Difficult position Essay Example for Free

Difficult position Essay The play the crucible was written by Arthur Miller .The play was based on a hurricane of mass hysteria .The crucible has been adapted from true life events .The play shows the cry of witchery evolve and grow out of hand .Written by Arthur Miller based on personal problems which have effected his life .The McCarthy trials in which he found himself in an very difficult position, but also very similar to those of Massachusetts in Salem in the 17th Century. Miller used this play to show opposition to McCarthyism in which it was seen as Un- American to be a communist. Anti-communism was strongly encouraged .Thousands of Americans were accused and they were aggressively investigated and if you wanted to prevent yourself from paying a heavy fine you had to point the finger at someone else, he described this as Quite crazy. He was really interested by the strong correlation with Communism and the Salem witch hunt . And even went to Salem Massachusetts to research the witch trials. Arthur Miller in the play shows the significance of ones name and the value within it.  Abigail Williams a small girl created madness falsely accusing innocent people to seek revenge .She felt once Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctors wife was dead she will have him all to herself she believes that John Proctor and her havent finished yet, from their previous affair .Accusing John Proctor of Putting knowledge in her heart. Accusing him of destroying her innocence by taking her virginity .So for a time when the church is suppose to be a big part in everybodys life he knows it wont look good on his behalf .She has malicious intentions, initially intending to get Elizabeth killed .It started as dancing in the woods and drinking blood which was a supposed ritual. She had a real plan for everything to go haywire. John Proctors guilt over affair with Abigail makes his position uneasy because he is guilty of the very hypocrisy he scorns in others. It silences his voice to speak out. This adds tension because hes craving to testify against Abigail. But initially doesnt this also adds dramatic irony.  Giles Corey is very fearful and died due to this; a lot of tension was caused by this. Tension is caused by him not confessing or accusing someone else of witchery consequently encountering a slow and painful death. Forced to plead guilty by pressing heavy stones on his chest he died by being crushed under the weight of these many stones .A slow painful death made it aching to read about and curious to find out what was going to happen next. Stage direction enabled us to visualise what was going on, on the stage. As it amplified the scenes and tension was added because the bigger and better the stage direction meant the scene was more detailed.  Act 4 began with the isolation of a jail in Salem the stage direction tells us that Sarah Good and Tituba both in rags tells us they have been ill treated. There in darkness and light only seeps through the bars creating a depressing, sorrowful and gloomy atmosphere. Making the unavoidable more daunting .The iron bars symbolises that they are prisoners locked away from their basic human rights and the world. Dramatic tension is caused by the setting of the scene because their probably yearning to see the outside world. Instant pity is felt for them they have had to suffer the excruciating pain of being locked up for a long period of time. For a crime they did not commit.  Parris is fearful of the situation he finds a dagger outside the door. This adds suspense and tension it left the audience wandering for his future existence. It could have been done simply but it was really dramatic because the audience are clueless about who put it their and why. It could have been done simply. But the dagger in the door made it more dramatic and the scene was dark which made it more spooky it was a clear threat and meant his life was at stake. Abigails unexpected disappearance because of her unachievable goal puts more pressure on Parris. As he is also feeling gradually more isolated in the village. His congregation has also dropped in size .This heightens the tension because if Abigails disappeared without a trace her doings and the doings of the other girls who cried witchcraft will be questioned. Abigail does not want her name to be soiled its so important to her she is seen as a good girl My name is good in the village I will now have my name soiled. So she might have her doubts about everyone finding out the whole thing was a lie so the best thing to do was to runaway. Parris is also worried that he stole all his money  To change Proctors mind to confessing to witchcraft in order to save his life Elizabeth is required. She is heavily pregnant but she agrees but makes no promises Hale asks her to make him confess to witchcraft.

Essay --

F. Scott Fitzgerald an amazing author in my opinion, in 1925, wrote The Great Gatsby. This novel is great and probably one of his best books he has ever written. This novel separates the poor from the wealth, and ties love with the rich. This novel shows different views on different people from different backgrounds and classes. This novel takes place in the make believe towns called East Egg, and West Egg. When the books main character Nick Carraway arrives to West Egg to visit his cousin Daisy he realizes how horrible all their lives really are and how much better off he is back in East Egg. This is a really good book that show’s how the poor are separated from the wealth, and how the wealthy will do anything to get what they want. The book starts off by the narrator and main character Nick Carraway heading to the west to visit his cousin Daisy. Once he arrives to Daisy’s he rents a house a crossed the lake from Daisy’s. Soon he realizes that he is living beside the wealthiest man in West Egg named Jay Gatsby and he really wants to meet him. Nick heads over to see his cousin Daisy and is introduced to a woman named Jordan Baker. Shortly after meeting Jordan, Nick realizes that he is attracted to her and begins a romantic relationship with her. After Nick has been in his rented house for a few days he starts to wonder who Jay Gatsby is because he never sees him around his house and he wants to try to find him and ask him questions about what he does. Nick later that day gets invited to one of Gatsby’s famous Saturday night parties and goes with Jordan. After being at the party and looking for Jay Gatsby, Nick runs into a man that has served in the same branch of the army as he did and finds out that his name is Jay Gatsby. Nick... ...their feet. With every chapter leading into the next it helps keep the story flow with the readers eye. Everyone that I know that has read this book really enjoyed it and said they would read it again. Fitzgerald’s creativeness helped make this a wonderful novel that can be read by anyone. All around I really enjoyed reading this book because I personally think Fitzgerald is an amazing author and he really knows how to write books in a way that grabs the readers attention and keeps them hooked through the whole story. I also think that The Great Gatsby is one of his best writings. I have really enjoyed reading this book and taking the time to break it down into a review. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a great book that can be read in just a few days by anyone. Fitzgerald has an amazing way of writing his books to make his writings stand out from others.

A doll house Essay

Henrik Ibsen play â€Å"A Doll House,† written in 1879, focuses on a story of a disparaging role of women in Victorian society through his doll motif, played out in Nora’s sudden distaste for her home. Throughout the play there are many examples of Nora’s husband Torvald treating Nora in an insulting manner because she’s a woman. Torvald calls her little pet names, and states that she’s frail. Nora does things according to what Torvald wants. Everything is done by his standards. He also doesn’t allow her to have much freedom. He doesn’t let decisions to be made by Nora. Torvald makes comments that suggest Nora could never understand anything, just because she is a woman. These examples show that feminism is a theme throughout the story. Torvald treats Nora almost like a child. He never actually talks to her like an adult. Almost as if Torvald thought that Nora wasn’t intelligent, or mature enough to have a conversation that had to deal with serious matters. He also has a lot of pet names for Nora. Whenever Torvald speaks to   Nora he usually calls her â€Å"my little squirrel†, and â€Å"little lark† as you would call a child. Torvald   also calls her a spendthrift whenever she asks for money. He never really calls her Nora, unless it is when he is serious, however any other time, he will call her by one of his pet names. Torvald also never speaks to Nora about anything important. He only talks to her about spending money, and about things of leisure, like the ball. Nora, in Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House†, is a modern woman limited by a traditional society which denies women power and autonomy. The central mystery and challenge of â€Å"A Doll’s House† is obviously the character of Nora. The story starts on Christmas Eve. Nora makes preparation for Christmas. While she eats macaroons, Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde enters. Rank goes to speak with Torvald while Linde speaks with Nora. Linde explains that her husband has died and that she needs to find a job. Nora agrees to ask her husband to give Linde a job at the bank. Nora tells her about borrowing money to pay for the trip they took to Italy. She explains that Torvald doesn’t know that she paid for it. Rank leaves the study and begins to speak with Nora and Linde. He complains about the moral corruption in society. Krogstad arrives and goes to the study to talk to Torvald about keeping his job. A few minutes later, he leaves and Rank comments that Krogstad is one of the most morally corrupt people in the world. Rank and Linde leave, and Krogstad re-enters. He tells Nora to ask her husband to keep Krogstad at the bank, or else. If she doesn’t, he will reveal Nora’s crime of forgery to him. Krogstad leaves and when Torvald re-enters, Nora asks him not to fire Krogstad. Torvald says that he must fire him because of his dishonesty and because he gave Krogstad’s job to Linde. The nurse, Anne-Marie, enters and gives Nora her ball gown. Anne-Marie explains that she had to leave her children to take the job taking care of Nora. Linde returns and begins to help Nora with stitching up her dress. They talk for a while about Dr. Rank. Torvald enters and Linde leaves to the nursery. Nora asks Torvald again not to fire Krogstad and he refuses. He gives Krogstad’s pink slip to the maid to be mailed to Krogstad. Rank re-enters and tells Nora about his worsening illness. They talk and flirt for a while. Rank tells Nora that he loves her. Nora said that she never loved Rank and only had fun with him. Rank leaves to the study and Krogstad enters. He is angry about his dismissal and leaves a letter to Torvald explaining Nora’s entire crime in the letter box. Nora is frightened, and tells Linde about the matter and Linde assures her that she will talk to Krogstad and set things straight. Linde leaves after Krogstad and Rank and Torvald enters form the study. They help Nora practice the tarantella. After practice, Rank and Torvald exits and Linde enters and tells Nora that Krogstad left town, but she left a note for him. Nora tells her that she’s waiting for a miracle to happen. That night, during the dance, Linde talks to Krogstad in Helmer’s apartment. She explains to him that she left him for money, but that she still loves him. They get back together and Krogstad decides to forget about the matter of Nora borrowing money. However, Linde asks Krogstad not to ask for his letter back since she thinks Torvald needs to know of it. Both leave and Torvald and Nora enter from the dance. Torvald checks his letter box and finds some letters and two business cards form Dr. Rank with black crosses on them. Nora explains that they meant that Rank is announcing his death. After the bad news, Torvald enters his study and Nora prepares to leave. However, before she can get out the door, she is stopped by Torvald who read Krogstad’s letter. He is angry and disavows his love for Nora. The maid comes with a letter, Torvald reads the letter that is from Krogstad. It says that he forgives Nora of her crime and will not reveal it. Torvald burns the letter along with the IOU that came with it. He is happy and tells Nora that everything will return to normal. Nora changes and returns, she tells him that they don’t understand each other and she leaves him. Joan Templeton wrote a critical piece of â€Å"The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen.† Templeton states â€Å"Whatever propaganda feminists may have made of A Doll House, Ibsen, it is argued, never meant to write a play about the highly topical subject of women’s rights; Nora’s conflict represents something other than, or something more than, woman’s. In an article commemorating the half century of Ibsen’s death, R. M. Adams explains, â€Å"A Doll House represents a woman imbued with the idea of becoming a person, but it proposes nothing categorical about women becoming people; in fact, its real theme has nothing to do with the sexes† (416). Over twenty years later, after feminism had resurfaced as an international movement, Einar Haugen, the doyen of American Scandinavian studies, insisted that â€Å"Ibsen’s Nora is not just a woman arguing for female liberation; she is much more. She embodies the comedy as well as the tragedy of modern life.†Ã¢â‚¬  (28). Joan Templeton had cited â€Å"All female, or no woman at all, Nora loses either way. Frivolous, deceitful, or unwomanly, she qualifies neither as a heroine nor as a spokeswoman for feminism. Her famous exit embodies only â€Å"the latest and shallowest notion of emancipated womanhood, abandoning her family to go out into the world in search of ‘her true identity;† (Freedman 4)† (30). Nora Helmer makes the right decision to free herself form the social and traditional commitments and obligations of the Victorian Era and becomes an independent individual. She lived in a world of pre-determined social and societal constraints that made her deprived of her own freedom and happiness. The society in which she lived wanted people to live according to the rigidly set norms and standards of the Victorian Society. Subjugation and oppression was the theme of the Victorian Society. Men and women were supposed to play the role that was assigned to them. Nora found herself in such a world of suppression. She was supposed to live a quiet life in a world that was dominated by her husband Torvald and the alike. She was however, totally dissatisfied with the life of subjugation. She could no longer surrender to the constraints of the society. The made her brake from the captivity and enters a new world of freedom. Nora Makes the right decision to free herself from the social and traditional commitments and obligations and become an independent individual. Nora is indeed a classical hero during her time of Victorian Society. She was hiding her character and personality throughout the play under the pretense of the ideal 19th century wife who completely abides to her husband. The character of Nora is quite tough to interpret, as she is made out of a combination of different traits, childish, and even selfish. Even though she is found to be playful and silly, she appears different in other places being practical and astute. She is indeed a hero as she was successful in showing that she is a supporting wife, and mother. Nora was expected to be content with the life she had, though it wasn’t in any way fair or equal. When she expresses her hope that Torvald would have taken the blame for her crime upon himself, Torvald says that â€Å"there’s no one who give up honor for love.† (875) and Nora replies that â€Å"millions of women have done just that.†(875). When Nora shut the door behind her, she wasn’t just a woman leaving her family. She was a woman seeking independence from the strictures of society and the rule of men which was placed upon her because of gender. A Doll House Essay Reflective Statement In Ibsen’s A Doll House, the setting is a critical part of understanding the issues presented in the piece. If it had not been set in 19th century Norway, many of the references would not have been possible. The setting of each of the acts the house changes, showing an allusion of a perfect doll house in the first act that is slowly diminishing threw out the last two. As a external way of showing the cultural and emotional conflicts with in the house. Plus, the significance of the cultural statement, about the unfairness of women’s roles, would have been lost. From this, we can conclude that it was relatively easy to understand Ibsen’s view on the social and cultural issues regarding women- a blatant inequality between the genders, both at home and in society. Regarding Mrs.Linde who comes into the play as a woman who has seen the outside world and worked for her living, Ibsen at the end shows her beginning a relationship with Krogstad to sho w even when a woman trails away from the protection of a man they always come back to their original place. It is difficult to understand the solution to these cultural issues, unless all women are supposed to walk out of their lives. If that were the case that would create more and if not equal cultural struggles and issues. This is similar to today, in that we are still trying to work on the inequality in society through efforts like affirmative action, with questionable success. That is why Ibsen’s use of techniques like setting and characterization are so important; these techniques are what Ibsen uses to convey his message to the audience. To show the struggle of each individual relationship in this work whether it be between Nora and Torvald Helmer, Mrs.Linde and Krogstad, or Dr. Rank and his undying love for Nora. A Doll House Essay Marriage, as an institution, facilitates the union of man and woman enabling them to raise a family. The wellbeing and happiness of the family depends equally on the man and the woman. But this equality is imperceptible in married relations, even in the modern society. The woman always compromises for the sake of her family and abandons her freedom. The play â€Å"A Doll House† by Henrik Ibsen depicts the situation of a married woman, Nora Helmer who has to repress her desires and behave according to the wish of her husband, Torvald. But as the play progresses conflicts began to arise between Nora and Torvald, owing to the changing nature of Torvald’s love for Nora. Throughout the play, Nora aims to act and behave in a manner which pleases her husband but at the end of the play, Nora decides to leave Torvald and lead her life in accordance to her wishes. The end of the play depicts a fit resolution to the main conflict in the play. End of the Play Nora is a skilled and wise woman but her husband regards her to be an asinine and childish woman. When Torvald was ill, Nora was the one who saved his life with the aid of money borrowed from Krogstad. But she refrained from revealing about the borrowed money to her husband so that his pride is not hurt. She also worked secretly to repay the debt. But she presents herself before her husband in a manner which pleases him. Her husband thinks that Nora is a silly woman and Nora continues to act like a one before him. Nora lives in her house like a doll whose strings are in the hands of her husband. But in the final scene of the play, Nora goes on to become an independent woman from a doll whose actions were controlled by her husband. Owing to Krogstad’s letters which reveal the details of the bond that Nora has signed while borrowing money from Krogstad and the forging of her father’s signature by Nora on that bond, Torvald suspects Nora’s loyalty towards her family. Torvald even goes to the extent of saying that their marriage has ended. He also prohibits Nora from raising her own children. Ibsen (2002) writes, â€Å"But I shall not allow you to bring up the children; I dare not trust them to you. † (pg 135). But when Torvald receives another letter from Krogstad, consisting of the bond, he is thrilled to be liberated from the bond. Now he praises Nora for her dedication and love that she had for her family, and also mentions that he has forgiven her for her mistakes Nora realizes that Torvald’s love for her is so conditional that it is easily influenced by the situations around them. Torvald is so concerned about his honor that he never thinks about the feelings of Nora. He fails to live up to the role of a husband who is responsible for protecting his wife’s honor. Nora expresses her discontent at Torvald’s self-centered behavior and decides to leave the house. Instead of being just a wife and mother, Nora desires to become a sensible human being. Ibsen (2002) writes, â€Å"I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being. Just as you are—or, at all events, that I must try and become one. † (pg. 145). Torvald tries to convince Nora to stay with him but Nora refuses to listen to him. She leaves the house and goes in pursuit of an independent life where she can live according to her own desires and wishes. The end of the play serves as an appropriate resolution to Nora’s conflict with Torvald. Nora refuses to lead a doll-like life in order to save her marriage from breaking up. By leaving the house, Nora removes herself from the hold of her husband who treated her like a doll. An independent and determined Nora emerges in the final scene of the play. References Ibsen, H. (2001). A Doll’s House. Plain Label Books. 2002.

Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)

Why would anyone consider Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)? It’s a scenario that’s seen all too often—a chronically ill woman is suffering in severe excruciating pain daily and feels like she’s become a burden to her family, a lonely man is suffering with a life-limiting illness and has no family to offer any care or support to him. These individuals have lost their independence and feel like they have no quality of life left to live. Great strides have been made to improve end-of-life care through palliative care and hospice programs, but sometimes that’s just not enough. In America, the care that is offered to the elderly and the chronically ill is less than ideal. Statistics show that an estimated 40-70% of patients die in pain and another 50-60% die feeling shortness of breath. Ninety percent of the nursing homes where patients go to receive 24-hour nursing care are seriously understaffed. Patients who are home and have care provided by family o ften feel like they are a burden on their caregivers. The cost of hiring in-home caregivers support is not covered by Medicare or state and federal Medicaid systems. Caregivers often suffer from physical, emotional, financial, psychological and social strain. A person may feel as if they have lost all control of their life when they suffer from chronic and life-limiting illnesses. The body isn’t doing what it should and there is no way to stop it.Therefore, a person my feel like they can regain some control through Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS). If they can’t control the illness, they can at least control the way they die. Suffering has always been a part of human existence. Since the beginning of medicine there have been requests made to end this suffering by means of physician-assisted suicide.Physician-assisted suicide is when a patient voluntarily choses to terminate their own life by the administration of a legal substance with the assistance of a physician eit her directly or indirectly. The patient is provided a medical means and/or knowledge to commit suicide by a physician. The life-ending act is performed by the patient and not the physician. Recent studies show that approximately 57% of physicians practicing today have received a request for physician-assisted suicide in some form or  another.There are many alternatives to PAS that exist. Unrelieved physical suffering may have been greater in the past, but now modern medicine has more knowledge and skills to relieve suffering than ever before. If all patients had access to careful assessment and optimal symptom control and supportive care, palliative care specialists believe that most patients with life-threatening illnesses suffering could be sufficiently reduced to eliminate their desire for a quick death. When the patient’s desire prevails, there are other available avenues to relieve the suffering and avoid prolonging life against their wishes. The driving force behind p atients seeking physician-assisted suicide is quality of life.In October 1997, physician-assisted suicide became legal in the state of Oregon. By the end of the year 2000, approximately 70 people had utilized the physician-assisted suicide law to end their lives. One hundred percent of these cases reported that individuals were not able to take care for themselves and make their own decisions and loss of autonomy. Eighty-six percent of these cases reported that individuals were suffering from loss of dignity and the ability to participate in enjoyable activities.Currently, physician-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana. Oregon was the first to pass the Death with Dignity Act in 1997. The requirements for attending/prescribing or consulting with a physician to write a prescription are listed in the following table. Washington followed suit passing the Death with Dignity Act in 2008, and Montana passed the Rights of Terminally III Act in 2009.Table 1. S afeguards and Guidelines in the Oregon Act1. Requires the patient give a fully informed, voluntary decision. 2. Applies only to the last 6 months of the patient’s life. 3. Makes it mandatory that a second opinion by a qualified physician be given that the patient has fewer than 6 months to live. 4. Requires two oral requests by the patient.5. Requires a written request by the patient. 6. Allows cancellation of the request at any time. 7. Makes it mandatory that a 15-day waiting period occurs after the first oral request. 8. Makes it mandatory that 48-hours (2 days) elapse after the patient makes a written request to receive the medication. 9. Punishes anyone who uses coercion on a patient to use the Act. 10. Provides for psychological counseling if either of the patient’s physicians thinks the patient needs counseling. 11. Recommends the patient inform his/her next of kin.12. Excludes nonresidents of Oregon from taking part. 13. Mandates participating physicians are li censed in Oregon. 14. Mandates Health Division Review. 15. Does not authorize mercy killing or active euthanasia. Source: Compassion & Choices of Oregon, 2009b.Physician-assisted suicide is illegal in Canada. In the Netherlands, it is legal under certain circumstances, and the right to choose physician-assisted suicide remains highly favored. Physician-assisted suicide is also illegal in the United Kingdom. They currently focus on palliative care. Under strictly defined regulations, physician-assisted suicide is legal in the following countries: Australia, Columbia, and Japan. The legalization of physician-assisted suicide remains controversial.The topic periodically comes up for intense attention. Organized medicine agrees on two principles: 1. Physicians have an obligation to relieve pain and suffering and to promote the dignity of dying patients in their care. 2. The principle of patient bodily integrity requires that physicians must respect patients’ competent decisions t o forgo life-sustaining treatment. There are four main points argued against the acceptance and legalization of physician-assisted suicide along with their counter argument. Improved Access to Hospice and Palliative CareWith quality end-of-life care being made available through hospice and palliative care programs, there is no reason for anyone to seek physician-assisted suicide. In the United States, there are over 4,500 hospice agencies. Millions of people don’t have access to the hospice agencies because of the restrictions on funding and the inflexibility of the Medicare Hospice Benefit requiring patients to have a life expectancy of six  months or less. Counter argument: Rare cases of persistent and untreatable suffering will still exist even with improved access to quality end-of-life care. Hospice and palliative care aren’t always sufficient to treat severe suffering. Limits on Patient AutonomyPhysician-assisted suicide requires the assistance of another perso n. In the opinion of Bouvia vs. Superior Court, â€Å"the right to dies is an integral part of our right to control our own destinies so long as the rights of others are not affected,† was determined. Our society threatens physician-assisted suicide by worsening the value of human life. The sanctity of life is the responsibility of society to preserve it. Counter argument: Physicians who are requested to help to end a patients’ life have the right to decline on the basis of conscientious objection. The â€Å"Slippery Slope† to Social DepravityThere is concern to the opposition to physician-assisted suicide being allowed with euthanasia not too far behind. Without the consent of individuals in physical handicap, the elderly, the demented, the individuals with mental illness, and the homeless, there is a slippery slope toward euthanasia without the consent of the individuals is deemed â€Å"useless† by society. Counter argument: The â€Å"slippery slopeâ⠂¬  would not be allowed to happen within our highly cultured societies. Violation of the Hippocratic OathThe Hippocratic Oath states that a physician’s obligation is primum non nocere, â€Å"first, do no harm.† The direct contrast to that is physician-assisted suicide, where killing a patient is deliberately regarded as harm. Counter argument: According to an individual patient’s needs, the Hippocratic Oath should not be interpreted. Alternatives to Physician-Assisted SuicideThose opposing to physician-assisted suicide argue that there are legal and morally ethical alternatives to assisted death. Patients have the right to refuse any further medical treatments that may prolong the death, including the medications. Counter argument: Life-sustaining measures to live and  still suffer are not relied on by some patients. Withholding life-sustaining treatments would only prolong suffering for these patients. Another argument is that patients can, and often do, de cide to stop eating and drinking to speed up their death. Within one to three weeks afterwards, the death will usually occur, and it would be reported as a â€Å"good death.†Counter argument: One to three weeks of intense suffering is too much for any one person to have to put up with. This debate has yet to see any final resolution. Physician-assisted suicide may become more of a reality in our society because of the undercurrent of public support. The United States Supreme Court handed down two cases central to physician-assisted suicide in 1997: Vacco vs. Quill and Gregoire vs. Glucksberg. In both case, it was determined that there was no constitutional right on the grounds of equal protection or personal liberty to the physician-assisted suicide. Both constitutional history and the Western Civilization trends were argued by the court and generally worked against reading the Constitution that way.The court was sensitive in its decision to the prospect of unintended and unw anted consequences that might follow the recognition of a Constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide. However, it was never said that physician-assisted suicide would ever be legitimate. It was concluded that the states of the Union could decide the matter for themselves. Requests for physician-assisted suicide should be taken very seriously. Responses to these requests should be compassionate and immediate. There are six steps that should physicians should take when responding to requests for physician-assisted suicides: Step 1: Clarify the RequestStep 2: Determine the Root Causes Step 3: Affirm Your Commitment to Care for the Patient Step 4: Address the Root Causes of the Request Step 5: Educate the Patient About Legal Alternatives for Comfort and Control Step 6: Seek Counseling from Trusted Colleagues and AdvisorsStep 1: Clarify the RequestThe physician should talk to the patient about what suffering means to them. Determine if their point of view can be defined. Listen c arefully to their request paying specific attention to the nature of the request. Calmly ask questions to extract the specifics of their request and why they’re  requesting such help. Ask directed and detailed questions to learn whether the patient is imagining an unlikely or preventable future. Listen to the patient’s answers with sympathy but not as if you’re endorsing their request to their perception of what they consider to be a worthless life. The physician must be fully aware of his or her own biases in order to effectively respond to the patient’s needs. If the idea of suicide is offensive to the physician, the patient may feel his or her disapprobation and worry about abandonment.Step 2: Determine the Root CausesThe physician needs to assess the patient’s underlying causes for requesting physician-assisted suicide. The patient’s request may be a failure of the physician in addressing the needs of the patient. The attributes of suf fering should be focused on: physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and practical concerns. The physician should evaluate to see if the patient is having some type of clinical depression or common fear about their future outlook. The patient may be worrying about suffering with pain or other symptoms, loss of control or independence, a sense of abandonment, loneliness, indignity, a loss of their self-image, or being a burden to someone.Step 3: Affirm Your Commitment to Care for the PatientThe fear of abandonment is often felt in patients as they face the end-of-life. They want to be assured that someone will be with them at this time in their life. The physician should listen to and acknowledge the feelings and fears that the patient may express. They should commit to helping the patient find answers to their concerns. The physician should commit to the patient as well as the patient’s family and anyone who is close to the patient that they will continue to be the patien t’s physician until their life has ended.Step 4: Address the Root Causes of the RequestA patient’s request for a quick death is caused by some type of suffering on their behalf. They physician should discuss with the patient their health care preferences and goals. Alternative approaches or services should be discussed at this time with the patient. The physician should be able to determine if supportive counseling is needed for the patient.Step 5: Educate the Patient about Legal Alternatives for Control and ComfortPatients often have misconceptions about the benefits of requesting physician-assisted suicide. They may not be aware of the emotional effort that goes into planning for physician-assisted suicide. They also may not be aware of the emotional strain on family and friends. The physician should discuss the legal alternatives to physician-assisted suicide.The legal alternatives include refusal of treatment, withdrawal of treatment, declining oral intake, and end -of-life sedation. The patient should be made aware that they have a right to decline or consent to any treatment or hospitalization, but that their declining of treatment will not affect their ability to receive high quality end-of-life care. The patient should also be made aware that they have the right to stop any treatment at any time including the stopping of any fluids or nutrition.Patients suffering with unbearable and unmanageable pain may be approaching their last days or hours of life, and the only option available to them is end-of-life sedation. Before the end-of-life sedation should be considered for a patient, the attending physician and members of the health care team should know that all available therapies were tried. This option has to be agreed upon with the patient and their families with the patient have the final say so if they are capable of making the decision for themselves.Step 6: Consult with ColleaguesPhysician-assisted suicide requests are the most chall enging situations that physicians have to face in their practice of medicine. The physicians often hesitate to involve others in these situations for reasons about personal issues being raised, convictions about the inappropriateness of talking about death and concerns about the legal implications of the situation. The personal, ethical and legal ramifications for physician-assisted suicides should be supported by a trusted colleague or advisor of the physician. The trusted colleague could be a mentor, peer, religious advisor, or ethics consultants.Support may also come from nurses, social workers, chaplains, or other members involved in the care of the patient. Physician-assisted suicide requests should be a sign to the physician that a patient’s needs are not being met and that further evaluation is needed to identify the elements contributing to the patient’s suffering. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to the question of physician-assisted suicide. Patients ha ve  the right to withhold and withdraw life-sustaining procedures. Patients also have the right to receive powerful medication for pain relief and sedation. Physicians who oppose physician-assisted suicide do not always have to prescribe lethal medication.

How to write for non-accountants - Emphasis

How to write for non-accountants How to write for non-accountants Finance is a murky place for many people. Money comes into the bank account and it goes out again. And the process in between is something of a mystery. But even if your clients are financially savvy, it can still be difficult to explain money matters. Accounting has its own language and is often riddled with jargon that even experienced business people can sometimes find difficult to understand. (I know: Im one of them.) Writing financial information in accountingese can waste time and money. If your clients are unclear about what your figures mean, theyll ask for further clarification. A single document could lead to several hours of unnecessary (and frustrating) follow-up phone calls. Thats one reason why the tide is turning in the financial industry. Leading firms such as Deloitte, Ernst Young and Grant Thornton have commissioned specialist writing training programmes. And more accounting firms are following suit, adopting plain English in all their written communications. The other is that the Financial Services Authority keeps a watchful eye on adverts for financial products and services that are misleading. So as a finance professional, you still have to make sure your writing is not just legal, but effective. Here are six steps to clear client communication. One: put your reader first Many accountants overestimate the knowledge their clients have. Even if you have been working with a client for many years, theres no guarantee they really understand the nuances of finance. Get back to basics by asking yourself the following questions: What is the document about? Who will read it? How much do they already know about the subject? What do they absolutely need to know? How important is the subject to them? How interested are they in the subject? Use the answers as a guideline for the amount of detail that you need to include in your document. Two: avoid a mind-dump of ideas Whether youre writing an email, contract or report, do plenty of ground work before putting pen to paper. Brainstorm all your ideas using a mind map and then put your points in order of importance. If youre having trouble getting started, ask yourself the questions: Who? What? Where? When? and Why? Becoming clear in your thinking helps you to create clearly structured documents that are easy to follow. Three: communicate technical terms in plain English Financial abbreviations and other technical terms can be useful when communicating with colleagues but they can confuse clients. For example, the term accrual rate may seem simple but it still needs to be accompanied by an explanation of how the interest is built up. Similarly, never assume that your clients will understand terms such as smoothing, arbitration and cap and collar rate. You dont need to dumb down your writing, just make sure you provide clear, concise explanations. Four: avoid verbosity Often though its the words in between the jargon that cause the problem. Never add in redundant words into your writing. For example, I herein enclose details of your asset classes for the aforesaid investment, as requested sounds complicated, archaic and stilted. A much simpler way of writing it is, I enclose details of your investments, as requested. Five: opt for verbs instead of nouns Verbs help to give sentences movement and life. So write, We will decide on our next steps on Monday, rather than A decision will be made on our next steps on Monday. The word decide is more powerful than decision. And the first sentence is also written in the active voice, so it is punchier. Six: keep sentences short and sweet Aim for your sentences to be a maximum of 20 words. If you make your sentences longer, its likely your readers will have trouble making sense of what you mean. Remember, clear language makes sound business sense. It sends out the message that you have nothing to hide and that your words are as transparent as your financial dealings. Robert Ashton is the Chief Executive of Emphasis.

World War II - Battle of Savo Island

World War II - Battle of Savo Island Battle of Savo Island - Conflict Dates: The Battle of Savo Island was fought August 8-9, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). Fleets Commanders Allies Rear Admiral Richmond K. TurnerRear Admiral Victor Crutchley6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 15 destroyers Japanese Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa5 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, 1 destroyer Battle of Savo Island - Background: Moving to the offensive after the victory at Midway in June 1942, Allied forces targeted Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Situated at the eastern end of the island chain, Guadalcanal had been occupied by a small Japanese force which was constructing an airfield. From the island, the Japanese would be able to threaten Allied supply lines to Australia. As a result, Allied forces under the direction of Vice Admiral Frank J. Fletcher arrived in the area and troops began landing on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo on August 7. While Fletchers carrier task force covered the landings, the amphibious force was directed by Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner. Included in his command was a screening force of eight cruisers, fifteen destroyers, and five minesweepers led by British Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley. Though the landings caught the Japanese by surprise, they countered with several air raids on August 7 and 8. These were largely defeated by Fletchers carrier aircraft, though they did set afire the transport George F. Elliott. Having sustained losses in these engagements and concerned about fuel levels, Fletcher informed Turner that he would be leaving the area late on August 8 to resupply. Unable to remain in the area without cover, Turner decided to continue unloading supplies at Guadalcanal through the night before withdrawing on August 9. On the evening of August 8, Turner called a meeting with Crutchley and Marine Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift to discuss the withdrawal. In leaving for the meeting, Crutchley departed the screening force aboard the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia without informing his command of his absence. The Japanese Response: Responsibility for responding to the invasion fell to Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa who led the newly-formed Eighth Fleet based at Rabaul. Flying his flag from the heavy cruiser Chokai, he departed with the light cruisers Tenryu and Yubari, as well as a destroyer with the goal of attacking the Allied transports on the night of August 8/9. Proceeding southeast, he was soon joined by Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotos Cruiser Division 6 which consisted of the heavy cruisers Aoba, Furutaka, Kako, and Kinugasa. It was Mikawas plan to move along the east coast of Bougainville before advancing down The Slot to Guadalcanal (Map). Moving through the St. George Channel, Mikawas ships were spotted by the submarine USS S-38. Later in the morning, they were located by Australian scout aircraft which radioed sighting reports. These failed to reach the Allied fleet until evening and even then were inaccurate as they reported the enemy formation included seaplane tenders. As he moved southeast, Mikawa launched floatplanes which provided him with a fairly accurate picture of the Allied dispositions. With this information, he informed his captains that they would approach south of Savo Island, attack, and then withdraw to the north of the island. Allied Dispositions: Before departing for the meeting with Turner, Crutchley deployed his force to cover the channels north and south of Savo Island. The southern approach was guarded by the heavy cruisers USS Chicago and HMAS Canberra along with the destroyers USS Bagley and USS Patterson. The northern channel was protected by the heavy cruisers USS Vincennes, USS Quincy, and USS Astoria along with the destroyers USS Helm and USS Wilson steaming in a square patrol pattern. As an early warning force, the radar-equipped destroyers USS Ralph Talbot and USS Blue were positioned to the west of Savo (Map). The Japanese Strike: After two days of constant action, the tired crews of the Allied ships were at Condition II which meant that half were on duty while half rested. In addition, several of the cruiser captains were also asleep. Approaching Guadalcanal after dark, Mikawa again launched floatplanes to scout the enemy and to drop flares during the upcoming fight. Closing in a single file line, his ships successfully passed between Blue and Ralph Talbot whose radars were hampered by the nearby land masses. Around 1:35 AM on August 9, Mikawa spotted the ships of the southern force silhouetted by the fires from the burning George F. Elliot. Though spotting the northern force, Mikawa commenced attacking the southern force with torpedoes around 1:38. Five minutes later, Patterson was the first Allied ship to spot the enemy and immediately went into action. As it did so, both Chicago and Canberra were illuminated by aerial flares. The latter ship attempted to attack, but quickly came under heavy fire and was put out of action, listing and on fire. At 1:47, as Captain Howard Bode was attempting to get Chicago into the fight, the ship was hit in the bow by a torpedo. Rather than assert control, Bode steamed west for forty minutes and left the fight (Map). Defeat of the Northern Force: Moving through the southern passage, Mikawa turned north to engage the other Allied ships. In doing so, Tenryu, Yubari, and Furutaka took a more westerly course than the rest of the fleet. As a result, the Allied northern force was soon bracketed by the enemy. Though firing had been observed to the south, the northern ships were unsure of the situation and were slow to go to general quarters. At 1:44, the Japanese began launching torpedoes at the American cruisers and six minutes later illuminated them with searchlights. Astoria came into action, but was hit hard by fire from Chokai which disabled its engines. Drifting to a halt, the cruiser was soon on fire, but managed to inflict moderate damage on Chokai. Quincy was slower to enter the fray and was soon caught in a crossfire between the two Japanese columns. Though one of its salvos hit Chokai, nearly killing Mikawa, the cruiser was soon on fire from Japanese shells and three torpedo hits. Burning, Quincy sank at 2:38. Vincennes was hesitant to enter the fight for fear of friendly fire. When it did, it quickly took two torpedo hits and became the focus of Japanese fire. Taking over 70 hits and a third torpedo, Vincennes sank at 2:50. At 2:16, Mikawa met with his staff about pressing the battle to attack the Guadalcanal anchorage. As their ships were scattered and low on ammunition, it was decided to withdraw back to Rabaul. In addition, he believed that the American carriers were still in the area. As he lacked air cover, it was necessary for him to clear the area before daylight. Departing, his ships inflicted damage on Ralph Talbot as they moved northwest. Aftermath of Savo Island: The first of a series of naval battles around Guadalcanal, the defeat at Savo Island saw the Allies lose four heavy cruisers and suffer 1,077 killed. In addition, Chicago and three destroyers were damaged. Japanese losses were a light 58 killed with three heavy cruisers damaged. Despite the severity of the defeat, the Allied ships did succeed in preventing Mikawa from striking the transports in the anchorage. Had Mikawa pressed his advantage, it would have severely hampered Allied efforts to resupply and reinforce the island later in the campaign. The US Navy later commissioned the Hepburn Investigation to look into the defeat. Of those involved, only Bode was severely criticized. Selected Sources World War II Pacific: Battle of Savo IslandOpening Salvos: The Battle of Savo Island

Introdiction to airline and airport management Essay

Introdiction to airline and airport management - Essay Example It is important to evaluate whether these factors are positively affecting the commercial air transport or not. The expectations of air passengers have increased in terms of quality of air transport services. Since passengers groups can be segmented into various categories based on different variables therefore, their needs may vary. The immense variability among the needs of the passengers has always been a major concern for the airlines. The ultimate need of all passengers is their satisfaction. Apart from the service quality improvements made by all airlines, the airports have widely adopting the quality criteria. Since the airports are also operating in a more competitive environment therefore, airport management is improving to serve passengers in a better manner. In the previous years, the customers used to buy tickets directly from the airlines and no contractual relationship used to exist between the customers and the airport. Today, the situation is very different because even without having any contractual relationship with the airports, the passengers expect to have excellent airport services. For fulfilling the needs of the passengers, the airport nowadays are giving great focus towards ground handling, security checks, airport access and border controls etc. The European airports have developed â€Å"Airport Voluntary Commitment on Air Passenger Service.† It has been developed after the extensive consultation of airport management with Consumers, European Commission and European Government. According to the voluntary commitment, European airports accept the responsibility to provide defined quality of services to the travellers without any legal binding on a consistent basis. For example, according to Airport Voluntary Commitment, â€Å"Each airport will prominently publicise the services it offers for assisting passengers with reduced mobility (PRMs).† 2 The