Charles Loring Brace Essay Example

Charles Loring Brace Essay Charles Loring Brace Founder, Children’s Aid Society New York City Beth Boersma University of Georgia SOWK 6011 Fall, 2010 Introduction Charles Loring Brace is recognized as one of the founders of child welfare reform in the United States, particularly in the area of foster care and adoption. His work was conducted in the nineteenth century in New York City, in the midst of one of the most prolific eras of change in U. S. history. This paper will describe and summarize Brace’s background and the influences that led to his work, the impact of his work on the society of his time, the legacy of his work, and its influences on child welfare efforts today. Social Background Charles Loring Brace was born June 19, 1826 in Litchfield, Connecticut, described as a small but prosperous village, wholly lacking in urban luxury or vice, but providing its residents with something approaching urban levels of learning and culture. It was the home of the nation’s first law school†¦.. also the home of one of the first secondary schools for girls in the United States, the Litchfield Female Academy, graduates of which included Harriet Beecher Stowe and her sister Catherine Beecher† (O’Connor, 2001, p7). Charles was the second of four children born to John and Lucy Brace and, in the Puritan tradition of the time, he was primarily educated by his father. We will write a custom essay sample on Charles Loring Brace specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Charles Loring Brace specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Charles Loring Brace specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer John Brace was a teacher at the Litchfield Female Academy, where he displayed a progressive slant on education by reforming the curriculum typically taught to girls to include more challenging subjects â€Å"including science, higher mathematics, logic and Latina curriculum that at the very least equaled that of most boys’ academies† (O’Connor, p. 8). Young Charles often sat in on his father’s classes and was undoubtedly influenced by the senior Brace’s feminist philosophy that female children should be educated on an equal level as males, in order to â€Å"improve woman’s ‘rank in society, placing her s the rational companion of man, not the slave of his pleasures or the victim of tyranny’† (O’Connor, p. 8). John Brace and his wife also believed strongly in the Calvinist traditions of duty, diligence, sacrifice, fortitude, and self-control and passed these values on to Charles. The Braces valued nature and Charles developed a strong connection between the beauty and grandeur of the outdoors and his related feelings of joy and immense satisfaction of being alive. Perhaps the most enduring value that Charles learned from his family was moral philosophy, or â€Å"the attempt to determine the nature of one’s obligation to one’s fellow man—and to God—and the attempt to discipline one’s character so as to fulfill that obligation to perfection†. (O’Connor, p. 18). Another early influences in Charles’ life was Horace Bushnell, a Congregational minister in Hartford, CT, where Charles and his family lived after John Brace took a position at the Hartford Female Seminary (founded by Catherine Beecher). Bushnell is â€Å"regarded by many as the most important American religious thinker of the nineteenth century† (O’Connor, p 18). Rev. Bushnell promoted the ideals of spiritual development throughout the lifespan, which was in direct opposition to Calvinistic beliefs of the innate depravity of humans from birth. This idea would deeply impact Charles’ later work. Charles entered Yale in 1942 at age sixteen and he proved to be an excellent student. At Yale, Charles became close friends with his roommate, John Olmsted, as well as John’s brother, Frederick Law Olmsted, the future architect and urban designer. During his years at Yale, which also included some time at the Yale Divinity School, Charles demonstrated a strong interest in philosophy and he explored a variety of the world’s religions and spent lots of time debating various issues and ideas with his friends and classmates. This led to Charles’ development of a set of beliefs that would guide his life’s work: First, despite the societal attitude that poverty and criminality were synonymous, Brace believed that a truly just system would see that â€Å"lawbreakers might have motives or other qualities that redeemed them, and that God cared less about human law than about romoting happiness† (O’Connor, p. 30). Second, Brace believed that the family was the primary method of shaping humans, as well as the tangible â€Å"image of God’s relationship to humanity: God was a father who loved His children and only wanted only their happiness† (O’Connor, p. 31). Brace went on to view G od’s father figure as trying to mold or improve the character of His children, a value that justified Brace’s efforts to use Christianity and Protestant values as the guiding principles in his work. After the death of his beloved sister, Emma, in 1850, Charles spent a few years travelling across Europe as a foreign correspondent for American newspapers after college and he also used this time to visit schools and other organizations that served the poor in Germany, Hungary, Ireland and England. One result of this time of exploration, observation and study was that Charles came to understand Protestant Christianity as the most advanced, and therefore most superior, guide to moral behavior. He viewed the improved social standing of women and advances in the care and treatment of children as the direct result of the influence of Christianity. Brace stated that â€Å"of all practical changes which Christianity has encouraged or commenced in the history of the world, this respect and value for children is the most important, as it affects the foundation of all society and government, and influences a far distant future† (Bullard, 2005, p. 31). Social Context Throughout Charles’ life thusfar, cities in America had been experiencing tremendous change. The Panic of 1837 had significant impact on levels of unemployment and homelessness, as well as a loss of faith in the idea that religion could be a primary means of change (Nelson, K, 1995, p. 57-58). Events such as the Astor Place riot (1849) and rampant outbreaks of disease caused citizens to believe that â€Å"the foundations of civilization were crumbling at their feet† (O’Connor, p. 42). Movement toward industrialization and urbanization, as well as the swell of immigration during this time contributed to unprecedented levels of population, crime, violence, and other social concerns such as drunkenness, prostitution and domestic violence. The transition from a primarily agricultural society to an industrial one, while beneficial in many aspects, was producing social problems that needed ways of being addressed. After completing his studies at Yale Charles, believing that he heard a call to the ministry, moved to New York City in 1848 to study at Union Theological Seminary. His friend, Frederick Law Olmsted, was already in New York and had written to Charles about his visions for the work they might do to impact the current circumstances of people in the city: â€Å"Throw your light on the paths in Politics and Social Improvement and encourage me to put my foot down and forwards. There’s a great work wants doing in this our generation, Charley—let’s off jacket and go about it† (O’Connor, 2001, p. 26). Upon arriving in New York City, Charles was shocked to see the levels of poverty in the city. Slums overflowed with immigrants and workers who had flocked to the factories that proliferated with the boom of industrialization. Working-class families lived on the edge of poverty; when they slipped over that line, their children were forced to supplement their parents’ income with what they could earn on the streets. Those from the most destitute families—ravaged by disease, alcoholism and violence—often never returned home. (Eviatar, 2001, p. 25). The prevailing response to the increasing numbers of street children was to place them in orphanages, prisons, asylums or indentured servitude. Members of the privileged Victorian upper classes viewed poor children primarily as future criminals and miscreants. Charles Loring Brace, however, saw these children a little differently: Although he thought there were some things that were truly ‘dangerous’ about this class of children (not only as future rioters and robbers but as voters who might elect presidents out of ignorant rage), Brace was one of the first public activists to recognize their authentic virtues and their tremendous potential for good. He truly liked the children he worked with, but more important, he respected them† (O’Connor, p. 78). Brace admired the self-deprecating humor, energy, independence, resolve, moral code, generosity and resourcefulness of the children of the streets. When Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the Species was published in 1859, Brace read it repeatedly and came to view these children, the survivors of â€Å"the struggle for existence† in the fiercest environments, as potentially the most evolutionarily advanced individuals in the nation. â€Å"The problem, as Brace saw it, was that the very environment that bred these robust and most characteristically American of Americans often led them to employ their natural abilities in the worst possible manner, with respect to both their own well-being and society’s† (O’Connor, p. 80). Contribution to Social Work In her textbook, A New History of Social Welfare, sixth edition, Phyllis Day describes Charles Loring Brace thusly: Brace believed that pauper families should be prevented from getting any kind of relief that would keep them together. His solution was to relocate children with families in the West, where they might learn the benefits of hard work in an untouched environment. For twenty years, haphazardly and without follow-up, often simply â€Å"taking† (kidnapping) children they felt were in need, agents loaded children on trains and shipped them to cities in the West, where they were â€Å"picked over† and chosen by families. Unfortunately, many families just wanted the extra help and badly mistreated the children. Many simply disappeared, either running away, getting lost, or dying (Day, 2009, p. 233). Upon further exploration, however, Brace actually had a much deeper desire to help further and deepen the lives of the street children of New York, and he made developing ways of assisting them the primary focus of his work. Brace worked in several settings in New York City (missions, almshouses, tenements, etc. in the early 1850s and honed his focus: â€Å"The way to save the children of the slums, then, and to allow the nation to benefit from their enormous potential, was to find a way to alter their environment so that their best qualities could thrive and become a boon rather than a curse. All of the early projects of the Children’s Aid Society would be attempts to modify the environment of poor children so as to replace the worst influences exerted on them with more â€Å"Christian† one s (O’Connor, p. 80). In January, 1853, Brace met with a group of concerned individuals to discuss these ideas and issues and they founded the Children’s Aid Society (CAS), with a goal of helping the children of the streets by â€Å"plac(ing) them in an environment where their most basic physical needs could be met and their own most healthy and virtuous impulses would make them want to improve themselves, to become the very best men and women they could be† (O’Connor, p. 82). Brace was selected as the leader of the organization, with responsibility for developing plans for the agency’s work as well as the marketing and advertising strategies that would support it. While Brace’s primary intent for the CAS was to follow his belief that Christian men had â€Å"a responsibility to God† to care for the less fortunate children, he also developed a method of appealing to wealthy New Yorkers, the potential financial backers, by showing the advantages of the CAS’ work in attempting to ensure that future society would be protected from the potential negative impact of leaving these children to their own devices on the streets. The CAS borrowed some ideas from existing social service agencies of the time, such as holding â€Å"Sunday meetings† and opening Industrial schools, which were designed to provide an opportunity for the street children to develop basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills, as well as to develop useful job training and trade skills that were of benefit to society. â€Å"Girls learned the ‘needle trades’ (sewing, and dress- and hat-making) and skills they could use as domestics (housecleaning, cooking, serving). Boys were taught such skills as carpentry and shoe- and box-making† (O’Connor, p. 86). Most of the children served were teenagers and the CAS treated them as competent individuals, capable of deciding on their own whether or not they wanted to participate in CAS services. The CAS did employ strong persuasive and evangelical techniques, in an effort to encourage participation, but did not force anyone to participate against their will. Unlike asylums, orphanages, houses of refuge and prisons, which attempted to reform poor children by submitting them to inflexible routines of training, religion and work, the CAS primarily attempted to shape children’s character through the choices it offered and the ‘unconscious influence’ exerted by its ostensibly virtuous staff. Brace believed, in fact, that the offering of choice itself was character-building because it encouraged autonomy and independence† (O’Connor, p. 87-88). The New York newsboys became the face of the children served by the CAS. Popular books by Charles Dickens and Horatio Alger had put the newsboys in the forefront of societal awareness and Charles Loring Brace viewed the newsboys as the personification of the strengths and qualities that he admired most about the children of the streets. The CAS opened the first Newsboys’ Lodging House in 1854, in order to provide reasonably-priced lodging as an option to sleeping on the streets. Residents of the lodging house were expected to pay six cents for a bed and four cents for a meal, in accordance with Brace’s beliefs in self-sufficiency and independence. The lodging house also provided various opportunities for children to engage in reading the Bible and learning about the Golden Rule and the love of God. However, as time passed, Brace saw the benefits of providing practical information and education to the children, such as financial management and educational skills, haircuts, and basic medical treatment. In the lodging houses children were, as Brace described it, â€Å"shaped to be honest and industrious citizens; here taught economy, good order, cleanliness, and morality; here Religion brings its powerful influences to bear upon them; and they are sent forth to begin courses of honest livelihood† (O’Connor, p. 93). As the railroads expanded West, Brace developed another option for assisting homeless children of the city. Expanding on the seeds planted by Rev. Bushnell in his youth, Brace came to believe that, as the moral and spiritual development of children had the potential to be impacted by all they came in contact with, facilitating the move of the street children to more â€Å"decent and properly Christian† environments would be the best way to preserve and enhance their character. By using his contacts with a railroad executive and patron of the CAS, Brace developed an â€Å"Emigration Plan†, in which children who were orphans or from destitute families could sign up for train transport West, towards placement with a new â€Å"family†. Brace strove to maintain the importance of the child’s independence and did not follow the â€Å"indenture† plan of earlier times, in which children were bound to their new family for a period of time in order to pay off debts related to their inclusion in that household. Under Brace’s plan, the CAS or the child’s family maintained guardianship and the relationship between the child and the placement family could be dissolved at any time if either party was dissatisfied. The child was expected to work as a member of the new family, in order to â€Å"pay† his/her way. The new family was expected to provide room and board, make arrangements for education of younger children, provide opportunities for the child to develop work skills and experiences, and provide them some money upon reaching age 21, at which time the child was expected to assume full independence and responsibility for himself. According to CAS archives, CAS moved an estimated â€Å"105,000 children between 1853 and the early 1930s† (O’Connor, p. 49) to the West. While the â€Å"orphan trains†, as they became known, were a massive undertaking, Brace also maintained focus on the local efforts in New York, opening the first Girls’ Lodging House in 1862 and continuing to work with the CAS until his death in 1890, consistently working to enhance the reputation of the CAS, as well as to provide support for children in need. Criticisms Critics of Brace have identified several issues with his work. Throughout the Orphan Train activity, there were consistent complaints that these efforts were, in fact, a move to proselytize Catholic youths (the majority of the street children) and to send them to Protestant families in the West, where they would lose connection with the faith of their ancestors. After Brace’s death, his sons took over the management of CAS and they actually took steps to focus efforts on Protestant children in order to decrease this criticism. Catholic children in need were the focus of Catholic-specific aid agencies. Another complaint was the lack of consistent record-keeping on the children served, especially those sent West. CAS did not take steps to verify the circumstances of children who showed up to take a train trip and there were many who were critical of the fact that some of the children who were sent away were, in fact, from intact functional families. A third issue for critics was that Brace appeared to be somewhat selective in the information that he made public regarding CAS’ work, apparently choosing to idealize the results and minimize the facts related to those whose cases did not end positively. The vast majority of the children who were sent West did not receive any follow-up; neither was there any screening mechanism to determine if placement families were actually upstanding people, or if they might be taking advantage of, or abusing, the children placed with them. In promotional writings, Brace frequently depicted the orphan train efforts as having very high success rates, but in actuality, â€Å"approximately 20 percent of records made under Brace’s stewardship are so incomplete that it is impossible to get any idea of how a child fared in his or her new home, and most of the remaining files are so fragmentary that conclusions based on them can only be educated guesses at best† (O’Connor, p. 49) Clay Gish (1999) identified another criticism that still affects child welfare efforts today: â€Å"One of Brace’s most enduring—and most problematic—legacies to modern social services is that he made it acceptable policy to intervene in the lives of the poor on the grounds of protecting their children† (Gish, p. 137). Summary Charles Loring Brace made many contributions to child welfare reform in the nineteenth century. As described by Howard Husock (2008), â€Å"the scale of what Brace did is stunnin g, especially for those who believe that only government can undertake large-scale efforts to help the poor. Over its first 27 years, the Children’s Aid Society provided temporary assistance and moral instruction to the 170,000 children who passed through its seven Lodging Houses. It also placed 50,000 orphans and other street children in homes in Michigan, Wisconsin and other points west, in order to bring them under the ‘healthy influence of family life’. And it established ’21 day schools’—vocational schools for older kids—‘and 14 night schools, with an aggregate annual attendance of about 100,000 children† (Husock, p. 4). Husock continued: â€Å"In a manner now familiar, he (Brace) identified and described a social problem: child homelessness and its potential to fuel ‘the dangerous classes’. He established a freestanding organization, not linked, for instance, to any one church; assembled a board; successfully solicited thousands of donors; and brought together volunteers and paid staff† (p. 5). Brace arguably impacted the crime rates in New York City as a result of his work as well. A review of crime records in New York from 1861-1871 (O’Connor, p. 75) shows that, while the city’s population grew consistently, arrest rates for vagrancy and petty larceny (the primary crimes children were arrested for) decreased each year. Brace also positively affected the implementation of truancy laws in the city, through his consistent and vociferous support of compulsory education for all children. As time has passed and Brace’s work has been reviewed, many critiques and p roblems have been identified. However, when viewed in the context of nineteenth-century society, Brace’s work shows a progressive ideal that undoubtedly made a difference. The efforts had decidedly mixed results and certainly did not end in overwhelmingly positive outcomes for every child involved. However, research shows that Brace’s true intent did indeed appear to be to help those in need, in accordance with his personal religious mandate of having an obligation to do so. As a child who was adopted at birth, this writer can appreciate Brace’s efforts to facilitate the movement of children in need to more positive and family-oriented situations. I certainly feel for many of the children and families that were separated, whether as a direct result of Brace’s efforts or by some ther circumstance, as this was surely a heart-wrenching experience to have. Then again, I recognize that I am viewing these situations through a twenty-first century lens, which colors my perspective a bit. In the nineteenth century, children were expected to work and be contributors to the family’s well-being as opposed to current views of children a s â€Å"special† beings primarily in need of love and support in order to grow, develop and become productive and upstanding members of society. Charles Loring Brace lived during the beginnings of the shift in societal views on children and their roles. In review of his work, it appears that he did what he was capable of to make a difference in the lives of those he was called to serve.

Practical Criticism of the Poem Futility by Wilfred Owen Essay Essay Example

Practical Criticism of the Poem Futility by Wilfred Owen Essay Essay Example Practical Criticism of the Poem Futility by Wilfred Owen Essay Paper Practical Criticism of the Poem Futility by Wilfred Owen Essay Paper The verse form begins with an order â€Å"move him into the sun† . The character seems to be despairing to travel person under the Sun. The 2nd line negotiations about the beginning of life when the beams of the Sun must hold touched the delicate organic structure of the individual as a babe. The undermentioned words â€Å"field unsown† refers to immatureness. uncomplete life or a half adult province. It acts as a metaphor on the rhythm of life. The character continues to talk about the regular behaviour of the individual. He seemed to hold been acquainted with the Sun and life every bit good â€Å"until this morning† The words act as symbols of contrasts. Whereas the forenoon and the Sun act as symbols of life. snow refers to decease and somberness. The last two lines of the first stanza refer to sun as an aged figure. It is important through the words â€Å"pld sun† . In the 2nd stanza. the persona negotiations about the strength of Sun. While the Sun on e time brought life to the cold waste Earth. it appears unacceptable to the character that the same Sun can non convey life in the lifeless immature soldier. The character directs the reader towards war and its effects. He tells the reader that the soldier is still warm. He feels helpless to see the wrecked province of a human being who bears no significance after his decease. He is sad at his status. The mention made to the Genesis and the creative activity of adult male from the clay can be seen in the 5th line of the 2nd stanza. He complains that was it for this twenty-four hours that the human being grew up holding been created by the Lord himself. The verse form is an epitaph sing its manner of building. A melancholy and acrimonious tone is being carried out. a individual. most likely a soldier is a immature chap lies in conflict field in a half dead status. The subjects such as the ferociousness of life and the pathetic effects of war can be observed through the lines. In a nu tshell the verse form appears an rational unfavorable judgment of war and its horrific effects.

RN Staffing Time and Outcomes of LongStay Nursing Home Residents Must Essay

RN Staffing Time and Outcomes of LongStay Nursing Home Residents Must be a Nursing Research Critique - Essay Example Moreover, this research highlights the inadequacy of the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1987 whereby only 8 hours of RN care is covered, necessitating more political lobbying to expand the sphere Medicaid. Although this article provided impressive background information of the authors, not much of their previous works and field of interest were cited to back the general aim for the convergence of each into the overall principle of this research article. It would have been useful to know what other studies they have conducted in order to establish, if there are any, a pattern that explains why this particular research was engaged and therefore realize the connection of each of the authors aim. We are however left to assume that in consideration with their expertise, they are of the same conjecture as regards the necessity improve quality of care. The title in itself is already clear, in which there is no need to elaborate what the research wants to establish. The presentation on the other hand is a comprehensive discussion of how the authors derived the very core and tenor of this research, and they further elaborated the objective, methods of data collection, interpretation as well as the simple analysis of the data collected. Each method of data collection is defined in such a way that comprehension is established in the analysis and relevance. The conclusion was congruently presented with the intentions set to be derived at in the title. Problem/Purpose/Hypothesis The issues presented in this article define the adverse effects brought about by the lack of capable care provider in the aged facility, regardless of the presence of other staffs (i.e., LPN and CNA). The issue stresses that there is a considerable difference in the quality of care provided by the Registered Nurse (RN) as compared to those rendered by the License Practical Nurse (LPN) or Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), in which their study endorses the advantage of the presence of RNs in the nursing home. The article further presented the incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers, UTI, malnutrition and regression in the performance of ADLs, consequential to the less amount of actual care provided to the geriatric patients. The problem identified by the authors were concrete and actual even in the medical field, with a hypothesis that can strongly argue relevance on its own, being that pressure ulcers in itself can be anticipated and prevented by proper nursing care. Although the purpose of their presentation was non interventional in nature, they author nevertheless extended their discussion on the etiology and prognosis of the health risks presented, being highly manageable and preventable. Review of Literature Extensive and informative resources were utilized to back the claims and contentions in this research, which only goes to prove the relevance and prevalence of the issues mentioned. A vast collection of other researches were referred to by the authors as well as complete and authentic statistical data from verified and reliable sources. It must be noted however that the legitimacy of this research is strongly supported and funded by both Abbot

Business Environment In South Africa Research Paper

Business Environment In South Africa - Research Paper Example In addition, the country has a sophisticated business environment that enables business to easily export and import goods. This is also advantageous to the global businesses that enter the marker because it increases their global competitiveness. Most global companies prefer South Africa because its manufacturing base for product exports is also not expensive. This is because it is easier to access other markets such as the Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, and South American markets from the country (Chalmers & Godfrey 273). In addition, businesses that enter the market have high opportunities to grow. This is because of the faster economic growth in the country. Furthermore, it is easier to enter the marker because of the political stability that has contributed to the creation of the friendly business environment. Political stability has enabled most of the global business to operate effectively because it makes the country integrated into the global market system. It is also easier to do business in the county because of the cultural diversity. Most global businesses find it easier to team up with the local citizens because of the many different cultures. For instance, the country has about 11 common languages of which English is the most used. This implies that there are no misunderstandings due to communication difficulties. Entering the market is also easier because corruption is not very high in the country. Researches show that among the 163 countries, South Africa is rated number 54 for its tran sparency. (Chalmers & Godfrey 273). The country’s company law regime The South African government has implemented various business laws that aim at promoting the competitiveness of the businesses that enter its market. The English law has influenced the favorable legal environment in the country. It easier for global firms to perform effectively since the businesses legal practices relating to transactions and agreement are applicable internationally. This is because the laws have been aligned with the global norms and conventions. For instance, the country’s constitution is excellent and promotes the autonomy of the judiciary. This implies that most businesses operate under the free economy framework. In addition, the legal system is opened to all the businesspersons including the foreigners on equal legal term. The commercial law also ensures that the businesspersons’ rights are protected by the independent courts. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is among the lead ing stock exchanges globally due to the country’s favorable commercial legal system. The JSE limited helps in ensuring that all companies in the market increase their capital in a comfortable and reasonably regulated market environment. The JSE also helps in increasing the quality of its companies by ensuring that all the companies in the stock market achieve higher standards compared to other world- class exchanges. This ensures that shareholders enjoy competent and secure market (South Africa Info.1). State-owned enterprises The state-owned enterprises (SOE) are the government owned corporations or entities in South Africa that perform certain functions as required by the law. They play a great role in creating a comfortable business environment in the country. For instance, they improve the country’s infrastructure and other services industries such as transportation and water that help in

Case Study- Kindle Essay Example for Free

Case Study- Kindle Essay This case study focuses on how Amazon has utilized digital technology to reach out to more customers as it realises the importance of convenience for its readers. Its product the Kindle is an e-reader that offers an alternative to hard copy books. The Kindle offers readers the mobility and efficiency when purchasing and reading books. Amazon has also furthered its opportunities by partnering with certain companies namely Apple, Penguin and Lonely Planet. Although the Kindle is the market leader in the e-book market, it has strong competitors i. e. IPad. Rather than viewing Apple as a competitor, Amazon took this opportunity to reach out to more of its customer base, namely through Apple users. By offering the free Kindle app to Apple and Android products, Amazon has widened its access to potential readers. Amazon has partnered with publishers Penguin and Lonely Planet who are vital suppliers to e-books. In order to appeal to readers, the Kindle has to offer its customers a variety of books to choose from. To do this they require digital books that can only be supplied in large quantities by big publishing companies who have a variety of books they’ve published and can offer to the Kindle. Thus by forming the right relationships with other businesses, Amazon has be able to position itself well in the e-book market and to penetrate into other digital markets too. By understanding the changing needs of the market, Amazon has identified the appropriate product that can satisfy its customers. Reading is a hobby for many people and many desire to do so but find it impractical carrying books around and find they have little time to read them. Thus by digitialising books, they have given customers the ability to read anywhere and everywhere. By offering the free app to smart phones, this is especially convenient as most people use smart phones every minute of every day and thus this encourages more people to read as they are now given a bookstore in their fingertips. Kindle now has further plans to expand its customer range by offering books of different languages. Thus this will enable millions of people in the world to gain access to virtual books in their hands without feeling the weight of them.

Hypokalemia After Acute Acetaminophen Overdose

Hypokalemia After Acute Acetaminophen Overdose Objectives: This study intended to determine the prevalence of hypokalemia and its clinical correlates in acute psychiatric illness among hypokalemic and normokalemic patients after acetaminophen overdose. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of hospital admissions for acute acetaminophen overdose conducted over a period of 5 years from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2008. Demographic data and different types of psychiatric illness were compared between hypokalemic and normokalemic patients. Hypokalemia was predefined by a serum concentration < 3.5 mmol/ L. SPSS 15 was used for data analysis. Results: Two hundred and eighty patients out of 305 admissions were studied. Hypokalemia was found in 63.6% of patients with a higher prevalence in the presence of psychiatric illness (67.7%). Hypokalemic patients were significantly associated with the presence of major depression (P = 0.04), adjustment disorder (P < 0.001), anxiety (P = 0.01), and suicidal attempts (P = 0.04). Conclusion: Hypokalemia was common among patients with psychiatric illness and acute acetaminophen overdose. Key Words: Acetaminophen; Hypokalemia; Overdose; Potassium; Psychiatric illness. Introduction Deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) is recognized as a major cause of suicide around the world.1 Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) is the most common drug employed in DSP in many countries, 2, 3 including Malaysia.4 Despite excellent safety in therapeutic doses of acetaminophen; it is also one of the leading causes of severe hepatic necrosis.5 Acetaminophen overdose may be accompanied by electrolyte disturbances including hypokalemia, and these appear to be independent of the hepatotoxic effects.6 These electrolyte changes appear to be due to the increase in fractional renal excretion of potassium, but the underlying cellular mechanisms by which acetaminophen might alter electrolyte transport are still unknown.6-9 In some cases, hypokalemia may be severe, reaching a level of 2.3 mmol/ L after reported ingestion of 48 g of acetaminophen.8 Hypokalemia, an easily identifiable and clinically important condition in clinical settings, has received little attention from researchers worldwide. Not only is hypokalemia associated with frequent cardiac and neuromuscular complications, but its effect on mental function may also exacerbate psychiatric disturbances.10, 11 Both anxiety12 and intense exercise13 increase circulating epinephrine, which induces a ÃŽ ²2 receptor-mediated influx of potassium into skeletal muscle.14 As this condition may be similar to the acute psychotic state, it was hypothesized that the decline in serum potassium concentration could be associated with the presence of psychiatric illness during acetaminophen overdose. To improve our knowledge of hypokalemia after acute acetaminophen overdose, we carried out a five-year, hospital-based study with the following objectives: 1) to determine the prevalence of hypokalemia in patients presenting to hospital after acetaminophen overdose, and 2) to investigate the clinical correlates in acute psychiatric illness among hypokalemic and normokalemic patients after acetaminophen overdose. Methods Settings and Study Design This is an observational retrospective case review of all patients with acute acetaminophen overdose admitted to a 1200-bed hospital located in the Northern region of Malaysia. The hospital provides health care and emergency treatment for all illnesses and accidents. All aspects of the study protocol, including access to and use of the patients clinical information, were authorized by the local health authorities before initiation of this study. Participants and Data Collection Data were collected from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2008. A computer generated list was obtained from the Hospital Record Office. We identified our cases according to the T-codes of the International Classification of Diseases-Tenth revision (ICD-10). All patients with diagnostic codes T 39.1 (acetaminophen overdose) were included in the study. Specially designed data-collection forms were used to collect data concerning age, gender, circumstances of overdose (accidental or suicidal), stated date and time of poisoning to calculate the latency time (the time of ingestion to the time the patient was presented at the hospital), quantity of acetaminophen ingested, GI decontamination such as stomach wash, laboratory tests including serum acetaminophen concentration, and serum potassium concentrations during the first day of admission and after a minimum of 4 hours of ingestion. Data on serum acetaminophen concentration measurements were obtained from the hospitals therapeutic drug monitoring laboratory service. In addition, data related to the presence of psychiatric illness were obtained. psychiatric illness was defined as the presence of any disturbance of emotional equilibrium, as manifested in maladaptive behavior and impaired functioning, caused by genetic, physical, chemical, biological, psychological, or social and cultur al factors such as depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, impulsive behaviors and stress reactions, either emotional or behavioral; these causes were noted by the hospital psychiatric specialist report. Hypokalemia was defined as a serum potassium level of less than 3.5 mmol/ L.11 Patients with hypokalemia were classified into three groups based on potassium levels: (1) mild/ grade 1 (3.0 3.4 mmol/ L), (2) moderate/grade 2 (2.5 2.9 mmol/ L) and, (3) severe/grade 3 (< 2.5 mmol/ L).15 The charts of all patients identified through the search were reviewed and the data collected. Charts were excluded from analysis for the following reasons: (1) baseline potassium concentrations were not measured, (2) if patients had taken acetaminophen but the cause of ingestion was unknown or undetermined, (3) the time of ingestion was not known or (4) the patients were on regular prescribed drugs that lead to hypokalemia, such as furosemide, and (5) the patients were children under 13 years of age. Charts of patients who had laboratory tests at or more than 4 hours post-ingestion were extracted for further analysis. Statistical analysis Data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program version 15 (SPSS). Data were expressed as mean  ± SD for continuous variables and as frequency for categorical variables. The Chi square or Fischers exact test, as appropriate, was used to test the significance between categorical variables. The independent samples t-test was used to compare means of continuous variables. Variables were tested for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Variables that were not normally distributed were expressed as a median (lower upper quartiles). Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. Results Three hundred and five cases of acetaminophen overdose were identified. Of these, 25 patients (8.2%) were excluded. Baseline potassium concentrations were not measured in eight patients, one patient was given furosemide at admission, five patients were less than 13 years old, the cause of ingestion was unknown or undetermined in 11 patients, and therefore, the study population consisted of 280 patients (45 male and 235 female patients with a mean age of 23.4  ± 7.1, giving a female: male ratio of 5.22: 1). The majority (72.1%) of cases of acetaminophen ingestion were presented within eight hours. The median (interquartile range) quantity of acetaminophen ingested was 10 g (6 15 g). Initial management included stomach wash, which was performed in 181 (64.6%) cases. Activated charcoal was given while patients were in the Accident and Emergency department; it was given as single or multiple doses in 173 cases (61.8%). Intravenous N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was given to 140 patients (50%) after acetaminophen levels were estimated. The median (interquartile range) serum acetaminophen concentration was 55.6 mg/ L (14 120 mg/ L). During the study period, 63.6% (178 patients; 33 males and 145 females) had potassium levels of less than 3.5 mmol/ L. For the hypokalemic patients, the mean potassium level was 3.1  ± 0.26 mmol/ L, while that for the normokalemic patients was 3.76  ± 0.35 mmol/ L. Most of the patients (129) were in mild stage hypokalemia and 45 patients were in moderate stage hypokalemia. Few patients (4) were in severe stage hypokalemia. Psychiatrically ill subjects were found to have hypokalemia, and the prevalence was higher than that in non-psychiatrically ill subjects (67.7% versus 43.8%; respectively, P = 0.002) (Figure 1). The most common clinical diagnosis among medically treated suicide attempters was adjustment disorder (45.7%) followed by impulsive behavior (24.3%), major depression (10.7%), and anxiety (2.1%). Hypokalemia was significantly associated with the presence of major depression (P = 0.04), adjustment disorder (P < 0.001), anxiety (P = 0.01), and suicidal attempts (P = 0.04). However, normokalemia was significantly associated with impulsive behavior (P < 0.001), the absence of psychiatric illness (P = 0.002), and the presence of accidental overdose (P = 0.04) (Table 1). One hundred and twelve patients with adjustment disorder and six patients with anxiety were found to have hypokalemia, and the prevalence of hypokalemia among these patients was higher than that in the overall study population and in patients with other psychiatric disorders (100% and 87.5%, respectively). Similarly, their mean potassium level was lower than that of the overall study population (3.16  ± 0.41 and 3.2  ± 0.21 mmol/ L, respectively) (Table 2). Eight hypokalemic patients (4.5%) were supplemented with oral potassium medication, and 85 hypokalemic patients (47.8%) were treated with intravenous potassium chloride, and their potassium levels were normalized in the next blood test. Additionally, most of the treated patients (59) were in mild stage hypokalemia and 32 patients were in moderate stage hypokalemia. Few patients (2) were in severe stage hypokalemia. Discussion This study is the first of its kind in Malaysia and has been carried out to determine the prevalence of hypokalemia in patients presenting to hospital after acute acetaminophen overdose, and to investigate the clinical correlates in acute psychiatric illness among hypokalemic and normokalemic patients after acetaminophen overdose in 280 patients with acute acetaminophen overdose collected retrospectively from a records registry. In this study hypokalemia was identified in 178 patients, and the prevalence of hypokalemia among hospitalized patients with acetaminophen overdose was 63.6%. A previous study found that hypokalemia was common in medical inpatient settings.16 About 20% of stroke, 10% of myocardial infarction patients,17 21.2% of psychiatric disorders,18 and about one third of acute acetaminophen overdose patients suffered from hypokalemia.9 The high prevalence of hypokalemia after acetaminophen overdose might be due to multiple risk factors. The etiology of hypokalemia is complex. The level of serum potassium depends on the balance between oral intake, renal and gastrointestinal losses as well as the balance and movement between extra and intra-cellular compartments.11 A previous study found that 7.6% of psychiatric patients had nutritional problems;19 inadequate dietary potassium intake was relatively rare unless daily potassium intake was less than 25 mmol.20 This study found that it was the psychiatrically ill patients, rather than those patients with no psychiatric illness, who were more likely to develop hypokalemia. This finding is consistent with other published studies that showed that hypokalemia was common among acute psychiatric inpatients.18, 21, 22 Adjustment disorders are often precipitated by stress reactions.23 For most people, stress is associated with higher cortisol levels.24, 25 Previous studies have suggested that high cortisol levels may be the principal cause of hypokalemia.26-28 In this study, patients with anxiety were suffering from a low mean potassium concentration and a high prevalence of hypokalemia. The exact mechanism was uncertain. This finding is in agreement with another published study that has shown small decreases in serum potassium among 200 pre-operative patients who had an increase in anxiety.12 The explanation of this finding is that anxiety increases the circulating epinephrine, 12 which induces a ÃŽ ²2 receptor-mediated influx of potassium into skeletal muscle.14 In the present study, patients with major depression were suffering from a high prevalence of hypokalemia. This finding is similar to a previous work that has shown patients with major depression had lower mean serum potassium values and a higher incidence of hypokalemia than other disorders such as dysthymic disorder and schizophrenic psychosis.18 This finding may be due to changes in adrenergic drive or in sensitivity or density of the ÃŽ ²2-receptor. 18 Expected findings in our study were the low incidence of hypokalemia in the patients with impulsive behavior. These patients differed significantly from the other types of psychiatric illness and considered as a part of the normal behavior.29 This is supported by findings that impulsivity is a type of human behavior characterized by the inclination of an individual to act on impulse rather than thought.30 It has been concluded in previous study that the decreased peripheral epinephrine levels may be involved in pathophysiology of impulsive and hyperactive behaviors.31 This mechanism results in a decreased uptake of potassium by cells. In addition, this study found that it was the suicidal patients, rather than those with accidental overdose, who were more likely to develop hypokalemia. Attempted suicide is assumed to be a hyper-adrenergic state.18 A retrospective study carried out on patients with psychiatric disorders concluded that significant differences existed among the attempted suicide group with regard to hypokalemia.18 ÃŽ ²-adrenergic receptor stimulation causes hypokalemia in experimental animals and humans.32 There is little doubt that one of the mechanisms of hypokalemia is a beta 2-receptor-mediated influx of potassium into skeletal muscle, induced by circulating epinephrine.18, 33, 34 It has been demonstrated that epinephrine causes excessive activation of the sodium/potassium-ATPase pump as a result of ÃŽ ²2-adrenergic receptor stimulation.14, 33 This mechanism results in an increased uptake of potassium by cells, leading to a decrease in serum potassium levels. As the influence of the adrenergic sy stem on serum potassium is found in many psychiatric situations, 18, 21, 22, 35 it may explain why a high prevalence of the patients included in our study were presented with hypokalemia. A high percentage of patients (47.7%) were still not being treated for low potassium levels, putting their health in jeopardy. The common occurrence of hypokalemia in patients with acute acetaminophen overdose should alert all clinicians to the importance of correcting potassium loss, since most of the patients with an acetaminophen overdose might have received intravenous fluids or N-acetylcysteine in serum dextrose 5%. However, this may have altered serum potassium concentrations through endogenous insulin production induced by 5% dextrose, resulting in movement of potassium into the intracellular compartment. Nonetheless, the extensive use of dextrose may expose the patients to higher risks. This study is the first one of its type in Malaysia to investigate the clinical correlates in acute psychiatric illness among hypokalemic and normokalemic patients after acetaminophen overdose. It is also the first study suggested that hypokalemia is related to psychiatric status after acetaminophen overdose rather than the previous studious that showed a dose-dependent relationship between fall in serum potassium and serum acetaminophen at presentation.6, 9 Our study suffers from a few limitations. Firstly, further risk factors for hypokalemia were not taken into account in the analysis. A second limitation is its retrospective nature and the lack of structured interview assessment of the subjects. Thirdly, we can only suggest, rather than prove, that the psychiatric state is responsible for the high occurrence of hypokalemia diagnosed in our population. Conclusions and recommendations In conclusion, hypokalemia is highly prevalent among psychiatrically ill patients and after acute acetaminophen overdose. Therefore, monitoring of serum potassium concentration may be clinically important on emergency admission for all cases of acute acetaminophen overdoses to prevent the consequences of hypokalemia. Supplemental potassium administration should be commenced as soon as possible. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for the financial support provided for their research. The assistance of the medical and record office staff is gratefully acknowledged. Conflict of interests: We would like to declare that there was no conflict of interests in conducting this research.

Stolen

Lauren Moore 0150 Ms Clevenger 21 November 2011 Stolen The book, Stolen, by Vivian Vande Velde was found for me at the John Vaughn NSU library. It is a mystery and adventurous book, to which I should mention that mystery, love, and adventurous are my favorite types of books so two out three isn’t bad at all. The author Vivian Vande Velde has written many other books. Most of her books are for children; a couple of them are in the age group of teen and adult. Like for example â€Å"The Conjurer Princess† and â€Å"The Changeling Prince† are both books for early teen and beginning adult ages.There are a lot of characters in my book. There is a little girl who goes by the name Ravyen she leaves with her grandparents which really their not her grandparents they adopted her. Avis and Browley, which are the grandparents of Ravyn. There is Ravyn’s friend Orsen who thinks he is smarter than everybody else and attempts to act tough and big around Rayvn but it never works out the way he had planned on it to. Then there is Isabelle, she is the girl in my book that is lost and wakes up in Ravyn’s grandparent’s house to notice that she remembers nothing including her own name.The main character is my book is the witch, now the witch is a mean old person who according to the village has been stealing everybody’s new born babies. The genre of my story is mystery, a little scary, and adventurous. It’s not to long of a story but it is just long enough that you can read it in one to two days. I’m the same way with my books as I am with my movies. I like my movies a little scary but to scary to where I have nightmares, more mystery then adventurous but to where I have to actually pay attention because if I don’t I’ll get lost really bad!Throughout my book you have to really pay attention to very single detail because if you don’t you will miss a step and then you will just be lost throughout the r est of the book. It starts out telling you about Isabella, she’s running through the woods in her long gown type of dress. She has no idea why she’s running, what she’s running from. Nor where she is running to. She begins to hear dogs barking and running toward her direction. She begins to climb up into a tree but realizes its way to high for the next branch to reach and if she jumps she will fall and who knows what the dogs could do to her.She ends up just laying there the owner of the dogs, Avis, finds her all covered in blood, he gentle picks her up and carries her back to the house where Ravyn, her new born puppies ,and Avis’s wife Browley are. As time goes on they realize that Isabella is blank, she know s nothing, but there is a family that hears about Isabella **You have introduced Rayven and Orson in the beginning paragraphs, but then start talking about Isabella; who is she? You need to introduce your characters.Is the witch really the main char acter or is Rayven, or Isabella? Use the terms protagonist and antagonist. Also, what is the theme? What is the main idea of the book? If you do not know, look it up on Google search. Conclusion goes here: what do you think of the book? How would you rate it? Would you recommend it to everyone? Works Cited Insert the List of Works Cited here. To create your list of Works Cited, use CiteWrite; click Start, Programs, DrPaper4, References – CiteWrite. For help using CiteWrite, click on the Help menu in CiteWrite.If you just have a few works to cite, you can use these examples to type them by hand: Anderson, Frank J. An Illustrated History of the Herbals. New York: Columbia University Press, 1977. Gardener, Edwin D. , Elizabeth Miner, and G. D. Royans. â€Å"Heretics. † 16th Century England. Ed. Samuel Nevins and Lisa Bointer. London: Methaneon, 1988. 327-84. â€Å"Get Fit in Seven Days. † Health and Medicine. 2006. Society of Heart Physicians. 26 Mar. 2006 . Myers, Bethany. â€Å"Public Ritual. † Citizen Forum 8 (1922): 221-29. Delete this text before you turn in your paper!

Letter Opinion and Suggestions to Restaurant

I am writing to commend on your new opened McDonald's restaurant in Rzeszow, which I recently had opportunity to visit. I am a regular guest in your chain of restaurants so it was pleasure for me to hear that the new one is situated near my living place. Moreover, standard of this branch did not disappointed my expectations. I was positively surprised that the staff was very friendly and helpful. They serve food as quick as it is possible with a smile and nice attitude. I truly appreciate the fact that meals are hot, fresh and in available prices. Additionaly, I noticed many tills which makes ordering easier and helps to avoid queues. Arrangement of sits supposed to be highlighted as well. In my opinion there is a lot of space with many tables. That enables customers to enjoy their meals in comfortable and calm atmosphere. I may say that colours and decoration appeal to me and help to relax during the visit. I think all these aspects are worth minding becouse they make people come back again. However, there are few minor details which might be done in slightly different way. I would feel much more satisfied when my order would be brought to the table by a staff member. It does not require much effort but would make a visit more pleasing. Moreover, I noticed that some tables were not cleaned, this is definitely duty of a staff. Finally, I would like to mention one more issue: when I had to go to the toilet I found that it is needed to enter a code from a receipt to get in. It seems quite strange to me and should be changed. I hope these suggestions will be taken into consideration and help you to improve standard of your restaurant. I am sure that I will be your regular customer and I hope that every next visit will be as pleasant as the last one. I wish you great success and many customers in this place.

Free Essays on Writing

My writing experience has been wonderful. I now know the proper techniques of a well-written paper. In the beginning I knew that there were some errors that needed to be corrected in my writing, luckily I have been taught the proper way. There are still a couple of errors that are still in the process of being corrected. So in the end my papers will show less comma splices, fragments, and better intro sentences. In high school one would think that the proper way of writing a paper was how we were taught. But when you go to college it is a whole new form of writing. Your entire paper has to be changed. And in the beginning that was hard for me. Going from high school writing to college writing is an entire new way of writing. In the beginning of the semester our first essay was an example essay. My essay was called The Hardships of the Freshman Experience. Personally I thought my paper was great and that I had errors, but not as many as I saw on my paper. There were so many red lines on my paper that I thought were wrong. But in the end I saw that my errors were really errors. Now if they wouldn’t have been marked I would have continued to write my papers in the same matter. In the first paper I saw my main problems were in using the word â€Å"you† entirely too much. And In papers like that one cannot use the word â€Å" you† so that was one of my main problems. Also another one of my problems was fragments. It seems as though no matter how hard I tried I would always end up with a bad sentence. I now know the proper way to begin and end a sentence. Fragments played a major role in making my essays a not so good essay. In the beginning I would have sworn that the paper I was writing was an A plus paper. But this class has taught me the difference. I know that one would have certain expectations of the writing form. But there are so many different ways in writing a paper. One may try to go by one form of writing and there is always a... Free Essays on Writing Free Essays on Writing My writing experience has been wonderful. I now know the proper techniques of a well-written paper. In the beginning I knew that there were some errors that needed to be corrected in my writing, luckily I have been taught the proper way. There are still a couple of errors that are still in the process of being corrected. So in the end my papers will show less comma splices, fragments, and better intro sentences. In high school one would think that the proper way of writing a paper was how we were taught. But when you go to college it is a whole new form of writing. Your entire paper has to be changed. And in the beginning that was hard for me. Going from high school writing to college writing is an entire new way of writing. In the beginning of the semester our first essay was an example essay. My essay was called The Hardships of the Freshman Experience. Personally I thought my paper was great and that I had errors, but not as many as I saw on my paper. There were so many red lines on my paper that I thought were wrong. But in the end I saw that my errors were really errors. Now if they wouldn’t have been marked I would have continued to write my papers in the same matter. In the first paper I saw my main problems were in using the word â€Å"you† entirely too much. And In papers like that one cannot use the word â€Å" you† so that was one of my main problems. Also another one of my problems was fragments. It seems as though no matter how hard I tried I would always end up with a bad sentence. I now know the proper way to begin and end a sentence. Fragments played a major role in making my essays a not so good essay. In the beginning I would have sworn that the paper I was writing was an A plus paper. But this class has taught me the difference. I know that one would have certain expectations of the writing form. But there are so many different ways in writing a paper. One may try to go by one form of writing and there is always a...

Descartes Essays - Ren Descartes, Epistemology, Thought, Free Essays

Descartes Essays - Ren Descartes, Epistemology, Thought, Free Essays Descartes Descartes Meditations Descartes Cogito Ergo Sum (I am, I exist) argument is a complex one. In many ways, he constructs a convincing argument for the existence of the self, and for the process of the thinking being, the essence of that self. In this meditation on his philosophy, Descartes on numerous attempts tries to convince both the readers, as well as himself, of his theory that we must reject all of our present ideas and beliefs and start from nothing. He believes that the only thing that has any certainty at this point is his own existence as a thinking being. Everything else, which he has learned throughout his entire life and believed in, is to be thrown out because it is not known clearly and distinctly. Descartes method and theory on knowledge was well planned and carefully thought out. It is evident that he spent a great deal of time determining the principles that he would use as determinants for judging whether a specific idea was justified and true. In my opinion, there are some flaws contained in Descartes argument. Among these flaws are Descartes apparent determination to prove his theory on his individual existence in the world and the existence of G-d to backup and prove himself and his theories. At the beginning of meditation two, Descartes is stuck in the middle of nothingness. He has nothing, nothing to believe in and everything around him he regards as false. This is because he cannot believe what he has learned and he is also unable to trust his senses due to the fact that they deceive him. He feels like he is drowning in a whirlpool and cannot reach the top and get out nor can he put his feet on the bottom and stand. Everything in the world at this point he has called into doubt, including himself. Everything that he has ever seen, learned or thought is now external from what he deems to be true and he is beginning his knowledge from non-existence. Descartes although is certain of one thing, nothing (but to be certain of nothing is still to be certain of something?). Descartes is a rational thinker and he rationalizes through his studies that nothing in the world is known. He decided to re-start his belief process and call everything he has ever believed in, into doubt. He is debating complex ideas in his head, changing his mind and objectively making decisions, so his existence in a world has to be a certainty. The fact that he is having these thoughts, whether right or wrong proves mental capacity. Descartes then states with certainty Cogito ergo sum (I am, I exist). This is the first accurate idea that Descartes knows with any conviction, he knows that he is a thinking being. Descartes still does not know what he is, he says but what then am I? A thing that thinks. What is that? A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and that also imagines and senses. He is aware of his mental capacity and knows he thinks, deliberates and makes decisions, but he still rejects his body and his senses. O ne major flaw found in Descartes argument is that while critically examining, and then rejecting, mostly everything in the world around him, he maintained that he could prove the existence of G-d, beyond a shadow of a doubt. For thousands of years, people have been trying to prove G-ds existence but he has yet to be successful. It seems to me that Descartes showed a display of arrogance in supposing that he could devise a method of proving the existence of G-d, doing so without a great deal of difficulty. At one point in his discourse on method, Descartes sets out a code of morals, which he plans to abide by. Descartes states that he plans to obey the laws and the customs of my country, constantly holding on to the religion in which, by G-ds grace, I had been instructed from my childhood . It is quite apparent from this passage, that Descartes had accepted and embraced the idea of G-d long before he even began to question it. With this pre-judgement of

The Implications of American Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Implications of American Outsourcing - Essay Example Over the years the American economy has taken a drastic turn for the worse, especially in the realm of job sustainability. In a study conducted by the University of California, "14 million white-collar jobs are vulnerable to being outsourced offshore" (Roberts, 2005). These include jobs requiring a high-level of skill including "information technology, accounting, architecture, advanced engineering design, news reporting, stock analysis, and medical and legal services" (Roberts, 2005). According to another study done by EconEdlink, America's unemployment rate has increased alarmingly since 2001, after having experienced a period of substantial lows throughout the mid-90s. After that the unemployment rate remained somewhat steady, with a spiked increase between 2003 and 2004 followed by occasional yet not extremely noteworthy decreases. (See Figure 1 & 2 for a visual depiction of this phenomenon). How can outsourcing be justified in the face of such figures To make matters worse, many of the persons displaced by outsourcing are those who have spent a great deal of time, money and energy at colleges or other academic institutions trying to acquire specialized skills. When education can no longer offer assurance for an individual's financial future, "the value of the investment in training, and in the individual, to promote growth in America's society, and economy, is diminished" (Torrance, 2006). In fact, it is not too uncommon to hear IT graduates mumble about how there are so few jobs available because the jobs they were trained to do are now being exported (Torrance, 2006). Consequently, professional workers affected by outsourcing must consider either negotiating lower wages or changing their vocation completely. The former option seems unrealistic especially considering "businesses who are outsourcing can set a minimum wage in developing countries that would never be accep ted as a minimum wage in America" (Torrance, 2006). The latter option only exists as long as there are industries that are willing to do business primarily in the United States. If other companies also believe outsourcing will improve their profitability, then where can the American worker turn Outsourcing proponents argue that even though outsourcing may take a few jobs away initially, in the long run it will put more money in America's pocket by lowering the cost of consumer goods and services. It will help create a sector of jobs more reliant on management and creativity than a fulfillment of 'worker-ant' responsibilities. All of this could be true as long as some form of employment remains available for Americans to earn money for spending. However, if everyone outsources it will get to the point that reduced costs won't matter because Americans simply won't have the money to

Electric car Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Electric car - Research Paper Example There is not a single category of cars manufactured by the automobile manufacturing companies; rather they are categorized into many types based on mechanical specifications, shape, performance, and size. Any new model of a car brand includes some technical, mechanical, and technological enhancements, which make that specific model of car superior to earlier models. Apart from difference in brands, there also exist some differences in the types of cars. Some of the most renowned types include electric car, gasoline cars, and hybrid cars. All these types of cars have some advantages and disadvantages, which make the people switch from one car type to another. In this research paper, we will discuss those reasons that make people switch from gas cars to electric cars. Along with that, we will also take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of different types of cars which include gasoline cars, electric cars, and hybrid cars in order to get a better understanding of why peo ple’s choice shifts from one car to another type of car. What are Electric Cars? An electric car is a vehicle that makes use of electric motors and batteries instead of engines used by the gasoline cars. The rechargeable batteries control the main parts of electric cars, which give power to the electric motors that run the cars. Until the advancement in the internal combustion engine, electric cars were the most popular cars in the whole world. People used to travel in electric cars because they were the most popular transport in the late 19th century and the earlier decades of the 20th century. When the car manufacturing companies introduced internal combustion engine and less expensive gasoline cars, the demand for electric cars decreased. Another factor, which proved to be a reason for the decrease in interest for electric cars, was the energy crises of late 1970s. In that era, it became very difficult for the automobile manufacturing companies to gain profits by manufactu ring electric cars because of the decreased interest in electric cars, which had resulted due to the energy crises. The demand shifted from electric cars to gasoline and petrol cars because the prices of oil and petroleum were very low in that age as compared to today. However, electric cars have again started gaining popularity among the public not only due to various attractive features but also as the result of increased fuel prices all over the world. Today, those people who can have enough money to buy an electric car, do not want to buy gasoline cars. Some of the world’s most renowned car manufacturing companies such as Honda and Toyota are developing such cars, which are able to attract a large number of people towards electric cars. Features of Electric Cars A number of features make electric cars different from gasoline cars. Some of the most considerable features of electric cars include durability, convenience, much more efficiency as compared to gas engines, up to 500 hundred percent more efficiency than internal combustion engines, regenerative breaking system, and no emission production. There is no emission of fuels from electric cars because electric cars do not use gas at all for any purpose. â€Å"Once electricity is more commonly produced by water or wind, getting clean power to run electric cars will leave an even smaller carbon footprint† (Cultrona, n.d.). Compared to the internal comb