Barriers to Effective Communication Essay

The importance of communication in all professions is often under-estimated. In the criminal justice field there is no excuse for misconception and one mistake could affect multiple parties. This paper will outline the barriers in effective communication, how they affect the criminal justice field and more importantly how to overcome such barriers. We will explore the process of communication, it’s components, informal and formal forms of communication and then the difference between listening and hearing. Communication Process  Communication often times involves two people; a sender and a receiver. With law enforcement this can involve interpersonal communication between a citizen and an officer or between a detective and an officer; or it can be group communication in which parties of three of more are involved in communicating amongst each other. The communication process involves five of the following steps: Transmitting an idea, sending the idea through a medium, the receiver acquiring the message and decoding it, Understanding the message through decoding and then the last step providing feedback to the sender. However many parties are present, communication exists of three main components: Verbal, Paraverbal and nonverbal messages. (Wallace, 2009) With the use of the communication process and the following three components we can clearly begin to understand the message of the sender. Verbal communication is the act of speaking or writing and the select word choice we use to get a message to the receiver. The general message one intends to get across such as a simple order from a higher level officer will reach the receiver and they begin to decode the message. Depending on the word choice, it can either lead to misconception or be fully understood for its intentions. For example the sender may say something equivalent to â€Å"Did you not read the crime report this morning? † and the sender may decode this as the officer saying he failed to do his job simply due to the use of the word not. Now this may have been what the officer was saying but maybe it was not, perhaps he was saying it in a joking matter, that’s why we must look into more components. Paraverbal communication is the choice of words we choose mixed with the way in which we decide to use them or using them within a message. Literally two people could say the same exact sentence and each can add tone or infliction of the voice and it mean two different things. Going back to the original statement above, if the officer puts more tone around the word â€Å"not† than he is emphasizing the word and he is most likely using some sort of sarcasm. Next we can look at this sentence mixed with the last component: Nonverbal communication, in which no words are used but instead body language to express the idea or message. If the officer is indeed trying to be sarcastic with the above message he may use a simple hand gesture or raise his eyebrows or even draw a smirk upon his face. These are all signs that the officer is being rude or sarcastic toward the other officer. However that simple sentence when evaluating or changing the different components can be decoded differently. That’s why we must evaluate each component then apply it to the message when we are the decoder. Taking all this in and understanding the components will help lead to a more professional decoding of messages. Informal Vs. Formal Weather communication is oral or written there are two basic communication channels: Formal and Informal. Formal communication is usually one in which an organization follows a chain of command such as formal orders, directives and written memorandums. (Wallace, 2009) While formal communication is crucial to the flow of communication within a police organization it also has disadvantages. While it often times supports nurturing of the authority within an organization it can also lead to a larger amount of misconception. This misconception is due to the fact that because formal communication can tend to be more time consuming and usually requires a written record of things said; this alone hinders the free flow of communication. The free flow of communication as a missing element makes it harder for effective communication as many will refuse to give a personal opinions or beliefs on certain matters. With formal communication there is a lot of change and often times change doesn’t necessarily means everyone will agree. Within a police organization laws are constantly changing and many officers may not agree with these laws but must abide by them. This is where formal communication has the advantage of uniformity so that it makes it easier to stop crime and protect citizens when all officers are on the same page despite any personal opinions or beliefs. This helps get the message across clear and concise between officers, sergeants and even citizens. Informal communication is more free flowing and arises outside of channels in the formal channels often known as the grape vine or even departmental gossip. According to the Wallace Authors of Written and interpersonal communication: Methods for law enforcement (2009), informal communication arises due to the personal needs of members of an organization and can be good for divisions. While in the criminal justice field the accuracy of information is important it is still helpful to find information about crime through informal channels. One example that supports this idea is a scenario involving a missing person, and in a small town people may know or provide information about the whereabouts of an individual when last seen that could help with the investigation. An officer may walk into a coffee shop and be approached by a citizen who tells him a unique fact about the person or a relationship they had with another person within the town. While there opinions may be just that, an opinion, it may also be valuable information within the event of the crime. As you can see information flows within an organization either formally or informally. It can flow upward, downward, lateral or diagonal. Meaning it can move up a chain from citizen to officer to Sherriff to sergeant or down ward in the reverse order. It can even be lateral as it may be distributed to all sheriffs within a state then downward to officers within the cities and towns. The flow of communication can easily get misinterpreted as it moves through different channels within the criminal justice system. There are many more parties involved and when relaying information about a high profile criminal investigation and the facts surrounding the investigation important information can get shortened or left out. Listening Vs. Hearing: Barriers in Communication  Barriers in communication include emotional barriers, physical barriers, semantic barriers and ineffective listening. Let’s look into a common mistake we all make while communicating: Emotional Involvement. Whether you are the sender or the receiver in a conversation many people encode messages and relate them to emotional experiences. (Wallace, 2009) Often times if an officer has low self-esteem due to past issues with communication, and he may hold back valuable information or postpone great ideas that he could bring forth to the department to help solve a crime. The best way to overcome this is through peer support, often times there is a greater picture beyond just safety for pairing up police officers. If you work for a long time with the same partner you begin to break out of a shell and confide more to that officer which may enhance the way you communicate with everyone. â€Å"The need to preserve our self-esteem is universal† (Wallace, 2009) Physical barriers are common in the new world of technology this could easily be a computer crashing and no way to receive emails that are important. The easiest fix for this is keeping software up to date and also having an IT department handy, as well as a backup for these malfunctions for when they do happen. Semantic barriers are a little more difficult because it relates back to how no two people have a universal agreement on the meaning of specific terms or words. One officer might say something to the effect of â€Å"I’ve had enough! † and the word enough can easily be interpreted many ways as many of us fill in information that is not given. In these circumstances it’s better to challenge the sender and ask â€Å"What do you mean you’ve had enough. This will force the sender to clearly state what they are feeling so you can better interpret where the conversation is heading. One of the largest barriers in effective communication is the lack of understanding the difference between listening and hearing. This barrier of ineffective listening can easily be explained by the simple fact that as humans our thought speed is much greater than our speaking speed. When someone else is talking we can easily ignore the true message or day dream while not paying attention. Yes, you are hearing but you are not listening or absorbing the person’s valuable information which means you’re more prone to misinterpretation. According to Network World, a site created to improve management skills, â€Å"When it comes to the similarities between listening and hearing, the only one is you use your ears for both. After that, they’re very different. † (Shaw, 2003) If a citizen has a complaint about another officer and if all the officer is doing is writing in a notepad, providing little input, the citizen will be able to sense this bad vibe and more than likely feel offended. While maybe the officer is able to hear them they are not listening to the concern in there voice or even finding a way to make up to the citizen for the problem they had with one of their co-workers. In the police world there are already plenty of reasons citizens don’t confide in policemen and women, some even resenting them, we cannot add another reason to that list. In this situation one must listen to the concern and resolve and reassure the citizen to help build up the trust we may have lost. To improve your listening skills it is suggested to repeat back what the citizen may have said that way they know you are attentive and are taking into consideration what they said. (Shaw, 2003) Also giving yourself time to work through and decode a citizen’s information in these scenarios will be help for you to make the most appropriate response making the flow of conversation a more successful one for both parties. Summary While the list of communication barriers is much longer, there is no improvement that doesn’t help the matter. Communication is a learned process which also means it can be a changed process. Whether it is learning the difference between informal and formal channels and the way we should respond in each channel to fighting emotional, physical, or semantic barriers, there is a solution to overcome these issues. As state above on the difference between listening and hearing time management is the largest improvement anyone could make in communication. Not rushing communication but instead taking time to analyze and assess the situation to get a better understand is the main ingredient in success to effective communication. We must all slow our thought process, and do as we’ve been told many times before: Think before you speak!

1972 Title IX: An Enormous Boost for Women’s Athletics

â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.† – Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 Title IX has had a profound impact on the American athletic culture since it was included in the Educational Amendments of 1972. In fact, according to the â€Å"Save Title IX† group (www.savetitleix.com/coalition), an alliance of sixty organizations spearheaded by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE), in 1971 there were 32,000 women in varsity intercollegiate sports in U.S, colleges and universities; but by 1997, thanks to Title IX, there were 160,000 women participating in interscholastic athletics on university and college campuses. On high school campuses the rate of growth of girls playing sports was even more dramatic – based on athletically-inclined girls† knowledge that they would be able to participate in intercollegiate sports in college: in 1971, the year prior to Title IX, there were 294,000 girls playing interscholastic sports, and by the 2002-2003 school year, over 2.8 million high school girls were playing interscholastic sports. According to the American Association of University Women (AAAUW) Title IX, when enacted by Congress thirty-five years ago, specifically prohibited discrimination based on gender and marital or parental status in: admissions; housing and facilities; college and university courses; career guidance and counselling services; student financial aid; student health and insurance benefits; and â€Å"scholastic, intercollegiate, club, or intramural athletics.† And there is a three-part test to determine of a university or college is in compliance, the AAAUW Web page explains: the first prong is based on the proportion of female students attending the institution compared with females participating in intercollegiate sports; prong #2 examines whether the school has a track record of expanding sports opportunities for women; the third prong: is the school adequately accommodating women†s athletic interests and abilities? Main Body of Literature and Assessment of Challenges to Title IX Meantime, studies show that today, one out of three high school girls are playing sports on a school team. That is a very good thing, according to an article in the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & The Law (Brake, 2004): â€Å"Studies show that girls who compete in sports not only receive a physical benefit, but also benefit academically and socially,† Brake explains. Girls playing sports have â€Å"higher self-esteem, less risk of depression,† less likelihood of â€Å"engaging in high-risk behaviors,† and also, those young women â€Å"perform better in school than girls who do not play sports,† Blake†s article continues. Moreover, engaging in vigorous athletic activities on a sports team – at the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels – gives girls and women â€Å"the opportunity to develop new relationships with their bodies, as a source of strength and learning.† Meantime, the many positives listed above notwithstanding, all is not well in the world of Title IX. â€Å"Like other social institutions, sport has been resilient in preserving male privilege in its deepest structures,† Brake†s piece continues. Borrowing a phrase from Professor Reva Siegel called â€Å"preservation through transformation† – which means avoiding direct conflict with institutional shifts in ideology while maintaining â€Å"the underlying structure of inequality† by regrouping, according to Brake, â€Å"to preserve the central features of male privilege in sport.† Brake†s example of â€Å"preservation through transformation† in university sports is â€Å"the devastating loss†¦of positions for women coaches and athletic administrators.† To wit: the percentage of women coaching female athletes in college â€Å"has dropped from ninety percent in 1972 to forty-four percent in 2002, the lowest level on record.† And though 361 new coaching positions were created in women†s athletics between 2000 and 2002, Brake explains, â€Å"more than ninety percent of them were filled by men.† Brake†s second example is that prior to Title IX, women†s athletic departments were managed separately from men†s, and women held â€Å"virtually all of the administrative positions for women†s sports†; today, in the Title IX era, the two departments have merged, and women â€Å"remain tokens in leadership positions† in intercollegiate athletics. â€Å"By linking leadership and competence in sports with maleness,† Brake continues, â€Å"sport†s leadership structure reinforces women†s marginal place in sports and reinserts a risk that the empowering potential of sports will be thwarted by gender dynamics that reinforce male dominance,† according to Brake†s article. Beyond that, there exists â€Å"a massive divide in salaries for coaches of men†s sports and coaches of women†s sports,† Brake concludes, and Title IX does â€Å"next to nothing† about those disparities. Meanwhile, a challenge to the intent and policies of Title IX was established under the administration of George W. Bush, in 2002: called â€Å"The Commission on Opportunities in Athletics,† it was administered by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), and clearly, from the outset, the intention was to address the problem at universities where some minor men†s sports were pushed out by emerging women†s sports, vis-à  -vis the law that is Title IX. In a Chronicle of Higher Education article (Staurowsky, 2003), the writer – chair of the department of sports management and media at Ithaca College – asserts that the strategy the panel followed lacked â€Å"coherency† and that the process â€Å"was seriously flawed.† Staurowsky writes that the members of the panel revealed â€Å"skewed power dynamics†: they all were educated in or worked for, the Division I institutions â€Å"that have been most visible and vocal† in challenging Title IX compliance regulations. The panel, for example, â€Å"almost unanimously† supported a proposal encouraging the DOE to â€Å"explore an antitrust exemption† for college sports, â€Å"which would trade institutional promises to cease discriminating against students on the basis of sex for a government promise to protect the financial interests of football and men†s basketball†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That proposal â€Å"defies logic,† Staurowsky asserted. At the conclusion of the panel†s research, only minor changes in Title IX were initially proposed by DOE; however, according to an Education Week article (Davis, 2005), the DOE has recently given universities a way to meet Title IX guidelines by having female students email their response to questions like, â€Å"Do you believe that you have the ability to participate (in a particular sport) at the level at which you indicated interest?† And apparently, if sufficient positive answers are received by the DOE, a school passes muster regarding Title IX. â€Å"We think†¦this allows schools to skirt the law,† said Neena Chaudhry, an attorney with the National Women†s Law Center. Miles Brand, the NCAA president, was also interviewed in the Education Week article, saying the email survey â€Å"will not provide an adequate indicator of interest among young women in college sports, nor does it encourage young women to participate – a failure that will li kely stymie the growth of women†s athletics.† There will be more challenges for Title IX, and certainly there is a good chance that the Bush Administration will continue to attempt to â€Å"water down† the three prongs, to give a nod to those minor men†s programs (wrestling, water polo, among others) that have been cut due to the expansion of women†s sports programs. But for those who wish to see Title IX remain as a solid, well-enforced, gender-friendly law, the best strategy is to stay informed. How many American women (or men) who believe in Title IX know that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled (5-4) that â€Å"whistleblowers† who point out gender discrimination in violation of Title IX are protected from retaliation? Also, how many know that in two cases brought before the Supreme Court (Gebser v. Lago Independent School District, 1998; and Davis v. Monroe County board of Education, 1999) where sexual harassment was alleged (a violation of Title IX), the Court â€Å"imposed a â€Å"high burden† on students who seek damages? The Court ruled, according to Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities (Lassow, 2004), that those seeking damages under Title IX â€Å"must show that school officials had ‘actual knowledge† of the harassment and responded to it with ‘deliberate indifference,†Ã¢â‚¬  a very difficult assignment even for a highly skilled attorney. 1972 Title IX: An Enormous Boost for Women’s Athletics â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.† – Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 Title IX has had a profound impact on the American athletic culture since it was included in the Educational Amendments of 1972. In fact, according to the â€Å"Save Title IX† group (www.savetitleix.com/coalition), an alliance of sixty organizations spearheaded by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE), in 1971 there were 32,000 women in varsity intercollegiate sports in U.S, colleges and universities; but by 1997, thanks to Title IX, there were 160,000 women participating in interscholastic athletics on university and college campuses. On high school campuses the rate of growth of girls playing sports was even more dramatic – based on athletically-inclined girls† knowledge that they would be able to participate in intercollegiate sports in college: in 1971, the year prior to Title IX, there were 294,000 girls playing interscholastic sports, and by the 2002-2003 school year, over 2.8 million high school girls were playing interscholastic sports. According to the American Association of University Women (AAAUW) Title IX, when enacted by Congress thirty-five years ago, specifically prohibited discrimination based on gender and marital or parental status in: admissions; housing and facilities; college and university courses; career guidance and counselling services; student financial aid; student health and insurance benefits; and â€Å"scholastic, intercollegiate, club, or intramural athletics.† And there is a three-part test to determine of a university or college is in compliance, the AAAUW Web page explains: the first prong is based on the proportion of female students attending the institution compared with females participating in intercollegiate sports; prong #2 examines whether the school has a track record of expanding sports opportunities for women; the third prong: is the school adequately accommodating women†s athletic interests and abilities? Main Body of Literature and Assessment of Challenges to Title IX Meantime, studies show that today, one out of three high school girls are playing sports on a school team. That is a very good thing, according to an article in the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & The Law (Brake, 2004): â€Å"Studies show that girls who compete in sports not only receive a physical benefit, but also benefit academically and socially,† Brake explains. Girls playing sports have â€Å"higher self-esteem, less risk of depression,† less likelihood of â€Å"engaging in high-risk behaviors,† and also, those young women â€Å"perform better in school than girls who do not play sports,† Blake†s article continues. Moreover, engaging in vigorous athletic activities on a sports team – at the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels – gives girls and women â€Å"the opportunity to develop new relationships with their bodies, as a source of strength and learning.† Meantime, the many positives listed above notwithstanding, all is not well in the world of Title IX. â€Å"Like other social institutions, sport has been resilient in preserving male privilege in its deepest structures,† Brake†s piece continues. Borrowing a phrase from Professor Reva Siegel called â€Å"preservation through transformation† – which means avoiding direct conflict with institutional shifts in ideology while maintaining â€Å"the underlying structure of inequality† by regrouping, according to Brake, â€Å"to preserve the central features of male privilege in sport.† Brake†s example of â€Å"preservation through transformation† in university sports is â€Å"the devastating loss†¦of positions for women coaches and athletic administrators.† To wit: the percentage of women coaching female athletes in college â€Å"has dropped from ninety percent in 1972 to forty-four percent in 2002, the lowest level on record.† And though 361 new coaching positions were created in women†s athletics between 2000 and 2002, Brake explains, â€Å"more than ninety percent of them were filled by men.† Brake†s second example is that prior to Title IX, women†s athletic departments were managed separately from men†s, and women held â€Å"virtually all of the administrative positions for women†s sports†; today, in the Title IX era, the two departments have merged, and women â€Å"remain tokens in leadership positions† in intercollegiate athletics. â€Å"By linking leadership and competence in sports with maleness,† Brake continues, â€Å"sport†s leadership structure reinforces women†s marginal place in sports and reinserts a risk that the empowering potential of sports will be thwarted by gender dynamics that reinforce male dominance,† according to Brake†s article. Beyond that, there exists â€Å"a massive divide in salaries for coaches of men†s sports and coaches of women†s sports,† Brake concludes, and Title IX does â€Å"next to nothing† about those disparities. Meanwhile, a challenge to the intent and policies of Title IX was established under the administration of George W. Bush, in 2002: called â€Å"The Commission on Opportunities in Athletics,† it was administered by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), and clearly, from the outset, the intention was to address the problem at universities where some minor men†s sports were pushed out by emerging women†s sports, vis-à  -vis the law that is Title IX. In a Chronicle of Higher Education article (Staurowsky, 2003), the writer – chair of the department of sports management and media at Ithaca College – asserts that the strategy the panel followed lacked â€Å"coherency† and that the process â€Å"was seriously flawed.† Staurowsky writes that the members of the panel revealed â€Å"skewed power dynamics†: they all were educated in or worked for, the Division I institutions â€Å"that have been most visible and vocal† in challenging Title IX compliance regulations. The panel, for example, â€Å"almost unanimously† supported a proposal encouraging the DOE to â€Å"explore an antitrust exemption† for college sports, â€Å"which would trade institutional promises to cease discriminating against students on the basis of sex for a government promise to protect the financial interests of football and men†s basketball†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That proposal â€Å"defies logic,† Staurowsky asserted. At the conclusion of the panel†s research, only minor changes in Title IX were initially proposed by DOE; however, according to an Education Week article (Davis, 2005), the DOE has recently given universities a way to meet Title IX guidelines by having female students email their response to questions like, â€Å"Do you believe that you have the ability to participate (in a particular sport) at the level at which you indicated interest?† And apparently, if sufficient positive answers are received by the DOE, a school passes muster regarding Title IX. â€Å"We think†¦this allows schools to skirt the law,† said Neena Chaudhry, an attorney with the National Women†s Law Center. Miles Brand, the NCAA president, was also interviewed in the Education Week article, saying the email survey â€Å"will not provide an adequate indicator of interest among young women in college sports, nor does it encourage young women to participate – a failure that will li kely stymie the growth of women†s athletics.† There will be more challenges for Title IX, and certainly there is a good chance that the Bush Administration will continue to attempt to â€Å"water down† the three prongs, to give a nod to those minor men†s programs (wrestling, water polo, among others) that have been cut due to the expansion of women†s sports programs. But for those who wish to see Title IX remain as a solid, well-enforced, gender-friendly law, the best strategy is to stay informed. How many American women (or men) who believe in Title IX know that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled (5-4) that â€Å"whistleblowers† who point out gender discrimination in violation of Title IX are protected from retaliation? Also, how many know that in two cases brought before the Supreme Court (Gebser v. Lago Independent School District, 1998; and Davis v. Monroe County board of Education, 1999) where sexual harassment was alleged (a violation of Title IX), the Court â€Å"imposed a â€Å"high burden† on students who seek damages? The Court ruled, according to Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities (Lassow, 2004), that those seeking damages under Title IX â€Å"must show that school officials had ‘actual knowledge† of the harassment and responded to it with ‘deliberate indifference,†Ã¢â‚¬  a very difficult assignment even for a highly skilled attorney.

Mahavellis belief of human nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mahavellis belief of human nature - Essay Example e writing on the subject of the dos and don’ts of a prince in governing a state, he questions the traditional moral values and Christian virtues that propound the philosophy of truth and honesty. On the contrary he elaborates on the advantages of being manipulative and opportunistic (Mostafa). He argues that it is not for the prince to follow the path of absolute truth and morality as he believes them to create problems in maintaining law and order within the state and the people. He further justifies the trait of hypocrisy as essential in sustaining political career. In other words Machiavelli eulogizes those aspects that Christianity condemns for being lowly and disgraceful. Machiavelli with all his radical statements is often placed against Plato who too dictated the rules of a welfare state but on completely different ideological conditions (Blanchard). It might be said that Machiavelli represents the Renaissance spirit of man as the independent soul aspiring to scale great heights of fame and power. Though his thoughts on the free will of man are appreciated but his idea of weighing everything including humanity and morality in terms of profitable return is criticized (Blanchard). However it becomes evident that Machiavelli shows no regard for humanity and draws a clear cut difference between the ruler and the subjects with the former having all his sympathies. That he was no philanthropist is obvious from his snide remarks on the character of all commonplace mortals. His aversion for humankind shows in his conceptualization of the welfare state and the attributes of the leader, the prince. Had he been a little more sensitive and compassionate he might have noticed the ruthlessness of his ideas and his own pre-conditioned mind set. Unlike the fundamental Christian concept that human being is essentially good, Machiavelli thinks that most human beings are essentially vile. In this respect he does not spare Christ whom he considers a foreigner with the

Equity in legal system origin, development and significance Essay

Equity in legal system origin, development and significance - Essay Example Today equity apparently has lost its significant correlation to 'justice,' as rules of equity are settled in much the same way as the common law.2 However creations of equity such as including the rights, interests and remedies continue to be of significance in English legal system3 The paper attempts to understand the origin and development of equity as a source of law in the English legal system and analyze the significance of rules of equity and equitable doctrines and remedies in legal proceedings today. While analyzing the significance of equity, it would be imperative to understand its percepts as well as the principles and remedies of equity; hence a discussion on the same is also included. The historical origin of equity in English legal system dates back to the late 13th and 14th centuries. The English legal system of the time - the common law system developed by the judges on the basis of unwritten customary rules and precedents or past judicial decisions - were very rigid and too technical with the procedures such as the writ. The procedural compliance and the legality of the writ often surpassed the merits of the case in legal decisions. The inadequacy of the common law remedy of damages was another issue with the system. Also, the common law only recognized certain kinds of cases; for example, the common law courts did not recognize the Trust deed.4 The defects in common law obviously led to distress, as disappointed litigants directly petitioned the King for justice. The King, considered the 'Fountain of Justice,' either determined the petitions himself or referred the cases to the King's Chancellor, usually a clergyman and priest, known as "Keeper of King's conscience." The petitions were decided on the basis of principle of natural justice and "moral rightness," considering the merits of the case rather than any precedent.5 The broad principles used by the King and his Chancellor's became to be known as rules of equity. Equity was not a complete system of law and as Jacqueline Martin observes, it "merely filled the gaps in the common law and softened the strict rules of the common law." 6 As the volume of cases increased separate courts called Court of Chancery, also called Courts of Equity, were established and administered by the Chancellor. The Chancellors developed new and flexible procedures, as well as new and appropriate remedies to compensate the plaintiffs, which are applicable to this day. However, the jurisdictional overlap of the two systems - common law and equity - led to an inevitable conflict between the two, impinging the certainty of law. The conflict was finally resolved by the King in Earl of Oxford's Case (1615) it was ruled that equity should prevail in case of conflict.7 While the equity courts continued to enjoy supremacy over common law courts, with the enactment of Judicature Acts 1873-75, the common law courts and the court of equity merged together to form the Supreme Court of Judicature, which would concurrently administer common and equity. The supremacy of equity in legal decisions was affirmed in Section 25 of the Judicature Act 1873 an d continues to be followed by the Supreme Court.

Construction Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Construction Practice - Essay Example In different types of procurements, the level of risk that the owner has to bear also differs. The control of the owner over the entire project also differs with the change in the method of procurement. Considering the nature of the project and the specific requirements of the owner with, I would suggest the traditional method of procurement for the purpose of constructing the specified things in the old building as well as for the parking lot on the nearby plot. The traditional form of procurement involves the appointment of a separate design team direct by the client. The team will develop the design in accordance with the client's design brief, arrange for a tender and subsequently administer the contract on site. The design and all the specifications should be completed in all aspects before the tenders from contractors are invited so that the owner can exactly understand the design and could make the desired changes as per the needs. The designer, who is specialised in the designs of architectural conservation and adaptive reuse of buildings, shall be able to comprehend the design exercise in a better manner and would there fore be able to provide appropriate design solutions that suit the structural requirements as well as the taste of the existing building. Adaptive reuse of a building requires specialised knowledge and there fore proper solution could only be achieved by appropriate designer. Since the owner has specific design requirements for the parking lot in terms of its architectural character with reference to the old building, I also suggest that the building to be designed by a specified designer so that the owner can exercise greater control over the process of design in order to achieve the desired result. For the construction purpose, a separate contractor can employed by the owner by being in consultation with the architect, to execute the design work which is normally under a standard joint contracts tribunal form of contract. Therefore in this case, the contractor and the design team shall be two separate bodies that are hired by the owner, both of them responsible to the owner. Here it is expected that the contractor exactly follows the instructions of the architect and in other words it can also be said that the architect is acting on the client's behalf to get the job completed effectively. The contractor quotes a lump sum amount for which he agrees to carry out the entire job. This also gives the client a control over the total budget of the project because once the quote is finalised, the contractor assumes the total risk of financial expenditures that are incurred during the construction part. In case of other methods of procurement like 'design and build', he would have lesser control over the design part of the building because both the duties of designing and building are been performed by a single team. Also there are fewer chances that the design team, responsible for carrying out the design for newer developments, have good knowledge of redevelopment in terms of the structure and the architectural styles of the old buildings. Since there is no division of responsibilities for designing and construction on the site, it shall be comparatively challenging for the client to achieve the de

Wal-Mart Control Mechanism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wal-Mart Control Mechanism - Essay Example This research allows for better organization of supply chain activities. Wal-Mart already relies on suppliers that keep prices low, to pass on the savings to its consumers. The price controls keep customers who enjoy the savings coming back to its stores. Through automated and streamlined supply chain processes, costs for delivering products to the store shelves are minimized. Such organizational strategy allows Wal-Mart to more easily introduce new locations globally. Wal-Mart leads many other organizations into the direction it wishes them to take. This is done by requiring suppliers to meet pricing and packaging demands. â€Å"Wal-Mart accounts for 28% of Dial's sales, 24% of Del Monte Foods' sales, and 23% of Clorox's sales† (Hwang, 2003). Along with demanding low prices from manufacturers, the retailer also helps video game and software developers determine the content for products. Such control measures not only allow Wal-Mart to sell products at the lowest possible pric es, but also allows for control of content and subject matter. More controversial is Wal-Mart’s control of wages and benefits to its employees. Wal-Mart is openly anti-union, which allows for more control in many employment practices. It routinely hires many older and second income workers, to avoid providing benefits. While such practices help to keep prices low for consumers, they create income disparities and a reliance on government social programs for many of its employees.

Summerize articles Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summerize articles - Article Example This book narrates the success story of a group of English craftsmen who took to labor with the aid of some capitalists which can be used as a guide for others. Though there was acute commercial depression, the Guild of Craftsmen successfully functioned when they worked in group minimizing the use of machines. 2. Ceastlake It is ironic to see how awkward the beauty concept of many people is as the design of household items is concerned. Many of the objects in our everyday use are poorly designed, which, often, are unsuitable to practical use and pathetic in artistry. Far from being progressive, we have gone backward in the quality of manufacture and design. Fields like metal-work, joinery have all ruined in artistic quality due to the eagerness to reduce labor and increase price but the general public is still unaware of it. It is possible to bring the universally accepted principles of good design into practice. The design of the item should indicate the purpose, and the character o f ornament should depend on the nature of material and the use of the article. In industrial art, beauty and use are closely associated though it is not so for partially educated ones. In fact, real art sticks to the simplest and most practical shapes. 3.

Louisa May Alcott Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Louisa May Alcott - Essay Example Perhaps feminists can constructively criticize a book they grew up reading. Simone de Beauvoir and Gertrude Stein both read the book as young girls and found much to admire in the character of Jo (Baker, 2006; Friedell, 2005). If the reader ignores the ending where Jo burns her manuscripts, there is much that a feminist could admire about the strength and focus of her character. There is much, also, to admire in the real-life Louisa Alcott, who became a masculine stereotype as breadwinner for her real life family. According to Friedell (2005), Alcott worked 14 hour days at her writing, spent her earnings on her parents and younger sister, and cared for various nieces and nephews when her other sisters died. By the age of 40, Alcott declared proudly that her family was out of debt and finally free, but she still continued to produce writing to support the family. When she contracted mercury poisoning serving as a nurse during the Civil War, Alcott became addicted to morphine and still continued to work. She didn’t even enjoy writing Little Women. While she was usually willing to change stories and novels to please her editors, refused to marry Jo off to Laurie, but gave in to the general idea of marriage, saying in her journals she did not want Jo to end up like herself, worked to the bone with no time to enjoy anything, and alone. It is interesting that the character of Laurie was probably patterned after a real-life romance between Alcott and Ladislas Wisniewski (Sands-O’Connor, 2001). Most of the characters in this novel were patterned after someone Alcott knew, and her journals and letters are vague as to whether there was a real romance between Ladislas and Louisa, or whether she simply fictionalized that, too. The feminists speculate whether Alcott was bisexual or lesbian, and a romance with Wisniewski never blossomed in public. The book Little Woman and the character of Jo certainly start out as

Gestalt and His Theory Of Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Gestalt and His Theory Of Psychology - Essay Example The Gestalt effect refers our brain's form creating capability, especially with respect to the visual recognition of figures and whole forms instead of an assortment of lines and curves. Gestalt psychology is most developed in perception and cognition but also has great relevance in studying individual behaviour (Henle 2006). But in observing behaviour errors can crop up due to false notions and deductions when drawing conclusions on scientific data. The most distinctive feature of scientific data is the way they are gathered. For example, if psychologists want to investigate a particular issue, say, to determine the circumstances which people act to help those in distress, or the impact of variable reinforcement schedules on the behavior of lab rats, or whether children imitate aggressive behavior they see on TV, psychologists will construct situations to establish conditions from which data can be generated (Schultz p.5). They may conduct lab experiments, observe behavior under controlled real-world conditions, take surveys, or calculate the statistical correlation between two variables. In using these methods scientists can have a measure of control over the situations or events they choose to study. In turn, those events can be reconstructed or replicated by other scientists at other times and places. Thus, data can be verified later by establishing conditions similar to those of the original study and repeating observations. But much of this data is seen narrowly and not viewed as having associations to other factors. For example, in testing whether children get aggressive after watching violence on TV many researchers fail to consider other factors, such as educational level of the child or the parents' upbringing abilities, or whether the child has problems in school, or consider the fact that certain processed foods when consumed by youngsters can result in uncontrollable behavior. Most scienti fic data do not view the whole, but only the part. Gestalt theory developed by Max Wertheimer resulted from the concrete investigations in psychology, logic, and epistemology. To give a description and make a comparison, we can consider transitioning from the world of everyday events to the world of science. Something as simple as crossing the road, becomes extremely complicated when trying to explain in scientific terms as both psychology of the person and physics are involved. It may not be unusual to assume that while making this transition we shall gain a deeper and more precise understanding of the essentials. The changeover could be seen as progress. But we often find that this turns out not to be the case. Explanations can be difficult to formulate. It is the same in psychology. In this regard also, we find science focused on acquiring a systematic collection of data, yet often excluding through that very activity of acquiring information, precisely that which is most vivid and real in the living phenomena it studies. In Gestalt theory wholes exist, the behavior of which is not determined by their individual elements, but where the part-processes are themselves determined by the intrinsic nature of the whole (Boeree 2000). Gestalt theory endeavors to determine the nature of such wholes and seems particularly fitted

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

Extra credit - Essay Example Conflict and disagreement is inevitable in any group or social setting. By inevitable conflict, I do not mean violence but rather clashes of opinion and personality and could sometimes ruin relationship and teamwork and ultimately, affecting performance and productivity. No one can ever succeed in life and career without experiencing conflict because there will always be differences among people considering that we are all different. Thus, conflict management is a key skill for one to get over social and relationship difficulty and succeed. Sometimes, it would be necessary to go against other people’s opinion and perspective to get our ideas and message across and this inevitably lead to a clash of opinion requiring a high degree of competency in conflict management. Improving the competency of conflict management is a never ending process. Even top executives who are already in the peak of their career are still continuing to learn on how to improve their conflict management skills. On my end, I will improve my conflict management competency by first increasing my awareness about myself and others on what causes conflict. I will then learn the various methods to handle it by learning the lessons taught in my management class. Management books as well as self-help books are also a huge help in improving competency in conflict management because they propose various techniques in handling conflict. Going to symposia, forums, lectures and similar events will also help widen my perspective about conflict management. I will not let the opportunity pass also to be coached by experts on conflict management especially those who have years of experience behind them in dealing conflicts. It will also help to observe on how other people handle their respe ctive conflicts and pick up those that are beneficial to me. The value in improving this competency improves my social skill and enhances my chance for success. No

Sino-US relations Essay Example for Free

Sino-US relations Essay The improvement in Sino-US relations was the main factor promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America in the years 1969-75.’ How far do you agree with this view?  The Ping Pong diplomacy of 1971 begun a period of rapprochement in Sino-US relations. The ‘Chinese dimension’ to Cold War diplomacy threatened the USSR which feared a military alliance, and the Soviet Union moved to improve relations with the USA, thereby facilitating the process of dà ©tente. However, the fear of nuclear war, the escalating cost of the arms race coupled with the grim economic realities of the 1970s and the American withdraw from Vietnam and were also highly significant in promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America. The Soviet Union viewed the improvement in Sino-American relations as a threat to its national security, she was now confronted on two fronts and fearing military collusion, the Soviet Union sought improved relations with the USA. Soviet fears of the ‘yellow peril’ dated back to 19th Century and were reignited by the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s. Climaxing in 1969 when the Peoples Liberation Army ambushed Soviet troops along the Usuri River, who suffered 59 casualties: this action was perceived by Russia as evidence that the Chinese had designs on its territory. Furthermore, following Kissinger’s secret visit to China in July 1971, the previously internationally isolated China, gained international recognition. She was admitted into the UN with a permanent seat on the Security Council in October that year. The result of this ‘triangular diplomacy’ for the Soviet Union was the relaxation of tensions with the USA through dà ©tente, the USSR believed this would offer the prospect of isolating China from the US and consequently decrease the threat of an coordinated attack. However, alternative factors also contributed to promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America in the years 1969-75. The fear of nuclear war and the escalating cost of the arms race pushed the Superpowers into pursuing better relations. By 1969 both sides had achieved relative nuclear parity in weapons and delivery systems, nuclear war would result in Mutually Assured Destruction. The extensive treaty systems both countries held in the third world, could result in small regional conflict developing into full scale nuclear war. Whilst the cost of maintaining this ‘balance of terror’ came at great economic cost, preventing much needed social reform. In the early 1970s the USA faced double digit inflation and widespread urban rioting in 1968. In contrast, the USSR had failed in its promise to deliver high-quality consumer products and faced falling GNP growth, from 5% in 1966-70 to 3.1% in 1971-75. These factors made it clear to the respective powers that improved relations were necessary to prevent nuclear war, agree on arms limitations and improve trade agreements: President Nixon and his NSC adviser Henry Kissinger’s successful policy of linkage meant the Soviet’s would recognise both superpowers had mutual interests in the Third World and opened up badly needed US technology and investment to the Soviet economy. Whilst the signing of arms limitation treaties of SALT 1 and the subsequent ABM treaty in 1972 was possibly the high point of US-Soviet co-operation engendered by Dà ©tente. Furthermore, the wider international situation of war in Vietnam and the situation in Europe precipitated improved Soviet-American relations. In the USA the war-weary public demanded withdraw from Vietnam which in 1968 had cost 16,889 American lives – pushing the administration of President Nixon to pursue better relations with Moscow; co-operation was vital to achieve a peace settlement with Hanoi. This being achieved through the policy of Linkage which recognised the Soviet sphere of influence. In return, the USSR would support American peace talks with the North Vietnamese. Furthermore, the uneasy territorial settlement of Europe created at Yalta in 1945, which had threatened possible US intervention in 1968 during the Czechoslovakian crisis meant US-Soviet co-operation was vital to ensure peace. The Helsinki Agreement of 1975 continued the policy of East-West dialogue over Europe begun by Willy Brandt’s successful policy of Ostpolitik during the late 1960s. The Soviet controlled Warsaw Pact gained official US recognition of the post-ww2 European borders, whilst the US largely unsuccessfully sought concessions over human rights issues from the USSR, which following the agreement were widely ignored. In conclusion, dà ©tente was the result of a variety of complex factors, driven by a war-weary United States counting the human and economic cost of militaristic confrontation of Communism in Vietnam. The United States under President Nixon recognised more could be achieved through peaceful diplomacy, whilst both Superpowers recognised that dà ©tente offered the opportunity to curtail spiralling defence spending and open up trade links between the nations. The improvement in Sino-US relations added an important Chinese dimension to Cold War diplomacy, but was not the main factor promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America in the years 1969-1975.

Educating Special Needs Students and the Exceptional Learner

Educating Special Needs Students and the Exceptional Learner The following essay will define intellectual disability, autism, severe disabilities, and multiple disabilities, their causes, and the impact of the disabilities on the education of the student with intellectual disability. Also, identifying areas of curriculum necessary for students with severe disabilities and explain why. The essay will discuss the areas of curriculum and the policies, procedures, and programs for the education of students with intellectual disability, autism, severe and multiple disabilities. Today, students are diagnosed with different types of disabilities. Some of these disabilities are: intellectual disability, autism, severe disabilities and multiple disabilities. An intellectual disability is a disability that affects an individual limitations in several areas of cognitive function that interferes with the individual everyday life. Also, the individual has problems with four types of intellectual processes: abstraction, sequencing, understanding social contexts, and be able to read the emotional states of others. Intellectual disability can affect an individuals memory, learning and problem solving. Individuals who have an intellectual disability have a mild intellectual disability. An intellectual functioning level IQ is below 70- 75. An intellectual disability is seen before the student turns 18. The cause of intellectual disability can be caused by head injury, stroke, meningitis, brain abnormality and disease. The intellectual disability can happen before the child is born or it can happen during childhood. For some children, the cause of the intellectual disability is not known. There are some known causes of intellectual disabilities they are: Down syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome. These known causes happen before the childs birth. There are other causes that happen before a child a genetic condition called Prader-Willi syndrome. There are still other causes of intellectual disabilities that do not happen until the child become older. The definition of Autism is a developmental disorder that shows within the first three years of life of an individual. Autism shows before the child is three years old. The way that autism works it affects the brains normal development of social and communication skills. The cause of Autism is a physical condition that is linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. The exact of the abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain is not known. But, there are some factors that can lead to autism they are: genetic and environmental factors. Autism seems to have a number of genes involved. Some of the genes make a child more prone to having autism. Some health problems are caused by both genetic and environmental factors. These factors may also cause autism. Severe disabilities are defined as an individual with extreme disabilities that functioning and achievement is unusually difficult for the person. The causes of severe disabilities are: genetic, biological and environmental factors. Multiple disabilities are defined as an individual who has impairments like: mental retardation, physical mobility, learning, speech, visual and hearing. The causes of multiple disabilities are from one of the impairments. The impact of the disabilities on the education of the student with intellectual disability is that the student can do well but, the student will need an individual education plan. The determination of how much help is need depends of the intellectual disability. The areas of curriculum necessary for students with severe disabilities are: including students with intellectual disability into general education curriculum. The students with disabilities should use the same curriculum used by their peers who do not have disabilities. The reason general education curriculum is necessary is because it can give students access to learn the same curriculum as their peers. The general education curriculum can increase students social skills and preparation for their adult life. Another area of curriculum is adaptive skills. Adaptive skills are necessary for students with severe disabilities because there are skills individuals need to live, work, and being able to function in society. There are other areas of curriculum that needs to be included: language and communication and motor skills. These skills are necessary skills to help students to function. Transition planning should be included with individuals with disabilities. The reason is because a plan is needed to prepare students for life. The Mobile County School has district policies, procedures and programs for the education of students with intellectual disability, autism, and severe and multiple disabilities. The Alabama Student Assessment Program this program requires that all students to participate in the Alabama Student Assessment Program. The assessment program requires all students must be included in all assessments. Also, students must have their results included in the state accountability system. The assessments are done in English. All students, including students with limited English, must take state assessments as written in English. An Individualized Education Program Team looks at the referral, documentation on intervention strategies and determine if the student will be evaluated for special education services. The Individualized Education Program Team determines should a child be evaluated for special education services, a written notice, that meets the notice requirements. The rules must be given to the parents and the child must be referred to the Building Based Student Support Team (BBSST). The IEP Team determines that the student should be evaluated for special education services, the agency must have the parents written consent for the evaluation. The public agency must develop and implement procedures to identify and evaluate children suspected of having a disability that affects their educational performance and who may need special education, designed instruction and related services. Hearing and Vision screenings must be first evaluations conducted for all children suspected of having a disability. A child who is identified having a developmental delay, has to be reevaluated prior to their ninth birthday. Students for special education services, at age nine, can no longer be eligible in the area of developmental delay. Students can continue special education services, the child must also be eligible in another area of disability. Conclusion Today, there are many types of disabilities and there is information defining the disability, their causes and their impact of the disabilities on the education of the student with intellectual disability. There are areas of areas of curriculum necessary for students with severe disabilities. There are policies, procedures and programs for the education of students with intellectual disability, autism, and severe and multiple disabilities.

Disagreement Aid the Pursuit of Knowledge

Disagreement Aid the Pursuit of Knowledge Many people believe that disagreement is simply like a husband and wife arguing with each other about whether the dress makes her look fat. However there is a great deal more to disagreement than just conflict between two people and from understanding the notion of error, truth, mistake and belief and how they cause disagreement to occur or trying to win your claim leads to interesting knowledge. Disagreement can actually aid the way to pursuit the knowledge in the ways of knowing of reason, emotion and sense perception in the areas of knowledge of human and natural science. This essay will show you how disagreement helps to pursue knowledge. Is it certain that disagreement aids the pursuit of knowledge? This following example will show that it does. One disagreement in natural science that has aided us humans to know more about our universe than before came from the dispute between scientists in the Theory of Quantum. In 1905 Albert Einstein stated that Max Plancks theory of the quantum was right and he proved his point by using an experiment with light, which showed that sometimes light acts as a wave. This shocked a lot of scientists because to them it was crazy as saying a rock acts like a wave. Niels Bohr disagrees with this idea because it went against the classical law of physics which applied to every object in that time. This disagreement made Bohr come up with a methodology proving his idea against Einstein by using hydrogen atoms to show that light isnt a wave. The disagreement between the two founders of quantum mechanics caused them to think further to discover more of the truth. Later Bohrs idea of a fix equation for an atom to behavior like particle was disproven by Max Born who building on Einsteins earlier work said that the quantum mechanics could be found by probability. However Einstein spoke strongly against this idea because he believed God does not roll a dice  [1]  and disagreeing with Borns idea of probability which held that everything was made up by chance. Einstein refused to accept quantum indeterminism and sought to demonstrate that the principle of indeterminacy could be violated, suggesting experiments which should permit the accurate determination of incompatible variables.  [2]  Then he came up with the two slip experiment to help prove his theory by using reason. All of this back and forward arguing between scientists gave us the further knowledge of quantum mechanics bringing us closer to the real truth. By using the way of knowing reason, they experimentally proved facts to argue each other and showing way of knowing emotion, their pride made them stand for their point of view on which view of quantum was true. Another example that really shows that disagreement aid the way to pursuit the true knowledge is disagreement between Alice Stewart and other doctor during 1950s in Oxford. Alice Stewart was trying to identify the cause of child cancer which later discovers that it is cause by X-rays during woman is pregnant. From Ted talk by Mergaret Heffernan about this story she stated that, Alices daughter told me that every time Alice went head-to-head with a fellow scientist,  they made her think and think and think again. It show clearly that disagreement between Alice and her fellow scientist help them to understand the true meaning and further information into the research.  [3]   Disagreement aid the way to pursuit the true knowledge because from disagreement over the answer help scientist find more way and perspective to solve the problem. On the other hand this disagreement may not aid the way of pursuit knowledge because of the close mindedness of the people. These people will not find disagreement and aid because from viewing their own result as the real truth which then closed down all possible answer from other people. For example in the past, it is how Catholic Church believing in geocentric and strongly against all other idea of heliocentric, that was claim by Nicolaus Copernicus. From this classic example it shown that Catholic believe in geocentric because they believe that god was born in planet Earth which mean that Earth is definitely the center of the universe. They believe in this theory and even against an idea of heliocentric. Even theory of heliocentric can be proving by an observation of star. As we have seen emotion also can play an important role in finding the truth because being scared to be proven wrong makes some people close the way to develop their idea or refuse to check their assumption so that the real knowledge of truth cant be revealed. From the article Separating The Pseudo From Science by Michael D.Gordin, we get a good idea on disagreement in science between science and pseudoscience. There is not a demarcation between pseudoscience and science because both areas can add to range of human knowledge. As Gordin said If scientist uses some criterion such as peer review to demarcate, so will the fringe. The brighter the light of science-that is, the greater its cultural prestige and authority-the sharper the shadow, and the more the fringe flourishes.  [4]  The pseudoscience on the fringe will expand the size of the knowledge because pseudoscience views and investigate thing from different perception than normal science. We do have to be careful that it is possible that someone who doesnt know anything about science can claim something is scientific and true based on non-empirical evidence which can lead them off the track. We need to justify any claim by peer reviews that scientist do before we can add to our theoretical or concrete knowledge bases. Disagreement in the human science field can be shown in the field of history which country disagreeing with each other to cause the war to happen. For example American civil war was happen from one conflict or one disagreement which is about slavery. Northern of United States claim to free and end the slavery in the country however Southern part wanted to continues with the slavery because it will affect their economic in a bad way if the slavery end. The disagreement led further to cause a war against two sides of United States. From historical point of view we can see that disagreements over time over how a war began help to find the true cause of the war. However the knowledge is not certain because of the perception of the viewer who views one country or bias one more than another. There are no absolute truth behind disagreement in human science because history can be record in hatred which causing the truth to be change. On the other hand it may not help to find the absolute tru th but from using disagreement help to increase and change the way to approach which can help to discover some knowledge behind. For me the most interesting areas where disagreement aids the pursuit of information are in the areas of knowledge of mathematics and human science. Disagreeing with teacher over either answer was correct or not help to pursuit more knowledge on mathematic than normal because from this I can understand more on how to solve the question by looking at why am I wrong or finding prove to show why I am right. There are a lot of formula and way to solve the question so it is certain by discussing with teacher and sharing our different views, he and I can help each other learn that even though the formula or method isnt the same but the answer in the end is the same. In human science there is a lot of disagreement, because human can understand each other behavior more through sense perception and emotion than by scientific evidence. This lack of hard proves easy lead to an argument. From my experience people will start to know each other more and more when they are disagreeing with each other because it is our human nature to control ourselves and present the information in the best possible way. If that isnt their real behavior, the real behavior will be revealed when they are face with strong rapid change of emotion from arguing with other people. On the other hand in some situation arguing with other people will not lead to knowing each other more but lead into destruction of friendship. Disagreement in both human science and natural science can aid the pursuit of knowledge like in the way like Einstein and Bohr arguing to discovered quantum mechanics through the argument between themselves and how historian discover the meaning and the purpose of history by learning about disagreement which led to war between country. However this knowledge that came from disagreement may be not the real truth for everything because my truth and your truth are not same, like each scientists and historians view thing in different point of view. So everyone must freely look at both sides. Disagreement can help the pursuit the knowledge if we have the reason and right emotions to be open minded enough to listen to other people ideas and accepts the fact that they also can be saying the truth from another perception. Disagreement Aid The Pursuit Of Knowledge Disagreement Aid The Pursuit Of Knowledge Disagreement may aid the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences because disagreement fosters new research to justify rival theories. Openness to allow disagreeing points of view and theories to be presented is important because it challenges scientists and prompts them to justify their points of view through a genuine dialogue. In this essay I will focus on biology and economics then I will try to discuss how ways of knowing are linked to disagreement. I will also endeavor to show how disagreement has helped me in the process of knowledge acquisition. 1858 was the year when Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallaces new theory was published the evolutionary theory that was thoroughly expounded in the famous treatise On the Origin of Species (1859)  [1]  by Ch. Darwin. In contrast to Lamarck, Darwin proposed the concepts of the common descent and the branching tree of life, which means that two totally different species could have a common ancestor. The theorys fundament was the idea of natural selection, and it was based on a variety of evidence from animal husbandry, geology, biogeography, embryology, and morphology. Evolution underlies every aspect of the form and behavior of organisms. We can see a proof of this in the way species behave and adapt as a result of natural selection. The ability to adapt is exhibited in activities such as locating food, keeping away from predators or finding mates. Life forms can also react to selection by working together with each other, by assisting their relatives or entering in a symbios is of shared advantage. In the end, evolution creates new species through separating the familial populations of organisms, forming new groups that are not able to produce a common generation. Today, the contemporary evolutionary theory is accepted by the greater part of scientists. On the other hand, evolution is still a controversial notion for a number of theists. While a number of religions and denominations are prepared to accept the theory of evolution, making it compatible with their beliefs, there are creationists who purport that evolution is opposing the creation myths present in their religions. As the responses towards the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation in 1844 show, the most controversial feature of evolutionary biology is the inference that human beings descend, together with apes, from a common ancestor and that the intellectual and ethical abilities of humans possess the same inherited attributes as those characteristic of animals. In a number of countries, particularly the United States, these strain between science and religion has produced the current conflict between creation and evolution, a religious conflict connected with politics and p ublic education. While scientific areas such as cosmology and geology also clash with a number of interpretations of religious books, evolutionary theory encounters noteworthy antagonism from religious theoreticians and practitioners. The debate over evolution shows how disagreement encourages more detailed research and, as a result, contributes to the pursuit of knowledge. However, it also shows that disagreement is not only about gathering reliable knowledge, but also about the way one undertakes the acquisition of it. Because theism had been a deeply-rooted philosophy for a very long time, people felt some kind of emotional attachment to it. The same, however, can be said about evolutionists. This can be seen from the fact that the supporters of evolution did not reject the theory in light of new controversial findings. In my opinion, the fact that the evolutionists accept evolution as a basic principle is not disputed by the creationists. It is absurd to say that creationists use the beliefs of the evolutionists to show that they doubt evolution. The purpose of quoting the supporters of evolution is to show the disputable issues in the field of evolution, which are being studied. Another example of the role of disagreement in science is exhibited in the field of modern economics, especially when it comes to the long-run equilibrium  [2]  . It is a notion that aggregate demand is equal to long-run aggregate supply. Given that there is disagreement among different economic concepts, we distinguish between Keynesian equilibrium output in the long run and the new classical equilibrium output2. According to new classical economists, economy will always try to achieve a long-run equilibrium at the full employment level of output. Thus, long-run equilibrium is where the aggregate demand curve meets the vertical long-run aggregate supply curve. The effect of any changes in aggregate demand will be only on the price level. In each case the equilibrium level of output is where aggregate demand is equal to long-run aggregate supply. According to the Keynesian economists, however, this equilibrium level of output may be found at different levels. They believe that the economy may be in long-run equilibrium at a level of output below the full employment level of national income. This will be the case if the economy is operating at a level where there is spare capacity. In this view, the equilibrium level of output depends mainly on the level of aggregate demand in economy. In the Keynesian view, aggregate demand can increase in such a way that there is an increase in the level of r eal output, without any resulting increase in the price level. No clear conclusion has yet been made concerning the long-run equilibrium in macroeconomics. Instead of having a weak and formal equilibrium, vigorous disagreement between experts would give the decision-makers the opportunity to come up with meaningful alternatives that inform and enrich discussions. Writing this essay invoked a memory of a disagreement I had with a classmate of mine over GMO (Genetically modified organism). Few months I watched a TV program on CCTV it was an attempt to introduce the advantages of GMF. I know that the problem with genetically modified food is probably the most significant one. But I am quite aware for the fact that there are genetically modified elements in many other products. This program is very interesting and it widens the eyes. The one that I am sure of is cotton. It has brought many discussions all over the world. However, at the same time a friend of mine was convinced by a text in a website called Ten disadvantages of genetically modified food  [3]  . We started doing a lot of research to support our personal argument. Thus disagreement aided our individual pursuit of knowledge. We did not reach a conclusion due to lack of enough reliable information. He asked me: Can you imagine a genetically modified human being- can it be perfect? Sure, we have to be careful as one day we, human beings, can be modified too. A genetically modified human is the logical continuation of this process. And as far as I know, many claim that choosing the genes for your children and improving their genetic material is good as long as we help them avoid diseases. But in my opinion is same of his, once we start doing this, there will be no going back. And one day some science fiction movies will become reality. When scientists aspire to speak in an unified voice, they usually do so in a quite scientific way: they make and launch consensus reports. The idea is to compress the knowledge of many experts into a single point of view that can resolve disputes and help policy-making. But the process of reaching such a consensus often works against these goals, and can challenge the very authority it tries to project. The idea that science best asserts its authority through consensus statements differs from the real process of scientific development. Consensus is good for textbooks; real science makes its progress by increase challenges to the existing state of always-incomplete knowledge. Science would present greater importance to politics if it uttered the broadest set of likely interpretations, possibilities and perspectives, anticipated by the top experts, rather than forcing meeting to a purportedly unified voice. To conclude, a disagreement can often stop you from rushing into dire decisions and choices. They allow you time and give you space to think over it though you may get annoyed by the delay and hindrances. It is always possible you that may have done big homework on a decision, but you still may have left unnoticed a simple, but vital point, which the dissenting person can perceive when looked from a dissimilar viewpoint. Disagreement has fostered the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences such as biology and economics, because disagreement has led to additional research. We should not be afraid to disagree or recognize disagreement. Real leaders accept disagreement as truly successful one must periodically welcome a liberal dose of disagreement in every main or significant decision one takes, even if one is a specialist in what one does.

Colonialism Changed the Role of the Victorian Male Essay -- British Hi

Colonialism Changed the Role of the Victorian Male One of the most famous slogans of the age of global colonization was: "The sun never sets on the British Empire." As recently as 1940, world maps showed large areas colored pink, representing regions dominated by the British. Much of Africa was pink, along with India, Malaya, Hong Kong, and other scattered territories in Asia and the Americas. The existence of an empire on which the sun never set helped instill in the individual British citizen tremendous pride, and the need to become personally a devoted imperialist. For more than 100 years, the fact that Britain was an empire had changed the British man’s life, and had instilled in him the fact that he was superior to most other peoples especially those of other colors and backgrounds. This was also the period when it was felt that it was the "white man’s burden" to take care of all those countries whose inhabitants were less worthy than the white Anglo-Saxon. This way of thinking was called Social Darwinism. This was an age when even though England, in some respects, tried to act "fatherly" towards some of the countries it had seized, it still felt a strong amount of racism towards the people of those countries. In 1849, General Wolsely wrote from the Gold Coast, "The Africans are like monkeys. They are a good-for-nothing race." In 1849 Thomas Carlyle pronounced Europeans wiser than Africans and said inferior races must obey the superior. It was an idea that by 1900 most English men and women held, one that fit the paternalism of the governing classes and the prejudice of the lower classes. The Empire had created a nation of imperialists. The commercial spirit has always existed in human society. What was peculi... ...ed better sanitation, light, water, and power. More jobs opened up in the pursuit of these needs. As the century ended, national loyalty reached fever pitch in Britain as it did in France and Germany, and its favorite mode of expression was imperialism. It touched all classes, every religious faith, all political parties. This aggressive stance was motivated by many things; racism, greed, and the belief that it was up to the white man to rule the world. My essay has tried to prove that the colonization process within Great Britain, during the Victorian age (1815-1914), greatly changed the roles of men, as well as everyone else within that country’s walls. By changing the way people were educated, how they lived, what their dreams and aspirations were, government policy, and job openings in Britain and abroad, all helped to change the role of the Victorian male.

Effective Teaching Essays -- Education

Introduction â€Å"Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach†. This simple proverb from George Bernard Shaw’s â€Å"Man and Superman† is often quoted in modern times, denigrating the hard work of teachers from preparatory grades right through to the highest academic institutions. While it is true that almost anyone can teach in the true definition of the word, being an effective teacher is a much harder proposition. A truly effective teacher has a wide pedagogical skill set, along with the knowledge of when to apply it, an awareness of their students in terms of their needs and abilities and an understanding of the curriculum and its aims. This essay will review some of the critical prerequisites of an effective teacher. Student Foundations The foundation of effective teaching comes from having an understanding of the â€Å"Facets of a Student† (Whitton, Barker, Nosworthy, Sinclair, Nanlohy, 2010 p.108) as these external factors play a major role in how a student learns. When planning an effective lesson, the content cannot be considered in academic isolation. The interpretation and implementation of the curriculum must take into account the unique combination of the class: their age, gender, socio-economic climate, cultural/religious beliefs and ideals. The teacher must also consider the overall student body in regards to the number of students, their learning styles and their abilities. Lyons refers to this as the â€Å"Ecological Perspective... to remind us that when dealing with children, the individual with his/her immediate environment is also influenced by a broader more complex environment† (Lyons, 2011 p.41). Failure to recognise critical facets can lead to a student having a negative net result from a lesson. An example ... ...ons are used towards the end of each activity, to help relate the activity to the student's everyday experiences and for social constructivism and scaffolding. Conclusion As outlined in this essay, there are a variety of skill sets that help make a teacher more effective. Each skill on its own provides new value to each lesson, but it is when these skills combine into a lesson that a teacher truly becomes effective and stands above those that meet the more literal definitions of a teacher. Works Cited Colburn, A. (2000). Constructivism: Science educations "grand unifying theory". The Clearing House, 74(1), 9-12. http://search.proquest.com/docview/196881181?accountid=10382 Davies, P. (Producer) & Whitehouse, K. (Presenter). (2012). Knowledge & understanding of the world [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.schoolsworld.tv/node/2065?terms=644

Inner and Outer Beauty :: Sociology, Power, Attractiveness

Beautiful is a praising and admiring description which most people would love to hear about themselves. Although some people believe inner beauty is more important than outer beauty, the truth is that most people love outer beauty. As stated by Emerson, â€Å"if eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being† (â€Å"Ralph Waldo Emerson,† par. 28). People not only want to be beautiful, but they also tend to seek physical attractiveness. In fact, this is a culture consumed by beauty and attractiveness (Bennett, par.3). From mass fairy-tale stories and Hollywood movies, most people have learnt the stereotype of being beautiful is good and being ugly is bad. The stories and movies always show attractive actors and actresses defeating wicked, ugly villains. This strong stereotype, which powerfully influences each person’s concept of beauty, causes people to believe a beautiful person is more successful and superior. Dr. Herron states that â€Å" the ‘Beauty = Power’ formula is deeply entrenched in our psyches† (Herron 109). To be sure, beauty is a capital power which can determine and improve one’s life (Bennett, par. 1) since it can influence the clubs they join, the friendships they make, the people they marry, the jobs people get, and the salaries they earn (Berry 3). Attractive people are able to have many advantages and positive outcomes, such as having more popularity, greater confidence, more dating opportunities, more promotional chances, and higher salaries (Patel, Utpal, and Rebecca, par.4). Being attractive is important nowadays because it affects people’s interpersonal relationships and workplace experiences. First of all, attractive people are more likely to have better relationships in societies. The author of the article â€Å"Women’s Beauty: Put Down or Power Source?† mentions that â€Å"beauty is a form of power (Sontag 94),† which is true, especially in building relationships. To have good social and interpersonal interactions, the essential factor is physical attractiveness (Patel, Utpal, and Rebecca, par.1). Of course, inner beauty is necessary, but most people would not want to understand and know others deeply who are unattractive or give an unpleasant first impression. For example, I am one of those people who choose their friends by their good looks, and I would say even though some of my friends are plain, none of them would be categorized as homely. In fact, attractive people can have more benefits and positive outcomes than plain or unattractive people in interpersonal relationships.

The History and Colonization of Libya and it’sIndependence

Approximately ninety percent of Libya is roofed with desert. That desert is mostly the vast Sahara Desert; the worlds largest hot desert. Although most of the region is very barren, Libya's northern border is a stunning coastline. Its healthy, luscious fields and beautiful beaches extend along the Mediterranean Sea for approximately a thousand miles. Phoenician sailors, who are now located in the area now named Lebanon, built ports on Libya's Mediterranean coast in Tripolitania beginning in 1300 B. C. Their vessels were constructed from cedar trees, which they used to sail across the Mediterranean transforming them into some of the greatest traders of their time. Phoenicians sailors had a different reason for establishing ports than then the usual economic gains. The reason for them establishing ports was because they wanted places along their trade route from Phoenicia to Spain where their cedar vessels could dock. Even though the Phoenicians continued doing this, they did little to take over the area. What the Phoenicians did do was establish the city of Carthage, which was in today's Tunisia. By themselves, Carthage grew into a prosperous seaport and became an autonomous power with no help. Carthage built up a burly military force and soon Carthaginians started ruling areas like Tripolitania. Unlike the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians established numerous colonies, which they ruled with force. The Libyans disliked the Carthaginians due to the fact that the rulers stipulated that the Libyans have to give up to half of their crops each season and how the Carthaginians â€Å"sacrificed their own first-born children to their implacable gods† (Isichei 161). The Libyans found that despicable and appalling. Carthage was getting attacked by Rome and battling went on and off for more than a hundred years. Finally, Rome defeated Carthage in 146 B. C. In 146 B. C. Romans gained control over the Carthaginian Empire. The Roman Empire used Tripolitania's coastal area as one of their main sources of grain and other provisions. The Greeks ruled Cyrenaica but it soon fell under Roman rule. The Greek stronghold was in Cyrenaica. Greek explorers and warriors constantly explored the region for centuries. First, they tried to use the area as a route to overrun Egypt. Later, Cyrenacia became an abundant Greek fishing area. Seeing that no one had colonized the only port in North Africa the Greeks took better management of the land. Now that the Romans were in power the region continued to flourish for several hundred years, and the inhabitants escalated. When the empire was growing weaker, the Romans lost control of North Africa. The next groups in Libya were the Vandals, who came from an area that is now occupied by Germany. Their minds were fascinated by North Africa's wealth, so they arrived in the area in about 435. Among the invaders, the Vandals made the first serious effort to settle in some of Libya's mountains and desert areas. But the nomadic people who resided in the regions often fought them off. The Vandals lost authority after about a century of decree. When the Arabs arrived in 643, they brought the new religion of Islam with them. The people in the region quickly adopted Islam but they resisted Arab political rule. Within four hundred years most people in Libya were Muslims. The Aghlabids were amongst the most thoughtful Islamic leaders of Libya; the area was back in order, and reinstated the irrigation systems that the Romans left back, which brought opulence to the region from the surplus being produced. A minor colonization was by Spain in 1510 when they captured Tripoli but soon the Ottoman Empire took over all of Libya. Like all the other groups that had invaded Libya, the Ottomans faced the resistance of the Libyan people. The Libyans â€Å"were proud and did not easily accept foreign rule† (Willis 50). Throughout history, groups of Libyan rebels often tried to resist the invaders. Many of the opposition leaders had ties to a religious organization called the Sansui Brotherhood. As the Ottomans lost grip of their colony, the Italians moved in. Italy had major reasons for colonizing Libya. First of all, Italy thought that if they had control over Tripoli, they would have greater trading power in the Mediterranean Sea. Also Italy just wanted to have the feel for having a colony in North Africa. Another major reason was the fact that the British already had control over Egypt and so Italy feared that France would seek after Libya. After months of engaging in warfare against the invading Italian forces, the Ottomans finally gave up their colonized land of Libya in 1911. When Italy decided to enter WWI on the side of the allies, this move weakened Italy's grip on Libya in 1915 because they couldn't focus against the rebellions in Libya while trying to help the Allis win WWI. Some of the things they did to ease the rebellions was in 1917, when â€Å"Italy signed a peace agreement with the leader of the Sanusi, Idris al-Sanusi, recognizing him as the emir of Cyrenaica† (Miller 32-33). But when fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini's rose to power in Italy in 1922 he gave Italy its willpower to gain control over their colony once again. Libya was not finally freed from Italian rule until 1943, when Italy was crushed in WWII. After the war, the UN decided that Libya should become a constitutional monarchy and in 1951 the Kingdom of Libya was officially formed. The national assembly elected Libya's first king, Muhammad Idris al-Sanusi, who had been a leader of the Libyan resistance movement against Italy. After decades of monarchy, Libyans are again fighting for their independence and freedom even though they became independent in 1951. They are now in an internal struggle against a tyrannical government. The country's dictator Muammar Gaddafi, once revered as a great colonel has promised not to leave his reign of terror until he dies. With the help of other countries the Libyan people are achieving the true freedom that every person in this world is entitled to.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 32~33

Thirty-two Catfish and Estelle â€Å"That was a good guitar,† Catfish said. He had his arms around Estelle, who had pressed her face to his chest when the monster attacked Winston Krauss. â€Å"I didn't realize,† Estelle said. â€Å"I didn't think it would do that.† Catfish stroked her hair. â€Å"That was a good car too. That car never broke.† Estelle pushed Catfish away and looked in his eyes. â€Å"You knew, didn't you?† â€Å"What I knew is that boy wanted to get up close to a sea monster and that's what he got. Case you didn't notice, he was happy when it happened.† â€Å"What now?† â€Å"I think we ought to get you home, girl. You got some paintings gonna come out of this.† â€Å"Home? Are you coming with me?† â€Å"I ain't got no car to go anywhere. I guess I am.† â€Å"You're going to stay? You're not afraid of losing the Blues and getting content?† Catfish grinned, and there was that gold tooth with the eighth note cut in it, glistening in the morning sunshine. â€Å"Dragon done ate my car, my guitar, my amp – girl, I got me enough Blues to last a good long time. I'm thinkin I'll write me some new songs while you makin your paintings.† â€Å"I'd like that,† Estelle said. â€Å"I'd like to paint the Blues.† â€Å"Long as you don't go cuttin your ear off like old Vincent. A man finds a one-eared woman stone unattractive.† Estelle pulled him tight. â€Å"I'll do my best.† â€Å"Course, there was a woman I knowed down Memphis way, name of Sally, had only one leg. Called her One Leg Sally†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't want to hear it.† â€Å"What you wanna hear?† â€Å"I want to hear the door closing behind us, the fire crackling in the stove, and the teakettle just coming to a whistle while my lovin man picks out ‘Walkin' Man's Blues' on a National steel guitar.† â€Å"You easy,† Catfish said. â€Å"I thought you liked that,† she said, and she took his spidery hand in hers and led him up over the bluff to find a ride home. Theo and Molly Theo had never felt quite so overwhelmed in his entire life. He sensed that the excitement and the danger of it all was over, but he still felt as if a beast every bit as intimidating as the one that had just sunk into the sea was looming over him. He didn't know if he had a job, or for that matter a home, since his cabin had been part of his pay. He didn't even have his bong collection and victory garden to crawl into. He was confused and horrified by what had just happened, but not relieved that it was over. He stood there, not ten feet from where Molly Michon was standing in the surf, and he had no idea what the rest of his life had to offer him. â€Å"Hey,† he called. â€Å"You okay?† He watched her nod without turning around. The waves were breaking in front of her and foam and sea-weed was splashing up over her thighs, yet she stood there solid, staring out to sea. â€Å"You going to be okay?† Without turning, she said, â€Å"I haven't been okay for years. Ask anybody.† â€Å"Matter of opinion. I think you're okay.† Now she looked over her shoulder at him, her hair in a tangle from the wind, tear tracks down her face. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"I'm a huge fan.† â€Å"You had never heard of my movies until you came to my trailer, had you?† â€Å"Nope. I'm a huge fan, though.† She turned and walked out of the surf toward him, and a smile was breaking there on her face. A smile with too much history to it, but a smile nonetheless. â€Å"The narrator says you did good,† she said. â€Å"The narrator?† Theo found himself smiling too, as close to crying as he had come since his father had died, but smiling nonetheless. â€Å"Yeah, it's this voice I hear when I don't take my meds for a while. He's kind of a prick, but he's got a better sense of judgment than I do.† She was right there in front of him now – looking up at him, a hand on her hip, a challenge in that movie-star smile – looking more like Kendra the Warrior Babe than she ever had in the posters, the five-inch-long scar standing glorious over her left breast, seawater and grime streaking her body, a look in her eyes that comes from watching your future get nuked – repeatedly. She took his breath away. â€Å"Do you think the three of us could go out to dinner sometime?† â€Å"I'm on the rebound, you know?† His heart sank. â€Å"I understand.† She walked around him and started up the bluff. He followed her, understanding for the first time how the pilgrims had felt following the Sea Beast to the cave. â€Å"I didn't say no,† Molly said. â€Å"I just thought you ought to know. The narrator is warning me not to talk about my ex over dinner.† His heart soared. â€Å"I think a lot of people are going to be talking about your ex.† â€Å"You're not intimidated?† â€Å"Of course. But not by him.† â€Å"The narrator says it's a bad idea. Says the two of us put together might make one good loser.† â€Å"Wow, he is a prick.† â€Å"I'll get some meds from Dr. Val and he'll go away.† â€Å"You're sure that's good idea?† â€Å"Yeah,† she said, turning back to him again before climbing up to where the pilgrims waited. â€Å"I'd like to be alone with you.† Skinner What the man in the driver's seat didn't seem to understand was that as far as this Mercedes was concerned, Skinner was the alpha male. The man smelled of fear and anger and aggression, as well as gunpowder and sweat, and Skinner didn't like him from the moment he got into the car: Skinner's new mobile territory. So Skinner had to show him, and he did so in the traditional way, by clamping his jaws over the Challenger's throat and waiting for him to take a submissive posture. The man had struggled and even hit Skinner, but hadn't said bad-dog, bad-dog, so Skinner just growled and tightened his jaws until he tasted blood and the man was still. Skinner was still waiting for the Challenger to submit when the Tall Guy opened the car door. â€Å"Good dog, Skinner. Good dog,† Theo said. â€Å"Get this fucking animal off me,† the Challenger said. Skinner wagged his tail and tightened his jaws until the Challenger made a gurgling sound. The Tall Guy scratched his ears and put some metal on the Challenger's paws. â€Å"Let go now, Skinner,† the Tall Guy said. â€Å"I've got him.† Skinner let go and licked Theo's face before the constable dragged the sheriff out onto the ground and stood on the back of his neck with one foot. The Tall Guy tasted like lizard spit. That was strange. Skinner considered it a moment, then his doggie attention span ran out and he bounded out of the car to go see what the Food Guy was doing in the back of the truck. The Tall Guy's female was breaking out the back window of the truck with a metal stick. Skinner barked at her, trying to tell her not to hurt the Food Guy. Good Guys â€Å"Is the creature still there?† Gabe asked Molly as he climbed out of the back of the Suburban. Skinner was frisking and jumping on him, and with the handcuffs he couldn't ward off the damp affection. â€Å"Down, boy. Down.† â€Å"No, he's gone,† Molly said as she helped Val and Howard out of the Suburban. She nodded to Val. â€Å"Hi, Doc. I think I've had an episode or something. You'll have to debrief me in session or something.† Valerie Riordan nodded. â€Å"I'll check my calendar.† Theo came around the back of the Mercedes. â€Å"You guys okay?† â€Å"You have your key?† Gabe asked, turning his back to Theo to show the handcuffs. â€Å"We heard shots,† Val said. â€Å"Did†¦?† â€Å"One of the SWAT team is dead. Burton shot him. A few of your patients are scraped and bruised, but they'll be okay. Winston Krauss was eaten.† â€Å"Eaten?† The color ran out of Val's face. â€Å"Long story, Val,† Theo said. â€Å"Mavis set it all up after you guys left. Catfish and Estelle came in and drew the monster out. Winston was sort of the bait.† â€Å"Oh my god!† Val said. â€Å"She said something about my not being in trouble.† Theo held his finger to his lips to shush her, then nodded to where Sheriff Burton lay on the ground. â€Å"It never happened, Val. None of it. I don't know a thing.† He spun her around and unlocked her handcuffs. Then did the same for Gabe and Howard. The gaunt restaurateur seemed more morose than usual. â€Å"I had really hoped to lay eyes on the creature.† â€Å"Me too,† said Gabe, putting his arm around Valerie. â€Å"Sorry,† Theo said. To Val he said, â€Å"The reporters from those helicopters are going to be here in a few minutes. If I were you, I'd get out of here.† He handed her the keys to the Mercedes. â€Å"The district attorney is sending a deputy to pick up Burton, so I'm going to stay here. Will you give Molly a ride back into town?† â€Å"Of course,† Val said. â€Å"What are you going to tell the reporters?† â€Å"I don't know,† Theo said. â€Å"Deny everything, I guess. It depends on what they ask and what they got on tape. Having lived most my life in denial, I may be perfectly suited for dealing with them.† â€Å"I'm sorry I was – I'm sorry I doubted your abilities, Theo.† â€Å"So did I, Val. I'll call you guys and let you know what's going on.† Gabe called Skinner and they loaded into the Mercedes, leaving Theo and Molly facing each other. Theo looked at his shoes. â€Å"I guess I'll be seeing you.† She stretched up and kissed him on the cheek. Then without a word she crawled into the back of the Mercedes with Howard and Skinner and closed the door. Theo watched them back away, then turn and head across the pasture and out of the cattle gate. â€Å"You're going down with me, Crowe!† Burton screamed from the ground. Theo spotted something shiny lying in the grass near the back of the Suburban and went over to it. It was Molly's broadsword. He felt a smile breaking out as he picked it up and went over to where Burton was lying. â€Å"You have the right to remain silent,† Theo said. â€Å"I suggest you exercise that right. Immediately.† Theo plunged the sword into the ground half an inch from Burton's face and watched the sheriff's eyes go wide. Thirty-three Winter Winter in Pine Cove is a pause, a timeout, an extended coffee break. A slowness comes over the town and people stop their cars in the street to talk with a passing neighbor without worrying about a tourist honking his horn so he can get on with his relaxing vacation (damn it!). Waiters and hotel clerks go to part-time shifts and money slows to a creep. Couples spend their nights at home in front of the fireplace as the smell of rain-washed wood smoke fills the air, and single people resolve to move somewhere where life is a full-time sport. Winter near the shore is cold. The wind kicks up a salty mist and elephant seals come to shore to trumpet and rut and birth their pups. Retired people put sweaters on their lap dogs and drag them down the street on retractable leashes in a nightly parade of doggie humiliation. Surfers don their wetsuits against the chill of storm waves and white sharks adjust their diets to in-clude shrink-wrapped dude-snacks on fiberglass crackers. But the chill is crisp and forgiving and settles in a way so that the town's collective metab-olism can slow into semihibernation without a shock. At least that's the way it is most winters. After the coming of the Sea Beast, winter was a juggernaut, a party, an irritation and a windfall. News footage from the helicopters was beamed out over satellites and Pine Cove displaced Roswell, New Mexico, as the number one crackpot travel destination. There wasn't much on the tapes, just a crowd of people gathered on the shore and the fuzzy image of something large in the water, but with the footprints and the eyewitness accounts, it was enough. Shops filled with cheesy ser-pent souvenirs and H.P.'s Cafe added to the menu a sandwich called the Theosaurus, which was the official scientific name of the Sea Beast (coined by biologist Gabriel Fenton). The hotels filled, the streets congested, and Mavis Sand actually had to hire a second bartender to help serve the im-ported wackos. Estelle Boyet opened her own gallery on Cypress Street where she sold her new series of paintings enigmatically entitled Steve, as well as the new Catfish Jefferson CD entitled The What Do I Do Now That I'm Happy? Blues. As the story of the Sea Beast spread and was sensationalized, interest rose in an obscure B-movie actress named Molly Michon. Discs and videocassettes of the Warrior Babe series were remastered and rereleased to an enthusiastic audience, and the Screen Actors Guild came down on the producers like an avenging accountant angel to capture a piece of the profits for Molly. Valerie Riordan's practice stabilized as she struck a balance between therapy and medication and she was able to schedule a sabbatical to join her fianc? ¦, Gabe Fenton, on an oceanographic expedition aboard a Scripps vessel to look for evidence of the Theosaurus in the deep trenches off California. After he testified against John Burton, putting him away for life, winter settled on Theophilus Crowe like a warm blessing. In the second month of his recovery, he realized that his addiction to marijuana had been nothing more than a response to boredom. Like the child who whines away a summer day because there's nothing to do, but makes no effort to actually do anything, Theo had simply lacked the ambition to entertain himself. Sharing his life with Molly solved the problem, and Theo found that although he was often exhausted by the demands of his job and his lover, he was never bored. Molly's trailer was moved to the edge of the ranch by his cabin. Every morning they shared a hearty breakfast pizza at her place. In the evening, they ate dinner on his cable spool table. She answered his calls while he was at work, and he ran interference with the geeky fans who were rabid enough to seek her out at the ranch. Not a day passed that he did not tell Molly how special she was to him, and as time passed, the narrator in her head fell silent and never spoke again. There was no winter in the deep submarine trench off California, two miles down. Everything was as it had been: a dark pressurized sameness where the Sea Beast lay by his black smoker, grieving for love lost. He stopped grazing on deep water worms that grew on the rocks and his great body began to waste away under the weight of the water and the years. He had resolved never to move again – to lie there until his great heart stopped and with it the throb of heartbreak – when sensor cells along his flanks picked up a signal. Something he had not felt for half a century, the signature of a creature he thought he would never feel again. He flipped his tail and shook off the crust of loneliness that had settled over him, and that organ buried deep beneath his reptile brain picked up a message coming from the female. Roughly translated, it said, â€Å"Hey, sailor, want to get lucky?†