Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Argument - Essay Example They were able to do so because of their advance military and naval technology compared with the natives’. The natives didn’t have exposure to the viral or bacterial diseases the Spanish had with them this led to their dead in large numbers. The locals who resisted their rule were captured and sold as slaves in plantations (Todorov 30). The main reason for European invasion of Africa in the fifteenth to seventeenth century was trade and specifically human trade. By this time most of Africa’s traditional institutions were unaffected. Trade between the European and Africans led to the development of towns in the coastal regions. The Africans were also introduced to commodities like salt, weapons and clothes. The Dutch were the first to establish permanent colonies around1652 in South Africa. Later in the nineteenth century, European explorers discovered that Africa contained exploitable resources like gold, silver, iron and was fertile for agricultural production. This led to the Scramble of Africa. There was exchange of ideas, values and practices as a result of trade and colonisation. Missionaries had an important role to play in the integration of European culture into Africa and Americas. The colonisation of Africa and Americas led to the introduction of Christianity to these societies. The people were forced to abandon their cultural practices since they were considered primitive. There was the introduction of formal education. The natives were taught the languages of their colonial master, arithmetic and science (Cowen 145). The political systems of the Americas and African communities were disregarded. The Europeans also made boundaries that divided communities and even families. The natives were forced to accept the rule of their conquerors and pay taxes which were usually oppressive. The other consequence of European conquest was ecological destruction of the Indies and Africa. The settlers cut down the

Rail car brake caliper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rail car brake caliper - Assignment Example Non-Ferrous metals are costly. Yield strength refers to the minimum tension that yields plastic deformations (Somaiya, Wieffering & Blaine, 2008). Tensile strength refers to minimum stress essential for the failure of the material. Fracture resistance is significant in measuring strain degree. Describes the resistance of a material to fracture and is measured using the aggregate energy contained in the material (Somaiya, Wieffering & Blaine, 2008). In the design of the brake caliper, toughness is important since strong materials absorb more energy compared to fragile ones. Tension tests include; static tension tests, which define the infringement point of the material and compression tests that determine the material’s reaction to crushing (Somaiya, Wieffering & Blaine, 2008). In general, tensile testing determines the strength and amount of stretch in the material. The failure point is the ultimate strength. Torsion test measures the relationship between stress-strain of a material. Hardness tests, which include Brinell hardness test, which uses a steel ball with enormous force. The applied weight for harder materials like iron and steel is about 3000kg while that of softer materials like aluminium alloys and copper is about 500kg (Somaiya, Wieffering & Blaine, 2008).Vickers hardness test is obtained by dividing force by the external area. Rockwell hardness test measures the penetration depth in the material to determine the hardness. Scratch test involves scratching harder materials to rank their hardness. Harder materials scratch the softer ones. Mohs hardness scale is applicable. Rebound test utilizes changes in potential energy to determine the hardness. Indentation tests utilize the impression of force on the material to test for hardness. Aluminum oxides make calipers abrasives that boost friction because of its low density. Steel filler recommended

Empowerment of the American Noncommissioned Officer Essay Example for Free

Empowerment of the American Noncommissioned Officer Essay The American Noncommissioned Officer of today is held in high esteem by the Military. The Military considers the American Noncommissioned Officer as the backbone of the Army. The Military also considers the Noncommissioned Officer as a Professional Soldier, a soldier with special skills and an experienced leader. The Noncommissioned Officer is a soldier that makes a career of the Military more so than the Commissioned Officers. The Noncommissioned Officer of today can be found beside their Commanding Officer or other Commissioned Officers. But this was not always so (Cited in Gates, Vuonon Introduction 1775). Individuals outside the Military consider the Noncommissioned Officer as lazy, not worth the time to educate or even to train. And they don’t have the same skills as a Commissioned Officer. A stigma they still carry today with those outside the Military. Most non-military individuals have no idea what the noncommissioned officer education status is or what their career goals are. In order to understand the evolution of the Noncommissioned Officer, let’s go back to the beginning and move forward. The History of the Noncommissioned Officer is long and spans from the Revolutionary War to Present day. The Revolutionary War is where they held the status of the regular enlisted man. The Noncommissioned Officers status would change somewhat during this War. Their worth would be tested on and off the field of battle. Revolutionary War In 1775 all Noncommissioned Officers were as regular enlisted men until, a change in regulation was constituted, (Cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005, p. 24). Baron Fredrick Wilhelm Steuben’s Contribution Baron Fredrick Wilhelm Steuben joined the Revolutionary Army as a volunteer. He possessed considerable military knowledge. He wrote the new regulation for the Noncommissioned Officer, â€Å"The regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States 1779†. Noncommissioned Officers were selected by and responsible to the Commanding Officer and subject to the Battalion or Regiment Commander. Steuben’s regulation aided the Noncommissioned Officer’s evolving role as Care Taker of Soldiers. Steuben found this area weak in the Revolutionary Army. Steuben’s regulation also introduced a new emphasis on the Noncommissioned Officers battlefield role. Enhancing his status and further distinguishing him from his British counterpart. Steuben’s system provided training the Noncommissioned Officer in leadership skills. Under this new regulation the Noncommissioned Officer now stood behind the Commissioned Officer. He did not fire Volleys, but saved his ammunition for the protection of the Captain or Lieutenant. Noncommissioned Officers thus became essential figures in linear tactics that survived until the Civil War (cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005). Battle of 1812 The professional military was viewed by the civilians as dregs and too lazy to grasp the opportunities of a civil way of life. Professional education was unknown beyond rudimentary on the job instruction by the company or regiment. Noncommissioned Officer’s in Artillery, engineers, medical, and signal corps received specialized training (cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005). Major General Anthony Wayne and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis Contributions Major General Anthony Wayne and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis made sure Noncommissioned Officers were not disciplined in front of their men. Davis supported the commissioning of officers from Noncommissioned Officers that could pass the exam. Not withstanding their comparative low status the Noncommissioned Officers played a very critical role in the Army of the New Nation (cited in Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005 p. 26). The Civil War The dynamics of the Noncommissioned Officer changes during the Civil War in a lot of different ways. The Army of the Union looses a quarter of its Commissioned Officers to sympathy with the Confederacy and leave to serve in the Confederacy. Providing an opportunity for the Noncommissioned Officer’s to elevate their status on the battlefield. Another change they will have to overcome is the advancement in weapons, and a change in battlefield tactics. Muskets were replaced with the rifle musket. With better aim and accuracy casualties were horrendous. Linear tactics were outdated with the advancement of these weapons. Even more powerful weapons were introduced late in the Civil War, breech-loading rifle, Calvary carbine and the Gatlin Gun. This underscored the need for more open formations than were called for during the Revolutionary War. Unit Commanders gradually introduced such formations to reduce the vulnerability of their men, due to the volume and accuracy of enemy fire. Bvt. Major General Emory Upton prepared a manual, greater emphasis upon simplicity of maneuver. His instruction could be taught more easily by the Noncommissioned Officers to the new troops, shortening training time and increasing the soldier’s effective term of service. The gradual elimination of linear tactics after the Civil War redefined the Noncommissioned Officers combat leadership roles†. (p. 28-29) Technology revolution continued to sweep all the Armies, supplying both the infantry and artillery weapons with greater lethality. These weapons finally broke the use of close masses types of battle to a more open order of combat. As the aim and accuracy improved with these newer weapons close massed combat was no longer feasible. Open combat brought the Noncommissioned Officer the opportunity of small unit leadership. Now the Noncommissioned Officer is maintaining order in a more complex battlefield (Cited Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005 p. 30). 1898-1902 Upton states a warning of the inadequacy of the Noncommissioned Officers training. These years till the end of the Century bring changes to the Noncommissioned officer. The need for better training is ignored and would have to wait until World War I (Cited Hogan, Fisch, Wright 2005). The United States is now becoming a super power. The Government and its Citizens now have interests overseas. World War I II to Present day World War I opens the landscape of the modern warfare. This war produces massive changes in weapons and technology. The weapons are the Springfield rifle, submachine gun and the automatic machine gun. The combustion engine is introduced to the battlefield. With this engine a new type of dynamics are introduced late in the war. With the invention of the combustion engine comes the airplane and the gas powered truck and later the armored Tank. During the World Wars, were the wars of the NCO’s of the specialized divisions. These NCO’s show their skills as specialists in Artillery and weapons. Trench fighting combat takes its toll on the NCO’s and to generate more personnel they enlist the help of the retired NCO’s to train stateside, to produce already efficient soldiers with experience. This trend continues through World War II. Closing The Empowerment of the Noncommissioned Officer has been throughout history, from the different battlefields that they have fought on to the advancement of weapons to new technologies. All these have contributed to their empowerment on, and off the fields of battle. And new regulations and new reforms in their status have also aided them. Here history must speak for itself. The Noncommissioned officers were trained and educated and were prepared for their empowerment throughout history. The NCO’s of today have earned their right to be called the professional soldier. Non military individuals will continue to think of the NCO’s as shiftless and lazy, until they have read what has been accomplished by the NCOs. But history will speak for them. In my opinion this trend of empowerment will continue well into the future as long as there are wars to be fought and new battlefields to conquer you can count on the Noncommissioned Officer will be there to fight for our freedom.

Healthcare Reform in Vermont

Healthcare Reform in Vermont Vermont is one of the states of the United States and it is found in the region of New England. New England is on the Northeastern side on the United States. Vermont is the 2nd least populous state in the US, and the 6th least extensive. This is the only state in the New England region that does not have a border with the Atlantic Ocean. However, half of its Western border is found within Lake Champlain, and it shares this border with New York. On the south of Vermont lies Massachusetts, while on the east, there is the state of New Hampshire. On the north of Vermont lies the Canadian province of Quebec, while on its east, there is the state of New York. As of July 2013, the census Bureau of the US gives an estimation that the total population of this state of Vermont stood at 626, 630 people (Abrahamsen, 2012). This represented an increase of 0.14%, when compared to the census of 2010. The state of Vermont has an increase in the aging population, and on this basis, there is an increase in the provision of aging health care services within the economy of the state (Abrahamsen, 2012). The Allen Fletcher Health is considered as the biggest private health provider in the state of Vermont, with an employee base of around 7,100 people. As of the year 2010, the entire bill that patients in the hospital paid amounted to 3.76 billion dollars. Currently, 92,000 people have enrolled for the Medicare program. It is important to denote that as of 2011, Medicare was able to spend 740 million dollars on the health care of the state (Deary and sBrown, 2001). The financial capacity of the state is very stable, and it has been able to achieve a balanced budget, since the year 1991 (Deary and sBrown, 2001). The state has an enterprise fund, for purposes of sponsoring activities that would reduce social and economic problems like unemployment, drug abuse, etc. For purposes of understanding the economic strength of Vermont, the state has an individual’s per capita income of 38,306 dollars. On the other hand, the general size of the public sector is 24.3%, when compared to that of the private sector which amounts to 36.6% (Abrahamsen, 2012). Based on these grounds, the private sector is wider than the public sector. The tax system of this state is also favorable, and one of the unleast fair tax structure in the United States. This is because the tax structure gives income tax credit to low waged workers. This is for purposes of ensuring that there is an equitable distribution of resources. Prior Health Reform Policy: One of the health care reforms initiated by the state of Vermont is the Dynasaur programs. This is a program that is funded by the government of Vermont, and was formed in 1989. This program was aimed at providing universal cover to the children of Vermont, and when this was added up by the private insurance individuals that Vermont had, the state was able to ensure universal health coverage of all its children (Deary and Brown, 2001). Because of this policy, the state of Vermont was able to be regarded as having the best health care policies in the US. When this program began in 1989, the objective of the government was to provide health care services to children who were under the ages of six years, and to pregnant women who were unable to afford private health insurance programs. In 1992, the government of Vermont was able to increase the health care coverage of the Dr. Dynasur program. This was to cover children and teenagers who were under the ages of 17 years; this is up from t he previous six years covered by the 1989 Dr. Dynasur plan (Deary and Brown, 2001). The main aim of this policy was to ensure that children and pregnant women are able to access preventive care, and pre-natal health care services. Another important goal of this policy was to ensure that the state government is able to assist families in achieving self-sufficiency, by helping them carter for their medical needs (Abrahamsen, 2012). This was in line with the state’s welfare system that was assisting families that did not receive the welfare money. As discussed earlier, this policy was very efficient, and it resulted in the ranking of Vermont as a state with the best health care policy in the United States. In 2006, the government of Vermont introduced the Catamount Health care policy (Almgren and Lindhorst, 2012). This health care policy targeted people who were not insured by the Medicaid and Medicare policies. The main aim of this policy was to reduce the medical costs suffered by chronic patients. In 2011, the state government of Vermont introduced a new heal th care policy. This health care policy was to create a single health care payer system, under the Green Mountain Care program. The law that enabled the introduction of this policy is the H. 202 law. Under this policy, all citizens of Vermont are required to get a universal health care cover. This policy also helped to improve the technologies used to provide health care services to the citizens of Vermont (Almgren and Lindhorst, 2012). This policy is enacted to replace the system whereby only a segment of the society is able to access insurance health care policies. That is the pregnant women and children covered under Dr. Dynasur insurance plan, and chronic patients who were not covered by Medicaid and Medicare, under the Catamount policy. This policy hasn’t yet achieved efficiency due to a number of problems in its implementation. This is partly due to the passage of the affordable care act, and uncertainties on the methods of financing the program (Deary and Brown, 2001). Outcomes of past reforms: As of the year 2005, the Vermont Public Assets institute and the children’s forum released a report indicating that the minimum wage of Vermont’s public sector was unable to keep up with an increase in the cost of the basic needs of the people of Vermont (Almgren and Lindhorst, 2012). According to this report, the biggest factor that led to an increase in costs of living was the health insurance. This insurance cost doubled for the last five years, and this represented 25% of the house hold expenses (Maclean, 2007). This was during the period of 2003. It is important to denote that during this period, Vermont was implementing the Dr Dynasur insurance policy, which was very effective in catering for the needs of people eligible for the policy. It is very important to understand that the Dr. Dynasur policy was a very effective policy in reducing the health care costs of pregnant women, and children under the ages of 18 years old. For instance, since the introduction of the Dr. Dynasur policy, the Government was able to enroll 90,000 children who were under the federal poverty level (Maxwell, 2012). It is important to understand that the childhood population of Vermont at that time was 150,000 children. 90,000 represent more than half of the total population of Children in Vermont. Based on this ground, this program was able to achieve equity in terms of health insurance coverage (Deary and Brown, 2001). This is because the remaining 60,000 children could afford private insurance cover. However, this policy failed to reduce the insurance costs of all citizens of Vermont (Abrahamsen, 2012). This is because it was discriminatory in nature, because it did not cover the entire population of Vermont; hence an increase to health insurance costs. This is because the people left out in this policy resorted to acquiring private health insurance policies (Maxwell, 2012). On this basis, the Catamount health care policy was introduced in 2006 for purposes of catering for the needs of those people not covered by the Medicaid and Medicare insurance policies (Maclean, 2007). This policy was very effective in reducing the medical costs of people living with chronic diseases. This is because the government of Vermont catered for their needs, through this health care policy (Abrahamsen, 2012). On this basis, the Catamount Health Care policy was able to reduce the health care insurance costs for the citizens of Vermont. By reducing the health care costs of citizens of Vermont, the Catamount Health Care plan was able to fulfill the social welfare policy of Vermont, which is to make it possible for equitable distribution of health care programs (Maxwell, 2012). However, as of 2011, the government of Vermont decided to improve on its health care insurance programs, and hence the creation of the Mountain Care Program. This program is still under the implementation stage, to judge its outcome (Abrahamsen, 2012). This is because of the uncertainties over the funding of the program, and how to integrate the whole program, under the affordable care act. However, the intention of this program is to eliminate medical costs of all citizens of Vermont, irrespective of their social class. This is because it will make it possible for the entire citizens to enroll for an insurance program controlled and funded by the state (Maclean, 2007). Current Steps under ACA: In satisfying the provisions of the Affordable care act, Vermont has initiated a number of policies. One such policy is the introduction of the health insurance exchange. This is the market place for health insurance. Under this health insurance policy, an individual who purchases the policy before the 15th of January, then the person under consideration must enroll for the health care coverage that begins on the 1st of January, if the person purchases the policy on the 15th of February, and then the coverage of the person under consideration begins on the 1st of May (Alker, Brooks and Harbelein, 2014). What this refers is that the coverage normally begins 15 days, after the day of purchase. This policy further goes on to exempt people who have enrolled for the health care coverage before the 1st of May, from paying enrollment fees. By 31st of March 2014, the enrollment of people for this program came to an end, and those not enrolled would be barred from accessing the benefits of health insurance up to November 2014, when the next enrollment begins (Alker, Brooks and Harbelein, 2014). In bringing these services closer to people, the state has established a website referred to as the Vermont Health Connect. This website enables citizens of Vermont to make applications of the insurance policies, compare the prices and plans of various health care policies, etc. It is important to denote that the government of Vermont has shifted the responsibility of managing health insurance to Green Mountain Care Board, established by the 2011, H202 law. Previously, the responsibility of managing insurance health care was undertaken by the Banking, Securities, and Insurance Health Care Administration (Deary and Brown, 2001). The state has also initiated a number of policies in regard to Medicaid under the ACA. For instance in Vermont, any individual making below 139% Federal Poverty Level is eligible for Medicaid. This is under the expansion plan of Vermont in regard to implementing the provisions of the Obama care. It is important to denote that applications are only acceptable through the Health Insurance Exchange that is operated and managed by the Green Mountain Care organization. Under the Medicaid expansion program, there are a number of plans available, and these plans include the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum plans (Maxwell, 2012). The Bronze plan is a low cost plan Medicaid program offered by the government of Vermont. It has a very low actuarial value, and very low premiums. The actuarial value of this plan rests at 60%, and this means that 60% of all medical costs are catered for by insurance companies. The Silver plan on the other hand comes next, in terms of the costs that an insurer has to pay (Alker, Brooks and Harbelein, 2014). The silver plan gives an actuarial value of 70%. This is an indication that 70% of medical costs are catered for by insurance organizations, while 30% is catered for by the individual concerned. This plan is recommended for people who are reasonably healthy, and occasionally use medical services Alker, Brooks and Harbelein, 2014). The Gold plan on the other hand comprises an actuarial value of 80%, and on this basis, 80% of medical costs will be paid by insurance organizations. The beneficiary will therefore pay the remaining 20%. Finally, members holding the platinum plan contribute the highest premium, and it covers 90% of all medical costs incurred by the beneficiary. This plan is suitable to people who are sickly, and of poor health. It is important to denote that health insurers in Vermont are not obligated to offer all these plans, but they are required to offer at minimum, one silver, and one gold plan. Anticipated Effects: There are a number of anticipated outcomes for the enactment of the project under consideration. For example, in Vermont, the policies enacted will lead into an increase in the number of the insured people in the state. This is because the policies of Dr. Dynasur and Catamount policy did not adequately cover all the people in the State. For instance, statistics indicate that Vermont has a total number of 47,000 people who do not have any medical cover. This policy will ensure that these people are eligible for the cover, and hence reducing their medical costs. It is important to denote that this policy will have a lot of outcomes when it comes to Medicaid. For instance, initially, Medicaid had a variety of gaps, in the number of people eligible for enrollment (Alker, Brooks and Harbelein, 2014). This is because eligibility was only restricted to people with disability, low income individuals, children, and the elderly. However, with the expansion of Medicaid to involve other people, Vermont hopes that the policy will lead to an improvement in the medical conditions of its people. This is because there will be an increase in the number of people enrolled into the program. These are people, who were previously not eligible to access the services of Medicaid. Furthermore, with the implementation of this program, chances are high that the living conditions of people will improve (Burkhauser and Lyons, 2011). This is because they will have the capability to save their incomes, and use it for other purposes, other than worrying on how they will pay for their health needs. Chances are also high that there will be a series of innovations, aimed at effectively implementing these policies. Take for instance in Vermont, the state managed to create a website whereby people can apply for the services of Medicaid (Alker, Brooks and Harbelein, 2014). This website is interactive in nature, and it is referred to as Vermont Health Connect. On this basis, it is important to understand that a series of such kind of innovations will occur. This in turn will improve the efficiency of service delivery. Barriers to Reform and Changes: The Health insurance exchanges serve as the main health insurance market places. At a start, these insurance health exchanges will provide insurance cover to people, and business organizations that have an employee base of around 100 people. Federal subsidies will play a great role in minimizing the insurance premiums charged to the middle and lower income people, and insurers will have to meet a variety of conditions set forth by the Federal government (Holtz, 2008). However, there are a number of challenges that the implementation process of these policies will face. One challenge is governing the health insurance exchanges. It might be difficult to govern these health insurance exchanges, and this is because they are new concepts that emerged. However, in managing these health insurance exchanges, there is a need of the state establishing an independent body that is exempted from certain administrative laws, and governmental regulations. The people in charge of governing this agency should be government representatives and representatives of insurance stakeholders, and the consumers in general. Another challenge that comes into place is the issue of high risk customers. These are customers whose health is very bad, and hence insurance providers will always be unwilling to give them insurance cover. The state will have to develop a policy such as subsidizing the premiums paid by these customers, for purposes of helping them access insurance cover. Politics is another serious challenge to the implementation of these policies, and this is because of the differences between the Republicans and democrats on the enactment of the ACA. To address this problem, there is a need of constant communication by the governor of Vermont, highlighting the importance of these policies to its people. References: Abrahamsen, E. (2012). Health insurance issues, challenges and perspectives. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science Publishers. Alker, J., Brooks, T., Harbelein, M. (2014). The new state-level health insurance exchanges  that are to be established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) New York: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured . Almgren, G. R., Lindhorst, T. (2012). The safety-net health care system health care at the  margins. New York, NY: Springer Pub.. Burkhauser, R. V., Lyons, S. (2011). The importance of the meaning and measurement of  affordable in the Affordable Care Act. Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research. Deary, T., Brown, M. (2001). The USA. London: Scholastic. Holtz, C. (2008). Global health care: issues and policies. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Maclean, N. (2007). Distributing health care principles, practices, and policies. Exeter: Imprint Academic. Maxwell, N. L. (2012). The health and wealth of a nation: employer-based health insurance and  the affordable care act. Kalamazoo, Mich.: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Is Meursault Heroic in Albert Camus The Stranger? Essays -- Albert Ca

Is Meursault Heroic in The Outsider?       When Meursault is described to us in the early stages of "The Outsider" we see that he does not obey society's codes therefore is it fair for us to assess him using societies interpretation of "heroic"?    If we are to judge him by them then we are given ample examples throughout the novel of his having no compassion or even of his thinking of the consequences of his actions, hardly heroic, but the converse is also demonstrated in many places.   An example of the former is when Raymond asks Meursault to "draft" a letter to an Arab prostitute.   Meursault knows what will result from his actions but seems unemotional and views the letter as being a favour for a friend and not a vicious conspiracy.   This lack of emotion is reinforced when the prostitute is beaten up by Raymond and Meursault remains impartial whilst his girlfriend, Marie, thought it was " terrible" and is sickened by the beating.   Another display of his apathetic views is in the opening lines "Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know"   This indicates that either he does not care or he had no comprehension of what had happened.   An additional illustration of his detached attitude is after his mothers funeral when he goes to see a humorous "Fernandel" film with Marie, his girlfriend, and then he takes her home and sleeps with her just hours after his Mothers funeral.   This indicates that aswell as having a detached viewpoint that he has no perception of morality.   A section of the novel that reinforces this occurs that after the murder when he is in jail; he never mentions the Arab at all; it is as if he does not... ... monther's funeral is liable to be condemned to death", Meursault is condemned as he does not conform and people cannot understand him.   In my opinion Meursault is admirable as despite his imminent conviction he maintains his unconventional viewpoint and standards throughout the novel.   He is a "man who, without any heroic pretensions, agrees to die for the truth".   In my opinion this is the essence of Meursaults character, if he believes in it not even death will alter his views.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Akeroyd, Richard H. The Spiritual Quest of Albert Camus. Alabama: Portals Press, 1976. Camus, Albert. The Stranger. New York: Random House, Inc., 1988. King, Adele. Camus. Oliver and Boyd Ltd. 1964. 120. McCarthy, Patrick. The Stranger. University of Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.   

Comparing Cousin Kate and The Seduction Essay -- Christina Rossetti Ei

Comparing Cousin Kate and The Seduction In this coursework I will be comparing the two poems ‘Cousin Kate’ by Christina Rossetti and ‘The Seduction’ by Eileen McAuley. The two poems have many similarities but there are also some differences between them. To begin I will give an introduction to both the poems. Cousin Kate is about a cottage maiden that is tricked into having an affair with a rich Lord. She is then betrayed by the Lord who decides to dump her. He then marries her Cousin Kate who is much more beautiful than her and who has not yet lost her virginity. The Lord completely forgets about the maid after abandoning her and leaves her all alone. The maiden later realises that she is pregnant with a baby boy who is the son of the lord. The poem ends with the cottage maiden being an outcast because she has got pregnant before getting married but also with her feeling triumphant because here son will one day be the heir to the Lord’s lands. The Seduction is about a 16 year old girl who has a one night stand with a boy whom she meets at a party. The boy is into bad habits like drinking and taking drugs. He offers the girls some drinks and once she is very drunk he takes her to the docks near a river where he sleeps with her. After that night the girl never sees the boy again and realises 3 months later that she is pregnant. Her life is completely destroyed by her pregnancy. She has no more friends and nobody will ever speak to her again. She feels very bitter as to how her life has been ruined due to one mistake and how she has become an outcast. She ends the poem extremely disillusioned with life and how it has treated her. There are many differences between the two poems. The two poems took ... ...drinks and fallen into the boys trap. I prefer the poem Cousin Kate because in this poem the maiden has some hope for her future in the end because her son will be the heir to the lord’s estates. She has something to look forward too. She can also feel triumphant because her Cousin Kate will not have nay children. The ending of the seduction though is much bleaker with the girl having no hope for her future and even feeling like committing suicide. I think the attitude to teenage pregnancy was almost the same in both these poems even though they were set in different times. Even today the attitude to teenage pregnancy is very bad and girls who get pregnant in their teen years are treated as outcasts by society which is very wrong. Even if a girl does get pregnant society has to accept the fact that she has made a mistake and give her another chance.

Aging Bill in PA

This course study will dwell on the subject of the House Bill 1935 in Pennsylvania, how it came to be and the contributing factors that necessitated its emergence as a bill of rights for the elderly. Likewise, this study shall review other related studies and find the current approaches and support mechanism it receives from various government agencies and representatives.Introduction:As an important factor in the lives of every individual, a roof over one’s head is a basic need that is a vital necessity to life. For many, it offers a form of security that can be a bulwark against fear of homelessness, institutionalization, and isolation (Comijs, et al, 1998:886).The elderly individuals in PA need an ideal laboratory to age in place considering that elderly household represents 31% of the nations 1.1M public housing households (Dolon and Blakely, 1989:31). It is understood that elderly individuals consider the home as a form of security that guards them against ill-treatment a nd invasion which is an indispensable factor in their retirement years.Throughout the 1960s, older Americans with lower income were accommodated through large number of developments that built traditional apartments. Public housing did not originally target older Americans at all (US-HR; 1981).This was considered adequate for the majority of low-income older residents; although this housing program does not provide the flexibility to allow residents to age in place, nor does it necessarily provide the range of housing options needed to serve the increasing share of frail seniors (US Nat’l Center for Assisted Living, 2001) (Pifer and Bronte, 1986).More recently though, the elderly resident population is changing radically, bringing new challenges to public housing providers (Kassner, 2005). Undeniably, the increasing adult population are not only poorer, they are also older and a disproportionate minority and female, and more likely to be alone (US Nat’l Center for Assi sted Living, 2001).These population demographics are increasing and as baby boomers age, the US government and the housing authorities will be faced with problems of providing appropriate and adequate facilities for them. The increasing need of frail seniors therefore needs to extend public housing as a large federal program offering housing assistance to low-income elders (US Nat’l Center for Assisted Living, 2001).Several case studies embarked on the successful developments planned by housing authorities to address the needs of their rapidly aging populations. Efforts were offered as a supportive mechanism for housing authorities to adopt new approaches in order to meet the needs of their elderly tenants (Pifer and Bronte: 1986).Some program of development were even dismissed and simply declared as ill-equipped to meet the residential and supportive service needs of their increasingly frail and diverse residents (Pifer and Bronte: 1986). Without such acceptable services, th e government is faced with an alternative of moving senior citizens into costly, isolated institutions (Schwartz, 2000).This remedy though was seen as giving a devastating effect that might develop into unnecessary institutionalization of elderly persons which was later considered far more costly than those offered in other settings.Public housing authorities across the country were then trying to find innovative ways to serve these tenants and are building partnerships with nonprofit organizations and with the state and local service providers.They tried finding new ways to raise capital for modernization and development, creating models that can guide other housing authorities grappling with similar situations (Schwartz, D.C. (2000).In answer, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency in collaboration with the Department of Aging and the Department of Public Welfare under PA Bill 1935 aimed to provide appropriate housing and care needed by frail elderly and other benefits of enhance d senior services (HB 1935).The development of HB 1935Existing programs in the face of huge budget cuts have recognized the need to meet the shelter and service needs of the growing elderly population. This growing population is consisting of adult individuals well into the eighties and nineties who need a physically supportive environment that will sustain their needs.The government is suddenly faced with the pressing need to bring services to the existing developments that can no longer provide nor suit their frail physical condition.Faced with looming budget problems, several programs were stalled that ultimately empower the federal government to reassess the needs of the elderly individuals by fielding service coordinators to the assisted housing complexes across the country.Assumptions made by government authorities endorsed the idea that senior citizens who are growing frail will have to move to a different housing continuum as a housing option. Basically as older couples are sooner separated by illness or death, older individuals are also asked to transfer to single family homes, apartments, congregate living, assisted living and board and care homes (Brenton, 1983).Equally though, frail people are moved into nursing homes that vary according to their availability and affordability. Under this notion, housing options are differentiated by the types of services generally offered which includes the supportiveness of the setting in terms of accessibility features and design and competence of the persons to whom the housing is targeted (Holshouser, 1988).The response gathered by service coordinators however created a differing view which recognized the fact that frail, older persons do not necessarily have to move from one setting to another if they need assistance which has often resulted to health problems for them(US,APA:2002);(US-HR:1981).Studies were soon allowed to create a feasibility haven for dependent or dependent older persons who can live in a v ariety of settings, including their own homes and apartments, if the physical environment is made more supportive, caregivers are available to provide assistance and affordable services are accessible (Haber and Gratton, 1993).