Summary of the Supply Chain for Iphone in China

Summary of Supply Chain for iPhone Highlights Costs in China David Barboza states that for nearly years, the cost of the supply chain for iPhone in China has increased significantly. However, the labor cost is still remaining unchanged, which is relatively low. This often takes place in the Southern China, where workers are paid less than a dollar an hour in the production process of this high-end product. The company spends only 7 percents of the total cost on paying labors that involved in the final assembly while the remaining parts are spent mostly on the other components involved in the supply chain, such as microchips. Due to the higher costs in the supply chain, Apple has to squeeze more costs out of the system as Jenny Lai has mentioned in the article. In order to cut down the cost, the company planned to relocate the factories and workers to other parts of China, where the cost for labor and raw materials is cheaper; the strengthening Chinese currency makes exports more expensive, as well as the high inflation rate and housing cost, hence the cost of making devices increased. According to the analysts, the manufacturers with low-margin profit are unflavored for Apple to contract with. Meanwhile, owing to the comments made by Professor Jason Dedrick, the world of contract manufacturers is unfair to the workers in the fact that they have to work under great pressure with a low wage and insufficient rest. Therefore, since 2005, the underpaid workers started pressing the pressure to the company by acquiring a raised wage. However, Foxconn, one of the Apple’s major manufacturers is considering moving inland. It is because this can help to maintain a lower wage and cheaper source of raw materials for the production of iPhone. Many analysts are optimistic in finding new innovations to improve profitability in relative to the high cost in the supply chain. Yet, the ways they used is to pressurize the workers to work in an inhuman system. Therefore, Mr. Wang at iSuppli Research has concluded that the labor-intensive model is not sustainable in China. To conclude, this type of low-end assembly work doesn’t produce big returns for iPhone in China. Due to the fact that China doesn’t want to work for other countries, it would like to attain its real value which knowledge can be found.

Time Lags in Discretionary Fiscal Policy

When congress or the president proposes fiscal policies to correct unhealthy economic conditions, the time it takes from the recognition of the problem, to the proposal of a solution, to the implementation, up to the time that the effects would yield some result normally takes a considerable amount of time. These time lags can be grouped into three different phases, the recognition time lag, the implementation time lag, and the response time lag. Time lags in Discretionary Fiscal Policy, besides consuming some considerable amount of time, are also very unpredictable.Studies have shown that â€Å"discretionary actions have shown little consistent response over time† (Taylor, 2003). With these three time lags adding up together, we can say that when the government generates one proposal to ease out economic health, one must foresee that within the period of lag, there are no roadblocks or events that could alter the eventual outcome of such a solution. Given the initial informat ion that time lags are very unpredictable, it makes it more difficult to know what range of time needs to be foreseen.So within the period of the time lag, the conditions may alter in such a way that when the discretionary policy is already in place it is no longer applicable, or it could make the situation worst where the change of conditions within the time lag would work in such a way that it makes things worst. Let us focus first on a condition where discretionary fiscal policies would end up useless or delayed as the chain of events within the time lag would make it inappropriate.One example is President George Bush response to the September 11 attack where he immediately requested $40 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations. In the late October of that same year, he added additional stimulus that includes, â€Å"reduced taxes for low- and moderate-income households, accelerating the tax cuts passed in 2001, allowing partial expensing on business capital equipment, el iminating the corporate alternative minimum tax, and extending unemployment benefits† (Cooper, 2002). Five months later President Bush added expensing provisions and unemployment benefits.The result was that the people believed that the added policy was short and late. This is because there was no way for the President to directly quantify the needed policy to ease out the economic stress after the September 11 attack. The delay took so long that the needed effects came late. The events that occurred due to sentiments and fear where overlooked while the effects of the discretionary policy were not yet in effect. According to Auerbach (2002), â€Å"the impact of policy on current activity depends on expectations about the future†.The worst scenario would occur when discretionary fiscal would actually work against what it was intended for. This is because discretionary fiscal policy is an inexact science with congress having different agendas trying to work out with the P resident using present data that are already in effect and taking time to generate a corrective action for the present conditions. For example â€Å"temporary investment incentives may work in the opposite direction strengthening the immediate response but also, potentially, weakening prior investment† (Auerbach, 2002).This is because when the data are collected and fiscal policies are put in place, the progress of investment within this period could well be depending primarily on prior investment that are expected to boom during the period where the discretionary fiscal is still in the process of being implemented. Upon implementation of the discretionary policy, these prior investments could be affected by massive competition of new investment resulting in a scenario where the discretionary fiscal will worsen the economic condition.In the end, this document does not discourage the use of discretionary fiscal policy but puts caution that discretionary fiscal policies should be well thought off, assessing the possible future risk before it is being implemented. Effective discretionary fiscal policy is just like mastery of any art, that a group of body, the congress and the president, must become a guru in order for discretionary policies to be effective. References Taylor,J. (2003). Reassessing Discretionary Fiscal Policy. Stanford University, Retrieved September 15, 2007 from http://www.stanford.edu/~johntayl/Papers/Reassessing+Revised.pdf Cooper, K. (2002). Monetary Policy. Economics: Principles, and Policies, 16/e.. Retrieved March 23, 2007 from https://www.esa.doc.gov/Speeches/NABEFINAL.doc Auerbach, A. (2002). Is There a Role for Discretionary Fiscal Policy?. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Retrieved September 15, 2007 from http://www.kansascityfed.org/publicat/Sympos/2002/pdf/S02auerbach.pdf

An Overview Of Meningitis

An Overview Of Meningitis Meningitis is swelling and inflammation of the protective membranes that cover brain and spinal cord. Depending on the duration of symptoms, meningitis may be classified as acute or chronic. Acute meningitis denotes the evolution of symptoms within hours to several days, while chronic meningitis has an onset and duration of weeks to months. Meningitis is mainly caused by infection with viruses, several different types of bacteria, or sometimes by a fungus, and less commonly by certain drugs. Meningitis can be life-threatening because of the inflammation’s proximity to the brain and spinal cord. All types of meningitis tend to cause symptoms that include fever, headache and stiff neck. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or bacterium is important because the severity of illness and the treatment differ depending on the cause. Viral meningitis, the most common form of meningitis, is less severe than bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is usually more serious than viral meningitis and is sometimes fatal, particularly in infants and the elderly. Bacterial meningitis is a major cause of death and disability world-wide. [1] b. The etiology and risk factors Meningitis is usually caused by infection from viruses or micro-organisms. Most cases are due to infection with viruses, with bacteria, fungi, and parasites being the next most common causes. It may also result from various non-infectious causes. The etiology of bacterial meningitis varies by age group and region of the world. Worldwide, without epidemics one million cases of bacterial meningitis are estimated to occur and 200,000 of these die annually. [1] Before antibiotics were widely used, 70 percent or more of bacterial meningitis cases were fatal; with antibiotic treatment, the fatality rate has dropped to 15 percent or less. Bacterial meningitis is most common in the winter and spring. Beyond the perinatal period, three organisms, transmitted from person to person through the excha nge of respiratory secretions, are responsible for most cases of bacterial meningitis: Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Bacterial meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria (meningococcal disease) can be fatal and should always be viewed as a medical emergency. About 10% of infected people die from the disease. [5] In non-fatal cases, those affected experience long-term disabilities, such as brain damage, loss of limb, or deafness. Preventing the disease through the use of meningococcal vaccine is important. Although anyone can get meningitis, pre-teens and adolescents, college freshmen who live in dormitories and travelers to countries where meningitis is always present are at an increased risk for meningococcal disease. Before the availability of effective vaccines, bacterial meningitis was most commonly diagnosed in young children. Now, as a result of the protection offered by current childhood vaccines, bacterial meningitis is more commonly diagnosed among pre-teens and young adults. As children reach their pre-teen and adolescent years, protection provided by some childhood vaccines can begin to wear off. As a result, pre-teens and adolescents are at a greater risk for catching certain diseases. Introducing vaccinations during the pre-teen years increases the level of protection during adolescence. College freshmen, especially those who live in dormitories, are at a slightly increased risk for bacterial meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria (meningococcal disease) compared with other persons of the same age. vaccination against bacterial meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis bacteria (meningococcal disease) is recommended to persons who travel to or reside in countries in which the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis is hyperendemic or epidemic, particularly if contact with the local population will be prolonged.

The Role of HR generalist Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Role of HR generalist - Coursework Example He is expected to diagnose data besides facilitating it. They are expected by the management to be its true business partner. Their role even spreads further to talent management, turnover, declining productivity and recruiting. According to Kandula, (2004), human resource generalist is expected to be at the forefront in matters to do with diagnosing human capital concerns as opposed to employee issues. Human resource managers are involved in developing employees, managing workforce, developing personnel policies and procedures and ensuring that internal policies conform to all laws that affect the workplace. According to Jackson, & Mathis (2010), he is expected to develop ways of meeting human resource need with regard to future. Entry-level position of generalist is mostly renamed as personnel assistant, and they provide reinforcement to the entire department. Examples of generalist titles include human resource business partner, human resource branch manager and people services ma nager. Planning and employment of workforce: he does the role of a recruiter. This includes conducting interviews, implementing recruitment strategy of the organization and conducting reshuffles within the workforce. A clear example is the staffing specialist or manager. Developing human resource: this work involves conducting training, evaluating training programs and development programs. This training may consist of specific fields like sales techniques. A superb example includes leadership development manager. Total rewards: At entry-level they are referred to as salary administrators. They are expected to perform analyzing job duties, performing job evaluations and conducting compensation surveys. They monitor benefit programs and cost. Example job titles are benefits analyst and specialist manager. Employee labor relations: while at entry-level they are known as labor relations specialist. They interpret union

A Catholic Cardinal and the One God of All Assignment

A Catholic Cardinal and the One God of All - Assignment Example The second parallel is difference in opinion regarding suitable approach to the attacks. In both cases, war and dialogue were proposed following the attacks (Volf 40- 44). The positions are very different, to the point that they conflict. Appropriate response to the Constantinople attack is the real difference. Pope Pius II’s letter advocated for violence and was based on the belief that Christians are ready for war while Nicholas’ letter supported dialogue (Volf 40). The statement means that it is impossible count the trinity because God is incomprehensible. An attempt to comprehend God, through counting the Trinity only leads to deviation from the truth that is a mystery (Volf 40). Nicholas of Cusa expected to achieve religious unity in which both Muslims and Christians would worship one and true God. This is because of his belief that the interreligious violence was a result of differences in faith and that dialogue into forging a single faith would attain the unity and prevent further violence (Volf 46,

A decade of development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A decade of development - Assignment Example With the introduction of the Microsoft suite of products that were designed to be used on a license basis and the resultant need for patches and upgrades met only through paying for the same instead of having a way to program the upgrades by the users themselves. Particularly telling is the instance of how Richard Stallman could not insert his code into the working of the printer software thereby having to wait for the upgrade from the manufacturer. This example typifies the approach of free software activists towards the concept of paying for the software. They insist that the source code of the software must be made available to everyone and those additions and insertions to the source code should provide a way of customizing the software according to the needs of each individual. Similarly, Lessig’s approach of making the content free is discussed as well. Lessig’s approach is the backbone of what is called as the â€Å"creative commons† license. According to this paradigm, content should be free of commercial attributions and once the source code or the content is developed, anyone should be free to add his or her code or content to the existing base and use the modified version without paying any fees. Of course, the creative commons license specifies how the original developer needs to be acknowledged for his or her work and in the later years; this became a bone of contention as well. The most famous example of free content and one that can be editable by anybody is the case of Wikipedia. This is an online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit and add information to the existing body of knowledge. Considering the fact that this site is one of the most popular sites on the internet and the visitors to this site run into the millions, the concept of free content and open knowledge has indeed caught on. However, as the article points out, there were several hiccups along the way as evidenced by the

Ethics The Element of Moral Philosophy by Rachels, Meditations ( Essay

Ethics The Element of Moral Philosophy by Rachels, Meditations ( Marcus Aurellius), A man For All Seasons (Bolt) - Essay Example Additionally, the origin of morals and moral behavior is relatively unknown; as is what components a person must consider when deciding whether his or her actions would be considered moral. Unlike many consequentialists, Kant asserts deontological, or "Duty Based" morals. Essentially, morals come directly from the will of the person taking action; that person will do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. This approach to ethics is the easiest to teach, the first people learn, and the most cut-and-dry approach to ethics and moral influence available. The Kantian approach to morality relies heavily on universal acceptance and implementation of "laws" such as whether or not a person should lie, steal, or murder. Clearly, to lie, steal, or murder is wrong; therefore a moral person will never lie, will never steal, and will never murder another person. The idea of "Universal Acceptance and Application of Laws" is known as the Categorical Imperative. Kant describes this Categorical Imperative as a personal choice: act in a manner that you would like to see become a universal law. This is somewhat akin to the "Golden Rule" - in a sense. In essence, this ideal asserts that while a person is deciding whether or not to do something (such as lie) to first consider whether or not that action should be done to him. To work with the example of lying: if a person does not believe that lying should be a universally accepted practice, then that person - through logic and reasoning - should not lie under any circumstances. Deontological ethics are rarely concerned with the outcome of an action - only the action itself is measured in terms of moral evaluation. Therefore, the Kantian approach to ethics is largely impartial and more objective than other views of moral behavior. As stated by Kant, there are no exceptions within this approach to ethics and morals. If it is wrong to lie, then at no time should a person lie. No matter the outcome of a situation, deontological ethics define a person as morally right if that person did not lie. For example, people seeking employment often have to write up resumes and/or fill out job applications. Some jobs require a certain amount of experience or training within the profession - or possible a particular personality - to consider an interviewee for employment. While filling out the application, duty-based ethics would require that a person be forthright with his or her information and personality traits - even if doing so may cost him or her employment. If the result of being honest results in the loss or foreclosure of the home, the act of being honest about his or her experiences on the job application is still measured as morally correct. The Kantian approach to ethics and morals is not without its flaws; some concepts simply cannot be categorized as "universal" and other should not. For example, if one persons morals infringes upon the rights or morals of another person. The use of contraceptives can be used as an example of this. If people were to universally stop the use of contraceptives, the world would become much more populated than it already is. Teen pregnancy would being to increase, and subsequently the number of abortions and adoptions would increase proportionally. However, if everyone universally began using

Personal Philosophy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Philosophy Paper - Essay Example the difficulties that they are going through in life, and also by giving advice to the counselee on how to overcome the difficulties that they are going through in life. Question 4: Appropriate and Inappropriate goals of counselling. I view the following two gaols of counselling as appropriate,(a) assisting the counselling to discover themselves more so as to be able to overcome the difficulties that they are going through, (b) giving advice to the counselee on how to overcome and to adapt to the difficulties that they are going through in life (Goals of Counselling, web.). The two inappropriate goals of counselling are, (a) expecting the counselee to immediately overcome the difficulties that they are going through, (b) expecting the counselling to view the difficulties that they are going through as you view them. Question 5. The two important functions of a therapist are (a) helping the counselee to discover themselves more so as to be able to handle, in a better way, and to overcome the difficulties that they are going through in life, (b) to give counselees pieces of professional and practical advice on how to overcome the difficulties that they are going through in life. Question 6. Essential characteristics of an effective client/therapist relationship. The three main characteristics of an effective client/therapist are, (a) the relationship is based on trust (b) the relationship is open, in that the client and the therapist are open to each other (d) the relationship is cordial and friendly. The relationship between client and therapist is quit important in counselling because it determines the effectiveness of counselling. Question 7. The following are the three main values that I live by, (a) honesty, (b) respect, (c) confidentiality. These values will influence me as a counsellor because counselling requires that the counsellor or the therapist should be honest in his/her dealings with the counselee, the counsellor also should respect the counselee,

Feminism through equality and liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Feminism through equality and liberty - Essay Example viously, if we are still being asked if a person’s attitudes towards females and minorities would influence the decision to vote for a candidate or not, there can not be said to be true equality for all. While many of the overt obstacles towards equality have been dealt with through legislature, this does not mean that people will automatically change their minds. Considering this, much of what has been written in the past about gender and equality still hold true today. There is an idealized notion of what equality means today, namely, that all people have the ability to do as they desire without other people attempting to limit their efforts based on any sort of preconceptions of race or gender. In discussing gender specifically, one must conclude that although attitudes have improved in general, there is still much in the way of individuals’ attitudes that must be accepting of differences in gender and sex before true equality can exist between males and females. Immanuel Kant attempted to lay a framework for the ways in which morality would function in Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals. He stated that â€Å"Intelligence, wit, judgment†¦are doubtless in many respects good and desirable. But they can become extremely bad and harmful if the will†¦is not good† (612). He was stating that these traits by themselves could not lead people into moral behavior. To relate this to equality, intelligence, wit and judgment, these traits alone cannot lead a person to treat all people in a moral fashion. Morality is not inherent upon anything but a good will. If a person is to discuss morality, obviously one cannot make any sort of value judgments about who deserves to be morally treated based upon gender alone. As Kant says, â€Å"To be kind where one can is duty†¦that kind of action alone has no true moral worth† (613). Duty in itself, he is stating, has no inherent morality in and of itself. Actions are in need of conscious intentions in order to

Malcolm X Essay Example for Free

Malcolm X Essay 1.What details of the events has each writer selected to focus on? Each writer selected to focus on the person that Malcolm X was overall. I believe that they put so much emphasis on the events that took place up until his assassination to show how important he was. Each person meant what his purpose was in the ballroom that day. Each writer also mentioned how many people were there to show his importance also. One crucial detail was that Malcolm X was shot by a member of his own race. 2.How has each writer organized the details that have been selected? Each writer organized the details as if they were watching a television show. They presented the end result first. Then they explained what led to that outcome. Afterwards they explained the reaction the assassination. I can relate to the way they organized the details. When I witness or find something out, I normally say what happened. For example, â€Å"Amber, the car is broken.† Of course the next question would be, how? 3.How does each writer interpret Malcolm X, his followers, the gunmen, and the significance of the assassination? Each writer perceived Malcolm X to be a leader, respected by many. They showed how relaxed he was when the argument began. His followers were in shock because he showed them how to be calm and control themselves through hard times. The gunmen were perceived as someone Malcolm X had problems with in the past. The assassination was shocking because he was killed by a black man when he focused on the mistreatment of the whites. 4.How has each writer used language to express his or her perspectives and to influence the thinking of the reader? Each writer used language by explaining the emotions of everyone when the assassination occurred. The writers wrote in a way to show how important Malcolm X life was. I think that expressing how you felt on a situation is the best way to connect to writers. Your feelings can help others relate.

An Introduction To Rational Choice Theory Philosophy Essay

An Introduction To Rational Choice Theory Philosophy Essay Public administrative agencies have very distinctive styles of decision making often depending upon the type of leadership or organizational structure. The literature suggests the decision making process in the public administrative sphere involves more complexity, dynamism, intervention, and interruption than those in their private counterparts (Rainey, p. 160). Public administrators are primarily held accountable by the people they serve in their communities; therefore, utilizing the most logical, efficient style of decision making is sought out by public agencies. Decision-making issues are closely related to power issues, because power determines who gets to decide (Rainey, p.160). Bureaucracies have commonly used the Rational Choice Theory in their decision making processes. For the purposes of this assignment, the Rational Choice Theory has been chosen for examination. Through examining the four components of the Rational-Choice Theory Model, theorists have concluded that this style of decision making is not rational. This model has proved to be problematic because it is not realistic, too time consuming, too costly, and too strict. Theorists such as Herbert Simon opposed this style of decision making claiming that it leads to bounded rationality which ultimately leads to satisficing. Bounded Rationality and Satisfying are two public administrative terms that will be explained later on. Conducting an analysis of Rational-Choice Theory, one mainly encounters criticisms of the model in literature. In this article Stephan clarifies rationality by providing an explanation of the embedded assumptions in Rational-Choice Theory. The embedded assumptions of rationality are the central theme of this article. Quackenbushs central argument is that much of the criticism of rational choice theory is based on a basic misunderstanding of the assumption of instrumental rationality-which is, after all, the rationality of rational choice theory (Quackenbush, p. 2). In this article, the author has discusses the role of assumption in theory as well as the assumption of rationality in rational choice theory. The author utilizes empirical research from several theorists to explain how the debate and the criticisms have evolved with Rational-Choice Theory. Quackenbush strengthens his argument with a discussion regarding three applications of rational choice theory in international relations and demonstrates ways that rational choice theorists themselves have potentially added to confusion about the assumption of rationality (Quackenbush, p.2). Quackenbush presents research from political science theorists such as Donald Green and Ian Shapiro, and Walt Friedman regarding rational choice theory but makes it abundantly clear that this model has been debated in other areas of social sciences. Green and Shapiros research of rational choice was conducted in the realm of American politics. Green and Shapiro concluded their research with evidence illustrating the rational choice model had not advanced the empirical study of politics as it had initially promised. Walt conducted a review of several formal rational choice works in an attempt to demonstrate that they have yielded trivial results, have not been empirically tested, and that empirical tests, when used, have been constructed poorly (Quackenbush, p. 2). Quackenbush attempted to clarify the role of assumptions in rational choice theory. The empirical works of Green and Shapiro assisted Walt in proving that rational choice is not simply one theory but an approach to theory. An assessment of Quackenbushs article, generally stated, may be the fact that rational choice theory theorizes that individuals use rationality to make choices and that individual theories are more of a concern than the rational choice model itself. In exploratory rational choices record, Green and Shapiro paying attention entirely upon the extent to which theorists present empirical evidence about the outside of an event: that is evidence. Evidence, on this view, consists in a fit between the presumptions of rational choice theory and observed institutional or behavioral outcomes in any particular case. In what follows we will refer to empirical evidence of this sort as mortal external. However, we argue that rational choice is also conciliation by its failure to provide kind of empirical evidence, namely internal or interpretive evidence about the beliefs of the agents whose actions comprise the phenomena to be explained. Our distinction between external and internal evidence maps on to the well-known distinction between a behavioral and ultimately positivist conception of political science and a hermeneutic or interpretive one. Internals explanations do not claim access to private psychological states; they are internal only in the sense of being internal to the world of meanings inhabited by the actor. Monk-Hampsher and Hindmoors research does, however, assume the devils advocate role towards the end of the article demonstrating how the rational choice theory is valuable in circumstances in which interpretive evidence cannot be relied. Scholarly Themes The idea of this article is based on the concept that the rational choice theory misses the interpretive evidence and the research to find out the reality that the empirical research does play any role in the credibility of the rational choice theory. Green and Shapiro demonstrate that the largely achievements of rational choice theory are in fact profoundly suspect and that fundamental rethinking is needed if rational choice theorists are to supply to the indulgent of politics. Green and Shapiro show that empirical tests of rational choice theories are disfigured by a series of mechanical defects. These defects flow from the characteristic rational choice impulse to defend universal theories of politics. An individual assessment of Hindmoors book review may lead to the belief that Hindmoor seems to disagree with Green and Shapiros thoughts that rational choice theory has been heavily criticized because it is misunderstood. Hindmoor explains that Green and Shapiro theorize that the problem lies with rational choice theorists and rational choice models, not with actual rational choice theory. Hindmoor may find Green and Shapiros research to be contradictory but acknowledges the importance of their work which it has been powerfully stated in the literature generating significant controversy. The theme of this book is based on the factors of reliability, validity and empirical evidence of the Rational Choice Theory. In this article the major concerns are the study of the collective action, the behavior and attitude of political parties politicians and phenomenon of voting cycles and the Prisoners problems. It has also been evaluated in this article that if rational choice theories are to contribute to the understanding of the politics then deep suspect and the fundamental rethinking is required. This article is a scholarly work dedicated to examining the primary features of rational choice theory with respect to Lakatos research program and Laudans research tradition. The analysis in this article expose that the thin rationality assumption, the axiomatic method and the diminution to the micro level are the only features shared by all rational choice models. On these grounds, it is argued that rational choice theory cannot be exemplified as a research program. This is due to the fact that the thin rationality proposition cannot be understood as a hard core in Lakatos terms. It is argued that Laudans conception of a research tradition better differentiate rational choice theory. Rational choice theory or rational actor theory (RCT) is a common draw near in different fields of social logical research. Broadly speaking, RCT can be differentiating as the maturity of models based on the hypothesis of rational actors. In this article, the nature of RCT is evaluated in more detail. Green and Shapiro suggest that they believe RCT should become a more coherent research program with a hard core if Lakatos terms are used. An assessment of Herne and Setelas article reveals their motivation for conducting this research lies within the context of the actual role of rational choice theory in the political arena. Herne and Setela disagree with Green and Shapiros strategies and convey that the development of rational actor theory would only be hindered if it were based upon a particular definition of rationality. Scholarly Themes The article theme is based on Post hoc theory development and domain restrictions.post hoc theory development is not necessarily harmful, if conceptual clarity and testability are preserved. But on contrary, post hoc theory development can lead to innovative model building. Beside this the domain restriction is also not a goof strategy because it kills the innovative theory building by restricting the domain of application. Librarians at the Bounds of Rationality: How Bounded Rationality Can Help Us Help Others, by Samantha Schmehl Hines Hines, S. S. (2009). Librarians at the Bounds of Rationality: How Bounded Rationality Can Help Us Help Others.  Behavioral and Social Sciences Librarian,  28(3), 80-86. doi:10.1080/01639260903088927 Social Science theorist, Hebert Simon, claimed that Rational Choice Decision Making resulted in bounded rationality, a theory that explains how the rationality of decision making is limited based on the amount of information one may have. Simons theory is the topic in Samantha Schmehl Hiness article, Librarians at the Bounds of Rationality: How Bounded Rationality Can Help Us Help Others. Central Argument In this article, Hiness is clearly an advocate of bounded rationality describing it as a helpful concept used to identify and predict behavior with decision making. Hiness central argument focuses on how and why bounded rationality is beneficial in predicting human behavior. Summary of Work Hines uses the criticisms of Rational Choice Theory to build her argument that bounded rationality is a better mode of decision making. Bounded rationality is a perception used in the social sciences to help classify and predict how individuals make decisions. An offshoot of rational choice theory, bounded prudence accounts for the fact that completely rational decisions are not feasible in practice and states that individuals use heuristics, or rules based on past experiences and information, to make decisions. Bounded rationality can explain how our users create heuristic shortcuts to simplify the decision-making practice and deal with the multitude of choices and information available. This concept article will describe bounded rationality, apply bounded rationality to aspects of library service, and discuss the possible use of the concept as an assessment tool for our services. Hines uses librarians and their daily operations in an attempt to prove that Simons theory is helpful in two different realms of study: Social Sciences and Human Behavior. Hines explains that daily practices such as collection development and reference review are implicated in the decision making processes of our daily lives. Collection development and reviews of reference books, articles, journals etc are two elements of bounded rationality that draw attention to the resources individuals have at their clearance for making rational decisions. Hines argues that becoming aware of this progression will benefit the decision making process. Scholarly Themes The theme of this article is based on the idea that the individuals rationality is limited because of the available information, cognitive limitation of their minds and the limited time for decision making. So they use the techniques based on their experiences in past. Rational Decision Making in Business Organizations, by Herbert A. Simon Simon, H. A. (1979). Rational Decision Making in Business Organizations.  The American Economic Review,  69(4), 493-513. Retrieved April 8, 2010 Herbert Simon, a theorist who has analyzed Rational Choice Theory in multiple areas of study, seeks to examine the theory from an economical perspective in the article, Rational Decision Making in Business Organizations. Central Argument The central theme of this article is focused on the concern of the important colonial territory known as decision theory. Simon discusses the normative and descriptive aspects and its applications to business organizations linking his theories back to the core of the political economy. Summary of Work Simon states economics has focused on one aspect of mans decision making and that one focus had traditionally been his reason. Furthermore, Simon explains mans reason had typically been studied while making decisions in times of scarcity. Simon steps out of the traditional realm in his research viewing decision theory as not being limited to the domains of political science, psychology, and sociology. He explains that the classical model of rational choice calls for all the knowledge of alternatives that are open to choice. Simon explains, in compliance with most of his research on Rational Choice theory, the possession of complete knowledge is not rational or feasible. Simon uses the works of theorists such as Henry Schultz to provide examples in explaining the more refined aspects of studies conducted within the physical sciences. From a government policy making perspective, Simon reveals the eloquence of the body of descriptive theory (i.e. descriptive statistics) and how quantitative research has been beneficial to normative economics. Although Simon is clearly an advocate of his many of his colleagues equilibrium theories, he offers an explanation that some of the more refined parts of this study may not be completely beneficial in the real world. Simon says in his article that when we find the discrepancies between theory and data, we try to patch rather then to rebuild from the foundations. He argues that we have large quantity of descriptive data from field as well as laboratory. A number of theories have been formed to account for this data. But these theories are not coherent. In one way or other, these incorporate the notions of the bounded rationality. Bounded rationality means the need to search for decisions alternatives, the replacement of optimization by targets and satisficing goals and the mechanism of learning and adaptation. Scholarly Themes The theme of this article is one with something can not be defeated with nothing. You cannot neat a measure or a candidate by pointing his/her defects or inefficiencies. An alternative must has to be offered. Do Sunk Costs Matter, by R. Preston Mcafee and Hugo M. Mialon, and Sue H. Mialon Mcafee, R. P., Mialon, H. M., Mialon, S. H. (2007). Do Sunk Costs Matter?  Economic Inquiry,  48(2), 323-336. Retrieved April 8, 2010 Central Argument Authors R. Preston Mcafee, Hugo M. Mialon, and Sue H. Mialon present research examining how people make decisions specifically in the realm of sunk costs in the article Do Sunk Costs Matter; therefore, their research focuses on economics. Summary of Work In the summary to of this article the authors identify sunk costs as costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered. That sunk costs are not related to rational decision-making is often accessible as one of the basic principles of economics. When people are influenced by sunk costs in their decision-making, they are said to be commend the sunk cost fallacy. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we argue that, in a broad range of situations, it is rational for people to condition behavior on sunk costs, because of informational content, reputational concerns, or financial and time constriction. Once all the elements of the decision-making environment are taken into account, reacting to sunk costs can often be unstated as rational behavior. Another argument presented in this article is the idea that decisions based on future prospects, past decisions, scarce resources and infinite time, and reaction to past decisions and the sunk costs they have entailed, is often rational behavior. Scholarly Themes The theme of the article is when people engage in this type of behavior it is not rational and they commit a sunk cost fallacy. Sunk cost is the basic theme of this article in which the authors have discussed that the people might rationally invest more if they have invested more in the past, because it might convince that high past investments would lead towards the closer success. The reaction of people has been discusses for investments in regard to the sunk cost. Simons Revenge: or Incommensurability and Satisficing, by Michael Byron Byron, M. (2005). Simons revenge: or, incommensurability and satisficing.  Analysis,  65(4), 311-315. Retrieved April 9, 2010 Central Argument Michael Byrons article, Simons Revenge: or Incommensurability and Satisficing, is another analysis of the Rational Choice Theory based on Herbert Simons criticisms of the theory. Byron provides a discussion focused on Simons solution to the Rational Choice Model of Decision Making. The central theme of Byrons article is about Simons coined term, Satisficing, and its potential in serving as an alternative model to Rational Choice Theory. Summary of Work Byron explains that Simon thought for large-scale decisions, the deluge of relevant information and uncertainties overload the cognitive capacity of managers to process it. Managers strive for rationality; therefore, they tend to be rational. However, Byron uses Simons argument to strengthen his research by explaining cognitive limits, uncertainties, and time limits cause decisions to be made under conditions of bounded rationality. They do not maximize in accordance with rationality assumptions instead they satisfice. To paraphrase Bryons argument, satisficing is a term meaning what we do when we make the best of what we can. This is the reality of decision making. Satisfice is the combination of two words: satisfy and suffice. Byron explains Simons alternative model of satisficing does not require maximization such as Rational Choice Model. Simon saw maximizing had failed; therefore, his revenge, or model of satisficing, was designed to garner success outcomes descriptively. Byron argues Simon designed this alternative model by making it cognitive demands nominal, simplified its value function, and completely eliminated the probabilities of the model. Scholarly Themes The idea of this article is Satisficing. Managers try to be rational but due to limitations they have to be bound rational in their decision making to provide satisficing decision and alternatives. A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action, by Elinor Ostrom Elinor Ostrom.   (1998). A behavioral approach to the rational choice theory of collective action presidential address, American Political Science Association, 1997.  The American Political Science Review,  92(1),  1-22.   Retrieved April 9, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID:  26931044). Elinor Ostroms article, A Behavioral Approach to the Rational Choice Theory of Collective Action, is presented in Chapter 16 of Michael Dean McGinniss book entitled Polycentric Games and Institutions: Readings from the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis. Central Argument Ostroms research regarding the Rational Choice Theory and decision making is based on her argument that the theory is effective if expanded into a behavioral model of collective action when making decisions in times of social dilemma. This is the central argument of her research. Summary of Work Ostrom explains that Rational Choice Theory assumes that humans are self-interested, maximizers. Her research argues that Rational Choice has been successful in predicting marginal behavior in competitive decision making but when it comes to using this theory to predict decisions that are made during social dilemmas it has proved to be ineffective. Extensive empirical evidence and theoretical events causing change in multiple disciplines motivate a need to develop the range of rational choice models to be used as an establishment for the study of social dilemmas and cooperative action. After an introduction to the problem of triumph over social dilemmas through collective action, the leftovers of this article is divided into six sections which include theoretical predictions of currently accepted rational choice theory related to social dilemmas, challenges to the sole reliance, empirical findings that begin to show how individuals achieve results that are better than rational, the possibility of developing second-generation models of rationality, an initial theoretical scenario, implications of placing reciprocity, reputation, and trust at the core of an empirically tested, behavioral theory of collective action. The implications of developing second-generation models of empirically grounded, bloodedly rational, and moral decision making are substantial. New research questions will open up. We need to expand the type of research methods regularly used in political science. We need to increase the level of understanding among those engaged in formal theory, experimental research, and field research across the social and biological sciences. Scholarly Theme The main themes of the article are rational choice models, empirical evidences and theoretical development. The mentioned themes can be used to expand the variety of the rational choice models so that the study of the social dilemma and collective action can be carried out. To vote or not to vote: the merits and limits of rational choice theory, by Andre Blais Blais, Andre. To vote or not to vote: the merits and limits of rational choice theory. 2000. USA: University of Pittsburg Press. Central Argument Voter turnout and our reasons for voting have been exhaustively examined in the literature; however, Blais expresses his dissatisfaction of what has been presented in the literature about voting. The central theme of Blaiss research is whether or not the decision to vote or abstain from voting evolves from a rational choice perspective. Summary of Work Blais strengthens his argument by pointing out that rational choice authors have admitted a problem with exist voting and rational choice perspective because voting is a paradox of irrational response. Blais concludes his argument, after two solid years dedicated to this topic, with the view that the Rational Choice Theory does make a real contribution to understanding of why people vote but the contribution is quite limited. Blais uses Green and Shapiros infamous critique of the Rational Choice Theory to compare his verdict of the actual role Rational Choice plays in ones decision to vote. Green and Shapiros research blatantly stated the Rational Choice Model had failed to contribute any advancement of the empirical study of politics. Blaiss verdict is not as harsh and contrary to his colleagues findings. Blais uses a strong example to prove his point stating that motivations that make people vote, such as civic duty, are far from Rational Choice that claims people are self-interested. In Blais comparative analysis of his verdict to Green and Sahapiros, he stresses that political science offers many reasons to not vote. The fact that people still make the decision to vote is irrational. After Blaiss research, he candidly reveals that he cannot make sense of why people vote without taking the Rational Choice Model into consideration. Since most citizens vote despite even when it is not in their best perso nal interests to do so is a fascination that only Rational Choice Theory can explain. Scholarly Themes In the book, the author is focusing on the reasons for the choice for casting the vote. Voting and rational choice theory are interlinked and only this theory can explain it. CONCLUSION The 10 articles examined for the purposes of conducting a miniature literature review of Rational Choice Theory clearly indicates that this theory is of the most powerful in the field of social sciences, especially political science. An immovable effort was made to garner research that presented different perspectives about the effectiveness and feasibility of Rational Choice Theory. Rational Choice Theory has been criticized for being unrealistic. In decision making, Rational Choice is thought to be too time consuming, too costly, and too strict. The literature has criticized the theory for not taking human intuitive behavior into consideration. Furthermore, many theorists and researchers are not satisfied with Rational Choice Theory because it neglects empirical research. On the other hand, many theorists believe in Rational Choice Theory to explain things such as voting phenomenon. People vote inspire of the fact it may not be in their personal best interests. Some theorists believe only Rational Choice Theory can explain and predict this type of behavior. Other theorists believe the theory can be strengthened through incorporation of behavioral models. Overall, Rational Choice Theory has been approached with skepticism by theorists. The theorys validity and reliability has been questioned because of its lackadaisical approach to include empirical research. This argument seems to be the central theme of a vast majority of the research on Rational Choice Models. Theorists wonder what Rational Choice should do when empirical anomalies arise. Although there are many critiques for Rational Choice Theory, but still it is helpful in many fields such as to understand the rational of voting, in business organization etc.

Malaria Parasite Plasmodium and the Epidemiology of the Disease Essay

The Malaria Parasite Plasmodium and the Epidemiology of the Disease Abstract For ages malaria has affected mankind in almost all parts of the world. It has left a deep imprint on people who have been affected with the disease, and even today in countries where epidemics are common, malaria is a constant threat to people's daily lives. Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium (phylum Apicomplexa), and there are four species in the genus that cause the disease in humans. Their primary hosts and transmission vectors are female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles; humans act as intermediate hosts. Places near the equator with a warm, subtropical climate are most susceptible to malaria endemics. More than half of the cases of malaria occur in sub-Saharan Africa. It was only recently that developments have been made to research the eradication of the disease on a global scale. Malaria, Italian for ?bad air?, is an infectious disease which for nearly 4,000 years has terrorized mankind in many parts of the world. It has greatly influenced human populations and human history, and even today, malaria is a leading cause of disease and death in the world with over one million deaths every year (Sherman 91). This means that every 30 seconds, a person dies from malaria. Unfortunately, the general public knows only little about the disease, which is one of the key reasons as to why so many people suffer from malaria. However, since the turn of the 20th century, a great deal of knowledge has been uncovered by microbiologists about this merciless killer. The biology behind malaria is extremely complex. As opposed to popular belief, malaria is actually a family of four different diseases caused by four different parasi... ...y 1. Day, Nancy. Malaria, West Nile, and other Mosquito-Borne Diseases. London: Enslow Publishers, 2001. 2. Desowitz, Robert S. The Malaria Capers: More Tales of People, Research, and Reality. Greenwich: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. 3. Doolan, Denise L. Malaria Methods and Protocols. Denver: Humana Press, 2002. 4. ?Malaria.? 19 June 2006. Wikipedia. 18 Jul. 2006 . 5. ?Malaria Information.? 30 May 2005. Centers for Disease Control. DDT. 18 Jul 2006 . 6. Roberts, Roger. The Green Killing Fields; the Need for DDT to Defeat Malaria and Reemerging Diseases. AEI Press, 2006. 7. Sherman, Irwin W. Molecular Approaches to Malaria. New York: ASM Press, 2005. 8. The Malaria Eradication Project. Ed. Maya Winifred. May 2000. Indiana University. 22 Jul 2006 . 8 Malaria Parasite Plasmodium and the Epidemiology of the Disease Essay The Malaria Parasite Plasmodium and the Epidemiology of the Disease Abstract For ages malaria has affected mankind in almost all parts of the world. It has left a deep imprint on people who have been affected with the disease, and even today in countries where epidemics are common, malaria is a constant threat to people's daily lives. Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium (phylum Apicomplexa), and there are four species in the genus that cause the disease in humans. Their primary hosts and transmission vectors are female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles; humans act as intermediate hosts. Places near the equator with a warm, subtropical climate are most susceptible to malaria endemics. More than half of the cases of malaria occur in sub-Saharan Africa. It was only recently that developments have been made to research the eradication of the disease on a global scale. Malaria, Italian for ?bad air?, is an infectious disease which for nearly 4,000 years has terrorized mankind in many parts of the world. It has greatly influenced human populations and human history, and even today, malaria is a leading cause of disease and death in the world with over one million deaths every year (Sherman 91). This means that every 30 seconds, a person dies from malaria. Unfortunately, the general public knows only little about the disease, which is one of the key reasons as to why so many people suffer from malaria. However, since the turn of the 20th century, a great deal of knowledge has been uncovered by microbiologists about this merciless killer. The biology behind malaria is extremely complex. As opposed to popular belief, malaria is actually a family of four different diseases caused by four different parasi... ...y 1. Day, Nancy. Malaria, West Nile, and other Mosquito-Borne Diseases. London: Enslow Publishers, 2001. 2. Desowitz, Robert S. The Malaria Capers: More Tales of People, Research, and Reality. Greenwich: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. 3. Doolan, Denise L. Malaria Methods and Protocols. Denver: Humana Press, 2002. 4. ?Malaria.? 19 June 2006. Wikipedia. 18 Jul. 2006 . 5. ?Malaria Information.? 30 May 2005. Centers for Disease Control. DDT. 18 Jul 2006 . 6. Roberts, Roger. The Green Killing Fields; the Need for DDT to Defeat Malaria and Reemerging Diseases. AEI Press, 2006. 7. Sherman, Irwin W. Molecular Approaches to Malaria. New York: ASM Press, 2005. 8. The Malaria Eradication Project. Ed. Maya Winifred. May 2000. Indiana University. 22 Jul 2006 . 8

Crude Oil Crisis Essay example -- Essays Papers

Crude Oil Crisis The modern world survives on a steady diet of energy that is obtained from a wide variety of places and is used in an even wider variety of ways. The undeniable dependence of our modern culture on energy has both positive and negative effects on the world we live in. While our lives get more convenient, the environment is suffering. While technology is used to improve the quality of life, our non-renewable energy resources are depleting. The double edged sword that is our energy reliance is a constant compromise between what the world wants, and what the world has. While solutions to these problems are difficult to enact, the world must be wise in the way that it consumes and uses the energy resources it has. It is estimated that 98.16 quadrillion Btu of energy are used in the United States each year, the vast majority of which comes from non-renewable resources such as crude petroleum oil, coal, and natural gas (EIA, February 2005). This is particularly true in the United States where these three sources account for roughly 87% ...

WHO CAN CATCH A LIAR?’, Ekman and O’Sullivan, 1991. Essay -- English L

WHO CAN CATCH A LIAR?’, Ekman and O’Sullivan, 1991. What is the definition of lying or indeed deception? Well deception can be defined in many ways, but it was termed by Vrij (Vrij, 2000, p.6) as a successful or unsuccessful deliberate attempt, without forewarning, to create in another a belief, which the communicator considers to be untrue. Telling lies is a daily life event, which varies in quite complex ways depending on the situation the person is in and the person being lied to. People lie for all kinds of reasons. However half the lies are either self–orientated, and are therefore intended to make the liar appear better or to gain personal advantage (DePaulo et al., 1996). Self– orientated lies consist of people lying in order to avoid punishment, to make a positive impression on others or to protect themselves. Some lies are other–orientated, to make another person feel better or for another’s benefit. How can you tell if someone is lying to you? People generally believe that nonverbal cues to deception exist and they know what these cues are; but how accurate are people at detecting lies? In laboratory studies concerning detection of deception, observers are given videotaped or audiotaped statements of various people who are either lying or telling the truth. After each statement the participant is asked to judge whether the statement are true or false. In most studies reported, people have not been very good at judging when people are lying. Average accuracy in detecting deceit has rarely been above 60% with 50% being chance and most people have performed below 50%. Studies revealed that in three separate experiments conducted by Kraut and Poe (1980) DePaulo and Pfeifer (1986) and Ko... ...ussed in the appropriate section of the study, therefore this could be an area that could be further explored in the future. On the whole in conclusion, the study has established the extent to which people are able to detect lies by observing physiological responses. Mistakes in lie detection are inevitable, but perhaps with the correct training, experience and motivation we may become specialists in detecting lies. But is this possible?. In my opinion in both theoretical and practical terms; this is a sound work on a vital subject. Although room for further research is needed. REFERENCES ---------- Aldert Vrij, (2002) ‘Telling and Detecting Lies’ chapter 4, in Nicola Brace and Helen Westcott (ed) ‘Applying Psychology’ The Open University Journal article – Paul Ekman and Maureen O’Sullivan (1991) ‘Who Can Catch A Liar’ Vol.46, no 9, pp.913-930

Importance of Mission Essay

What do you understand by ‘mission? Explain why it is necessary at the starting point in the process of formulating a strategy? What do you understand by ‘mission? As per Mintzberg – A mission describes the organisation’s basic function in society, in terms of the products and services it produces for its customers†. Mission defines the fundamental purpose of an oraganisation , describes why it exists and answers the question â€Å"Wha do we do? â€Å". Mission statement creates a sense of direction and opportunity and it creates value or those who get exposed to the statement, and those prospects are managers, employees and sometimes even customers. Both of these are essential part of the strategy-making process. It has a direct bearing on the bottom line and success of the organization. Thus Mission statements plays (1) Communicate the purpose of the organization to stakeholders. (2) Inform strategy development. 3) Develop the measurable goals and objectives by which to gauge the success of the organization’s strategy. Explain why it is necessary at the starting point in the process of formulating a strategy? To reach any destination the knowledge of path is very important likewise for any organization to achieve its ultimate objectives and goals, a well defined mission is very important. A strategic plan starts with a clearly defined business mission. Mission statement provides a path to realize the vision in line with its values. lt informs us the desired level of performance and used to set out a ‘picture’ of the organization in the future For any new organization to be successful in achieving desired goals it has to formulate the strategy and mission is starting point in the process. Mission is necessary at the starting point in the process of formulating a strategy to know: (1) The purpose of the organization. Why does the business exist? Is it to create wealth for shareholders? Does it exist to satisfy the needs of all stakeholders (including employees, and society at large? ). The mission at the starting point helps in answering above questions. (2) A mission statement at the starting point provides the commercial logic for the business and so defines two things: – The products or services it offers (and therefore its competitive position) – The competences through

Early Childhood Education and Children Essay

Are there any benefits for children stay one of parent with them at home? Mothers who stay at home are helpful for their family. Many mothers prefer to give their children to their mothers, but if there is not grandmother to care child, that will be problem especially if the child is still baby or infant. Mothers are compelled to find a place to put their child there. Many kinds of places that may mothers join their child to stay there and to have education, such as to educational settings which consist of early child education, pre-school, nursery school, and pre-kindergarten. Also, there are many places to get care and education for children nanny, governess, babysitting, au pair, and extended family, for example. In fact, mother’s decision; that choosing stay with her children at home or going to work and joining her children in convenient place, is important critical for her. A mother who stays at house are more probable to have time to be involved with their children. Those mothers who stay home is able to become more completely involved their children activities. For example, mother will give carful and interest for her children. Moreover, many people mention to needs childhood such as feeding, sustenance, and nurturing. Most women have been housewife to be breadwinners, and to be caretakers. â€Å"Child care can cost up to $15,000 for one year in the United States. Approximately six out of every ten children, or almost 12 million children, age five and younger, are being jointly cared for by parents and early childhood educators, relatives, or other child-care providers† (Lynn, 2002). Indeed, many societies have been assumed that women will stay home and take care of their children while their spouses go out and work. In addition, woman pregnancy suffers to go out and doing hard work many hours without rest times, but when she stay home will get time to have rest and lying. Many mothers work to be ready for unexpected situations like a husband’s unemployment, husband’s death, a divorce, or sickness. In fact, nobody wants to be working more than eight hours a day and missing his or her family life. In encouragement of mothers who want to work, Dr. Phil says that many mothers optimism to be a parent and pursue an occupation and they often become miserable when they are stuck just in a parenting capacity. â€Å"If the child is mothered by a parent who is feeling frustrated and depressed and empty, that is not a good thing,† he says. Even though some parents are now separated, father continues in the role of primary caregiver to his children, while mother continue to support her family. A man is not hard to give up the traditional role as breadwinner. However, A woman can be more responsibility to earn money and take care for her family. A lot of women have been socialized to be service workers for their societies, not solely to be housewife. Some time a man feels difficult to abdicate some things like giving up self-worth, feelings of masculinity and personal power. It can be tough on men, especially in the beginning. In conclusion, it’s these deeper issues. Making the decision to stay home with your children or join the workforce can be a difficult process. It appears approximating employed moms just can’t success. Every woman has dream to be effective in her society and earn money, but she will face challenges with her care children. Sources 1. Dr. Phil: http://drphil. com/articles/article/284 2. Olson, Lynn (2002). [According to the 2002 Quality Counts survey conducted by Education Week, approximately six out of every ten children, or almost 12 million children, age five and younger, are being jointly cared for by parents and early childhood educators, relatives, or other child-care providers. â€Å"Starting Early†]. Education Week 21 (17): 10–11. Retrieved 24 November 2012.

How to Write a Ccot Essay

WHAT IS THE CCOT ESSAY -the CCOT deals specifically with analysis of continuities and changes over time covering at least one of the perisds in the coarse outline -for examples it might address technology ,trade, culture, migrations, or environment -the CCOT questions requires analysis of process and explanation of the cause with specific examples THE PURPOSE -the evaluate your availing to analyze historical changes and continuities that. Have shaped events social political economical developments in history and ability to gauge your analysis of global processesWHAT YOU NEED TO DO -CHANGE -recognize it as it occurs in history -identify and understand the causes of change -CONTINUITY -recognize factors which remain the same throughout and entire period -identify and understand factors which allow this to continue THE CHANGE -must discuss (use concrete details) and analyze changes that occurred relevant to the question -if the questions discusses specific terms such as social and polit ical ,you need to focus on political and social changes -if the questions is more vague, you need to think of aspects to base your analysis on.THE CONTINUITY -the questions also ask you to adress continuities general these are patterns or cultural tendencies that remain stagnant for years and years – for example think of the role of women,reliegons,philosophies,or conflict between social classes -it very important to remember that you need to have concrete details to back up your continuity STARTING AND ENDING POINTS -I order to get complete credit for the CCOT you need to address the starting point -I order to analyze changes you must discuss what it was like before -however pay attention to time period given the question you essay may require -starting point transistor and ending condition or -starting point and ending condition -meaning the outline/pure write is essential GOOD AND BAD CHANGES -you must identify the change and make it clear why that change occurred -bad Pri or to 1948 the Jewish people had no homeland on 1948 Isreal was established – Good -in the early 20th century , few people saw a need for establishing of an independent Jewish state.However, once the world realized the massive gene code of Jews that took place during World War Two , support for the establishment of Isreal began to grow FUNDAMENTALS OF THE CCOT -thesis should define areas of change and areas of continuity -establishment time period boundaries and address entire period -this can be done in 2 sentences -address both continuity and change – everyone forget s to do continuity -analyze the cause of changes – use the word because a lot -discuss global context Connect to world processes and change HELPFUL HINTS draw a timeline to help connect the era and events you will talk about -identify what the situation was at the beginning of the ra also known as a baseline – cite a fact about this -identify the situation was at the end of The era -cite a fact about this -try to explain the process of change -why did this happen? COMMON TRIGGERS FOR CHAMGE -consider that change happens enevenly in places and overtime -often speeding up to the change -are their steps to the change -intermediate points between the beginning and end period are importantHISTORICAL CONTEXTS -remember that changes and continuities in a particular region do not happen on a vacuum -use varying scope -global trend vs regional vs local -don't be afraid to note exceptions to a trend HOW TO ANSWER THW CCOT ESSAY APPROACH #1-DIRECT -basis body paragraph around the changes and continuities you identify 1 topic sentence 2 baseline 3 causes of change or context 4 evidence – early middle late 5 summary of change – status attend of period & significance HOW TO ANSWER THE CCOT ESSAY APPROACH # 2-NARRATIVE describe the foo of history from begging to end with embedded changes continuities -bases body paragraph around sub periods -topic sentience -context -c haracteristics deve to and processes that change/stay the same -causes of changes seen in period and significance How did geography effect the development mod early civilizations -location -climate -physical landscape -how do they irrigate crops? -what Crops do they grow – how do they trade, over land,river,seas? -how do they interact with the environment? -many more questions your can ask†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..

Moving the NHS from public sector to private sector Essay

The National Health Service (NHS) is a state run entity set up by the Labour government after 1948 as part of the welfare state. It was originally run by local authorities with funding from public money allocated by central government. Though in recent years this money has been moving to the private sector and many have speculated that this is privatisation by stealth. In this essay I will attempt to understand this process by giving some historical context to the events of the last few decades while pointing out some of the advantages and disadvantages, and the forms it could take, of privatisation. In conclusion I hope to point to a future where the NHS can exist with public money and private management. †It came out of a working class movement. The ‘powers that be’ introduced various health and welfare reforms after the Second World War in response to working class agitation and mobilisationæ ¢  health system seemed a better option than a Russian revolution†1 This is a institution that does not fit easily into the world of market liberalisation and globalisation, but it is a right many people feel should be free and is even recognised by the U.N. as a fundamental human right. Selling off the NHS, as previous Tory governments have done to other parts of the U.K.s infrastructure †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦would be politically unacceptable especially given the general popularity of the NHS and its entrenched public nature.†2But reform and change have accrued. The first change, by the Tories in 1983, was in the way funding was allocated. †For example, budgets where previously allocated on the basis of geographical areas’ needs†¦Now funding is alloca ted as payment per patient†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 3 This change allowed for the transfer of money from the public to the private sector. This can be seen in the provision of private long term care †which grew from 175,000 places in 1985 to 650,000 in 1998. This growth was funded almost entirely out of the public purse†4 This has led to a system where money is now thrown at the private sector through arrangements such as Independent treatment centres (ISTCs) and the private finance initiative (PFI). One such arrangement †Ravenscourt Park cost   to set up and closed with a deficit of. These are figures that have to be borne by the NHS†5Clearly the NHS is now a half-way house between the public and private sectors. While the present Labour government seems set on pushing ahead with more ways of privatisation. John Carvel noted that  Ã¢â‚¬ Health secretary Patricia Hewitt is preparing to transfer NHS hospitals buildings into the private sector as part of a bn scheme to promote competition in the health service†¦companies bidding for contracts†¦will be allowed to take over NHS premises, doctors and nurses.†6The implementation of this document are already in motion. Recently DHL gained a contract worth 6bn to provide non pharmaceutical supplies for ten years. Payment will be made †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦according to the savings it can make, which the government estimates at some n.†7So while this may seem like a good idea †Effective implementation of grand investment projects†¦is hardly the governments strong point.†8 So to make this work DHL would have to be finely regulated. Given enough freedom so that they can destroy cosy past relationships, but not be allowed to bully suppliers and lower standards due to a need to please shareholders and make profit. To see what problems a health service run for profit creates we only have to look at the USA and its private health system. The system of HMOs was set up in the 1970s by the Nixon administration. We can see from these comments recorded on the Nixon White House tapes, (Nixon quotes), that this system was created not to look after patients but to make profit. While the US may have the most advanced health care system available, if a customer does not have enough money or adequate insurance their options are limited. These problems where highlighted in Michael Moores’ documentary Sicko, which compared the US system to that of Cuba, Canada and the UK. It could be said that the narrator was unabashed in his bias against the HMOs, but the case shown, that healthcare will become unaffordable for average people, may arise here if privatisation becomes widespread. At the same time though because of the lack of reinvestment in the NHSs’ infrastructure and Gordon Browns’ adherence to EU spending targets, alternative funding methods must be found. A recent study by the European Health Consumer Index (EHCI) showed the UK at 17th place behind Ireland, Czech Republic and Estonia in provision of healthcare. Three countries a long way behind the economic development of the UK. In fact while per capita spending placed the UK in 12th place, the Czech Republic placed 21st showing  that efficiency targets are possible if money is spent wisely.9This of course is the main argument for the involvement of the private sector in the provision of health care. That they will cut bureaucracy, while subjecting spending plans to stringent management oversight and thus provide better services for cheaper. Unfortunately the †reduction in public provision of long term care, NHS dentistry, optical services and elective surgery shows the trajectory for the NHS under the PFI.†10 We only have to look to Austria to find a publicly funded health system that allows patients who †..regardless of salary, are entitled to use the services of the health system for free although they do pay higher income tax†.11 While looking at the EHCI tables we see Austria ranks in first place but only spends (figure here) more than the UK per capita. This suggests that the UK could indeed improve services without the need of the private sector but this would involve raising taxes, a strategy both political parties seem wary of due to potential lose of electoral support. One new potential direction for the health service could be the internet. The main advantage of the internet is the access to knowledge that it can provide the customer while providing savings within the administration of the NHS. Unfortunately there is one problem that would need to be overcome, computer illiteracy. In most cases those with health problems will be the older members of society, those who are the least computer literate. This suggests to me that while saving could be made, they would not be worthwhile while we have a generation of customers who do not feel comfortable with computers or the the internet. In the long term there is potential, but unfortunately it does not provide any solutions in the short. In does seem that the disadvantages of privatisation on its present course do seem to outweigh the advantages. The present government though has already started down a path that appears to be irreversible. While many within the service would agree that reform is necessary the problem is that healthcare is seen as a fundamental right provided by the NHS, a endowment to the citizens of the UK after the trauma of World War 2 and the sacrifices they had endured. The UK government has also shown on many occasions that it cannot regulate private companies, that are funded through public funds, to  put the general public before profit. Looking at past privatisations of industries we can see, even in the case of the most successful, telecommunications, that this sector lags behind other European countries such as France where for example broadband infrastructure is far ahead of that provided in the UK. Thus in conclusion the only solution that I can see is a single payer system with strong enough legislation that creates †European wide regulation in the shape of pharmaceutical price controls and levies on research and education†12 In effect creating a new framework that allows the private sector to provide to provide healthcare. This way the tax payer can benefit from the private sectors skill in delivering increased productivity and value for money, while protecting against its’ overwhelming desire for profit. 1http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/gatsprivatiationhealth.htm2ibid3http://www.healthmatters.org.uk/issue 41 p12-134ibid5http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1931236,00.html6http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1575243,00.html7http://store.eiu.com/product/1860000186-sample.html8 ibid9EHCI 2007 study10Bmj.com 1/4/9911Irish Independent, 6/9/07 The Austrian health service is the best in Europe†¦, Gemma O’ Doherty12http://www.healthmatters.org.uk/issue 48 summer 2001 p 11

APA review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

APA review - Assignment Example The APA standard of writing creates cues for readers to follow ideas effectively and trace information that may be of interest to them. In addition, it draws attention by not distracting readers with unfamiliar formatting and writing styles, as well as generating credibility in command of content and ideas to the audience of written works. This creates confidence in the audience and demonstrating awareness of the researcher (Seas and Brizee, 2012). The formatting style is used mostly in three disciplines: social sciences, business and nursing and covers two types of papers, which include literature reviews and experimental reports and outlines required sections of each paper. In addition, APA covers the most basic areas of concern, which include point of view, clarity, and choice of words. It also highlights citations and reference lists where it takes into consideration the requirements of in-text citations, footnotes and endnotes, reference lists and the basic rules associated with

SECOND PART----Weekend Crime Reports Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SECOND PART----Weekend Crime Reports - Assignment Example In addition, it is important to note that the paper has not taken crime as a blanket word to show different crimes. Instead, it has dealt with each crime and followed its trend so as to devise different methods of dealing with the particular misdemeanor. Introduction There are several kinds of crime in the area. The city is divided into East, West, North, and South. These sections in the town are characterized by crime whereas others are known for their lack of crime. This paper will point out these particular areas and the exact kinds of crime associated with these sections. It will also explain the patterns of criminal activity within the city. 1. Indeed, most people arrested on a typical night are charged with suspicious behavior. It is not a rare sight to see suspicious people walking around the street. This is especially so for weekends. It is during weekends that people tend to consume alcohol more than usual thus roam around the streets at odd hours looking suspicious (Pollock , 2011). However, on N 1st Avenue the suspicious movements are more than usual. This could be because there is a high concentration of bars around that area. It is also important to note that the suspicious people could also homeless people. This is because homeless people who roam around at night because they do not have anywhere to sleep. It is also important to note that some streets also do not report any incidences of suspicious people. N3rd Avenue, S 2nd Avenue, S 3rd Avenue, S9th Avenue and S 10th Avenue. This can be explained by the fact that these areas are inhabited by people of a low economic status. They are used to having people roam the streets at night and thus do not pay attention. (2008). 2. Burglaries are common in the second shift that runs from evening to late night. The hours between 7pm and 11pm are most susceptible to burglary. This is because at this time there are several people still walking the streets. It is indeed a convenient time for thieves to carry o ut their offenses. In addition, it is important to mention that burglaries are more common at night than during the day. This can be explained by the cover of darkness (Pollock, 2011). Acts of crime are likely to be committed at night than during the day. 3. Cases of domestic violence are however very unpopular within the city. They are rare to come by. Out of the five incidences reported over the weekend, three were reported within the Southern part of the city. Thus, it can be concluded that domestic violence is rare and when it happens it has is random and follows no particular pattern. 4. All crimes seem to be more concentrated in the North region, in particular the North West region in the city. The streets between the 1st and 6th seem to be most prone to criminal activity. This can be explained by the rich people inhabiting this part of the city as well as the gangs (Clarke, 2004). They are also likely to quickly report any bizarre activities within the town. Another explanati on would be that since it is an affluent neighborhood, it is rich ground for criminal acts. It would be recommended that more patrols be deployed to these particular streets. Carjacking are more rampant in the North of the city. Homicides are only found in the North West parts of the city. This could be explained by the gangs. The only robbery was reported in the North West part of the city. DUIs were common in between the Eastern and Western parts of the north

Duties of an Intergovernmental Public Manager Essay

Duties of an Intergovernmental Public Manager - Essay Example DSS had a budget of $770 million for 2007, over 3,300 employees most of whom are social workers (2,600-plus) and some 580 in administrative work, and is under the Office of Children, Youth, and Family Services (annual budget: $1.6 billion) under the Health & Human Services budget item which, at over $12 billion annually, is the Commonwealth's single biggest expenditure. Considering that the DSS has the largest departmental budget in Massachusetts (accounting for 6%) makes it easier to understand the important role of Mr. Kelley as the Department's Audit Manager, especially when the general public is clamoring for greater fiscal accountability (Kelley, 2007). Mr. Kelley is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who has steadily gone up the ranks of the DSS bureaucracy. When he was still in college, he was thinking of working at one of the established accounting firms but decided to work instead with the government because he felt that this was where he would find the best work-life balance. Coming from a long line of public servants, Mr. Kelley found it easier to decide to become one. It was a decision he never regretted. When asked whether education or experience played the most important role in his success, he claimed that one without the other would not have been enough, since auditing/accounting is a highly-technical profession that combined intellectual and mathematical skills with a dash of detective work. Without education, the highest position one could get would have been that of a bookkeeping clerk. Experience played an important role because although education could get you started, one needed to learn from experience to survive and thrive. He learned the most from his mistakes, of which there were several. What helped him most, however, was a mentor, a senior bureaucrat now retired but who trained him on the intricacies of the bureaucracy. The DSS is one of the most important human services offices in the Commonwealth and their mandate of taking care of the most helpless citizens - children who are abandoned or abused by those who are supposed to care for them - puts Mr. Kelley's work in the proper context. He talked about his sacred duty to ensure that all federal and state funds channeled to the department find their beneficiaries in the most efficient and effective manner. He passionately believes that how a society takes care of its most helpless members is a measure of the society's values and quality. The fact that the DSS gets one of the biggest shares of the budget exposes the office to a lot of politics, which goes on not only within DSS or the Commonwealth structure competing for funds, but also with other private charities in and out of Massachusetts. This is something he has learned to manage quite well, but that he sees as something that comes with the territory. Contrary to common perceptions, government offices are highly dynamic and change quite more rapidly as top officials can be changed every two years. Thus, policies change and, with these changes, so do management styles and points of focus. One of the most remarkable change efforts within the organization started taking place in 1989 and is still ongoing, which is the implementation of Chapter 647, a Commonwealth Act designed to improve the internal controls within all State agencies. The law aimed at improving the

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The Geography of Latin America - Essay Example When it comes to language, Latin America has the world’s largest concentration of romance language speakers, derived from Latin, thus the name Latin America. The romance languages spoken in Latin America include Spanish, Portuguese and French (â€Å"Geography Resources†). Culturally, Latin America is all about a blend of many different cultures. Generations of intermarriage between various ethnic groups produced the Blanco of European ancestry, the Mestizo of mixed ancestry, the Indio of Indian roots, and the Negro of African origins. The Blancos usually represent the elite of the society, although most people are mestizos (â€Å"Geography Resources†). As to religion, there is also a variety of systems of faith in Latin America. These include Roman Catholicism, which includes the largest population of believers. Other religions include the minority Christian groups, and some ancient religions like the Macumba, Voodoo and Camdombe, which were the religions of the African slaves (â€Å"Geography Resources†). Latinos are not without their traditional health beliefs and practices. Some of them include the humoral imbalance for illnesses caused by temperature, empacho or indigestion caused by eating the wrong food at the wrong time, mal de ojo or feelings of fatigue and headache caused by the admiration or jealousy of another person who looks at the victim, envidia or envy that causes bad luck or illness, and susto, or the fear coming from a traumatic experience (â€Å"Building our Understanding†). Latin America actually suffers from high external debts incurred for the financing of large development projects. There is also economic restructuring that is being initiated and enforced by international agencies that lend money. Moreover, the cuts in social programs and services and the rising prices caused many job losses but were countered by communal self-help. The

Discussion Board reply Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Discussion Board reply - Assignment Example s emerged due to its associated costs especially to the insurance industry, where it cost the American populous roughly $520 billion over a period of five years. In biblical reference, we are required to help the poor, orphans and widows thus the government helps the church through donations, and the church helps the poor. While it is evident that costs may be towards unemployment compensation, it is hard to ignore the benefits, the economy stands to gain. Association of demand and supply determines if a company can produce goods for a market that are willing and can afford to buy the product. If demand or market of good exists then a company can produce and sell the product (Asmundson, 2013). The company will be willing to produce and sell the product if the profit margins are right for the business. If the costs exceed the profit margin then, the product is not viable for the business since the product will not be marketable. If the company can produce and sell a product to which a market exists and the possibility of profit making then the firm should produce and sell the

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Relations Between the Father and the Daughter - Essay Example Man has no power of foreseeing the future. It could be possible that the surgery Latimer was getting the day she died could have saved her some of the agonies that she was going through. There is a reason why some of the laws exist. Preservation of the human life is the ultimate goal of any government system and should be observed at all times. For instance, a person may decide to commit suicide at some point in life because they feel that nothing is working out for them. However, they only make that decision in the context of the immediate events. They may not feel the same the following day and if they commit suicide, they miss out on life. Justifying euthanasia because a person is facing problems is wrong. Every person has a life clock and God is the only one qualified to turn it off. If euthanasia was allowed to take place, then people would resort to committing suicide every time they felt that life was giving them a bitter lemon. Moreover, although Latimer may have been going t hrough a lot of sufferings, maybe she was grateful that she was alive and had a mission to fulfill in life that the father cut short. Murder can never be justified and it is universally agreed that it is a crime.

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Is There Any Right to Die - Essay Example This question leads to an endless chain of contradictions; however, under a closer examination, it becomes obvious for everyone that such kind of existence can be barely called â€Å"life†. Nowadays medicine possesses a lot of tools, such as morphine, which are able to "facilitate" sufferings of deathly ill patients. In the meantime, the drugs change patient’s mind and psyche, which eliminates any personality features. Hence, even though the drugs may cure and help the person to defeat the unbearable pain, still human personality is being destroyed by those medicals. According to a liberal measurement of human life value, the liberal policy of European and United States stated that the value of human life is secondary in comparison with a person’s will. This means that if a person can be considered as adequate, according to psychological evaluation of one, the person is responsible for one’s own decisions and actions, and therefore one’s decision must be respected by the rest of the society. Hence, such person is eligible to do whatever one wants with his or hers own life and body, unless it causes any harm to other people and is prohibited legally (Seale, 1994). If to take a look at the issue from the personal point of view, it becomes obvious that the life has a meaning when pleasures prevail over sufferings; moreover, positive emotions are considered to be more meaningful than the negative ones. So euthanasia seems to be the only solution in some cases; for instance, when human’s life cannot be maintained in other way and suffering cannot be relieved except by death. In short, if suffering is evil, how can we morally justify preservation of life, which has turned into a constant suffering?   

Should college athletes be paid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Review of Bill by Vern Myers Essay Example for Free

Review of Bill by Vern Myers Essay To start, I would like you to know that I am writing this book review on an old fashioned manual typewriter, an Olympia Model 9 in fact, that I purchased at a consignment antique store. I think this machine dates back to the early 1970s. It makes a nostalgic clack-clack-clack sound. [1] I am not writing this book review in solidarity with author Vern Myers (who refuses to use a computer and composes his work on a 1968 Underwood-Miller, and before that a 1909 Corona 3, the same Ernest Hemingway employed for his early works[2]), no; I am afraid my reason is pedestrian in nature: my girlfriend, Michele, deep-sixed my Sony Vaio laptop into the back end of the toilet, where the water rises after you flush, after what one would call â€Å"a heated argument. †She locked herself in the shitter[3] (which she hates me to call the commode), after having grabbed my laptop, stating that I loved my machine more than her; that she was jealous of the attention I gave to my novel-in-progress. Needless to say, my laptop will not start up. A friend told me to let it dry out. I will probably have to take it to a shop and pray that they can recover my data—most importantly: my unfinished novel, which I have been laboring at for three years now. It’s an opus, this novel of mine, 850 pages and three-fourths done, so I would say it will be 1,000 manuscript pages when finished, or around 250,000 words. It began as a short story, and then I thought it would be a novella, 80 pages at best, but the thing took on a life of its own. I hear that is what happened to Vern Myers’ 23,000-word masterpiece, Bill. Talking grapes around the New York literati have it that Myers worked on the project for nearly five years and had 600 pages of rambling text, some typewritten, some hand-written, and his editor, Stanley Flint, pulled a Max Perkins (to Myers’ Thomas Wolfe) or Gordon Lish (Raymond Carver) and hacked away, jumbled and tossed like the proverbial salad of sentences, and came up with this current 102 page book. I read Bill in one sitting, or a single bath soak, an hour and a half’s worth of water: after Michele destroyed my computer and possibly my novel (which, by the way, is titled Lunch on the Grass), I drew a hot bath (I own a claw foot tub, talk about antediluvian delights! ) to calm my nerves, opened a bottle of cognac, and slipped into the water with the ARC of Bill that I had received in the mail from the book editor of the newspaper you are reading this review in. For Vern Myers, 102 pages (23,000 words, the margins generous) is War and Peace. Myers, the past decade, has been known as King of 3,000 Words or Less. Your typical Myers story is 1,500 to 2,000 words, each with the epic impact of a Shakespearian tragedy and the emotional complexities of a Chekovian triptych of 5-act plays. Some say it is his life-long friend and editor, Flint, who has fine-tuned the 5,000 words of new story Myers sends in to a magnificent 3,000 word slice of American Literature; Flint published many of these in Dapper Magazine, a slick where he was fiction editor for a decade. [4] Critics are certain to debate over this decades after Myers is gone. Myers was often asked, at readings and lectures and interviews (the few he has granted): â€Å"Are you ever going to write a novel? † and his jovial answer was (with a stiff Long Island Iced Tea in hand): â€Å"I’m working on said novel now, something I call Bill: A Life, but the real question is: Will I ever finish it? The second real question being: Will I ever publish it? † (I know this because I attended a reading of his at the UCSD campus four years ago where such QA took place. ) I read Bill: A Novella (what happened to a life? ) with delight in the clawfoot tub, sipping my cognac, trying to forget what Michele did to my Sony Vaio and my novel-in-progress (which I once considered calling Zombie Cheerleaders from Jupiter Attack!), and when I was done, I closed my eyes and considered the life of Bill, quite the epic one, and the moral/social/political/sexual implications of the story and character. I fell asleep; I did not mean to; napping is not a criticism of Myers’ fine novella; I was simply exhausted from the emotional outrage caused by Michele’s action, her not only leaving me, saying she never wanted to see me again unless I was in a casket at a funeral parlor and even then she would spit on my embalmed body, but destroying my life: for my life, the past few years, is contained on the hard drive (350 gigabytes) of that sunk laptop. My magnum opus, my Great American Novel, which I think I will change the title from Lunch on the Grass to Gargantuan. I see I have exceeded the 600 words the book editor asked for. Hopefully there will be room among the ads to fit in this complete text; hopefully my words will not be pared to the bone the way some say Stanley Flint has been doing to Vern Myers for years. Bill is about a Hollywood doctor named Bill and his adventures with various movie stars, porn starlets, studio moguls and drug dealers. He hops from bed to bed, romance to romance, leaving disaster behind him like the Tasmanian Devil in the Warner Brothers cartoons[5], or the Cat in the Hat paying a visit to unsuspecting latchkey children. Over the course of five years, Bill lives large, has experiences most of us cab only fantasize about; he crams ten lives into those five years and after each event, becomes wiser and older, yet maintains a youthful hop in his feet, always ready to bed the next pretty lady who crosses his path. Sounds like a soap opera, you say? A scalawag doctor from a trashy romance novel you shriek? Hardly! Bill is the literary event of the year and I expect prize Pulitzer, I demand a Book Critics Circle Award, I foresee the boys in the U. K. foregoing the Booker requirements and claiming Vern Myers a loyal subject to the Queen’s Crown (at heart). There is little doubt that the day will come when Vern Myers receives the Nobel Pri I thought I heard Michele coming in. No, that was the neighbor. The walls are too thin around here and I am sure the neighbors heard us fighting, the accusations Michele made. She thinks I am sleeping with a doctor, in fact, a vet who saved my cat, Poe, three months ago. Guess how it all started? I noticed a tattered copy of Vern Myers’ first collection of short stories on her desk, Can You Speak the Hell Up and Pass the Sugar, Please? and commented on it; she said she had discovered Myers in college, her roommate was taking his writing class and she happened to read his stuff and became a fan. I told her I too was a writer of fiction and the occasional essay and memoir (and dozens of book reviews) and, well, one thing lead to another†¦ And so Michele is right. I have been seeing said doctor and it is serious. I would have eventually broken up with Michele, told her the truth, but she beat me to it, and it is always the shits when you are the dumpee, not the dumper. It’s an ego thing, a guy thing, and it makes me think of something Bill says in Bill: â€Å"It’s better to end a romance first to avoid a pain in the brain. † Love ‘em and leave ‘em, Bill, that’s the ticket†¦only, I think I will ask the doc to marry me. I am serious here. I have never felt this way about any woman†¦ It’s five hours later since I wrote the above sentence. I had dinner with the doctor and guess what? She broke up with me, says she is getting back together with her ex-husband. I would be very depressed but my laptop has dried and boots up just fine and now I can get back to my novel. Will it be as fantastic as Vern Myers’ Bill? I could only hope so, but only Vern Myers can be Vern Myers, there can be no other. Michele has been calling, she wants to come back; she says she is sorry and loves me and will never let me go. I’ll take her back. I’ll get my life back on track and finish this book and maybe I can get the literati attention that Myers does. I will tell Michele that there was never anything real with the doctor, it was just a passing thing, no need to get into all that â€Å"pain in the brain† stuff. Editor’s Note: A day before going to press with this review, The Village Voice published an interview with a former student, and lover, of Vern Myers, wherein she claims she actually wrote the text for BILL because Myers was too drunk or high to get any writing done. This accusation comes on the heels of BILL garnering a nomination for the Transamerican Book Award (which reviewer Gerald Bass failed to mention in his rambling[6]); should these accusations be truthful, a fruitful literary scandal of the decade is certain to birth, like a dead baby whale oozing from the foul-smelling womb of a beached momma whale on a sandy, bloody cove near the shores of contemporary American letters. How do you like them apples, eh? Viz! To wit! To arms! [7] [1] I hear you can get that sound to come out of your laptop keyboard. The virtual clack-clack-clack, methinks, would be rather annoying and just damn rude. Everything has to be a simulacra these days. [2] Hemingway said of the Corona 3: â€Å"It is the only psychiatrist I would ever submit to. † I once had a t-shirt with that quote on it and a picture of a harried Hemingway. He wrote his second novel, A Farewell to Arms, on the Corona 3. He probably would have done the same with The Sun Also Rises but he sent that one out to a typist to create the manuscript sent to F. Scott Fitzgerald editor Max Perkins at Charles Scribner’s Sons. [3] She once said, joking, â€Å"The loo is the only psychiatrist I would drop all my emotional crap on. † [4] Myers’ first publications were in regional and small literary journals, then moved on to The Kenyon Review, Mid-American Review, and The Paris Review. After he graced the pages of Dapper, and after Flint left the magazine because new ownership wanted to cut the fiction section (â€Å"do people actually sit down and read this stuff? †), Myers started to appear in Playboy, Harper’s, The New Yorker and Granta, getting top dollar and top recognition. All the places that only sent me form rejection slips! It is easy to not only admire, but also envy the professional career of Vern Myers. As for his personal life, from what I know of all his disastrous relationships and problems with vodka and LSD, there is no room for desiring that. [5] Have you ever seen some of the antiquarian classic cartoons, uncensored, often used as war propaganda to show between double features at movie theaters in the 1930s and 40s? Bugs Bunny, the transvestite rabbit, foiling bucktooth Japanese soldiers and suicidal Nazis? A prototype of Bugs Bunny—same situations, same voice—was Private Snafu, which you can locate on Youtube for a blast from the past. I always seem to be drawn to cartoons and comic books whenever I have great stress in my life; it’s a way of escaping the hell. Kids do it, adults do it. Some escape into the fantasy of online porn but I tend to switch on animated superhero TV shows and movies, like Batman and the Justice League, which also happen to be owned by Warner Brothers. In Bill, Bill has a sexual encounter with an actress on the Warner Brothers lot, doing her in the trailer while gong over her lines, and then doing lines of cocaine off her naked ass. I would like to see that animated. I would like to see Michele’s psychotic tirade animated, then I could really say that my life is like a cartoon. [6] It was not a â€Å"failure† on my part; I just happen to have a long history with the members of this so-called organization and happen to know, FOR A FACT, it is all a ruse, embedded in the beds of supreme nepotism; given the â€Å"quality† of the books this award has been handed to in the last five years, the obvious should be, well, obvious. Oh the stories I could relay! The lays, the drugs, the mouths to genitals and feet shackled to bedposts and whips applied to tender, eager flesh! But that’s for another in a different context.