The International Rescue Committee, Inc.

The international Rescue Committee, Inc. (IRC) is an organization based in the US and is normally obligated with the duty of helping refugees in ensuring their welfare is as stated in the policies. IRC acts in response to the humanitarian crises and helps people stay alive, recuperate, and restructure their lives.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The International Rescue Committee, Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The United States thinks about the problem of refugees as an exceptional humanitarian concern that can be subjected to discrimination because of race, belief, ethnic group, membership in a particular social group, and biased opinion. The IRC provides refugee resettlement services to all people and before a displaced person receives refugee status and becomes eligible for resettlement in the US, one has to pass through pre-arrival procedures for verification. There are three categories of re ception and placement of refugees that enter the US. These categories include Geographic (Geo) case, which involves refugees that have a friend or a relative in the US, but who do not have a prior agency relationship or a family or friend who has sponsorship links (Prebish, 2003). The second category is the free case. These are the individuals without family links in the US, but placed by a resettlement agency. The final category are the pre-marked or interest-based refugees. This category involves refugees who are joining family members already living in the US, the people who have formally applied for reunification on behalf of their overseas family members. The US government has developed procedures for applying for refugee status globally or seeking asylum in the country. Until 1982, there was a numerical limitation on the admission of refugees in the financial year, but thereafter, the law provided that the president, after consultation with the Congress, set refugee admission levels and allocated regional resources for the upcoming fiscal year based on the humanitarian concerns and the national interests of the nation (Chan, 2006). ICR guides the refugee or the asylum seekers in filling the processing forms, which include the Affidavit of Relationship (AOR). The AOR offers a means for people with permission admitted as immigrants or asylum to ask for refugee processing. ICR is knowledgeable about who may file an AOR under current circumstances, which vary year to year according to the US government policies. ICR guides the refugees through the whole process ensuring that it is in line with the set laws of the state. The Verification of Placement forms allocates the overseas family members to the IRC by the Refugee Processing Center upon approval of the AOR. The organization supervises and guides the anchor relative who filed the AOR to complete the Verification of Placement (VOP) and an individual assures the IRC that he or she is still living in the are a and is suitable to act as a sponsor.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition to the VOP, the anchor completes and signs a Statement of Responsibility (SOR) and the Anchor Relative Assessment. An SOR is an agreement between the IRC and the anchor relative, it explains the different responsibilities of the IRC and gives information on the IRC’s partnership with the anchor relatives (Khamis, 2005). The primary role of ICR is to provide the core resettlement services. These services are outlined in the IRC’s Cooperative Agreement with the Department of State and the operational guidelines are clearly stated. Once the refugee or the asylum arrives in the US, IRC is charged with the obligation of picking up the visitor and arranging for the meeting with the anchor relatives. Housing and safety orientation policy ensures that ICR provides additional informa tion about housing and renting in the United States, including information on the client/tenant relationship and the responsibilities of renters. Safety orientations depend on family size or the living situation of the family, but it is important for all refugees to receive information about safety procedures during these orientation sessions. Within five working days, ICR arranges for refugees and asylums to get cash assistance. Several programs provide the service namely Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), which is a federal assistance program designed to provide cash assistance to working and low-income families. Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), which is accessible to all migrants and asylums within eight months of arrival, is an extra program. Another program is the Supplementary Security Income (SSI). This helps refugees and asylums who are elderly or disabled. The regulations of giving funds are similar in all states since the Social Security Administration administer s this program. Among the scope of work of the ICR is to provide job training and employment services to at least 60 adults receiving TANF benefits. This helps the refugees settle down until they become independent financially. ICR also assists medically needy clients such as children, pregnant women, disabled and physically impaired clients in obtaining medical care within the seven days of arrival. Employment is usually the most common source of health care in the US, but since most of the refugees and asylums are not employed by then, ICR arranges medical assistance from organizations such as Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA), which is the only program open to clients within 8 months of arrival. The Federal Government funds the benefits (Weissbrodt, Danielson, 2005). Medicaid program also offers support to the aged, disabled, families with children, and low-income citizens. These programs are aimed at improving the health situations of the refugees and asylums by ensuring that th e medically needed are attended to. According to the US government, Social Security cards are required for work authorization in the US. Therefore, ICR helps their clients to obtain this important document. Social Security Administration must verify the refugee’s status before approving a social security card. State Department and the SSA have agreed that verification can take place at the Refugee Processing Center.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The International Rescue Committee, Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More ICR has many responsibilities among the social ones, ICR ensures that school-age children are enrolled or are in the process of enrolling in the education system within 30 days of arrival. Enrollment in the US can be very complex at times and hence ICR helps ensure the requirements and regulations for joining school are met. ICR also makes sure that all its clients receive health screening within 30 days of arrival. Each state develops its own protocols of screening and ICR has to guarantee regulations of screening according to every state regulation. The social responsibility of ICR is to establish the issues affecting single parents and work with them and their families to come up with solutions and alternatives that permit single parents to achieve economic and cultural sufficiency. The elderly also require additional care. ICR makes sure that elderly refugees have adequate access to health care services. It mobilizes family and friends to provide support to these people. This will help them overcome challenges, such as isolation and loneliness. Providing employment opportunities for the elderly refugees reinforces a sense of self-esteem and well-being. ICR assesses the overall emotional health of a child and makes appropriate referrals to services and activities. Youths are normally faced with numerous challenges as refugees and hence ICR help them overc ome them. Language barriers and cultural differences are some of the challenges affecting the refugee youths. ICR uses cultural practices and leaders to assist the children. ICR is an open resource to the refugee children. This ascertains and upholds a good association with them. The organization provides the family unit with care for its children through resuming educational, recreational, and cultural activities in their daily lives through referrals to MAAs, community groups, and religious organizations. It takes into consideration people living with disabilities. When it comes to housing, ICR finds a home that accommodates the physically and psychologically challenged. Appropriate accommodations may include accessible building entrances (common and public), wide doorways (routes into the home), accommodations for the blind and hearing-impaired. When it comes to transportation, ICR makes referrals to accessible transportation. ICR helps clients with mental health disfunctions ove rcome these traumas. Refugees may suffer mental health problems resulting from rape and sexual assault, loss of property, death, and separation from loved ones, displacement, and resettlement (Sundquist, Johansson, DeMarinis, Sundquist, 2007).Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The organization plays a critical role in counseling its clients, advising them, and encouraging them to ensure that their refugee status does not affect them. In severe cases, the clients are referred to medical experts, such as psychiatrists. This helps them recover from the damages hence improving their living conditions. References Chan, S. (2006). The Vietnamese American 1.5 Generation: Stories of War, Revolution, Flight, and New Beginnings. New York: Penguin. Khamis, V. (2005). Post-traumatic stress disorder among school age Palestinian children. Child Abuse Neglect, 29(1), 81–95. Prebish, C. S. (2003). Buddhism—the American Experience. London: JBE Online Books. Sundquist, K., Johansson, L.M., DeMarinis, V., Sundquist, J. (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder and psychiatric co-morbidity: symptoms in a random sample of female Bosnian refugees. European Journal of Psychiatry, 20(2), 158–64. Weissbrodt, D. Danielson, L. (2005). Immigration Law and Procedur e. New York: West Group Publishing. This research paper on The International Rescue Committee, Inc. was written and submitted by user Shania Kerr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Learn How to Properly Apply Gel Coat

Learn How to Properly Apply Gel Coat Applying gel coat correctly is of utmost importance to making aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting end products. If gel coat is not applied properly it ultimately can increase the cost of the product made, as often is the case, cutting corners in this process will not prove to be worth it. How Do Improperly Applied Gel Coats Increase Cost? It depends on a number of parts that get rejected and the work required to fix them. The amount of work and material saved by investing in a proper gel coat application process will pay off in the end. Proper gel coat application includes: Material preparationEquipment calibrationUse of trained spray operatorsAppropriate spray methods Gel coats should be sprayed and not brushed. The equipment used for spraying must be selected carefully and maintained well. Catalyst levels are important to the curing of the gel coat and dependent upon shop conditions. Most gel coats’ ideal catalyst level is 1.8 percent at 77Â °F (25Â °C), however, specific shop conditions may require this number to vary between 1.2 and 3 percent. Environmental factors that may require an adjustment in catalyst levels are: TemperatureHumidityMaterial ageCatalyst brand or type A catalyst level below 1.2 percent or above 3 percent should not be used because the cure of the gel coated can be affected permanently. Product data sheets can give specific catalyst recommendations. There are many catalysts for use in resins and gel coats. Proper catalyst selection is vital. In gel coats, only MEKP-based catalysts should be used. The three active ingredients in a MEKP-based catalyst are: Hydrogen peroxideMEKP monomerMEKP dimmer Each component helps the curing of unsaturated polyesters. The following is each chemical’s specific role: Hydrogen peroxide: starts gelation phase, though does little for a cureMEKP monomer: plays roles in initial cure and overall cureMEKP dimer: active during file cure stage of polymerization, high MEKP dimer typically causes porosity (air entrapping) in gel coats Achieving the correct thickness of a gel coat is imperative as well. A gel coat should be sprayed in three passes for a total wet film thickness of 18 /- 2 mils thickness. Too thin a coating can result in undercure of the gel coat. Too thick a coat can crack when flexed. Spraying gel coat onto vertical surfaces will not cause sag because of its’ thixotropic characteristics. Gel coats will also not entrap air when applied according to instructions. Lamination With all other factors normal, gel coats are ready for laminating within 45 to 60 minutes after catalyzation. The time is dependent upon: TemperatureHumidityCatalyst typeCatalyst concentrationAir movement A slowing of gel and cure occurs with low temperatures, low catalyst concentrations, and high humidity. To test whether a gel coat is ready for lamination touch the film at the lowest part of the mold. It is ready if no material transfers. Always monitor equipment and application procedures to ensure proper application and cure of the gel coat. Material Preparation Gel coat materials come as complete products and not other materials other than catalysts should be added. For product consistency, gel coats should be mixed for 10 minutes before use. Agitation should be enough to allow the product to move all the way to the container walls while preventing as much turbulence as possible. It is imperative not to over-mix. This can decrease thixotropy, which increases sag. Overmixing may also result in styrene loss that can add to porosity. Air bubbling for mixing is not advised. It is ineffective and adds for potential water or oil contamination.

Most Valuable Provisions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Most Valuable Provisions - Research Paper Example This is only possible if the nurses are aware of the specific health needs of the patients, as well as other concerns that affect health such as environmental pollution, violation of the human rights, inaccess to healthcare amongst others (Lachman, 2009). The provision also involves the public in ensuring that the health needs of a people are met (Lachman, 2009). The public is expected to work closely with the nurses in making the community responsive to the circumstances that contribute to illness, and how they can modify their lifestyle to promote fit lifestyles. The nurse must also incorporate all the cultures in an attempt to proffer health services to the public. In the thought of Sasso, et. al. (2008), provision 9 is accountable for expressing nursing values that uphold integrity for the nursing profession, and its involvement to shaping the nursing policy. According to the provision, the profession organization is expected to be in touch with and avow the values to its members; hence, encourage self assessment and reflection within the profession. This leads to the public holding the opinion that nursing plays a crucial role to social change that improves health. It is in this argument that the profession ensures that they ensure collective liability through the concerned professional associations. This provision also checks for principles of practice. Additionally, Lachman (2009) indicates that the provision scrutinizes the mechanisms of assessing the efficacy of professional nursing. The provision also makes sure that inter-professional uprightness is attained through the proviso. Educational requirements for official recognition and practice of nursing are well scrutinized by the provision (Lachman, 2009).The nursing profession and practice, in this case, is evaluated for effectiveness, all for the benefit of the public. In the course of my nursing profession, these provisions have been of fundamental nature as

Encouraging the Growth of a Young Artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Encouraging the Growth of a Young Artist - Essay Example Pente (in Grauer,Irwin & Emme, 2011) contends that developmental models can guide teachers in understanding ways children make art and to understand the broad differences among the various ages, however, many other factors can influence a child’s art development such as the materials to be used, socio-cultural considerations, and contemporary contexts in the child’s life. These can either advance or hinder a child’s art development, no matter what developmental stage he belongs to. Although it is important for teachers to know the developmental level of the children they teach so they are aware of the skills they can already learn and do, it is still essential for a teacher to be a keen observer of children’s interests and learning styles. Marne-Thompson (2009) argues that this is the best way for teachers to learn how children use art to learn and express meaning into it. Eisner (2002) offers five principles that guide teachers in art education. He enumer ates: Art education should give pride of place to what is distinctive about the arts†¦ foster the growth of artistic intelligence, help students how to create satisfying visual images, help students recognize what is personal, distinctive and even unique about themselves and their work.. and make special efforts to enable students to secure aesthetic forms of experience in everyday life (Grauer,Irwin & Emme, 2011, p. 13). In following these guidelines, teachers of young children will gain enough confidence to teach Art. Teaching Art to a Six-year old Boy I had the pleasure of working one-on-one with a creative little boy of six. In observing him, I learned that he was quite adept in using some art materials, as he exhibited good fine motor skills in drawing, cutting, pasting, molding and pasting. My objectives for our art sessions were: To inspire him to express his creativity through art To engage him in the process of collage-making, clay-molding and painting as art forms To motivate him to use art as a creative expression of himself And to simply enjoy the art activities. The first activity was creating a a big black spider with different coloured thick cardboard paper. We first discussed how spiders looked and he described that it looks like a bug but with eight legs. Then, to encourage his imaginative thinking, I asked him how he would want his own spider to look if he was to design it. He said he wanted it big and scary, but happy with a lot of colors in order to â€Å"attract friends who’d think he’s scary, but when they get to know him, is actually a friendly guy†. This verbalization about his planned art work corresponds to the talk as art criticism as referred to by Feldman (1994) when he says â€Å"Art criticism has become the storytelling aspect of art and aesthetics and transforms visual experiences into verbal expressions that can be shared with others (Cromer, 1990, p. 9 as mentioned in Grauer, Irwin & Emme, 2011, p.10 9). He started to cut an oval out of thick black cardboard and eight long rectangular â€Å"legs† and attached these around the oval. He also cut a smaller oval to attach as the head. Next, he chose different colors of construction paper and began cutting them in different shapes. For some, he tore, leaving some fibers of the paper exposed at the edges. Then, he carefully pasted the different colors randomly on the big oval, covering all the

Arab Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Arab Culture - Essay Example Arabic culture traces its roots from the Arabian Peninsula next to the Sabaens where they ended up migrating the near east that consists of the ancient cities of Mesopotamia and Lavant. In order to understand better the Arabic culture, it is important to look at several key factors that define the great culture. Language factors, religious viewpoint and practices, fashion and architecture are some vital areas that shape the great Arabic culture. My essay analyses the Arab culture in depth looking at the very important factors that drives its existence. Arabic language having a close relation to Aramaic and Hebrew is evidently the chief language in the Semitic category of Afro-Asiatic language (Young). All the Arabian nations including some Islamic communities have adopted the Arabic language as their own making it the vernacular language and the most holy in their life. Qur’an, the Islamic holy book, written in Arabic shows this great culture’s contribution to the Islamic religion where they find it difficult to translate it into any other language and fail to lose the teachings of the Holy book. Classical Arabic is the name given to the language that is used in The Holy Qur’an, having some distinction from the modern day Arabic language. The book contains chapters and verses written in various parables, verses and narratives that are an inspiration by Allah. This holy book is the major source of inspiration and teachings among the Islam religion, guiding their morals and behavior in the larger society. Most Arabs are Muslims embracing the Islamic religion. Islam being the second most popular world religion Christianity coming first is a monotheist type of religion believing in the existence of one God whom they refer to as Allah (Mikenola). The scriptures that govern the Islamic religion are all included in the holy Qur’an that was revealed to the Muslim faith through their prophet Muhammad.

Ford Motor Company SWOT Analysis

Ford Motor Company SWOT Analysis (S)trengths Ford is a well-known brand in the automobile industry and global markets, due to huge amounts of marketing and advertising. Ford is the one of the best known brands in the world. Ford has a greater amount of customer loyalty, and its individual brands have been enjoying the benefits of the good reputation. Ford has brands and models of cars that appeal to every kind of demographic group and cater for the needs and wants of consumers. Ford uses a unique concept of virtual assembly lines in their models through which they are able to reuse the same spare in their diversified model of cars. This enables Ford to lessen cost on production of new spares and competition market price. Ford provides the consumer more variety of cars and commercial vehicles, so consumer has more choices. Ford also supports racing teams which include NASCAR, Formula One and others. Through online marketing, Ford has the capability to provide the online consumer a selection of cars. Online, the consumer can customize the engine, colour, interiors and exteriors. Furthermore, Ford is maintaining the relations with high profiled companies like Suzuki and Isuzu to develop quality vehicles, in the part due to technological alliances between the companies. Ford is rich in operations and distribution efficiency. This is because manufacturing facilities operate its business in more than thirty countries and it enhances its manufacturing process in around 90 plants and facilities worldwide. The company always develops cars on standardized procedures and invest heavily in alternate fuel sources. Ford recruits qualified and skilled employees, maintaining a good relationship with them, by offering better work environments and competitive wages. Ford is more concerned about the working environment and safety aspects of the employees. (W)eaknesses The company has a lot of suffered due to product recalls, harming Fords brand image. This has  been a huge cost to the company, tarnishing the brand image and damaging Fords sales. Large unfunded pensions and various obligations are termed as the weakness of Ford automobile company. Ford takes more responsibilities in unfunded pensions, health care and life insurance obligations of the employee. Ford invests more money on maintaining a good working environment. Ford expanded its business operations in diversified geographical areas, so management is missing focus on performance and struggles with low productivity. Ford has kept increasing the productivity, while decreasing the cost and simultaneously counting the number of employees exit, decreasing employee loyalty towards the company. Ford does not have an effective cost management system and have not taken considerable efforts to overcome this, since they believed paying premiums in single supplier model. Ford does not concentrate and invest much for design phase and lack innovative design structures on their new paddle of cars. (O)pportunities The current Ford automobile company is producing the cars with low mileage and pick up. Ford has a great opportunity to produce fuel efficient cars and commercial vehicles. For example, the company produced vehicles that run on different forms of energy outside the petrol and diesel whereas cars can run on renewable energies like solar power and bio fuels. This can help the company to become pioneers in the industry. Ford has to expand more options in designing the cars and commercial vehicles are expected to switch toward the hybrid electric engines due to the limited petroleum. If the cars are designed based on electricity engines the consumers will show more interest to buy the cars, this is because when the car is run on electricity, the car repair charge will cheaper. Besides this, Ford has a chance to become more environment friendly company with cleaner engine emissions because hybrid engines are more fuel efficient and less polluting than conventional gasoline and diesel engines. Ford tried to diversify their market towards India and China in order to diversify their revenues because the two countries are well-known countries with large geographical markets and high populations. Most people in these two countries are interested in owning a four wheeler for their family. Ford launched a restructuring plan to improve the performance of its automotive business in North America. This plan aims to make the North American business more customer-focused, product-driven and efficient. The North American capacity is likely to be realigned to match demand, with 14 manufacturing facilities to be idled, resulting in significant cost savings and reduced employment. The way forward plan focuses on restoring Fords North American automotive operations to profitability. (T)hreats Increase the raw material like hard steel price and roll steel coil price will affect the margin price of the car. As a whole it will obviously affect the companys profit margin of the ford because of low margin price. Ford growth and development may effected by rapid growth in number of competitors in the automobile company. From the beginning America demanded automobile industry. Fords main competitors are General motors, Toyota, Honda, BMW, etc. Ford capital spending low on its operations and research development expenditure which could influence the company from going forward when compared to its competitors. The competitors are spending big amount on RD programmes. Although global warning turning out to be greatest threat and individual use of automobile vehicle increase the risk of further, the cars and other private vehicle are the part of basic necessity on a common mans view. Therefore this is believed that no real threat of substitutes exits today, but it is believed that choosing other forms of transport such as bicycles, public transports and sharing mobility would soon be imported in to the mind of people.

Social Justice - Measure For Measure, Animal Farm, American History X :: essays research papers

Social justice is a topic known all to well in today's society. Such issues as social heirarchial structure and unjust representatives of citizens of nations are issues in need of attention by those in power. Corruption, lies and greed by those in power however stand in the way of this form of justice from occurring, leaving many with little or no social status open to prejudice on race, religious and sexual grounds. Outlined by William Shakespeare in Measure for Measure and George Orwell in Animal Farm is the ease in which power can corrupt. A utopian society is created once a farmer is overthrown from his position in charge of all the animals on "Manor Farm". A set of rules to govern the citizens of the revolutionary society was decided upon and these were to be the fairest and least controversial rules for the citizens of "Animal Farm" to abide by: "The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. They ran thus: THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a freind 3. No animal shall wear clothes 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed 5. No animal shall drink alcohol 6. No animal shall kill any other animal 7. All animals are equal. It was very neatly written, and except that "friend" was written "freind" and one of the "S's" was the wrong way round, the spelling was correct all the way through. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others. All the animals nodded in complete agreement, and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the Commandments by heart." As months passed on Animal Farm, the pigs, who thought they were the dominant force in the running of the animal farm, became more and more in control. Animal Farm, had now become the fairest it would ever be. Word of what had happened to Manor Farm had spread across all of Ireland and England. Animals all over the country were following in their paths led by pigs Napoleon and Snowball. However, as this was happening, Animal Farm was heading to ruin as the pigs became selfish and ignorant. They would now consider themselves above the laws and commandments they had set, as they believed they had set the way for the new society. To a greater extent, leaders Snowball and Napoleon would control and decide the fate of the farm, setting rations, "In January food fell short.

Part Four Chapter IX

IX The Yarvil and District Gazette erred on the side of caution in reporting what had been said during the most acrimonious Pagford Parish Council meeting in living memory. It made little difference; the bowdlerized report, augmented by the vivid eye-witness descriptions offered by all who had attended, still created widespread gossip. To make matters worse, a front-page story detailed the anonymous internet attacks in the dead man's name that had, to quote Alison Jenkins, 'caused considerable speculation and anger. See page four for full report.' While the names of the accused and the details of their supposed misdemeanours were not given, the sight of ‘serious allegations' and ‘criminal activity' in newsprint disturbed Howard even more than the original posts. ‘We should have beefed up security on the site as soon as that first post appeared,' he said, addressing his wife and business partner from in front of his gas fire. Silent spring rain sprinkled the window, and the back lawn glistened with tiny red pinpricks of light. Howard was feeling shivery, and was hogging all the heat emanating from the fake coal. For several days, nearly every visitor to the delicatessen and the cafe had been gossiping about the anonymous posts, about the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother and about Parminder Jawanda's outburst at the council meeting. Howard hated the things that she had shouted being bandied about in public. For the first time in his life, he felt uncomfortable in his own shop, and concerned about his previously unassailable position in Pagford. The election for the replacement of Barry Fairbrother would take place the following day, and where Howard had felt sanguine and excited, he was worried and twitchy. ‘This has done a lot of damage. A lot of damage,' he repeated. His hand strayed to his belly to scratch, but he pulled it away, enduring the itch with a martyr's expression. He would not soon forget what Dr Jawanda had screamed to the council and the press. He and Shirley had already checked the details of the General Medical Council, gone to see Dr Crawford, and made a formal complaint. Parminder had not been seen at work since, so no doubt she was already regretting her outburst. Nevertheless, Howard could not rid himself of the sight of her expression as she screamed at him. It had shaken him to see such hatred on another human's face. ‘It'll all blow over,' said Shirley reassuringly. ‘I'm not so sure,' said Howard. ‘I'm not so sure. It doesn't make us look good. The council. Rows in front of the press. We look divided. Aubrey says they're not happy, at District level. This whole thing's undermined our statement about the Fields. Squabbling in public, everything getting dirty †¦ it doesn't look like the council's speaking for the town.' ‘But we are,' said Shirley, with a little laugh. ‘Nobody in Pagford wants the Fields – hardly anyone.' ‘The article makes it look like our side went after pro-Fielders. Tried to intimidate them,' said Howard, succumbing to the temptation to scratch, and doing it fiercely. ‘All right, Aubrey knows it wasn't any of our side, but that's not how that journalist made it look. And I'll tell you this: if Yarvil makes us look inept or dirty †¦ they've been looking for a chance to take us over for years.' ‘That won't happen,' said Shirley at once. ‘That couldn't happen.' ‘I thought it was over,' said Howard, ignoring his wife, and thinking of the Fields. ‘I thought we'd done it. I thought we'd got rid of them.' The article over which he had spent so much time, explaining why the estate and the Bellchapel Addiction Clinic were drains and blots on Pagford, had been completely overshadowed by the scandals of Parminder's outburst, and the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother. Howard had completely forgotten now how much pleasure the accusations against Simon Price had given him, and that it had not occurred to him to remove them until Price's wife had asked. ‘District Council's emailed me,' he told Maureen, ‘with a bunch of questions about the website. They want to hear what steps we've taken against defamation. They think the security's lax.' Shirley, who detected a personal reproof in all of this, said coldly, ‘I've told you, I've taken care of it, Howard.' The nephew of friends of Howard and Shirley's had come round the previous day, while Howard was at work. The boy was halfway through a degree in computing. His recommendation to Shirley had been that they take down the immensely hackable website, bring in ‘someone who knows what they're doing' and set up a new one. Shirley had understood barely one word in ten of the technical jargon that the young man had spewed at her. She knew that ‘hack' meant to breach illegally, and when the student stopped talking his gibberish, she was left with the confused impression that the Ghost had somehow managed to find out people's passwords, maybe by questioning them cunningly in casual conversation. She had therefore emailed everybody to request that they change their password and make sure not to share the new one with anybody. This was what she meant by ‘I've taken care of it'. As to the suggestion of closing down the site, of which she was guardian and curator, she had taken no steps, nor had she mentioned the idea to Howard. Shirley was afraid that a site containing all the security measures that the superior young man had suggested would be way beyond the scope of her managerial and technical skills. She was already stretched to the limits of her abilities, and she was determined to cling to the post of administrator. ‘If Miles is elected – ‘ Shirley began, but Maureen interrupted, in her deep voice. ‘Let's hope it hasn't hurt him, this nasty stuff. Let's hope there isn't a backlash against him.' ‘People will know Miles had nothing to do with it,' said Shirley coolly. ‘Will they, though?' said Maureen, and Shirley simply hated her. How dare she sit in Shirley's lounge and contradict her? And what was worse, Howard was nodding his agreement with Maureen. ‘That's my worry,' he said, ‘and we need Miles more than ever now. Get some cohesion back on the council. After Bends-Your-Ear said what she said – after all the uproar – we didn't even take the vote on Bellchapel. We need Miles.' Shirley had already walked out of the room in silent protest at Howard's siding with Maureen. She busied herself with the teacups in the kitchen, silently fuming, wondering why she did not set out only two cups to give Maureen the hint that she so richly deserved. Shirley continued to feel nothing but defiant admiration for the Ghost. His accusations had exposed the truth about people whom she disliked and despised, people who were destructive and wrong-headed. She was sure that the electorate of Pagford would see things her way and vote for Miles, rather than that disgusting man, Colin Wall. ‘When shall we go and vote?' Shirley asked Howard, re-entering the room with the tinkling tea tray, and pointedly ignoring Maureen (for it was their son whose name they would tick on the ballot). But to her intense irritation, Howard suggested that all three of them go after closing time. Miles Mollison was quite as concerned as his father that the unprecedented ill-humour surrounding next day's vote would affect his electoral chances. That very morning he had entered the newsagent's behind the Square and caught a snatch of conversation between the woman behind the till and her elderly customer. ‘†¦ Mollison's always thought he was king of Pagford,' the old man was saying, oblivious to the wooden expression on the shopkeeper's face. ‘I liked Barry Fairbrother. Tragedy, that was. Tragedy. The Mollison boy did our wills and I thought he was very pleased with himself.' Miles had lost his nerve at that and slipped back out of the shop, his face glowing like a schoolboy's. He wondered whether the well-spoken old man was the originator of that anonymous letter. Miles' comfortable belief in his own likeability was shaken, and he kept trying to imagine how it would feel if nobody voted for him the following day. As he undressed for bed that night, he watched his silent wife's reflection in the dressing-table mirror. For days, Samantha had been nothing but sarcastic if he mentioned the election. He could have done with some support, some comfort, this evening. He also felt randy. It had been a long time. Thinking back, he supposed that it had been the night before Barry Fairbrother dropped dead. She had been a little bit drunk. It often took a little bit of drink, these days. ‘How was work?' he asked, watching her undo her bra in the mirror. Samantha did not answer immediately. She rubbed the deep red grooves in the flesh beneath her arms left by the tight bra, then said, without looking at Miles, ‘I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually.' She hated having to say it. She had been trying to avoid doing so for several weeks. ‘Roy thinks I ought to close the shop. It's not doing well.' Exactly how badly the shop was doing would be a shock to Miles. It had been a shock to her, when her accountant had laid out the position in the baldest terms. She had both known and not known. It was strange how your brain could know what your heart refused to accept. ‘Oh,' said Miles. ‘But you'd keep the website?' ‘Yeah,' she said. ‘We'd keep the website.' ‘Well, that's good,' said Miles encouragingly. He waited for almost a minute, out of respect for the death of her shop. Then he said, ‘I don't suppose you saw the Gazette today?' She reached over for the nightdress on her pillow and he had a satisfying glimpse of her breasts. Sex would definitely help relax him. ‘It's a real shame, Sam,' he said, crawling across the bed behind her, and waiting to put his arms around her as she wriggled into the nightdress. ‘About the shop. It was a great little place. And you've had it, what – ten years?' ‘Fourteen,' said Samantha. She knew what he wanted. She considered telling him to go and screw himself, and decamping to the spare room, but the trouble was that there would then be a row and an atmosphere, and what she wanted more than anything in the world was to be able to head off to London with Libby in two days' time, wearing the T-shirts that she had bought them both, and to be within close proximity of Jake and his band mates for a whole evening. This excursion constituted the entire sum of Samantha's current happiness. What was more, sex might assuage Miles' continuing annoyance that she was missing Howard's birthday party. So she let him embrace and then kiss her. She closed her eyes, climbed on top of him, and imagined herself riding Jake on a deserted white beach, nineteen years old to his twenty-one. She came while imagining Miles watching them, furiously, through binoculars, from a distant pedalo.

How the President Is Elected - The Electoral Process

How the President Is Elected - The Electoral Process So you want to be president of the United States. You should know: Making it to the White House is a daunting task, logistically speaking. Understanding how the president is elected should be your first priority. There are volumes of campaign finance rules to navigate, thousands of signatures to gather across all 50 states, delegates of the pledged and unpledged varieties to glad-hand, and the dreaded Electoral College to deal with. If you’re ready to jump into the fray, let’s walk through the 11  key milestones  of how the president is elected in the United States. Step 1: Meeting the Eligibility Requirements Presidential candidates must be able to prove they are a â€Å"natural born citizen† of the U.S., have lived in the country for at least 14 years and are at least 35 years old. Being â€Å"natural born† doesn’t mean you have to have been born on American soil, either. If one of your parents is an American citizen, that’s good enough. Children whose parents are American citizens are considered â€Å"are natural born citizens,† regardless of whether they’re born in Canada, Mexico or Russia. If you meet those three basic requirements for being president, you can move on to the next step. Step. 2: Declaring Your Candidacy and Forming a Political Action Committee It’s time to get with the Federal Election Commission, which regulates elections in the United States. Presidential candidates must complete a â€Å"statement of candidacy† by stating their party affiliation, the office they’re seeking and some personal information such as where they live. Dozens of candidates complete these forms in every presidential election - candidates most Americans never hear and who are from obscure, lesser-known and unorganized political parties. That statement of candidacy also requires presidential hopefuls to designate a political action committee, an entity that solicits money from supporters to spend on television ads and other methods of electioneering, as their â€Å"principal campaign committee.† All that means is the candidate is authorizing one or more PACs to receive contributions and make expenditures on their behalf. Presidential candidates spend much of their time trying to raise money. In the 2016 presidential election, for example, Republican Donald Trump’s principal campaign committee - Donald J. Trump for President Inc. - raised about $351 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. Democrat Hillary Clinton’s principal campaign committee - Hillary for America - raised $586 million.    Step 3:  Getting on the Primary Ballot  In As Many States As Possible This is one of the most little-known details of of how the president is elected: To become a major party’s presidential nominee, candidates must go through the primary process in every state. Primaries are elections held by political parties in most states to narrow the field of candidates seeking the nomination to one. A few states hold more informal elections called caucuses. Taking part in primaries is essential to winning delegates, which is necessary to winning the presidential nomination. And to take part in the primaries, you’ve got to get on the ballots in each state. The entails presidential candidates collecting a specific number of signatures in each state - in bigger states they need hundreds of thousands of signatures - if they want their names to appear on the ballot. So the point is: every legitimate presidential campaign must have a solid organization of supporters in each that will work to meet these ballot-access requirements.  If they come up short in even one state, theyre leaving potential delegates on the table. Step 4:  Winning Delegates to the Convention Delegates are the people who attend their parties’ presidential nomination conventions to cast votes on behalf of the candidates who won the primaries in their states. Thousands of delegates attend both the Republican and Democratic national conventions to perform this arcane task. Delegates are often political insiders, elected officials or grassroots activists. Some delegates are â€Å"committed† or â€Å"pledged† to a particular candidate, meaning they must vote for the winner of the state primaries; others are uncommitted and can cast their ballots however they choose. There are also â€Å"superdelegates,† high-ranking elected officials, who get to support the candidates of their choice. Republicans seeking the presidential nomination in the 2016 primaries, for example, needed to secure 1,144 delegates. Trump crossed the threshold when he won the North Dakota primary in May 2016. Democrats seeking the presidential nomination that year needed 2,383. Hillary Clinton reached the goal in June 2016 following the Puerto Rico primary. Step 5:  Picking a Running-Mate    Before the nominating convention takes place, most presidential candidates have chosen a vice presidential candidate, the person who will appear on the November ballot with them. Only twice in modern history have the presidential nominees waited until the conventions to break the news to the public and their parties. The party’s presidential nominee has typically chosen his running mate in July or August of a presidential election years. Step 6:  Doing the Debates The Commission on Presidential Debates holds three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate after the primaries and before the November election. While the debates typically don’t influence the outcome of elections or cause major shifts in voter preferences, they are critical to understanding where candidates stand on important issues and evaluating their ability to perform under pressure. A bad performance can sink a candidacy, though it rarely happens anymore because politicians are coached on their answers and have become skilled at skirting controversy. The exception was the first-ever televised presidential debate, between  Vice President  Richard M. Nixon,  a Republican,  and U.S. Sen.  John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, during the 1960 campaign. Nixons appearance was described as being green, sallow and he appeared to be  need of a clean shave. Nixon believed the first televised presidential debate to be just another campaign appearance and did not take it seriously; he was   Ã¢â‚¬â€¹pale, sickly looking and sweaty, an appearance the helped to seal his demise.  Kennedy knew the event was momentous and rested beforehand. He won the election. Step 7:  Understanding  Election Day What happens on that  Tuesday after the first Monday of November in a presidential election year is one of the most misunderstood facets of how the president is elected. The bottom line is this: voters do not directly elect the president of the United States. They instead choose electors who meet later to vote for a president. Electors are people chosen by the political parties in each state. There are 538 of them. A candidate needs a simple majority - votes from 270 of those electors - to win. States are allotted electors based on their population. The larger a states population is, the more electors is is allocated. For example, California is the most populous state with about 38 million residents. It also holds the most electors at 55. Wyoming, on the other hand, is the least populous state with fewer than 600,000 residents; it gets only three electors. According to the National Archives and Records Administration: â€Å"Political parties often choose electors for the slate to recognize their service and dedication to that political party. They may be state elected officials, state party leaders, or people in the state who have a personal or political affiliation with their partys presidential candidate.† Step 8: Picking Up Electors and Electoral Votes When a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a state, he wins electoral votes from that state. In 48 out of 50 states, the successful candidates collects all electoral votes from that state. This method of awarding electoral votes is commonly known as winner-take-all. In two states, Nebraska and Maine, the electoral votes are distributed proportionally; they allocate their electoral votes to the presidential candidates based on which did better in each congressional district. While those electors are not legally bound to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state, it is rare for them to go rogue and disregard the will of voters. â€Å"Electors generally hold a leadership position in their party or were chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the party,† according to the National Archives and Records Administration. â€Å"Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of electors have voted as pledged.† Step 9:  Understanding the Role of the Electoral College Presidential candidates who win 270 or more electoral votes are called the president-elect. They don’t actually take office that day. And they can’t take office until the 538 members of the Electoral College gets together to cast votes. The meeting of the Electoral College takes place in December, after the election, and after state governors receive the â€Å"certified† election results and prepares   Certificates of Ascertainment for the federal government. The electors meet in their own states and then deliver the tallies to the vice president; the secretary of the Department of State in each state; the national archivist; and the presiding judge in the districts where the electors held their meetings. Then, in late December or early January after the presidential election, the federal archivist and representatives from the Office of the Federal Register meet with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House to verify the results. Congress then meets in a joint session to announce the results. Step 10: Getting Through Inauguration Day Jan. 20 is the day every aspiring president looks forward to. It is the day and time prescribed in the U.S. Constitution for the peaceful transition of power from one administration to another. It is tradition for the outgoing president and his family to attend the swearing-in of the incoming president, even if they are from different parties. There are other traditions, too. The president leaving office often write a note to the incoming president offering encouraging words and well wishes. Congratulations on a remarkable run, Obama wrote in a letter to Trump. Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure. 11. Taking Office This, of course, is the final step. And then the hard part begins.

Free Essays on Disabilities And Society

Final Response Throughout my life, I have not been the most comfortable around people with disabilities. I have always had a sort of fear of these people, probably mostly because I didn’t know or understand anything about them. My â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities was not very high going into this semester, and I can’t say that is extremely high now. However, I do feel far more secure in interacting with people with disabilities after completing the Disability and Society course. When I was in elementary school I was exposed to many children with disabilities my school had a special program for children with disabilities. Though these children were always around, I had somewhat of a fear for them because I didn’t understand the way the acted, and only real interaction I had with them was watching them, because they were segregated from the â€Å"normies†, or when one of them would run away from their teacher and mix in with the rest of the kids at the school. We never learned anything about the children with disabilities, so I had no idea why they acted the way they did and I had an uneasiness about them. My high school also had a program for people with disabilities, but again they were separated and I was never taught anything about their disorders. My early experiences with people with disabilities sort of set the way I thought about these people until I went through Disability and Society. In our class, we had many guest speakers, videos and class discussions that helped me increase my â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities. The most recent speaker we had, and the one that affected me the most was Sean Stephenson. Sean really helped my comfort level regarding people with disabilities because of the way he spoke to us. Though he is a little different than us in appearance, Sean is very intelligent and has accomplished a lot in spite of his hardships. Sea... Free Essays on Disabilities And Society Free Essays on Disabilities And Society Final Response Throughout my life, I have not been the most comfortable around people with disabilities. I have always had a sort of fear of these people, probably mostly because I didn’t know or understand anything about them. My â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities was not very high going into this semester, and I can’t say that is extremely high now. However, I do feel far more secure in interacting with people with disabilities after completing the Disability and Society course. When I was in elementary school I was exposed to many children with disabilities my school had a special program for children with disabilities. Though these children were always around, I had somewhat of a fear for them because I didn’t understand the way the acted, and only real interaction I had with them was watching them, because they were segregated from the â€Å"normies†, or when one of them would run away from their teacher and mix in with the rest of the kids at the school. We never learned anything about the children with disabilities, so I had no idea why they acted the way they did and I had an uneasiness about them. My high school also had a program for people with disabilities, but again they were separated and I was never taught anything about their disorders. My early experiences with people with disabilities sort of set the way I thought about these people until I went through Disability and Society. In our class, we had many guest speakers, videos and class discussions that helped me increase my â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities. The most recent speaker we had, and the one that affected me the most was Sean Stephenson. Sean really helped my comfort level regarding people with disabilities because of the way he spoke to us. Though he is a little different than us in appearance, Sean is very intelligent and has accomplished a lot in spite of his hardships. Sea...

Conflict of Interests in Public-Private Partnership Essay

Conflict of Interests in Public-Private Partnership - Essay Example The growingly complex societal problems and processes have heightened the reliance of the public sector on private groups so as to attain its goals and accomplish its duties. These societal problems, as well as the inherent conflict of interests between the public and the private sector are typified by a great extent of wickedness. Wicked problems are those conflicting matters confronting the public sector that demand a consolidated partnership by public and private sectors. The civil society, industries, and governments are not capable of addressing these problems independently (Dewulf, Blanken, & Bult-Spiering 2012). This essay analyzes the assumption that the conflict of interests within public-private partnership (PPP) is a wicked problem. Public-Private Partnership: A Wicked Problem Keith Grint, exploring the social framework of leadership, defined a ‘wicked problem’ as follows (Grint 2007, p. 11): A wicked problem is complex, rather than just complicated, it is oft en intractable, there is no unilinear solution, moreover, there is no ‘stopping’ point, it is novel, any apparent ‘solution’ often generates other ‘problems,’ and there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer, but there are better or worse alternatives. Wicked problems within public-private partnership are characterized as recurrent or persistent problems, often defined by indecision and conflict over interests or purposes that could influence the process of decision-making (Hodge & Greve 2005). According to Grint (2005), there are no simple solutions to these wicked problems confronted by PPP. Remarkable progress can be achieved in mitigating them, but they will not be totally eradicated. But the question is, why are PPP problems considered wicked problems? First of all, organizing or forming PPP is complex due to the challenge of bringing together the objective and interests of the numerous stakeholders— the private s ector is composed of lenders, investors, and firms supplying operational and construction services; on the other hand, the private sector is made up of public officials developing and enforcing PPP guidelines, those acquiring the PPP, and the public or citizens who utilize the infrastructures that a PPP offers (Biggs & Helms 2007). Practically all of these stakeholders need to have essential knowledge of the monetary and policy matters, and how their role in the project is connected to and influenced by them. There is a clear agreement in the literature implying that the private sector performs some things excellently, the public sector other things. Theoretically, and ideally, PPP could unite the best of both worlds, but the question is, is this really happening in the actual world? All wicked problems are basically specific and unique. In other words, they are context-specific (Harris, Brown, & Russell 2012). The conflict of interests within PPP is context-specific. The public sec tor focuses on shared aims, management, and public interests. It is well-adjusted to public criticism, employment issues, â€Å"policy management, regulation, ensuring equity, preventing discrimination or exploitation, ensuring continuity and stability of services, and ensuring social cohesion (through the mixing of races and classes for example, in the public schools)† (Rosenau 2000, p. 218). In other words, the context of the public sector is directed at social responsibility. It possesses local awareness and familiarity with demanding and challenging populations.

Is police brutality still an issue in todays society Essay

Is police brutality still an issue in todays society - Essay Example This paper discusses the manifestation of police brutality in today’s society. During the civil rights movement of the 1960’s there were lots of protests and at times violent incidents which led to cases of police brutality. â€Å"The 1960’s civil rights movement in the United States was also accompanied with police brutality, especially in the cases of mixed race marches†¦.† (Wisegeek, 2009). During such marches the police utilized tactics such as pain holds, pepper spray, and batons to intimidate the protesters which many times resulted in physical injury. One of the most famous cases of policy brutality occurred in 1991. That year a black man named Rodney King was physically abused by a gang of cops who almost beat this man to death during a routine traffic stop. A citizen caught the hold incident on video tape and the person turned the evidence over to the justice department. The case went to trial and despite the clear evidence of police brutality the policemen were declared innocent. In the aftermath of the court decision the bl ack community was outraged and riots spread out through Los Angeles. The infamous incident is commonly referred to as the L.A. riots of 1991. The police claimed it would make changes to prevent police brutality from manifesting itself, but the results of their efforts to clean up the police departments across America have not been too effective. Police brutality is not only a problem in the United States it is also a problem in other parts of the world. In 1996 over 5,000 students from Yunsei University in Seoul were involved in a protest. The police intervened to stop the protesters. Their tactics were both abusive and illegal. â€Å"Two helicopters hovered over the two buildings, pouring liquidized and colored tear gas, and the 3,400 policemen blocking the entrance to the building fired tear gas grenades toward the students in