A Framework for Sustainable Port Security Essay

This research was conducted to determine the best ways in which United States can protect its ports which are the main source of economic connection with the world from terrorist attacks. The research question that implies here is; How important ports are for the U. S economy? And what measures can be taken to protect ports from terrorist attacks without affecting the economic activities? Is there a hypothesis or thesis or central argument that is clearly stated or implied? If so, what is it? The central argument was clearly portrayed and it depicted that even though a port may be viewed as a collection of assets but the port actually is a complex system consisting of loosely coupled sub systems, Secondly importance of organizational interrelationships that must exist in order to avoid the acts of terrorism and difficulties in bringing together the private and public entities that have a stake in port security system and finally the negative impact on economy that might occur due to port security interventions must be understood and curtailed. Does the Author answer the â€Å"So what? † Were you convinced that the study was worth doing? The research provided a brief sketch of how terrorist threats should be dealt with and it demonstrated how set of security interventions can be classified in respect of how they will affect the economy. It also identified that the primary aim of terrorist is to hurt our economic viability of ports and maritime systems. So security measures should be designed in a way that they do not harm the economy. Is the study unique in any way? The study was unique in a way that it defined the weakness; differ in threat, type of attack and potential consequences of each subsection separately implying that risk reduction intervention should be different for each sub system. The system was divided into four sub systems which are as follows: †¢ Containerized cargo †¢ Petrochemical cargo †¢ Bulk cargo †¢ Ferry passengers The owners and operators of containers are reliable as they are established companies and follow a fix route and schedule; the threat comes from the lack of ability to identify what is inside the container as these containers are sealed. System interventions should be designed in a way that they identify, track and secure the contents of container. The threat to petrochemical subsystem is that fire/explosion can be caused by any attack on the vessel containing dangerous material or the hijacking and use of vessel as a weapon. The management should ensure that the vessels are operated by trusted operators and it should increase the marine and terminal fire fighting capabilities in order to deal with any hazardous consequences. Bulk cargos are not owned by reliable operators so measures should be taken to make the system of ownership more transparent the cargos should be inspected before arriving to the port and a trusted shipper program should be shaped in an attempt to deal with these uncertainties. Ferries are locally owned and operated by government authorities, the terrorist attacks on these ferries can cause mass destruction so the passengers and vehicles should be inspected properly and they require a mass casualty response which is not available in most ports. What are the main points of the article? Following are the main points of article †¢ The large part of US trade is dependent upon shipping (Ports and maritime systems) and it is the main source of economic connection with the world. †¢ The aim of terrorist attacks on US ports is to destroy the US economy †¢ Emphasis should be given to organizational interrelationships in order to avoid acts of terrorism †¢ The port security should involve a step by step procedure and the terrorist attacks should be looked as a chain starting from threat factors and ending at the delayed consequences that the attack will have. †¢ The current scenario of defense is poor because the accountable authorities are less likely to be informed about report of immediate threats, secondly the weaknesses associated with the complex economic system are not properly understood and the risks are not easier to anticipate accurately. †¢ A port consists of different sub systems and each sub system requires different security measures. †¢ Each port has different sub system, an important step in determining the vulnerability of a particular port is the information of which sub system is operating in that port. This information is also essential to design a consequence management strategy for each port. What kind of literature review is provided and/or what sources are cited? How well does it fulfill that purpose? Following are the major sources of information for the study †¢ Barriers to port security †¢ Perspectives on the use of risk assessment to address terrorism †¢ Terrorism as hazard; a new species of trouble †¢ Crisis and emergency management †¢ Organizing for homeland securities. The sources were perfectly in line with the purpose of study and were quite helpful in finding out the essential information which was needed for the study. The literature review provided was of both qualitative and quantitative nature which made the arguments more strong How well does the Author explain their method of collecting and analyzing data? Could you replicate the study based upon the article before you? The method of collecting and analyzing the data was not clearly mentioned in the study and it could have been better and much easier for the readers to make judgments if the author would have defined the methods of collecting and analyzing the data. Is there any discussion of variables? Is so, how? Does the Author look at alternative points of view? The author did not look at the alternative points of view which could have made the study more interesting and commendable; there was ambiguity regarding the discussion of variables, still the study was worth doing and appreciable. Do the studies findings support the authors Goals or Thesis? How valid are they? The study was in line with the thesis and it found out that how significant US ports are for the economy and how important it is to devise a separate security strategy for each port. The importance of organizational interrelationship was defined; and the author discussed the responsibilities of each state in order to strengthen the organizational interrelationships. The study supported the thesis by answering the negative impact that US economy will have if security interventions are not planned adequately. The figures that were given regarding the risk management approach, organizational interventions and responsibilities were also helpful in tracking the threats and tactics to deal with those threats. However, the main emphasis of the study was on the physical attributes of the port and the differentiation between each port. The study found out that different security models can be prepared by comparing the cost associated for applying the model versus its effectiveness, but the purpose is not to prepare a list of models but to find out the most cost effective model. Does the conclusion follow from the evidence provided? Are you persuaded by it? Why or Why Not? The conclusion followed the findings of the study and described the danger of terrorist threats to US ports and the reason behind these threats is to hurt the US economy. So the security measures should be taken in away that they don’t dent the economy. Does the Author address the implications of these results? If so, how comprehensively is this done? The author looked at the broader perspectives and pointed out the areas which are needed to be work upon but in depth analysis of each aspect was not done the author touched different issues which were necessary and essential to curtail the possibility of dangerous consequences and the adverse effects that terrorism might have on the economy. Do you notice other strengths and limitations of this study? The study was done in an organized manner and numerical figures and solid sources were used to make the article stronger; the usage of diagrams also made it unique and substantial. However, more up to date sources could have made the research more effective and worthy.

Discuss Poe’s use of Setting Essay

In this essay I’ll looking at the stories â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"The Black Cat†. I will discuss in detail Edgar Allen Poe’s use of setting in these three stories. Edgar Allen Poe in a very well known and well respected writer and so gives a lot of attention to detail in his stories and chooses the chooses the setting for them perfectly and explains them with great detail. The story â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is set at midnight to give it a sense of mystery and horror. The story â€Å"The Cast of Amontillado† is set in the evening and the last story that I’m studying â€Å"The Black Cat† is the longer of the three and so there’s many different setting. These settings include when the main character returns home one night much intoxicated on alcohol or when the main character sits in a â€Å"den of infamy†. Poe uses setting in his stories in very diverse ways, to develop themes, express a state of mind and to create horror. He uses different types of setting for example physical setting and location, setting of time and setting of the psychological mind of the narrator. These three types of setting work together to produce elements of the genre of gothic literature and also to reflect incidents and influences of Poe’s life. . In a way Poe’s real life reflects the lives of the characters in his stories for example he was a heavy drinker, his marriage was troubled and there were rumours that he died from rabies. Poe uses unnatural sounds in his stories to create tension and fear. Some of the sounds he creates are like when he says â€Å"dripping walls† or â€Å"drops of moisture†. Poe also uses ordinary places to create fear such as the catacombs, vault or under the floorboards. In all 3 Poe stories the victims face burial, the places of burial differ in all 3. In â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† the narrator bury the old man under the floorboards. In â€Å"The Black Cat† the wife’s buried in the walls as in the â€Å"Cask of Amontillado†. The immolation in these spaces represents coffins it’s also noticeable that stairs are present in all 3 stories which is like a symbol to a stairway to hell or the underworld. The burials are also symbolic to how the narrator is trying to bury his guilt. Poe’s use of language encourages links with superstition and evil. In â€Å"The Black Cat† the narrator elaborates how his crimes are truly evil. â€Å"†¦I knew that in so doing I was committing a deadly sin that would so jeopardise my immortal soul as to place it †¦ even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the most merciful and most terrible God†. The narrator tells each story in first person, allowing the reader to access the mind of the evildoer. The result of this is that you can see inside the mind of the protagonist. The reason that he does this is because it makes you feel like you’re an accomplice to the murder and also you see the main character in â€Å"The Black Cat† slowly degenerate into a state of madness. The use of first person also encourages the reader to feel horror and revolution to the protagonists. I think that all three of the stories discussed in this essay have links with superstition and the devil. The use of Poe’s language reinforces the idea of the presence of evil and to suggest that some force is controlling the narrator (also this takes the blame from him). The protagonists all take the law into their own hands which goes against Christian teachings. Some of the language he uses in these stories to show the presence of evil are â€Å"Fury of a demon†, â€Å"odious pestilence†, â€Å"Terror†, â€Å"Dreadful† and â€Å"Violently†. The title of the story â€Å"The black Cat† is related to witches. People believe that someone who posses the evil eye can cause bad happenings and illness, eyes painted on Mediterranean boats reflect this. The evil eye goes against the idea of eyes and vision and is directly mentioned in â€Å"The Tell Tale Eye† and blamed for the actions of the murder. He describes the man of having the eye of a vulture and he describes it as being a pale blue eye with a film over it. The idea of retribution differs in the three stories as in two of the stories, the protagonists are arrested. However in the other story the narrator gets away with his crime. He is smug when he buries Fortunado and parts with the comment â€Å"In Pace reguisciat† which means ‘Rest in Peace’. Although he said Rest in Peace he himself will not because he will be judged by God and face hell. Poe uses setting effectively to create tension and horror in his stories. He makes obvious uses of the gothic genre to bring the feeling of fear alive.

The Golden Lily Chapter 1

MOST PEOPLE WOULD FIND being led into an underground bunker on a stormy night scary. Not me. Things I could explain away and define with data didn't frighten me. That was why I kept silently reciting facts to myself as I descended deeper and deeper below street level. The bunker was a relic of the Cold War, built as protection in a time when people thought nuclear missiles were around every corner. On the surface, the building claimed to house an optical supply store. That was a front. Not scary at all. And the storm? Simply a natural phenomenon of atmospheric fronts clashing. And really, if you were going to worry about getting hurt in a storm, then going underground was actually pretty smart. So, no. This seemingly ominous journey didn't frighten me in the least. Everything was built on reasonable facts and logic. I could deal with that. It was the rest of my job I had a problem with. And really, maybe that was why stormy underground trips didn't faze me. When you spent most of your days living among vampires and half vampires, ferrying them to get blood, and keeping their existence secret from the rest of the world†¦ well, it kind of gave you a unique perspective on life. I'd witnessed bloody vampire battles and seen magical feats that defied every law of physics I knew. My life was a constant struggle to hold back my terror of the unexplainable and try desperately to find a way to explain it. â€Å"Watch your step,† my guide told me as we went down yet another flight of concrete stairs. Everything I'd seen so far was concrete – the walls, floor, and ceiling. The gray, rough surface absorbed the fluorescent light that attempted to illuminate our way. It was dreary and cold, eerie in its stillness. The guide seemed to guess my thoughts. â€Å"We've made modifications and expansions since this was originally built. You'll see once we reach the main section.† Sure enough. The stairs finally opened up to a corridor with several closed doors lining the sides. The decor was still concrete, but all the doors were modern, with electronic locks displaying either red or green lights. He led me to the second door on the right, one with a green light, and I found myself entering a perfectly normal lounge, like the kind of break room you'd find in any modern office. Green carpet covered the floor, like some wistful attempt at grass, and the walls were a tan that gave the illusion of warmth. A puffy couch and two chairs sat on the opposite side of the room, along wit h a table scattered with magazines. Best of all, the room had a counter with a sink – and a coffee maker. â€Å"Make yourself at home,† my guide told me. I was guessing he was close to my age, eighteen, but his patchy attempts at growing a beard made him seem younger. â€Å"They'll come for you shortly.† My eyes had never left the coffee maker. â€Å"Can I make some coffee?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"Whatever you like.† He left, and I practically ran to the counter. The coffee was pre-ground and looked as though it might very well have been here since the Cold War as well. As long as it was caffeinated, I didn't care. I'd taken a red-eye flight from California, and even with part of the day to recover, I still felt sleepy and bleary-eyed. I set the coffee maker going and then paced the room. The magazines were in haphazard piles, so I straightened them into neat stacks. I couldn't stand disorder. I sat on the couch and waited for the coffee, wondering yet again what this meeting could be about. I'd spent a good part of my afternoon here in Virginia reporting to a couple of Alchemist officials about the status of my current assignment. I was living in Palm Springs, pretending to be a senior at a private boarding school in order to keep an eye on Jill Mastrano Dragomir, a vampire princess forced into hiding. Keeping her alive meant keeping her people out of civil war – something that would definitely tip humans off to the supernatural world that lurked beneath the surface of modern life. It was a vital mission for the Alchemists, so I wasn't entirely surprised they'd want an update. What surprised me was that they couldn't have just done it over the phone. I couldn't figure out what other reason would bring me to this facility. The coffee maker finished. I'd only set it to make three cups, which would probably be enough to get me through the evening. I'd just filled my Styrofoam cup when the door opened. A man entered, and I nearly dropped the coffee. â€Å"Mr. Darnell,† I said, setting the pot back on the burner. My hands trembled. â€Å"It – it's nice to see you again, sir.† â€Å"You too, Sydney,† he said, forcing a stiff smile. â€Å"You've certainly grown up.† â€Å"Thank you, sir,† I said, unsure if that was a compliment. Tom Darnell was my father's age and had brown hair laced with silver. There were more lines in his face since the last time I'd seen him, and his blue eyes had an uneasy look that I didn't usually associate with him. Tom Darnell was a high-ranking official among the Alchemists and had earned his position through decisive action and a fierce work ethic. He'd always seemed larger than life when I was younger, fiercely confident and aweinspiring. Now, he seemed to be afraid of me, which made no sense. Wasn't he angry? After all, I was the one responsible for his son being arrested and locked away by the Alchemists. â€Å"I appreciate you coming all the way out here,† he added, once a few moments of awkward silence had passed. â€Å"I know it's a long round-trip, especially on a weekend.† â€Å"It's no problem at all, sir,† I said, hoping I sounded confident. â€Å"I'm happy to help with†¦ whatever you need.† I still wondered what exactly that could be. He studied me for a few seconds and gave a curt nod. â€Å"You're very dedicated,† he said. â€Å"Just like your father.† I made no response. I knew that comment had been intended as a compliment, but I didn't really take it that way. Tom cleared his throat. â€Å"Well, then. Let's get this out of the way. I really don't want to inconvenience you any more than is necessary.† Again, I got that nervous, deferential vibe. Why would he be so conscientious of my feelings? After what I'd done to his son, Keith, I would've expected rage or accusations. Tom opened the door for me and gestured me through. â€Å"Can I bring my coffee, sir?† â€Å"Of course.† He took me back into the concrete corridor, toward more of the closed doors. I clutched my coffee like a security blanket, far more frightened than I'd been when first entering this place. Tom came to a stop a few doors down, in front of one with a red light, but hesitated before opening it. â€Å"I want you to know†¦ that what you did was incredibly brave,† he said, not meeting my eyes. â€Å"I know you and Keith were – are – friends, and it couldn't have been easy to turn him in. It shows just how committed you are to our work – something that's not always easy when personal feelings are involved.† Keith and I weren't friends now or then, but I supposed I could understand Tom's mistake. Keith had lived with my family for a summer, and later, he and I had worked together in Palm Springs. Turning him in for his crimes hadn't been difficult for me at all. I'd actually enjoyed it. Seeing the stricken look on Tom's face, though, I knew I couldn't say anything like that. I swallowed. â€Å"Well. Our work is important, sir.† He gave me a sad smile. â€Å"Yes. It certainly is.† The door had a security keypad. Tom punched in a series of about ten digits, and the lock clicked in acceptance. He pushed the door open, and I followed him inside. The stark room was dimly lit and had three other people in it, so I didn't initially notice what else the room contained. I knew immediately that the others were Alchemists. There was no other reason they'd be in this place otherwise. And, of course, they possessed the telltale signs that would have identified them to me even on a busy street. Business attire in nondescript colors. Golden lily tattoos shining on their left cheeks. It was part of the uniformity we all shared. We were a secret army, lurking in the shadows of our fellow humans. The three of them were all holding clipboards and staring at one of the walls. That was when I noticed what this room's purpose was. A window in the wall looked through to another room, one much more brightly lit than this one. And Keith Darnell was in that room. He darted up to the glass separating us and began beating on it. My heart raced, and I took a few frightened steps back, certain he was coming after me. It took me a moment to realize he couldn't actually see me. I relaxed slightly. Very slightly. The window was a oneway mirror. He pressed his hands to the glass, glancing frantically back and forth at the faces he knew were there but couldn't see. â€Å"Please, please,† he cried. â€Å"Let me out. Please let me out of here.† Keith looked a little scragglier than the last time I'd seen him. His hair was unkempt and appeared as though it hadn't been cut in our month apart. He wore a plain gray jumpsuit, the kind you saw on prisoners or mental patients, that reminded me of the concrete in the hall. Most noticeable of all was the desperate, terrified look in his eyes – or rather, eye. Keith had lost one of his eyes in a vampire attack that I had secretly helped orchestrate. None of the Alchemists knew about it, just as none of them knew about how Keith had raped my older sister Carly. I doubted Tom Darnell would've praised me for my â€Å"dedication† if he'd known about my sideline revenge act. Seeing the state Keith was in now, I felt a little bad for him – and especially bad for Tom, whose face was filled with raw pain. I still didn't feel bad about what I'd done to Keith, however. Not the arrest or the eye. Put simply, Keith Darnell was a bad person. â€Å"I'm sure you recognize Keith,† said one of the Alchemists with a clipboard. Her gray hair was wound into a tight, neat bun. â€Å"Yes, ma'am,† I said. I was saved from any other response when Keith beat at the glass with renewed fury. â€Å"Please! I'm serious! Whatever you want. I'll do anything. I'll say anything. I'll believe anything. Just please don't send me back there!† Both Tom and I flinched, but the other Alchemists watched with clinical detachment and scrawled a few notes on their clipboards. The bun woman glanced back up at me as though there'd been no interruption. â€Å"Young Mr. Darnell has been spending some time in one of our Re-education Centers. An unfortunate action – but a necessary one. His trafficking in illicit goods was certainly bad, but his collaboration with vampires is unforgiveable. Although he claims to have no attachment to them†¦ well, we really can't be certain. Even if he is telling the truth, there's also the possibility that this transgression might expand into something more – not just a collaboration with the Moroi, but also the Strigoi. Doing what we've done keeps him from that slippery slope.† â€Å"It's really for his own good,† said the third clipboard-wielding Alchemist. â€Å"We're doing him a favor.† A sense of horror swept over me. The whole point of the Alchemists was to keep the existence of vampires secret from humans. We believed vampires were unnatural creatures who should have nothing to do with humans like us. What was a particular concern were the Strigoi – evil, killer vampires – who could lure humans into servitude with promises of immortality. Even the peaceful Moroi and their half human counterparts, the dhampirs, were regarded with suspicion. We worked with those latter two groups a lot, and even though we'd been taught to regard them with disdain, it was an inevitable fact that some Alchemists not only grew close to Moroi and dhampirs†¦ but actually started to like them. The crazy thing was – despite his crime of selling vampire blood – Keith was one of the last people I'd think of when it came to getting too friendly with vampires. He'd made his dislike of them perfectly obvious to me a number of times. Really, if anyone deserved to be accused of attachment to vampires†¦ †¦ well, it would be me. One of the other Alchemists, a man with mirrored sunglasses hanging artfully off his collar, took up the lecture. â€Å"You, Miss Sage, have been a remarkable example of someone able to work extensively with them and keep your objectivity. Your dedication has not gone unnoticed by those above us.† â€Å"Thank you, sir,† I said uneasily, wondering how many times I'd hear â€Å"dedication† brought up tonight. This was a far cry from a few months ago, when I'd gotten in trouble for helping a dhampir fugitive escape. She'd later been proven innocent, and my involvement had been written off as â€Å"career ambition.† â€Å"And,† continued Sunglasses, â€Å"considering your experience with Mr. Darnell, we thought you would be an excellent person to give us a statement.† I turned my attention back at Keith. He'd been pounding and shouting pretty much nonstop this whole time. The others had managed to ignore him, so I tried as well. â€Å"A statement on what, sir?† â€Å"We're considering whether or not to return him to Re-education,† explained Gray Bun. â€Å"He's made excellent progress there, but some feel it's best to be safe and make sure any chance of vampire attachment is eradicated.† If Keith's current behavior was â€Å"excellent progress,† I couldn't imagine what poor progress looked like. Sunglasses readied his pen over his clipboard. â€Å"Based on what you witnessed in Palm Springs, Miss Sage, what is your opinion of Mr. Darnell's state of mind when it comes to vampires? Was the bonding you witnessed severe enough to warrant further precautionary measures?† Presumably, â€Å"further precautionary measures† meant more Re-education. While Keith continued to bang away, all eyes in my room were on me. The clipboard Alchemists looked thoughtful and curious. Tom Darnell was visibly sweating, watching me with fear and anticipation. I supposed it was understandable. I held his son's fate in my hands. Conflicting emotions warred within me as I regarded Keith. I didn't just dislike him – I hated him. And I didn't hate many people. I couldn't forget what he'd done to Carly. Likewise, the memories of what he'd done to others and me in Palm Springs were still fresh in my mind. He'd slandered me and made my life miserable in an effort to cover up his blood scam. He'd also horribly treated the vampires and dhampirs we were in charge of looking after. It made me question who the real monsters were. I didn't know exactly what happened at Re-education Centers. Judging from Keith's reaction, it was probably pretty bad. There was a part of me that would have loved to tell the Alchemists to send him back there for years and never let him see the light of day. His crimes deserved severe punishment – and yet, I wasn't sure they deserved this particular punishment. â€Å"I think†¦ I think Keith Darnell is corrupt,† I said at last. â€Å"He's selfish and immoral. He has no concern for others and hurts people to further his own ends. He's willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get what he wants.† I hesitated before continuing. â€Å"But†¦ I don't think he's been blinded to what vampires are. I don't think he's too close to them or in danger of falling in with them in the future. That being said, I also don't think he should be allowed to do Alchemist work for the foreseeable future. Whether that would mean locking him up or just putting him on probation is up to you. His past actions show he doesn't take our missions seriously, but that's because of selfishness. Not because of an unnatural attachment to them. He†¦ well, to be blunt, is just a bad person.† Silence met me, save for the frantic scrawling of pens as the clipboard Alchemists made their notes. I dared a glance at Tom, afraid of what I'd see after completely trashing his son. To my astonishment, Tom looked†¦ relieved. And grateful. In fact, he seemed on the verge of tears. Catching my eye, he mouthed, Thank you. Amazing. I had just proclaimed Keith to be a horrible human being in every way possible. But none of that mattered to his father, so long as I didn't accuse Keith of being in league with vampires. I could've called Keith a murderer, and Tom would have probably still been grateful if it meant Keith wasn't chummy with the enemy. It bothered me and again made me wonder who the real monsters were in all of this. The group I'd left back in Palm Springs was a hundred times more moral than Keith. â€Å"Thank you, Miss Sage,† said Gray Bun, finishing up her notes. â€Å"You've been extremely helpful, and we'll take this into consideration as we make our decision. You may go now. If you step into the hall, you'll find Zeke waiting to take you out.† It was an abrupt dismissal, but that was typical of Alchemists. Efficient. To the point. I gave a polite nod of farewell and one last glance at Keith before opening the door. As soon as it shut behind me, I found the hallway mercifully silent. I could no longer hear Keith. Zeke, as it turned out, was the Alchemist who had originally led me in. â€Å"All set?† he asked. â€Å"So it seems,† I said, still a bit stunned over what had just taken place. I knew now that my earlier debriefing on the Palm Springs situation had simply been a convenience for the Alchemists. I'd been in the area, so why not have an in-person meeting? It hadn't been essential. This – seeing Keith – had been the real purpose of my cross-country trip. As we walked back down the hallway, something caught my attention that I hadn't noticed before. One of the doors had a fair amount of security on it – more so than the room I'd just been in. Along with the lights and keypad, there was also a card reader. At the top of the door was a deadbolt that locked from outside. Nothing fancy, but it was clearly meant to keep whatever was behind the door inside. I stopped in spite of myself and studied the door for a few moments. Then, I kept walking, knowing better than to say anything. Good Alchemists didn't ask questions. Zeke, seeing my gaze, came to a halt. He glanced at me, then the door, and then back at me. â€Å"Do you want†¦ do you want to see what's in there?† His eyes darted quickly to the door we'd emerged from. He was low-ranking, I knew, and clearly feared getting in trouble with the others. At the same time, there was an eagerness that suggested he was excited about the secrets he kept, secrets he couldn't share with others. I was a safe outlet. â€Å"I guess it depends on what's in there,† I said. â€Å"It's the reason for what we do,† he said mysteriously. â€Å"Take a look, and you'll understand why our goals are so important.† Deciding to risk it, he flashed a card over the reader and then punched in another long code. A light on the door turned green, and he slid open the deadbolt. I'd half-expected another dim room, but the light was so bright inside, it almost hurt my eyes. I put a hand up to my forehead to shield myself. â€Å"It's a type of light therapy,† Zeke explained apologetically. â€Å"You know how people in cloudy regions have sun lamps? Same kind of rays. The hope is that it'll make people like him a little more human again – or at least discourage them from thinking they're Strigoi.† At first, I was too dazzled to figure out what he meant. Then, across the empty room, I saw a jail cell. Large metal bars covered the entrance, which was locked with another card reader and keypad. It seemed like overkill when I caught sight of the man inside. He was older than me, mid-twenties if I had to guess, and had a disheveled appearance that made Keith look neat and tidy. The man was gaunt and curled up in a corner, arms draped over his eyes against the light. He wore handcuffs and feet cuffs and clearly wasn't going anywhere. At our entrance, he dared a peek at us and then uncovered more of his face. A chill ran through me. The man was human, but his expression was as cold and evil as any Strigoi I'd ever seen. His gray eyes were predatory. Emotionless, like the kinds of murderers who had no sense of empathy for other people. â€Å"Have you brought me dinner?† he asked in a raspy voice that had to be faked. â€Å"A nice young girl, I see. Skinnier than I'd like, but I'm sure her blood is still succulent.† â€Å"Liam,† said Zeke with a weary patience. â€Å"You know where your dinner is.† He pointed to an untouched tray of food in the cell that looked like it had gone cold long ago. Chicken nuggets, green beans, and a sugar cookie. â€Å"He almost never eats anything,† Zeke explained to me. â€Å"It's why he's so thin. Keeps insisting on blood.† â€Å"What†¦ what is he?† I asked, unable to take my eyes off of Liam. It was a silly question, of course. Liam was clearly human, and yet†¦ there was something about him that wasn't right. â€Å"A corrupt soul who wants to be Strigoi,† said Zeke. â€Å"Some guardians found him serving those monsters and delivered him to us. We've tried to rehabilitate him but with no luck. He keeps going on and on about how great the Strigoi are and how he'll get back to them one day and make us pay. In the meantime, he does his best to pretend he's one of them.† â€Å"Oh,† said Liam, with a sly smile, â€Å"I will be one of them. They will reward my loyalty and suffering. They will awaken me, and I will become powerful beyond your miniscule mortal dreams. I will live forever and come for you – all of you. I will feast on your blood and savor every drop. You Alchemists pull your strings and think you control everything. You delude yourselves. You control nothing. You are nothing.† â€Å"See?† said Zeke, shaking his head. â€Å"Pathetic. And yet, this is what could happen if we didn't do the job we did. Other humans could become like him – selling their souls for the hollow promise of immortality.† He made the Alchemist sign against evil, a small cross on his shoulder, and I found myself echoing it. â€Å"I don't like being in here, but sometimes†¦ sometimes it's a good reminder of why we have to keep the Moroi and the others in the shadows. Of why we can't let ourselves be taken in by them.† I knew in the back of my mind that there was a huge difference in the way Moroi and Strigoi interacted with humans. Still, I couldn't formulate any arguments while in front of Liam. He had me too dumbstruck – and afraid. It was easy to believe every word the Alchemists said. This was what we were fighting against. This was the nightmare we couldn't allow to happen. I didn't know what to say, but Zeke didn't seem to expect much. â€Å"Come on. Let's go.† To Liam, he added, â€Å"And you'd better eat that food because you aren't getting any more until morning. I don't care how cold and hard it is.† Liam's eyes narrowed. â€Å"What do I care about human food when soon I'll be drinking the nectar of the gods? Your blood will be warm on my lips, yours and your pretty girl's.† He began to laugh then, a sound far more disturbing than any of Keith's screams. That laughter continued as Zeke led me out of the room. The door shut behind us, and I found myself standing in the hall, numbed. Zeke regarded me with concern. â€Å"I'm sorry†¦ I probably shouldn't have shown you that.† I shook my head slowly. â€Å"No†¦ you were right. It's good for us to see. To understand what we're doing. I always knew†¦ but I didn't expect anything like that.† I tried to shift my thoughts back to everyday things and wipe that horror from my mind. I looked down at my coffee. It was untouched and had grown lukewarm. I grimaced. â€Å"Can I get more coffee before we go?† I needed something normal. Something human. â€Å"Sure.† Zeke led me back to the lounge. The pot I'd made was still hot. I dumped out my old coffee and poured some new. As I did, the door burst open, and a distraught Tom Darnell came in. He seemed surprised to see anyone here and pushed past us, sitting on the couch and burying his face in his hands. Zeke and I exchanged uncertain looks. â€Å"Mr. Darnell,† I began. â€Å"Are you okay?† He didn't answer me right away. He kept his face covered, his body shaking with silent sobs. I was about to leave when he looked up at me, though I got the feeling he wasn't actually seeing me. â€Å"They decided,† he said. â€Å"They decided about Keith.† â€Å"Already?† I asked, startled. Zeke and I had only spent about five minutes with Liam. Tom nodded morosely. â€Å"They're sending him back†¦ back to Re-education.† I couldn't believe it. â€Å"But I†¦ but I told them! I told them he's not in league with vampires. He believes what†¦ the rest of us believe. It was his choices that were bad.† â€Å"I know. But they said we can't take the risk. Even if Keith seems like he doesn't care about them – even if believes he doesn't – the fact remains he still set up a deal with one. They're worried that willingness to go into that kind of partnership might subconsciously influence him. Best to take care of things now. They're†¦ they're probably right. This is for the best.† That image of Keith pounding on the glass and begging not to go back flashed through my mind. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mr. Darnell.† Tom's distraught gaze focused on me a little bit more. â€Å"Don't apologize, Sydney. You've done so much†¦ so much for Keith. Because of what you told them, they're going to reduce his time in Re-education. That means so much to me. Thank you.† My stomach twisted. Because of me, Keith had lost an eye. Because of me, Keith had gone to Re-education in the first place. Again, the sentiment came to me: he deserved to suffer in some way, but he didn't deserve this. â€Å"They were right about you,† Tom added. He was trying to smile but failing. â€Å"What a stellar example you are. So dedicated. Your father must be so proud. I don't know how you live with those creatures every day and still keep your head about you. Other Alchemists could learn a lot from you. You understand what responsibility and duty are.† Since I'd flown out of Palm Springs yesterday, I'd actually been thinking a lot about the group I'd left behind – when the Alchemists weren't distracting me with prisoners, of course. Jill, Adrian, Eddie, and even Angeline†¦ frustrating at times, but in the end, they were people I'd grown to know and care about. Despite all the running around they made me do, I'd missed that motley group almost the instant I left California. Something inside me seemed empty when they weren't around. Now, feeling that way confused me. Was I blurring the lines between friendship and duty? If Keith had gotten in trouble for one small association with a vampire, how much worse was I? And how close were any of us to becoming like Liam? Zeke's words rang inside my head: We can't let ourselves be taken in by them. And what Tom had just said: You understand what responsibility and duty are. He was watching me expectantly, and I managed a smile as I pushed down all my fears. â€Å"Thank you, sir,† I said. â€Å"I do what I can.†

Raising HCAHPS Scores. Annotated Bibliography Essay

Raising HCAHPS Scores. Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example Bower, K. A. (2009). Managing Care: The Crucial Nursing–Case Management Partnership. Nurse Leader 26-29. This article does not explicitly dwell on the improvement of HCAHPS scores in a hospital. However, the article introduces the concept of case management and its relationship with the cost benefits that an institution accrues once it implements effective and efficient case management in its operations. In this case, the author identifies the goals to effective case management as laying emphasis on clinical outcomes, satisfaction of patients, and compliance goals, which are elements that have a relationship with the importance of raising HCAHPS scores in an organization. Importantly, the author related the importance of effective case management with the financial incentives that an organization accrues. The author indicated that Medicare’s Recovery Audit Contractor program retracted more than $800 million from acute hospitals in three states during a demonstration project, although the program is now in practice in all the states. Hence, this implies that effective case management, which is associated with nursing and quality of care, is an important aspect of ensuring financial incentives in a hospital. On the other hand, improving effective case management improves the quality of care and has an effect on the improvement of HCAHPS scores in a hospital. ... tes to the clinical process, which accounts for 70% of the performance score while the remaining percentage is the patient experience domain, which is the basis for the HCAHPS score. In line with this, Cliff highlights the cost benefits aspect of including these measures in provision of incentives to a hospital that provided quality care. Cliff not only highlights the importance of improving the quality of care by raising HCAHPS scores in a hospital, but also discusses the existence of financial rewards associated with the raising of these scores. Elliot, M. N., Lehrman, W. G., Goldstein, E., Hambarsoomian, K., Beckett, M. K., & Giodano, L. A. (2009). Do Hospitals Rank Differently on HCAHPS for Different Patient Subgroups? Medical Care Research and Review 67(1): 56-73. The authors take a patient-centered approach towards establishing HCAHPS measures while precisely focusing on the aspect of patients’ experiences in a hospital setting. The authors describe the reliability of pa tient-reported measures within the hospital levels, which is through investigating the extent of observable differences within a hospital setting and their representation as true differences in experiences. Using patients’ experiences in nine measures, the researchers used the experiences of 1,203,229 patients discharged from hospitals around the country between 2006 and 2007 with these patients being a blend of patients who visited acute and critical access hospitals. Importantly, the researchers found out that raising HCAHPS scores in the hospital setting is crucial in measuring the distinction of the quality of care in a hospital and this distinction contributes to high reliability in a hospital setting. In effect, these researchers bring out the theory of high reliability in service design

Land Register Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Land Register Act - Essay Example The Act of 2002: An important change brought about by the new law is the introduction of a new system in relation to adverse possession for registered land. The effect; It will make registered land virtually squatter-proof and bring clients owning unregistered properties to voluntarily register to the Land Registry. Prominent among these is the increase in the number of dispositions and interests capable of registration. These include, naming a few: Most prominent among the above is the compulsory requirement to register leases of 7 years and considered to have the biggest impact in practice. This will have an overwhelming effect on leases of 3 years and more as well. As leases are the most common type of property transaction, the new law has attracted criticism, for its bureaucracy and increased costs. The Act's objective that the Register should show transparency in all registered titles and the overriding interests to which a property is subjected to, will be reduced and in some cases lose this overriding status after 10 years. For the first time, overriding interests will be treated differently on first registration and on subsequent dealings. The protection of third party interests over registered land and the abolishment of cautions and inhibitions are an addition to the new law. Notices and restrictions can be agreed upon with the registered proprietor's consent, or Unilateral, without consent. Unilateral notices will take the place of cautions and a registered proprietor will be informed of the registration of such a notice by the Land Registry. The registered proprietor has the discretion to contest the notice and can apply to have it removed. Restrictions, apart from its present usage, will be used in cases of insolvency, where inhibitions are currently used. Another major point of discussion is the right to access of documents related to a registered title in leases and charges by the Land Registry. This ruling is seen to be quite encouraging, and is a positive move to prevent misappropriation of property by unscrupulous methods. Along with this, is the appointment of an independent adjudicator for the Land Registry who has the power to determine contested applications. However, the Act also allows any decisions of the adjudicator to be appealed through Court (Naomi Druiff & Taylor Joynson Garrett, 2002)2. 3.0 Summary Land registration has never held the centre-stage as it does

Good Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Good Writing - Essay Example It’s hard to tell whether a piece of writing is good or bad by simply looking at it. You have to read and analyze the piece writing and finally, explain why the writing is good or bad. Good writers organize their work in a logical and effective manner. The ideas will be clear, interesting and concise (Murphy 2009). Ideas help a writer to communicate through writing to other people. The sentences will be fluent and be flowing from one idea to another. A piece of good writing will be communicative and correct. This means that good writing will be free from spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes. Good writing demands a person to recognize the owner if the writer borrows ideas form that piece of writing (Murphy 2009). Good writing is always a result of hard work and a lot of practicing. The ability to write well is not something that is inborn (Murphy 2009). A good writer always puts in a lot of time and effort to improve his writing. I would say I am a good writer. I always t ry my best to make sure that my work is free from grammatical, punctuation and spelling mistakes. I also ensure that my ideas are concise and are related to the topic. My ideas will flow fluently from one idea to another. Information connects thought my writing eventually responding to the needs of the reader. I also cite my work whenever I use any secondary or primary sources. I also read a lot and do a lot of practice to perfect my weak areas. This has helped me gain confidence and improve my attitude towards writing.

Late Adulthood interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Late Adulthood interview - Essay Example There in the store I asked him to give me some time. I explained all the details and asked him if he is willing to give an interview to complete my project requirements. I assured him that all his answers would be kept confidential and only be used for study or research purpose. We mutually decided that we would conduct this interview session on Sunday (October 19, 2014) evening (7:00 pm) in a nearby Park. The access to the park is feasible to both of us. Therefore, we both are agreed that environment of the park will suit us to talk in a relaxed setting. On Sunday October 19, 2014, Mr. James gave answers to my scheduled questions and his answers are supportive to make a clear view about the physical, social and cognitive development in late adulthood. At the age of 62, physically the people are not that much capable of doing any physical or hard work. They can put their extra efforts only where they have to use their brains, minds and most preferably experiences (Berger, 3). However, they may lack behind in the areas where physical involvement is required. Mr. James support this point of view by adding his own statement that he is not at all willing to commit a fieldwork rather he enjoys office work where he has to sit on office chair and then work. According to research, it is also proved that people in the older ages may get some physical problems of joints, knees or bones etc (Berger, 2). Mr. James is also facing this problem. He gets severe body pain in the cold weather. There is no solution to solve rather just take pain killers and then rest. At this level of late adulthood, the people should search for the satisfaction and the happiness in the little things of life rather to get angry or feel bitter. These are the opinion of Mr. James when I asked him about the rapid changes in the society and the behaviors of the people. The research also show that at the late adulthood, the brain development is at the high

How to quit smoking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to quit smoking - Research Paper Example It also lays a great impact on people who do not smoke but are exposed to second hand smoke and they also become susceptible to the development of disease. Smoking affects the major systems of the human body which include the cardiovascular system as well as the respiratory system and is associated with major pathological conditions affecting the heart and can also result in cancer of the lung. Smoking also increases the economic burden of the country owing to the large amounts of money that need to be spent on the medical expenditures of the smokers. A survey in year 2004 revealed the fact that $96 billion had to be spent on the health care costs of the smokers owing to the pathologies resulting directly due to smoking. Hence the severity of the issue makes it important that strategies should be formulated to assist individuals in overcoming these problems of smoking and to quit smoking as this can be beneficial for the individuals as well as for the state (Centers for Disease Contr ol and Prevention 2010). Strategies employed by the state can serve to be very useful in reducing the number of smokers. This was proved by the statistics for the state of California where the percentage of smokers reduced from 22.7 percent to 13.3 percent from the year 1988 to 2006. The policies used by the state included the elevation in the cost of the cigarettes accompanied by other important techniques which included reduction in advertisements and promotions of cigarettes. This led not only in reduction of the number of smokers but it was also associated with decrease in the number of pathological conditions in the state associated with smoking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010). The goal of quitting smoking is not very easy and it requires extreme will power and determination. Many people do not choose to quit smoking owing to the fact that when they stop smoking, it leads to increase in their weight. This is because leaving smoking is linked to increased cravi ng for sweet foods and this leads to increased consumption of calories. To tackle this issue different methods have been prescribed to overcome the problem of smoking as well as the gain of weight that may follow. It is advised that the smokers should start eating a healthy and balances diet. This should be accompanied by regular exercises and work outs. This is because exercise and healthy eating habits are associated with burning of calories and at the same time it leads to reducing the stress that a person may experience due to leaving smoking. This is also very helpful because it can lead to the improvement of cardiovascular system boost the physical health of the individual (Marcus et al 2004). The initiative should be taken by the government for promoting individuals from quitting smoking. This includes awareness programs along with the constellation of other techniques which include the utilization of media to promote the benefits of quitting smoking. The awareness programs s hould be started from schools so that the youths are trained against adapting to these habits. The prices of cigarettes should be raised along with the taxes to make the people think regarding their choice of smoking. The methods that are available for helping individuals who smoke should also be explained to these people. These strategies will assist people in setting their goals to work towards quitting smoking (Ranney et

Current event summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Current event summary - Assignment Example ents the global political scenario as the underlying cause of the widespread fear of inflation many people with philosophical mind are currently suffering from. Krugman negated all assumptions leading to the fear of inflation and tried to dilute the fear potion further by identifying deflation as a bigger danger than inflation. Krugman confesses that Federal Reserve is printing more money that apparently makes the circumstances favorable for inflation, yet there remains little chance of any rise in inflation given the banks are not willing to circulate the cash because of the widespread economic recession. This attitude of banks all over the world itself forwards a discouragement for the Federal Reserve with respect to printing more money. The author reiterates that the influence of debts on economical strength is very little and gives the real example of the Bank of Japan, that incurred large debts in the period between 1997 and 2003. Despite that, the consumer prices declined. Kurgman also put forward the examples of Canada, Belgium and Japan whose debts significantly crossed their G.D.P.s and still, the governments never thought about inflating the debt in order to finish it. Krugman emphasizes that the fear of inflation among public has been mainly inculcated by the economists who have adopted a biased approach towards the matter. Present age is an age of economic decline that has occurred globally. The global economic decline has fundamentally surfaced as a result of upsets in the political scenario all over the world, and the economical health of many countries has deteriorated. The area that has suffered the most because of the present economic recession is corporate business which has declined to extinguishment in many countries. People are not willing to invest money and other resources in business because they see little room for the expansion of business. People are aware of the fact that market is currently suffering from a scarcity of dollars.

Audit and assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Audit and assurance - Essay Example iples and standards allowed the management of corporations to manipulate their accounts easily and according to their own desires leaving behind misery for shareholders and a whole lot of mess for the regulators and the government to manage. This discussion paper will examine the arguments targeting the auditing profession that blamed auditors for not performing their responsibilities and for not doing enough to detect and prevent these cases of fraudulent activities of major corporations in the US. This discussion is supported by presenting details of five important accounting fraud cases which made the headlines and in some cases where auditors were also involved in assisting management in their malpractices. The auditors’ role is primarily viewed as that of verification of financial statements prepared by businesses. However, traditional view of it remained that auditors are responsible for detecting and preventing accounting frauds. The transition from this view to that of independent verification of financial statements was led by emergence of huge conglomerates where shareholdings are dispersed and the concentration of auditors’ investigation is not on the management’s honesty in preparing their accounts (Singh 2003). ISA 200 provides details of overall responsibilities of independent auditor and sets out the scope and nature of audit activities to be performed in accordance with international auditing standards. It states that the auditors’ role is to increase the confidence of users of financial statements by making a presentation on all material aspects of information disclosed in financial statements. However, it emphasizes that auditors do not relieve management from their role in corporate governance and ensuring the correctness of information provided in financial statement. The auditors are required to provide reasonable or high assurance regarding that financial statements are free from material misstatement. However, it is not in anyways an

Problems associated with hangings at Tyburn Essay Example for Free

Problems associated with hangings at Tyburn Essay In Britain the punishment of execution was given to all the criminals they hang the criminals by neck till the death, for this purpose the Tyburn used the old trees, they hanged many people by at a time and in early periods the execution was performed in front of all the people of country this activity was the centre of attraction for all the people whenever they come to know that they are about to hang someone. They all used to gather there and watch it, the first gallon was enough to hang ten people at the times but later on they modify it and make it smaller than before but still it was capable of hanging 6 people at a time, later on the protestant force them to stop giving this punishment on every crime whether its small or big they just sentence the hanging till death which was not considered as the moral act. Later on they stopped execution in front of citizens and give this punishment in prison only in the presence of William Willis, the chief custodian, the surgeon of the prison, the governor and also another warder. This article also discusses all the details about the hanging process, the changes which were made and what the people believes about this process. The observation shows that few of people believes that the execution should carried out to save our nation and tomorrow and they also consider execution good as it gives the lesson to other criminals while on the other hand few people believed that execution is a dreadful act which should be stopped and the government should give one chance to every illegal person, in this article we will discuss all of the facts and then come up with the conclusion. Hanging of Tyburn In an Anglo-Saxon period the Britain exploit the process of execution for philanthropic the chastisement to the inhabitants who commenced any sin like rape, killing some one or when anyone go beyond their spiritual believes and execute any kind of peccadillo in opposition to their religious believes etc. Up to the year 1868 chastisement were conceded out in frontage of multitude of people this unfasten way for openhanded punishment turn out to be the motivation of enthusiasm for the community of Tyburn, almost all of the citizens gather round there in order to see how did they hanged the offender however later on in the Gala Days time the hanging were to be had in the penitentiary, the large crowd also congregate there to protest against this execution for the reason that numerous people from their society were dead because of this punishment so they start protesting against it. The history gives you an idea that there were almost 10,935 death sentences in England along with Wales alone, for the duration of the years 1735 to 1964, these executions consist of on 10,378 men as well as 557 women. This method of chastisement was becoming the intimidation for the populace of England day by day, they make use of their historical trees for benevolent this punishment, these trees were gigantic as much as necessary to hang up eight men at a time. To demonstrate the exact panorama of hanging let us have a look how do they perform it, it is believed at the time of hanging the hangman is observed casually smoking his pipe, they bring the condemned in the cart come along his sarcophagus along with an exhortative priest the population of Britain does not like this way of punishment at all and they just wanted to get ride of this. (Hanging, March, 23, 2000; Lesley Nelson). In the year 1783 9th of December the first executions was observed on New gate’s, new drop scaffold, at that time nine men as well as one woman were dangled at the same time. Edward Dennis along with William Brunskill performed this execution intended for an assortment of offences. It was a large box like structure with two uprights supporting two parallel beams from which a maximum of a dozen criminals could be hanged at once. There was a platform in which prisoner stood, the platform had the length of 10 feet and the width of 8 feet, when the lever or pin was moved the action on a drawbar under the drop occurs after this they roughly fell to level of their knee it is believed that the new drop had 96 customers flanked by February moreover December of 1785, by means of 20 men be suspended scheduled on the 2nd of February of that time. During the mid of the year’s 1820s, the way of punishment as hangings became less common than before, the double beam gallows was no more used in the process hanging and were substitute with a solitary beam prototype but this solitary beam gallows was still enough to hang six people at a time. In the year 1571, the tyburn arranged the triple tree; the reason for establishing these trees was to eliminate previous diminutive structures, so that they can dangle 24 criminal at a time. In the year 1649, 23rd of June they hanged 23 men as well as one woman because these people were conscientious for burglary in addition to robbery; these 24 prisoner have been get across at the position of execution in 8 carts (Execution at Tyburn). There was a further great execution in the year 1740 on 18th of March subsequent to the famous shoplifter and robber, Jenny Diver who was hanged with 19 additional criminals. Until the end of the year 1759 the Tyburn’s triple tree was remained in their use. Later on the changes were made in process of execution they were modified by the time and finally it was legally proved that executions should only make in the prisons as it was damaging the humanity from the population day by day, it is the believe of people that by hanging people openly they are supposed to be responsible for making the others innocent people scared as well. In the year 1900 the execution was only done on prison. Let us have a look on typical execution of 1900’s now, at the beginning of world war one a small number of the penitentiary generally allowed the press reporters to be there only at the time of execution when the male criminal was being hanged. The report of hanging in Abel Atherton at Durham in the year 1909 8th of December the implementation subsist of Henry Pierrepoint, the reporter recount that it was early morning 7. 50 a. m of Wednesday, the person who works under the Sheriff makes his entry in the prison along with the three reporters of newspaper. Two of the custodians bought the Atherton in to the area of the doctor, the hands of Atherton were immobilize, later on they show the way frontward to the gallows throughout a demonstration which was also consisting of the Chief Warder, the Atherton was detained by the help of custodians on both of the side, Pierrepoint along with his subordinates which includes William Willis, the chief custodian, the surgeon of the prison, the governor and also another warder. When the Chaplain was in attendance inside the hut at that time Atherton was plunged, his legs were grip down by Willis at that time when he was plummeted in behind of Willis legs, the noose was placed over the head of Atherton and the noose was also accustomed before pulling the white hood above him by the Pierrepoint. Close by the assize magistrates clock instigate striking at that hour Pierrepoint unconfined the fence in giving Atherton. The process of hanging has to be over before the striking of clock stopped, the press men narrates that when they looked down they feel like that Athertons death was immediate and his body was still hanging absolutely. The bell of the prison began clangor in addition to the putting to death shed was locked up parting Atherton hovering on the rope designed as the regular hour. This was of execution was much better than before but still hanging was measured as the act adjacent to the ethical values. Few years later little revolutionize were made in execution but this law remains same and the people commence the more protest against these acts as they were never in favor of killing someone. Now we will have a detailed views on history incidents which shows what do the people believe about it and ho did they take hanging be neck for any sot of sin whether its robbery. Rape, murder or prostitution, we will also review what are the believes of communities about execution and what are the demands of citizens related to the punishment of hanging till death (The history of judicial hanging in Britain 1735-1964). The last incident of hanging occur in Scotland in the year 1820, they hanged the 22 men together these people were hanged on 13th and 14th of July. Before the half of the century people began to give their ideology about this chastisement it was John Locke who reveals that the most important intention of government of the state was the preservation of national another reason according his point of view for this act could be to provide security for the property and also for securing the life of the person. It is believed that Lockes thoughts were moderately in observance by means of a noninterventionist state appearance which recommended the tolerant regulation of wealth plus decree. He was the one whose statements shows that he was in the favor of execution and he makes his all effort to make this fact clear in the eye of viewer but he did not achieve his goal completely.

Effects of Computer Society Essay Example for Free

Effects of Computer Society Essay Traditionally, courses that deal with computers and society issues focus primarily on enumerating the various ways in which computers impact society. This is done by listing categories of topics such as privacy, computers in medicine, military uses of computers, etc. Classic cases of computer abuse or errant systems are typically described in detail, as a way of simply making students more aware of how computers affect society. These examples are meant to serve as warnings to future professionals, in the hopes that they will practice their profession with greater care. What is missing from these discussions, however, is  why  computers have the impact they do on society. What are the characteristics that are the root of this impact? Are there fundamental differences between this technology and others that have transformed our world in the past? The intent of developing a list of these characteristics is that it could lead to a better understanding of the nature of the social impact of computers. In this way, it might be possible to examine a new computer project at the time of its  design  (not, as is the usual case, a long time after the project has been implemented and disseminated) to determine its potential impacts as a social change agent. The characteristics given below are not necessarily unique to computer technology. However, in many instances computers have created situations that were previously impossible to accomplish (such as space flight), were essentially inconceivable until the technology was applied, or at least were very difficult to achieve without the aid of computer technology. Furthermore, even though other technologies may have had impacts similar to computers in many ways, computer technology has greatly amplified their effects to the point of entirely overshadowing any previous technologys impact. Finally, the term  computer technology  is meant to be inclusive of any device that is essentially controlled by a basic computer (CPU, program, etc. ). This would include, therefore, modern telephones, VCRs, microwave ovens, CAT scanners, supermarket scanners, and the like. The following are in no particular order. Also, some devices or examples are likely to fit into more than one of the categories below: (1) Ubiquity It is perhaps stating the obvious that computers appear to be everywhere today. Even when we dont encounter them directly in their various forms of modern convenience devices, such as digital watches, microwave ovens, VCRs, and the like, we generate transactions that are processed via computers without actively doing anything: the utility companies are recording our usage, the phone company records incoming calls, our answering machine might be recording a message while we are doing something else, someone is performing a credit check on us, etc. (2) Magnification Computers tend toward magnification in several different ways. First, the explosion of the availability of information is due in large part to the computers ability to generate, collect, and store an ever increasing amount of raw data. Since the ability to create and collect data is growing exponentially, so too is the generation of information that can be synthesized from this data. Second, the types of negative impacts a single error can have has grown enormously with computer technology. Finally, the number of people directly affected by a system error has also grown enormously, to where a single software system literally can affect millions directly. 3) Accessibility Access to information continues to increase at hard to believe speeds. Many information resources are available only in digital form, via, for instance, the Internet. As more information is converted to digital form (e. g. voice and video), the ability to duplicate and distribute such information increases enormously. Indeed, there are some forms of publishing that can exist only within the context of a computer system. The concept of hypertext and hypermedia (including audio and video), the ability to create non-linear accessibility to information, was conceived out of the ability to randomly access information via computers. Its increasing success easily shows how important information in a digital form has become already. (Oz, 1994). (5) Lack of Accountability It has become a popular complaint that it is getting more and more difficult to locate a human being who is willing to accept responsibility for an error made by a computerized system. While it is tempting to blame such problems on incompetent employees, in truth the problem may be a poor user interface, lack of training, or an error in the software, none of which can be solved by those providing the front-line service. Another difficulty is finding someone who will, indeed, fix an error in an account. It is often the case that service representatives are reluctant to accept the responsibility for making a necessary change. In addition, it can often be difficult to even find a human being to deal with a problem. Getting lost in a voice-mail system has become a modern urban legend. (Nissenbaum, 1994). (6) Temporality Computers have several effects on time and the timeliness of information. It seems that computer technology is to blame in large part for the speed p of modern society everything has to get done faster, be there sooner, be available immediately. Another form of temporality in computer systems is that information can be retained over long periods of time, even when they appear to have been destroyed (consider the classic case of Col. Oliver North). There is little reason that information should be entirely lost any more, even due to accident. And it is reasonable to suspect that every s crap of information generated today will be available virtually forever. Another temporal shift for which computers have been responsible is that people who work together do not necessarily have to do so at the same time. Finally, services and information are more frequently available on a 24-hour basis. This allows people to request a service or seek information when it fits their schedule, rather than when it fits the service providers schedule. (7) Spatiality Computers have done more to shorten distances than any previous technology, even the supersonic jet. It is possible to send large amounts of data, messages, video, etc. virtually anywhere in the world via networks such as Internet. Long distance learning, using information databases or video feeds of courses via satellite, is a reality for a growing portion of our modern society. We can now even be on the move when we talk with someone on the phone, or receive a fax. (8) Surveillability Is there any doubt that computers have made surveillance easier than at any time in history? In addition to the usual surveillance equipment such as cameras and microphones, transactional data is increasingly being collected for virtually all types of transactions, even cash purchases and the acquisition of services. There has even been discussion by the government of using a universal health card, which is seen by many as the first step toward finalizing the move (begun with the co-opting of the social security number) in the US toward a national identification card. (9) Shifting of Relationships/Changes in Intercommunication Protocols One of the more difficult characteristics to track is how computer technology has changed communication between people and groups of people. In particular, the use of email has been shown to eliminate a lot of the usual visual and verbal cues we often use in communicating with one another (whch can be viewed as both an advantage and as a disadvantage). In addition to removing such cues, computer-mediated communications mask attributes such as race, gender, age, or physical disability, in addition, perhaps, to the persons social or management status within an organization. (Grudin, 1994; Perrole, 1987). (10) Illusion of Precision It is not difficult to make many (perhaps even most) people who are not in the computer field believe that any numeric result generated by a computer is correct. Those not well versed in the hardware of computers have little understanding of the fact that numbers must be converted back and forth between decimal and binary forms, or that there is a limitation on the accuracy of numbers due to memory constraints. As a result, they willingly accept values generated by a computer as infinitely accurate. (Liffick, 1985). Conclusion The characteristics described above are factors in the social impact of computer technology. For most there is at least anecdotal evidence of their existence (with seemingly countless examples). For some, there is also experimental evidence. It has finally become widely accepted that technology is not value neutral, as originally thought. By examining this list and using it as a set of landmarks for evaluating new systems, it may be possible to better anticipate the social impact of new systems, prior to their dissemination.

Importance of Authenticity in Tourism

Importance of Authenticity in Tourism How important is authenticity in tourism? Introduction The purpose of this study record is to explore the theme of authenticity as expounded by different authors. The record will provide an overview of my reading during the course of the year, and will present an examination of the different approaches to the topic by the selected authors, and present these approaches in the wider context of writing on the importance of authenticity in tourism. Daniel Boorstin (1964, 1985) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. 2nd ed. New York: Athenaeum Boorstin writes about the demise of the traveller who seeks authentic experiences and the rise of mass tourism. For Boorstin, real travel belonged to a golden age that was now lost where whatever the traveller saw â€Å"was apt to be what really went on there†. Whereas contemporary travel was a pseudo-event made up of â€Å"specimens collected and embalmed especially for him, or attractions specifically staged for him† (1961:102). Boorstin was adamant that the tourist no longer wanted authenticity, even going so far as to argue that a French singer singing in accented English was more appealing to the Anglophone tourist than the singer singing in her native language. Similarly, says Boorstin (1961: 106), the American visiting Japan is not looking for authentic Japanese culture but rather â€Å"what is Japenesey†. These contrived experiences had four characteristics, said Boorstin, they are not spontaneous or natural, they are designed to be reproduced, the relationship between the event and reality is ambiguous, and the contrived event becomes normal over time as it becomes perceived as being authentic. The theme in Boorstin’s book is that mass tourism is an impediment to experiencing other cultures and that the masses do not want to experience authentic culture anyway, preferring the contrived to the authentic. In reading Boorstin, his scepticism comes through very clearly but also you are left with a lingering sense of the author’s arrogance. True authentic experiences could only be encountered in the golden age when none but the truly wealthy could afford to travel. For Boorstin, the opening of the leisure market to a wider range of social classes ruined the authenticity of the experience for the privileged and the educated and gave access to travel to people who couldn’t possibly understand the experience except at the most base and contrived level. Boorstin’s approach was taken forward by MacCannell who disputed that tourists wanted pseudo-events and it is McCannell’s work we shall consider next. Dean MacCannell (1989) A new theory of the leisure class. 2nd ed. University of California Press. This book was first published in 1976 and appears to be cited widely in books and articles on authenticity in tourism. MacCannell writes from the perspective that progressiveness has failed people and people use tourism to give their lives greater sense and meaning, and in seeking sense and meaning in other cultures people are highlighting that they feel isolated and alienated in their own culture. Tourists’ disillusionment with the nature of work in industrial society drives them to travel and to travel further, as they try to penetrate the ‘back’ of life where truth and authenticity can be found. This notion of life having a ‘front’, ‘back’ and ‘outside’came out of the work of Goffman (1959) who used the metaphor of the stage to examine the perceptions of the individual to the performance. The front stage is the official perspective, while the backstage is presented as being more honest as the individual has an awareness of the disputes and difficulties that are occurring. The outside represents segregation where the individual is unable to gain access to what is going on on stage. Authenticity in tourism, says MacCannell, comes from an awareness of what is going on behind the scenes where all is not sanitised for public consumption. MacCannell highlights the falseness of the distinction between mass tourist, researcher, travel writer and authentic traveller and puts forward the view that the mass tourist is as much in search of authenticity as the researcher or travel writer. MacCannell notes â€Å"longstanding touristic attitude, a pronounced dislike, bordering on hatred, for other tourists, in a they are the tourists I am not equation† (1989: 602). MacCannell’s perspective particularly resonated with me as when travelling I have noticed people, including myself, wanting to distinguish themselves as separate from the masses, somehow being more distinguished or more credible as independent travellers rather than mass tourists. As well as noting the views of those who think that tourism will ultimately destroy itself[1], I’m also starting to recognise the irony of my travelling to seek an authentic travel experience while at the same time willingly participating in the growth of tourism. Howe ver, while MacCannell’s perspective does resonate, I would suggest that MacCannell’s position is on one sense just as polarised as Boorstin’s. From Boorstin (1985), we get the perspective that all that tourists want is a superficial and contrived experience, whilst MacCannell proposes that all tourists are in pursuit of the real ‘back’ and authentic experience but are denied this by being presented with inauthenticity. In reality, it seems likely that the truth would be some where in between. Erik Cohen (1995) Contemporary Tourism-Trends and Challenges: Sustainable Authenticity or Contrived Post-Modernity?, in Change in Tourism: People, Places, Processes, edited by Richard Butler and Douglas Pearce. London: Routledge. Cohen has written extensively on authenticity in tourism across several decades and as well as challenging existing ideas, it is clear that he has enjoyed conducting fieldwork and written a substantial amount on tourism development in developing countries. Cohen notes that while tourism has hugely benefited the country in terms of economic development there are significant downsides including the growth of Thailand’s sex trade and related criminal activities. Cohen breaks Thailand’s tourism development down into four areas of change. The first is what he terms the massification of the industry which denotes the huge rise in the numbers of tourists entering the country. The second is the dispersion of tourism, from Bangkok and its environs across the country from Phuket in the south to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Tourism is continuing to spread in Thailand, with tourists venturing into the Golden Triangle in the north and into areas such as Krabi in the south. The t hird change identified by Cohen in that of heterogenisation, which is the process in which the nationalities of the tourists and the variety of attractions and amenities become more similar. Finally, says Cohen, there is regionalization at work. This can be seen by Thailand’s positioning of itself at the heart of an emerging regional tourism industry in Southeast Asia which includes Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. As the tourism industry in Thailand develops, the Thai government is trying to encourage international tourism – due to its greater revenue generating potential – but is also trying to encourage domestic tourism. The reason for this is that domestic tourism minimizes foreign exchange leakage from the economy. The growth in tourism leads to continuing expansion into new areas and the further diversification of tourist activities, including the development of both natural and ‘contrived’ activities. How these activities will balance out depends on dependent the Thai tourist economy depends on Europe, as Cohen notes that European tourists generally prefer contrived attractions such as shopping, theme parks and entertainment facilities. There will also be an increasing discrepancy between the tourist image of an idyllic location and the increasing pollution and urban development of Thailand’s beach towns. The increasing development of Thailand has led so me to argue that there should be a greater focus on authentic tourism and ecotourism is particularly promoted by some writers (Bottrill and Pearce, 1995; Honey, 1998). Cohen, however, argues that ecotourism principles are applicable to any type of tourism and that stringent or exclusive definitions of ecotourism are unnecessarily restrictive. From Cohen’s perspective, most tourists engage in mass tourist activities as well as alternative activities. The desire for authenticity can be measured by the tourist’s willingness to forgo comforts such as comfort itself, familiarity and convenience in order to achieve what they perceive is a more authentic experience. Mass tourism and authentic tourism are not alternatives but a spectrum or continuum where the search for authenticity can be observed and measured. The importance of Cohen’s work is in how it has continued to challenge and develop our understanding of authenticity. As we saw earlier, McCannell’s (1976) scholarship focused on the concepts of alienation and authenticity but Cohen took this further. Cohen broadened McCannell’s conceptions and applied them to tourists’ perceptions of authenticity. Cohen has also developed the work of Boorstin[2]. As has been noted, Boorstin was very pessimistic about authenticity and his approach remained that of a sceptic. For Cohen, however, the idea of a universal authenticity was questioned and challenged. Cohen comes to the conclusion that authenticity means different things to different people and therefore what appears authentic to one tourist (or host) will not appear authentic to another. Building on this, we can see that the importance of authenticity can also be determined to be socially constructed, and its importance variable depending on the perceptions of the person considering the issue. This appears similar to the theoretical perspectives of the social constructivists where meaning is seen to emerge and is constantly changing. This view appears to have gained some following in tourism research with writers including Dearden and Mitchell (1997) and Sharpley and Sharpley (1997) sharing this perspective. Auliana Poon (1993) Tourism, Technology and Competitive Strategies. Oxford: CAB International. Poon writes about alternative tourism and puts forward the view that alternative tourism is more exclusive than mass tourism and is diametrically opposed to mass tourism in terms of consumers, production, technology and management. Poon argues that mass tourism comprises rigidly packaged and inflexible holidays when deviation from the package is rejected because of the cost implications that deviation would incur. There is also a mass replication of identical rooms or apartments to allow the operators to reap the benefits of economies of scale, and there is mass (undifferentiated) marketing again with hotel and holiday branding for reasons of economies of scale. Finally, according to Poon, mass tourism features mass consumption with little regard for the cultures of the tourist destinations. The alternative, according to Poon is a form of tourism that embraces flexibility and specialisation which provides a more personalised form of tourism. The alternative scenario also gives greater consideration to the tourist destination and actively considers culture and environment. The sustainability of alternative tourist destinations are therefore paramount under alternative tourism and attempts are made to pursue development in a culturally and environmentally sensitive and considered way. The motivation for tour companies to pursue alternative tourism can be seen in the potential it provides to differentiate itself in the marketplace. Mass tourism has saturated the market and to stand out to the consumer the travel companies must offer something different and authenticity is this difference. Having considered the work of Boorstin and MacCannell, and also Cohen, it becomes more difficult to accept a further attempt to present authenticity as a pure and exclusive form. It is easy to see that the concept of authenticity is useful in an academic sense, as a key component in a model, or a concept in which to frame a debate, but more difficult to see its existence in a pure form. In addition to considering authenticity as the polar opposite of mass tourism, there is another perspective: that mass tourism has merely reinvented itself into a more socially acceptable form. Fernandes (1994: 4) points out, â€Å"the mainstream tourism industry has merely tried to invent a new legitimation for itself, the ‘sustainable’ use of the environment including the preservation of nature as an amenity for the already advantaged†. John Urry (1990) The Tourist Gaze.London: Sage Urry notes the rapid development of tourism and uses a metaphor of an omnivorous creature to highlight what he sees as tourists devouring the planet in their ‘consuming’ of destinations. Urry (1990:1) states that when we travel â€Å"we gaze† and â€Å"the gaze is socially constructed†. The gaze is not a single gaze regardless of nationality or social class, but emerges from who we are and goes on to shape us and well as that gazed upon. Urry charts the development of the tourist industry in the UK and looks at the rise of mass tourism in Victorian Britain the development of the British coastal resorts, the mass tourism provided by holiday camps, and the introduction of a new flexibility from the 1960s onwards as people travelled to European destinations. Mass marketing provided representative images which gave tourists an understanding of the destinations available and these are duplicated in the destinations themselves and in place promotion. Urry urges the development of the post-mass marketing tourist or what he calls that post-tourist who seeks to find authenticity and shirk the artificial and staged events offered by the tourism operators. This builds on Cohen’s work which argued that the local culture becomes a contrived commodity and, without people’s consent, operators take local culture and renders it meaningless. Urry’s work has come under criticism with some arguing that he has over-stated the decline of mass tourism. Indeed, package holidays to Orlando and Phuket appear to have a great deal in common in terms of fun and pleasure seeking as the mass tourism in Blackpool of earlier generations. Urry’s ‘gaze’ has been criticised as being inadequate; Prentice (2001) puts forward the need to look at the subjective mental state felt by individuals while Ooi (2002) argues that the subjective nature of experience means that as well as being multi-faceted, â€Å"experiences are embodies in people† and can â€Å"only be expressed to and not felt by other people†. Ning Wang (2000) Tourism and Modernity: A Sociological Analysis. Tourism Social Science Series. Oxford: Pergamon. Having read perspectives from the objectivists Boorstin and MacCannell, and the social constructivist perspectives, it was interesting to see how Wang appeared to bring these perspectives together with a postmodernist perspective, based on the work of Baudrillard and others. Wang argues that authenticity should be broken down into authenticity of object and authenticity of experience. Authenticity of object refers to the authenticity of what is being observed, and this is further broken down into objective, constructive and post modern forms with the post modern form rejecting authenticity completely, while authenticity of experience refers to a person’s own personal experiences. Wang puts forward the view that authenticity is not inherent and identified characteristics that can be attributed to the constructivist conceptions of authenticity, namely that there is no fixed origin of authenticity, that what we consider original and authentic can be contested, notions of authenticity are pluralistic, and that authenticity is often declared when something conforms to tourist expectations. Wang also put forward the idea that inauthentic experiences can become authentic over time. This process, which Wang terms ‘emergent authenticity’ was also put forward by Cohen and promotes the primacy of the tourist perception of the experience and, as Picard and Robinson remind us, â€Å"all events were once created† and that ranking authenticity is â€Å"highly questionable† (2006: 134). Wang’s focus on a person’s own experiences is interesting as so much of the debate on the importance of authenticity has been about the authenticity of the objects being seen. Wang notes that tourists are â€Å"in search of their authentic selves with the aid of activities or toured objects† (2000:360). This search for our authentic selves can be liberating, a desire for experiences that are outside of our daily lives, but can also be restricted by itineraries and other constraints. The importance of authenticity in tourism is, for Wang, a feeling or perceiving of authenticity rather than its fixed existence in cultural objects. Conclusions From this study record we can see that many writers have highlighted the importance of authenticity but there is inconsistency about what authenticity entails. For Boorstin, mass tourism ruined any chance of experiencing authenticity and authenticity that not something that the masses sought even if it were attainable. MacCannell considered that authenticity could be equally sought by the mass tourist or researcher but held that the tourism industry was denying the people an authentic experience. Cohen offered a perspective on authenticity that incorporated both the tourist and the host but offered the possibility that one party might consider an experience authentic while the other did not; Poon considered authenticity and mass tourism to be diametrically opposed, while Urry built on Cohen’s work and presented the view that culture had become such a contrived commodity that it had been rendered meaningless. Finally, Wang presented what is almost a capstone perspective, bringi ng in the earlier objective and constructivist perspectives to present a broader representation of the importance of authenticity as an existential experience. References Boorstin, DJ (1985) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. 2nd ed. New York: Atheneum Bottrill, C and D Pearce (1995) Ecotourism: towards a key elements approach to operationalising the concept. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 3, 1, 45-54. Cohen, E (1995) Contemporary Tourism-Trends and Challenges: Sustainable Authenticity or Contrived Post-Modernity?, in Change in Tourism: People, Places, Processes, ed. Richard Butler and Douglas Pearce. London: Routledge. Dearden, P and B Mitchell (1997) Environmental Change and Challenge. Oxford University Press. Fernandes, D (1994) The shaky ground of sustainable tourism. Quarterly Environmental Journal, 2, 4, October-December, 4-38. Goffman, E (1959) Presentation of self in everyday life. Penguin Books. Honey, M (1998) Where’s the eco in ecotourism? Connection to the Americas, 15, 2, March, 1-7. MacCannell, D. (1999) The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class. University of California Press McKercher, B (1993) The unrecognized threat to tourism: can tourism survive sustainability. Tourism Management, 14, 4, 131-136. Ooi, C-S (2002) Cultural Tourism and Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press. Picard, D and M Robinson (2006) Festivals, Tourism and Social Change. Channel View Publications. Poon, A (1993) Tourism, technology and competitive strategies. Oxford: CAB International. Prentice, R (2001) Experiential Cultural Tourism. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Queen Margaret College Sharpley, R and J Sharpley (1997) Sustainability and Consumption of Tourism, in MJ Stabler (ed) Tourism and Sustainability. Oxford: CAB International, 231-244. Urry, J. (1990) The Tourist Gaze, London: Sage. Wang, N (1999) Rethinking Authenticity in Tourism Experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 26, 2, 349-70. Wang, N (2000) Tourism and Modernity: A Sociological Analysis. Tourism Social Science Series. Oxford: Pergamon. Footnotes [1] See McKercher (1993) [2] 1961 reprinted 1985

Drugs, Cheating, and the Purity of Americas Pastime Essay -- Baseball

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most children who have grown up in an American household have at one point in their lives looked up to sports figures as heroes. Whether it was your grandfather telling his stories of watching Babe Ruth become a legend, your father’s stories of Mickey Mantle and the legendary Yankee teams of the 1950’s and 1960’s, or your own memory of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chasing the home run record, the feeling of wholesomeness that baseball provides has always found its way into many people’s hearts. Steroids have tarnished these sacred memories, cast doubts in the minds of many on the legitimacy of records and statistics and finally affected the way younger players play the game. Baseball, America’s pastime, is embedded in the fabric of society. The players and teams have come and gone, but the thing that remains constant is baseball’s ability to unite people as well as families. My own personal experience of this came right after September 11th, 2001. Following the tragedy that was 9/11, the country needed something to help everyone return to normalcy. In our moment of weakness and uncertainty, baseball helped calm my nerves. Fifty three thousand three hundred and twelve brothers stood up in unison and took back their lives. The electricity of that game, the sense of regularity in my life, and the knowledge that millions of people were finding comfort together with me during such a hard time, helped me feel a sense of closure that the worst was behind us. It is the mystique and aura of the players, the exciting tales behind them, as well as the history of the game that keeps us interested as fans. These are the reasons why people, children especially, see these players as invincible, and perfect in every way, shape, and form. What would happen if after a century of inspiring stories, and incredible tales of heroism, the inconceivable notion that these players were not perfect, took prominence? Or that many of these superstars cheated their way to the top?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently the topic of steroid use in baseball has been everywhere in the news. It has finally come to the attention of Major League Baseball, and now the general public, that a vast percentage of players have been using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. This not only casts a cloud of suspicion over which players are using steroids, and makes one wonder which players are genuine, but it tar... ...ue Baseball is showing that they are finally becoming adamant about ridding themselves and their reputation of this problem, is something that should give us hope for now, as well as for the future. Even more so than simply testing the players though, I think a key issue that has been overlooked and that may be a huge contributor to the steroid problem without many people being aware of it, is the incentives given in a player’s contract. Getting rid of the six figure bonuses commonly given for a certain amount of home runs, hits, strikeouts, innings pitched, etc, will help reduce the apparent need to use steroids as a source of instant reward and income. While doing this there will still most certainly be players drawn to steroids as a means to get ahead of the competition for personal glory or other reasons, the fact is eliminating bonuses has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of users in the league. It is then, and only then that we can be prepared to fully eliminate the steroid problem as we know it today, remove the cloud of doubt over everyone’s heads, and return the game of baseball to the past glorification that it once knew, as the true American pastime.