Right to Die persuasuve speech for Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Right to Die persuasuve speech for - Essay Example Imagine April dying in less than a year in a most horrible way, on a hospital bed while her baby is crying to be held by her and only her. Maybe she won’t even die. Maybe she will be living on life support. Imagine the trouble her husband will have in moving on if she’s just there and just how critical it will be, at a time like this, to move on, for the baby’s sake. I’d like to talk about the reasonable acceptability of ‘rational suicide’, ‘euthanasia’, ‘mercy killing’ or ‘dying with dignity’. Each of these gives every person the right to die with dignity and gives them the authority to choose the time of their death and how and with whose help it should happen (Sokol, 2007). My main points throughout this debate will be focused around two major arguments – â€Å"Those two arguments are the mercy argument -- the notion of sparing someone unnecessary suffering -- and the self-determination argument, the right to determine ones own fate or level of care while dying.† (Newman, 1992). First of all, many patients on respirators or life support systems are not conscious and so do not have the power to decide whether they want to live or die (Fisher, 2006). In such cases, families or doctors have to decide and do their best to relieve the patients and family members of pain. In such cases, mercy killing seems to be a great option for the patients, and a decision that they themselves must probably have made. Even when some patients are made aware of their life expectancy, they should be allowed to choose death as right of self-determination and choosing one’s own fate. Secondly, there is a risk in everything but when the benefits outweigh these risks, a counter approach which is risky is still taken. For example, every time we travel in our cars, we risk the threat of accidents or being killed on the road. Despite the many deaths that take place because of road accidents, this risk is ignored, keeping in mind the

Los Vendidos Play Analysis

Los Vendidos Play Analysis Beyond an energetic and comical playwright, Luis Valdez Los Vendidos is an accurate reflection of the contemporary American society, focusing on how Mexicans are perceived in this society. The play abounds in stereotypes about Mexicans, which is why the main theme of Los Vendidos is stereotyping. Stereotypes appear in societies because the dominant majority has difficulties in understanding the specificities of particular minorities, as it is the case of the Mexicans, portrayed in Los Vendidos. Nevertheless, stereotypes are nurtured as a modality of keeping minorities socio economically repressed and inferior to the dominant race in the society (Escobar p. 562). By portraying the main stereotypes that are used to refer to Mexicans in United States, such as farm workers, gang members or revolucionarios, Valdez describes the identity crisis experienced by Mexicans, who are trying to resist to the cultural assimilation of becoming Americans. The plot of this play revolves around an intended sale, wherein Miss Jimenez, a secretary of the Presidential administration is on a mission to purchase a Mexican model, in order to appeal to the Mexican electorate. Honest Sancho, the owner of the store that sells Mexican models, introduces to Miss Jimenez three types of Mexicans that she can purchase: the farm worker, the gang member and the revolutionary, exemplifying like this the main stereotypes with which Mexicans are associated in United States. The sole idea that the members of a race can relate with a single model, a robot that is believed to encompass the distinctiveness of an entire race is based on a prejudice (Kassin, Fein Markus p. 155). Another problem that the play raises in relation with the stereotypes created for Mexicans in United States, is that Mexicans themselves came to identify with the stereotypes that the American society created to define them. As such, Honest Sancho admits the main models of stereotyping existent in the American society and promotes them for sale. Although Honest Sancho seems to be interested in his business, exploiting the American culture of stereotyping in order to be profitable, there is, nevertheless, a truth in the fact that Mexicans adhere to the stereotypes created for them and transmit them from a generation to another. The fact that the typical Mexican people living in United States are represented through robots suggests the idea that Mexicans are not seen as humans, but as machines, hence the objectification of this people (Belkin p. 17). Honest Sanchos robots are seemingly created to serve the American society through their hard work, as exemplified by the farm worker, who is built close to the ground, durable, friendly and loves his patroness (Valdez pp. 41-42). On the other hand, the other machines that describe the stereotypical roles of Chicanos in U.S., respectively the gang member and the revolutionary. Yet, the roles of these Mexican models are also well justified, because they serve as criminals that get arrested (Valdez 44). In this sense, they are fulfilling the social role of criminality, serving as the scape goats for the malfunctions of the American society. Through the Mexican robots kept in store to be sold, Valdez demonstrates that the stereotypes have a functional role in soci ety, serving as the servers or the people to be blamed by the dominant race. This reinforces the idea that stereotyping is a form of racism that generates feelings of superiority from the dominant race towards minorities (Escobar 562). Although she is also a representative of the Mexican people in United States, Miss Jimenez identifies more with the dominant Americans than with Chicanos. Just as the white Americans, Miss Jimenez fails to admit the individuality of Mexicans, although she too, is a Mexican American, or una chicana (Valdez 41). On the other hand, she seems to be ignorant of the stereotypes and prejudices that Mexicans experience in United States. As such, when Honest Sancho describes to her that the farm worker is cutting grapes, she responds Oh, I wouldnt know (Valdez 42). This scene raises the question of whether one needs to dissociate of his national identity in order to escape the stereotypes associated with ones race. As such, Miss Jimenez insists that her name should be pronounced using English and not Spanish pronunciation, correcting Honest Sancho and admonishing him for his lack of good English skills, when he addresses her in a Mexican style: My name is Miss JIM-enez. Dont you speak English? Whats wrong with you? (Valdez p. 41). Although the play critiques the American society for its lack of cultural sensitivity to Mexican people, arguing that Americans consider all Mexicans as either farm workers, gang members or revolutionary, Miss Jimenez is the exception that deconstructs this myth. She is a Secretary in the U.S. government, therefore, she is educated, urban, modern, possessing all the features of the casual American. As Belkin (p. 18) observes, she is assimilated. In contrast with her, all the other Mexicans, who fail to become Americans and stick to their Mexican identities are considered stupid, uneducated or violent (Valdez p. 48; Belkin p. 18). Nevertheless, the play transmits mixed impressions about what the American society expects from the Mexicans, which further perpetuates the racial stereotypes directed at this nationality. As such, Miss Jimenez, as the representative of the American government, seeks a Mexican model that is educated, knows good English and a romantic figure to attract the women electorate. These values do not describe Mexican stereotypes, but the product of cultural assimilation (Belkin 18). On the other hand, through the character of Miss Jimenez, the play writer transmits the idea that the American society expects the Mexicans to be cheap. The constant question of Miss Jimenez is he economical (Valdez pp. 42 49) acts like a leitmotif in the play, putting an equal sign between Mexicans and cheap labor force. Cheap labor force is a stereotypical representation of Mexicans, one which is desired and expected by the white Americans, even from the educated and acculturated Mexicans. As such, speaking for the U.S. government, Miss Jimenez seems shocked to hear that the price for the educated Mexican is $ 15,000, asking Fifteen thousand dollars? For a Mexican!!! (Valdez 50). In other words, while the American society expects the Mexicans to become acculturated and integrated, acting and behaving like normal Americans, they still expect them to be cheaper, hence perpetuating the socio economical oppression of this people through prescriptive stereotypes (features widely accepted as defining roles or behaviors) (Corell and Benard 5). What started as a comical play developed complex sociological concepts of assimilation, acculturation or stereotyping. Stereotyping is the central theme of the play and it is vividly represented through all the characters presented in the play (Honest Sancho, Miss Jimenez and the robots). In addition, the social expectations from the Mexicans also perpetuate the stereotypes that keep this people in socio economical oppression to the dominant race in U.S. Las Vendidos teaches audiences about the danger that lies in stereotyping, which can take the form of economic oppression or riots. Stereotyping is more than a form of social discrimination; it is a lifestyle by which the dominant majority and the vulnerable minority live, abiding to the socially shaped misconceptions about how minorities should be or how they should act. Works Cited Belkin, Elena. Changing Fronts in La Lucha Chicana: Cultural Construction of Class, Race, and Gender in Chicano/a Literature. Ohio: Ohio State University. 2008. Print. https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/32190/Changing_Fronts_in_La_Lucha_Chicana-1.pdf?s Correll, Shelley, J. and Benard, Stephen. Gender and Racial Bias in Hiring. [Online] 21 March, 2006. Available at http://provost.upenn.edu/uploads/media_items/gender-racial-bias.original.pdf. 7 March, 2017. Escobar, Angela Sanchez. Chicanos: Stereotypes and Search for Self Identity as Seen through Literature. CUACE 14-15: 561-571. 1992. Print. http://cvc.cervantes.es/literatura/cauce/pdf/cauce14-15/cauce14-15_30.pdf Kassin, Saul, Fein, Steven Markus, Hazel Rose. Social Psychology. Belmont: Wadsworth. 2014. Print. https://books.google.ro/books?id=jtdnyrG9xboCprintsec=frontcoverdq=social+psychology+kassinhl=ensa=Xredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=social%20psychology%20kassinf=false Valdez, Luis. Luis Valdez Early Works: Across, Bernabe and Pensamiento Serpentino. Texas: Arte Publico Press. 1994. Print. https://books.google.ro/books?id=t62V4sknDw8Cprintsec=frontcoverdq=Luis+Valdez+%E2%80%93+Early+Works:+Across,+Bernabe+and+Pensamiento+Serpentinohl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwjV0KKH18XSAhWHzxQKHc0kCr4Q6AEIGjAA#v=onepageq=Luis%20Valdez%20%E2%80%93%20Early%20Works%3A%20Across%2C%20Bernabe%20and%20Pensamiento%20Serpentinof=false

Sport Psychology Essay -- essays research papers

Sport Psychology: How it Helps Athletes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our society today it seems like sports rule the land. Everywhere we look, there is some kind of sporting event going on or being televised. Almost everyone could be considered a fan of at least one sport. Some people follow sports like a religion. With such an increased focus on sports, the athlete's performances are put under a microscope. This puts more pressure on athletes to give a winning performance. No longer do athletes play for fun, they play to win. This isn't happening just on the professional level; it is happening on all levels of sport. From little league to backyard football, the goal is to win at all cost. With this increase pressure, athletes are looking for more and more ways to better their performance. One such way, which is now gaining popularity, is Sports Psychology. Though this isn't a new field, its popularity is just beginning to take off. There is still a lot of skepticism about the validity or worth while of the practices used. The f ollowing is a review of a number of articles that outline different studies done that show how athletes can improve their performances. The articles were found using a database search of PsychInfo. Keywords such as increased performance, psychological practices, and sports were used to narrow the search. What is Sport Psychology?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years there have been many different definitions offered as to what Sport Psychology is. One of the best ways to look at it is to ask what does a psychologist do? A psychologist does a variety of things. They provide psychological assessment, crisis intervention, and psychological service. Just to name a few broad areas. All of these are areas that can also be useful to an athlete. A lot of the tools used by a sport psychologist are adapted directly from clinical psychology. Concepts such as Freud's Psychodynamics, Caltel's Personality Test, and The Piagetial Cognitive Theory are widely used. (Sloubanov, 1999) All of these are critical tools used by a sport psychologist to assist an athlete with his or her problem. Sport psychology involves preparing the mind of an athlete, just as one prepares the body. Sport psychology is an emerging field in the worlds of psychology and athletics. What Methods are Used?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem that an athlet... ...een much progress and many changes. Sport has gone through a great metamorphosis that no one of that time could ever imagine. Today sport psychology has moved from the simple experiments of the early labs to sophisticated trials and tests. Focus is now on subjects as mental health , psychopysiological reactivity, and body image and esteem. (Gauvin, Spence, 1995, p. 436) The world of athletics is now a business, and now like other businesses, is always looking for ways to improve itself. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since athletics seems to be moving from being a pastime to a way of life for many in today's world, it is important that there is a means to improve performance. The corporate world has long been using psychological techniques to improve employee performance. It was only a matter of time before the athletic world adopted the same practices. Some people are skeptical about the validity of sport psychology, while others live by it. With sports producing hundreds of millions of dollars each year. It is important that athletes do everything that they can to improve the way that they play. Sport psychology is a valid, scientific way for athletes to do just that.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 13

Hearing Cedric assure me I couldn't die lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I left the Cellar with much less anxiety, though I still had no intention of doing anything that might test how exactly we'd heal from decapitation. So, while I still operated with caution, I no longer felt suffocated or threatened by every aspect of the world. Rather than go home, I drove down to Dante's shop. His store/apartment was in Rainier Valley, on the southeast side of Seattle. He had no regularly posted hours for his assorted â€Å"psychic† services, but he would usually hang around there at night if he had nothing else to do. It tended to be the time drunk people or couples out on dates (or high teens) would wander in looking for fun and novelty. Daytime business hours didn't generally bring out that many who were seeking help from the divine unless, perhaps, it was someone seeking advice on stock trading. Dante had no customers tonight, however. The shop and its flickering neon sign seemed sad and lonely. I pushed through the unlocked door and found him leaning against the checkout counter, leafing through a copy of Maxim . â€Å"What gives?† I asked. â€Å"Your subscription to Frauds and Scams Weekly run out?† He glanced up at me with a smile, flipping black hair out of his face. â€Å"Just needed something pretty to look at since I didn't know when I'd be seeing you again.† I planted a kiss on his cheek. â€Å"Holy shit. That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I can make some filthy sexual suggestions to you if you'd prefer.† â€Å"What, and ruin foreplay for next time?† This made his grin grow, and he shut the magazine. â€Å"To what do I owe the pleasure? Shouldn't you be visiting our neighbors to the north? Or is that done? I honestly can't keep track.† â€Å"Well. About that.† God, how I was going to explain what had happened? Had all of this seriously happened in just one day? It felt like a year had gone by since I got woozy in the car. â€Å"Something strange happened today.† â€Å"Strange like you sold out of Jane Austen books at the store or strange like the rules of time and space as we know them are about to be ripped apart?† â€Å"Mmm†¦more like that last one.† â€Å"Shit.† I took a deep breath, figuring I should just get the big stuff out of the way. â€Å"There's no easy way to put this, but†¦I'm not a succubus anymore.† â€Å"I never believed you were a succubus.† I groaned. That had been an old joke between us when we'd first met. Oh, the irony. â€Å"I'm serious,† I said. â€Å"No more succubus. And Jerome's disappeared too, possibly opening up Seattle to a new demonic reign.† Dante stared at me, eyes speculative as he assessed me for the truth. He was speechless for the first time I'd known him. Not waiting for more witty commentary, I plunged forward. I explained about the summoning, what it had done to all of us lesser immortals, how demons everywhere were now sizing up Seattle, and why I needed to find Jerome as soon as possible. When I finally finished, it took Dante several moments to gather his thoughts. â€Å"So†¦you've seriously lost your succubus powers?† â€Å"Abilities,† I corrected. â€Å"And yes, I have. Are you saying that after all that other stuff I just told you about the balance of power in Seattle, my succubus status is what caught your attention the most?† He shrugged. â€Å"You gotta admit it's weird. Besides, that other stuff doesn't affect me. You do.† His eyes narrowed. â€Å"Am I going to have to use a condom now?† â€Å"What? No. Of course not.† â€Å"You sure?† â€Å"You've never batted an eye over me stealing pieces of your soul these last few months, but the nonexistent threat of child support suddenly scares you?† â€Å"Well, yeah, seeing as my bank account's got more in it than my soul.† I glanced around the shabby room. â€Å"Debatable.† â€Å"Cute,† he conceded. â€Å"But I'd be asking a few more questions about all of this if I were you. Like, can you die?† â€Å"I already asked that one,† I said smugly. â€Å"And the answer is no. Our immortal bodies are still essentially the same. We're just cut off from all the perks.† I hoped he didn't ask about decapitation because I honestly wasn't in the mood to debate that. â€Å"Okay, so what do you want from me?† he asked. â€Å"What makes you think I want anything?† He looked at me. â€Å"Okay, maybe I do want something. But come on, who else would know more about this stuff than you?† â€Å"Who knows more about demons? Hmm, let me think. I know. How about the demons you work for , the ones who are all-powerful and have been around since the beginning of time?† â€Å"They're not all-powerful. Otherwise they wouldn't need a human for the summoning-or end up getting summoned in the first place. And that's what I need you for. There can't be that many humans in the area capable of doing this, are there? You have to know who they are.† Dante opened his mouth, no doubt with a snappy reply ready, and then abruptly closed it. â€Å"I don't know,† he said slowly. â€Å"I don't keep track of those things.† I leaned toward him, incredulous. â€Å"Of course you do! Do you not want to tell me? Why?† He sighed, his hesitant expression turning typically annoyed. â€Å"Because those kinds of people get pissed off if you start advertising their names.† â€Å"What, you're afraid they're going to come beat you up?† â€Å"No. Not exactly. But there's sort of†¦a professional courtesy in these circles.† â€Å"I'll be discreet. I won't tell them where I got the information.† â€Å"Most of them already know we're together. They'd figure it out. They keep an eye on those kinds of things.† He turned considering. â€Å"Of course, in that same vein, a lot of them know you as a succubus and might just think you knew through your own connections.† He still seemed hesitant, so I played a mean card. â€Å"Well, I can always go ask Erik if you're too nervous about it.† Erik was another mortal in town who dealt with the occult and paranormal. Unlike Dante, who was a practitioner, Erik simply studied and built up knowledge of the magical undercurrents in the city. He had a psychic's gifts and was attuned to what most human eyes didn't see. Sometimes he could even see what immortals couldn't. He and Dante had an old, old grudge and didn't enjoy being around each other, to put it mildly. My attempt to bait Dante didn't work, though. â€Å"Don't even try it, succubus. Making me jealous of the old man won't make me help you.† I looked up at him pleadingly. â€Å"What will make you help me?† He traced the outline of my lips with his fingertip, gray eyes wicked and thoughtful. â€Å"Not sure it's anything you can do while cut off from your super-secret powers. You're not a sex goddess anymore.† â€Å"Hey, I don't need super-secret powers to be a sex goddess.† Just then, three twentysomethings stumbled in, staring wide-eyed at the shop as they tried to stifle nervous giggles. They undoubtedly had the same kind of potential that high teens did. I gave Dante one last frantic plea. â€Å"Please? Just give me the names. You don't have to do anything else. And I won't say anything. I swear it.† Dante scowled, glanced at me, at the potential customers, and then back at me. He told them he'd be with them in a minute and then hastily jotted four names down on a scrap of paper. Two of them I recognized. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. I beamed, and to my surprise, something in his cynical expression softened a little. â€Å"God, that smile,† he muttered. â€Å"You might just be right.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"You really don't need any powers to be a sex goddess. Your hair's a little messy, though.† He walked around the counter and gave me a quick half-hug. â€Å"Be safe, succubus. Don't test the limits of that not-dying thing.† â€Å"And buy some condoms?† I teased. He shrugged. â€Å"You're the one who was having prophetic dreams about having kids a little while ago.† Turning away from me, he put on his jovial con-man persona and beckoned the group over with pitches about palms and Tarot. He'd spoken the words in a light, off-hand kind of way, but as I slowly walked back to my car, they slapped me in the face. Prophetic dreams†¦ Nyx's dreams. The things she'd shown me during that time had been so vivid that they seemed almost more real than my own life. The thing is, by almost all accounts, Nyx had a grasp on the future and could show people things that would happen to them. That was how she spread chaos in the world, by showing people these visions and making them think they knew how their futures would unfold. Unfortunately, while the visions came true, they never came true the way their victims thought they would. She'd led a lot of people to their deaths that way. Nonetheless, it seemed fairly clear that the dreams she'd sent to me had been distractions, not destructive images of what would come. In my visions, she'd shown me-over and over-with a daughter, waiting for a man I loved to come home. The dreams had consumed me, almost making me want to sleep and have my energy taken each night. As I'd noted while holding Kayla, there was no way any piece of the vision could ever happen to me. I couldn't have any sort of relationship like that. And I certainly couldn't have a daughter, not of my own blood. Immortals didn't reproduce. When I'd sold my soul for immortality and shape-shifting, I'd given up certain aspects of my humanity. There could be no child for me. Not ever. And yet†¦ I came to a stop on the sidewalk, still about a block away from my car. What if Dante had inadvertently stumbled onto something? What if being in this stasis had altered that piece of me that had lost the ability to conceive? Cedric had said I was still technically immortal, but he'd also said my body would respond and heal like a human's. What all did that entail? Would unprotected sex lead to conception? Is that what Nyx's visions had been pointing to? She'd sworn she'd shown me the truth. Had she? I was breathing fast again, though at least this time, I knew I didn't have to worry about giving myself a heart attack. Okay. I needed to calm down. This pregnancy possibility was as distracting as the hooking-up-with-Seth possibility. I'd never get anything accomplished if I lost myself in fantasies. With a sigh, I glanced down at Dante's piece of paper, now crumpled in my hand. I'd clenched it into a ball without even realizing it as I walked. I'd been too preoccupied to even notice†¦ Babies and Seth. The things I wanted most. I forced myself to keep moving toward my car. But as I unlocked the door, I had to wonder ruefully if maybe I shouldn't be so quick to get Jerome back after all. I started following up on Dante's leads the next morning. Leaving my place was a little harder than I'd expected, though. Despite the fact I got ready plenty of mornings without shape-shifting, my closet seemed terribly small. And while my hair seemed fine when I finished it, I had a feeling it'd be frizzy the next time I checked the mirror. The only bright part was when I found Dante's watch under the bed. I thought I'd lost it yesterday, so at least my accessories collection was still respectable. Nonetheless, I had a feeling I was soon going to discover just how much I'd come to rely on my abilities. Locating addresses from Dante's list of names required a little sleuthing here and there, but for the most part, I didn't have much difficulty finding them. Unfortunately, once found, these magicians weren't exactly helpful. One of the ones I visited knew me. She was familiar with Hell's local servants, and while she gave me a small degree of respect, she was as hesitant to answer questions as Dante had insinuated. Two of the other names were people who didn't know me, and that immediately created a problem. With my succubus powers shut off, I had no immortal signature, and both of these people were the types who could sense that. Me coming in and claiming to be a succubus was met with scorn and disbelief. I managed to glean some information from them but nothing of any use. Equally difficult was that not only could they not sense me, I couldn't sense them. Admittedly, a succubus didn't have the same ability to gauge human power the way a full-fledged demon could, but I could occasionally sense magic around a person or object. Today, I was completely blind. I had to rely on my strength to read people, but these dark magicians were as good at cons as Dante. They were well-versed in the art of concealing the truth. It was almost noon by the time I visited the last name, a guy named Greg. I felt pretty discouraged by this point and even cracked and had a cigarette along the way. Greg had no storefront like Dante and mostly worked his spells out of his house, a small bungalow in Wallingford. When he answered the door, his disheveled state told me I'd woken him up. On the bright side, he recognized me, which meant I wouldn't have to convince him I was a succubus. â€Å"What do you want?† he asked suspiciously. He was built big and could have had an impressive physique if he'd ever gone to the gym. It was obvious he hadn't. â€Å"I wanted to talk to you about demon summoning.† â€Å"I don't know anything about it.† He started to shut the door. I stuck my foot out to block it. â€Å"Wait. Do you know anyone who would?† â€Å"No. And even if I did, what makes you think I'd tell you?† He tried to close the door again, then paused. He narrowed his already too-small eyes at me. â€Å"There's something weird about you. No aura.† I didn't answer right away. â€Å"Maybe you're losing your touch.† This actually brought a small smile. â€Å"Not likely. What happened? Who got summoned?† â€Å"No one. And even if they did, what makes you think I'd tell you?† I mimicked. He laughed, a guttural sound that came from low in his throat. When the laughter faded, he studied me for several long seconds, face cunning and speculative. â€Å"Okay. I'll talk to you.† He pushed the door open. â€Å"Come on in.† I gingerly stepped into his living room. The place was a disaster. Dirty dishes were piled on the coffee table, the remains of food hardened and crusty. Dust coated every piece of furniture, and the wood floor looked like it hadn't been swept since the last century. Uneasily, I wondered if my new humanlike body was susceptible to germs. Several books were piled on the couch, their covers meant to look sinister in shades of black and red with drawings of pentagrams. It put me in mind of Evan's faux Satanic accoutrements, though as hard as it was to believe, Evan had a thousand times more class than this guy. Greg offered me neither a chair nor refreshments, which was fine by me. He stood in front of me, arms crossed. â€Å"Well? What do you want to know?† â€Å"I want to know if you've done any demon summoning lately.† â€Å"Not that any demons have been summoned, of course.† â€Å"This is speculative,† I replied with a simpering smile. I studied as much of his home as I could while I spoke. Beyond him, I could see an equally messy kitchen with a gas stove and magnet-covered refrigerator. â€Å"You think if I'd summoned a demon, I'd be living like this? Fuck, I'd have plasma-screen TVs and concubines.† I recalled the discussion with my friends, noting that any human who'd summoned Jerome would simply keep the demon hidden and not use it for personal gain and errands. Still, if Greg had summoned Jerome on behalf of another demon, there would have been some reward involved. Maybe it wouldn't entail TVs or concubines, but it seemed like there'd be some sign of a windfall here. Maybe he'd gotten a Swiss bank account. â€Å"Okay. You know anyone who recently acquired concubines?† â€Å"Nope. But I can give you some names of people who'd be more likely.† He listed two of the magicians I'd already visited. â€Å"I've talked to them.† â€Å"Sorry. Not my problem.† My eyes returned to the books on the couch. I stepped toward them. â€Å"May I?† â€Å"Knock yourself out.† I picked up one of the books, skimming through it in hopes of finding information about summoning. Nope. It was fluffy â€Å"evil† stuff, exactly like the Army of Darkness' propaganda. The second book proved the same. The third, however, was a legitimate spell book, filled with the kind of dark rites Dante practiced. Hopeful, I flipped through the pages one by one. It had some vile contents, but there was nothing about summoning. Greg's willingness to let me browse the books should have been a tip-off that they contained nothing of use. â€Å"All done?† I jerked around. Greg's voice was close to me-too close. I'd had my back to him while checking out the books, but now he was right behind me. I took a few steps back and bumped the couch. â€Å"Yeah,† I said nervously. â€Å"Thanks for the help. I should leave now.† â€Å"Not yet,† he said, moving closer. â€Å"You just got here.† I tried to wriggle off to the side, but his hands suddenly reached out and grabbed a hold of my arms, pinning me into place. â€Å"What are you doing?† I demanded. There went my heart rate again. â€Å"I don't know what's going on with all this summoning stuff, but I do know there's a succubus here who doesn't feel like a succubus anymore, which probably means you can't fight like one.† I tried to break from his grasp, but his hands were like steel. â€Å"You're crazy. Of course I'm a succubus. You know I am.† â€Å"Yeah? Then shape-shift away from me. Turn into a bird. Turn into a bodybuilder.† I clenched my teeth and tried to shake his hold again. â€Å"Let me go, you son of a bitch. You hurt me, and a whole host of demons are going to show up and rip you limb from limb.† â€Å"Not so sure about that,† he chuckled. â€Å"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You think any succubus would fuck someone like me?† He shoved me down onto the couch, one strong arm pinning me in place while the other hand fumbled awkwardly under my shirt and grabbed a hold of my breast. Moving his head close, he tried to press his lips against mine, but I turned my head just in time. â€Å"Let me go!† I screamed. I managed to wriggle a leg free and knee him in the gut. It wasn't enough to free me, but it made him scowl. I'd worried about getting hit by cars, meteors, and structurally unsound overpasses. Never, never had I thought about being raped. It hadn't been a fear of mine for centuries, not since I realized I could shape-shift into someone larger and stronger, someone capable of throwing off any assailant. Maybe it shouldn't have bothered me so much. I'd had sex with plenty of people I didn't like over the years. I'd always grimaced and waited it out. But there was something about this that was different. It wasn't my choice, and compounding it all was the feeling of helplessness I had. I hated not having options. I hated not being able to think my way out of something. There was nothing to be done, though. Not this time. The most I could do was keep struggling and flailing. I did have some self-defense training, after all. I'd learned to use weapons and punch over the years. I'd nailed Niphon pretty good at Christmas. Unfortunately, what I could do now was limited with Greg on me like this. He simply outweighed me. Still, my efforts must have proven annoying because Greg growled and grabbed both my arms in an attempt to flip me over. I yelled profanities at him and got another knee-jab in, close to his groin but not close enough. And that's when it happened. The smell hit me first. An overwhelming and suffocating odor of natural gas. I stopped struggling for half a second. I didn't need to be human to know that meant trouble. Before I could process that further, the kitchen exploded into flames. Fire expanded out into the living room. It didn't quite reach us, but I think Greg must have still gotten burned because he screamed in pain and released his hold on me. His body had shielded the worst from me, and mostly all I felt was a rolling wave of heat and air. I didn't bother to think or question anything. Greg had released me in his confusion, and I bolted. I scrambled from the couch and ran out the front door, away from the fire. Away from Greg. I drove off as fast as I could, my Passat's tires squealing on the pavement. Sweat poured off me, and my hands could barely grip the steering wheel through their shaking. About a mile away, I heard the singing of sirens, but I couldn't spare a thought for what had happened. I couldn't think about whether Greg had made it out or not. I couldn't think about how a gas leak had miraculously saved me. The only thing I could think about now was getting away and getting to safety.

Impact of Marketization on Higher Education in the UK

Abstract Marketization is an increasing phenomenon within the current environment. Every sector of the economy continues to adopt the concept of marketization in a bid to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of the affected sectors. One of the main sectors identified in the current literature review is higher education. The paper below provides a critical literature review on the basis of theoretical and empirical reviews. The theoretical review identifies and explains the theory of marketization whereas the empirical review evaluates the varied findings and views of the scholars and researchers on the impact of marketization on higher education. The results of the review state that there are both negative and positive impacts of marketization on higher education in respect to UK. Key words: Marketization, higher education, theoretical, empirical Introduction The following is a review of literature on the impact of marketization on higher education in the UK. Evidently, marketization, which involves the restructuring, remodelling, and transformation of publicly-owned enterprises or organisations into market-based entities, continues to be a common phenomenon especially in the current century. Through marketization, majority of the higher learning institutions in the UK have been transformed from being owned by the government to market-oriented institutions to enhance quality and operations. A number of researchers and scholars have conducted an evaluation and analysis on the impact of the concept on higher education in the UK. Therefore, the current paper aims at reviewing some of the literatures explaining the impact of marketization on higher education. In accomplishing this objective, the current literature review is performed on the basis of theoretical and empirical reviews. The review ends with a concluding remark that summarises th e main points whilst stating the stand of the analysis. Theoretical Review Marketization theory describes the functionality of marketization. According to Raffe and Croxford (2013), the theory of marketization provides a good foundation to nations in introducing the aspects of choices, competition, and public accountability, which are essential in enhancing the quality of products or services under production. Evidently, the theory of marketization helps in eliminating different economic problems and concepts such as unfavourable market competition, inefficiencies in markets, and the lack of players and market forces that are likely to influence the production process. Based on the theory of marketization argues it is important to transform an entire economy by getting rid of the planned economic system and allowing market-based scenario to prevail in the economy in question (Quinlan, 2014). Amongst the aspects discussed within the theory of marketization include liberalisation, contracting reforms, stimulating of competition, incentive creation, and outsou rcing reforms that will help in transforming the higher education sector. Other aspects explained within the theory of marketization include the reduction of regulation, opening market-oriented systems, and effective allocation of resources (Xue-chao, 2012). From such perceptions, it is arguably important to note that the theory of marketization explains the fact that through the concept of liberalising an economy all the trade barriers and price controls are significantly removed, which provide space to the various stakeholders to actively engage in ensuring that there is high quality production process. From the perspective of the marketization theory, a number of economies across the globe are calling upon for the deregulation of institutions of higher learning with the aim of making them more competitive within the global market. The 2013 year has been a year of marketization of the higher education system in the UK (Raffe & Croxford, 2013). Throughout the 2013, UK developed policies and strategies towards attaining a fully marketised system especially for the higher education sector. Since 2013 UK has developed numerous and possibly effective policies that are aimed at encouraging the expansion of higher education. Expansion of higher education as anticipated by the UK government through development of various policies has the sole objective of increasing participation of all the stakeholders in education (McNeill, 2012). Increased participation of all involved stakeholders in the higher education courtesy of marketization concept results into a more educated workforce, which has actually enabled the UK to experience a growth in its economy. Indeed, marketization of the higher education in UK has offered a perfect ground-breaking insight on how the government policies can be employed towards altering the structures and operations of different institutions for higher learning especially universities and technical colleges (Xue-chao, 2012). The following section provides an empirical review of the previous studies and views of the scholars on the impact of the marketization on higher education with special focus to the UK. Empirical Review Different scholars and researchers have performed evaluation, analysis, and studies on the impact of marketization on higher education in the UK. Brown (2013) conducted a study that aimed at describing the concept of market-based policies with regards to higher education in the UK. In addition, Brown (2013) also aimed at assessing the historical background regarding the current reforms within higher education in UK especially in respect to marketization. The study by Brown (2013) established that there has been an improvement in higher education as seen within the idea of competition, efficiency, responsiveness, as well as innovation courtesy of marketization. From the perspective of the theory of marketization, Brown (2013) argued that marketization has provided the opportunity for different stakeholders other than government to also engage in providing services of education and learning in higher institutions of learning. Therefore, from the study of Brown it is evident that market ization has positive impact on higher education within UK. The other study was performed by Hommel and King (2013) who sought to find out the financial dimension of specific reforms by the government especially in respect to developing an educational sector that is risk-based. From the corporate risk management literature, Hommel and King (2013) found out that business schools, which continues to adopt the risk-based regulations and reforms to meet their objectives and targets with respect to learning process, face a lot of challenges especially in line with managing risks. In this respect, Hommel and King (2013) established the fact that business schools especially within the ranks of universities and other institutions of higher learning should be careful about their financial solvency through effective and efficient maintenance of functioning risks. Hence, on the perspective of the study conducted by Hommel and King (2013), it is evident that in as much as marketization provides some positive impacts there are negative impacts that accrue due to the concept for instance the increase exposure to various financial risks. Natale and Doran (2012) also performed a study on the marketization of education in a bid to identify the ethical dilemma that exists in the same. From the study, it is clear that the marketing of education continues to be epidemic, which calls for the suffusion of both practices and principles of business in the management of higher education. However, Natale and Doran (2012) established in their study that in as much as the higher education is becoming more advanced, efficient, effective, and very competitive, the idea of exposing higher education to marker-based systems has resulted into increased costs of education. As a result, there is a growing ethical concern, that is, even though on one side the higher education sector is becoming more efficient, effective, and competitive, the cost of accessing such higher education has become higher and unattainable since the pricing has been left on market forces. Such views have also been put forward by Tapper (2013), who argue that desp ite positive impacts of marketization on higher education, the market-based systems have exposed the pricing of higher education to market forces, which makes the entire cost expensive. Hence, there is need to identify whether to enhance efficiency at the expense of the cost of providing education. The other study was conducted by Holmwood (2012) with an aim of analysing markets and publics as the new battlegrounds for the sector of higher education across many economies. Holmwood (2012) evaluated the recent policy changes especially started by the British Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. The policy by the coalition government is a preferred paradigm shift with respect to restructuring and remodelling of the higher education sector. The findings from the study showed that there has been radical and neo-liberal approach towards transforming the higher education sector. So far, the policies developed by the government have been very successful in enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of higher education. However, Holmwood (2012) stated in the study that the only problem with transforming higher education sector into a market-based system is the fact that monocultural perspectives are likely to result into value of what is lost. Despite th e problem of monoculture as created by the market-based systems, Holmwood (2012) strongly believe that marketization is indeed a good concept; a view that has also been supported by Nickola et al (2012). Consequently, marketization continues to be a good foundation for changing higher education in the UK. Conclusion The above is a literature review explaining the impacts of marketization on higher education with special focus to the UK. The review contains two main sections, namely, the theoretical review and the empirical review. On the basis of the theoretical review, it is evident that the theory of marketization calls for the removal of the public or government dominance in the running and management of institutions of higher learning. What’s more, the theory of marketization explains that through changing the higher education sector to market-based system, the private sector is highly involved, which results into enhanced efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of the higher institutions of learning. On a different perspective, the empirical review provides an analysis and evaluation of the various findings by different researchers and scholars on the impact of marketization on higher education. From the empirical review, it is clear that whereas there are numerous positive im pacts of marketization on higher education, the concept also has negative impacts on the same sector. List of References Brown, R. 2013, â€Å"Access to Higher Education: The Shift towards Market-Based Policies in the UK†, DICE Report, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 23-27. Holmwood, J. 2012, â€Å"Markets versus Publics: The New Battleground of Higher Education†, Harvard International Review, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 12-15. Hommel, U. & King, R. 2013, â€Å"The emergence of risk-based regulation in higher education†, The Journal of Management Development, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 537-547. McNeill, T., 2012, ‘‘Don’t affect the share price’’: social media policy in higher education as reputation management. Research in Learning Technology, vol. 20. Natale, S.M. & Doran, C. 2012, â€Å"Marketization of Education: An Ethical Dilemma†, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 105, no. 2, pp. 187-196. Nickolai, D. H., Hoffman, S. G., & Trautner, M. N., 2012, Can a knowledge sanctuary also be an economic engineThe marketization of higher education as institutional boundary work. Sociology Compass, vol. 6, no. 3; Pp. 205-218. Quinlan, K. M., 2014, Everything for saleThe marketisation of UK higher education. By Roger Brown with Helen Carasso. British Journal of Educational Studies, (ahead-of-print), 1-3. Raffe, D., & Croxford, L., 2013, How stable is the stratification of higher education in England and Scotland?. British Journal of Sociology of Education, (ahead-of-print), 1-23. Tapper, T., 2013, Roger Brown and H. Carasso: Everything for saleThe marketisation of UK higher education. Higher Education, vol. 66, no. 5; Pp. 641-643. Xue-chao, Y. H. J. M., 2012, Marketization of Higher Education in the UK: The Perspective of Financing [J]. Tsinghua Journal of Education, vol. 3, no. 015.

Chekkov essays

Chekkov essays Most of Chekhovs plays have been recognized as distinguished masterpieces. However, no play depicts the drama of unanswered love as well as his major play, The Seagull. In this play, many tangled cases of unrequited love exist in the lives of characters. Masha adores Treplev and looks for any reason just to have a glance at him. Treplev, on the other hand, loves Nina because his relationship with his mother lacks love and affection, and he needs Ninas love as compensation for his deficiencies. The third case of unanswered love is Arkadinas love for the talented writer Trigorin. Last but finally not least is the attachment of Polina to Dorin. Chekhov depicts each characters unfortunate plight and actions with acute insight. The central and probably the most tragic love in The Seagull is Treplevs love for Nina Zarechnaya. They seem like a perfect couple: he, the son of a famous actress, she, a young and talented girl who desires to become an actress. Treplev has fallen head over heels in love with Nina and confesses his love for her at every instant they are together. She, on the other hand, seems to like him but mentions nothing about her love for him and rather avoids this touchy subject. NIN@ Isnt there someone over there? TREPLEV: No, theres no one. (Kissing her). NIN@ What sort of tree is that?... TREPLEV: I love you. NIN@ Sh! (Chekhov, The Seagull, American Book-Stratford Press, Inc., New York. p. 9-10). As soon as Zarechnaya is introduced to Trigorin, she falls in love with him and his work, and she becomes a stranger to Treplev. Treplev immediately notices the change of attitude towards him. This is the point when Treplevs life loses its meaning, and he attempts to kill himself. However , before the attempt at suicide, he does hint to Nina about the possibility of his dying of unanswered love. He goes off on...

Community mental health act 1963 Essays

Community mental health act 1963 Essays Community mental health act 1963 Paper Community mental health act 1963 Paper Community mental health center act of 1963 was a significant milestone in America’s record of mental health rights. On 31st October 1963, the act was signed into a regulation by President John F. Kennedy. The law was the pioneer among other many federal policy alterations that helped ignite a significant transformation of the communal mental health arrangement by shifting resources outside huge organization toward community-based mental health action line up. The act lead to the increased improvement in the rights and treatment options for youth, children and  adults living with mental sickness, though full guarantee of community-base concern has not been fully captured. This paper seeks to explain the rationale of community mental health center act of 1963. President Kennedy referred to the law as a bold new approach and it was the first federal bylaw to promote community-based mental health care. The Act offered donations to state for the building of (CMHC) community mental health centers, special facilities designed for treatment, diagnosis and delivery of mental health prevention to persons living in the community. The centers were built to provide the following indispensable services: inpatient services, emergency services, education and consultation on mental health, outpatient services, partial hospitalization and emergency response. The donations were projected to provide 1500 more community mental health centers across the country (Dolan Powell, 2001). The act was proposed because the country was experiencing an increased number of children and adults with mental illness. In mid-1950’s, over 500,000 adults and children were institutionalized for mental sickness. The public sentiment concerning the system of institutionalization started to transform. People questioned the usefulness of the institutional care. The public criticized that THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 1963 3 the care centers did not treat patients holistically while others said that the centers worsened the patient’s mental status. In addition, the increased awareness of the appalling conditions in several psychiatric hospitals made mandatory for these centers to implement better treatment options for these patients. The president proposed the community mental health act because of the  intensified pressure from the general public demanding changes in the public mental health system (Hill, 1963). These institutions had few and under skilled staff to cater for the large number of patients. Thousands of patients were living in these institutions for long periods without care of treatment. For example, the standard period of stay for a patient suffering from schizophrenia was 11 years. The act was vital to the people with mental illnesses who were housed in these places for long periods of time before being able to move back into a community setting. The act drastically changed the delivery of mental health services and brought about a change in public opinion about the mental health concern. The development of effectual psychotropic medications and new practice in psychotherapy made society-based concern for individuals with mental illnesses a realistic solution. This gave people awareness that mental sicknesses could be treated more successfully and in a less expensive way rather than the customary psychiatric hospitals. The act led to development of wide-ranging community mental health centers all over the country. People came to acknowledge the need for more treatment alternatives for addiction disorders, as services delivered to the mental ill patients became assorted and widespread. The decree came to fruition by a key study of the care of patients with mental sickness during President Eisenhower’s reign, and led to a report in 1961. The 1961 report was referred as Joint THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 1963 4 Commission on Mental Illness and Health: Action for Mental Health. President Kennedy signed the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of  1963 just 23 days before he was assassinated in Dallas. President Kennedy said, â€Å"The law facilitated various positive transformations for millions of Americans: the deinstitutionalization of mental health concerns and the construction of community mental health centers all over the United States, advance research grant, increase consideration to the requirements of those with mental illness, educate medical doctors and supplementary mental health experts in community-based care, instruct about the significance of working in an interdisciplinary approach to serve patients and families, and merge social,  environmental and mental aspects to help in the recovery of patients. † The president proposed the act to help in the inauguration of a wholly innovative emphasis and manner to care for mental ill patients. The system would make use of new drugs obtained and manufactured in current years for faster and appropriate treatment of mentally ill persons and return them to a useful state in society. The act was projected to help many mentally ill patients since it will help them remain in their homesteads without causing hardship to them as well as their families. The main objective of the act was to cut down the institutional population. The number of institutions had decreased by 75% by 1980 and the number continued to decrease gradually. There were about 55,000 institutionalized people in 2000 which represent less than 10% of the institutions in mid-1950’s. The change was especially prominent among youth and children. The institutionalized population had decreased by 98% by 2009. Despite this advancement, the public mental health systems significantly failed to provide adequate resources THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 1963 5 and staff members to support and treat persons at home and in the community-based settings. The service arrangement in many societies continues to be insufficiently intensive and comprehensive to handle the number of adults and young people who return from institutionalized centers. Through proper scrutiny to the public mental health systems, they were critically understaffed and underfunded and this continues until now (Hill, 1963). The people with mental illnesses struggle to stay in their societies in a safe manner due to inadequate support and service. The symptoms of a society lacking enough public mental health system include suicide, substance abuse disorders, increased risk of homelessness, and  incarceration among mentally ill persons. Juvenile justice professionals said that more than 70% of detained youth suffer from a mental disorder and 20% have a serious mental illness. In the recent past many families are take their children to child welfare and juvenile justice systems so that they can access mental health services which are inadequate in the community (Engdahl, 2010). In conclusion, the promise of the Community Mental Health Act has not been understood. The closure of institutions without intensifying community-based services and funding has led to severe hardships on many mentally ill patients. However the elementary principles of community care welcomed in the Act offered the foundation and vision for considerable progress. There is a lot to be done to realize the full promise of the Act to the community. In order to provide treatment and appropriate services to mentally ill patients it is vital to add a number of staff, train the staff and provide adequate funding to ensure proper running of the system. THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 1963 6 References Community Mental Health Act. (n. d. ). The National Council Community Mental Health Act Comments. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from thenationalcouncil. org/about/national-mental-health-association/overview/co mmunity-mental-health-act/ Dolan, B. , Powell, D. (2001). The Mental Health Act explained (2nd ed. ). London: Stationery Office. Engdahl, S. (2010). Mental health. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press/Gale Cengage Learning. Hill, J. L. (1963). Mental retardation facilities and community mental health centers construction act of 1963. May 21, 1963. Ordered to be printed. Washington, DC: [s. n. ]. THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH ACT OF 1963 7 Kemp, D. R. (2007). Mental health in America a reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO. Mental health systems act: report. (1980). Washington: U. S. Govt. Print. Off.. PsychiatryOnline | Psychiatric News | News Article. (n. d. ). PsychiatryOnline | Psychiatric News | News Article. Retrieved June 30, 2014, from http://psychnews. psychiatryonline. org/newsArticle. aspx? articleid=1769257 The Community Mental Health Act of 1963. (n. d. ). youngmindsadvocacy. org. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from youngmindsadvocacy. org/the-community-mental-health-act-of-1963/ The Community mental health centers act (1963): a commentary.. (1965). Bethesda, Md. : Public Health Service, National Institute of Health :.