Current Ethical Issues Essay

The Baderman Island Resort first opened in 2004 and is managed by the Boardman Management Group. Baderman Island features three different hotels and caters to both business and pleasure. The food is amazing and the 24 hour room service is even better. Along with housing and dinning Baderman Island offers plenty of activities to keep families busy having fun or to help the stressed businessman relax. On the Baderman Island Resort you will get to choose from three different hotels that are need specific. The first would be the Baderman Main Hotel. Here you can find good food and great lodging for you and your family. The Tenney hotel caters to more grown up tastes and is suited for romantic get-a-ways for you and your special someone. The last hotel is the Melancon Convention Center and Hotel which is more business orientated with a conference room that can hold up to 300 people. You can find packaging rates and catering options on the website. Each of the hotels feature large luxuriou s rooms and beds along with internet hookups, a wall safe, 24 hour room service, a mini-bar, and on- site managers available to help you with any of your needs. Along with great lodging Baderman Island Resort has five restaurants for you to choose from. If you are in the mood for something light you can check out the Baderman Island Cafà © or the Beverly Cafà ©. For something more filling check out the Morgan Bistro, the Kayfe, and the Tenney @ Night. All of the dinning at Baderman Island is freshly prepared and reasonably priced. Baderman Island is managed by the Boardman Management Group which has been in operation since 1994. The mission of the Boardman Management Group is â€Å"Founded in 1994, Boardman Management Group is dedicated to managing leisure and convention focused resorts that provide a unique and quality experience to guests and visitors. The Board of Directors and operational leaders in the organization, empowers its staff to offer unsurpassed quality of customer service, through individual acts of random kindness and specialty  services.† (â€Å"Boardman Management Group†, 2012). The responsibilities of the Boardman Management Group within the Baderman Island Resort are regulatory, finance and accounting, legal, marketing, IT services, and the entire human resources department. The organizational flow of Baderman Island is rather simple and easy to follow. You have your board of directors, chairperson of the board, your CEO, and your director of human resources management. Under the CEO is the Boardman Management Group and the vice president of guest services. The Boardman Management Group is responsible for regulatory, finance and accounting, legal, marketing, IT services. The vice president of guest services is responsible for the GM hotel, GM convention, GM food services, GM merchandise, and GM recreational. Under the GM support services there is security, logistics, engineering, emergency services, and guest relations. The employee services of the Baderman Island Resort feature an employee log in section of the website where employees can view memos and policy updates regarding the resort. Employees also have access to an employee only blog where they can post comments and suggest ideas; any HR issues should not be posted on the blog. Employees also have access to the different organization management charts for each division of the hotel. By having access to these charts employees can look up who their boss is and also follow up the management chain. One of the biggest moral and ethical issues facing the Baderman Island Resort is their destruction of the local forests and wildlife. Baderman Island Resort spans out over 1800 acres with 750 acres being fully developed. Baderman Island also has plans to develop the remaining acres by building a casino and expanding their botanical garden. If Baderman Island Resort wasn’t an island the destruction of habitats wouldn’t be such an ethical issue. Baderman is pushing wildlife out of the way to make room for the resort and eventually the wildlife will have nowhere to go. Another moral and ethical issue surrounding Baderman Island Resort is that of these customer service and well-being. There is the constant worry of  guests wandering off the trails and getting lost and hurt. Also there doesn’t seem to be any emergency health care located on the island. What is the plan if a guest is critically injured and needs medical help? Along with health and safety Baderman needs to work on their customer service for their international customers. Baderman has made mention that they are in the process of hiring more employees that can speak different languages in order to lessen the language barrier. Does this mean that Baderman will be laying off employees that don’t speak multiple languages to keep payroll from going over budget? Baderman Island Resort is a true paradise and a wonderful place to go to relax. There are a few issues that need to be addressed if Baderman is to be 100% successful in their industry. References * Baderman Island. (2012). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/BadermanIsland/internet/index.asp * Boardman Management Group. (2012). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/BoardmanManagementGroup/internet/index.asp * Trevino, L., & Nelson, K. (2011). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Digital Crime and Terrorism Essay

Abstract The use of the Internet for criminal purpose is one of the most critical challenges facing the FBI and law enforcement in general. Understanding and using the Internet to combat Internet Fraud is essential for law enforcement. The fraud being committed over the Internet is the same Type of white collar fraud the FBI has traditionally investigated but poses additional concerns And Challenges, because of the new environment in which it is located. The Internet is a perfect vehicle to locate victims and provide the environment where the victims Don’t see or speak to the fraudulent. The Internet environment often creates a false sense of Security among users leading them to check out opportunities found on the Internet less Thoroughly than they might otherwise. Computer crime poses a daunting task for law Enforcement agencies because they are highly Technical crimes. Law enforcement agencies must Have individuals trained in computer science or computer forensics in order to properly to Properly investigate computer crimes. Computer crime is defined as any person that violates any Of the provisions of the following; unauthorized access to a computer system, Theft of computer Services, Interruption of computer Services, Misuses of computer system information, and Destruction of computer equipment. The general heading of computer crime can potentially Cover an array of offense by examining several existing definitions of computer crime, as well as Elements suggested as essential, some Have defined computer crime as any offense that uses or Somehow involves a computer. Role of Internet and crime The growth of the Internet has improved our economy, medicine and technology. Unfortunately, it has brought new opportunities for criminal activity, as well. Often, people Think cyber-crime simply refers to hacking, viruses and other intrusion tactics. Cyber- crime, However, threatens more than our businesses, economy or national infrastructure. Cyber- crime Affects us individuals, as well. Reprehensible crimes, such as child pornography and cyber Stalking, terrorize our children and our families. At the first hearing in this series, on May 24th, the Texas Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice testified that, quote, †One of the biggest problems is that computer criminals are targeting The most vulnerable of our society, children.† He pointed out that, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, child pornography was virtually extinct prior to the advent of the Internet. Now it is a serious plague on our society that must be stopped. Adults also experience the dark side of the Internet revolution. Using computer technology, Criminal types steal life savings and even identities of unsuspecting individuals. These pose Serious threats to the lives and the livelihoods of many individuals. But in addressing these areas Of crime, law-enforcement officers face several challenges. Identifying a sophisticated criminal Can be difficult. Once they are identified, bringing a criminal to justice may be problematic for Jurisdictional reasons. The criminal may be in a different State or even another country, and then law enforcement Officials must deal with extradition issues. Also, retrieving the information stored on a computer And using it for prosecution may be difficult if it requires highly technical skills not normally Taught to investigators or prosecutors. As long as there is technology, cybercrime will exist, yet Cybercrime must be curtailed as much as possible so that technology can legitimately continue To enrich our lives and strengthen our economy. Congress understands that law-enforcement officials must have the appropriate training and Equipment to fight fire with fire, or computer technology with computer technology; but Law-enforcement must remain cognizant of the need to protect the law-abiding publics Privacy while protecting the public. The public must understand that law-enforcement does need To use technology to deal with this new emerging threat to our children, our economy and our National security. Under current law, law-enforcement authorities must apply for the identical order in multiple Jurisdictions, causing burdens and delays that benefit no one but criminals. Congress should look At the possibility of a single order that would cover these kinds of requests comprehensively. Over the last decade, use of computers and the Internet has grown exponentially. Indeed, for Many individuals it is an integral part of their daily lives. With little more than a click of a Mouse, people can communicate, transfer information, engage in commerce, and expand their Educational opportunities. Unfortunately, criminals exploit these same technologies to commit Crimes and harm the safety, security, and privacy of us all. Indeed, as more people go online, More criminals are realizing that online crime can be lucrative, especially given the amount of Valuable commercial and personal information now being stored electronically. So-called †cybercrime† can be divided into two categories. On the one hand, we are seeing the Migration of †traditional† crimes from the physical to the online world. These crimes include Threats, child pornography, fraud, gambling, extortion, and theft of intellectual property. Simply Put, criminals are migrating online because they can reach more victims quickly, can collaborate With other criminals, can disguise their identities, and can use the global nature of the Internet to Remain anonymous. On the other hand, the Internet has spawned an entirely new set of criminal Activity that targets computer networks them. Included in this category are such crimes as Hacking, releasing viruses, and shutting down computers by flooding them with unwanted Information (so-called †denial of service† attacks). Our vulnerability to—and the damages caused By—this type of crime are astonishingly high. For example, in May of last year, the †I Love You† Virus began to infect computers on the Internet. Within a short period of time, it had disrupted the communications of hundreds of Thousands of computers, causing losses estimated in the billions of dollars. Virus demonstrated a new capability: when it infected a computer, it accessed the users Computer passwords and sent them electronically to a computer in a foreign country. The Implications of this virus—and the many viruses that have followed it—are staggering. In March of this year, the FBI’s National Infrastructure Protection Center issued a warning that An organized group of hackers from Russia and Eastern Europe had committed a series of Intrusions into more than forty banks and e-commerce companies in the United States. The Hackers stole over 1,000,000 credit card numbers from the companies’ data bases. They then Embarked on extortion of many of the companies, threatening to disclose confidential Information or damage the victims’ computer systems. Evidence suggests that the hackers then Sold many of the credit card numbers to organized crime groups. This crime—the investigation into which the Treasury Department participated and which has to Date resulted in two arrests—has grave implications. Not only did it cause financial losses for The Companies, but it harmed the privacy and security of the ordinary citizens whose credit Cards numbers and personal data were stolen. Individuals victimized by these sorts of Rightfully Fear the ramifications of criminals’ gaining access to their private financial and Personal data. This type of crime strikes at the confidence of consumers, threatening the vital Growth of e-commerce. Network crimes not only affect the security of individuals and businesses, they can also threaten Our nation’s critical infrastructures. Our power and water supply systems, telecommunications Networks, financial sector, and critical government services, such as emergency and national Defense services, all rely on computer networks. Cyber terrorist, the same devastating result could be achieved by hacking into the control Network and commanding the computer to open the floodgates. This is not a purely hypothetical Scenario. Several years ago, a juvenile hacker gained unauthorized access to the computers Controlling the operations of the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona. Although there are as yet no definitive statistics on the scope of the problem, there is no doubt That the number of crimes involving computers and the Internet is rising dramatically. For Example, the CERT Coordination Center, which was created to warn about computer attacks and Viruses, received over 21,000 network crime incident reports last year. This is more than double The number of reports it received the year before. Similarly, a survey conducted by the FBI and The Computer Security Institute recently revealed substantial increases in computer crime. Over 85 percent of the companies and government agencies surveyed reported computer security Breaches within the preceding twelve months, up from 70 percent last year. Moreover, Researchers at the University of California at San Diego recently reported a methodology that Enabled them to count the numbers of denial of service attacks. Their research revealed that 4,000 attacks occur every week. Responding to these threats is a daunting challenge. From my perspective, as I begin my assessment of our cybercrime efforts and the direction they Should take in the future, at least three themes or elements seem to emerge as particularly? Important to success in confronting cybercrime: developing specialized expertise, building Teamwork and partnerships, and assuring we have legal authorities which are both effective and Appropriate in the unique and ever-evolving setting of computers and the Internet. DEVELOPING SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE Combating computer crime requires a team of professionals, including investigators, forensic Experts, and prosecutors, all of whom have technical expertise. In addition to traditional Investigative skills, cybercrime investigators must be well versed in the intricacies of technology To insure that evidence is not lost or overlooked. Forensic experts must know how to handle Electronic evidence to protect its integrity for later use at trial, as well as how to recover and Analyze digital evidence from computers with hard drives that store gigabytes of data. And Prosecutors must understand the jargon and complexities of high-technology crimes and be able To translate technical evidence into a form understandable to a judge and jury. United States law enforcement agencies have devoted significant resources to developing cadres Of investigators and forensic experts who have the specialized skills needed for cybercrime Investigations. The FBI and Secret Service, which have particularly important investigative Responsibilities with respect to Internet and computer-related crimes, have certainly been in the A particularly important aspect of developing, and then sharing expertise in the field is the Nationwide network of federal prosecutors called Computer and Telecommunications Coordinators (or †CTCs†)—at least one from each district—who serve as the district’s Prosecutorial expert on computer crime cases. The CTC initiative was started by CCIPS in 1995, And has been strongly supported by our U.S. Attorneys. CCIPS trains and supports these Coordinators specially, so that they, in turn, can serve as a resource for their offices and the law Enforcement authorities and concerned industry in their regions of the country. In the Criminal Division, specialized expertise in combating cybercrime is not confined to CCIPS. Other sections have developed this expertise as traditional forms of criminality have Moved onto the Internet. For example, the Department has seen dramatic growth in various types of fraudulent online Schemes, and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section has played a critical role in the Justice Department’s response, including overseeing a Department-wide Internet Fraud Initiative begun In 1999. Its work to date has included (1) advising and supporting federal prosecutors throughout The country, including maintenance of an Internet fraud brief bank; (2) developing specialized Training on Internet fraud for courses at the Department’s National Advocacy Center; (3) Publishing extensive materials on the Department’s website, www.internetfraud.usdoj.gov, in Order to promote public understanding of Internet fraud schemes and how to deal with them; and (4) Supporting improvements in federal agencies’ investigative and analytical resources, Including the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, a joint project of the FBI and the National Collar Crime Center. The Department has also been involved in the related problem of identity Theft, in part by providing national coordination of governmental efforts through the Identity Theft Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Council on White Collar Crime. Of course, one of the most disturbing facets of cybercrime is the exploitation and abuse of Children, whether through distribution of child pornography over the Internet or through the Horrific conduct of sexual predators that operate online. The FBI, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, And the Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section have developed special expertise In Investigating and prosecuting these crimes and currently devote significant resources to the Online aspects of child pornography and luring cases. Moreover, in this area and others, the Department’s Office of Legal Education, in conjunction with various components of the Criminal Division regularly sponsors classes regarding computer crime and electronic evidence. BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS As I noted at the beginning of my statement, the second element which seems particularly Important to our efforts against cybercrime is partnership building. Of course, from years as a Prosecutor, I know that teamwork is essential to any successful crime-fighting effort. But it Strikes me that in the area of cybercrime the need for effective partnerships, is not only Especially important but also requires partnerships well outside the traditional law enforcement Community. The complexity of cybercrime and the breadth, or potential breadth of its Impact, are part of the reason. However, another factor is the diversity of interests at play in the Cyber-world, and hence in our efforts to combat cybercrime. These include, among others, law Enforcement Interests, national security interests, privacy interests, and Commercial interests. Partnership, or at least dialogue, we will allow those interests to conflict and collide in ways Destructive of our efforts to combat cybercrime. VIRUSES AND MALICOUS CODE Viruses and malicious code are simply programs and like any other program, are designed for a Specific function. A virus or malicious code program is written for a variety of noncriminal Purposes including advertisements, jokes, and political messages, however, less humorous and More malicious intentions include destroying data, information, information acquisition, and Identity theft, surreptitious control of a remote machine, or the shutdown of a legitimate business Or website. The virus is executed by some type of payload trigger, which causes the virus or Malicious code to deliver its contents or execute its commands. The trigger can be something The user does, such as opening an email attachment or downloading a file, it can be triggered By some event such as date or condition on a computer, or it can self- execute based on code Written into the virus program. PHISHING The term phishing means the fraudulent attempt to get a person’s private information (i.e. Username, password, account number, etc.).   Phishers send an email pretending to be from a legitimate company and ‘bait’ you to provide your Private information. Typically the email will address you as a customer and will direct you to Click on a link to provide critical information to avoid a looming problem which they have Discovered. This link will be to a false website – not the website of the legitimate company. Basically, they are ‘fishing’ for people’s information to use illegally. Phishing is a very Sophisticated scam and many individuals and companies have been fooled, resulting in the theft ‘Of their sensitive information as well as millions of dollars every year. The email is usually designed to look like it is sent from a real company. The ‘bait’ for personal Information is often contained in the email’s subject line. The subject usually contains a sense of Urgency. For example, it will read in one’s inbox â€Å"Your account needs to be verified† or â€Å"Your Account is about to be suspended.† CONCLUSION It is important to note that computer security is always dependent on the weakest link in the Chain. Security on the Internet and exposure to a potential attack is contingent upon the security Or lack thereof, of other parts of the network. It is also important to note that there is an Increasing number of dedicated infrastructure attacks. The interdependency of systems connected To the Internet used to carry out day-to-day business is ever growing and increasingly being Relied upon by variety of businesses, governments, and a numerous of other operations. There are four categories DDoS, worms, attacks on the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) And attacks against or using routers. Any attacks describe from my research could lead to Denial Of Service, compromise of sensitive or personal information, misinformation, and an extreme Economic impact, largely from lost revenue and the time and resources necessary to recover. Reference Second Edition Digital Crime and Digital Terrorist (Robert W. Taylor, Eric J. Fritsch, John Liederbach, and Thomas J. Holt) www.pearsonhighered.com Grossman, M. (Feb. 1999) â€Å"Cyber terrorism† http://www.mgrossmanlaw.com/articles/1999.cyberterrorism.htm Computer Security Policy and Research Institute. http.//www.cpi.seas.gwu.edu/aboutus.html www.research.ibm.com/antivirus www.internetfraud.usdoj.gov

The Concept of American Dream in the Revolutionary Road

Over the years, many heroes and heroines especially from the West fought so hard in order to give people unlimited opportunities, freedom, material prosperity and individual happiness. The concept â€Å"American dream† as a national ideal is associated with independence and freedom as one individual fulfill his dream through fulfilling his innate passion and desires. This concept gives American citizens the expectations that their government should create a society that will reward drive and innovation or a society that will generate growth.But at the same time, one should be responsible for himself to develop as a full man and woman without the barriers of the older civilizations since this had already been slowly erected by the political leaders in the past. Initially the concept of American Dream considering its historical basis is described as a; â€Å"dream in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability o r achievement.It is a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth and position† (Garfinkle 206). In past years, American Dream is perceive as a promise that each human being has the freedom to make his own life according to his will or choices. This promise made the Americans dreamers, hopeful and independent wanting to take advantage of a freedom of self expression that not every culture has.But this established social structure has a profound influence over individual inner experiences. Contrary to the common impression of upward social mobility due to the â€Å"American Dream,† this mobility can lead to an inner struggle between socially and personally held values of the individuals. It is also inevitable to anticipate that upwar d social mobility will increase the likelihood of the experience of depression and frustration due to the resultant feelings of ambivalence.Due to the promises of American Dream, it is inevitable that American citizens will create mental expectations that if it fails they will have a feeling of depression and hopelessness. These feelings of hopelessness and depression due to unfulfilled passion and expectations are illustrated in the main characters of the film Revolutionary Road. The movie is an indictment of American life that focuses on how the unfulfilled hopes and aspirations of April and Frank Wheeler, main protagonists and married couple, affected them emotionally and psychologically.The seemingly unrealistic and romantic expectations of April Wheeler illustrate tattered remains of American Dream that not achieving it will cause inner death. Though the couple experienced financial security in the middle class suburban America, does that guarantee a meaningful life? Even thoug h they are living comfortably, both believe that they are not truly free. They want a satisfying life free from suburban paralysis whose kind of lifestyle seems routinary. Fulfillment of passion, dreams and hopes with total freedom and independence is what American Dream is for April Wheeler.But financial security and practical opportunities paralyses and hinders her husband to leave America, and so the conflict begins. April wants to escape financial practicalities, routines and her simple role only confined in domesticity and motherhood. Determine to escape the mediocrity and suburbanites that surround them, the couple decides to move in Europe to develop and practice their artistic sensibilities, free from the consumerist demands of capitalist America.But their relationship is thrown into jeopardy because of their frequent squabbling, misunderstanding and unnecessary anxieties from their American Dream. The film is set in the 1950’s in the ordinary suburbs of Connecticut w here every family and employee seems to have the same routines everyday. Frank and April Wheeler, the main characters, are afraid to be like anyone else in their community who seems content and who are afraid to explore outside their comfort zone of financial security.So they believe that they are untypical middle class family living in the suburbs as they still attach in their youthful passion and still believes in life’s adventure. They have promised never to be dragged into the monotonous world of the people around them. But despite their wits, talents and good looks, the couple suddenly find themselves slowly becoming the individuals they swore never to be; a plain, unhappy housewife who longs for fulfillment; a man with a boring job and an existence as dreary as the rest of the neighborhood.April, a failed aspiring theatrical actress starts the novel in a local theatrical group. This experience of April in the initial part of the novel is embarrassing and is a disaster t hat sows the seeds of her discontent. She soon realizes how dull her life is, a life that is far from what she imagines her life will be with Frank Wheeler. Frank, a naturally dreamer, lost his direction and works at Knox Business Machines as an ordinary office employee, while April becomes a typical housewife looking after her two kids.The novel depicts April as a housewife frustrated and emotionally conflicted after being trapped in the suburban life. This given reality is such a discouragement for both especially for April and so she devises a plan to reverse their fortunes and present fate. April discusses plans to escape and leave everything behind in their suburban life to live in Paris where she will fulfill her artistic talents in performance and Frank will find out what he really wants to do with his life. Paris for her will give them opportunities to fulfill what they really wanted in life; total freedom, adventure and happiness.At first though hesitant, Frank agreed as he also wants to achieve the promises of venturing the unpredictability of life in Paris. When Frank gets promoted though, their much awaited departure is being stalled, and they find their marriage crumbling. Frank knows that his promotion is only a lifetime opportunity and somehow he doesn’t want to take it as a risk in a life (Paris) that is no guarantee yet. The perpetual squabbling of the couple is due to April’s strong desire to break out from the prison of bourgeois family life.Apparently Wheelers miss the culture and intellectual quiver of their youth. So when not arguing passionately, they drink a lot and often hang out with their friends and neighbors, the Campbells. But April strongly believes that as a bright, beautiful and gifted couple, their future has strong possibility of greatness if only they will take the risk. April’s depression and apparent desperation to escape her present life eventually made them betray each other and their very true self. April is being corrupted by her strong desire to depart herself to her monotonous life in Connecticut.As noted, April and Frank are not the usual suburban types, but people who consider themselves better than the people in their neighborhood; they mock people as they feel like their living their life half sleep. One of their frequent outside activities is to visit with another couple, spending few hours complaining about how unproductive everyone else is. Frank hates his white collar job and April just stays home with the kids but since they believe that they have potentials and resources, they know they can change their lives for the better.But what do individuals do when they are intelligent and high willed enough not to be satisfied with the conformity and blandness of their surroundings, but lack the drive to ever escape mediocrity, because they are, fundamentally, much more a part of their environment than they imagine? Frank, after hesitating whether going to Paris is a reaso nable and practical thing to do especially after he was being promoted made him somehow like everybody else who is afraid to let go of financial security and assurance. Perhaps Frank and April are not extraordinary and different as they would want to think.But nonetheless their character reflects American Dream—a life far from mediocrity and a life where one creates his own individuality and sense of identity. Moreover, their characters reminds the viewers to come face to face to their own mediocrity, challenges them to be honest with themselves and tries sincerely to know whether their aspirations fit their potentials and capabilities. Sometimes one’s ambitions and hopes are unrealistic. The promises of American Dream inspire the character to hope so much in the future and so that when those hopes are being unfulfilled, the character experiences great depression.â€Å"The problem with the society isn't necessarily that it's hypocritical or conformist or mediocre, but that it produces people with such a horrible gap between aspiration and capacity – it gives them the leisure and intelligence to want a fuller life while robbing them of the backbone to get it† (Yates xxi).But one can approach April’s character in this novel positively as she seems to know herself. She is taking concrete steps in order to accomplish her desires. She is a woman who wants to explore and find herself through her given talents and skills.She is confident that given a chance, she can prove herself in the world of arts. April definitely knows that this is the only way to find her self again and to eventually feel that her existence has a purpose after all—not just confined to being a mother and being a wife. While Frank though he realizes his vague ambition to be someone other than an office worker did not seek any alternative self. Instead after being identified and flattered in his mundane job, their plans to go Paris became unnecessary for h im. When April conceives their third child, their plan to leave America crumbles.When April discovers that she is pregnant, she is demotivated while Frank feels thrilled, not just for having the baby itself in the future but this will be his scapegoat to refuse Paris. April decided to abort the baby because she knows that this will greatly interfere her plans to go in Paris but Frank dissuade her and so they embark on a marital duel. April’s desperation becomes self destructive which is apparent when the latter has bled to death after attempting to induce a miscarriage. Frank on the other hand lacks will and boldness for change.His dream for financial security and the affirmation he acquired from his company because of his sudden promotion made him set aside his wife’s dream to escape the monotonous and boring lifestyle in America. Basically American Dream in this novel specifically in April’s character means fulfilling one’s passion and desires through s kills and talents. But for Frank American Dream is somehow based on practicalities, that is financial security and opportunities â€Å"all I want is to get enough dough coming in to keep us solvent for the next year or so, till I can figure things out; meanwhile, I want to retain my own identity†.But apparently he sometimes excites himself to try something new as he is a man who naturally loves adventure and in trying something not routinary, he might find his true self and his true identity. Frank’s acquisition of a higher position that assure his family’s financial security and his acquisition of affirmation from his company hindered April to fulfill her American dream for freedom of artistic self expression. At the end, it can be said that it is Frank who wins.But when April dies in her effort to fight the forces keeping her in her suburban housewife lifestyle, Frank due to pain becomes absorbed by the work he had once despised, and â€Å"dies† an inwa rd death. At the end both of them is being failed by their American Dream.Work Cited: Garfinkle, Norton. The American Dream Vs. the Gospel of Wealth: The Fight for a Productive Middle-Class Economy. Connecticut USA Yale University Press, 2007 Yates, Richard. Revolutionary Road. New York USA Vintage Contemporaries, 2000

Battle of Algiers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Battle of Algiers - Essay Example Terrorist tactics are justified in the context of a war that is a product of colonization and when enemies cannot be differentiated from the masses, although it is not morally acceptable to use terrorist tactics when fighting a terrorist organization because it punishes combatants and non-combatants alike and uses technology to the detriment of the entire colonized people. The tactics of terrorism on both sides of the war are justified because of the nature of the socio-economic and political context of Algeria, where the minority is fighting the colonial rule of France, while France cannot discern combatants from non-combatants. The National Liberation Front or FLN only wanted freedom and autonomy for Algeria. The French, on the contrary, acted as the colonizer, so they aimed to crush the rebellion using all means possible. The FLN knew that it could not defeat the French with a heads-on collision, so it resorted to guerilla tactics, mostly terrorist attacks, to attain the mission of demoralizing the French and inciting the masses to fight their colonial masters. France retaliated to preserve its authority in its colony. It believed that the resistance was composed of the minority, so it felt justified to eliminate the rebels, even if it meant having casualties of non-combatants because of the difficulty of differentiating them from the rebels. It is not morally acceptable to use terrorist tactics, when combating a terrorist organization, because it does not differentiate combatants from non-combatants, thereby killing innocent civilians. The FLN bombed two French cafes and an airport because it knew that it could not conduct an effective offense using direct combat operations. Guerrilla operations would be more effective, even if they were stealthy and undermined the morality of their actions. This included hiding weapons in ordinary places and using women to hide guns under their burka and to launch bombing

Make it more persuasive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Make it more persuasive - Essay Example Another aspect to consider while making the proposal more convincing is ensuring that the project is the head of the program. The main reason for a project to be ahead of schedule is to ensure that there would enough time to make amendments before the deadline in case of any anomaly. However, I would ensure that the costs are reasonable and leave a generous allowance just in case the prices changes. Consequently, the proposal should indicate any unexpected good or bad news (Sant 2012). Nevertheless, to ensure that the plan incorporates all the above elements, I have to ensure that the proposal is attractive, and it should reflect the actual project. Moreover, I would use an authoritative tone and avoid a casual appearance of the project. Similarly, I would use a positive accent while writing the proposal. While stating figures of the costs, I would support the generalizations with facts. For example, I would provide facts for the revenues of the corporation and the membership dues. There should be a proper balance between tasks: the tasks, which the project has accomplished, and the ones that should be accomplished. Finally, a summary and the appraisal should be independent; I would ensure they satisfy the

Pizza hut Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Pizza hut - Research Proposal Example Executive Summary of the research Proposal: This research proposal will help to conclude for Pizza Hut to analyze the most important element in the profitability of the organization as well as to conduct a brief customer analysis to go for their preferences in the food sector. This will also help us in developing and re-positioning a broad vision about the future sales and maximizing the business share of the UK market. Introduction: Pizza Hut has been established since 1958 and owes a well known reputation in the Food market because of its exceptional services as well as the outstanding project. Pizza Hut has also received the best performance certifications from all over the world in the available best food and restaurant chains. The original design of the Pizza was adapted firstly in Wichita. Since 1977 it is the best of all available food restaurants in the market and is leading the market position in a reputable manner with an extended product range and customers. The history of Pizza Hut tells that it has always been the most successful in delivering the best products and services with highest available quality to its customers at very economical rates thus making it as a first choice for the food lovers. Research Design: Aims of the research design: To highlight the preferences and the demands of the current customers To focus the best quality of the products considering it the ultimate factor responsible to contribute towards growth and establishment To find out the key weaknesses and the strengths of the Pizza hut and its services for a better evaluation for future proceedings Research components and Infrastructure: The current research is going to be conducted at the Pizza Hut organization with inclusions of all the key members of the marketing committee, key administration, customer references and above all the quality assurance service department. Type of research design: The type of research that we are going to proceed with is; Theoretical Descrip tive Areas of questioning: This will basically involve the key sectors from which the information needs to be collected from the market, from the customers and for the quality of the products. The key areas of our research questioning will relate the following sectors: i. Customer overview: This is the main sector which will involve the collection of the satisfactory data from the customers about the overall products overview and services offered by Pizza hut. What is the sum up view of our customers? What they want to get changed? What is in fact they want a price compromise or a quality? This is best interpreted as Mind scanning of the customers so that to evaluate us with the eye of our customers. ii. Market competition overview: This is the major concerned area for the marketing manager to have the key questions answered by his market survey about the presence of all the key competitors present in the market and to develop a background that what are their strengths and what are their weaknesses. A sound knowledge of the basic competitors is very important to put forth any of the growing strategy in ground for the Pizza Hut. For example we will evaluate the

Walnut Street Jail Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Walnut Street Jail - Research Paper Example Thesis statement: The Walnut Street Jail, especially the concept of penitentiary house, deeply influences the current prison system in US and proves to be effective (special reference to the concept of penitentiary house). Walnut Street Jail: A brief history The history of Walnut Street Jail begins in the year 1774, when the law enforcement authority decided to open a new jail. Earlier, there was another prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Street. As overcrowding was an important problem, the prison authorities decided to construct Walnut Street Jail. In addition, the designer (Robert Smith) decided to construct large rooms for the inmates. Robert Smith decided to construct the new jail in the form of U-shape because more inmates were to be accommodated within the limited space. Gradually, Walnut Street Jail became overcrowded and the prison authorities decided to construct a new cellblock, namely penitentiary house. As the cells in the penitentiary house aimed to accommodate indivi dual prisoners, it became a revolutionary change in prison design. This design, known as Pennsylvania System deeply influenced the construction of other prisons like Pittsburgh prison (1821) and Trenton State Prison (1836). Walnut Street Jail’s role in the development of US penitentiary system One can easily identify that the development of modern prison system is deeply rooted in the innovative measures adopted by the Walnut Street Jail authorities. First of all, the penitentiary house built by the Walnut Street Jail was the most important development within US penitentiary system. Earlier, the prisoners were accommodated in rooms with limited space. This created much tension because new inmates mingled with criminals who were undergoing long-term imprisonment. Moreover, the prison authorities considered managing the prisoners as a tiresome effort. The idea to accommodate the inmates into small cells was helpful to manage the inmates with more ease. In 1970s, the penitentiar y house within the Walnut Street Jail system was considered as an innovative measure to deal with the problems faced by the authorities and the prisoners in general. The vocational workshop was another effective measure adopted by the Walnut Street Jail authorities. Besides, the jail authorities gave less importance to punitive measures. When rehabilitation and penitence became more important than punishment, the other jails/prisons in US began to imitate the measures adopted by the Walnut Street Jail. This is most important because it transformed the scenario of prison system in US. In addition, the Walnut Street Jail paved the way for innovative prison designs like Pennsylvania System and Auburn Prison Scheme. Later, the Auburn Prison Scheme (say, labor during day time and isolation at night time) became more popular than other prison designs in US. So, one can see that Walnut Street Jail’s role in the development of US penitentiary system is utmost important. The key conce pts implemented at the Walnut Street Jail As pointed out, the most important concept implemented at the Walnut Street Jail was penitentiary house or separate cells for the inmates. Roth (2006) states that â€Å"Hence its reputation as the first penitentiary in the world and the first American adoption of the theory of solitary confinement as a major step on the road to repentance† (p.293). The separation of women inmates from men is another idea implemented at th

Multimedia & Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multimedia & Design - Essay Example It is therefore vital to acknowledge that emotional effect by a product to its users has to be made one of the focal point in the design process. Norman greatly recognizes the necessity of emotional appreciation in the available products, goods and services to the human beings (Norman, 2004). Figure 1: Key design considerations Throughout the scheme of importance of experiences and emotions, Normans has laid key emphasis on the importance of emotional appreciation. In addressing the subject, Norman divides human’s appreciation with focus laid at two notions that influence appreciation (Norman, 2004). These notions are visceral and aesthetic appreciation. Visceral appreciation engrosses a human being’s pleasure to something motivated by one’s natural intelligence or knowledge in practical circumstances where any of the stimuli sensory faculties are triggered from in or outside an individual’s body (Norman, 2004). The stimuli faculties here include an indivi dual’s ability to hear, view around (sight), smell, equilibrium, taste and touch. Triggering of the sensory stimuli leads an individual to consider something as favorable or unfavorable. On the other aesthetic appreciation encompasses the decisive reflection on art, nature and culture driven by one’s judgment of outlook or even taste. In brief, the second Norman’s division of emotional appreciation is based on one’s sensor-emotional values (Norman, 2004). Thorough analyses of the visceral and aesthetic appreciation provide a clarified detail of each and their integration to trigger an individual’s appreciation of one thing over another (Norman, 2004). Clearly, visceral appreciation focuses keenly on one being driven by the stimulus factors in or outside one’s environs. In this sense, it clarifies that visceral appreciation significantly revolves around effects of a product or service on one or a number of the stimulus faculties. For aestheti c appreciation, emphasis is laid on an individual’s sensory implication or sentimental judgment of a product, service or things around. It is hereby clear that the two do not have to be separated since revolve almost the same notion. To be precise, I disagree with Norman’s idea of dividing emotional appreciation based on the two. Norman clearly over complicates the idea of emotional appreciation. From point of view and thorough scrutiny of the subject, I can deduct that, emotional appreciation is based on the sensory effects resulting from only stimulus faculties and experience on a product or service. In other words, this clarifies that since aesthetic appreciation focuses on sensory judgment of a thing, then it (aesthetic appreciation) must involve one or more of the stimuli faculties. Therefore, if the stimuli must be involved, then that means it (aesthetic appreciation) depends on a key component of the visceral appreciation (Norman, 2004). This is because, as anal yzed earlier, visceral appreciation focuses mainly on the effects of stimulus faculties in or outside one’s body. It is in this sense that I prefer that Norman should have merged the visceral and aesthetic appreciation instead of separating them. In addition, the experience levels an individual has on a product or service with relation to another further enhances that individual’

Symbolism in 19th century art Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Symbolism in 19th century art - Research Paper Example Freud and Charles Darwin further influence Munch’s work and the art by Munch mainly involves a transformation of personal experiences by using broader statements related to human condition. Among the artwork by Edvard Munch, include: The Scream In this artwork, Munch conveys existential anxiety in relation to the modern age and Munch himself has explained the events in his life that inspired the creation of The Scream. Further, Munch mainly focused on learning how various materials can affect the meaning of an image and believed that different media created different sensibilities within the same image. Munch explored this ideology as evident in the repetition of the same image using oil paint and he believed that, different print media contained different psychological and emotional tones; this provided different feelings concerning Munch’s images4. The Kiss This artwork mainly focus on a description of a man and a woman dressed in the studio of an artist and the subse quent images similar to this, depicted images of couple’s nudity before a window. In most of Munch’s intaglio work revolved around a detailed narration of a scene and the images or themes within his artwork are highly stylized. In a similar manner to the artwork by Gauguin, Munch’s artwork involved a focus on raw materials that are used to make prints and formed an integral part of Munch’s aesthetic conceptions. As depicted in the image of The Kiss, the grain of the wood forms an integral part of the piece and provides organic and vertical pattern, which describes the pouring rain around the black figures that converge to a single form. However, critics of... In this artwork, Munch conveys existential anxiety in relation to the modern age and Munch himself has explained the events in his life that inspired the creation of The Scream. Further, Munch mainly focused on learning how various materials can affect the meaning of an image and believed that different media created different sensibilities within the same image. Munch explored this ideology as evident in the repetition of the same image using oil paint and he believed that, different print media contained different psychological and emotional tones; this provided different feelings concerning Munch’s images. This artwork mainly focus on a description of a man and a woman dressed in the studio of an artist and the subsequent images similar to this, depicted images of couple’s nudity before a window. In most of Munch’s intaglio work revolved around a detailed narration of a scene and the images or themes within his artwork are highly stylized. In a similar manner to the artwork by Gauguin, Munch’s artwork involved a focus on raw materials that are used to make prints and formed an integral part of Munch’s aesthetic conceptions. As depicted in the image of The Kiss, the grain of the wood forms an integral part of the piece and provides organic and vertical pattern, which describes the pouring rain around the black figures that converge to a single form. However, critics of Munch’s work such as Stanislaw Prxybyszewski reiterate that Munch’s image of The Kiss is â€Å"repulsive† and for example, the use of figures.

Apple Store Building for the Photoshop Project Essay

Apple Store Building for the Photoshop Project - Essay Example For my Photoshop project, I decided to explain or even define what Apple is today. I think that for the past couple of years, they have significantly evolved into something much more interesting than their circumstance a decade ago when Apple is merely all about the "mac". For this purpose, I used three photographs: a photo of the Apple Store in New York; a photo of Steve Jobs; and, a photo of myself. I have edited these three materials in order to be integrated into one seamless poster of an important artifact of the twenty-first century.As previously mentioned, Apple has undergone a significant transformation, significantly changing its focus since the 1990s. For years, the organization has been steadfast and determined to uphold its core value as represented in the "mac" computer, including its own operating system. In this period, Apple has built a cult following, who were rapidly consuming each release of the "mac" hardware and the OSX platform. In the past years, however, Apple has diversified into several other products, particularly in mobile devices. Because of this, it has achieved a significant amount of mainstream success. It has perfected a unique formula for its products, which is composed of a tightly controlled ecosystem and extremely beautiful and user-friendly interfaces for its devices. I would like to capture this essence, first and foremost. In order to do this, I selected the Apple Store in New York. This particular image impressed me because it has several elements, which I think is representative of this aspect of the Apple brand. If one looks at the image, the Apple Store, resplendent in glass and steel is surrounded by buildings, dimmed by the night setting. Two of these building were prominently shown flanking the Apple glass box. On the left is a classically designed building, while on the right, stood a modernist concrete structure. For me, the tableaux can tell us two things if one follows the photographic principles especially tha t about semiotic codes. First is that Apple is not afraid to be different as demonstrated in the way the store was uniquely designed. It celebrated its uniqueness that is why it leads to innovation. Secondly, Apple is becoming more open to the idea of mass culture and it is starting to go mainstream. But, this is being done, on its own terms.

Platos The Allegory of the Cave Essay Example for Free

Platos The Allegory of the Cave Essay Even in this abridged version, Platos fable The Allegory of the Cave reflects the vast wisdom of Plato, his teacher and the philosophers of his time. The storys meaning and lessons are as significant today as they were then, and its inclusion in The Republic is well earned. The intentions of Plato in sharing this story seem to be fairly simple. As with all of the works that he included in The Republic, he is attempting to convey a message that relates to government and leadership. I also believe that this story conveys a message to, not just leaders, but people in general. The message that is expressed by this work is that, A lie told often enough becomes the truth.(-Lenin), and when someone is convinced of this lie, the liar can control them. This fable also tells us how, what some people believe to be true may be in fact the exact opposite to truth, and that people must always be open minded, just in case their beliefs are wrong. In the story, the prisoners are convinced that the shadows they see are alive, real and able to speak to them. In fact, however, they are being lied to by puppeteers. Because they have seen this lie so many times, and because it is all that they have seen, for them, it has become the truth. As such, the puppeteers are able to control their lives, by speaking to these prisoners as the shadows. This lesson becomes quite relevant to todays society. It is portrayed in works such as The Matrix and Animal Farm, where the characters are lied to, but because they hear the lie so often, they perceive it as truth. In reality, we find this message to also be evident in the forms of such things as propaganda, in which a message is repeated by so many times, that each person hears a relay from numerous sources. Eventually, because of the numerous sources and repetition of the message, it seems to them to become normal to hear and hence believable. This of course relates to our leaders and government. If such administrations were to use methods like propaganda to convince the public that, for example, the stock market was free trade when in fact it was government controlled, then the government would be able to effectively control the flow of money, and hence peoples lives, without anyone being the wiser. In the end, the ultimate message is that people are able to use lies to exploit others and so we must all be wary. This then relates to the second message conveyed by the work. The piece tells us that the prisoners have extreme difficulty in accepting the reality that the shadows they had seen werent real and how these prisoners would rather return to the shadows over staying in the light. At the end of the story, when a prisoner who has seen the truth returns to tell others, it is implied and can be seen from the reactions of the freed prisoners, that those who still believe in the shadows would prefer to keep doing so. These parts of the story bring to mind two intertwined messages. The first is that, in general, all people have their own views and beliefs on life, and they are happier living under whatever delusions they have convinced themselves of, rather than considering contradictory beliefs. Essentially, for most people ignorance is bliss. Just like the prisoners who are freed from the cave and forced to see the real world, people fear the knowledge of something that might interfere or contradict the beliefs they rely upon. For the most part, they would much rather go on not knowing, and turn from the light and long to return to the shadows. The second seems to be a warning to do the exact opposite of what has been stated above. The fact that the characters in the story, whose views are wrong, are prisoners is very symbolic. Not only are these people prisoners of the puppeteers, they are also prisoners of their own beliefs. Because they do not want to find out about what is real, they are condemned to believe in what is not. The piece warns us that we must not blindly follow our own beliefs, without continually viewing and considering other views that may be true as well. If we do not always consider the ideas of others, we will essentially be trapped by our own adamant conviction in what we think is real. This lesson has become evident in countless cases throughout history, where beliefs about a geocentric universe, a flat earth, etc. were all held to e true and the introduction of the ideas we hold as true today was ridiculed and deemed ludicrous. Today, we believe that the galaxy is heliocentric and that the world is round, but we must always, at some point, question that which believe in. Through this simple story, we are able to see a seldom-realized aspect of human nature, in that many of us blindly follow what we are told, and consequently believe. We can relate deeply to the fable, because, like the prisoners, we as a whole prefer to not know some truths, believe some lies, and have difficulty accepting some realities. By the end of the work, we are left with new thoughts about the reality of our beliefs and faith and are encouraged to re-evaluate our paradigms.

The Emerging Issues in Healthcare Finance Essay Example for Free

The Emerging Issues in Healthcare Finance Essay A few decades back, healthcare financiers believed that managed care with capitation was the best policy tool that would help control the ever-increasing health care costs. Instead of focusing on healthcare quality, the administrators focused on the cost per month or per member and the provider organizations which competed for the market share. However, this has changed in the new century as new payment tools have emerged due to innovations in the healthcare marketplace. Currently, healthcare is considered in terms of quality and efficiency as far as purchase and delivery of healthcare are concerned. Capturing these key features of the current healthcare provision, the main objectives of ensuring quality and efficiency has led to the new concept dubbed pay-for-performance. In other literatures, P4P is known as value-based purchasing. P4P is a healthcare payment system that rewards physicians, hospitals and various healthcare providers for their efficiency in healthcare provision. Efficiency in this case is defined in terms of higher quality of healthcare at a relatively low cost (Wu, Nishimi, Kizer, 2005). However, defining quality can be very hard and challenging to most players in healthcare provision and financing. And as various players in healthcare – patients, providers and financiers, seek more direct and timely measures for quality and value, the government has quickly moved in to help set the standards. Through the CMS, the United States federal government has been able to come up with quality indicators (QIs), which are continuously being developed and refined (Rosenthal Richard, 2006). These measures for quality and value are currently available in various Web-based portals which the government hopes will increase consumer awareness. Patients are encouraged to compare facilities used by healthcare providers with those available in the Quality Indicator Web portals. Moreover, services and treatment by providers can also be evaluated against those available in the web showing standard quality measures. As the oversight body, the CMS as mandated by the federal government has established a provider quality reporting system for healthcare. Empowered by the 2006 Tax Relief and Health Care Act, the CMS has put in place the provider quality reporting initiative which rewards physicians and other providers who successfully report their set of quality measures. As a reward the government may recommend bonus payment which is subject to a cap equaling 1. 5 percent of the total amount of Medicare costs within the six months period of reporting (Wu, Nishimi, Kizer, 2005).. The public and private payers have welcomed the value-based performance as an answer to soaring healthcare costs and also a means of ensure quality service to patients. By 2005, about 75 percent of all United States companies had connected at least some of their employee’s pay to work performance and also in healthcare. Currently, over 100 pilot programs undertaken by private and public payers are underway. The current healthcare payment system may reward less-safe services because most insurance companies refuse to compensate for new services and practices intended to reduce errors. Again, the system may also encourage poor workmanship, as hospitals and physicians are allowed to charge additional services required when a patient is infected or injured in the hospital. Pay-for-performance however, tries to avert such loses and has received a lot of support from both public and private payers. American insurance companies hope to save a lot from this program (Rosenthal Richard, 2006).. The healthcare financiers would not only be allowed to pay for quality services by physicians and hospitals but would not be required pay for additional services for unintended consequences of treatment and care like injury in hospital, negligence during surgery and many others as defined by National Quality Forum (Leape Berwick, 2005). The current payers like the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Leapfrog Group have learnt from the pilot programs that pay-for-performance greatly affects the outcome and quality of any work and increases performance. These companies are very much optimistic that they would not only reduce cost of healthcare but also ensure that their members receive the best healthcare services. This initiative is expected to attract more private insurance companies to invest in healthcare with hope of increasing the profits and capital base. Many insurance companies may be to offer more comprehensive healthcare coverage to various people as they have would a large capital base due to reduced healthcare costs and therefore a lot to re-invest (Wu, Nishimi, Kizer, 2005). The primary goal of pay-for-performance according to policymakers is to increase quality in healthcare while at the same time reduced financial burden of care (Dudley, 2005). These positives are all pointing to the patients and insurance companies all agree that pay-for-performance would benefit the patients. However, as physicians argue, the P4P system may not be in the best interest of the patient. Insurance companies and other healthcare financiers would be the greatest winners if the pay-for-performance is fully implemented. With the CMS initiative that calls for elimination of payments for negative effects of any medical practices that lead to injuries, other illnesses or even death, other insurance companies that are also willing to undertake such initiative, stand to gain a lot from the P4P system. Considering that doctors may not be perfect all the times and some patients are known to develop new infections even when the best known practices are applied, the healthcare payers would be positively affected by this new payment system (Grossbart, 2006). Lessons from the Research Despite the good intentions of the value-based performance program, the government still faces one of the biggest challenges in its implementation. Implementation of P4P faces challenges of having everyone agree on the quality standards. The quality measures as defined earlier are objective indicators used to evaluate whether physicians are providing high quality healthcare. For example, a doctor may be required to test the A1C levels in diabetic patients four times annually as a quality standard measure. In a pay-for-performance system, physicians who reach this threshold would be compensated appropriately. However, many health providers challenge such indicators by arguing that medical practice is not only an art but also a science and therefore setting up checklists as well as treatment algorithms would be a great disservice to the patients. Again, it is quite common to hear about physicians disagreeing with one another on the appropriate course of medication and treatment that should be adopted by the patients with similar diagnosis and the same medical histories. Therefore if the pay-for-performance system is to be successfully implemented, such disagreements would have to be ironed out first (Grossbart, 2006). It would be quite hard to say the specific impacts of the P4P system in the future as it is still undergoing pilot implementation. Nevertheless, because pay-for-performance is basically focusing on how doctors, hospitals and other various healthcare providers are compensated for their work, an individual patient may not be affected greatly in terms of costs. In the long run if the pay-for-performance is fully and successfully implemented, the greatest beneficiary would be the patient who would receive healthcare at a reduced cost. However, whether the quality of health care would improve quality or not is matter still debated.

John Kenneth Galbraith Biography

John Kenneth Galbraith Biography Archibald Galbraith, a Canadian schoolteacher, once climbed onto a platform atop a  steaming pile of manure to address a group of Liberal party voters before the coming Ontario  elections. â€Å"Before I begin,† he said, â€Å"I must apologize for speaking from the Tory platform.†Ã‚  Later on, his teenage son, John Kenneth, would congratulate him on the dig, to which he  [Archibald] would respond, â€Å"It was good. But it didn’t change any votes.† (Arthur Scheslinger,  1984, p. 7) So, from an early age, John Kenneth Galbraith was between the world of politics and  pragmatism.   John Kenneth Galbraith was born in 1908. His father’s involvement in politics had a  profound impact on the young John Kenneth, politicizing him at an early age. He originally  studied Agricultural Economics at the Ontario Agricultural College, but would eventually say  that he took his first â€Å"real† economics course at UC Berkeley, and that the economics instruction  in Canada was â€Å"very poor† (Dunn, 2002, p. 350). As a graduate student at UC Berkeley, he  continued his study of agricultural economics and worked as a research assistant for a â€Å"very zany  old man by the name of Edwin Voorhies† (Kreisler, 1986). He stated that it was his study of  agricultural economics that left him with a strong feeling that â€Å"social science should be tested by  its usefulness,† an idea inspired by Veblen’s dichotomy between exoteric knowledge (knowledge  that is valuable and applicable) and esoteric knowledge (knowledge tha t has no practical  application, but because of that, is considered more â€Å"prestigious†). Galbraith believed that social  sciences should be exoteric, not esoteric. In his book Economics and The Public Purpose,  Galbraith develops this idea further, saying, â€Å"The ultimate test of a set of economic ideas is  whether it illuminates the anxietes of the time† (Galbraith, 1973, p.198). In the 1930’s, while Galbraith was studying to receive his Ph. D, it was clear that  economic theory was not addressing the anxietes of the time. Economists were struggling to  explain how free markets had led the United States to economic ruin. One in four Americans  were jobless. Production had all but ground to a halt. Obviously, there were egregious errors in  the accepted dogma, which stated that free markets left to their own devices would bring about  efficiency and employment. Galbraith said that his method of coming to an understanding was to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"for years†¦start with [Alfred] Marshall, see the world as it is, and make the requisite  modifications† (Dunn, 2002, p. 351). Upon graduating, Galbraith traveled to Washington D.C.  and took a position assisting with the implementation of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, before  taking a position as a tutor at Harvard. At Harvard, he made speeches supporting the reelection of Roosevelt, cement ing his initial ties with the Democratic party. Not long after, he was offered  a fellowship at Cambridge, where the discussions centered around Keynes, who had just published his General Theory of Employment, Money, and Interest (Dunn, 2002, pp. 350-355).   Galbraith returned from England to his tutor position at Harvard a confirmed Keynesian. He spent a few more years tutoring at Harvard (where he met John F. Kennedy) and then took a  job as resident economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington. Galbraith’s  observation of the farm industry solidified his belief in the power of government to move  industries forward. In 1930, farm households accounted for a quarter of the population, whereas  today they account for only 1% of the population and yet on the whole, they now produce more  than they did in 1930. This is due to strong government support of the farming industry. That  national planning could â€Å"transform a weak, disorganized, and poverty prone sector of the  economy into America’s most spectacular productive success†¦preserved his political concerns†Ã‚  (Arthur Schlesinger, 1984, p. 8). Galbraith became head of the Office of Price Administration in  1941 during World War II, and at the same time began his long career as a ghostwriter, penning  spe eches for Samuel Rosenman and Robert Sherwood (Arthur Schlesinger, 1984, p. 8). Galbraith then became editor of Fortune magazine, where he worked directly for Harry  Luce, founder of Time Inc., whom he called â€Å"one of the most ruthless editors I have ever known,  or anyone has ever known† (Kreisler, 1986). Galbraith has credited Luce with dramatically  improving his writing via ruthless editing. Galbraith credited Fortune with giving him a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"marvelous introduction to the corporate mind,† because the focus of the magazine at the time  was â€Å"the anatomy of the big corporations† (Dunn, 2002, p. 353). The decision making processes  of major corporations would be a recurring phenomenon that he would write about in many of  his publications. Galbraith returned to Academia in 1948, having spent five years as editor of Fortune. He  was nominated to a position teaching economics at Harvard. However, members of Harvard’s  board of overseers regarded him as a â€Å"dangerous Keynesian,† and as a result, â€Å"took the step,  almost unprecedented in modern times, of blocking the appointment† (Dunn, 2002, p. 353). However, Galbraith had many political allies, and among them was Harvard’s president, James  B. Conant. Conant was such a fan of Galbraith that he threatened to resign unless the board of  overseers backed down. Eventually they did, and Galbraith became a tenured professor at  Harvard. It was then that he began work on his first major bestseller, American Capitalism: The  Concept of Countervailing Power. Galbraith begins his discussion of capitalism in America by pointing out the following  conundrum: Mainstream economic theory asserts that in the case of monopoly, prices will rise,  business will screw consumers, fail to innovate, and as a result, the economy will be in bad  shape. He then notes the work of Joan Robinson in developing the idea of monopolistic and  oligopolistic competition, noting that oligopolistic industries behave in the same way as  monopolies would, and through informal agreements can have the exact same effect. Then, using  the actual data collected by the American government, he shows that the majority of industries  are in fact oligopolistic. But he goes even further than that, saying that almost all industries will  eventually become oligopolistic for the following reasons: At the birth of an industry,  competetion is necessary and possible, as no firms have clear and significant advantages yet. But  over time, it will become increasingl y difficult to enter the industry because of the barriers to  entry created by high capital requirements and increasing returns to scale. At the same time that  increasing returns to scale start to set in (as they inevitably do), existing firms will also gain the  advantage of experience and prior organization. The convergence of these factors leads, in most  cases, to an industry with a few power players and a larger but still relatively small number of  hangers-on, who exist by filling niches that aren’t worth the time of the large firms. Galbraith poses a question in American Capitalism, and before getting to that question, it  is important to get a sense of the context in which he asks it. After World War II, America was  experiencing incredible prosperity. But underlying this prosperity was the fear of depression. The  Great Depression was still fresh in the collective consciousness, and the average man’s faith that  capitalism would bring about efficiency and full employment was shaken. And yet, as the years  after the war progressed, things were stable and employment was plentiful. It is also important to  note that the era of non-depression Keynesianism was beginning, and much to the chagrin of the  business community, government was becoming a much more participatory force in markets. The business community was reacting violently against this expansion of government, claiming  that it was a complete disaster, wasteful to the very extreme and bound to cripple growth. The  state of the American economy in the 1950’s then was that of big government, near-ubiquitous  monopoly or oligopoly, and an underlying fear of depression. Yet, by almost any measure, the  economy was a success. The problem, according to Galbraith, was that, â€Å"in principle, the economy pleased no  one; in practice it satisfied most. Social inefficiency [government spending], unrationalized  power [monopoly and oligopoly], intrusive government [regulation], and depression were all  matters for deep concern. But neither liberal nor conservatives, neither the rich nor all but the  very poor, found the consequences intolerable† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 85). What fascinated  Galbraith was how an economy which was so flawed in theory could work so well in practice. The question he asked was: Why are things so†¦well†¦good? Thus, he states that his aim in  American Capitalism is to â€Å"examine in turn the circumstances that have kept social inefficiency,  private power, government intervention, and unemployment from ruining us in the recent  present† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 85). The first answer that he gives is that oligopoly is much more conducive to techonological  innovation than classical competetion. â€Å"There is no more pleasant fiction than that technical  change is the product of the matchless ingenuity of the small man forced by competition to  employ his wits to better his neighbor. Unhappily, it is a fiction,† he says. â€Å"Technical  development has long since become the preserve of the scientist and engineer† (Galbraith, 1954,  p.86). His argument is that due to the costliness of development, it can only be undertaken by a  firm with considerable resources. In highly competitive industries, no one firm has considerable  resources. Moreover, because innovations can easily be imitated, it is not economical for a small  competitive firm to bear the research and development costs for an entire industry. Galbraith then turns his keen eye to the idea of inefficiency. He deals with this issue by  asserting that America’s relative opulence shields us and is moreover a cause of such  inefficiency. At the time that the classical economists were writing, an opulent economy had yet  to be observed. For Malthus and Ricardo, â€Å"inefficiency was, indeed, an evil thing. It denied  bread to the hungry and clothing to the naked† (Galbraith, 1954, p.102). The true power of  Galbraith’s insight is his ability to point out the obvious. He criticizes his fellow economists for  bringing the mentality of the nineteenth century, with all its poverty and degradation, to the  opulent twentieth century. Galbraith finds this error both amusing and absurd, saying, â€Å"He [the  mainstream economist] worries far too much about partially monopolized prices†¦for tobacco, liquor, automobiles, and soap, in a land which is already suffering from nicotine poisoning and   alcoholism, which is nutritionally gorged with sugar, which is filling its hospitals and cemeteries  with those who have been maimed or murdered on its highways, and which is dangerously  neurotic about body odors† (Galbraith, 1954, p.102). His point is that these inefficiencies are in  fact a sign of the wealth of America. They are the symptom of a wealthy economy, and thus we  ought not to worry so much about them. He also discredits the idea of intrusive government,  noting that, â€Å"alarm over pending action by government on economic matters, which frequently  reaches almost pathological proportions when the decision is pending, almost invariably  evaporates completely once the action is taken. One of the profound sources of American  strength has been the margin of error provided by our well-being† (Galbraith, 1954, p.106). But the most significant reason that monopoly has failed to capsize the American  economy, according to Galbraith is the exercise of what he calls countervailing power. The  assumption always made by economists, when they would consider the case of markets, was that  the check on an individual firm’s power wold come from the supply side of the industry. Galbraith disagrees. He admits that the existence of monopoly power in a competitive market  does in fact encourage the entry of more producers to appropriate some of that power for  themselves. â€Å"In other words,† he says. â€Å"Competition was regarded [and is] a self-generating  regulatory force† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 112). But in a market that is not competitive, the incentive for some economic agent to  approptiate that power still exists. But it need not come from the supply side. That power is, in  practice, usually appropriated by strong buyers or coalitions of buyers, who can sometimes take  even more than their share. Because of the tendency of power to be organized in response to  existing power, â€Å"countervailing power is also a self-generating force† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 113). According to Galbraith, it is the large retailers who, by way of their absolute power over  manufacturers, bargain for the consumer and protect the consumer from the high monopoly  prices that would otherwise result. Likewise, the considerable market power of large firms is  checked by trade unions for a simple reason, there is something to be bargained for Galbraith  notes that trade unions are most powerful in the least competitive industries. This is because the  surplus that a company derives from monopoly power acts as an incentive to unions. In the very  competitive industries, producers and workers are operating at bare minimum profit and the  incentives to organization insignificant. These are the basic ideas laid out in American Capitalism. The book in many ways lays  the framework and tone for the books he would publish in the sixties and seventies. But while  American Capitalism was Galbraith’s first major bestseller, it was The Affluent Society that  skyrocketed him to fame. The Affluent Society builds on many of the concepts introduced in his  first book, but with several key differences. Though Galbraith could not suppress his urge to  social commentary, The Affluent Society is a much more prescriptive book, growing out of his  chapter on technical development in American Capitalism. To his original analysis he adds a  significantly moral component. The Affluent Society concerns itself with the policies that ought  to be undertaken once the basic needs of the people have been met. Galbraith’s main argument is  that our ratio of private good (cars, televisions, automobiles) to public goods (schools, roads) is  inequitable an d ridiculous. The premise of his argument is that once our basic desires such as  food, clothing, and shelter have been satisfied, large corporations employ advertising to concoct  new demand for products. The traditional economic and utilitarian argument for goods qua  goods falls on its face if consumer demand is not sovereign. What is really necessary is the use  of society’s productive resources in the public realm in juxtaposition with growth in the private  realm. He calls this idea â€Å"social balance,† saying, â€Å"the problem of social balance is ubiquitous,  and frequently it is obtrusive. As noted, an increase in the consumption of automobiles requires a  facilitating supply of streets, highways, traffic control, and parking spaces† (Galbraith, 1958, p.  193). He also confronts the existence of poverty in an affluent society as being the result of  outdated nineteenth century attitudes. â€Å"A poor society,† he says,  "had to enforce the rule that  someone who did not work could not eat. An affluent society has no similar excuse for such  rigor† (Galbraith, 1958, p. 251). But he admits that, â€Å"nothing requires such a society to be  compassionate. But it no longer has a high philosophical justification for its callousness†Ã‚  (Galbraith, 1958, p. 251). In the 50’s, America was in the midst of the cold war and attempts at engineering a better  society were very suspect. Galbraith throughout The Affluent Society understands the inherent  and ideological opposition to big government and social policy, but he is adamant in stating,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"that cities’ residents should have a nontoxic supply of air suggests no revolutionary dalliance with socialism† (Galbraith, 1958, p. 191). In fact, Galbraith eventually finds socialism and central planning to be in many ways  similar to the kind of capitalism that developed in America in the latter half of the 20th century. 9 In The New Industral State, Galbraith focuses his effort on understanding what he calls the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"technostructure.† In an era when the division of intellectual labor is so overwhelming, the  management or even management team of a powerful corporation doesn’t actually make most of  the decisions. The decisions are instead made collectively by teams of experts. Galbraith coins  the term technostructure as, â€Å"embracing all who bring specialized knowledge, talent or  experience to group decision-making. This,† he says, â€Å"not the management, is the guiding  intelligence, the brain, of the enterprise† (Galbraith, 1967, p.71). Many of Galbraith’s ideas resonate to this day. Unfortunately, most do not. It would be  tempting to end this essay optimistically, expounding poetically on the way Galbraith’s ideas  continue to influence national policy. In reality, although he was a well-respected and powerful  man, many of his ideas continue to be ignored by mainstream economists and politicians. Rarely  does one hear a contemporary economist talk about countervailing power, or reference the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"technostructure.† While as a society we owe much to Galbraith and his ideas, the discipline of  economics has for all intents and purposes laid his practical ideas by the wayside. But whether or  not his continued influence on economics is felt by the mainstream, his contribution to the  discipline remains poignant and accessible for those who choose to seek it out on their own. Galbraith’s main contribution to economic thought was his tackling of the problem of  power. He was convinced that the most glaring, most significant, and most ignored problem in  the field of economics was the effect of power on economic activity. Understanding why  Galbraith was so affixed by this idea of power is actually quite simple; he was surrounded by it. Through his political work, Galbraith knew not only Kennedy, but several other presidents and  all the most powerful officials in the democratic party. Through his work at Fortune he became  acquainted with the heads of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world. He saw,  10 clearly, the extent to which the decisions of these men (and the technostructures supporting  them) affected the direction and performance of the economy of the whole. Given that he was an  astute man, for him to ignore the influence of power on economies, in order to advance a series  of aesthetically pleasing models and equations, would have been not only unthinkable but  dishonest. Galbraith wanted badly to be useful, to â€Å"change votes,† as his father would have said. To him, sitting in a room concocting theories did not qualify as usefulness. He longed to be in  the thick of policy-making. Later in life, he wanted badly to avoid what he called â€Å"Belmont Syndrome†1 Thus, his struggle to be relevant was not only ideological but moral. John Kenneth Galbraith died peacefully at home in 2006. He left behind not only an  extensive body of economic work, but two novels. His first novel, The Triumph, written in 1969,  was about U.S. foreign policy disasters in Latin America. His second novel, A Tenured  Professor, written in 1990, was about an eccentric Harvard professor, and lampooned the elite  institution. He lived ninety-seven years, almost all of them (excepting the first few) were  preoccupied with upending the â€Å"conventional wisdom.† He remains one of the most famous and  controversial economists of the twentieth century, and a fine novelist.

New York Better Protected From Influenza Epidemic :: Journalism History Media Essays

New York Better Protected From Influenza Epidemic NEW YORK--These past few warring years have left the nations of the world in various stages of devastation and destruction, and the world population has been decimated by battles and disease. Here, in New York, we definitely see the outcomes of the war on the economy and industry, and unfortunately, the citizens of New York are also not safe from the deadly Spanish influenza epidemic that has been sweeping the globe. Even though the New York Times reported on August 15, 1918, that there is "no quarantine here against influenza," that was an overly optimistic report. Now the Great War is coming to an end and the Allies are getting closer and closer to victory against the Germans. Even though war casualties hit many Europeans countries hard, something else is spreading around the globe that is leaving behind a much greater trail of casualties. The influenza of the season is a much stronger strain than the one that usually feels like a common cold, and it shows a strange pattern of morbidity. Usually influenza kills infected people who are elderly or young children. The influenza strain of 1918, however, is making victims of people between 20 and 40 years old. As The New York Times reported early in the year German troops fell sick with influenza. This Spanish influenza that affected the troops is called so because it originally affected millions in Spain. Many articles in The New York Times discussed the possibility of the influenza spreading to American and Allied troops through contact with other troops through No Man's Land, but hopes were high that the Americans would not be affected because they were strong and not undernourished. These proved to be false hopes, and now Americans, British and French alike are affected by the Spanish influenza. Here at home in New York, in September of 1918, the Health Commissioner of New York City announced that there was no danger of an epidemic in New York City and people should not worry. Only a few days later in October 1918, more than 800 New Yorkers died in a single day. The Spanish influenza first reached epidemic proportions in Boston earlier this year and then it affected our great New York. What is truly frightening about this horrible epidemic is that people are dying very quickly from the flu.

My Antonia Essay: The Role of Women -- My Antonia Essays

The Role of Women in My Antonia  Ã‚        Ã‚   In her novel, My Antonia, Cather represents the frontier as a new nation. Blanche Gelfant notes that Cather "creat[ed] images of strong and resourceful women upon whom the fate of a new country depended" . This responsibility, along with the "economic productivity" Gilbert and Gubar cite (173), reinforces the sense that women hold a different place in this frontier community than they would in the more settled areas of America.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One manner in which this unusual place can be seen is in the women's privileged relationship to the land in the text. While Jim Burden attends school, it is Antonia who shapes and works the new land that the pioneers inhabit, going "from farm to farm" to fill the need for agricultural hands (111). While Otto and Jake fill this need early in the text, it is predominantly Antonia's cultivation of the land that is followed throughout the remainder of the text. Similarly, the concrete contributions of the "hired girls" stand in pointed contrast to the invisible and/or passive employment of male characters such as Mr. Harling.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the same way, Jim recognizes that it is the "hired girls" like Antonia who will form the backbone of the society when the next generation comes: "the girls who once worked in Black Hawk kitchens are to-day [sic] managing big farms and fine families of their own; their children are better off than the children of the women they used to serve" (150-1). These assertions--of the women's direct involvement of the development of the region, both agriculturally and socially--highlight an important point: "it is insufficient to think of nationalism affecting gender in a one-way relationship" (Walby 237). In other words,... ...Own: Attitudes Toward Women in Willa Cather's Short Fiction." Modern Fiction Studies 36:1 (Spring 1990): 81-89. Mosse, George. Nationalism and Sexuality: Respectability and Abnormal Sexuality in Modern Europe. New York: Howard Fertig, Inc., 1985. Ryan, Maureen. "No Woman's Land: Gender in Willa Cather's One of Ours." Studies in American Fiction 18 (Spring 1990): 65-75. Summers, Claude J. "'A Losing Game in the End': Aestheticism and Homosexuality in Cather's 'Paul's Case.'" Modern Fiction Studies 36:1 (Spring 1990): 103-119. Walby, Sylvia. "Woman and Nation." Mapping the Nation. ed. Gopal Balakrishnan. New York: Verso, 1996. 235-254. Woolf, Virginia. Three Guineas. London: Hogarth Press Ltd., 1938. Wussow, Helen. "Language, Gender, and Ethnicity in Three Fictions by Willa Cather." Women and Language 18 (Spring 1995): 52-5.          My Antonia Essay: The Role of Women -- My Antonia Essays The Role of Women in My Antonia  Ã‚        Ã‚   In her novel, My Antonia, Cather represents the frontier as a new nation. Blanche Gelfant notes that Cather "creat[ed] images of strong and resourceful women upon whom the fate of a new country depended" . This responsibility, along with the "economic productivity" Gilbert and Gubar cite (173), reinforces the sense that women hold a different place in this frontier community than they would in the more settled areas of America.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One manner in which this unusual place can be seen is in the women's privileged relationship to the land in the text. While Jim Burden attends school, it is Antonia who shapes and works the new land that the pioneers inhabit, going "from farm to farm" to fill the need for agricultural hands (111). While Otto and Jake fill this need early in the text, it is predominantly Antonia's cultivation of the land that is followed throughout the remainder of the text. Similarly, the concrete contributions of the "hired girls" stand in pointed contrast to the invisible and/or passive employment of male characters such as Mr. Harling.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the same way, Jim recognizes that it is the "hired girls" like Antonia who will form the backbone of the society when the next generation comes: "the girls who once worked in Black Hawk kitchens are to-day [sic] managing big farms and fine families of their own; their children are better off than the children of the women they used to serve" (150-1). These assertions--of the women's direct involvement of the development of the region, both agriculturally and socially--highlight an important point: "it is insufficient to think of nationalism affecting gender in a one-way relationship" (Walby 237). In other words,... ...Own: Attitudes Toward Women in Willa Cather's Short Fiction." Modern Fiction Studies 36:1 (Spring 1990): 81-89. Mosse, George. Nationalism and Sexuality: Respectability and Abnormal Sexuality in Modern Europe. New York: Howard Fertig, Inc., 1985. Ryan, Maureen. "No Woman's Land: Gender in Willa Cather's One of Ours." Studies in American Fiction 18 (Spring 1990): 65-75. Summers, Claude J. "'A Losing Game in the End': Aestheticism and Homosexuality in Cather's 'Paul's Case.'" Modern Fiction Studies 36:1 (Spring 1990): 103-119. Walby, Sylvia. "Woman and Nation." Mapping the Nation. ed. Gopal Balakrishnan. New York: Verso, 1996. 235-254. Woolf, Virginia. Three Guineas. London: Hogarth Press Ltd., 1938. Wussow, Helen. "Language, Gender, and Ethnicity in Three Fictions by Willa Cather." Women and Language 18 (Spring 1995): 52-5.         

Essay --

Mary McLeod Bethune was an African American educator, activist, and advisor. She believed that education provided the key to racial advancement. She became an educator and did much to contribute to American society. Mary Bethune also became very involved in government service. She started her own civil rights organization working on critical issues for African Americans and also helped many presidents in certain affairs. Mary McLeod Bethune gave the speech â€Å"What Does American Democracy Mean to Me?† November 23. 1939. The speech was given on America’s Town Meeting of the Air, which was a radio show in New York that discussed American Politics. The speech remains significant today. This speech is about Mary’s personal meaning of democracy. She speaks on the relation between democracy and African Americans. She reminded listeners that African Americans have always been willing to do whatever it takes for democracy and what it stands for. Today many African Amer ican contribute to the democracy, making this speech relatable to them. â€Æ' Who? During this time period, Mary McLeod Bethune was a well respect civil rights activists and democratic advisor. By lending her expertise to several presidents, she became popular in American government. She became a leader in the effort to build coalition among African American women fighting for equal rights, better education, jobs, and political power. She led many local and national women’s clubs. She founded the National Council of Negro Women, which opened the doors to her relationship with President Roosevelt. President Franklin D. Roosevelt named her direct of the Office of Minority Affairs in the National Youth Administration. When? This speech was given during the New Deal Era. On November ... ...ons fundamental change. To whom? The radio show the speech was given on attracted up to 3,000,000 listeners each week. When giving her speech she was giving it to over a million Americans of all races. Her speech was to those who agreed and disagreed with African American progress and equality. For those who disagreed she spoke to them to possible change their hearts. To those who agreed, she spoke to them giving them inspiration. How? We do not know what she was physically doing because the speech was through a radio station. While giving the speech, Mary Bethune’s voice was powerful. Her words were spoken very clearly and she spoke loudly. This is significant because African Americans in the past were illiterate and could not read or write and their speech would not be clear. She spoke very literate and her vocabulary was unlike most African Americans at the time.