simply doing what will appeal to society. Even though he desires to be â€Å"allied with the best minds in Europe- kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiasts of all churches,† he, unlike Danforth and the court officials, refuses to let his personal ambition come in the way of administering justice fairly. He even rejects his religious doctrine in the name of justice, claiming that â€Å"life†¦ life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. † Unlike Danforth and his selfish motivation, Reverend Hale refuses to conform to what society dictates, clinging on to his own moral beliefs.

The Crucible Essays (309 words) - Salem Witch Trials, Tituba

The Crucible Essays (309 words) - Salem Witch Trials, Tituba The Crucible The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a fact-based story about a town called Salem and it's unjust people. Salem, was a town ruled and governed by religion. Things such as games, newspapers, or anything alien to their small town were considered evil. Though a strict, religion-based town might sound appealing to some, the town had many problems. One such problem was the witch trials that took place in Judge Hathorne's Court. In these trials little girls would sit in the front and the elder people in the back. Judge Hathorne would sit in the middle with the defendant sitting in a chair to the right. The defendant would be questioned and interrogated like any case held in court today. Then the girls in the front would put on a show that the person was "grasping them with a chilly hand " or attempting to kill them. After this the defendant would be sentenced, usually to hanging. I pitty those girls. It's amazing that a show put on by such adolesence could end a persons life without factual proof. I think, on a more positive note, that Tituba was a strong character in Salem. Tituba told the children stories of which they'd never heard. Tituba influenced them to think beyond which their parents and teachers had instilled and enlogged inside their heads. But my views aren't agreed with by Abigail who shouts, "She sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer." (p44) Many times, Tituba is accused of witchcraft and "compacting with the devil." This is sad because all Tituba's intentions are two show the children that there'' more to life than Salem wants them to see. On the whole, The Crucible is a story that has greal moral and has many lessons to be learned(as well as other Arthur Miller selections)

Qué es USCIS, qué hace y cómo contactar con una oficina

Quà © es USCIS, quà © hace y cà ³mo contactar con una oficina El Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a de los Estados Unidos (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) es la agencia federal encargada de gestionar todos los trmites relacionados con la inmigracià ³n legal. Todos los migrantes legales deben hacer trmites con el USCIS, al igual que los ciudadanos americanos que desean pedir los papeles para un familiar. Por esta razà ³n, es importante conocer cules son los trmites de los que se ocupa USCIS, dà ³nde estn ubicadas sus oficinas,  cà ³mo contactar para obtener informacià ³n y, finalmente, en quà © consiste la verificacià ³n de antecedentes penales (background check, en inglà ©s) que realiza esta agencia y cà ³mo saber lo que esta agencia sabe de cada migrante. Qu hace USCIS y cules son los tiempos de espera en sus trmites USCIS se ocupa de asuntos muy variados. Por ejemplo, es el organismo que estudia y aprueba o deniega las solicitudes de tarjeta de residencia permanente, conocida  como green card, por peticià ³n de un familiar o de una empresa. USCIS gestiona las solicitudes de adquisicià ³n de la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense por naturalizacià ³n o la aprobacià ³n de visas temporales de trabajo. Tambià ©n se encuentra dentro de las competencias de USCIS aprobar permisos de trabajo (EAD, por sus siglas en inglà ©s), programas especiales de proteccià ³n a migrantes como, por ejemplo, VAWA para và ­ctimas de violencia domà ©stica, TPS, para ciudadanos de paà ­ses en situacià ³n de catstrofe humanitaria, o DACA, para jà ³venes indocumentados que llegaron a Estados Unidos siendo nià ±os. Asimismo, USCIS gestiona el programa e-verify para determinar que una persona est autorizada para trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos. Por à ºltimo, entre otros trmites  frecuentes tambià ©n destacan la gestià ³n de los casos de asilo afirmativo, los de adopcià ³n internacional y  las solicitudes de advance parole, para permitir salir de Estados Unidos y su regreso sin problemas. En cuanto al tiempo de demora para que USCIS apruebe o deniegue un trmite hay que decir claramente que no hay una respuesta à ºnica, ya que depende del tipo de trmite. En su pgina oficial se pueden verificar tiempos aproximados, una vez que se sabe el centro que gestiona el trmite y el nombre del documento del tipo de peticià ³n o solicitud. Por ejemplo, I-130 para el caso de peticiones de un familiar, N-600 para la naturalizacià ³n, etc. En todo caso es necesario destacar que si se trata de una peticià ³n de familia donde hay un là ­mite  de solicitudes que pueden ser aprobadas por aà ±o fiscal, como es el caso de todas las peticiones de residentes o en las peticiones de ciudadanos para hijos mayores de 21 aà ±os o casados o para sus hermanos hay que esperar ms. Es decir, hay que esperar a que exista cupo para lo cual es ms indicativo verificar las fechas que publica el Departamento de Estado cada mes en el Boletà ­n de Visas. En relacià ³n a los trmites que se realizan con USCIS, se debe  recordar que todos los formularios oficiales son gratis y pueden descargarse de su pgina oficial, incluso admitià ©ndose casos de e-file. Adems, en ciertos casos es posible solicitar una exencià ³n para no pagar la tarifa que requiere el caso. Asimismo, se debe  insistir que todos los documentos que se presentan en espaà ±ol, como por ejemplo, las partidas de nacimiento o matrimonio, deben ir acompaà ±ados de una traduccià ³n al inglà ©s, que debe ser certificada. Por à ºltimo, tener en cuenta que cuando el USCIS deniega una peticià ³n es posible apelarla en algunos casos. Oficinas de USCIS y cmo obtener informacin En la actualidad, USCIS cuenta con ms de 19.000 empleados repartidos en aproximadamente 200 oficinas, algunas de las cuales se encuentran ubicadas fuera de los Estados Unidos. Desde el punto de vista orgnico, el USCIS pertenece al Departamento de Seguridad Interna, conocido en inglà ©s por sus siglas de DHS. Lo importante es enviar los formularios y la documentacià ³n de apoyo a la direccià ³n correcta, que va a depender de dos factores: el tipo de solicitud y el lugar en el que se reside habitualmente. Todos los formularios especifican claramente este punto, y tambià ©n se establece una distincià ³n segà ºn el tipo de envà ­o: ordinario o urgente. Tambià ©n es posible solicitar informacià ³n del USCIS. Si es de carcter general, se puede acudir a una de sus oficinas locales con servicio de atencià ³n al pà ºblico, aunque es recomendable que se abstengan de esto los migrantes indocumentados. Otra opcià ³n para no esperar es realizar una cita previa mediante el sistema de INFOPASS. Si la pregunta que se desea realizar es sobre un caso concreto se puede marcar  a USCIS al 1-800-375-5283 para lo cual es necesario tener a mano el nà ºmero de caso, que se puede encontrar en la carta en la que USCIS notifica que ha recibido los papeles para una peticià ³n o solicitud. Asimismo, con esa informacià ³n es posible obtener informacià ³n và ­a Internet. En qu consiste la verificacin de antecedentes penales que realiza USCIS Para realizar los trmites, USCIS pide frecuentemente datos biomà ©tricos, como foto y huellas dactilares de la persona para quien se solicita un beneficio migratorio. Esos datos le sirven para verificar los posibles antecedentes penales de una persona. Es lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como background check. Esto consiste en cotejar las huellas digitales con las bases de datos de otras agencias federales y tambià ©n enviarlas al FBI para determinar si la persona que solicita el beneficio migratorio ha sido arrestada o detenida en el pasado y, en caso afirmativo, la causa. Adems, se envà ­a informacià ³n biogrfica a otro departamento del FBI para que lleve a cabo la verificacià ³n del nombre para determinar si la persona es un delincuente, se tiene sospechas sobre ella o se le considera un riesgo para la seguridad de Estados Unidos. Todas las personas con un expediente presente o pasado en USCIS que desean saber cul es su contenido pueden solicitar dicha informacià ³n mediante lo que se conoce como FOIA. El formulario a llenar es el G-639. La direccià ³n a la que se debe enviar es: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesNational Records Center, FOIA/PA OfficeP.O. Box 648010Lees Summit, MO 64064-8010 Cmo evitar problemas con USCIS y fraudes En asuntos migratorios es fundamental llenar bien los formularios de peticià ³n y enviar a tiempo la documentacià ³n de apoyo. No es necesario usar los servicios de un abogado pero es recomendable, particularmente en los casos que no estn claros y pueden dar lugar a interpretacià ³n.   Datos sobre buenos abogados de inmigracià ³n pueden obtenerse en la base de datos de AILA. Tambià ©n se recomienda verificar la reputacià ³n de un abogado en el BAR (colegio de abogados) del estado. Finalmente, tambià ©n se puede obtener informacià ³n para buenas referencias o letrados pro bono en asociaciones de defensa de los intereses legales de los migrantes. Debe desconfiarse de los llamados notarios, que no pueden ejercer como abogados en Estados Unidos y de todas las personas que prometen resultados porque supuestamente conocen a alguien dentro de USCIS. Esos casos son fraudes. Finalmente, USCIS no se dedica a juzgar casos migratorios ya que eso es competencia de las cortes y del Board de Apelaciones (BIA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s). Tampoco se ocupa de arrestos ni de ejecutar deportaciones ni de guardar la frontera, que es competencia de ICE y la CBP. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

False Cognates are Faux Amis Who May Not Be Welcome

False Cognates are Faux Amis Who May Not Be Welcome In English and Romance languages like French, many words have the same roots, they look identical or very similar, and they share the same meaning. Thats a wonderful convenience to the student of either language. However, there are also a great many faux amis (false friends), that are  false cognates.  These are words that look identical or similar in both languages, but they have completely different meanings- a  pitfall for English-speaking students of French. A Pitfall for Students There are also semi-false cognates: words that sometimes, but not always, share the same meaning as the similar-looking word in another language.  Semi-false cognates are words that don’t look exactly the same, but they’re similar enough to cause confusion.   The  list of French-English false cognates below includes both false cognates and semi-false cognates, and the meaning of each word. To avoid confusion, weve added (F) for French and (E) for English to the titles. There are hundreds of false cognates between French and English. Here are few to get you started. Faux Amis and Semi-Faux Amis Ancien  (F)  vs. ancient (E)Ancien (F)  commonly means former, as in lancien maire  (the former mayor), although it can also mean ancient as in English  in certain contexts that discuss, for instance, very old civilizations. Attendre  (F)  vs. attend (E)Attendre means to wait for and its in one of the most common French phrases:  Je t’attends  (Im waiting for you). The English attend, of course, though similar in appearance means to take part in or to go to some event, such as a meeting or a concert. Bra  (F)  vs. bra  (E) The French bra  (F) is a limb on the human body and the opposite of jambe (leg). A bra (E) in English is, of course, a female undergarment, but the French call this garment, appropriately, a support (un soutien-gorge). Brasserie (F)  vs. brassiere (E)A French brasserie is an institution in France, a place, much like the British pub, where youd find a bar that serves meals, or a brewery. No connection to the female undergarment in the English word brassiere, of which bra  is the abbreviated form. Blessà © (F) vs. Blessed (E)If someone is blessà ©Ã‚  in France, they are wounded, emotionally or physically. This is far from the English blessed, which can apply to a religious sacrament or just great luck. Bouton (F) vs. button  (E)Bouton does  mean button in French, as it does in English, but  a French  bouton  can also refer to that bane of the teenage years: a  pimple.   Confection (F) vs. confection (E)La confection (F) refers to the making or preparing of clothing, a device, a meal, and more. It can also refer to the clothing industry. An English  confection  (E) is a class of food thats sweet, something thats made in a bakery or candy shop. Exposition (F) vs. exposition (E)Une exposition (F) can refer to an exposition of facts, as well as to an exhibition or show, the aspect of a building, or exposure to heat or radiation.  An English exposition is a commentary or or an essay developing a point of view. Grand  (F) vs. grand (E)Grand is a very, very common French word for big, but there are times it refers to something or someone great, such as un grand homme  or a grand-pà ¨re.  When it describes a person’s physical appearance, it means tall. Grand in English commonly refers to a special human being, thing, or place of notable achievement. Implantation (F) vs. implantation (E)Une implantation  is the introduction or setting up of a new method or industry, a settlement, or a companys presence in a country or region. Medically, the French terms means implantation (of an organ or embryo). An English implantation is an implantation only in the sense of an introduction or setting up or in the medical sense. Justesse (F) vs justice (E)French justesse  is all about exactness, accuracy, correctness, soundness, and the like. If something is juste, it is corect. The English justice  refers to what we expect when the rule of law prevails: justice. Librairie  (F) vs. Library (E)These two terms are  often confused, and  they are true  faux amis. Books are involved in both, but  une librairie  is where you go to purchase a book: a bookshop or newsstand. Your local library is  une bibliothà ¨que in France,  or these days  it may be part of  a  mà ©diathà ¨que.  The English library is, of course, where you borrow books. Location  (F) vs. location  (E)  There are miles between these two meanings.  A French location  is a rental, and youll often see ads for  Ã¢â‚¬Å"les meilleures locations  de vacances,† meaning â€Å"the best holiday rentals.†Ã‚  Location is the physical spot where something like a building lives, you know: location, location, location, which can be important in finding a French location. Monnaie  (F) vs. money (E)Monnaie  for the French is the loose change jingling in your pocket or weighing down your handbag. People at the checkout who say they have no  monnaie  dont have the right change. English money is all of it, both change and bills. Vicieux (F) vs. vicious (E)The French term  vicieux (F) gives us pause because its what you call someone perverted, depraved, or nasty. In English, the vicious person is brutal, but not quite so nasty as a  vicieux in French.

The ethical way forward for procurement of organs Essay

The ethical way forward for procurement of organs - Essay Example This dissertation attempts to evaluate the current practice in organ donation and evaluate the relevance of ethical and legal issues relating to it in the modern world. It will also contain an analysis of what procedure should be followed in the future for the procurement and transplantation of organs and tissues. The study will lay specific emphasis on: a) Issue of presuming consent for organ donation. b) Ethical and legal issues about the procurement of organs. c) Xenotransplantation. d) procurement of organs from other species e) Commoditization of organs Organ procurement is a significant practice in the medical industry since it profoundly aids in saving lives of people who have defects in the organs that are vital for their survival. It is a good thing to save lives of people whenever means are available to save life of the people with organ donation. Without adequate possibility of procurement of organs, these people would be disadvantaged. Therefore, procurement is extremely important for the welfare of humankind. However, in the present day, concerns regarding the whole system of organ procurement have arisen, bringing into light various ethical and legal issues relating to it. ... ground: According to the Medical Conditions Dictionary (2010), organ procurement is a set of procedures that includes the administrative, authoritative and ethical processes observed in the acquisition of organs for transplant via affiliations, systems or programmes. The organ procurement procedure refers to obtaining consent from the donors or their family and close relatives and the transportation of the organs harvested from the donor to the respective health centres for further medical processing and eventual transplant into the recipient. Organ procurement began as a basic endeavour when affiliations that specialized in kidney transplantation obtained organs and used them to save lives in the same facility. As the demand for organs grew and the transplantation of other organs, such as the heart, small intestines, pancreas, liver and lungs, became successful in practice, the need to develop enhanced and ethical organ procurement, distribution and sharing agreements became crucial (Mancini et al. 2010). Because of the high demand for organs for transplant in current times, numerous organizations, through the efforts of physicians, scholars and medical personnel, have started attempting to counteract the acute shortage to avoid deaths. The ever-increasing shortage of organs requires society to decide on specific yielding policies on procurement. In many countries, like the US, procurement of organs requires the explicit consent of the donor prior to his or her death. This policy is known as an opting-in system or expressed consent. In accordance with this policy, if an individual aspires to donate his organs after death, he should express this consent by signing a donor card. Explicit consent is always considered as the informed consent of prospective donors. This

Assignment 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Assignment 4 - Essay Example The general taking in conclusion of our drawing activity is that separated from looking into their own particular pictures of pioneers and initiative, learners comprehend that their certain authority speculations have a singular and social segment that others could possibly impart. Taking into account the hypothetical underpinnings of implied initiative hypotheses sketched out, a key conclusion of showing verifiable authority speculations is that understudies see there might be no general substantial truth to what successful or "great" administration is, and that it depends all the more on singular, social, and social developments than on the attributes and practices of the pioneer thusly. Understanding this idea includes to begin with, getting a feeling of ones certain administration hypotheses; second, seeing how and why we discern pioneers in a particular. Amidst the aftermath of the Great Recession and current political gridlock in Washington, the need for seeing how to lead in times of emergency is more excellent than any other time. Heading under Pressure offers accommodating schema and a far reaching audit of research that develops our understanding of compelling emergency administration techniques and strategies. Emergency administration is recognized from the general area of authority. Their meaning of emergency initiative is excessively prohibitive in its concentrate on "the firm" frustrating its requisition to government pioneers who are distressful in need of bits of knowledge. Qualitatively, they recognize an "emergency" from a routine "issue" as a focal contention for why emergency authority is special. Probably, pioneers take care of routine issues, yet emergency pioneers intention emergencies (Hayes & Perry, 2010). The aspect of leading under pressure is evidenced by the cutting loose the dirty dozen case study 3 whereby, Marisa Munson who is

Develop an ethics program for a company X Essay - 1

Develop an ethics program for a company X - Essay Example Excel Finance offers financial services to clients from all backgrounds in the region of Los Angeles where employees are expected to demonstrate high ethical standards. Firstly, at Excel Finance, it is unacceptable to report for duty late. Obviously, as a financial institution, Excel Finance would like to show that every detail is met. According to the instructions on the entrance, Excel Finance opens its doors exactly at eight o’clock in the morning. Therefore, it means that if employees report late, there are chances of opening the business late. This will create the wrong integrity about the company in the eyes of the highly esteemed clients (Brink, 2011). In addition to observing punctuality, the employees of Excel Finance are expected to communicate with the customers in English language unless where impossible. Politeness while addressing the client is imperative, and any report by client of a staff’s rudeness will be extensively investigated after which disciplinary actions may be taken. Concerning use of company equipment- telephones and other utilities-, every employee is expected to exercise responsibility. Usage of company telephones and another equipment for purposes not related to the business is not allowed, and the staff could be penalized if this is contravened. In regard to handling money from clients, all employees at Excel Finance are expected to issue a document indicating receipt or issuance of the same. No staff is allowed to receive money from customers without a purpose. For cashiers, all money must reflect in the client’s account as soon as they are done with depositing. As for the loan officers, assessment of customer’s business has to be done before approving a loan. Also, ensure that all the spaces that ought to be filled by the client have been filled without exception. All staffs are expected to show respect

The Law of Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Law of Evidence - Essay Example In order to proceed further, it is pertinent to define the meaning of trick and understand whether that meaning falls into the conundrum of facts of the case. â€Å"A cunning or skilful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone. Intended or used to deceive or mystify, or to create an illusion.†1 To trick someone into something is to make the other person believe that he is showing him the true face of the situation, but, on the other hand he is infact putting him through a fake image of illusion and therefore cheating him to deceive him according to his whims and fancies. ... helps the accused as the departure from the strict procedure has been adopted by design with a view to securing the admission of evidence obtained by an unfair trick. As per the findings of Lord Cooper, "I can find nothing to suggest that any departure from the strict procedure was deliberately adopted ... in the present instance the irregularity ought to be ‘excused’.†150 The Privy Council, in its opinion delivered on an appeal from Kenya, mentioned, as a ground for excluding relevant evidence that it had been obtained by a "trick." 1:;1 Kingsmill Moore ]., admitting evidence of this kind in an Irish case, said: "I can find no evidence of deliberate treachery, imposition [or]deceit." 152 As a ground for rejecting evidence, the Supreme Court of Canada has pointed out: "Admittedly, the statement by the accused was procured by trickery, duress and improper inducements." Therefore, in the first instance, according to the precedents laid down by the Courts worldwide as well as the law in the PACE Act, it has been clearly stated that any evidence produced by putting the individual under a trick is negligible and liable to be excluded under the law. Thus David may be supported with the help of the same. 2. The Law governing the admissibility of the confession Section 82(1) of the PACE Act defines the law governing the admissibility of confession. The Section is as follows: â€Å"confession†, includes any statement wholly or partly adverse to the person who made it, whether made to a person in authority or not and whether made in words or otherwise†.4 According to the facts of the case, it is a clear cut proposition that David was oppressed into confessing that he knew about the stolen nature of the car radio. The Court should look at this situation from a holistic

Conflict Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Conflict Analysis Paper - Essay Example When I go home after a hard day, I have to pick up unending coffee cups, ash trays, cushions, close open windows, secure locks and switch off lights, before washing the used dishes, as I need them for cooking and eating. Actually they are my own and he does not have many earthy possessions. He would rather spend money on male perfume, pointed shoes and manicure. Our conflict cannot come under philosophical, demonic, classical theories. It is definitely not ecological. It comes under the Functional theory and perhaps this kind of conflict is needed for the social functioning. Also it comes under Anomie theory, because both of us are confused about how to treat the other. "This meant that rules on how people ought to behave with each other were breaking down and thus people did not know what to expect from one another. Anomie, simply defined, is a state where norms (expectations on behaviors) are confused, unclear or not present. It is normlessness, Durkheim felt, that led to deviant behaviour" http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/week8.htm Triggering events that brought conflict into mutual awareness were his smoking inside flat, not cleaning, leaving used dishes all over, being unreasonable about buying things for flat, and arguing on every possible matter. According to him, they are my obsession with cleaning, tidiness, my overbearing desire to have my own way, shrill reaction to smoking and dominating behavior. Historical context on this ongoing relationship, could be from my point of view Communism produces only selfishness and cunning behavior. According to him, Asian people are overbearing, fastidious, without any scope for easy, laid back relationship. External events could be his late hours of work, his unhappiness over not getting a musician's job paying $300 per day, his failure in finding permanent, caring (read money spending) provider in the form of a girl friend and external environment that makes him hesitate to mingle, and thus, more aggressive. He believes that my external events are study pressures, my inability of generating a steady income, my being short of money perennially, and nervousness in completing my degree. I am sure I do not have any prior assumption about conflict, though, could have been a bit biased about erstwhile communism, and the way of expressing the particular bias, whereas Olek definitely has an annoying way of putting things across about colonialism, middle European male supremacy, and Eastern ignorance and poverty. I express the struggle by being grumpy, silent, unresponsive, cleaning the place with obvious unhappiness and by being unfriendly. Olek shows it with supreme indifference while continuing same attitude that is bound to raise my hackles. Perceived incompatible goals mainly are smoking, uncleanliness, loud music, unending heating of the flat, disturbance, using things without asking, and leaving them to clean themselves and find their own way to their proper places etc. Perceived scarce resources are gallantry, carelessness, sensitivity, co-operation, fellow-feeling and genuine friendship. We, being flat mates, are interdependent on mutual harmony and peace in the flat, paying of bills, maintaining a level of mutual respect and concern for one another.

The Law of Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Law of Evidence - Essay Example In order to proceed further, it is pertinent to define the meaning of trick and understand whether that meaning falls into the conundrum of facts of the case. â€Å"A cunning or skilful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone. Intended or used to deceive or mystify, or to create an illusion.†1 To trick someone into something is to make the other person believe that he is showing him the true face of the situation, but, on the other hand he is infact putting him through a fake image of illusion and therefore cheating him to deceive him according to his whims and fancies. ... helps the accused as the departure from the strict procedure has been adopted by design with a view to securing the admission of evidence obtained by an unfair trick. As per the findings of Lord Cooper, "I can find nothing to suggest that any departure from the strict procedure was deliberately adopted ... in the present instance the irregularity ought to be ‘excused’.†150 The Privy Council, in its opinion delivered on an appeal from Kenya, mentioned, as a ground for excluding relevant evidence that it had been obtained by a "trick." 1:;1 Kingsmill Moore ]., admitting evidence of this kind in an Irish case, said: "I can find no evidence of deliberate treachery, imposition [or]deceit." 152 As a ground for rejecting evidence, the Supreme Court of Canada has pointed out: "Admittedly, the statement by the accused was procured by trickery, duress and improper inducements." Therefore, in the first instance, according to the precedents laid down by the Courts worldwide as well as the law in the PACE Act, it has been clearly stated that any evidence produced by putting the individual under a trick is negligible and liable to be excluded under the law. Thus David may be supported with the help of the same. 2. The Law governing the admissibility of the confession Section 82(1) of the PACE Act defines the law governing the admissibility of confession. The Section is as follows: â€Å"confession†, includes any statement wholly or partly adverse to the person who made it, whether made to a person in authority or not and whether made in words or otherwise†.4 According to the facts of the case, it is a clear cut proposition that David was oppressed into confessing that he knew about the stolen nature of the car radio. The Court should look at this situation from a holistic

Epidemics In America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Epidemics In America - Essay Example Merkel discusses the six epidemics in light of their biological context, their discovery, their distribution, their spread and their prevention of control. Most of the diseases discussed were due to viruses and bacteria. As discussed in the course, a virus is an a-cellular micro-organism. The book elaborates on it. The virus can only reproduce inside living cells where it multiplies. Aids happen due to a virus called HIV. This virus belongs to a virus class known as the retrovirus. Retroviruses are a type of viruses that are made of the RNA or the ribonucleic acid. The RNA makes up for the genetic composition of the retroviruses. HIV first infects the cell. Once the cell has been infected, HIV uses reverse transcriptase to transform RNA into DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. The DNA keeps on replicating itself by making use of the cell and its machinery. Merkel also spoke about why symptoms of AID take time to show in humans. This is because HIV is a slow virus. The subgroup of viruses t hat it belongs to is known lent viruses or slow viruses. Merkel like-wise elaborates on the biological background of tuberculosis. The concept has also been discussed in class. This disease is caused by a mycobacterium. Mycobacterium was the primary causative agent of tuberculosis back then. Another bacteria called Vibrio cholera is the primary causative agent of cholera. Back then there were no advance medical facilities to deal with these diseases, hence the results of the outbreak used to be even more drastic and worse?... Most of the diseases discussed were due to viruses and bacteria. As discussed in the course, a virus is an a-cellular micro-organism. The book elaborates on it. The virus can only reproduce inside living cells where it multiplies. Aids happen due to a virus called HIV. This virus belongs to a virus class known as retrovirus. Retroviruses are a type of viruses that are made of the RNA or the ribonucleic acid. The RNA makes up for the genetic composition of the retroviruses. HIV first infects the cell. Once the cell has been infected, HIV uses reverse transcriptase to transform RNA into DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. The DNA keeps on replicating itself by making use of the cell and its machinery. Merkel also spoke about why symptoms of AID take time to show in humans. This is because HIV is a slow virus. The subgroup of viruses that it belongs to is known lent viruses or slow viruses. Merkel like-wise elaborates on the biological background of tuber-culosis. The concept has also been di scussed in class. This disease is caused by a myco-bacterium. Mycobacterium was the primary causative agent of tuberculosis back then. Another bactetia called vibrio cholera is the primary causative agent of cholera. Back then there were no advance medical facilities to deal with these diseases, hence the results of the outbreak used to be even more drastic and worse? Markel’s explains, rather elaborately six major infectious diseases i.e. tuberculosis plague, typhus, cholera, AIDS and bubonic plague. Most of the epidemics were due to bacteria. Typhus was caused by a bacterium called Ricktessia. The prevalent of epidemics due to bacteria was particularly emphasized.Merkel makes special reference to Koach’s postulate for disease causation in his book. Pathogen is present in all

An Investigation of Vietnams Barriers of Economic Growth and Development Essay Example for Free

An Investigation of Vietnams Barriers of Economic Growth and Development Essay Over the past few decades, Vietnam has made remarkable recovery from the damage of war and political reforms. Under Vietnams communist party, the countrys economy has transitioned from a centrally planned economy to a socialist-oriented market economy. Making it a multi-sectored commodity economy regulated by the people, whilst under state management and ownership. Numerous reforms, along with the modernization of the financial system, have led to rapid growth for Vietnam economically. In 2010, the Gross Domestic Product (PPP) of Vietnam was $275,639 million and ranked 40 out of 182 listed countries according to the International Monetary Fund. This is most likely due to rapid industrialization that has and is taking place. Industry and construction contributed approximately 40.9% of GDP in 2010 whereas the share of the agriculture sector has fallen to 21%. Although the rise in GDP has brought about a decline in poverty, larger school enrolment rates, bettered infrastructure, etc, this rapid growth rate has also brought with it negative factors that may hinder subsequent economic growth and development. For instance, Vietnam is facing large budget and trade deficits. In 2010, the current account balance (CAB) of Vietnam was -8.51 billion US dollars based on the International Monetary Fund, with the countrys trade deficits amounting to US$12.4 billion. CAB value, being a negative, shows that the amount spent on imports coming into Vietnam is higher than that earned from the countrys exports. The problem is that the imports are of a higher value than the exports and this is the consequence of relying on a narrow range of primary products (This point on low value exports will be elaborated on, under cultural factors). Similarly, the government is blowing its budget, causing the fiscal deficit to rise to 7.4% of GDP in 2010, which shows the extent at which the governments total expenditure has exceeded the revenue that it generates. This overshot the governments target of 6.2%. On one hand, the government expenditure on basic social and physical infrastructure is a necessity for any developing country. However, this continual over-spending can place the government in a state of debt, which may interfere with economic growth and development. Also, the corrupted state misspends and embezzles a good share of export earnings, foreign investment and revenue (To be covered later under political instability). In order to taper down trade deficits, the government has been forced to devalue the Vietnamese currency (dong) to the exchange rate of 17,961 dong : US$1. However, the dong is continually being devalued. According to Le Dang Doanh of the Economic College of Hanoi, devaluation might temporarily help to reduce Vietnams imports, but it will also boost inflation because the imported fuel will rise. Doanhs views are very apt as devaluation of the exchange rate will make exports more competitive and appear cheaper to foreigners. This will increase demand for exports whilst making imports more expensive. Hence, reducing the demand for imports. However, this devaluation has caused a rise in the inflation rate in Vietnam. In January 2011, the consumer-price index rose to 12.17%. This is higher than the 11.8% increase in December 2010. Bring about higher prices for education services, food, housing and building materials within the country. These high prices are not easily met by the poorer of the country. It is no surprise, therefore, that Vietnams per capita GDP (PPP) of $3,123 (ranked 128) by the International Monetary Fund, meaning that the average income of a person living in Vietnam is approximately $8.70 per day. This is equivalent to earning US$3.20 a day according to nominal per capita GDP. One reason for this is that Vietnams rate of growth of population is higher than that of its GDP. Vietnam, with a growing population of over 89 million, is the 13th most densely populated country in the world. The Human Development Index (HDI) re-illustrates Vietnams lower development and welfare. It weighs real national income per year, the adult literacy rate, average years of schooling, and life expectancy in ranking a country in terms of development. The closer the HDI value is to 1, the more developed the country is said to be. The 2010 HDI value of Vietnam is 0.572, ranking the country 113 out of 169 countries with comparable data. Having a HDI value between 0.5 and 0.8, Vietnam is said to have medium human development. However, this value still remains below the average HDI value of East Asia and the Pacific (0.650) and that of the world (0.624). On a scale from 0 1, the index for health is 0.869, education is 0.480 and income is 0.448. Additionally from the 2010 report, 21.45% of the population is living below US$1.25 per day and 25,632 per million of the population is affected by natural disasters. It appears that the prime reason for the relatively low HDI value of Vietnam seems to be due to the decline in infrastructure and income amongst its citizens. This brings us to the next section of my investigation. Along with the problems arising in Vietnam, its current economic situation could have been and still remains a result of the various factors below: Income Poverty The Vietnam government has made effective attacks on poverty, reducing the countries share of income poverty from 58% to 21.45% in 1993-2010. Due to industrialization and reforms, more jobs and opportunities were created. The rise in income for people working in industrial zones resulted in more than a third of the population being pulled out of poverty. However, the increasing number of people moving into the city areas has caused property demands, and hence prices, to rise. Additionally, inflation is increasing the prices of staples remarkably, making it difficult for low-income urban and rural residents. In fact, a study in 2006 by the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences concluded that even higher growth rates will be required than in the past as poverty is still deep and widespread, and the remaining millions of people vulnerable to poverty fall far below the poverty line. This prevalent income gap in Vietnam, particularly the income disparity between the rural and urban areas not only lowers the basic standard of living in the country due to inequitable development, but also reduces consumption. This drop in consumption, coupled with the investment fever of the higher income-earners, might cause deflation. Although deflation may seem to help lower-income citizens to purchase more goods, price drops will hamper profits of firms and, hence, the overall economic growth of Vietnam. This will lead to even lower income distributed to workers, and even retrenchment, as companies would need to cut down costs. As a result, economic development is hindered, as the government will not have sufficient funds to spend on improving infrastructure in the country. Therefore, the basic standard of living subsequently drops. Vietnams capital, Hanoi, is already feeling the negative effects of this lack of infrastructure due to the poverty cycle as it is constantly plagued by power blackouts (See lack of infrastructure below). Political Structure/Corruption To date, the government continues to maintain control of the largest and most important firms in the country. The government recently issued new limitations for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) on the extent at which they can diversify away from their core business. Conversely, policy changes tend to take a long time to be put into effect and SOEs will take an equally long period of time to respond to such directives. One way to overcome this conservatism, the minimal or gradual change in society, is if the government gives up political control of the economy and diminishing the bureaucratic nature of commerce in Vietnam. However it is unlikely that the Communist leaders will allow this to happen. Additionally, Vietnam relies heavily on SOEs to generate wealth for the nation. Under each company, workers enjoy the same share of benefits from growth despite any disparity in productivity. Therefore, there is no incentive for workers to perform better at their job and the economy will not be able to reach high growth rates or attract foreign investors. Public officials and state employees, thus, resort to getting extra money any way they can. The current state structure creates loopholes for corrupt people to plunder state budget. Already, there have been cases where government officials have been arrested for squandering a significant share of investments that come into the country. The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index placed Vietnam 116th out of 178 countries, with a transparency score of 2.7. Corruption and lack of political transparency causes citizens to lose confidence in their leaders and weakens national unity. Possible uprisings may occur and instability hinders national construction and defense (Continued in lack of infrastructure below). Lack of infrastructure Vietnams energy-generating capacity is not at a high enough level yet to support its production in industrial zones. However, at the moment the government budget is not enough to solve the electricity supply problem. First of all, if fewer goods are produced due to lack of electricity to operate machinery efficiently, economic growth will decrease. Furthermore, power surges disrupt the everyday lives of citizens, transportation, etc. Lowering the standard of living in Vietnam. As mentioned above, the bureaucracy of official procedures stops the country from building the roads, power stations and other public works due to the slow speed at which such changes take effect. These factors are needed to maintain efficient production of goods and services and, hence, growth rate. Particularly, the lack of road systems hinders economic development, as it is difficult for citizens to gain access to different areas of the country. Cultural Factors Initially an agriculture-based economy, Vietnam depends on seafood and rice as main exports for the country. Many of these low-value products are the livelihood of people living in rural areas. The school attendance is much lower in rural areas as compared to urban areas and this lack of education leads to the lack of skills necessary to carry out jobs in industrial zones. Therefore, their focus on agriculture has translated to the country over-depending on primary products as its main exports. This narrows the range of products, which can be purchased through international trade. This negatively impacts potential economic growth. On the other hand, an increasing number of people living in urban areas own cars and factories are producing goods constantly in order keep up with the ambitious growth targets of Vietnams Communist leaders. The emissions from choking traffic and constant construction are starting to take a toll on the environment. The pollution, therefore, impedes the economic development of the developing country. In conclusion, we can see that despite Vietnams improving economic growth, numerous debts accumulating in the country and the devaluation of currency can hinder further potential growth rates. These factors overlap with the Communist Partys political control of the economy and the slow change of economic policies, lack of infrastructure to support capital production and exporting low-value products, which in turn hinder economic growth. Additionally, over-population, growing income gaps between rural and urban areas, inefficient building of infrastructure and environmental damage created by excessive and rapid industrialization, have impeded on economic development by lowering the basic standard of living of the country. In order for Vietnam to grow and develop economically in the future, the political structure needs to allow a more efficient change in both social and economical policies. More importantly, the country needs to stop prevalent corruption and give firms incentives to generate more economic growth and, thus, attract more foreign investments for the country. Sources -http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPOVERTY/Resources/WDR/English-Full-Text-Report/ch2.pdf -http://www.arcadia-asia.com/commentaries/201003-Arcadia%20Market%20Commentary.pdf -http://www.viet-studies.info/kinhte/vietnam_OxfordAnalytica.pdf -http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPRS1/Resources/383606-1106667815039/gov_spending_vietnam.pdf -http://www.economist.com/node/11041638?story_id=11041638 -http://www.icsead.or.jp/7publication/workingpp/wp2006/2006-18.pdf -http://www.economywatch.com/economic-statistics/country/Vietnam/

Interference On Automatic And Controlled Cognitive Processing Tasks Psychology Essay

Interference On Automatic And Controlled Cognitive Processing Tasks Psychology Essay The effect of interference was explored during a modified Stroop experiment. This paper reports a study of the response times taken to complete a variation of the Stroop test; to determine whether automatic cognitive processes associated with reading interfere with controlled processes associated with colour naming tasks. It was found that naming ink colour was slower for a list of colour-related words than when neutral words were used, showing that interference does occur during an interaction of automatic and controlled cognitive processes. These findings are concurrent with previous empirical research which has shown that performance decreases when completing more than one task at a time. INTRODUCTION The senses receive a phenomenal amount of information from stimuli but it is understood that the brain has a limited capacity of resources available to process this information (Kahneman, cited by Edgar 2007). Attention is the fundamental cognitive process that mediates between what is sensed and perceived, this incorporates the selection and processing of some information and the disregard of. An important concept to consider is that by understanding cognitive processes such as attention and perception, inferences can be made about how behaviour may be affected (Edgar 2007). Within the attentional information processing framework, two distinct modes of cognitive functioning exist; controlled processing and automatic processing (Gross 2005, Edgar 2007). Schneider and Shiffrin (cited by Edgar 2007) distinguished several characteristics between controlled and automatic processing. Controlled processing demands heavily on attentional resources, is capacity-limited, slower and involves conscious directing of attention towards a task. In contrast, automatic processing makes little or no demands on attentional resources, is relatively fast, unaffected by capacity limitation and is not subject to conscious awareness (Gross 2005, Edgar 2007). The ability to perform tasks automatically is advantageous as it means there are still resources available for the processing of other tasks. Everyday experiences and laboratory experiments indicate that it is possible to perform two or more tasks simultaneously and efficiently (Edgar 2007), e.g. holding a conversation while cooking or driving. However Kahneman highlighted disadvantages, claiming that interference can occur when attempting more than one task at a time; each task is thought to compete for resources from a central processer (cited by Edgar 2007). For example it is not possible to read and hold a conversation at the same time. Posner and Boies also observed that despite simplification, performance may decrease when people perform more than one task at a time (cited by Edgar 2007). To explain, when a task such as reading is well learned and practised, it becomes automatic. The automaticity of reading is so powerful that it is difficult to avoid or change and this can interfere with ability to respond to other tasks such as naming colours (Edgar 2007). This is clearly demonstrated by the Stroop effect, a classic and robust phenomenon associated with cognition and reaction time (cited by Edgar 2007). In 1935 Stroop revealed that if a colour word was written in a conflicting colour (such as blue being written in red) participants would find it difficult to name the colour the words were written in (Gross 2005, Edgar 2007). The above research into automatic and controlled processing provides the motivation for conducting this experiment. The aim is to test whether interference will intrude on the cognitive processing during a variation of the Stroop Test. The words used in this experiment are manipulated to include a colour-related list (instead of actual colour words used by Stroop) and a neutral list. The research hypothesis is that it will take longer for participants to name the ink colour of the list of colour-related words than to name the ink colour of neutral words. This is a one-tailed hypothesis. The null hypothesis is that there will be no difference in the time that it takes for participants to name the ink colour for the lists of colour-related and neutral words. METHOD Design The experiment was conducted using a within-participants design. The independent variable comprised 2 conditions, a list of colour-related words (the experimental condition) and a list of neutral words (the control condition). The words were printed in different coloured ink, and each participant was required to name the ink colour of each word in both conditions. The dependant variable was the time taken to name the ink colour of the words in each condition. Response times for each condition were measured by the researcher using a stopwatch, and recorded to the nearest second. All participants were read the same standard instructions, and the conditions used were identical except for the manipulated variable; the actual words printed (colour-related/neutral words). To counterbalance for order effects the participants were given a number from 1 to 20, the odd numbered participants completed condition 1 followed by condition 2, and the even numbered participants completed condition 2 and then 1. Participants The sample included 20 participants; 16 were recruited by staff at The Open University and were colleagues, friends or family members. The remaining 4 were opportunistically recruited by the researcher; they were family members who volunteered. There were 10 males and 10 females ranging from 30 to 60 years old. All participants were naive to the hypothesis of the experiment but were briefed beforehand, signed a consent form, and were debriefed afterwards. Each participant had normal or corrected to normal vision, ability to distinguish colours, and ability to read and speak English. Materials The stimuli presented in each condition consisted of a list of 30 words, printed in two columns on a sheet of A4 paper. The experimental condition consisted of the following colour-related words; BLOOD, LEMON, GRASS, CARROT, PLUM and SKY, printed in a colour incongruent with the word (e.g. BLOOD was not printed in red ink, SKY was not printed in blue). The control condition consisted of the following neutral words; BLAME, LEDGE, GRADE, CAREER, PLAN and STY. Each word was printed five times in a random order; both conditions matched for corresponding words, and were printed in same ink colours, size, font and order (see Appendix 1 for both stimuli). Standard written instructions were used (see Appendix 2), and a consent form was completed by each participant (see Appendix 3). A digital stopwatch was used to measure response times, and all data collected were recorded on a response/data sheet (Appendix 4). Procedure Each participant was approached and asked to take part in an experiment, on the understanding that it was associated with naming ink colour of lists of words, as part of an investigation into cognitive processing, and to provide data for the researchers assignment. The participants were asked if they had any knowledge of the Stroop effect to determine naivety of the hypothesis. Once it was ascertained that those who agreed to participate were suitable for the experiment (with normal or corrected to normal vision, and ability to read and speak English, and distinguish colours), their written consent was obtained. Participants were tested individually; demographic data was recorded including age and sex, before the standard instructions in Appendix 2 were read out verbatim. These told the participant that they would be presented with a list of words, in two columns, that they should work through saying aloud the colour of ink each word is printed with. They were told to complete the ta sk as quickly as possible. An example was given and once each individual confirmed that they understood what they had to do, the first stimuli was placed face down on a desk. When the participant was ready it was turned over and the experimenter started the stopwatch. On completion of the last word the stopwatch was stopped and the time it took to complete the task was recorded to the nearest second on the response sheet. The second stimuli was then placed face down immediately and the procedure was repeated. The odd numbered participants completed Condition 1 then 2 and the even numbered participants completed Condition 2 then 1. After the response time was recorded for the second task, the participant was debriefed. They were informed about the nature of the Stroop effect and the differences between the two conditions. They were also given the opportunity to ask any questions, their anonymity was reiterated and they were thanked for their contribution. RESULTS The research hypothesis was that it will take longer for participants to name the ink colour of the words on the colour-related list than to name the ink colour of the list of neutral words. The time it took for each participant to complete the task was measured in seconds and recorded on a data sheet (see Appendix 4). Table 1 below shows the differences between mean response times and standard deviation for both conditions. The colour-related words condition took 2.9 seconds longer, on average, to complete than the neutral words condition. The standard deviation indicates that there is a greater dispersion of response times (in relation to the mean) in condition 1 than in condition 2. Further SPSS Descriptive Statistics output can be seen in Appendix 5. Table 1. Mean Response Time (in seconds) For Each Condition Condition Mean Response Time (in seconds) Standard Deviation Colour-related words (Condition 1) 24.15 5.304 Neutral words (Condition 2) 21.20 5.180 Inferential statistical analysis was conducted on the data, including a paired samples t-test (t (19) = 3.276; p = .002; d = 0.553), which showed that the differences between conditions were statistically significant and not due to sampling error (see Appendix 6 for SPSS inferential analysis output). As the effect size shows a difference of 0.5 standard deviation points, it was considered to be a medium sized effect (Cohen cited by DSE212 Course Team 2007, p172). Based on this analysis, the hypothesis was accepted and the null hypothesis was rejected. DISCUSSION The results of this experiment showed that there was a significant increase in the time taken to name the ink colour of the list of colour-related words compared with the list of neutral words. This was consistent with the Stroop effect and supports the experimental hypothesis of the study. Intrusion that resulted from interference is consistent with Kahnemans model, suggesting that if tasks compete for a single pool of resources interference occurs. It is also consistent with Schneider and Shiffrins descriptions of automatic processes and controlled processes (cited by Edgar 2007). As reading the colour-related words is automatic and unavoidable, controlled processing is required to remove the automatic colour-related word response and replace it with the correct verbal ink colour response. This takes extra processing time and explains the greater response times measured for the colour-related task. Automatic processing is relatively quick, and requires less mental effort than controlled processes that are comparatively slower and require greater conscious effort. This explains why reading is processed before the colour naming response is processed and verbalised. It was observed that the even-numbered participants who completed condition 2 first, had a very small mean difference in response times between both conditions compared with those who completed condition 1 first (this is graphically presented in Appendix 7). This shows that counterbalancing for order effects was an effective design. It would be interesting to explore this effect in a repeated but larger study of the same design; it is possible the participants completing the neutral word list first had developed a strategy for naming ink colours during the second condition, such as focusing on the first letter of a word, rather than reading the colour-related word automatically. This could be explored further in future. There were several limitations to the methodology of the experiment. Although the number of participants used for this study was effective in showing the predicted Stroop effect (for the population tested), the sample size was small and so there cannot be widespread comparison or generalisations. Also, the experiment itself was an unnatural situation and people are unlikely to find themselves in real life situations where they have to read out lists of words or colours. The experiment therefore also lacks ecological validity. Two of the researchers participants made mistakes by naming the wrong ink colour, of which they were unaware. Data was not collected during the experiment in relation to numbers of errors that occurred, but this could be considered in future, noting whether errors are corrected or not. A failure of conscious or controlled attention to notice errors has potential consequences in real life situations. The automaticity of reading has been a focal point of this experiment, but an alternative study could incorporate the use of printed numbers, instead of words to see if similar effects of interference occur with automaticity of recognising numbers as opposed to reading words. Also, while this experiment clearly demonstrates the effects of interference that Kahneman described, it offers no explanation for how tasks performed simultaneously can be done so effectively this is another area that could be explored in future research through dual-task experiments.

Ephedrine and Its Effect on Weight Loss Essay -- Health Dieting Ephed

Ephedrine and It's Effect on Weight Loss The Dilemma It is dilemma that affects the world over, its scope nothing short of the earth's 25,000 mile circumference. However, in certain cultures it is a more significant issue than in others. Nevertheless, it can affect every aspect of our lives, driving many even to suicide. Few, if any, are naturally invincible to its hidden wrath. This invisible, yet potent dilemma is obesity, or simply weight control. In countries, such as the United States, weight control is a common, yet, dire issue. Especially, in a society where thin is in, but for many, so are fatty foods and infrequent exercise, there is a huge and growing demand for quick, easy schemes to lose weight. However, the true importance of being overweight, is often misconstrued. For the majority, being overweight is frightening because of it's social ramifications, while the many important health risks are often overlooked. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Thus, the weight loss business has skyrocketed over the past decade, becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite the seemingly countless 'magical' diet schemes available to the public, a product and/or method has yet to emerge which allows for quick, easy and physically safe weight-loss. One chemical in particular, however, has showed increasingly p romising signs regarding this issue. The chemical is ephedrine. Ephedrine and It's Uses Derived from the Chinese plant ma huang, ephedra or better known as ephedrine, is found both naturally and synthetically in various dietary supplements, over the counter herbal stimulants, prescripti... ...t involve the proper combination of diet, exercise, and drug interaction. Ephedrine may hold the key to fill in for the drug portion of the equation, but as with practically all drugs, there are risks involved. Whether ephedrine is too dangerous to be sold in over the counter products, is still under debate. Ephedrine does have great potential, yet is it worth the risks? References "Effect of ephedrine and theophylline on weight loss, resting energy expenditure and lipoprotein lipase activity in obese over-fed rats." The International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, June 1993. Malecka-Tendera, E. "Is there any Magic" Dr. David Schlundt, 1996. "Potentiation of the thermogenic antiobesity effects of ephedrine by dietary methylxanthines: adenosine antagonism or phosphodiesterase inhibition?" Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, Ephedrine and It's Effect on Weight Loss Essay -- Health Dieting Ephed Ephedrine and It's Effect on Weight Loss The Dilemma It is dilemma that affects the world over, its scope nothing short of the earth's 25,000 mile circumference. However, in certain cultures it is a more significant issue than in others. Nevertheless, it can affect every aspect of our lives, driving many even to suicide. Few, if any, are naturally invincible to its hidden wrath. This invisible, yet potent dilemma is obesity, or simply weight control. In countries, such as the United States, weight control is a common, yet, dire issue. Especially, in a society where thin is in, but for many, so are fatty foods and infrequent exercise, there is a huge and growing demand for quick, easy schemes to lose weight. However, the true importance of being overweight, is often misconstrued. For the majority, being overweight is frightening because of it's social ramifications, while the many important health risks are often overlooked. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Thus, the weight loss business has skyrocketed over the past decade, becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. Despite the seemingly countless 'magical' diet schemes available to the public, a product and/or method has yet to emerge which allows for quick, easy and physically safe weight-loss. One chemical in particular, however, has showed increasingly p romising signs regarding this issue. The chemical is ephedrine. Ephedrine and It's Uses Derived from the Chinese plant ma huang, ephedra or better known as ephedrine, is found both naturally and synthetically in various dietary supplements, over the counter herbal stimulants, prescripti... ...t involve the proper combination of diet, exercise, and drug interaction. Ephedrine may hold the key to fill in for the drug portion of the equation, but as with practically all drugs, there are risks involved. Whether ephedrine is too dangerous to be sold in over the counter products, is still under debate. Ephedrine does have great potential, yet is it worth the risks? References "Effect of ephedrine and theophylline on weight loss, resting energy expenditure and lipoprotein lipase activity in obese over-fed rats." The International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, June 1993. Malecka-Tendera, E. "Is there any Magic" Dr. David Schlundt, 1996. "Potentiation of the thermogenic antiobesity effects of ephedrine by dietary methylxanthines: adenosine antagonism or phosphodiesterase inhibition?" Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental,

Part Three Chapter IV

IV ‘Very sad,' said Howard Mollison, rocking a little on his toes in front of his mantelpiece. ‘Very sad indeed.' Maureen had just finished telling them all about Catherine Weedon's death; she had heard everything from her friend Karen the receptionist that evening, including the complaint from Cath Weedon's granddaughter. A look of delighted disapproval was crumpling her face; Samantha, who was in a very bad mood, thought she resembled a monkey nut. Miles was making conventional sounds of surprise and pity, but Shirley was staring up at the ceiling with a bland expression on her face; she hated it when Maureen held centre stage with news that she ought to have heard first. ‘My mother knew the family of old,' Howard told Samantha, who already knew it. ‘Neighbours in Hope Street. Cath was decent enough in her way, you know. The house was always spotless, and she worked until she was into her sixties. Oh, yes, she was one of the world's grafters, Cath Weedon, whatever the rest of the family became.' Howard was enjoying giving credit where credit was due. ‘The husband lost his job when they closed the steelworks. Hard drinker. No, she didn't always have it easy, Cath.' Samantha was barely managing to look interested, but fortunately Maureen interrupted. ‘And the Gazette's on to Dr Jawanda!' she croaked. ‘Imagine how she must be feeling, now the paper's got it! Family's kicking up a stink – well, you can't blame them, alone in that house for three days. D'you know her, Howard? Which one is Danielle Fowler?' Shirley got up and stalked out of the room in her apron. Samantha slugged a little more wine, smiling. ‘Let's think, let's think,' said Howard. He prided himself on knowing almost everyone in Pagford, but the later generations of Weedons belonged more to Yarvil. ‘Can't be a daughter, she had four boys, Cath. Granddaughter, I expect.' ‘And she wants an inquiry,' said Maureen. ‘Well, it was always going to come to this. It's been on the cards. If anything, I'm surprised it's taken this long. Dr Jawanda wouldn't give the Hubbards' son antibiotics and he ended up hospitalized for his asthma. Do you know, did she train in India, or – ?' Shirley, who was listening from the kitchen while she stirred the gravy, felt irritated, as she always did, by Maureen's monopolization of the conversation; that, at least, was how Shirley put it to herself. Determined not to return to the room until Maureen had finished, Shirley turned into the study and checked to see whether anyone had sent in apologies for the next Parish Council meeting; as secretary, she was already putting together the agenda. ‘Howard – Miles – come and look at this!' Shirley's voice had lost its usual soft, flutey quality; it rang out shrilly. Howard waddled out of the sitting room followed by Miles, who was still in the suit he had worn all day at work. Maureen's droopy, bloodshot, heavily mascara-ed eyes were fixed on the empty doorway like a bloodhound's; her hunger to know what Shirley had found or seen was almost palpable. Maureen's fingers, a clutch of bulging knuckles covered in translucent leopard-spotted skin, slid the crucifix and wedding ring up and down the chain around her neck. The deep creases running from the corners of Maureen's mouth to her chin always reminded Samantha of a ventriloquist's dummy. Why are you always here? Samantha asked the older woman loudly, inside her own head. You couldn't make me lonely enough to live in Howard and Shirley's pocket. Disgust rose in Samantha like vomit. She wanted to seize the over-warm cluttered room and mash it between her hands, until the royal china, and the gas fire, and the gilt-framed pictures of Miles broke into jagged pieces; then, with wizened and painted Maureen trapped and squalling inside the wreckage, she wanted to heave it, like a celestial shot-putter, away into the sunset. The crushed lounge and the doomed crone inside it, soared in her imagination through the heavens, plunging into the limitless ocean, leaving Samantha alone in the endless stillness of the universe. She had had a terrible afternoon. There had been another frightening conversation with her accountant; she could not remember much of her drive home from Yarvil. She would have liked to offload on Miles, but after dumping his briefcase and pulling off his tie in the hall he had said, ‘You haven't started dinner yet, have you?' He sniffed the air ostentatiously, then answered himself. ‘No, you haven't. Well, good, because Mum and Dad have invited us over.' And before she could protest, he had added sharply, ‘It's nothing to do with the council. It's to discuss arrangements for Dad's sixty-fifth.' Anger was almost a relief; it eclipsed her anxiety, her fear. She had followed Miles out to the car, cradling her sense of ill-usage. When he asked, at last, on the corner of Evertree Crescent, ‘How was your day?' she answered, ‘Absolutely bloody fantastic.' ‘Wonder what's up?' said Maureen, breaking the silence in the sitting room. Samantha shrugged. It was typical of Shirley to have summoned her menfolk and left the women in limbo; Samantha was not going to give her mother-in-law the satisfaction of showing interest. Howard's elephantine footsteps made the floorboards under the hall carpet creak. Maureen's mouth was slack with anticipation. ‘Well, well, well,' boomed Howard, lumbering back into the room. ‘I was checking the council website for apologies,' said Shirley, a little breathless in his wake. ‘For the next meeting – ‘ ‘Someone's posted accusations about Simon Price,' Miles told Samantha, pressing past his parents, seizing the role of announcer. ‘What kind of accusations?' asked Samantha. ‘Receiving stolen goods,' said Howard, firmly reclaiming the spotlight, ‘and diddling his bosses at the printworks.' Samantha was pleased to find herself unmoved. She had only the haziest idea who Simon Price was. ‘They've posted under a pseudonym,' Howard continued, ‘and it's not a particularly tasteful pseudonym, either.' ‘Rude, you mean?' Samantha asked. ‘Big-Fat-Cock or something?' Howard's laughter boomed through the room, Maureen gave an affected shriek of horror, but Miles scowled and Shirley looked furious. ‘Not quite that, Sammy, no,' said Howard. ‘No, they've called themselves â€Å"The Ghost of Barry Fairbrother†.' ‘Oh,' said Samantha, her grin evaporating. She did not like that. After all, she had been in the ambulance while they had forced needles and tubes into Barry's collapsed body; she had watched him dying beneath the plastic mask; seen Mary clinging to his hand, heard her groans and sobs. ‘Oh, no, that's not nice,' said Maureen, relish in her bullfrog's voice. ‘No, that's nasty. Putting words into the mouths of the dead. Taking names in vain. That's not right.' ‘No,' agreed Howard. Almost absent-mindedly, he strolled across the room, picked up the wine bottle and returned to Samantha, topping up her empty glass. ‘But someone out there doesn't care about good taste it seems, if they can put Simon Price out of the running.' ‘If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, Dad,' said Miles, ‘wouldn't they have gone for me rather than Price?' ‘How do you know they haven't, Miles?' ‘Meaning?' asked Miles swiftly. ‘Meaning,' said Howard, the happy cynosure of all eyes, ‘that I got sent an anonymous letter about you a couple of weeks ago. Nothing specific. Just said you were unfit to fill Fairbrother's shoes. I'd be very surprised if the letter didn't come from the same source as the online post. The Fairbrother theme in both, you see?' Samantha tilted her glass a little too enthusiastically, so that wine trickled down the sides of her chin, exactly where her own ventriloquist's doll grooves would no doubt appear in time. She mopped her face with her sleeve. ‘Where is this letter?' asked Miles, striving not to look rattled. ‘I shredded it. It was anonymous; it didn't count.' ‘We didn't want to upset you, dear,' said Shirley, and she patted Miles' arm. ‘Anyway, they can't have anything on you,' Howard reassured his son, ‘or they'd have dished the dirt, the same as they have on Price.' ‘Simon Price's wife is a lovely girl,' said Shirley with gentle regret. ‘I can't believe Ruth knows anything about it, if her husband's been on the fiddle. She's a friend from the hospital,' Shirley elaborated to Maureen. ‘An agency nurse.' ‘She wouldn't be the first wife who hasn't spotted what's going on under her nose,' retorted Maureen, trumping insider knowledge with worldly wisdom. ‘Absolutely brazen, using Barry Fairbrother's name,' said Shirley, pretending not to have heard Maureen. ‘Not a thought for his widow, his family. All that matters is their agenda; they'll sacrifice anything to it.' ‘Shows you what we're up against,' said Howard. He scratched the overfold of his belly, thinking. ‘Strategically, it's smart. I saw from the get-go that Price was going to split the pro-Fields vote. No flies on Bends-Your-Ear; she's realized it too and she wants him out.' ‘But,' said Samantha, ‘it mightn't have anything to do with Parminder and that lot at all. It could be from someone we don't know, someone who's got a grudge against Simon Price.' ‘Oh, Sam,' said Shirley, with a tinkling laugh, shaking her head. ‘It's easy to see you're new to politics.' Oh, fuck off, Shirley. ‘So why have they used Barry Fairbrother's name, then?' asked Miles, rounding on his wife. ‘Well, it's on the website, isn't it? It's his vacant seat.' ‘And who's going to trawl through the council website for that kind of information? No,' he said gravely, ‘this is an insider.' An insider †¦ Libby had once told Samantha that there could be thousands of microscopic species inside one drop of pond water. They were all perfectly ridiculous, Samantha thought, sitting here in front of Shirley's commemorative plates as if they were in the Cabinet Room in Downing Street, as though one bit of tittle-tattle on a Parish Council website constituted an organized campaign, as though any of it mattered. Consciously and defiantly, Samantha withdrew her attention from the lot of them. She fixed her eyes on the window and the clear evening sky beyond, and she thought about Jake, the muscular boy in Libby's favourite band. At lunchtime today, Samantha had gone out for sandwiches, and brought back a music magazine in which Jake and his bandmates were interviewed. There were lots of pictures. ‘It's for Libby,' Samantha had told the girl who helped her in the shop. ‘Wow, look at that. I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating toast,' replied Carly, pointing at Jake, naked from the waist up, his head thrown back to reveal that thick strong neck. ‘Oh, but he's only twenty-one, look. I'm not a cradle-snatcher.' Carly was twenty-six. Samantha did not care to subtract Jake's age from her own. She had eaten her sandwich and read the interview, and studied all the pictures. Jake with his hands on a bar above his head, biceps swelling under a black T-shirt; Jake with his white shirt open, abdominal muscles chiselled above the loose waistband of his jeans. Samantha drank Howard's wine and stared out at the sky above the black privet hedge, which was a delicate shade of rose pink; the precise shade her nipples had been before they had been darkened and distended by pregnancy and breast-feeding. She imagined herself nineteen to Jake's twenty-one, slender-waisted again, taut curves in the right places, and a strong flat stomach of her own, fitting comfortably into her white, size ten shorts. She vividly recalled how it felt to sit on a young man's lap in those shorts, with the heat and roughness of sun-warmed denim under her bare thighs, and big hands around her lithe waist. She imagined Jake's breath on her neck; she imagined turning to look into the blue eyes, close to the high cheekbones and that firm, carved mouth †¦ ‘†¦ at the church hall, and we're getting it catered by Bucknoles,' said Howard. ‘We've invited everyone: Aubrey and Julia – everyone. With luck it will be a double celebration, you on the council, me, another year young †¦' Samantha felt tipsy and randy. When were they going to eat? She realized that Shirley had left the room, hopefully to put food on the table. The telephone rang at Samantha's elbow, and she jumped. Before any of them could move, Shirley had bustled back in. She had one hand in a flowery oven glove, and picked up the receiver with the other. ‘Double-two-five-nine?' sang Shirley on a rising inflection. ‘Oh †¦ hello, Ruth, dear!' Howard, Miles and Maureen became rigidly attentive. Shirley turned to look at her husband with intensity, as if she were transmitting Ruth's voice through her eyes into her husband's mind. ‘Yes,' fluted Shirley. ‘Yes †¦' Samantha, sitting closest to the receiver, could hear the other woman's voice but not make out the words. ‘Oh, really †¦?' Maureen's mouth was hanging open again; she was like an ancient baby bird, or perhaps a pterodactyl, hungering for regurgitated news. ‘Yes, dear, I see †¦ oh, that shouldn't be a problem †¦ no, no, I'll explain to Howard. No, no trouble at all.' Shirley's small hazel eyes had not wavered from Howard's big, popping blue ones. ‘Ruth, dear,' said Shirley, ‘Ruth, I don't want to worry you, but have you been on the council website today? †¦ Well †¦ it's not very nice, but I think you ought to know †¦ somebody's posted something nasty about Simon †¦ well, I think you'd better read it for yourself, I wouldn't want to †¦ all right, dear. All right. See you Wednesday, I hope. Yes. Bye bye.' Shirley replaced the receiver. ‘She didn't know,' Miles stated. Shirley shook her head. ‘Why was she calling?' ‘Her son,' Shirley told Howard. ‘Your new potboy. He's got a peanut allergy.' ‘Very handy, in a delicatessen,' said Howard. ‘She wanted to ask whether you could store a needleful of adrenalin in the fridge for him, just in case,' said Shirley. Maureen sniffed. ‘They've all got allergies these days, children.' Shirley's ungloved hand was still clutching the receiver. She was subconsciously hoping to feel tremors down the line from Hilltop House.