Parody of Marc Antonys Funeral Speech(Julius Caesar)

A PARODY OF MARC ANTONY’S FUNERAL SPEECH Author-A Maths FearingStudent Friends, Scholars, And Fellow-Sufferers, Lend Me Yours Ears, I Come To Criticize Mathematics, Not To Praise It. The Evils That Former Geniuses Invented, Lives After Them; The Good Is Lost In The Sands of Time; So It Is With Mathematics. The Noble Maths Teachers Have Told You, Mathematics Is Interesting, If It Were So, I Have Failed to Appreciate It- And Failing To Appreciate, Have Failed In it. Here, Under The Leave of The Principal And Teachers For They Are All Honourable People, Come I To Speak Of The Ordeal Of Mathematics. Maths Is Complicating, Nauseating, And Frightening To Me But Our Maths Teachers Say, â€Å"It Is Interesting And Easy† And They Are Honourable Men. Many A Time we Are Given Sums Whose Complexities Did Leave Us Reeling, Does This Make It Interesting? When The Poor Students Failed, The Maths Teachers Routed And Roared. Mathematics Should Be Made Easier Or Abolished Yet The Maths Teachers Say â€Å"It Is Easy! † And They Are All Capable Men. You Have All Observed During The Year, As The Maths Teachers Walk Into The Class, The Students Sweat And Swoon. Is It Necessary? Yet Our Maths Teachers Say It Is Necessary, And Sure, They Are Capable Men. I Speak Not To Disprove What These Teachers Say; But Here I Am To Speak What I Do Know. You All Did Try To Pass Mathematics, But Without Success. Isn’t That What Causes To Hate Schooling? O’ Education! Where Is The Justification? Have All Educationists Lost Their Reason? Bear With Me, I Must Stop Now; My Fear for Mathematics Allows Me To Go No Further. I Must Pause Till Reason Come Back To Our Educators. Till Yesterday, We Bore The Rigours Of Maths Silently But Now We Must Rethink Our Goals. It Is Not That We Need To Do Away With Mathematics, But Just Make It More Bearable. O’ Friends, If I Were To Stir You Up Against Mathematics I Should Do The School Wrong And The Maths Teachers Wrong Who You All Know Are Capable Men. I Will Not Do Them Wrong, I Rather Choose To Wrong The System,To Wrong myself And You; Than To Wrong such Honourable Men. *——————-*

Master of German Opera – Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner is the master of German opera. He molded opera according to his own creative definition with revolutionary zeal (Richard Wagner Biography, Arizona Opera). Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party enjoyed many of Wagner's works; this negative publicity has caused people hate Wagner and his music. Today Wagner is accepted, but his music is still outlawed in Israel. The youngest of nine children, Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany to a blue-collar family, on May 22, 1813. His father, Friedrich Wagner, a police clerk, died when Richard was only six months old. His mother soon remarried to an actor and playwright named Ludwig Geyer and the family moved to Dresden. Some historians believe that Geyer was Richard's actual biological father; there is evidence that shows that Wagner may have believed this too. Egocentric from childhood, Wagner loved literature. He was especially fascinated by the works of Shakespeare. With his head always in the books, he tried writing tragedies but that never came to anything. He also began piano lessons, but unlike many other well-known composers, he never became skilled on this or any other instrument. Through his teens composing attracted him. In 1829, at age sixteen, he wrote his first compositions, which were not received well by the public. Then he took six months of formal training Theodor Weinlig, cantor of the Thomasschule, in 1831. Those studies resulted in the composition of a Wagner symphony, which was well received in Leipzig and Prague. He began work on an opera, Die Hochzeit, and tossed it aside unfinished. After that he completed Die Feen, but it was not performed until five years after his death. At 20, he began keeping journals in hopes of writing an autobiography in the future. He got a job as the chorus master for the Wurzburg Theatre when he was only 20 years old. He also started to write operas. In 1836, he got married to the actress, Minna Planner, this marriage was to last only until 1862. He was very unhappy with Minna, and regretted this marriage almost as soon as it came to be. In 1837, he and his wife escaped creditors to Paris. Wagner struggled to establish himself in Paris. Most of the time they were living on the verge of starvation; he was arrested and imprisoned on a few different occasions due to his debts. Producers rejected his preliminary ketches of the operas La Rienzi and Das Liebesverbot. Wagner stopped writing all together because of the embarrassment of being rejected. Then Wagner had a new idea and started work on The Flying Dutchman, even though he was impoverished and unknown he felt victorious at its completion in 1841. La Rienzi opened in Dresden in 1842 to enormous success. A success followed the next year for The Wagner became Kapellmeister of the Dresden opera and had financial security at last. However, he continued his poor money management, accumulating impossible debts. Within the five years that followed, he had completed Tannhauser, and Lohengrin. However, Lohengrin, which he considered his greatest effort to date, was rejected by Dresden opera and, in anger, Wagner helped to start a revolution. He wrote letters to Dresden rioters who were creating a growing rebellion in the state of Saxony. In 1849, when the revolution failed, Wagner was exiled, and forced to flee to Switzerland. In Zurich, 1851, he completed his furiously anti Semitic Jewishness in Music. During his thirteen-year exile, he concentrated on writing essays, which told his theories on musical drama. He also began work on his giant creation, a cycle of four musical dramas titled Der Ring es Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungs). This cycle was made up of these four dramas Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried and Die Gotterdammerung . Der Ring des Nibelungen took 22 years to complete, and stands as one of the most remarkable and extremely influential achievements in music. During the many years of Wagner's exile, Lohengrin was presented in Weimar and was received slowly just as Tannhauser had been. However, in the decade that followed, German audiences loved both operas. In fact, at the time his exile ended in 1860, Wagner was one of the few Germans who had never seen a performance of Lohengrin. During the long period of work on The Ring of the Nibelungs, Wagner's life went through some major changes. He wrote, maybe, his most popular opera, Tristan und Isolde in 1859, and another major work, Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg in 1867. In 1864, the King of Bavaria, Ludwig II, brought Richard to Munich to provide financial support. There Wagner fell deeply in love with a daughter of Franz Liszt, Cosima von Bulow, who was married at the time to one of Wagner's associates. Eventually they got married. They began a project that would prove Wagner's biggest legacy to future generations (Richard Wagner, classicalmus. m), the building of an opera house that was devoted to only Wagner's works. Set in the Bavarian town Bayreuth, the Festspielhaus was the location for the first complete performance of the Ring cycle, in 1876. This was probably Wagner's biggest achievement, to have his greatest work performed in his own opera house. I don't personally listen to classic music; I don't enjoy a whole lot. I did, though, like Wagner's music. I didn't think that I would but I did. My favorite song was Lohengrin because it moves from very calm and quiet to very exciting and loud throughout the whole piece. Wagner has been classified politically as an anarchist and socialist, and simultaneously, a fascist, nationalist, and anti-Semite. His name has been connected to almost all the major trends in German history of the 19th and 20th centuries (Richard Wagner, Bena. com). Some people don't like him or his music just because some of the ideas that has been associated with his name. People need to look past the controversy and just listen to his music, and until people can do this, his wonderful music will never be fully enjoyed.

My Leadership Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My Leadership Style - Essay Example Since some employees who will be part of the new environment originally came from the old system and have hence developed relevant skills therein, employing the kind of leadership I have been exhibiting as a manager would help. Old and new employees will adjust to the new system under a merged organization and will be encouraged to share their ideas, competencies, and skills in order for the betterment of the carrying out of tasks and the organization as a whole. This may be undertaken by identifying the key points of the projector dates when feedbacks are needed about progress. Assurance that the delegated task or project is on track is also needed and must be made certain at all times. Since I am able to see the bigger picture from a far perspective, I can hence introduce solutions and innovations, to which teams can function. As a team player, I am able to encourage teams to work skillfully and cooperatively on managing the projects tasked to them. This is undertaken by delegating them the necessary tasks with me functioning as an overseer and coach. It is also a trait of mine to determine in advance how I will thank and reward the staff persons for a successful completion of the task or project delegated to them. One modification of my leadership style in addressing my situation as a leader at EEST/Ouest is incorporating point systems in job implementation through remunerative awards. This would enhance the level of productivity of employees who are challenged by the new EEST/Ouest work environment.

Re-Branding Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Re-Branding - Case Study Example Utilizing the case of Hunter Boots and the case study which was provided concerning how the firm was able to rebrand and ultimately turn the company around from near insolvency to rampant sales generation and growth, this brief analysis will be able to draw a high level of inference upon the means by which re-branding is effected as well as pointing to some of the key marketing concepts and theories that are oftentimes utilized in order to bring effective re-branding about. As such, rather than merely restating the case study in question, this particular analysis will seek to define the means whereby Hunter Boots was able to effect its rebranding and turn around via several different applications of marketing strategy and theory. Moreover, rather than merely elaborating upon some of the marketing mechanisms that Hunter Boots utilized in order to bring the firm back from the brink of extinction within the marketplace, the analysis will close with a particular word of warning. Such a w ord of warning is of course with relation to the fact that such a rebranding process that is ever-mindful of the realities of the marketplace is demanded to be perpetually engaged with if such a firm wishes to continue to have a place within the market. One of the very clear and present realities of the way in which markets behave and interact with the consumer and vice versa is with respect to the rapid level of change and fast changing consumer tastes. As such, the market for Hunter Boots had all but died out prior to the successful rebranding that took place. In this way, the relevant stakeholders of the firm found it necessary to institute a series of marketing theories and concepts in order to evoke a level of positive change within overall sales of Hunter’s line of boots. The first of these was to seek to reposition the brand. Whereas previously Hunter Boots had experienced a degree of appeal among wealthier segments of British society, the allure had since been lost as the style and limited product choice had come to be seen as stodgy and outdated. In such a manner, repositioning the brand to make it appeal to a broader audience was direly necessitated. Running tangentially to this need and reality of repositioning the brand, the firm found it expedient to seek to leverage the â€Å"upmarket†. This of course is a marketing concept that useful to understand with regards to the target market that the firm is attempting to leverage. With regards to how Hunter Boots sought to upmarket the product line, it was the understanding and realization of key individuals within the management of the firm that successful rebranding should not deviate too far from the originally strength and stigma that Hunter Boots originally entailed. In such a way, the ultimate intention was to market Hunter Boots as something of a chic aspect of â€Å"haute couture† that denoted a degree of sophistication and wealth. In such a way, the rebranding effort utilize d consumer desire to represent this exclusivity as a means of not only increasing sales but increasing the price per pair of boots approximately 20% (Coster, 2009). Two further marketing concepts which were heavily utilized in order to engage the consumer were with respect to the level and extent to which product differentiation and expansion of the product line were effected to increase overall sales. Whereas before the restructuring and rebranding of Hunter Boots, there were only two specific product offerings that the firm was able to exhibit, as a result of the rebranding efforts, the firm set out to explosively increase the overall number of style

Account management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Account management - Essay Example The Entertainment and leisure industry includes a wide range of sub-sectors: entertainment (adult entertainment, attractions, movie and theaters), gambling, hospitality, restaurant and caf, sport and recreation, etc. Entertainment and leisure industry is marked by increasing capital markets activity over the past 5 years. It is estimated that average annual returns for industry are anticipated to exceed 13 percent over the next 10 years, with Entertainment and leisure industry investment alternatives performing at single digit growth rates (approximately 7 percent to 9 percent).The entertainment and leisure industry, known for its patchy supply chain and bungling circulation processes, has the latent to improve efficiency, inventory, audit control and to diminish infrastructure and operation costs by web-enabling their business online.In order to assess the situation the company can provide its own market research to collect and analyze the available information. This information can be found in mass media including press and TV advertising. This will help to identify competitors one by one, their price strategy and promotion techniques, their potential and target audience and even the quality of products they propose. This research may include information on new security equipment and associated consultancy services brought out by other companies, the relative prices of goods in the Internet shops, how competitors are promoting their products, or whether changes are taking place in the way consumers buy goods. This second activity is sometimes referred to as market intelligence for it enables management to build up a picture of the market in which they operate and chart the significant changes and trends so that strategies may be initiated and changed as appropriate. And, the received information should be compared with distributors marketing activity and strategy. An assessment of general environment and the firm's immediate competitive position should enable the account manager to identify the major threats and opportunities facing the firm. A strengths and weaknesses analysis can be particularly powerful if it incorporates a comparison with competitors. Core competences are concerned with identifying those particular strengths which give the company an edge over its competitors, and those areas of particular weakness which are to be avoided. This may require a parallel analysis of competitors' resources as previously mentioned. Bear in mind the mistakes and false steps made by the distributors new marketing strategy will be developed. Taking into account this data it will be possible to assess, to a certain extent, opportunities existing in the entertainment and leisure industry. The account manager will need financial and organizational information as for the UK distributors activity. It may include sales and product variations by region and also will provide the basis for implementing. The account manager should analysis the previous work of distributors and identify possible mistakes in their marketing strategy. Their work may include ineffective advertising campaign, inappropriate sales decisions, tools and techniques, or the choice of target audience may be wrong. The following techniques can be used to "gain entry" into the sector: the sales may be designed to make consumers aware of a new product, to stimulate nonusers buy to sample the existing product and service. The next step is elevation of customer to 'client' status, to establish a pattern of repeat buying by making it easy for the customer to do business with the company. If consumers are really impressed

Strat-Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strat-Management - Essay Example DP world is amongst the world’s largest port operating entities that has an established business base and considerable potential with the ventures expanded over different major ports of the world that are hub to the services, containers and shipping. Company specialization: It specializes in the ports and terminal operations. The company has enjoyed control over three major cargo terminals in this area and has recently decided to sell as high as 60 percent of its terminal stakes (portstrategy 2012). It facilities the functions of performing cargo terminal services across the major docks and primarily on the Belgian docks as in this particular case. This move of selling the shares comes as a result of agreement and settlement with a locally operated company in the name of Zuidnatie, which aims to overtake and purchase as many as 60 percent of the overall shares of the company that were owned by it previously. This decision has various repercussions ranging from business view po int, to economic and strategic since the brand name is already established and also the services delivery infrastructure has been in place as well. Therefore understanding its long term, short term impacts is vital along with the possible angles and dimensions under which this move may have been initiated. Core idea: The idea behind selling its break bulk terminal is trigged by the move and motive to focus on the core services which is that of deep water container facility. This move is accompanied by that of expansion of its services and facilities usage in the Delwaide Dock terminal, which again is a front line terminal and would enable better focus on the core stream. The overall sales are worth around 60 million dollars. Repercussions: Since the decision is of major significance, it has both internal impacts and external, each of these need to be evaluated in terms of the possible impacts on DP world, this will be looked into with reference to the internal variables, internal fa cilities, the workers response, and on external front, it would be gauged against the supply chain factor, the market competition, the rivals response, the possible loss of customers and clients by giving up the terminal that has long been associated with DP world and other factors. All these need to be critically evaluated and observed in order to assess the impacts and determine whether this decision would augur any positives for the company or possibly lead to the negative impacts on the overall organization. It is potentially amongst the top three largest stevedores in the Port of Antwerp and its decision to abandon and sell its services will have impacts both on DP world itself and the overall terminal’s environment since it is an established entity and has been around and has earned the clients trust for considerable time (Barnard 2012). Under the law and rules and regulation of the porting industry, 70 jobs have to be cut off in lieu of this decision which would includ e 40 white collar jobs, and 30 blue collar jobs (Nobx 2012). The trend: DP world has exhibited similar behavior in recent times, and this is not the only and unique function being performed, the selling of its 20 percent shares to the Russian giants was one similar example. Another similar event came to forth in form of DP world’

Homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Homework - Essay Example aw imposed by John Adams, it was required to deliver the commissions who were selected by him, where one of the members of â€Å"Midnight Judges† was William Murbury. But the commissions were not legally accepted till John Adams was the president of US. When Thomas Jefferson had become president, he rejected to admire the commissions. It had been claimed that the commission was invalid as they had not been delivered by expiration of John Adam’s presidency (Landman, 2002). Therefore, William Murbery who was the proposed addressee of â€Å"Justice of The Peace† by means of commission smeared straightforwardly to the supreme court of US for an injunction of mandamus to induce the Secretary of State, James Madison in order to bring the commission. In the year 1803, the Supreme Court had rendered an undisputed decision that court did not possess the authority to deliver commission. This decision proved that court had lacked jurisdiction and it was the win for Democratic Republicans because the claim for injunction of mandamus had been rejected (Cornell University Law School, n.d.). The American system enjoys mutual authority among state, federal and local governments and comprises a requirement for collaboration, synchronization and communication. In the American system, the local government possesses the right to conduct responsibilities for dealing with any emergency or disaster. The federal government is intended to deliver economic support and resources, and state government acts on behalf of applying the federal rules and policies. Notably, the three main elements of American system are: Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch (The White House, n.d.). The executive branch is controlled by the governor who is straightforwardly elected by citizens of US. The other members of the executive branch are also designated by the public such as deputy governor, counsellor general, commissioners, and secretary of state among others. The legislative

Tennessee History of Native Americans and the time period leading up Essay

Tennessee History of Native Americans and the time period leading up to and during the French and English incursion - Essay Example The Native controlled their land and culture. However, the competition of the European nation over the control of the territory strengthened the native as some collaborated with foreigners and helped repel other European nations. This explains the contest between the French and the British over Tennesse. The incursion of the French and English men in Tennessee was received differently. The Native American engaged in numerous battles with the French which culminated to the French and Indian War. The native resisted the occupation of the foreigners in their land because it amounted to loss of land and businesses opportunities that has taken root before their arrival. One of the historic spot is the Fort Massac in the lower side of Illinois. The French established the Mossac during the French and Indian War. Moreover, not only had the French conquered the Native American in Tennessee, but also the Spanish had much influence in the region (Caldwell). The English also made their influence in the Tennessee and the Indian had to engage to every sort of invasion of their territory. The Cherokee and the Chickasaw were very hostile to the French Indians, but engaged in a friendly manner with the English. The Native used the Tennessee River to move to the north to attack the inhabitant of those areas. The Southern of Ohio developed as a strong centre and the French wished to expand their influence to the local tribes, Cherokee and Chickasaw. During this time, the England considered to build a fortification building in lower Ohio. The contest of both the French and English confronted the Governor of Virginia, Dinwiddie to disregard communication with the French and rather build a fortification that would cut the French influence in the region. Nevertheless, the French moved with speed and build the fortification at the mouth of River Tennessee. This enabled the French to control the lower part of Tennessee

Morals and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Morals and Ethics - Essay Example Understanding the ways in which ethics and morals may conflict and converge and, how actions may be judged as moral but not ethical, and vice-versa, it is important to define these two concepts. According to the Webster dictionary, the term ethics refers to a set of moral principles whose application allow for the differentiation between right and wrong. On the basis of this definition, it would seem that ethics and morals are inseparable, whereby that which is ethical is, by definition, also moral. This is not true. Once again referring to the Webster dictionary, one finds that moral systems tend to be universal while ethical principles tend to be specific. That is, while morals refer to universal understandings of right and wrong, good and bad, ethics refer to particular understandings, which derive from professional or cultural codes of conduct, among others. Therefore, even though the concepts of ethics and morals are interrelated, they are ultimately distinct. On the basis of the definitions resented, it is evident that the colonial officer's actions were ethical but they were not moral. Within the bounds of his professional duties and his responsibility to protect the Burmese, his shooting of the elephant was an ethical act. The elephant, who suffered an "attack of must" (Orwell, para. 6), had wreaked havoc upon the market and the hut dwellers, not to mention the fact that it had stomped upon an old man and killed him by partially burying him, head down, in the mud. The elephant had proved himself dangerous and his owner, the only person who could control him, was not in the vicinity. Given the officer's profession and its associate responsibilities and duties, shooting and killing the elephant was ethical insofar as it meant terminating the danger which this beast represented to the defenseless. While it may have been an ethical act, the shooting of the elephant was not a moral one. There are several reasons why his action was immoral. In the first place, the officer did not shoot the beast because he represented a danger at that time but, because the crowd expected him to. In the second place, the shooting was not inspired by a sense of professional responsibility towards the safety and the welfare of the villagers but by the desire not to be laughed at. In the third place, the officer shot the elephant even though his moral instincts told him that this was wrong. Consequently, in acting as he did, Orwell's colonial officer did not just disregard his own moral judgment but his actions were not motivated by any sense of professional ethics or notion of responsibility towards the villagers. Indeed, he even expressed happiness/satisfaction that the elephant had killed a coolie so that his shooting of the elephant may be morally and ethically justifiable. It is on this basis th at his actions must ultimately be judged as immoral even though they are seemingly consistent with his professional ethics. The doctor, or medical resident's actions are a complete reversal of those of Orwell's officer as they comply with morality but not with professional ethics. The doctor was, to all intents and purposes, trapped in a situation wherein morals and ethics collided. On the one hand, he was confronted with an injured man who, if he did not try to

Have the benefits that immigrants have brought to British society Essay - 1

Have the benefits that immigrants have brought to British society outweighed the problems they have caused - Essay Example According to mail online report, Britain plans to ban wives brought to the UK, mainly from India and Pakistan (Crackdown on 80,000 immigrants for abusing benefits system, 2009). This paper compares the benefits and problems of immigration in Britain Chart (2003) has argued that if someone is sufficiently motivated to travel thousands of miles in search of a better life, they are sufficiently motivated to get out of the damp bedsit and look for work in search of one that is better yet (Chart, 2003). People are immigrating to other countries on the lookout of better living conditions. In their home country, they may not have enough opportunities to utilize their expertise. For example, India is a country which is blessed with immense educated and skilled manpower resources. The problem with India is that because of the immense population size, it is unable to provide enough opportunities to the unemployed and thus failed to capitalise on the huge manpower resources they have. On the other hand UK is a country which is blessed with enough opportunities, but less manpower resources. Thus immigration helped UK to utilize the overseas manpower resources for their economic development. The immigrant community will work hard for better living conditions which will be beneficial to Britain. In fact, most of Indians are not working hard if they work in their home country whereas in immigrant countries like Middle East, America or UK, they have a good reputation as far as hardworking is concerned. â€Å"Immigration will add substantial numbers of economically productive individuals, and given the chance, many of them will be more economically productive than average† (Chart, 2003). Another biggest contribution of the immigrant community is the enrichment of British culture. A culture is a living thing, and it is always growing and changing. Cultures which feed on nothing but themselves tend to become

Increase Crime Among Youth Essay Example for Free

Increase Crime Among Youth Essay 1. This is to confirm that we have allotted flat no. D4 / E 5 admeasuring 920 Sq. ft.(built up area) on the Survey No.49 A / 7 constructed by us to shri PARAG VIJAY MODI for a total consideration of Rs.12,00,000/-(Rupee Twelve Lac Only)Under an agreement for sale dated 20 /12/2012. 2. We confirm that we have obtained necessary permission / approvals sanction for construction of said building from all the concerned competent authorities and the same are in force. The construction of the building as well as of the flat is in accordance with the approved plans. We assure that the said flat as well as the said building and the legal appurtenances there to be not subject to any encumbrances, charge or liability or any kind whatsoever and that the entire property is free from encumbrances and marketable. We have a clear, legal and marketable title to the said property and part thereof. 3. Shri. PARAG VIJAY MODI has/ have paid the total cost of Rs. 5,90,000/-(Rupees Five Lac Ninety thousand Only). 4. Possession of the said Unit/Gala/Shop/ Premises / Flat will be given to Shri. PARAG VIJAY MODI . 5. We have hereby confirm that we have NO OBJECTION to your giving finance to Shri. PARAG VIJAY MODI his her mortgaging the said Flat to your Bank by way of security for repayment of such finance. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the said agreement. We hereby register the Banks charge in our books in respect of the said Flat. AND Shri PARAG VIJAY MODI will not be permitted to transfer, assign, sell off or in any other way/ manner deal with the said Flat prejudicial to the interest of the Bank, without the prior written consent of your bank. 6. We undertake to form a Co-operative Society of the Flat holders of the aforesaid building under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act.1960 within two years from the due hereof. We also agree to inform and given proper notice to the Co. operative Society as and when formed, about the said flat being so mortgaged to your Bank. 7. We are aware that relying on what is stared herein above, you have agreed to give the finance to Shri. PARAG VIJAY MODI P.S. Your are requested to issue your pay order in favour of sarasvat Bank c/a No CAPUB /11 M/s Gagangiri Construction. Instruction: If No.5 is not applicable then cancel the same and renumber the remaining paragraph.

Understanding The Concept Of Depression Sociology Essay

Understanding The Concept Of Depression Sociology Essay A comparison of the social constructs of emotion in Asian and Western cultures shows that Asians are more prone to experience depression and suicidal behaviors than are Westerners. Studies highlighting the cultural similarities and differences in display rules, the emotion regulation norms, and the physical and emotional expression of depression in these two cultures are cited to support this claim. The Basic Emotion, Component, Appraisal, and Neo-Jamesian theories show that only elements from each provide a complete explanation of why Asians are predisposed to depression because of culture. The Social Constructionist Theory offers a thorough explanation of this phenomenon. The problems and possible remedies facing Asian cultures and the heightened risk of depression among its members are also addressed. Culture and the Understanding of the Concept of Depression Through numerous studies on cultural relativism and cultural categorization of emotion, emotion is shown to be, to a degree, contingent on cultural factors such as display rules, social roles, and culturally determined appraisals. The interpretation of depression eliciting stimuli and situations and expression of depression, in particular, is also influenced by these cultural factors. Furthermore, the social constructionist view of depression makes it possible to compare the concept of depression in Western and Asian cultures. The contrast between the relatively individualistic nature of Western cultures and the collective nature of Asian cultures, and their associated norms for emotion regulation, may offer differing perspectives of depression and therefore help form a cultural observation of depression within the two cultures. The cultural display rules, socially learned performances, and emotion regulation norms that guide the interpretation of and behavioral responses to depressi on in these cultures reveal that Asians are more prone to depression and suicidal behaviors than are Westerners. Cultural differences between Western and Asian cultures in individualism-collectivism (I-C), a dimension of cultural variability, show a strong possibility that Asians are predisposed to more negative emotions than are Westerners. Individualistic cultures, most of which are Western, promote individual needs, wishes, desires, and values over group and collective ones (Matsumoto, 1990). Consequently, hierarchical differences in status or power are minimized while equality is emphasized (Matsumoto, 1990). In contrast, collective cultures, many of which are Asian, promote the opposite; they stress the needs of a group, individuals identify themselves as members of a group, and ones social role is defined by an entrenched system of hierarchical differences and vertical relationships (Matsumoto, 1990). The I-C difference is also related to the social distinction between ingroups and outgroups (Matsumoto, 190). Members of individualistic cultures tend to display more negative emotions to in group members and more positive emotions to outgroup members. Conversely, members of collective cultures tend to display more positive emotions to members of ingroups and more negative emotions to those of outgroups (Matsumoto, 1990). These display rules should predispose Asians to more negative emotions, which may result in depression, at least in the social interactions with outgroups. Power distance, another dimension of cultural variability, which refers to cultural differences in status and power, is positively correlated to cultures that are more individualistic and negatively correlated to those that are more collective. This dimension may already show that Asian cultures foster more opportunities for the occurrence or passive harboring of negative emotions, while Western cultures seem to dissipate many of these potential risks. The importance of equality and the needs of the individual in Western cultures may make it less likely for people to experience depression on a large, societal scale. On the other hand, the vertical relationships encapsulated in collective cultures may make it more likely for people to acknowledge their differences from one another and any perceived inadequacies with those higher in power and status may contribute to the occurrence of depression. A Japanese-American comparison study by Matsumoto (1990) explored the relationship between I-C and PD cultures and the display rules of the members of those cultures. The study was conducted in two sessions; the first measured display rules through the subjects judgment of the appropriateness of displaying emotions in different situations, and the second measured how they judged the intensity of the same emotions. The results of the experiment supported the views that Japanese display rules made it appropriate to show negative emotions to outgroups and lower-status others while American display rules allowed people to express negative emotions more openly in ingroups (Matsumoto, 1990). In addition, Americans rated happiness in public and to outgroups as more appropriate than did Japanese. The Japanese display rules, indicative to some degree of Asian cultural display rules at large, show that in order to foster ingroup harmony and maintain the hierarchical differences in power and st atus, people find negative emotions to be appropriate when interacting with outgroups and lower-status others but not with ingroups and higher-status others. These display rules may reveal that Asian cultures are less tolerant than Western cultures of negative emotions in ingroups, which discourages them to express and share their negative emotions with their ingroups. A further finding from Matsumotos study suggests that although Asians may be more likely to express negative emotions to outgroups, they mask their negative feelings in the presence of others (Matsumoto, 1990). Overall, Asian cultures seem to discourage any expression of negative emotions whether with ingroups, outgroups, or those of different status. Emotion regulation norms for Asian and Western cultures also demonstrate a greater likelihood for depression among Asians than among Westerners. Since emotion regulation refers to the ability to manage and modify ones emotional reactions in order to achieve a desirable outcome, it reflects the different ways that culture tries to achieve social order (Matsumoto, Yoo, Nakagawa, 2005). Two aspects of emotion regulation, reappraisal-the way individuals appraise an emotion-eliciting situation to change its impact on the emotion-and suppression-the inhibition of emotional expressive behavior-can be used to compare Asian and Western cultures. Individualistic cultures are associated with more reappraisal and less suppression because these cultures value emotions and free expression more than collective cultures, which are associated with less reappraisal and more suppression in order to maintain ingroup cohesion and harmony (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Studies have linked emotion regulation t o different types of adjustment. Individuals high in reappraisal and low in suppression experienced more positive and less negative emotions, were more open in sharing their emotions with others, had better social support, were less depressed, and reported higher self-esteem, optimism, and life satisfaction; in essence, reappraisal has been associated with positive outcomes and suppression with negative emotions (Matsumoto et al., 2005). These conclusions can also be applied to individuals from Asian and Western cultures at large-Asians may feel more negative emotions, have less social support, and be more depressed than Westerners. Although suppression has been associated with negative consequences on the individual level, a study by Matsumoto et al. (2005) shows that it may have positive consequences on the social level. Suppression may play an important cultural function in organizing and maintaining cultural systems and groups. Thus, the social order is preserved at the expense of the emotional well-being of the individual. Part of their study, which held data about country-level emotion regulation, reveals that emotion regulation is positively correlated with both positive and negative indices of adjustment (Matsumoto et al., 2005). In other words, while individualism may promote high levels of both positive and negative adjustment because it values free, uninhibited emotional expression, collectivism may promote only either positive or negative adjustment. Despite the fact that suppression in collective cultures may lead to greater social harmony and a high level of positive adjustment, individuals may sti ll experience negative consequences. Therefore, while Asian countries and cultures may report a relatively positive adjustment for society in general, individuals themselves may report negative adjustment. This phenomenon may very well show that Asians who suffer from depression are stifled by cultural emotion regulation norms from receiving psychological or emotional help and support. The Social Constructionist Theory has helped define the social constructs of Asian cultures that make Asians more prone not only to negative emotions but also to social anxiety, a precursor to depression. Cultural display rules, social roles, and emotion regulation norms have effectively contributed to the predisposition of Asians to be more passive, non-assertive, and anxious in interpersonal situations than Westerners (Okazaki, Liu, Minn, 2002). The results from a study that examined differences between Asian American and White American on a trait measure of social anxiety and self-reports of anxiety-related emotions during a 3-min social performance task indicated that Asian Americans reported more anxiety than White Americans (Okazaki et al., 2002). Their data also revealed that some differences among Asian Americans of various ethnicities in their levels of social anxiety are related to their levels of acculturation. If there are indeed significant differences among Asian Ameri cans depending on their level of acculturation to American culture, they would be due to whether Asian Americans still prescribe to Asian social constructs of emotion. Although Asian Americans reported more social anxiety, they did not behave in an observably different manner than White Americans during the anxiety-provoking social task (Okazaki et al., 2002). In light of the emotion regulation norms that guide behavioral responses, both Asian Americans and Asians may be less willing to express any type of strong emotions, positive or negative, in front of people. This observation may support the view that Asians are exposed to social rules that increase the likelihood for anxiety, and subsequently depression, because those same rules prevent them sharing their emotional burdens with others. This culturally embedded formula for Asians to experience more social anxiety than Westerners is reinforced by culturally relevant risk factors for suicidal behaviors among Asian American youths. Asian American youths are at greater risk for suicide than majority group youths (i.e. White Americans and African Americans) because they experience risk factors that every youth experiences such as antisocial behaviors, substance abuse, and lack of familial stability, and those related to acculturation to the majority culture such as discrimination, alienation, and identity confusion (Lau, Jernewall, Zane, Myers, 2002). Asian American youths who fail to acculturate properly and develop an adaptive ethnic identity are prone to maladjustment, which entails life dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, pessimism, and depression. It is primarily the parents of Asian American youths that confound their efforts to acculturate and thus contribute to stress and frustration (Lau et al., 2002). Acculturat ion stress and intergenerational acculturation conflicts have been identified as factors that influence suicidal behaviors among Asian youths in Great Britain (Lau et al., 2002). A struggle between Western cultural norms and Asian cultural values can be seen in the parent-child conflicts of Asian American youths. A medical record abstraction at a mental health outpatient clinic identified correlates of suicidal behaviors in a sample of 285 Asian American youths (Lau et al., 2002). The records pointed out that adolescents were at the greatest risk for suicidal behaviors and were more prone to depression than were younger children. Consequently, depression was a strong predictor of suicidality as well (Lau et al., 2002). The data showed that youths who were less acculturated and experienced high parent-child conflict were at significantly greater risk than youths who were more acculturated and had lower conflict. Interestingly, youths who were diagnosed as suicidal displayed a higher number of internalizing symptoms and fewer externalizing symptoms (Lau et al., 2002). Perhaps the cultural sanctions against expression of negative emotions and the Asian cultural tendency to portray mental disorders as shameful and the tendency to downplay such disorders as temporary emotional states that do not r equire treatment, medical or otherwise, contribute to the prevalence of suicidal behavior among Asian American youths (Lau et al., 2002). Asian Americans as a whole, including both youths and adults, have had their mental health needs neglected by United States federal mental health policies (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). This neglect is perpetuated in part by the three myths about Asian Americans: they are a small group; they are a successful group and do not have any financial or cultural problems; and they do not experience mental health disparities (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). Although many, especially White Americans and the government, see Asian Americans as the model minority, they are not by any means exempt from problems surrounding their social and cultural position in the United States. The first myth is debunked by data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census showing that Asian Americans are proportionally the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. The second myth can be disproven by the sheer fact that not all Asian Americans receive the same education and opportunities to advance in society. Some groups have l ess education, greater unemployment, and higher poverty than others (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). Moreover, even Asian Americans who are successful by educational, employment, and income standards encounter problems associated with their ethnicity. The stress of acculturation contributes to the occurrence of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. Their overall success in integrating with American culture belies the reality that many experience mental health disparities due to clashing cultural values and display rules; as a result, this conflict and the neglect of their mental health needs predispose them to an increased risk of depressive symptoms and behaviors and (Nagayama Hall, Yee, 2012). A specific look into the avoidance of mental therapy in South Korea further strengthens the argument that Asian cultures foster societies in which Asians are more likely to experience depression and less likely to seek help for it. Academic and corporate pressures contribute to an alarming rate of stress and suicide among South Koreans (Kim, Won, Liu, Liu, Kitanishi, 1997). Many Koreans, however, largely resisted Western psychotherapy for their growing anxieties, depression, and stress. The Buddhist and Confucian values that dictate much of South Korean society emphasize stoicism and modesty while subordinating individual problems and concerns to the good of society. In line with these ethics is preservation of face, or dignity for the family (Kim et al., 1997). If they do seek help, Koreans are compromising the dignity of their families by indirectly stating that they need mental therapy because their families are at fault. Koreans decide not to seek professional psychotherapy or c ounseling because the culture considers open expression of emotional problems as taboo. Thus, many Koreans forgo mental help and cope with their problems on their own (Kim et al., 1997). However, the suicide rate has doubled in Korea between 1999 and 2009 and it may continue to grow if Koreans do not seek therapy or some form of counseling to cope with depression and stress (Kim et al., 1997). The problem of depression in Korea is mirrored in other East Asian cultures perhaps because they all share the same cultural prohibition of expressing negative emotions to both ingroups and outgroups and the view that depression is not a serious mental health problem. A dangerous threat that can result from ignoring cases of depression and when individuals neglect or are incapable of seeking mental aid is a rising suicide rate. China, India, and Japan accounted for more than 40% of all world suicides in 2006 (Beautrais, 2006). Surprisingly then, although many Asian cultures believe that suicide is a source of personal and family shame, much of the worlds reported suicides occur in Asian countries. Problems of underreporting cases of suicides and suicide attempts such as inaccuracy of reports, prohibitions against the collection of suicide data, and the stigmatization of suicide make it difficult to assess the true numbers of suicides that occur in Asian countries. Nevertheless, limitations aside, there is still an alarming number of suicides that take place in Asian countries every year. As in Western countries, mental illness is strongly correlated with suicide in Asian countries (Beautrais, 2006). Indeed, many of the life stresses that cause dep ression-poverty and marital, family, and relationships problems-are equally shared by Asian and Western countries. However, some cultural, historical, and contextual features of suicidal behavior in Asia may show that life stresses may more often lead to suicide than in the West (Beautrais, 2006). The struggles of young rural families involving early marriage, low social status, and lack of personal autonomy; economic stresses for Asian businessmen who are pressured to work long hours and drink away their stress; and academic stresses for adolescents in Japan and Korea who compete for admission to prestigious schools may invariably lead to suicide. Not only do the societal conditions in which Asians live may engender more cases of depression and suicide, but also the social constructs of emotion particular to Asian cultures. While the Social Constructionist Theory argues that social roles, emotion regulation norms, and cultural display rules explain why Asians may be more prone to depression than Westerners, appraisal theories help highlight the role of appraisal as interpretations of emotion-eliciting situations in this phenomenon. Appraisal, which is involved in reappraisal in emotion regulation, is defined as the evaluation of an event. Appraisal, therefore, plays a significant role in emotion regulation because it allows an individual to interpret a situation as positive or negative, thereby influencing the emotion felt. Whereas in Asian cultures, appraisal is framed by values that promote embeddedness, power distance, and hierarchy, in Western cultures, appraisal is perceived through values that promote individualism, egalitarianism, and affective autonomy (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Asian cultures assess appraisal through the collective mind, or through the socially desirable outcomes of ingroup harm ony and maintenance of power distance. Therefore, Asians may tend to appraise situations as positive or negative depending on the goals of their societies. However, because Asians may appraise emotional situations under the context of social values, they may run the risk of both diminishing positive emotions and exaggerating the negative emotions for the individual. For example, if an Asian youth receives a relatively poor grade based on his parents standards, he may ignore the fact that although he did not please his parents, he scored the highest out of his class. Nonetheless, the youth appraises the situation negatively because he places the needs of the group (his family) ahead of his individual needs and concerns. In contrast, a Western youth may appraise the situation differently, seeing his performance as satisfactory and thereby feeling happier and less stressed. Appraisal theories are thus contingent on the social goals and values pertaining to culture. Component theories further elaborate how components that lead to depression occur more often in Asian cultures than in Western cultures. In addition to appraisal, subjective feeling, action readiness, expression, and instrumental behavior are all emotion components that help construct an emotion. Through Ortony and Turners conclusion that emotion components are dissociable elements and the results of the study by Okazaki et al., (2002), we can see that depression is caused by various components that by their own may not be indicative of the emotion. Asian cultures define these components in relation to social order and harmony, once again subordinating the needs and desires of the individual to those of society. Naturally, appraisals and behaviors that reflect restraint and inhibition of expressing negative emotions are more prevalent and readily used in Asian cultures. However, even if one were to experience components of depression, the full manifestation of the emotion may not occ ur because depression and other mental health disorders are looked down upon in Asian cultures (Beautrais, 2006). The individual would likely associate an experience of depression, despite having all the components that form depression, with a general negative emotion that can be overcome by sheer willpower or other non-professional therapy; in addition, the individual can choose to ignore one or several components of depression to deny that they are depressed. Unfortunately, component theories, like appraisal theories, do not offer a full explanation of why Asians may be predisposed to depression because they do not ensure the full manifestation of depression. The Basic Emotions Theory may support the universality of depression, but does not explain why or how Asians are more prone to experiencing it. The study on social-anxiety for Asian Americans and White Americans by Okazaki et al., (2002) showed that facial expression is not a primary or even reliable indicator of emotion. Likewise, another study exhibiting display rules in Japanese and American subjects showed that while the Japanese felt the same emotions as the Americans, they did not show negative emotions to strangers (Matsumoto, 1990). Facial expressions of emotion are but one part of socially defined components that generate an emotion. Depression is interpreted differently by Asian cultures than it is by Western cultures due to differing social values and roles (Beautrais, 2006). Moreover, the expression of depression is inevitably different for Asian cultures and Western cultures because of cultural display rules. In short, the Basic Emotions Theory merely states that depress ion exists, but not to what degree individuals in different cultures experience it. There is a link between the Neo-Jamesian Psychophysiological Perspective and a study by Arnault Kim (2008) that shows that Japanese and Korean women had higher somatic distress and depression than American women. The results of the study showed that there were certain somatic distress symptoms unique to depression among the Asian women: gastric and abdominal upset, weakness, dizziness, aches and pains, and palpitations (Arnault Kim, 2008). Through a comparison with American women, Japanese and Korean women were found to experience culturally-specific somatic symptoms. This finding supports the psychophysiological perspective that each emotion has its own pattern or signature of bodily changes. Therefore, according to this perspective, depression should also have its own unique signature of bodily changes. Although the study may support the claim that emotions are equivalent to physiological changes or can be purely defined by them, it also showed that the somatic symptoms felt by t he women were culturally-specific. American women would not be able to experience the same symptoms as the Asian women did, and they would probably not label their symptoms collectively as depression. Furthermore, the Japanese and Korean women used an idiom of distress used to describe their symptoms that highlighted the importance of cultural values and beliefs. The Social Constructionist Theory is, therefore, the best theory illustrating how Asians are more prone to depression and suicidal behaviors than are Westerners. It encompasses elements from the Appraisal theory, Component theory, Basic Emotions theory, and Neo-Jamesian Psychophysiological Perspective. Emotion components that form the emotion of depression are all influenced by the social norms of a particular culture. Asian cultures, which value embeddedness, power distance, and hierarchy, evaluate emotion components and somatic symptoms according to these cultural orientations. On the other hand, Western cultures evaluate emotion components and physiological symptoms according to individualism, egalitarianism, and affective autonomy. The culturally specific evaluations of Asian cultures increase the likelihood of people experiencing depression than in Western cultures. The downplay of negative emotions may also reveal that in Asian cultures, negative emotions are relatively hypo-co gnized concepts, emotion concepts that are not so thoroughly mapped out in a cultures emotion lexicon. Nonetheless, the expression of negative emotions is confounded and inhibited by a cultural reluctance to acknowledge that people have mental health problems. Socially learned performances, syndromes, and language all contribute to create a high disposition for depression in Asian cultures. While Asian and Western cultures seem to be the primary culture groups in the world, we can observe similar cultures such as that of the Utku if we focus on the more fundamental I-C dimension of cultural variability. The Utku society shares more values and traits with collective Asian cultures than with individualistic Western cultures. The Utku value ingroup harmony over individual needs and desires, which have the potential to disrupt society. Parents show affection to their children up until a certain age around 3 and 4 years old, in order to assimilate them into the larger social context of society (Briggs, 1970). Adults expect children to eventually abandon their childish, selfish ways and adopt a communal mindset of equal distribution of food and goods. In order to maintain their social harmony, the Utku try not to exhibit anger, which would be detrimental to the carefully monitored society by causing conflict and breaking relationship ties. In their efforts to avoid anger, they have effectively made it a hypo-cognized concept, indirectly doing away with one of the precursors to depression. Because none of the Utku claim to be angry and no one can observe any signs of anger, the Utku may not even experience depression. By eliminating not only anger but also negative emotions in general, the Utku may only perceive positive emotions. Unlike other collective cultures like Asian cultures, the Utku have a relatively limited and simple emotion vocabulary and thus may not even consider depression to be an emotion concept, much less experience it. While studies on cultural display rules and emotion regulation norms suggest that individuals in collective cultures are more prone to negative emotions, this does not seem to be the case for individuals in Utku society. The only possible instances where depression may have occurred, in Raigili and Saaraks sullen moods when their mother no longer carries them, do not guarantee that the children felt depression (Briggs, 1970). Even if they felt sadness, it would have been construed and interpreted through social values; they experience emotions through the context of their society. In essence, the Utku reveal one exception to the commonly held view that individuals in collective cultures are more prone to depression. The comparison of Asian and Western cultures and their disposition for depression brings up a problem of the immutability of culture. If Asians are truly more prone to depression because of culture, then how do we rectify this problem, if there even is a solution save the complete upheaval of deeply entrenched social norms and values? Even with the evidence citing that Asians experience more depression and are at greater risk of suicidal behaviors than are Westerners in America and in their native countries, the global rates of suicide in Asia seem to increase every year. The medical findings can be a starting point to influence government health, economic, and educational policies to change or perhaps sway cultural values. While the thought of completely or irreversibly altering a cultures values and beliefs is not only near impossible but controversial, government and public awareness of depression and suicide may help decline the rampant number of suicides that occur in Asia. Ther e is an important distinction to be made between countries and cultures-countries may comprise of one or several cultures, and conversely, a culture is not indicative of any countrys beliefs or values (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Changes in other dimensions like international politics have translated into changes in public sentiment and even cultural values. There is a great possibility for governments of collective cultures to perhaps assuage the dangers of emotion suppression and allow for more open and free expression of emotion. They can also try to establish medical and mental health institutions that allow people to meet with psychiatrists privately to prevent the patient from any associated familial or individual shame for having depression. The medical records of Asian American outpatient youths and U.S. mental health policies that neglect the special needs of Asian Americans can help direct attention to the increased likelihood among Asian Americans to feel depression. The transcultural study by Kim et al., (1997) showed that even Asian students have developed coping methods to deal with stressful events. Health reforms that pair Asian patients with those of same ethnicities may alleviate any barriers to full expression of emotion and provide a chance to better diagnose and remedy depressive symptoms among low acculturated Asian Americans or immigrants. An observation that American psychiatry should be more sensitive to the relationship between the mind/emotions and the body would also help assess and treat Asian patients who experience depression and stress (Arnault Kim, 2008). Programs to help Asian immigrants to become acculturated with American or Western culture may dissipate any tension between Asian values and Western values. Understanding of emotion concepts across Asian and Western cultures could also be more easily facilitated through these acculturation programs. These civil policies and other measures may make it easier for Asian Americans to adopt American or Western culture while at the same time not relinquishing their native Asian cultures. This process of integration would ensure that they do not lose their cultural identities but rather focus on the values and emotion constructs that promote emotional well-being and health. Although Western cultures seems to be a better culture in terms of emotional expression and general individual well-being, it is far from perfect and may even be worse than Asian cultures in maintaining social order. Cultures all share the desire for social order (Matsumoto et al., 2005). Western cultures seem to promote this relatively well by emphasizing individualism, egalitarianism, and affective autonomy. Individualism ensures that the needs of the individual are met and attention and care is given to the individual who has problems. Egalitarianism promotes the idea that everyone, regardless of any actual differences in power or status, sho

Water Rationing in Malaysia

Water Rationing in Malaysia Definition of Water Rationing Water is the most essential single element required in order for people to accomplish the universal human right to a standard of living adequate for the health as well as well-being of himself and his family. Lacking of access to fresh water, health and well-being are severely jeopardized. This is because people cannot live without basic water supplies. Water is the important need so that people continue to survive. Without water, people could only survive for a few months before they had some serious health problems or even death. Fresh water protection is a huge responsibility that involves in the individual, industrial and even the government. Every single person has a vital role in trying to protect the continuous supply of fresh water. One of the main concerns regarding water is that of there will be enough water for the request within the next 25 to 50 years later. Current rising problem today is the lack of drinking water. Once every twenty years, the consumption of water is double. The supply of fresh water is not renewing at the same speed anymore. The lack of drinking water has caused a much larger problem. The problem is that the water is polluted. Currently, about half of the hospital beds in the world are filled with patients with water borne diseases. In the Malay Mail newspaper, it shows that â€Å"The water supply from the dams is not enough to supply water to more than 7 million users in the Klang Valley.† In the Klang Valley together with Wilayah Persekutuan and Selangor states, the current water rationing program initiated in last February 2014. It consists of alternating two days with water then two days with dry taps in the areas allocated by the government. Water rationing is not always regarding water shortage. Sometimes it is related to the demand is greater than the supply. Supply may actually be sufficient in certain place but in some places with irresponsible user, the water is water at an uncontrolled level which led to nowhere to find fresh water. Thus, the government will create a solution for this problem such as water rationing to meet the requirements of every citizen. During Malaysia water crisis in 1998, 4.2 million people had to survive on 2553 million litres of water per day. This resulted in a shortage of 105 million litres per day. For year 2014, 7.1 million people need about 4900 million litres per day but with only 4367 million litres per day is available. Figure 1 shows the comparison of water needed between year 1998 and year 2014. In year 1998, there are 1.8 million people in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur that were affected by a six month long water rationing exercise which is from March to September as the result of El Nino phenomenon. The dry weather and lesser rainfall weather during year 1998 led to almost critical water levels in four dams which is Batu, Klang Gates, Langat and Semenyih. El Nino is actually a band of warm ocean water temperature that occasionally develops off the Pacific coast of South America. The Causes and Effects of Water Rationing Water shortage that resulted in water rationing does not happen in a single day. There are many causes of water shortages. Some of the examples are population growth, overuse of water by industries, pollution, global warming, drastic weather changes and others more. One of the causes that result in water rationing is the growing water shortage in the growing demand resulting from the population increase. The increase of demand of fresh water is directly proportional with the increasing population. The increase in demand arises out of a few factors which include the direct consumption demands of the increasing population and the demand from development and food production to give food to the increasing population. But then, the fresh water is not increasing but decreasing rapidly due to the over usage. Thus this will lead to the demand is more than the supply in which related to water shortage. Climate change has affected the whole water cycle, decreasing water resources and resulted in water shortage. Global warming too has speeded up the hydrological cycle and amplified evaporation will make drought conditions more rampant. One of the example of climate change is droughts occur more occasionally in some certain area while will be hit by flash floods which could destroy dams and reservoirs. Land use changes have a variation of influences on water resources. Whilst decrease of vegetation cover may result in better runoff, it decreases groundwater infiltration as well as the storage capability of dams and lakes through siltation. The significant draining of wetlands or extensive deforestation may change the microclimate of a region. This is a consequence of people cutting trees for numerous reasons including illegally felling of trees for sale. Some of the cause of water shortage is mismanagement by government officials. The government official lacked of law enforcement to stop water from being wasted. Water shortage is the whole nation as well as global problem which are happening at an alarming rate. It can be effective to increase consciousness among all people regarding age towards the seriousness of water shortage and the benefit of saving water. This is very important as it could make people realize the importance of water and not waste them uncontrollably. The government should implement laws to solve the problem like having hefty fines to those who waste water and not just a tab on the wrist. Due to rapid industrialization and a lack of wastewater treatment system, a large number of surface and ground water is contaminated and thus not safely available for human use. Water contamination can result from a numerous causes which include agricultural return flows, industry, and domestic uses. Both surface and groundwater are regularly affected. Destruction of the riverine environment decreases the ordinary ability of a river to deal with with pollution. The largest water using sector is agriculture. This is a common reality worldwide. As population increases, ever greater pressure is placed on agriculture to produce food. This in turn results in increased water demand. Water scarcity and food security are therefore directly related. In addition, using additional water than is returned in rain, people are polluting the water that they have. For example, most of the pesticides as well as fertilizers used in agriculture, sewer overflows and oil and grease from road will run off into water system. The other source of excess nutrients such as lawn fertilizers, pet and farm animal waste, decaying plant material. Industrial plants waste water treatment plants can also contribute the level of toxic substance enter the river and lake which will resulted in polluted water. Politicians and decision-makers are the people who have highest influence on the distribution of improve water shortage budgets and the adoption of policy. Unfortunately, a lot of politicians do not agree with the parameters of practical water resource management and this result in judgements are being made on the basis of short-term political feasibility. The effects of water shortages are the most noticeable to the everyday man. More than half of the worlds hospital beds are filled by people suffering from water linked diseases as well as nearly 20% of deaths to children under age five being credited to water related issues. Water related diseases include a wide variety of well-known and feared ailments such as Malaria, Lice, dengue fever, Hepatitis and other more. Water shortage will pose major nation or global challenges as it would reduce agricultural production as well as lead to an increase in food and water prices. This will greatly affect consumers disposable income, businesses profits and economic growth. Water can also become a source of conflicts among communities, states and countries. Developing countries such as Malaysia are more harshly affected by water shortages problem. Lack of clean and fresh water will caused health concerns and human loss as a result of poor hygiene. A lot of people who cannot get supply of clean water on a regular basis will end up using unclean water from streams which are usually contaminated. Those who are using contaminated water will develop health complications like cholera, diarrhea and other more in the long run. Besides that, hunger is another negative effect related with water shortage. Water shortage will link to agriculture. With lesser water, the crops produce will be lesser thus in the long run will leads to hunger and thirst. Water Rationing Survival Water rationing means the water company will limit the fresh water supply to domestic and industrial area. During water rationing period it is needed for people to save water and prevent from wasting it. There are a few survival skills during water rationing such as greywater recycling. Greywater recycling is the waste water generated from washing machine and dishwasher is used for other stuff. The greywater can be used for cleaning the house compound, flushing toilet and many more. So, never pour water down the drain when there may be additional use for it for example watering a plant or garden, or for cleaning. This can be done by while taking showers, place a bucket in the showers to catch excess water and use the water for cleaning or flushing the toilet. This can be apply when washing dishes or vegetable in the sink. Next, it would be turning off the main water valves when it is not in used. As during water shortage, water is very limited. Thus when the local officials advice on the water rationing, it is better to off the main water valves to prevent those already in the tank is contaminated. Apart from that, during water rationing, it is best to repair broken or leaking pipes. This is to prevent extra water being wasted unnecessarily. This can be done by repairing dripping faucets by replacing their washers. Another method is to check for toilet tank leaks by adding food colouring into the tank. If the toilet is leaking, colour will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes to an hour. It is good to check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most of the replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available as well as easily installed. During shower, it is better to take shorter shower instead of long bath. Replace the showerhead with ultra-low flow version. Some of the ultra-low flow version allows users to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs. In the shower, turn on the water to get wet and turn off after the body is wet then turn back on to rinse off. Repeat it when washing the hair too. Avoid flushing the toilet unreasonably. Throw of tissues, insects and other related waste in the dustbin rather than the toilet bowl. For the lawn, do not overwater the lawn. As a general rule, lawns only need watering every five to seven days in a week. Heavy rain will eliminate the need of watering for up to two weeks. If possible, do buy a rain gauge and use it to measure the rain that land on the lawn. Water lawns during the early morning hours when temperatures and are the lowest. This reduces water losses from evaporation. Another method is having bigger water storage. With less water used on days when the water is rationed, it is best to realigning the use of fresh water. Having extra storage in the house will be good if water rationing period is extended for a day or two. If the water storage is on the roof, it had to be big enough to store water for drinking, bathing and cooking. Recommendation to the Causes Identified There are a lot of steps that can be taken to solve water shortage issues. One of them is rainwater harvesting system. Rainwater harvesting system will cut down the usage of treated water used for car washing, toilet as well as general cleaning. This will save up on the water bills. One huge problem is finding sufficient space for the rain water harvesting system to be installed. It is not a small piece of device that one can just plug and play. Another recommendation for water shortage is desalinization. Desalinization is system which can filter the salty water through membranes and removing the salt through electro dialysis and reverse osmosis process. Desalinization process has worked for about 130 nations in North Africa and Middle East. With the use of this system, these nations are currently producing around six billion of fresh water daily. Since Malaysia is surrounded by sea, it is possible to introduce desalinization process. Besides this, another recommendation is to protect water catchment areas. Water consumption is normally divided into domestic, industry and agriculture. Most of the water consumption is for domestic sector as most of the industries and agriculture use raw water instead. Government should introduce more water catchment areas for example forest and lakes. These are the areas that must take into consideration of future need of raw water. These areas should be register as national park so no deforestation and no development could be done at that area. Thus, this would ensure the future supply of raw water. Government should improve the water supply infrastructures as a method to prevent water shortage. The government could build more service reservoirs to prevent water shortage. A service reservoir could store up to a minimum one or two days of storage of water. On top of that, government should use meters as a method to monitor how much water does people are sending down the drains, flushing in toilets and pouring over their gardens. Meter is the fairest way to charge for water and the people need to be held responsible for what they use. For example, a family of four uses as much water in a day as a sprinkler uses in an hour. If people are using sprinkle and swimming pool, they need to pay extra. Apart from that, the government should persuade and educate people to use less water. Small actions like turning off the taps during washing up could save a lot of water. For example, by turning off the tap while brushing teeth would save a lot of water. If a normal tap runs at five litres a minute, people do brush their teeth for two minutes for twice a day. It would be 20 litres that goes down the sink. Another method is by charging the water based on the water quality. A raw water quality based raw water tariff should also be in place to ensure the governments are receiving income by safe guarding the water catchment areas to secure raw water resources. Safe guarding water catchment areas will preserve the raw water quality and reduce cost of treating water which will be translated to affordable water tariff. Conclusion In conclusion, stopping water crisis from reaching tragic level needs more concern of people as well as governments. It can be an effective ways to increase consciousness among all people from all walks of life regarding the shortage of water and what people have to face in the future if the uncontrolled water usage is not stopped. Governments should implement laws to penalize uncontrollable use of water. People should be wiser and miser in using water. Everyone must think of better ways to discipline oneself so that water is not wasted. It is better to come up with precaution than solution. Finally, people should safeguard the environment and filter unwanted pollutants before it is release to the environment Reference Toltal Words: 2598 words 1

Flower Shop :: Starting a Business Essays

Flower Shop   Ã‚   If you are starting a business and need to borrow money, state the amount of loan money you need, how much capital you have, how long you’ll need to pay the loan, the purpose of the loan, the results of the loan, and the collateral you’re putting up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Executive Summary Give a brief, concise overview of your business plan, including the company’s name, location, history, management, products, growth projections, and so on. Give the name, address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address of a contact person inside your company. Business Information In this section you’ll give an overview of your business. Give your company’s name and location. Describe the building (you can also include a scanned photograph of it). State the nature of the business and what kind of business it is (partnership, private, public, whatever). Give the date the company will be open for business. List the names of the owners and how to contact them (addresses, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses). Personal Financial Statement If you are starting a business, briefly explain your current finances. You may need to include the last 3 years’ tax returns and a credit report. Business Description Give a detailed account of your business. List and explain the good characteristics of your business that will help you succeed. ï ¡â€™Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First characteristic ï ¡â€™Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second characteristic ï ¡â€™Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Third characteristic List the hours your business will be open. Give a brief overview of how you see daily operations running. Explain your accounting processes and quality-control systems. The types of information you give depend on what kind of business you run. Business History Give a history of your business. Who founded it and when? Why? Give the purchase or startup prices and reasons. Explain the market growth or sales trends that made this business possible. Personnel and Organization Overview the organization of your business. Explain how many people work for the company, what their job descriptions are, and their qualifications. You may want to include employee’s resumes. Explain your training and advancement programs. List departments/divisions, and so on, with responsibilities, and numbers of employees. ï ¡â€™Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First department, responsibilities, # of employees ï ¡â€™Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Second department, responsibilities, # of employees ï ¡â€™Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Third department, responsibilities, # of employees Marketing Information In this section you’ll describe the market your business competes in and your strategy for competing. Fill this in completely, as it can help you keep your goals in mind as you proceed with your business. Market Analysis Give concrete information about the market you intend to compete in: current situations, trends, projections.

Helen Of Troy :: Ancient Greece Greek History

Helen Of Troy Helen was the most beautiful woman in the entire Greek known world. She was the daughter of the god Zeus and of Leda, and wife of the King of Sparta. The hero Theseus, who hoped in time to marry her, abducted her in childhood but her brothers rescued her. Because Helen was courted by so many prominent heroes, Menelaus made all of them swear to abide by Helen's choice of a husband, and to defend that husband's rights should anyone attempt to take Helen away by force. Helen's beauty was the direct cause of the Trojan War. The ten-year conflict began when the three goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite asked the Trojan prince Paris to choose the most beautiful among them. After each of the goddesses had attempted to influence his decision, Paris chose Aphrodite, who had promised him the world's most beautiful woman. Soon afterward Paris sailed to Greece, where Helen and her husband hospitably received him, Menelaus, king of Sparta. Helen, as the fairest of her sex, was the prize destined for Paris. Although she was living happily with Menelaus, Helen fell under the influence of Aphrodite and allowed Paris to persuade her to run off with him, and he carried her off to Troy. Menelaus then called upon the Greek leaders, including Helen's former suitors, to help him rescue his wife, and with few exceptions they responded to his call. Agamemnon his brother led the forces to Troy. During ten years of conflict, the Greeks and Trojans fought irresolutely. Then Paris and Menelaus agreed to meet in single combat between the opposing armies, and Helen was summoned to view the duel. As she approached the tower, where the aged King Priam and his counselors sat, her beauty was still so matchless and her sorrow so great that no one could feel for her anything but compassion. Although the Greeks claimed the vic tory in the battle between the two warriors, Aphrodite helped Paris escape from the enraged Menelaus by enveloping him in a cloud and taking him safely to Helen's chamber, where Aphrodite compelled the unwilling Helen to lie with him. Unable to capture the city after a siege of ten years, the Greeks resorted to strategy. Agamemnon's forces, namely Odysseus, came up with a plan. They sailed away and left the Trojan horse, filled with armed warriors, on the shore. Sinon, a Greek spy, persuaded the Trojans to take the horse into the city, convincing them that to do so would mysteriously make Troy invulnerable.

Hate Crime :: essays research papers

On October tenth of 2004, eleven Christians were arrested for street witnessing on a public sidewalk during a â€Å"gay pride† event. Charges were dropped against six of them, but four adults and one juvenile faced serious charges under Philadelphia's hate crime laws. These five people were charged with criminal conspiracy, â€Å"ethnic intimidation†, reckless endangerment, and inciting a riot. Each person, if convicted, faced 47 years in prison and a $90,000 fine. The state of Pennsylvania recently added â€Å"ethnic intimidation† to its hate crime law on December 5, 2002. Under this section preaching for the Bible is now considered hate speech and is illegal in a public forum. Philadelphia prosecutor Charles Ehrlich attacked the protesters as â€Å"hateful† and claimed that preaching from the Bible about homosexuality is considered â€Å"fighting words† that can be banned from the public square as an incitement to a riot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In title 18 of the first amendment, it is clearly proven that these Christians did break the law. I do agree with what they were preaching. It is unfortunate that Christians are now being arrested for sharing the gospel in public. The bible clearly states that as Christians, we are supposed to share the good news. In the book of Mathew, chapter nine, verse thirty-five says, â€Å"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Christians, we are supposed to be like Jesus in every aspect of our lives, and these five Christians were doing what they were called to do. However, by doing this, they were breaking the law and in doing so, they needed to be held accountable. OFFENSE DEFINED.--A PERSON COMMITS THE OFFENSE OF ETHNIC INTIMIDATION IF, WITH MALICIOUS INTENTION TOWARD THE ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED RACE, COLOR, RELIGION [OR], NATIONAL ORIGIN, ANCESTRY, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER OR GENDER IDENTITY OF ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS, HE COMMITS AN OFFENSE UNDER ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THIS ARTICLE.

Mcbride Financial Services Marketing Plan Essay

The firm will specialize in conventional, FHA, and VA loans for home purchasing and refinancing. The company intends to expand its operations into Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. † (McBride Financial Services website, 2003) According to their intranet site, McBride’s target market is: 1. Professionals purchasing either a primary or secondary residence. 2. Retirees purchasing a primary or secondary residence. 3. Families and/or individuals purchasing recreational properties. This document will review McBride Financial Services’ existing marketing approach and offer suggestions for focusing market research and what types of media to use. Additionally a review will be made of McBride’s target market and how the existing strategy relates to the marketing principles of the 4Ps and SIVA. Target Market McBride’s target market is professionals and retirees purchasing a primary of secondary residence as well as individuals or families looking to purchase recreational properties. They service the following states: Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and North and South Dakota. In addition, McBride is focusing on using state of the art technology in order to be able to offer their low cost mortgage services which means that the target market must also be willing and able to conduct are large portion of the mortgage application transaction using electronic means, i. e. Internet and email. Media types McBride’s current marketing plan, as listed on their intranet site, includes the use of the following media types: localized TV ads, newspapers, radio and realtors in addition to informational handouts available at airports and major tourist attractions. McBride’s annual advertising budget is $80,000. Given that McBride utilizes technology to reduce the cost of the mortgage application process, it is surprising that the existing marketing plan does not include an online advertising strategy. 4Ps The 4Ps are product, price, promotion and place. McBride’s product is low cost conventional, FHA and VA mortgages. The price for a credit report, the mortgage application, an inspection and appraisal is fixed at $1,500. Promotions are created through the above mentioned media types of TV, radio, newspapers and realtors and through informational handouts at the airports and at tourist attractions. The placement for the application process is via McBride’s website. Marketing Strategy The SIVA marketing methodology is defined as solution, information, value and access. According to Dev and Schultz (2005) this approach to marketing starts with understanding the market and the customers based on true and deep customer insights and then identify and clarify what customer’s value. Market research needs to be focused on identifying customer’s core wants and needs from a mortgage lender so that targeted value propositions can be created. McBride needs to adjust or change their services to align with the marketing research results. Additionally, McBride needs to focus on gaining insight from existing customers as to how to improve their services as well as potentially tapping that customer base for referral, perhaps by creating an incentive for existing customer’s to bring in new clients. Put another way, the market research should investigate McBride’s target market of professionals, retirees, individuals and families to create a solution (S) based on what those customer’s value. That solution can in turn be used to create multiple targeted value propositions (I) highlighting how McBride’s services address the needs and wants of their customers. McBride then delivers on the value proposition as determined by customer needs and wants gained in the research (V). The value is measured through both market research on potential customers and through feedback loops from existing customer’s so that solutions can continually evolve to better meet the needs of the target markets.

Plugged In or Plugged Out?

The technological age has dawned upon us. 80 percent of Americans own a computer; they're constantly sucked into their iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, TVs, computers – you name it – from the time they awaken to the time they fall asleep. American teenagers, born into this world of technology as soon as it began to take off in the 1990s, find themselves completely at ease with computers, a trait that is, so far, unique to their generation. Schools have slowly started to implement new technologies into the classroom – the latest computers, tablets, projectors, smart boards – however schools must be weary of introducing too much new technology, because as instructive as they can be, they can also be disruptive and dangerous. When the right balance is found, the public school system – and the students – will surely prosper. The Internet, bursting into the homes of Americans in the 1990s, revolutionized American life. Entire businesses can be created and destroyed with the click of a mouse; doctors and nurses rely on it to store medical records and ensure the health of their patients. Newspapers, once so imperative to American life, and in shaping the history of our nation, have been completely replaced with online news websites, and businesses have learned to adapt to advertise and sell in the online world, when they had previously been limited only to print, television and radio. Countless numbers of student help websites have opened; the college application process simplified. Yes, the Internet is an incredible place, bursting with knowledge, but it is also a breeding ground for cheating and plagiarism. To accompany the honest educational websites, there are sites with prewritten essays – pay a small fee, copy and paste, and you're done. Students abuse websites such as Sparknotes and Cliffsnotes instead of reading the book that they're assigned, and they rely on search engines such as Google to do their homework for them. The lewd content, displayed so boldly and proudly, splashed across the pages of millions of websites, is also a problem for schools – one wrong click on a search engine and you could be viewing something you never wanted to see. It's a free-for-all in cyberspace, and there is certainly no quality control, as the Supreme Court ruled it a violation of privacy to regulate free speech on the web. Although technology to conquer these problems is in wide use – Turnitin, a plagiarism detector, and various Internet blocking s ystems are just a few – they are never 100 percent successful in their quest to make the Internet a less vile place. However, by taking proper safety precautions, schools can protect their students and still ensure they have access to the educational tools the internet provides. Read also Twitter Case Study Technology has impacted our daily routine so much that rarely do we ever find ourselves using the â€Å"old-fashioned† pen and paper. Why would we need to? We have cell phones to store phone numbers in and word processors to write papers in. Even keeping a journal seems like a thing of the past when our lives are documented so well by Facebook, Twitter, and various blogging sites. Pens and pencils have been exchanged for a keyboard, paper exchanged for a word processor. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing; with less paper consumption comes a healthier Earth. This is what e- books such as the Kindle attempt to accomplish. They read just like a book, store upwards of 10,000 books, are extremely lightweight and portable, and, of course, use no paper. Textbooks are available for purchase through these e-books for half the cost of traditional textbooks, and implementing them in schools could not only save the environment – they could also save money. The world is at the fingertips of students using the Internet – literally. One can take a tour of Paris, London or Rome, and even walk on the surface of the Moon or Mars using Google Maps. Google Art Project gives students the chance to explore art museums around the world, viewing old and new masterpieces with the click of a button. They can easily have a casual conversation via webcam in the foreign language of their choice with someone who lives halfway across the world. The can communicate with their teachers instantaneously outside of school and learn like never before. So what's stopping schools from investing in this new wealth of technology for the betterment of their student body? With sufficient Internet protection in place, students can learn better, and more quickly and effectively, than ever before. If the next generation is properly equipped with the right technology, they sky will no longer be the limit; they can reach for the stars and beyond.

Ethical Issues in the Pelican Brief

In the hit book, The Pelican Brief, John Grisham's depiction of lawyers who will do anything for money and their clients presents an interesting ethical dilemma. In the book, two Supreme Court justices are killed by a hired assassin, Khamel. FBI, CIA, and the press are working hard to find who the killer is. The only people who know the truth are attorneys from White and Blazevich, Nathaniel Jones (also known as Einstein), Jarreld Schwabe, Marty Velmano, and F. Sims Wakefield and their client, Victor Mattiece.The action commences when Darby Shaw writes a brief about who she thinks is responsible for the deaths of two Supreme Court Justices, Rosenberg and Jensen. She shows the document to Thomas Callahan, her professor and lover. He hands the brief over to his friend Gavin Verheek, he is special council of the FBI Director. That's the way the â€Å"Pelican Brief† goes the round through the FBI, the CIA and of course the White House. The president now has to restructure the Cour t because of Rosenberg and Jensen's death. That is Victor Mattiece's aim.He knows that the president will chose conservative justices who will vote for Mattiece’s  plans  of gaining the oil in Louisiana. Mattiece also becomes aware of the â€Å"Pelican Brief† and decides to kill everyone who is involved in it to keep his  plans  secret. He hires the killer â€Å"Khamel† to murder Darby Shaw and Thomas Callahan. The story develops as Victor Mattiece, as well as, White and Blazevich firm attempt through either illegal or unethical measures to hire someone to kill anyone who knows about the brief and could jeopardize their plans.It is a book, so it all ends up more-or-less happily-ever-after for the young girl and Grantham, the journalist, who meet on the island of St. Thomas after exposure of White and Blazevich and Victor Mattiece. Grantham helps Darby Shaw by publishing a story revealing involvement of White and Blazevich and Victor Mattiece in the death of the two Supreme Court Justices. However, for attorneys of White and Blazevich, one must pause and wonder what their fate, professionally speaking at least, would be after their lie exposes. For these attorneys commit a number of professional ethics iolations, all in an effort to get money. From the outset of their professional relationship with Victor Mattiece – the Supreme Court Judges – attorneys trip over ethics. â€Å"Sims: Advise client, research is complete – and the bench will sit much softer if Rosenberg is retired†¦Einstein found a link to Jensen, of all people†¦Advise further that the pelican should arrive here in four years†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Grisham 340). This memo notifies F. Sims Wakefield, one of the partners supervising Mattiece’s case, who â€Å"†¦had no other clients. And no one client had as much to gain from a new Court as Mattiece† (Grisham 341).This is an unethical practice of law where attorneys help their cli ent plan a murder to financially benefit them and their client. One possible solution for this ethical dilemma could be refusal to help Victor Mattiece in finding out which Supreme Court Judges could be killed. Attorneys from White and Blazevich should think about the consequences of their actions. Better yet, Sims could make a complaint to appropriate authorities about receiving a memo from Einstein and at least free himself and other attorneys, while Mattiece and Einstein would go to jail.The fee agreement between the firm and Mattiece also poses an ethical problem: â€Å"†¦Mattiece was not paying White and Blazevich its standard hourly rate†¦the firm has taken the case for a percentage of the harvest† (Grisham 339). Rule 1. 5(b) of the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct states, â€Å"the basis or rate of the fee shall be communicated to the client, preferably in writing, before or within a reasonable time after commencing the r epresentation† (Miller and Urisko 69). Collecting the fee up front is certainly consistent with the practices of many practical and ethical lawyers.Unless there is a written fee agreement, and there is certainly no evidence to support the existence of one in the book, funds paid by a client at the beginning of the representation are presumed to be an advance fee payment. Advance fees, of course, must be deposited into a trust account, and withdrawn only when earned. Retainers aren’t usually â€Å"†¦ten percent of the net profits from the wells,† and real lawyers must know the requirement (Grisham 339). One of the solutions to this ethical dilemma could be to sign a retainer. If White and Blazevich attorneys want money, why wait?Let Mattiece sign a retainer, pay them, and wait for Court’s decision. Nathaniel Jones (also known as Einstein), Jarreld Schwabe, Marty Velmano, and F. Sims Wakefield are all relying on being paid for their services after the d ecision on the case. They could save a lot of money and avoid jail if they would follow standard Model Rules. Just because F. Sims Wakefield â€Å"†¦was very close to Victor Mattiece and often visited him in the Bahamas,† it is not an exception to conflict-of-interest situations. Even if Victor Mattiece is a friend of F.Sims Wakefield, he should pay for services rendered, or the attorney could refuse to provide services knowing that there could be a conflict-of-interest. The most serious of White and Blazevich attorney’s professional ethics dilemmas is one that few lawyers ever face. In the book, the attorneys do not tell anyone about Mattiece’s plan to execute the two Supreme Court Judges. The Model Rules state that â€Å"an attorney is allowed to reveal a client’s information to prevent reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm† (Miller and Urisko 99). Attorneys’ decision to hide Mattiece’s plan is good for a book, bu t is it professional?This is unethical. Instead of following along with Mattiece’s plan to find a way to win his case in the Supreme Court of the United States, the attorneys could refuse to assist him in his killings plan. If Mattiece’s threat to kill does not seem to result in certain death or cause serious bodily injury, White and Blazevich they could continue representing the client without revealing any confidential information and not jeopardizing their careers. Another ethical dilemma that White and Blazevich firm faces actually leads to their indictment later, involves confidentiality agreement between the client and the firm.A file or a document sitting on your desk, if observed by a third party, may reveal an identity of a client or enough information to suggest the client’s identity† (Miller and Urisko 102). If there is no disruption on Wakefield’s desk and secretaries are not in and out every second, Curtis Morgan, who finds the compromi sing memo, would not take the memo by accident. â€Å"Finally, after waiting fifteen minutes, Morgan picked up his files and documents from Wakefield’s cluttered desk, and left†¦as he reached for a file, he found a handwritten memo on the bottom of the stack of documents he had just brought to his office.He had inadvertently taken it from Wakefield’s desk† (Grisham 340). This ethical dilemma could be avoided if Wakefield would not let secretaries go through his office back and forth, or let anyone put folders, files, or documents on his desk while there are other notes or documents there. If Wakefield is on the phone, he should let everyone know not to bother him. If someone comes into his office to ask to review something, he should tell them to come back. Don’t let that person mix his files with the files that he has on his desk. Unluckily for attorneys and client, lies reveal at the end of the book.Indeed, as the book wraps up, Velmano, Schwabe, a nd Einstein get indicted. Wakefield commits suicide and Mattiece also gets indicted. However, they do not get such punishment without being responsible for the killing of innocent people along the way. They go through all this trouble just so that they would get financial reward. Too bad for them, their plan fails.Works Cited: Grisham, John. The Pelican Brief. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Print. Miller, Roger LeRoy. , and Mary S. Urisko. Paralegal Today: The Essentials. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.