Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Harvard Referencing †Citing a Journal Article

Harvard Referencing – Citing a Journal Article Harvard Referencing – Citing a Journal Article The â€Å"Harvard† referencing system – actually a generic term for author-date referencing – is used around the world for citing sources in written work. As such, every college student should know the basics of the Harvard system. In this post, we go over how to cite a journal article using Harvard referencing. However, it’s worth remembering that many institutions have their own in-house versions of this system, so you should always check your style guide before setting to work on a paper! In-Text Citations As the term â€Å"author-date† implies, Harvard citations include the surname of the author and date of publication: Rational reflection need not compromise the status of something as a mystery (Boyer, 2007). If the author is already named in the text, only the year of publication needs to be given: According to Boyer (2007), there are five kinds of mystery. A sixth type of mystery can be found in the mystery spot. [Photo: Sanjay ach]In citations, you also need to give  relevant page numbers when quoting a source directly: Boyer (2007, p. 89) focuses on the metaphysics of how we experience mystery. Multiple Authors When  citing a work with three or more authors, only name the first listed author, followed by â€Å"et al.† (meaning â€Å"and others†). An article by Mark Pagani, Ken Caldeira, and David Archer, for instance, would be cited as: The source of this carbon remains mysterious (Pagani et al., 2006). Reference List All sources cited in your work should be listed in a reference list at the end of your document. This is where you provide full publication information for your reader, with sources listed alphabetically by author surname. For a journal article, the detail required is: Author Surname(s), Initial(s). (Year) Article Title, Full Title of Journal, Volume Number, Issue/Part Number, Page Numbers. The Boyer article used in the example above would therefore appear in a reference list as: Boyer, S. D. (2007). The Logic of Mystery, Religious Studies, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 89-102. If you’re citing an online version of a journal article, make sure to provide a URL or DOI too, along with a date of last access: Pagani, M., Caldeira, K., and Archer, D. (2006) An Ancient Carbon Mystery, Science, vol. 314, no. 5805, pp. 1556-7. [Online]. Available at jstor.org/stable/20032976 [Accessed 30 March 2016].

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Saying Yes in French With Oui, Ouais, Mouais, and Si

Saying Yes in French With Oui, Ouais, Mouais, and Si Any student of French,  whether class-taught or self-taught, knows how to say yes: oui (pronounced like we in English). But there are some secrets to be revealed about this simple French word if you want to speak like a French native. Yes, I do. Yes, I am. Yes, I can...Just oui in French Saying yes looks pretty straightforward. - Tu aimes le chocolat? Do you like chocolate?- Oui. Yes, I do. However, things are not as easy as they seem. In English, you would not answer this question simply by saying yes. Youd say: yes I do. Its a mistake I hear all the time, especially with my beginner French students. They answer oui, je fais, or oui, jaime. But oui is self-sufficient in French. You may repeat the whole sentence: - oui, jaime le chocolat. Or just say oui. Its good enough in French.   Ouais: the informal French yes When hearing French people speak, youll hear this one a lot.   - Tu habites en France? Do you live in France?- Ouais, jhabite Paris. Yep, I live in Paris. Its pronounced like way in English. Ouais is the equivalent of yep. We use it all the time. Ive heard French teachers say it was vulgar. Well, maybe fifty years ago. But not anymore. I mean, its definitely casual French, just like you wouldnt say yep in English in every situation... Mouais: showing little enthusiasm A variation of ouais is mouais to show that you are not too crazy about something. - Tu aimes le chocolat?- Mouais, en fait, pas trop. Yeah, in fact, not that much. Mouais: showing doubt Another version is mmmmouais with a doubtful expression. This is more like: yeah, youre right, said ironically. It means you doubt the person is saying the truth.   - Tu aimes le chocolat?- Non, je naime pas beaucoup à §a. No, I dont like it a lot.- Mouais... tout le monde aime le chocolat. Je ne te crois pas. Right... everybody likes chocolate. I dont believe you. Si: but yes I do (although you said I didnt) Si is another French word to say yes, but we only use it in a very specific situation. To contradict someone who made a statement in the negative form. - Tu naimes pas le chocolat, nest-ce pas? You dont like chocolate, right?- Mais, bien sà »r que si! Jadore à §a! But, of course I do! I love that! The key here is the  statement in the negative. We dont use si for yes otherwise. Now, si is yes in other languages, such as Spanish and Italian. How confusing! Mais oui This is the typical French sentence: mais oui... sacrebleu...blah blah blah...I really dont know why. I promise you French people dont say mais oui all the time... Mais oui is actually quite strong. It means: but yes, of course, its obvious, isnt it? Its often used when youre annoyed. - Tu aimes le chocolat?  - Mais oui! Je te lai dà ©j dit mille fois! YES! I already told you a thousand times! Now, lets see how to say no in French.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

International Tax and Estate Planning Discussion Post 6 Coursework

International Tax and Estate Planning Discussion Post 6 - Coursework Example Cassandra should also note that the will has legal binding only when at least two witnesses watch when she is signing the will document. Spenceley (2009) advises that the two witnesses will form a reliable defense should someone contests the will in a legal system. Likewise, she should ensure that the witnesses’ signatures are verified by a public attorney. Furthermore, Cassandra is required to make clear and detailed instructions on how to distribute her properties after her demise. In this particular case, she ought to explain in the will that Aidan should inherit the house with Danika as the trustee. She should also mention the sale and subdivision of the sale amount among the three beneficially. If clear instructions are not available, Spenceley (2009) argues that the properties will be distributed according to the state’s intestacy laws Lastly, Cassandra must appoint a person that she trusts to act as her personal representative or executor of her will. The will must clearly identify the executor who will ensure that the will is executed. The trustee plays a significant role in ensuring that minors and beneficiaries living overseas are taken care of according to the provisions of her

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Service Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Marketing - Essay Example Hart (1990) stated that recruiting a new customer costs five times than to keep current customers happy and content. This statement holds great value in every sense as organizations often try hard to keep customers happy by offering great services. At the same time, organizations have service recovery tools that help in gaining customers loyalty and trust back. Service recovery tools often help in enhancing customer’s retention by properly responding to service failures. The assignment aims at highlighting the impact of service failure on the business along with developing a service recovery model based on understanding and empowering customers. The organization chosen for this purpose is Tiger Airways Australia based in Melbourne, Victoria. In the past, Tiger Airways has received a number of complaints ineffective customer care service, flight delays and improper handling of grievances. This can be considered as a serious service failure offering a reason to be dissatisfied a nd frustrated with the services being offered. The analysis would help in understanding and analyzing the ways through which service failure can be addressed using service recovery tools in an effective and efficient manner helping the organization to win customer’s trust and loyalty back. An Overview of the Organization Tiger Airways Australia is a low cost airlines based in Melbourne, Australia. It started its operations in the year 2007 with strong focus on domestic markets. The organization has been performing well but not that well to compete with other competitors because of serious problems pertaining to the services being offered. As per the Bureau of infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics in Australia, Tiger Airways have consistently lower percentage of on-time arrival and departure with high percentage of cancellations. Tiger Airways also used marketing strategies to boost its sales figures and presence across the country through an advertisement campaign named â€Å"The Low Fare Revolution†. Tiger Airways have been hit by a number of criticisms pertaining to its services and can be considered as an ideal organization to analyze the concepts of service failure and recovery. Concept of Service Failure When organizations offer services to customers, the only motive is to make them feel good and content with the offered services. Customers also have pre-conceived and experienced notions on services and when these notions do not match with the services being offered; it is termed as a service failure. Service failure often frustrates customers along with making them change the service provider. It creates negative a negative impact on the business activities along with offering an edge to customers. It needs to be mentioned that service failure is bound to happen and organizations are supposed to be good enough to tackle service failures. Tiger Airways have been accused of poor customer service and high rate of cancellation. Furth er, the support and guidance from the management is almost negligible that has reduced the satisfaction level of customers. The service recovery tools that could have been of great help in dealing with service failures have been discussed in the following part in an analytical manner. Service Recovery and its Importance

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Lesson Plan Essay Example for Free

Lesson Plan Essay In modern times there are opposing views about the practice of education. There is no general agreement about what the young should learn either in relation to virtue or in relation to the best life; nor is it clear whether their education ought to be directed more towards the intellect than towards the character of the soul. And it is not certain whether training should be directed at things useful in life, or at those conducive to virtue, or at non-essentials. And there is no agreement as to what in fact does tend towards virtue. Men do not all prize most highly the same virtue, so naturally they differ also about the proper training for it. Aristotle wrote that passage more than 2,300 years ago, and today educators are still debating the issues he raised. Different approaches to resolving these and other fundamental issues have given rise to different schools of thought in the philosophy of education. We will examine five such schools of thought: Essentialism, Progressivism, Perennialism, Existentialism, and Behaviorism. Each has many supporters in American education today. Taken together, these five schools of thought do not exhaust the list of possible educational philosophies you may adopt, but they certainly present strong frameworks from which you can create your own educational philosophy. Essentialism Gripping and enduring interests frequently grow out of initial learning efforts that are not appealing or attractive. William Bagley Essentialism refers to the traditional or Back to the Basics approach to education. It is so named because it strives to instill students with the essentials of academic knowledge and character development. The term essentialism as an educational philosophy was originally popularized in the 1930s by the American educator William Bagley (1874A1946). The philosophy itself, however, had been the dominant approach to education in America from the beginnings of American history. Early in the twentieth century, essentialism was criticized as being too rigid to prepare students adequately for adult life. But with the launching of Sputnik in 1957, interest in essentialism revived. Among modern supporters of this position are members of the Presidents Commission on Excellence in Education. Their 1983 report, A Nation at Risk, mirrors essentialist concerns today. Underlying Philosophical Basis (American) essentialism is grounded in a conservative philosophy that accepts the social, political, and economic structure of American society. It contends that schools should not try to radically reshape society. Rather, essentialists argue, American schools should transmit the traditional moral values and intellectual knowledge that students need to become model citizens. Essentialists believe that teachers should instill such traditional American virtues as respect for authority, perseverance, fidelity to duty, consideration for others, and practicality. Reflecting its conservative philosophy, essentialism ten(tends to accept the philosophical views associated with the traditional, conservative elements of American society. For example, American culture traditionally has l)placed tremendous emphasis on the central importance of tile physical world and of understanding the world through scientific experimentation. As a result, to convey important knowledge about our world, essentialist educators emphasize instruction in natural science rather than non-scientific disciplines such as philosophy or comparative religion. The Essentialist Classroom Essentialists urge that the most essential or basic academic skills and knowledge be taught to all students. Traditional disciplines such as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature form the foundation of the essentialist curriculum. Essentialists frown upon vocational, lift-adjustment, or other courses with watered down academic content. Elementary students receive instruction in skills such as writing, reading, measurement, and computers. Even while learning art and music, subjects most often associated with the development of creativity, the students are required to master a body of information and basic techniques, gradually moving from less to more complex skills and detailed knowledge. Only by mastering the required material for their grade level are students promote(l to the next higher grade. Essentialist programs are academically rigorous, for both slow and fast learners. The report A Nation at Risk reflects the essentialist emphasis on rigor. It calls for more core requirements, a longer school day, a longer academic year, and more challenging textbooks. Moreover, essentialists maintain that classrooms should be oriented around the teacher, who ideally serves as an intellectual and moral role model for the students. The teachers or administrators decide what is most important for the students to learn and place little emphasis on student interests, particularly when they divert time and attention from the academic curriculum. Essentialist teachers focus heavily on achievement test scores as a means of evaluating progress. In an essentialist classroom, students are taught to be culturally literate, that is, to possess a working knowledge about the people, events, ideas, and institutions that have shaped American society. Reflecting the essentialist emphasis on technological literacy, A Nation at Risk recommends that all high school students complete at least one semester of computer science. Essentialists hope that when students leave school, they will possess not only basic skills and an extensive body of knowledge, but also disciplined, practical minds, capable of applying schoolhouse lessons in the real world. Progressivism We may, I think, discover certain common principles amid the variety of progressive schools now existing. To imposition from above is opposed expression and cultivation of individuality; to external discipline is opposed free activity; to learning from texts and teachers, learning through experience; to acquisition of isolated skills and techniques by drill is opposed acquisition of them as means of attaining ends which make direct vital appeal; to preparation for a more or less remote future is opposed making the most of the opportunities of present life; to statistics and materials is opposed acquaintance with a changing world. John Dewey Progressivisms respect for individuality, its high regard for science, and its receptivity to change harmonized well with the American environment in which it was created. The person most responsible for the success of progressivism was John Dewey (1859-1952). Dewey entered the field of education as a liberal social reformer with a background in philosophy and psychology. In 1896, while a professor at the University of Chicago, Dewey ounded the famous Laboratory School as a testing ground for his educational ideas. Deweys writings and his work with the Laboratory School set the stage for the progressive education movement, which, beginning in the 1920s, has produced major lasting innovations in American education. The progressivist movement stimulated schools to broaden their curricula, making education more relevant to the needs and interests of students. Its influence waned during the 1950s, particularly after the 1957 launching of Sputnik by the Soviets prompted schools to emphasize traditional instruction in math, science, foreign languages, and other defense-related subjects. In the late 1960s and 1970s, under the guise of citizenship education and educational relevance, many of Deweys ideas enjoyed a renewed popularity that decreased again during the education reform movement of the 1980s.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Negative Effects of the Atkins Diet Essay -- Health Nutrition Diet Exe

Negative Effects of the Atkins Diet Countless Americans have been purchasing products about the Atkins Diet without being aware of its side effects. Common arguments about the Atkins diet is it greatly affects a persons health, one major disease that the Atkins diet has been blamed of is heart disease as well as heart attacks. Organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association have been criticizing the Atkins Diet on its unhealthy way of losing weight. Other side effects such as headaches, constipation, bad breath, muscle cramps and more has also been added to the ever growing effects that Atkins diet can cause to a dieter. Another increasing argument that is against the Atkins Diet is that it affects a dieter’s mental health, causing the dieter to feel grumpy, tired, restless and apathetic. The Atkins Diet has been known not to limit dieter’s intake on proteins and fats which made numerous health organizations and medical professionals criticize it. With its focus on fatty foods and meats which is high in saturated fat it is believed to increase blood cholesterol levels and may even lead to heart attack. On the Atkins first phase (induction phase), a dieter is only allowed 20 net grams of carbohydrates per day, this leads to not having enough source of calcium or vitamin D that researchers say may play a role in illness such as heart disease and diabetes. Although Dr. Atkins says to take a multivitamin while on the diet, the formula contains no calcium and too little vitamin D.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Organizations that are against the Atkins Diet such as the American Heart Association sets a limit that only 30% of one’s daily calories should come fro... ...s Diet is not healthy for an individual because it causes more harm than good. It is true that the Atkins Diet can make a person lose weight, but on ways that seem to be all wrong. Dieters should consider in finding ways to lose weight in the safest way possible and not endanger one’s own life. The Atkins Diet is certainly not safe for dieters because it causes multiple side effects that can put a person’s physical and emotional state at risk. Work Cited Kennedy, Sophie. â€Å"The Atkins Diet: To Good to be True?† Online posting. Vanderbilt   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University, Psychology Department. 14 Oct. 2004   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/TheAtki nsDiet.ht   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  m>. Moss, Lindsay. â€Å"Atkins Diet Causes Mood Swings and Depression.† Atkins Diet 3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March 2004 .

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 1~3

PART ONE The Phoenix 1 The Cannibal Tree Tucker Case awoke to find himself hanging from a breadfruit tree by a coconut fiber rope. He was suspended facedown about six feet above the sand in some sort of harness, his hands and feet tied together in front of him. He lifted his head and strained to look around. He could see a white sand beach fringed with coconut palms, a coconut husk fire, a palm frond hut, a path of white coral gravel that led into a jungle. Completing the panorama was the grinning brown face of an ancient native. The native reached up with a clawlike hand and pinched Tucker's cheek. Tucker screamed. â€Å"Yum,† the native said. â€Å"Who are you?† Tucker asked. â€Å"Where am I? Where's the navigator?† The native just grinned. His eyes were yellow, his hair a wild tangle of curl and bird feathers, and his teeth were black and had been filed to points. He looked like a potbellied skeleton upholstered in distressed leather. Puckered pink scars decorated his skin; a series of small scars on his chest described the shape of a shark. His only clothing was a loincloth woven from some sort of plant fiber. Tucked in the waist cord was a vicious-looking bush knife. The native patted Tucker's cheek with an ashy callused palm, then turned and walked away, leaving him hanging. â€Å"Wait!† Tucker shouted. â€Å"Let me down. I have money. I can pay you.† The native ambled down the path without looking back. Tucker struggled against the harness, but only managed to put himself into a slow spin. As he turned, he caught sight of the navigator, hanging uncon scious a few feet away. â€Å"Hey, you alive?† The navigator didn't stir, but Tucker could see that he was breathing. â€Å"Hey, Kimi, wake up!† Still no reaction. He strained against the rope around his wrists, but the bonds only seemed to tighten. After a few minutes, he gave up, exhausted. He rested and looked around for something to give this bizarre scene some meaning. Why had the native hung them in a tree? He caught movement in his peripheral vision and turned to see a large brown crab struggling at the end of a string tied to a nearby branch. There was his answer: They were hung in the tree, like the crab, to keep them fresh until they were ready to be eaten. Tucker shuddered, imagining the native's black teeth closing on his shin. He tried to focus on a way to escape before the native returned, but his mind kept diving into a sea of regrets and second guesses, looking for the exact place where the world had turned on him and put him in the cannibal tree. Like most of the big missteps he had taken in his life, it had started in a bar. The Seattle Airport Holiday Inn lounge was all hunter green, brass rails, and oak veneer. Remove the bar and it looked like Macy's men's depart-ment. It was one in the morning and the bartender, a stout, middle-aged Hispanic woman, was polishing glasses and waiting for her last three customers to leave so she could go home. At the end of a bar a young wo-man in a short skirt and too much makeup sat alone. Tucker Case sat next to a businessman several stools down. â€Å"Lemmings,† the businessman said. â€Å"Lemmings?† asked Tucker. They were drunk. The businessman was heavy, in his late fifties, and wore a charcoal gray suit. Broken veins glowed on his nose and cheeks. â€Å"Most people are lemmings,† the businessman continued. â€Å"That's why they fail. They behave like suicidal rodents.† â€Å"But you're a higher level of rodent?† Tucker Case said with a smart-ass grin. He was thirty, just under six foot, with neatly trimmed blond hair and blue eyes. He wore navy slacks, sneakers, and a white shirt with blue-and-gold epaulets. His captain's hat sat on the bar next to a gin and tonic. He was more interested in the girl at the end of the bar than in the businessman's conversation, but he didn't know how to move without being obvious. â€Å"No, but I've kept my lemming behavior limited to my personal relationships. Three wives.† The businessman waved a swizzle stick under Tucker's nose. â€Å"Success in America doesn't require any special talent or any kind of extra effort. You just have to be consistent and not fuck up. That's how most people fail. They can't stand the pressure of getting what they want, so when they see that they are getting close, they engineer some sort of fuckup to undermine their success.† The lemming litany was making Tucker uncomfortable. He'd been on a roll for the last four years, going from bartending to flying corporate jets. He said, â€Å"Maybe some people just don't know what they want. Maybe they only look like lemmings.† â€Å"Everyone knows what they want. You know what you want, don't you?† â€Å"Sure, I know,† Tucker said. What he wanted right now was to get out of this conversation and get to know the girl at the end of the bar before closing time. She'd been staring at him for five minutes. â€Å"What?† The businessman wanted an answer. He waited. â€Å"I just want to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm happy.† The businessman shook his head. â€Å"I'm sorry, son, but I don't buy it. You're going over the cliff with the rest of the lemmings.† â€Å"You should be a motivational speaker,† Tuck said, his attention drawn by the girl, who was getting up, putting money on the bar, picking up her cigarettes, and putting them into her purse. She said, â€Å"I know what I want.† The businessman turned and gave his best avuncular-horndog smile. â€Å"And what's that, sweetheart?† She walked up to Tucker and pressed her breasts against his shoulder. She had brown hair that fell in curls to her shoulders, blue eyes, and a nose that was a tad crooked, but not horribly so. Up close she didn't even look old enough to drink. Heavy makeup had aged her at a distance. Looking the businessman in the eye, as if she didn't notice Tucker at all, she said, â€Å"I want to join the mile-high club, and I want to join it tonight. Can you help me?† The businessman looked at Tucker's captain's hat on the bar, then back at the girl. Slowly, defeated, he shook his head. She pressed harder against Tucker's shoulder. â€Å"How about you?† Tucker grinned at the businessman and shrugged by way of apology. â€Å"I just want to keep doing what I'm doing.† The girl put on his captain's hat and pulled him off of the barstool. He dug into his pocket for money as she dragged him toward the exit. The businessman raised a hand. â€Å"No, I've got the drinks, son. You just remember what I said.† â€Å"Thanks,† Tuck said. Outside in the lobby the girl said, â€Å"My name's Meadow.† She kept her eyes forward as she walked, taking curt marching steps as if she was leading him on an antiterrorist mission instead of seducing him. â€Å"Pretty name,† Tucker said. â€Å"I'm Tucker Case. People call me Tuck.† She still didn't look up. â€Å"Do you have a plane, Tuck?† â€Å"I've got access to one.† He smiled. This was great. Great! â€Å"Good. You get me into the mile-high club tonight and I won't charge you. I've always wanted to do it in a plane.† Tucker stopped. â€Å"You're a†¦I mean, you do this for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She stopped and turned to look him in the eye for the first time. â€Å"You're kind of a geek, aren't you?† â€Å"Thank you. I find you incredibly attractive too.† Actually, he did. â€Å"No, you're attractive. I mean, you look fine. But I thought a pilot would have a little more on the ball.† â€Å"Is this part of that mistress-humiliation-handcuff stuff?† â€Å"No, that's extra. I'm just making conversation.† â€Å"Oh, I see.† He was beginning to have second thoughts. He had to fly to Houston in the morning, and he really should get some sleep. Still, this would make a great story to tell the guys back at the hangar – if he left out the part about him being a suicidal rodent and her being a prostitute. But he could tell the story without really doing it, couldn't he? He said, â€Å"I probably shouldn't fly. I'm a little drunk.† â€Å"Then you won't mind if I go back to the bar and grab your friend? I might as well make some money.† â€Å"It could be dangerous.† â€Å"That's the point, isn't it?† She smiled. â€Å"No, I mean really dangerous.† â€Å"I have condoms.† Tucker shrugged. â€Å"I'll get a cab.† Ten minutes later they were heading across the wet tarmac toward a group of corporate jets. â€Å"It's pink!† â€Å"Yeah, so?† â€Å"You fly a pink jet?† As Tuck opened the hatch and lowered the steps, he had the sinking feeling that maybe the businessman at the bar had been right. 2 I Thought This Was a Nonsmoking Flight Most jets (especially those unburdened by the weight of passengers or fuel) have a glide rate that is quite acceptable for landing without power. But Tucker has made an error in judgment caused by seven gin and tonics and the distraction of Meadow straddling him in the pilot seat. He thinks, per-haps, that he should have said something when the fuel light first went on, but Meadow had already climbed into the saddle and he didn't want to seem inattentive. Now the glide path is too steep, the runway a little too far. He uses a little body English in pulling back on the steering yoke, which Meadow takes for enthusiasm. Tucker brings the pink Gulfstream jet into SeaTac a little low, tearing off the rear landing gear on a radar antenna a second before impact with the runway, which sends Meadow over the steering yoke to bounce off the windscreen and land unconscious across the instrument panel. The jet's wings flap once – a dying flamingo trying to free itself from a tar pit – and rip off in a shriek of sparks, flame, and black smoke, then spin back into the air before beating themselves to pieces on the runway. Tucker, strapped into the pilot's seat, lets loose a prolonged scream that pushes the sound of tearing metal out of his head. The wingless Gulfstream slides down the runway like hell's own bobsled, leaving a wake of greasy smoke and aluminum confetti. Firemen and paramedics scramble into their vehicles and pull out onto the runway in pursuit of it. In a moment of analytical detachment, one of the firemen turns to a companion and says, â€Å"There's not enough fire. He must have been flying on fumes.† Tucker sees the end of the runway coming up, an array of an tennae, some spiffy blue lights, a chain-link fence, and a grassy open field where what's left of the Gulfstream will fragment into pink shrapnel. He realizes that he's looking at his own death and screams the words â€Å"Oh, fuck!†, meeting the FAA's official requirement for last words to be retrieved from the charred black box. Suddenly, as if someone has hit a cosmic pause button, the cockpit goes quiet. Movement stops. A man's voice says, â€Å"Is this how you want to go?† Tucker turns toward the voice. A dark man in a gray flight suit sits in the copilot's seat, waiting for an answer. Tuck can't seem to see his face, even though they are facing each other. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"No,† Tucker answers. â€Å"It'll cost you,† the pilot says. Then he's gone. The copilot's seat is empty and the roar of tortured metal fills the cabin. Before Tucker can form the words â€Å"What the hell?† in his mind, the wingless jet crashes through the antenna, the spiffy blue lights, the chain-link fence, and into the field, soggy from thirty consecutive days of Seattle rain. The mud caresses the fuselage, dampens the sparks and flames, clings and cloys and slows the jet to a steaming stop. Tuck hears metal crackle as it settles, sirens, the friendly chime of the FASTEN SEAT BELTS sign turning off. Welcome to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The local time is 2:00A.M., the outside temperature is 63 degrees, there is a semiconscious hooker gurgling at your feet. The cabin fills with black smoke from fried wires and vaporized hydraulic fluid. One breath burns down his windpipe like drain cleaner, telling Tucker that a second breath may kill him. He unfastens the harness and reaches into the dark for Meadow, connecting with her lace camisole, which comes away in shreds in his hands. He stands, bends over, wraps an arm around her waist, and picks her up. She's light, maybe a hundred pounds, but Tucker has forgotten to pull up his pants and Jockey shorts, which cuff his ankles. He teeters and falls backward onto the control console between the pilot seats. Jutting from the console is the flap actuator lever, a foot-long strip of steel topped by a plastic arrowheadlike tip. The tip catches Tuck in the rear of the scrotum. His and Meadow's combined weight drive him down on the lever, which tears though his scrotum, runs up inside the length of his penis, and emerges in a spray of blood. There are no words for the pain. No breath, no thought. Just deafening white and red noise. Tucker feels himself passing out and welcomes it. He drops Meadow, but she is conscious enough to hold on to his neck, and as she falls she pulls him off the lever, which reams its way back through him again. Without realizing it, he is standing, breathing. His lungs are on fire. He has to get out. He throws an arm around Meadow and drags her three feet to the hatch. He releases the hatch and it swings down, half open. It's de-signed to function as a stairway to the ground, designed for a plane that is standing on landing gear. Gloved hands reach into the opening and start pulling at it. â€Å"We're going to get you out of there,† a fireman says. The hatch comes open with a shriek. Tuck sees blue and red flashing lights illuminating raindrops against a black sky, making it appear as if it is raining fire. He takes a single breath of fresh air, says, â€Å"I've torn off my dick,† and falls forward. 3 And You Lost Your Frequent Flyer Miles As with most things in his life, Tucker Case was wrong about the extent of his injuries. As they wheeled him though the emergency room, he con-tinued to chant, â€Å"I've torn off my dick! I've torn off my dick!† into his oxygen mask until a masked physician appeared at his side. â€Å"Mr. Case, you have not torn off your penis. You've damaged some major blood vessels and some of the erectal tissue. And you've also severed the tendon that runs from the tip of the penis to the base of the brain.† The doctor, a woman, pulled down her mask long enough to show Tucker a grin. â€Å"You should be fine. We're taking you into surgery now.† â€Å"What about the girl?† â€Å"She's got a mild concussion and some bruises, but she'll be okay. She'll probably go home in a few hours.† ‘That's good. Doc, will I be able to? I mean, will I ever†¦?† â€Å"Be still, Mr. Case. I want you to count backward from one hundred.† â€Å"Is there a reason for that – for the counting?† â€Å"You can say the Pledge of Allegiance if you want.† â€Å"But I can't stand up.† â€Å"Just count, smart-ass.† When Tucker came to, through the fog of anesthesia he saw a picture of himself superimposed over a burning pink jet. Looking down on the scene was the horrified face of the matriarch of pyramid makeup sales, Mary Jean Dobbins – Mary Jean to the world. Then the picture was gone, replaced by a rugged male face and perfect smile. â€Å"Tuck, you're famous. You made the Enquirer.† The voice of Jake Skye, Tuck's only male friend and premier jet mechanic for Mary Jean. â€Å"You crashed just in time to make the latest edition.† â€Å"My dick?† Tuck said, struggling to sit up. There was what appeared to be a plaster ostrich egg sitting on his lap. A tube ran out the middle of it. Jake Skye, tall, dark, and unkempt – half Apache, half truck stop waitress – said, â€Å"That's going to smart. But the doc says you'll play the violin again.† Jake sat in a chair next to Tuck's bed and opened the tabloid. â€Å"Look at this. Oprah's skinny again. Carrots, grapefruit, and amphetamines.† â€Å"Tucker Case moaned. â€Å"What about the girl? What was her name?† â€Å"Meadow Malackovitch,† Jake said, looking at the paper. â€Å"Wow, Oprah's fucking Elvis. You got to give that woman credit. She stays busy. By the way, they're going to move you to Houston. Mary Jean wants you where she can keep an eye on you.† â€Å"The girl, Jake?† Jake looked up from the paper. â€Å"You don't want to know.† â€Å"They said she was going to be okay. Is she dead?† â€Å"Worse. Pissed off. And speaking of pissed off, there's some FAA guys outside who are waiting to talk to you, but the doctor wouldn't let them in. And I'm supposed to call Mary Jean as soon as you're coherent. I'd ad-vise against that – becoming coherent, I mean. And then there's a whole bunch of reporters. The nurses are keeping them all out.† â€Å"How'd you get in?† â€Å"I'm your only living relative.† â€Å"My mother will be pleased to hear that.† â€Å"Brother, your mother doesn't even want to claim you. You totally fucked the dog on this one.† â€Å"I'm fired, then?† â€Å"Count on it. In fact, I'd say you'd be lucky to get a license to operate a riding lawnmower.† â€Å"I don't know how to do anything but fly. One bad landing?† â€Å"No, Tuck, a bad landing is when the overheads pop open and dump people's gym bags. You crashed. If it makes you feel any better, with the Gulfstream gone I'm not going to have any work for at least six months. They may not even get another jet.† â€Å"Is the FAA filing charges?† Jake Skye looked at his paper to avoid Tuck's eyes. â€Å"Look, man, do you want me to lie to you? I came up here because I thought you'd rather hear it from me. You were drinking. You wrecked a million dollars' worth of SeaTac's equipment in addition to the plane. You're lucky you're not dead.† â€Å"Jake, look at me.† Jake dropped the paper to his lap and sighed. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Am I going to jail?† â€Å"I've got to go, man.† Jake stood. â€Å"You heal up.† He turned to leave the room. â€Å"Jake!† Jake Skye stopped and looked over his shoulder. Tucker could see the disappointment in his friend's eyes. â€Å"What were you thinking?† Jake said. â€Å"She talked me into it. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but she was persistent.† Jake came to the side of the bed and leaned in close. â€Å"Tucker, what's it take for you to get it? Listen close now, buddy, because this is your last lesson, okay? I'm out of a job because of you. You've got to make your own decisions. You can't let someone else always tell you what to do. You have to take some responsibility.† â€Å"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. You're the one who got me into this business.† â€Å"Exactly. You're thirty years old, man. You have to start thinking for yourself. And with your head, not your dick.† Tucker looked at the bandages in his lap. â€Å"I'm sorry. It all got out of hand. It was like flying on autopilot. I didn't mean to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Time to take the controls, buddy.† â€Å"Jake, something weird happened during the crash. I'm not sure if it was a hallucination or what. There was someone else in the cockpit.† â€Å"You mean besides the whore?† â€Å"Yeah, just for a second, there was a guy in the copilot seat. He talked to me. Then he disappeared.† Jake sighed. â€Å"There's no insanity plea for crashing a plane, Tuck. You lost a lot of blood.† â€Å"This was before I got hurt. While the plane was still skidding.† â€Å"Here.† Jake tucked a silver flask under Tuck's pillow and punched him in the shoulder. â€Å"I'll call you, man.† He turned and walked away. Tuck called after him, â€Å"What if it was an angel or something?† â€Å"Then you're in the Enquirer next week too,† Jake said from the door. â€Å"Get some sleep.†

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Law Enforcement Today Essay

Many police departments are facing budget problems, forcing them to cut their police force down. Many officers are being asked to do things they normally don’t do such as patrolling. Police departments are also facing increasing crimes due to the poor economy. More people are engaging in criminal activities. Local and small agencies interact with the communities that they patrol on a daily basis. Sharing information between agencies are important not only for Home Land Security but for the public’s safety as well. Law enforcement agencies are using The Home Land Security Information Network which allows them to securely collaborate with partners across the country. Law enforcement professionals also use HSIN to share information including Be on the Lookouts (BOLOs), Requests for Information (RFIs), For Your Information (FYIs), Intelligence Reports, and other Law Enforcement Sensitive documents. HSIN allows users to create and distribute messages to large, mission-specific contact lists. This rapid, secure information exchange provides law enforcement professionals with critical intelligence as they conduct work in the field (â€Å"Homeland Security Information Network – Law Enforcement Mission†, n. d. ). The purpose of this State and Local Fusion Center Concept of Operations (CONOPS) is to establish a framework for a comprehensive, coordinated and consistent approach for outreach by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to State and Local Fusion Centers (SLFCs). This CONOPS outlines DHS processes relating to SLFC support including intelligence and operational information flows and interactions, deployment of officers, component integration, and identification of SLFC requirements, technical assistance and training. DHS will also ensure outreach, communication, and integration with other multidisciplinary partners (i. e. , fire service, public health, and emergency management), to further ensure and facilitate information sharing between SLFCs and these disciplines. This CONOPS will be periodically reviewed and modified as additional processes are implemented and refinements identified The CONOPS provides transparency into DHS support to SLFCs. The CONOPS also: – Furthers the goals of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Program Manager Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) to develop and support a national information sharing environment and network of fusion centers. Underscores the role of the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis as the Executive Agent for DHS SLFC Program and DHS’s representative to various Federal Senior-level advisory groups providing guidance and support to fusion centers. – Defines the roles and responsibilities of the State and Local Program Management Office (SLPO) to execute the DHS SLFC Implementation Plan and to lead DHS outreach to SLFCs which includes, but is not limited to, the assignment of DHS intelligence analysts and officers and the provision of tools to the fusion centers nationwide. The SLPO serves in the central coordination role for DHS interaction with SLFCs. – Institutionalizes the Single Point of Service (SPS), a coordinated Office of Intelligence and Analysis/Office of Operations Coordination and Planning business process, developed to ensure all SLFC inquires are responded to expeditiously by the appropriate elements within DHS and there is accountability for this transactional activity. An assumption circulating within information sharing discourse is that the effectiveness of information sharing can be measured in terms of information flow, distribution, timeliness, coordination, and related system performance measures. 44 The Information Sharing Environment’s (ISE) stated mission is to ensure the ability of agencies to share information – but just who is responsible for ensuring that such abilities to share information tangibly improve preparedness remains unclear. This study indicates that using system performance measures and capabilities to assess the effectiveness of information sharing is inadequate and potentially wasteful and misleading. In developing metrics to assess the benefits of information sharing, officials must engage in the difficult task of relating system use to tangible improvements in preparedness. Information-sharing initiatives also unfold within varying budgetary constraints and divergent funding priorities. As a result, future research needs to address how financial and structural conditions influence information-sharing processes and practices. This study also suggests the need for comparative and longitudinal research of information sharing. However, future studies that attempt to construct concrete variables for hypothesis testing may similarly confront the contingency of the meanings of information sharing and preparedness. Although information sharing and preparedness are socially-defined concepts, their meanings can be mapped within different organizational contexts and across time using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Doing so can potentially assist policy makers and practitioners assess the utility of information-sharing strategies and the impact of associated organizational change efforts.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Economic Prosperity of Peru essays

Economic Prosperity of Peru essays In 1532 the Spanish soldier and adventurer Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire, creating a catalyst for the creation of a new colonial society. Steve Stern discusses the manner in which the indigenous peoples of Huamanga met the challenge of European conquest in his piece entitled, "Peru's Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest". When the conquistadors first arrived, there appears to have been a mutual attraction and dependency between the Spaniards and indigenous peoples. Stern cites for example that the military skills of the Spaniards intrigued the native aristocracy, the kurakas, and helped local Andean society recognize their new "masters". Besides this element of respect, the local societies of Huamanga saw an alliance with the Spaniards as an efficient way to break from Inca rule and to "protect and advance their own ethnic interests". Hence, it could be said that there was a mutual cooperation between the Spaniards and indigenous people at first. India ns were extremely open to the Spaniard's influence and way of life at first. Joining with them, they believed in the creation of a new society for the financial and commercial profit. However, as Stern mentions, this alliance did not imply that life was without conflict. As in most cases, when there is an ongoing struggle for power, violence is practically inevitable. Peru was no exception. Early relations displayed an uneasy mixture of force, negotiation, and alliance (34). Like the alliance between the two groups, the violence was also shared; Indians abused African slaves and Indians were often subjected to "whipping, looting, and rape by Spaniards, blacks, mestizos, and mulattos" (34). As the Spanish rule continued, the relationship between the Spaniards and the indigenous peoples worsened. Stern mentions labor as one of the elements of civilization that caused negative effects. Spaniards employed Indians for the majority of their labor force, squeezin...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How a Behavior Intervention Plan Improves Bad Behavior

How a Behavior Intervention Plan Improves Bad Behavior A BIP, or Behavior Intervention Plan, is an improvement plan that lays out how an Individual Education Plan (IEP) team will better difficult behavior that is inhibiting a childs academic success. If a child cant focus, doesnt complete work, disrupts the classroom or is constantly in trouble, not only does the teacher have a problem, the child has a problem. A Behavior Intervention Plan is a document that describes just how the IEP team will help the child improve his or her behavior. When a BIP Becomes a Requirement A BIP is a required part of an IEP if the behavior box is checked off in the Special Considerations section where it asks whether communication, vision, hearing, behavior and/or mobility affects academic achievement. If a childs behavior disrupts the classroom and significantly interrupts his or her education, then a BIP is very much in order. Furthermore, a BIP is generally preceded by an FBA or Functional Behavior Analysis. The Functional Behavior Analysis is based on the Behaviorist Anagram, ABC: Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence. It requires the observer to first pay attention to the environment in which the behavior occurs, as well as the occurrences that happen just before the behavior. How Behavior Analysis Gets Involved Behavior Analysis includes the antecedent, a well defined, measurable definition of the behavior, as well as a standard for how it will be measured, such as duration, frequency, and latency. It also involves the consequence, or outcome, and how that consequence reinforces the student.   Usually, a special education teacher, a behavior analyst, or a school psychologist will perform an FBA. Using that information, the teacher will write a document that describes target behaviors, replacement behaviors, or behavioral goals. The document will also include the procedure for changing or extinguishing the target behaviors, measures for success, and the people who will be responsible for instituting and following through on the BIP. The BIP Content A BIP should include the following information: Proactive Manipulation of the Antecedent.Teachers should consider whether they can structure the students learning environment in a way that will eliminate the antecedent. Making changes in the environment that will eliminate or decrease the things that may trigger a behavior permits the teacher to spend lots of time reinforcing the replacement behavior.Targeted Behaviors.Also known as the Behavior of Interest, a BIP should narrow the behaviors of interest to a few that may be interrelated, typically three or four or at the most.Reinforcement Plan.This plan provides a description of the proactive means of supporting replacement or appropriate behavior. A replacement behavior for calling out would be to raise their hand and a means of reinforcing or rewarding that activity would be part of the BIP.  Protocol for Addressing Dangerous or Unacceptable Behavior.This protocol may be called different things in a teachers district or state form, but it should address how to respond to dang erous behavior. Unacceptable should be defined, as it isnt to promote punishment when the teacher, bus driver, or paraprofessional is angry at a student. The purpose of the BIP is to keep adults away from reactive and counterproductive behaviors of their own, like screaming at the child or punishment.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Statistics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Statistics - Assignment Example However, application of my learnt skills remains my greatest challenge yet. I shall endeavor to apply this knowledge as it is vital for my Masters degree in Nursing. Studying statistics has improved my outlook regarding various everyday issues. I am now able to analyze and interpret data, design and conduct observational and experimental studies, and to find patterns and draw conclusions. I have learnt to approach problems in an analytical way and to formulate theories and apply them to solve problems. Among my helpful resources were the course notes and class discussions. Furthermore You Tube and Live Binder came in handy for my studies. The book Mathematical Statistics with Applications (Seventh Edition) by Freund has been my great companion throughout the six weeks I was taking this course. My perception of statistics has metamorphosed significantly. I feel like an insider in the field I often considered alien. I see statistics as a way of life- for instance every day we compute averages, estimate missing data, seek to determine trend, and wish to make managerial decisions based on facts. Statistics has trained me organizational skills and instilled in me the ability to work methodically and accurately. If presented with a statistics related problem today, I can organize my work in a way that I can achieve the objective of the undertaking. Behind every successful decision, a statistical inference has to be reached. This underlines the essence of our accurately collecting, analyzing, interpreting and applying the results of the analysis

Friday, November 1, 2019

Causes and Effects of Advertisement for Blood Donations Essay

Causes and Effects of Advertisement for Blood Donations - Essay Example The advertisement like distributing leaflets and posters or involving charismatic personalities in these campaigns is required to invite and encourage people for saving the life. It is also necessary for raising awareness of the side effects of transfusion of blood while using unhealthy methods. The Advertisement for Blood Donations have the very positive effect on the economy and also on the lives of people in the society. Generating the sense of satisfaction: Advertisement on Print and Electronic media is important for generating the sense of satisfaction in people when they are going to donate their blood, encouraging them in that their donated blood is most important for those who are in a critical condition. It can be done through awareness brochures, posters and arranging camps at colleges and universities for the donation of blood. Music concerts and fashion shows help in the collection of blood. Creation of the environment for the donation of blood: Advertisement can create the environment in the country for the encouragement of blood donation. Voluntary or unpaid blood donators can be facilitated by giving them one day rest for the recovery. In practice, creating the similar environment in the country can be achieved through government intervention and support for advertisements for the donation of blood. In Slovenia, an employee may be absent from work on the day of donation. Similarly, in Malta, employers are encouraged to allow their staff the required time off to donate blood (Commission on the European Communities, 2006). In the instance, the donation is paid, then the donator is compensated. Refreshments for the donators: In order to foster this culture for the donation of blood, it is important that large businesses should invest their resources under corporate social responsibility. For instance, organizations can provide incentives and healthy alternatives to donators in order to attract them, thus, encouraging them to contribute to this major cause.  Ã‚