Tort Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Tort Law - Essay Example Furthermore, the law of tort does not recognize any type of injury as a foundation of claim. For instance, tort law does not recognize an injury suffered during a football match. The reason behind this is lack of the legal duty on any individual player. Tort classifies duties into two general categories: The duties not to injure ‘full stop’-regarding the commission of activities that the law recognizes as hazardous; and the duties not to injure negligently, recklessly, or intentionally. Strict liability regulates the behaviors observed in the former instance of duties, while fault liability governs the conduct in the later form of duties (Elliot & Quinn 2007). A Brief From: To: Date: CASE 1 Facts Diane owns a garden centre in a rural area. She specializes in the growing and selling orchids, which need to be reared in a extremely warm climate. She constructed a number of greenhouses which are all heated with large storage tanks containing heating oil. Due to internal corr osion of the tanks, the oil escapes and contaminates some vegetables growing on a farm belonging to Juliana, her neighbor. The oil also escapes onto the public highway and Juliana, who is driving along the road at the time, skids and crashes her car. She suffers a cut and a broken arm. Issues 1- What are the elements of the rule in Ryland v Fletcher? Whether there is a possibility that she could sue under this rule or not 2- What type of damage is recoverable under this rule? 3- How is the liability for fire assessed? 4- What are the elements for private nuisance? Does she, as a neighbor, has a possibility of being successful in this course of action? 5- What damages are... The rule of Ryland against Fletcher concerns strict liability. It states that when a person occupying a piece of land uses something on it, which can lead to damage to its escape and keeps it permanently on land, will be responsible for any damage that may arise as a result of the escape. This rule usually includes rescuing many things, such as poisonous vegetation, electricity, couples and even harmful people. It is applicable in the following necessary conditions: first, there must be an exit from the defendant's land to a place outside his occupation. Secondly, the use of land should be normal, taking into account all the circumstances. It does not matter whether a person knows or does not know about the danger at the time when he brings dangerous things to his land and uses them. However, a person is not liable for damage if The damage results from the action of God, that is, actions that can not be prevented by any amount of human foresight or care; If the occurrence occurs as a result of the plaintiff's own fault; And in case of artificial work, supported both in favor of the plaintiff and the defendant. It is extremely important to note that Reyland sued Fletcher because of Fletcher's negligence; He himself was not careless, as he hired competent contractors to build a reservoir. He was not even aware of the mess from the contractors. It was contractors who were careless, not acting immediately, to prevent future losses that might arise as a result of the disorder they discovered.

Juvenile Recidivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Juvenile Recidivism - Essay Example The designing of effective assessment strategies leading to interventions with the young offenders are no doubt, predominantly dependant on the identification of causal factors that constitute the basis of a realistic prediction (Savitz et al., 1962). Adolescence is a phase of life when the young people are more prone to engaging in antisocial behavior. Practice of antisocial behavior during adolescence is the single most important factor in the prediction of criminal behavior in the adulthood. A plethora of research carried on till now has suggested that almost a half or more of juvenile offenders continue with the criminal behavior beyond their teens. Juvenile recidivism is a serious problem in the United States. On an annual basis, roughly 2.4 million juveniles are charged with criminal offences every year (Wilson, 2011: Online). As per some conservative estimates, roughly 55 percent or more of juvenile offenders who are released get rearrested within a year (Wilson, 2011: Online). In case of urban areas, the rate of juvenile recidivism is estimated to be as high as 76 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online). At a national level, it is utterly difficult to acquire the accurate recidivism rates. This is because in the US, the recidivism rates in case of juvenile offenders are assessed at a state or county level (Wilson, 2011: Online). Hence, the statistics specific to the particular states is in a way a realistic indicator of the levels of juvenile recidivism. In the year 2005, the rate of juvenile recidivism in the State of Washington, in case of boys stood at 77 percent and in the case of girls it stood at 72 percent (Wilson, 2011: Onli ne). In the State of California, the percentage of juvenile delinquents who got rearrested within a year was 74 (Wilson, 2011: Online). In Manhattan, the rate of juvenile recidivism rested at roughly 80 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online). Many

Bookmaster Essay Example for Free

Bookmaster Essay Background The case bookmaster explains how Drew went to bookmaster to buy a book he wanted to enjoy reading. When Drew arrived at the bookstore and explained to the CRA what book he wanted. The CRA informed Drew that the book was instock and that there were actually two copies of the book on the shelf. However, when Drew and the CRA went to the shelf to get the book there were no copies available. Drew would have to drive to another store that was 15 miles away to get the book. The CRA then suggested to Drew to buy the ebook which was almost $20 cheaper. Drew would have to download the ebook on his computer since the Kindle and iPad’s were too costly for him at the time. Kindle an Ipad both have many restrictions on their work and try to prevent piracy to maximize profits. Case Questions 1. Each player in the above value chain makes money by creating value for the stakeholders. 2. 3. The ebook has many advantages and disadvantages. the first advantage is the development, marketing, and decreasing costs for eReaders. The second advantage is its easy accessible and can be read on any device if it’s an apple because they are linked together. The third advantage is that marketing the product is easier on line than in a book store. The first disadvantage is that the sale price is lower so the profit margin is relatively the same. The second disadvantage is that piracy is more common and the content is easier to duplicate. The third disadvantage is that competition is very high in the digital industry. The hard copy book also has many advantages. The first is that hardcopy books are easier to stay focused on because the web-surfing variable is eliminated. The second advantage is that you can jot down your thoughts while reading. The third advantage is hardcopy books are not subject to the failure of technology. Some disadvantages to hard copy books are as follows; The cost to make the books are high. Books are harder to carry around if you have more than a few with you. The third disadvantage is the costs of books are high. 4. The role of operations in the hardcopy value chain is to print books. The role of operations in ebooks is to produce digital content and to store the content. 5. The other issues that are important on critiquing both of these is the future. Where are books headed in the future? It is important to try and forecast whether ebooks or hardcopy books will be a thing of the past.

Relationship Between Welfare Policy and Healthcare in the UK

Relationship Between Welfare Policy and Healthcare in the UK I Health and Public Policy Introduction: Social Policy is public policy that relates to health, employment, poverty, education and welfare issues and focuses on social services and welfare state. Social policy is the study of social welfare and how it relates to politics and society. Social policies refer to government policies relating to welfare, social security and protection of an individual in a state and the ways in which welfare is developed and administered in a state (Hill, 1986). The principal areas of social policy aimed towards government objectives of a welfare state are: Administrative practices and policies of social services which include health, social security, education, housing, employment and community and social care Policies towards tackling social crimes, and problems with unemployment, drug abuse, disability, mental health, learning difficulties and old age Socially disadvantageous issues of race, gender, poverty and the related collective social responses and responsibilities towards these conditions The broader subject area of social policy is heavily dependent on disciplines of sociology, management, political science, philosophy, law, psychology and social work. The aims and objectives of a British Welfare State highlight the importance of well being of every individual with a range of services provided to protect people in conditions such as sickness, poverty, old age and childhood and in such a sense , welfare is more than needs fulfillment and relates to complete well being of individuals. Welfare provisions are based on humanitarian, religious, democratic or practical concerns and involve economic and social benefits such as eradication of poverty and governmental duty and social responsibility (Hill, 1986). In this essay we will deal with the relationship of welfare and social policy with health care, especially within the UK through the NHS systems and department of health. For an analysis of health and public policy within the UK we will analyze the stages of health policy, the rationale for such policies and how these policies are carried out through a health service network. Health care coverage provided worldwide is given in a comparative chart below. UK, Sweden and France is seen to have the same level of hospital and ambulatory care services with USA showing lower levels of health care services when compared with worldwide standards. Health Care and Social Policy The definition of health can be given in terms of cultural standards in which health is a standard of mental and physical well being according to a particular society and a general good health is necessary to perform mental and physical activities optimally. Health is also defined normatively as an ideal mental or physical state. Health depends on several factors such as biological factors, environmental factors, standard of living, social factors, nutrition, and psychological or emotional factors (WHO, 2005). Improving sanitation systems, providing medical care and support systems and clean water supply to prevent infectious diseases are the general responsibilities of health authorities (Jones, 1995). Inequalities in health especially in the UK can be due to poverty, or differences in social class as certain categories of people may be more aware of their health and fitness needs than certain others (Graham and Kelly, 2004). Health policy in the UK is implemented through a wide health care network provided by the Department of health and NHS. The different branches providing health care in the UK include the Hospitals which provide care to patients for both acute and long stay illnesses and provide medical facilities such as emergency treatment, psychiatric care or continuing nursing care. The governmental emphasis is to minimize all long term needs which can be considerably expensive and offer a full range of care in the hospitals providing acute services. Primary care is more basic medical treatment and refers to non-hospital care including general family practitioners and general physicians, professions ancillary to medicine and domiciliary health care such as occupational therapy (Allsop, 1995). Ambulatory care is distinct from, yet a category of hospital care as it includes primary care and day care in hospitals. Public health policy is a general care strategy including preventive medicine such as screening and health education and several areas which may not be directly linked to health services such as housing, water supply, sewage disposal, food hygiene and general poverty and employment conditions which are also factors related to health. For health of a population in a state, public health needs and related issues are very important under the health care policy at a governmental administrative level. For medical care in practice, primary care provided by primary care trusts of the NHS and services of general physicians are important at a more social level. Hospital care and medicines provided involves the highest costs for the NHS, is an important political issue for the UK government and has the highest priority for the NHS health policy implementation (Wall, 1999). Some of the Health policy objectives and strategies on health care identified by the NHS and Department of Health are given below: (NHS, 2005) Modernization Policy Primary Care Policy Secondary Care Policy Integrated Care Policy Patient Centeredness or Patient-centered Care Policy Complaints Policy Occupational Health and Safety Policy Social Services Performance Assessment Policy Information Policy Within the organizational improvement plans, the NHS health improvement modernization plans (HIMPs) involve a three year planning framework and details roles and responsibilities for the NHS primary care trusts (PCTs) and builds on the Planning and Priorities Framework (PPF) guidance issued in 2002. Within this framework PCTs are responsible for developing new Local Delivery Plans (LDPs) and any additional PCT owned local plans (NHS, 2005). The planning of Health Policies for modernization and improvement of services within the NHS consists of the following six steps that are to be maintained in every organization and community: This is given by the Department of Health official report 2003-2006: The areas of responsibility for NHS and Social services for health policy implementation are given in the table below. In terms of Primary care policy, the NHS and social care long term conditions model laid down health policies and models for long term care to cases already under NHS treatment. Some of the key objectives and targets within the Primary care policy are given as : The three levels of the Health care delivery system are given by the Department of Health as follows: DH, 2005 The NHS social care long term conditions model is given as: Source: NHS Organizational Health Policy The implications of NHSD complaints policy have been emphasized in a recent NHS report and include the following conditions Complaints Policy Implications: It has been recognized that how well the policy works depends largely on attitudes of individual members and the culture of the organization and although complaints act as potential sources of improvement of health care services, these are also indicative of the high level of dissatisfaction regarding current health care procedures. There is considerably higher level of complaints for family health services as it has been identified that in primary care services are n a small scale and informally managed and the role of individual practitioners are more important than the organizational network. Satisfactory and prompt resolution of complaints has been identified as important to improving health care services (Allsop, 1995). Three factors in particular are likely to be central to improving performance as given by the NHS and Department of Health a realization that complaints management is an explicit part of the performance  management framework. The board of every NHS organization should be held accountable for the performance of the  organization in handling complaints. And the board should ensure that: (a) all staff are  adequately trained to deal with complaints (b) staff managing complaints have adequate  administrative and technical resources and also access to managerial supervision and support; and (c) the complaints procedure is integrated into the clinical governance as well as quality framework of the organization. Consideration should be given to the development of a National Service Framework or its  equivalent for the management of complaints. (NHS, Complaints Procedure National Evaluation, 2001) The National strategy for IT and computer services help deliver an up to date medical service to its people, through the NHS information policy. Some of the strategic directions of the information policy in the health care sector include: (See in Allsop, 1995; Wall 1995; NHS 2001 report) Specifying the level of national direction given for IT by evolving and simplifying management structure and responsibilities within both the DH and NHS at regional and local levels; to deliver change quickly following an implementation approach in phases – focus at a time on quickly delivering a limited portfolio of activity, nationally,that can be built on by subsequent phases; management of increased levels of funding with clear central direction and control; a structured partnering approach with IT Industry to deliver new IT systems across the NHS; coordination, acceleration and simplification of procurements to ensure we get value for money while moving at a faster pace, and cutting down on unnecessary time and cost to the health care industry Consideration of radical outsourcing options that can add pace and value to the programme; Emphasis on changed working practices in the NHS; Benchmarking progress against best practice companies Building IT and networking connectivity, so that all staff have the access devices they need to share information; and Creating national standards for data quality and data interchange between systems at local, regional and national levels so that even the public can have access to information stored and accessed at a national level. A National Strategic Programme for Health care modernization and improvement and provisions of services in general can be given by the following architectural model provided by the Department of health: Information Health Policy – Source DH Conclusion: In this essay we discussed health care and social policy in terms of its stages of development through a three year plan and IT approach specifying levels of health care services that are provided and NHS social care through interaction of proper infrastructure, delivery strategies and desired outcomes of treatment. The focus is on reducing waiting times for emergency treatment or health services at hospitals and primary care centers. We highlighted the importance of modernization, updated IT systems, primary care services, complaints policy and patient centered care as important aspects of health policy followed by the NHS laying down strategic programmes, directions and objectives for an overall health care system as a social and public policy. In the next discussion we would examine the rationale and effectiveness of such policies within the context of political motivations and welfare objectives. II – Effectiveness of Health Policy Introduction: In this section we would examine the policies that have been implemented in the last few years within the NHS and have served as political and administrative tools both as a means of political achievement and measure of social services provisions (Batchelor, 2005). Evaluation of health policy followed by the department of health can be done by comparing target objectives with the attained levels of service. Evaluation can also be done by analyzing research studies, news reports and NHS and Department of Health annual reports on what are the specific targets that were achieved and which are the objectives that were identified and yet could not be achieved through their policies. The discussion would thus show the flaws in the health framework, the differences in aims and achievements and analyze why certain objectives could not be reached along with the strengths and weaknesses of the policies in general. According to the DH plans, ‘DH policies are designed to improve on existing arrangements in health and social care, and turn political vision into actions that should benefit staff, patients and the public’ (Department of Health, 2005). The DH notes that a DH health policy covers many areas of working including the way patients and the public receive care how NHS and social care organizations are run information technology and other facilities that support the delivery of health care. (DH, 2005) A policy is largely evaluated by three features as to whether it can be implemented quickly achieves its purpose does not create an unnecessary burden on NHS and social care staff. A policy is meant to help rather than hinder NHS working and thus it should be easy to implement, evaluate and give quick and significant results. DH Annual Reports – Targets and Progress The Target analysis given by the DH annual reports shows the targets and the extent to which the objectives have been achieved by the Department of health: the aim to transform health and social care systems so that it produces better and faster services to tackle health inequalities was emphasized along with the objective of improving health outcomes for everyone. (DH report, 2004) Target: Reduce substantially the mortality rates from major killers by 2010: from circulatory disease by at least 40% in people under 75; from cancer by at least 20% in people under 75; and from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20%. Key to the delivery of this target will be implementing the National Service Frameworks for coronary heart disease and mental health and the NHS Cancer Plan. Measure : Death rate from circulatory disease amongst people aged under 75. Death rate from cancer amongst people aged under 75. Death rate from intentional self harm and injury of undetermined intent. Progress: A small but statistically significant increase in the number of deaths coded to cancers was identified, A small but statistically significant increase in the number of deaths coded to circulatory diseases was identified. Data for 2000-02 (3 year average) show a rate of 16.0 deaths per 100,000 population – a rise of 0.6% from the baseline (1995-97). Single year data for financial year 2001-02 show a rate of 313.9 hospital admissions per 100,000 population – a decrease of 2.3% from the baseline estimate (1995-96). A National Suicide Prevention Strategy was published in September 2002 led by the National Director for Mental Health. As this is implemented it will contribute to reducing the suicide rate. Although not statistically significant, there has been a small increase in numbers of deaths recorded to suicide and intentional self harm. 2. the second aim is to treat people with illness, disease, or injury quickly, effectively, and on the basis of need alone (DH report, 2004) Target Ensure everyone with suspected cancer is able to see a specialist within two weeks of their GP deciding they need to be seen urgently and requesting an appointment for: all patients with suspected breast cancer from April 1999, and for all other cases of suspected cancer by 2000. Measure: Percentage of patients with suspected breast cancer and other cancers able to see a specialist within 2 weeks. Progress: 99% of patients referred urgently with suspected cancer were seen within 2 weeks during July to September 2003. For the same period for breast cancer this figure stands at 98.2%. 3. a third important objective identified has been to enable people who are unable to perform essential activities of daily living, including those with chronic illness, disability or terminal illness, to live as full and normal lives as possible. Target: Improve the delivery of appropriate care and treatment to patients with mental illness who are discharged from hospital and reduce the national average emergency psychiatric re-admission rate by 2 percentage points by 2002 from the 1997-98 baseline of 14.3%. Measure: Average emergency psychiatric admission rate. Progress: Psychiatric re-admission rate in 2001-02, the last year data was collected on a readmissions within 90 day basis, was 12.7% narrowly missing the target by 0.4 percentage points. However, with the implementation of new service models such as assertive outreach, early intervention and crisis resolution, further falls in readmission rates are expected, though this might not manifest itself until after 2002-03. (DH reports, 2001) the fourth objective we have chosen for discussion is Improving patient and Carer experience of the NHS and Social Services.(DH annual report, 2004) Target: Patients will receive treatment at a time that suits them in accordance with their clinical need: two thirds of all outpatient appointments and inpatient elective admissions will be pre-booked by 2003-04 on the way to 100% pre-booking by 2005. Measure: DH monthly central data collection from January 03. Supersedes the Modernization Agency monthly project progress reports. Progress: On course: A monthly DH central data collection was introduced in January 03.The monthly data collection captures full bookings and partial bookings as they are added to the waiting list. This allows rigorous monitoring of progress towards booking milestones and targets. A Data Set Change Notice was issued in 2000 to the service in support of the new monitoring arrangements The Modernization Agency National Booking Team is assisting challenged Trusts to work towards achieving key booking milestones and targets. The Recovery and Support Unit (RSU) is also working with challenged Trusts. From April 2003, Strategic Health Authorities are responsible for managing and developing booking locally as part of their Local Delivery Plan (DH annual reports, 2004) We have delineated four important objectives among several health care policy plans laid down by the NHS and Department of Health. The first objective discussed is aimed towards providing faster and better services for improving health outcomes of everyone. This was specified as reducing mortality rates from killer diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and accidents. The targets however have not been achieved as there has been significant rise in deaths from cancer, heart disease and accidents in the last few years since the target was set. Although there has been a decrease in the number of hospital admissions, deaths due to suicide and intentional self harm have also gone up. From this analysis it is only suggested that the target for improving general health outcomes by reducing mortality rates has not been achieved as specified by the Department of Health. Examining the second objective of providing treatment to people effectively and quickly on the basis of need suggest that everyone with cancer or such ailments should be able to visit their GP within 2 weeks of their deciding to see their practitioner and waiting times should be cut down considerably. The progress report shows that 99% of the cancer patients were able to see their GP within 2 weeks of their decision and this suggests that the target objective in this case has been nearly met. The third objective we have highlighted is that according to the NHS plan, most disabled or chronically ill patients should be able to support themselves and perform daily activities and lead as normal life as possible. This was effectively studied by using psychiatric illness as an indicator of chronic disability and hospital readmission rates as important measures of finding out to what extent chronically ill patients are able to lead normal lives or support themselves. Although the readmissions measure shows that targets and objectives were narrowly missed in previous years, in more recent times due to assertive outreach and early intervention and crisis resolution, there were considerable falls in psychiatric readmission rates suggesting that some progress is definitely being made on general improvement of health of people who are chronically disabled. The fourth aim was improving patient and carer experience of NHS and social services provided by beginning pre-booking services and it is emphasized that all clinical services should be pre booked by the year 2005. This is largely a procedure under the aegis of the NHS modernization agency as pre booking services are also IT related and a general improvement of IT systems are associated with achieving this target. However according to DH reports, this target achievement is already on course and most of the health services are now pre booked and waiting times for appointment have reduced significantly. Following an analysis of objectives and aims and the targets achieved by the NHS according to Health care policy, we would take a look at performance of the health care sector and the ratings obtained by primary, secondary trusts. The results of 2002-2003 are given below: Overall there are 579 NHS trusts that have been rated for their performance in 2002/2003. Evidence on Health Policy Implementation – Issues From an analysis of DH annual reports on progress and targets that have or have not been achieved in the past few years, we no move on to clinical evidence and research studies that have formed the basic evaluative tool for health policy implementation appraisal. Ujah et al (2004) provided an evaluative study to establish the nature, extent and organization of occupational health services provisions for people within the NHS and reviewed the systems for monitoring NHS performance. Within the NHS trusts, human resource managers and occupational health managers were selected for the study and were invited to complete an interviewer led questionnaire. All the 17 trusts in which the interview was carried out claimed that they do provide occupational health service to their employees and the provisions and organization of these services were under the human resource unit. However only 29% of the trusts could provide a written health policy with 87% of occupational health mangers claiming that they only provide a rather reactive service based on patient needs, rather than health policy objectives. The authors discovered considerable variation sin the level, nature and quality of services provided by the NHS trusts and concluded as a result of their findings that there are significant differences in the level of occupational health service available to staff across the NHS in London. From this study it is evident that health policy as an initiative only serves as a framework for achievement and may not ultimately be followed in the same way as there are significant differences in the way policies are implemented in different NHS trusts. New health policies that tend to integrate education and training with research and implementation tend to support new practitioners to perform health care research and Bateman et al (2004) evaluate the policy of supporting health care professionals who have some interest in research. The authors claim that there may be considerable value in development of research objectives within the NHS RD wing and mention that ‘Future policies may need to address: the indicators used in measuring the success of such schemes; the relationship between what individuals choose to do and its context within national policy on research and development; and the sustainability of involvement in research’ (Bateman et al, 2004, p.83) Evaluating the information systems and up gradation of IT networking within the NHS, Wyatt and Wyatt (2003) argue that evaluating large scale health information systems such as in hospital systems can be lengthy and difficult procedure. However they discuss the reasons for which such evaluation is necessary and the appropriate methods to carry out these evaluations. This information as they suggest is supposed to be directed towards an assessment of health policy and is thus expected to provide feedback to health policy makers and help in improvement of health and public policies. The authors discuss many experimental designs to carry out their research and also study the impact of communications system within a laboratory setting, the potential problems and how they could be resolved. Wyatt and Wyatt conclude that the correct methods to evaluate health information systems in hospitals and clinics do not depend on the technology being evaluated but on the reliability of answers given for evaluation. Health policies such as patient centered care approach (Webster, 2004), integrated clinical governance (Cauchi 2005) and nurse led intervention services (Lees 2003) have been effectively implemented and successful although posing major challenges to NHS to constantly improve policies according to targets and objectives. Carter et al (2003) evaluated multi-disciplinary team working as a policy and the effectiveness of introducing new organizational structure within the NHS. Although the authors emphasized that as a result of this policy very little have changed so far, but the interests that such a multi-agency working approach has generated suggest that this may be the beginning of medical practice that can link the changes in work practices with improvements in quality of services[1]. Within the NHS framework, multidisciplinary team working is developing to expand roles of traditional institutional boundaries and form complex clinical networks. However these networks could become increasingly autonomous from current NHS structures. The authors discuss the possibility of forming chambers for doctors as well as other professionals as a means of working together in groups. Multilevel working at the NHS is as of now a very effective health care policy but needs even further evaluation and suggestions f or improvement. Conclusion: Within this particular discussion we have tried to analyze the health care policies and targets and evaluated these objectives in terms of achievement and progress in policy implementation within the health care sector in the UK. For our purposes we have used targets and progress report from annual results published by the DH. Evidential information on policy effectiveness have also been provided where we suggested that health care polici

The Aztec Nation Essay -- essays research papers

The Aztec Nation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A distant sound is heard. It sounds like a deep drum being hit with a heavy instrument. You hear it again and strain your eyes in the direction of the sound. All around you is dense jungle. Snakes slither between your legs. You hear the sound once again. In front of you is a dense stand of ferns. You part them and look down into a wide open valley. The valley gets so wide and it is so green that it takes your breath away. But that is not what you are looking at. You are staring at a huge city with glittering buildings shining in the spring sunlight. Smoke rises up from some of the many houses. You can see and hear children playing in the wide open fields in front of the shining buildings. Lamas and chickens are being bough and sold. You see bags of gold jewelery being bought and sold. Beyond the market place you can watch a religious ceremony. You hear the scream of a person being sacrificed to one of the gods. Beyond the city there are roads made of stone and can als full of pedestrians and canoos. Who are these people and what are they doing here you wonder?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The above paragraph describes what an early explorer in Mexico might have seen between 1400 and 1500 AD. The Aztec nation is one of the largest and most advanced Indian nations to ever exist on earth. Just about every part of the Aztec life was advance to such a state that at that time of the world the people were living better than many European nations. The Aztec nation is unique in its history, economy, environment, and way of life then any other nation at that time. History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps fifteen to twenty-five thousand years ago, small bands of hunting-gathering peoples made their way across the land bridge that was the frozen Bering Strait, migrated southward through what is now Alaska, Canada, the United States, Central America, South America, and Mexico, settling along the way. One such hunting- gathering group settled in the Central Valley of what is now Mexico (Nicholson 1985). There is a long history of civilizations in the Central Valley of Mexico; as early as several centuries before Christ agricultural tribes had already settled, and by the birth of Christ had established as their great religious center Teotihuacà ¡n. The history of the Central Valley after circa the tenth century A.D. is o... ...;  Ã‚  Ã‚   1988. Hodge, Mary. and Michael E Smith. Economies and Polities in the Aztec Realm. Austin, Texas: University of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Texas Press, 1994. Leà ³n-Portilla, Miguel. The Aztec Image of Self and Society. Ed. J. Jorge Klow de Alva. Salt Lake City: University  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Utah Press, 1992. Moctezuma, Eduardo Matos. The Great Temple of the Aztecs. Trans. Doris Heyden. New York: Thames and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hudson, Ltd., 1988. Nicholson, H.B. â€Å"Aztec† World Book Encyclopaedia. 1985 ed. Shepperd, Donna Walsh. The Aztecs. New York: F. Watts, 1992. Stuart, Gene S. The Mighty Aztecs. Washington: National Geographic, 1981. Weaver, Muriel Porter. The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors Archeology of Mesoamerica. New York:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Seminar Press, 1972. Wolf, Leo. â€Å"The Axtecs: A tradition of Religious Human Sacrifice.† March 28, 1998. Available :  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www2.hmc.edu/~sbootn/aztec.htm

Essay --

In this paper, I will argue that Nietzsche’s view on punishment morally is skewed simply because I believe that a healthy moral individual would not be at rest while another human is being tortured. However, to a certain extent and in some specific situations, many would disagree with me. As for Foucault’s speculation on morality I will agree to certain extent as well. It is quite apparent Nietzsche wants to point out the irony pertaining to punishment. His perspective on punishment is that punishment –at least at some points in history, is a practice for the sake of to seeking retribution, revenge and ironically enough cheerfulness. Nietzsche characterizes the relationship between punishment and morality as historically dynamic and unstable, but, notably, at one times more in a cheerful behavior. Nietzsche criticizes retributivists (the people who judge others before they judge themselves) and utilitarians who seek justice or deterrence as the essence of punishment. Nietzsche argues that in order for the cruelty in punishment to be understood we have to learn to see punishment as always festival-like, or, punishment always involves a kind of festival of cruelty that contemporary moralists (e.g. utilitarians) try to hide with their somber, â€Å"downer† accounts of punishment (without cruelty). For Foucault—similarly or on the other hand, however, Foucault’s speculation on punishment and morality is that punishment is used, also for a variety of reasons, also unstable and dynamic historically. Foucault focuses in particular on a change in our ideas about punishment like Nietzsche. In the first situation, where punishment is more â€Å"festival-like† as Nietzsche would say, the joy is not for the people as much as it is for a festival to... ... punishment of the old regime† (Foucault, 111) Here, Foucault is describing how the powerful used the guilty as an example for the viewers. I want to compare this to a death sentence that is fairly commonly used in America. When someone commits capital offense a gruesome act, the American government will use its authority to portray its power. I agree with Foucault idea when he states that the viewers will in fact learn a lesson by witnessing the power of government over its citizens. Nietzsche’s perception however illustrates that the spectators should view this act as a cheerful one rather than one to invoke power. I personally feel that using punishment as a technique to make spectators joyous does not solve the problem that needs to be solved. As a healthy moral human being I believe that punishing someone should never be used as an amusing and pleasurable view.

Benefits of Two Years Mandatory Military Service

With the present constant threat to national security and the many advantages that military service imparts to the individual, I take the position that every able-bodied citizen (male and female) should have a two-year military service. The first advantage of military service is that it pushes a man to develop personal discipline. In American society today, many youths were not able to develop any personal discipline (Armstrong, 2006). People who are undisciplined are usually the cause of trouble and more likely to commit many criminal offenses. That is because, people like them do not know how to take care of themselves and their society. They are lazy and just want to hang out in the streets and having nothing else to do, get themselves into drugs or other illegal activities. They are usually the ones who cannot find jobs or were constantly got fired.   In the end, they became a menace to society.   In reality, parents of this youths often cannot make them reform. Requiring this kind of people to enter military service for two years is the best means   for them to develop personal discipline, whether they like it or not. In military, failure to obey commands or follow rules means facing the corresponding military consequences. As I came from a military family (my dad, mom and step mom and three uncles are working in the military), I can attests that people from this service are well-disciplined individuals. Next, military service helps to â€Å"structure† a youth’s life. Most youths after high school will still be confused or unsure of what career to take in life. The underlying cause may be because they do not know themselves very well yet. They still do not know their strengths, weaknesses and what they really want in life. In short, their life still lacks â€Å"structure† from which to build a foundation. Having no compulsory military service to look forward to, these youths may waste their time with unnecessary experimentations, doing drugs or getting into close intimate relationships resulting to unwanted pregnancies (Armstrong, 2006). Mandatory military service will help these youths think of their options in life. In the military camps and training grounds, they will come to know their weaknesses, fears as well as strengths and the skill how to handle them. Free educational opportunities will also help them to get better acquainted with their interest and provide direction to their civilian life later on. Entering military service includes teaching     combat skills and survival methods (Armstrong, 2006).   The individual will come to know how to protect himself or others in danger. When he become a civilian later on, these skills will be helpful to ward off rapist, gang assaults, and other personal emergencies. He will also develop the skills how to be alert, to be able to detect suspicious activities around him. This is especially helpful in stopping or intercepting terrorist activities that is now constantly threatening the country. The military and the police had always wanted the civilian to cooperate and be on the alert regarding terrorism but most often than not the citizens were not of a much help due their ignorance or incapability. The best benefit of military service are the many lessons it will impart to the individual that may take a longer time to be learned   if he is   not in the military. He will get to have the chance to travel to many places and meet many kinds of people. He will learn independence, courage, self-determination, loyalty, responsibility and attention to details. Many men in history, US presidents specifically, made the right decisions because of the lessons they learned in the frontlines. For example, George Washington as a general knew the seriousness of the threat of British invasion, so that as a President in spite of much opposition to his decision he signed an unpopular treaty that prevented the British from ever successfully invading the country. Andrew Jackson was a major general who fought against the mighty British Army, and when he won, it had given him the courage to face other personal and political foes of his life. And lastly ( although there are still others), John F. Kennedy, as a lieutenant had acquired the ability to pay attention to details and how one slight mistake can cause larger problems .This attitude had helped him   make better decision during the Cuban missile crisis( Kliff, 2008). Many feared that to enlist in military service is to make an     early appointment with death. However, it must be understood that many men, young and old, died outside of military service. Their deaths were often due to lack of personal discipline. In fact, whatever disadvantage a man may think about military service, the advantages outweighs the disadvantages. Take for example the lessons he learned in two years in the frontlines. These briefly learned lessons will guide him throughout the many years of civilian life ahead of him. The conscript will become a better mother or father later on.   Aside from that, if military service is mandatory, the military will benefit because they will have many members who will protect the country and the millions of money originally allocated for recruitment will be channeled for training. The country, on the other hand, will benefit because its citizens will be well disciplined, mature, and able to defend themselves (Armstrong, 2006). References: 1.     Kliff, Sarah.(February 2008).   Lessons From the Front Line.   Newsweek. 151(6). 2. Williams, Armstrong. (June 2006).   Mandatory Military Service will Benefit the US. Newsmax. Retrieved February 14, 2008