A Rejoinder to the Ethnic Democracy Essay

This paper aims to prepare four separated short summary and response papers for four different articles on Culturally Responsive Teaching. 2. Analysis and Discussion The following are the short summary and response to each of the given articles: 2. 1. Preparing For Culturally Responsive Teaching by Gay (2002) The article discusses how to improve the success of ethically diverse students via culturally responsive teaching. The article tells also about the success of same kind of students by preparing teachers in preservice programs with the needed knowledge attitudes and skills. The article also examines the five essential elements of cultural responsive teaching which include developing knowledge based about cultural diversity that includes ethnic and cultural diversity content curriculum, demonstration of caring, building learning communities, communicating with ethically diverse students and responding to diversity in the delivery of instruction. The article has further defined culturally responsive teaching to be using what are already possessed by ethnically diverse students (ETS) as conduits for them to learn more effectively. These possessions may include the experiences, characteristics and perspectives. The author has assumed that the lived experiences of students may sit well as frames of references. This would therefore make the learning more meaningful, would create more appeal in terms of higher interest and students could learn more easily and thoroughly. The author has also previous researches to prove the result of higher academic achievements of ETS if there previous experiences are used in teaching them. This concept of learning is consistent with principle in learning – that starting from what is known would more easily to learning what is unknown. Rather than starting from the unknown by using the experiences of other cultures, the use of the previous experiences has its basis in common sense. There is basis to agree with the author in discussing how to improve the success of ethically diverse students via culturally responsive teaching by her exposing the needed elements of the program. As in any other program there are criteria to evaluate it success. By exposing the needed five essential elements of cultural responsive teaching, there would be good bases for evaluation the eventual success or failure of the program in terms of compliance of the criteria. In terms of internal consistency among the five elements, there is no valid reason to disagree with author on the obvious simplicity and applicability of presentation. To illustrate one element this paper uses developing knowledge based about cultural diversity and ethnic and cultural diversity content curriculum. Knowledge on cultural diversity is a requirement since it would amount to knowing the premises in the syllogism by viewing the same under the principles of logic. The idea of teaching under multicultural program is the promotion of integration. How would it be possible to know what needs to be integration without knowing the differences of diversity of cultures among students under the program? Doing the same acquisition of knowledge from diversity as part of the premises is also with the definition of the author on what is culturally responsive teaching which is using what are already possessed by ethnically diverse students as ways s for them to learn more successfully. Surely it would be easier to extract from students with their experiences, characteristics and perspectives which would be used as frames for reference. The author may have assumed rightly that doing so would give more meaning to student and could be more motivated to undergo the program. There is also basis to agree with author’s conclusion that culture has great influence on attitudes, values and behaviors that participants will bring in the process. It is the use of frame of reference that would also afford solution to problems in the future in the same way that will help them understand that what will eventually happen is a function what has happened already. 2. 2 Spirituality, Cultural identity, and Epistemology in Culturally Responsive Teaching in Higher Education, Multicultural Perspective, 8(3), pp 19-25 by Tisdell (2006) The article gives it focus in the connection of spirituality and cultural identity in relation to culturally responsive teachers under the higher education. It looks at the philosophical theory of knowledge which takes the position that research and teaching partakes of the natures of both intellectual and spiritual realms. Transforming the students is the aim under the multicultural teaching and to accomplish the same it should allow learners to explore and reclaim their own cultural identities. To reach this end, spirituality is appropriate in unlocking the cultural imagination and creativity of the students under the program. The profession or process of teaching for multicultural awareness described by author is to be for social justice and one that involves a complex process. It is also described as controversial, rewarding and intellectually stimulating. For a big number of teachers under the program including the author, teaching the student is a â€Å"work of passion† which forms part of life’s reason in creating greater social equity that would remind the teachers about being true to themselves who are also wrestling with their very own cultural identity in the same way that other authors taking part of the teaching under the program consists in making students grapple also with their cultural identity. It is therefore the act of reclaiming which involves a choice that makes the process of teaching considered both intellectually and spiritually. The author found that there is indeed connection of spirituality and cultural identity if the learners are assisted to engage on different levels of human experience. These levels of experience of course include the personal level, the cultural level, structural level, political level and the artistic levels done by cultural imagination. By so doing the chance that the education process will bring in the need transformative change is greater not only for learners but even for educators. Diversity in cultures could explain how groups of people differ in their behaviour and their values and hence many conflicts could actually be arising from diversity of cultures. To attempt therefore to bring commonality in diversity is a serious job that would require too much creativity and patience. Fortunately, human beings are thinking beings whose lives had with them spiritual dimensions which allow them to go beyond that legal or what is readily to be in conflict. No wonder teachers are actually also grappling with the cultural identify along the process of their teaching. What must be needed to reconcile things is deep sense of spirituality or an attitude of looking beyond what seems to irreconcilable. By injecting spiritual dimensions in the teaching of diversity of culture, there is strong basis to agree with the author that it could be transformative for the participants not only to the students but also the teacher. The teachers must be persons with deep sense of love for seeing beauty in diversity. Detach spirituality from man and his capacity to reconcile difficult issues is detached. Applying and taking advantage therefore of the power of spirituality to reconcile conflicting issues is a power within the capacity of man to reach and benefit from. The issue of diversity of culture has been accepted by many people and the effects of living together has produced many conceived possibilities which are worth learning and educators may amply make use of their capacity of spirituality to reach great heights. . 2. 3. Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers, Rethinking The Curriculum, Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 53, No. 1, January/February, 20-32 by Villegas and Lucas (2002), The article emphasizes the need to for teachers in articulating a vision of the reality of teaching and learning in a diverse society if the field of teacher education is to become successful. With that vision, the teachers would have to be guided in injecting multicultural issues while for the duration of the preservice curriculum. The vision of culturally responsive teachers will be socio-culturally conscious and will be affirming students’ different perspective from various backgrounds. Under the same vision, the teacher will take responsible and enabled to bring change for purpose of making schools more equitable and they also understand how knowledge are constructed with the view of further promoting knowledge construction. In addition the vision must allow the teachers to know about the lives of their students and that these teachers could continue designing instruction that edifies and improves from what the students already known or have built upon. The authors took the position that the preparation of teachers in a multicultural, the people who are given the tasks of helping these teachers must first set the direction by articulating a vision of diverse society where there is teaching and learning that are happening in the process. This vision is believed to make it conceptually coherent if these teachers are to be prepared for diversity. The author had in effect articulated a proposed vision which is characterized by six salient features as explained earlier. This vision will serve as framework to infuse and call attention to diversity while the teachers are involved in the educational curriculum prepared for the purpose. The elements of the vision will feed into the minds of the pre service teachers while undergoing the learning experiences. Together in fieldwork as well as in coursework the teachers will collectively cultivate the sublime characteristic of culturally responsive teachers. The authors of this article do not want their proposal be prescriptive. They proposed a need for dialogue to develop a group vision of teaching and learning in a multicultural society. They proposed a need to look at and evaluate and revise if necessary the present curriculum in a consonance with the collective vision that may be agreed upon. They also admit to the requirement to invest time in making coordination for the envisioned responsive teaching qualities to what can be found in the courses that they teach and field experiences that they offer. They admit the need to have professional development that will help them to model the responsive teaching qualities as would be found in the revised curriculum. They are in a sense saying the vision articulation which they propose to be collectively done will just constitute the start of the process in the long journey of educating under the multicultural program where students belong to diverse cultural backgrounds. . The first step if successful will therefore lead into integrating the vision in the education curriculum of the teachers and improving the capabilities to implement the said revised curriculum. This will also lead to more collaboration among teachers and administrators of the multicultural program. The authors are in effect making suggestions that would simplify the rather difficult task into manageable ones formidable task. However the suggested cannot be considered to be very easy as viewed by the authors since the framework that they are proposing will still require negotiation with present social and political structures and contexts. 2. 4. Learning Who We (and They) Are: Popular Culture as Pedagogy by Guy (2007) The article aims to discuss the popular culture becoming a major educational project, or the means through which people learn. The author also recommended that population culture is capable of being used in learning race, class or gender issues. He asserted that population culture can power shape people and be used to challenge structured inequalities and social injustices. He also argued that those educating the adults via pop culture can be an effective way of educational strategies by asserting critical position toward population culture. Population culture or pop culture is defined as â€Å"culture of the masses† as distinguished from higher culture. The author started his article by reflecting on the meaning of education as forwarded by Benjamin Mays, a well known teacher and college president in Atlanta. He particularly used May’s statement about man’s having to live his dreams, his ideals and what he aspires to be. In other words, according to Mays, living not by bread alone or taking inspiration from one’s spiritual life is very much important. It is therefore in the attainment of self knowledge and understanding one’s life purpose where one discovers the vital goal of education. Yet, the high-technology world has answered critical or important questions of using population culture as a means via the mass media. The author has seen how population culture was used in advertising and the fact that it is used is uncontrollable already in the lives of many people, has recommended therefore the use of the same in learning culture or issues of race, class or gender. He cited authors arguing that media has shaped people’s ideas about race through cultural production of meaning. He cited abundant pieces evidence of how social cultures are made again using media. He therefore cited other author’s work producing evidence of cultural meanings delivered through cinema, music, video, TV, radio and Video. It could be therefore easy to agree with the points raised by the author considering that the issue of population culture is easily accessible to many. There is such a thing what is desired by great number of people or what is popular has an effect of influencing attitudes. The author therefore emphasized the important role player of population culture in teaching students. He however warned of multiple interpretations of meanings that producers, consumers, educators of adult and adult learners take. To accomplish the goals of teaching, he recommended the employing activities and strategies as used in this article. As an example, when confronted with multiple interpretations of meanings conveyed by pop culture in race, gender and class, he advocates an attitude of developing a critical analysis and awareness of the ways that attitudes or behaviours may be constrained, controlled or on the other hand, liberated, created and expanded In whatever ways the population culture may be taken a strategy to teach issues on gender, class and race, the author emphasized about the importance of the goal which should establish imaginative and nourishing relationships with other people while encouraging them to live harmoniously and cooperatively. It is by this context that the author drives May’s statement that human has to live in accordance with ideas and unattainable goals. On the principle that the world has become a great nations of democracies which gives the power to the influence of many, it will not be hard to agree as well with the author that the use of pop culture to effect changes in attitudes and values of people through education is an ideal that is easy to accept as what the authors argues about in this paper. References: Gay (2002), Preparing For Culturally Responsive Teaching, Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 53, No. 2, March/April, pp. 106-116 Guy (2007), Learning Who We (and They) Are: Popular Culture as Pedagogy, New Direc1ions For Adult and Continuing Education, no. 115 Tisdell (2006), Spirituality, Cultural identity, and Epistemology in Culturally Responsive Teaching in Higher Education, Multicultural Perspective, 8(3), pp 19-25 Villegas and Lucas (2002), Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers Rethinking The Curriculum, Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 53, No. 1, January/February, 20-32

The Host Chapter 4: Dreamed

It is too dark to be so hot, or maybe too hot to be so dark. One of the two is out of place. I crouch in the darkness behind the weak protection of a scrubby creosote bush, sweating out all the water left in my body. It's been fifteen minutes since the car left the garage. No lights have come on. The arcadia door is open two inches, letting the swamp cooler do its job. I can imagine the feel of the moist, cool air blowing through the screen. I wish it could reach me here. My stomach gurgles, and I clench my abdominal muscles to stifle the sound. It is quiet enough that the murmur carries. I am so hungry. There is another need that is stronger-another hungry stomach hidden safely far away in the darkness, waiting alone in the rough cave that is our temporary home. A cramped place, jagged with volcanic rock. What will he do if I don't come back? All the pressure of motherhood with none of the knowledge or experience. I feel so hideously helpless. Jamie is hungry. There are no other houses close to this one. I've been watching since the sun was still white hot in the sky, and I don't think there is a dog, either. I ease up from my crouch, my calves screaming in protest, but keep hunched at the waist, trying to be smaller than the bush. The way up the wash is smooth sand, a pale pathway in the light of the stars. There are no sounds of cars on the road. I know what they will realize when they return, the monsters who look like a nice couple in their early fifties. They will know exactly what I am, and the search will begin at once. I need to be far away. I really hope they are going out for a night on the town. I think it's Friday. They keep our habits so perfectly, it's hard to see any difference. Which is how they won in the first place. The fence around the yard is only waist high. I get over easily, noiselessly. The yard is gravel, though, and I have to walk carefully to keep my weight from shifting it. I make it to the patio slab. The blinds are open. The starlight is enough to see that the rooms are empty of movement. This couple goes for a spartan look, and I'm grateful. It makes it harder for someone to hide. Of course, that leaves no place for me to hide, either, but if it comes to hiding for me, it's too late anyway. I ease the screen door open first, and then the glass door. Both glide silently. I place my feet carefully on the tile, but this is just out of habit. No one is waiting for me here. The cool air feels like heaven. The kitchen is to my left. I can see the gleam of granite counters. I pull the canvas bag from my shoulder and start with the refrigerator. There is a moment of anxiety as the light comes on when the door opens, but I find the button and hold it down with my toe. My eyes are blind. I don't have time to let them adjust. I go by feel. Milk, cheese slices, leftovers in a plastic bowl. I hope it's the chicken-and-rice thing I watched him cooking for dinner. We'll eat this tonight. Juice, a bag of apples. Baby carrots. These will stay good till morning. I hurry to the pantry. I need things that will keep longer. I can see better as I gather as much as I can carry. Mmm, chocolate chip cookies. I'm dying to open the bag right now, but I grit my teeth and ignore the twist of my empty stomach. The bag gets heavy too quickly. This will last us only a week, even if we're careful with it. And I don't feel like being careful; I feel like gorging. I shove granola bars into my pockets. One more thing. I hurry to the sink and refill my canteen. Then I put my head under the flow and gulp straight from the stream. The water makes odd noises when it hits my hollow stomach. I start to feel panicked now that my job is done. I want to be out of here. Civilization is deadly. I watch the floor on my way out, worried about tripping with my heavy bag, which is why I don't see the silhouetted black figure on the patio until my hand is on the door. I hear his mumbled oath at the same time that a stupid squeak of fear escapes my mouth. I spin to sprint for the front door, hoping the locks are not latched, or at least not difficult. I don't even get two steps before rough, hard hands grab my shoulders and wrench me back against his body. Too big, too strong to be a woman. The bass voice proves me right. â€Å"One sound and you die,† he threatens gruffly. I am shocked to feel a thin, sharp edge pushing into the skin under my jaw. I don't understand. I shouldn't be given a choice. Who is this monster? I've never heard of one who would break rules. I answer the only way I can. â€Å"Do it,† I spit through my teeth. â€Å"Just do it. I don't want to be a filthy parasite!† I wait for the knife, and my heart is aching. Each beat has a name. Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. What will happen to you now? â€Å"Clever,† the man mutters, and it doesn't sound like he's speaking to me. â€Å"Must be a Seeker. And that means a trap. How did they know?† The steel disappears from my throat, only to be replaced by a hand as hard as iron. I can barely breathe under his grip. â€Å"Where are the rest of them?† he demands, squeezing. â€Å"It's just me!† I rasp. I can't lead him to Jamie. What will Jamie do when I don't come back? Jamie is hungry! I throw my elbow into his gut-and this really hurts. His stomach muscles are as iron hard as the hand. Which is very strange. Muscles like that are the product of hard living or obsession, and the parasites have neither. He doesn't even suck in a breath at my blow. Desperate, I jab my heel into his instep. This catches him off guard, and he wobbles. I wrench away, but he grabs hold of my bag, yanking me back into his body. His hand clamps down on my throat again. â€Å"Feisty for a peace-loving body snatcher, aren't you?† His words are nonsensical. I thought the aliens were all the same. I guess they have their nut jobs, too, after all. I twist and claw, trying to break his hold. My nails catch his arm, but this just makes him tighten his hold on my throat. â€Å"I will kill you, you worthless body thief. I'm not bluffing.† â€Å"Do it, then!† Suddenly he gasps, and I wonder if any of my flailing limbs have made contact. I don't feel any new bruises. He lets go of my arm and grabs my hair. This must be it. He's going to cut my throat. I brace for the slice of the knife. But the hand on my throat eases up, and then his fingers are fumbling on the back of my neck, rough and warm on my skin. â€Å"Impossible,† he breathes. Something hits the floor with a thud. He's dropped the knife? I try to think of a way to get it. Maybe if I fall. The hand on my neck isn't tight enough to keep me from yanking free. I think I heard where the blade landed. He spins me around suddenly. There is a click, and light blinds my left eye. I gasp and automatically try to twist away from it. His hand tightens in my hair. The light flickers to my right eye. â€Å"I can't believe it,† he whispers. â€Å"You're still human.† His hands grab my face from both sides, and before I can pull free, his lips come down hard on mine. I'm frozen for half a second. No one has ever kissed me in my life. Not a real kiss. Just my parents' pecks on the cheek or forehead, so many years ago. This is something I thought I would never feel. I'm not sure exactly what it feels like, though. There's too much panic, too much terror, too much adrenaline. I jerk my knee up in a sharp thrust. He chokes out a wheezing sound, and I'm free. Instead of running for the front of the house again like he expects, I duck under his arm and leap through the open door. I think I can outrun him, even with my load. I've got a head start, and he's still making pained noises. I know where I'm going-I won't leave a path he can see in the dark. I never dropped the food, and that's good. I think the granola bars are a loss, though. â€Å"Wait!† he yells. Shut up, I think, but I don't yell back. He's running after me. I can hear his voice getting closer. â€Å"I'm not one of them!† Sure. I keep my eyes on the sand and sprint. My dad used to say I ran like a cheetah. I was the fastest on my track team, state champion, back before the end of the world. â€Å"Listen to me!† He's still yelling at full volume. â€Å"Look! I'll prove it. Just stop and look at me!† Not likely. I pivot off the wash and flit through the mesquites. â€Å"I didn't think there was anyone left! Please, I need to talk to you!† His voice surprises me-it is too close. â€Å"I'm sorry I kissed you! That was stupid! I've just been alone so long!† â€Å"Shut up!† I don't say it loudly, but I know he hears. He's getting even closer. I've never been outrun before. I push my legs harder. There's a low grunt to his breathing as he speeds up, too. Something big flies into my back, and I go down. I taste dirt in my mouth, and I'm pinned by something so heavy I can hardly breathe. â€Å"Wait. A. Minute,† he huffs. He shifts his weight and rolls me over. He straddles my chest, trapping my arms under his legs. He is squishing my food. I growl and try to squirm out from under him. â€Å"Look, look, look!† he says. He pulls a small cylinder from his hip pocket and twists the top. A beam of light shoots out the end. He turns the flashlight on his face. The light makes his skin yellow. It shows prominent cheekbones beside a long thin nose and a sharply squared-off jaw. His lips are stretched into a grin, but I can see that they are full, for a man. His eyebrows and lashes are bleached out from sun. But that's not what he is showing me. His eyes, clear liquid sienna in the illumination, shine with no more than human reflection. He bounces the light between left and right. â€Å"See? See? I'm just like you.† â€Å"Let me see your neck.† Suspicion is thick in my voice. I don't let myself believe that this is more than a trick. I don't understand the point of the charade, but I'm sure there is one. There is no hope anymore. His lips twist. â€Å"Well†¦ That won't exactly help anything. Aren't the eyes enough? You know I'm not one of them.† â€Å"Why won't you show me your neck?† â€Å"Because I have a scar there,† he admits. I try to squirm out from under him again, and his hand pins my shoulder. â€Å"It's self-inflicted,† he explains. â€Å"I think I did a pretty good job, though it hurt like hell. I don't have all that pretty hair to cover my neck. The scar helps me blend in.† â€Å"Get off me.† He hesitates, then gets to his feet in one easy move, not needing to use his hands. He holds one out, palm up, to me. â€Å"Please don't run away. And, um, I'd rather you didn't kick me again, either.† I don't move. I know he can catch me if I try to run. â€Å"Who are you?† I whisper. He smiles wide. â€Å"My name is Jared Howe. I haven't spoken to another human being in more than two years, so I'm sure I must seem†¦ a little crazy to you. Please, forgive that and tell me your name, anyway.† â€Å"Melanie,† I whisper. â€Å"Melanie,† he repeats. â€Å"I can't tell you how delighted I am to meet you.† I grip my bag tightly, keeping my eyes on him. He reaches his hand down toward me slowly. And I take it. It isn't until I see my hand curl voluntarily around his that I realize I believe him. He helps me to my feet and doesn't release my hand when I'm up. â€Å"What now?† I ask guardedly. â€Å"Well, we can't stay here for long. Will you come back with me to the house? I left my bag. You beat me to the fridge.† I shake my head. He seems to realize how brittle I am, how close to breaking. â€Å"Will you wait for me here, then?† he asks in a gentle voice. â€Å"I'll be very quick. Let me get us some more food.† â€Å"Us?† â€Å"Do you really think I'm going to let you disappear? I'll follow you even if you tell me not to.† I don't want to disappear from him. â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  How can I not trust another human completely? We're family-both part of the brotherhood of extinction. â€Å"I don't have time. I have so far to go and†¦ Jamie is waiting.† â€Å"You're not alone,† he realizes. His expression shows uncertainty for the first time. â€Å"My brother. He's just nine, and he's so frightened when I'm away. It will take me half the night to get back to him. He won't know if I've been caught. He's so hungry.† As if to make my point, my stomach growls loudly. Jared's smile is back, brighter than before. â€Å"Will it help if I give you a ride?† â€Å"A ride?† I echo. â€Å"I'll make you a deal. You wait here while I gather more food, and I'll take you anywhere you want to go in my jeep. It's faster than running-even faster than you running.† â€Å"You have a car?† â€Å"Of course. Do you think I walked out here?† I think of the six hours it took me to walk here, and my forehead furrows. â€Å"We'll be back to your brother in no time,† he promises. â€Å"Don't move from this spot, okay?† I nod. â€Å"And eat something, please. I don't want your stomach to give us away.† He grins, and his eyes crinkle up, fanning lines out of the corners. My heart gives one hard thump, and I know I will wait here if it takes him all night. He is still holding my hand. He lets go slowly, his eyes not leaving mine. He takes a step backward, then pauses. â€Å"Please don't kick me,† he pleads, leaning forward and grabbing my chin. He kisses me again, and this time I feel it. His lips are softer than his hands, and hot, even in the warm desert night. A flock of butterflies riots in my stomach and steals my breath. My hands reach for him instinctively. I touch the warm skin of his cheek, the rough hair on his neck. My fingers skim over a line of puckered skin, a raised ridge right beneath the hairline. I scream. I woke up covered in sweat. Even before I was all the way awake, my fingers were on the back of my neck, tracing the short line left from the insertion. I could barely detect the faint pink blemish with my fingertips. The medicines the Healer had used had done their job. Jared's poorly healed scar had never been much of a disguise. I flicked on the light beside my bed, waiting for my breathing to slow, veins full of adrenaline from the realistic dream. A new dream, but in essence so much the same as the many others that had plagued me in the past months. No, not a dream. Surely a memory. I could still feel the heat of Jared's lips on mine. My hands reached out without my permission, searching across the rumpled sheet, looking for something they did not find. My heart ached when they gave up, falling to the bed limp and empty. I blinked away the unwelcome moisture in my eyes. I didn't know how much more of this I could stand. How did anyone survive this world, with these bodies whose memories wouldn't stay in the past where they should? With these emotions that were so strong I couldn't tell what I felt anymore? I was going to be exhausted tomorrow, but I felt so far from sleep that I knew it would be hours before I could relax. I might as well do my duty and get it over with. Maybe it would help me take my mind off things I'd rather not think about. I rolled off the bed and stumbled to the computer on the otherwise empty desk. It took a few seconds for the screen to glow to life, and another few seconds to open my mail program. It wasn't hard to find the Seeker's address; I only had four contacts: the Seeker, the Healer, my new employer, and his wife, my Comforter. There was another human with my host, Melanie Stryder. I typed, not bothering with a greeting. His name is Jamie Stryder; he is her brother. For a panicked moment, I wondered at her control. All this time, and I'd never even guessed at the boy's existence-not because he didn't matter to her, but because she protected him more fiercely than other secrets I'd unraveled. Did she have more secrets this big, this important? So sacred that she kept them even from my dreams? Was she that strong? My fingers trembled as I keyed the rest of the information. I think he's a young adolescent now. Perhaps thirteen. They were living in a temporary camp, and I believe it was north of the town of Cave Creek, in Arizona. That was several years ago, though. Still, you could compare a map to the lines I remembered before. As always, I'll tell you if I get anything more. I sent it off. As soon as it was gone, terror washed through me. Not Jamie! Her voice in my head was as clear as my own spoken aloud. I shuddered in horror. Even as I struggled with the fear of what was happening, I was gripped with the insane desire to e-mail the Seeker again and apologize for sending her my crazy dreams. To tell her I was half asleep and to pay no attention to the silly message I'd sent. The desire was not my own. I shut off the computer. I hate you, the voice snarled in my head. â€Å"Then maybe you should leave,† I snapped. The sound of my voice, answering her aloud, made me shudder again. She hadn't spoken to me since the first moments I'd been here. There was no doubt that she was getting stronger. Just like the dreams. And there was no question about it; I was going to have to visit my Comforter tomorrow. Tears of disappointment and humiliation welled in my eyes at the thought. I went back to bed, put a pillow over my face, and tried to think of nothing at all.

JCS Technology Essay

I. Introduction JCS Technology is a small IT company that is owned by Steve Puzder. Steve employs ten employees of which six are full time, two are part time, and two are contractors. JCS Technology has been in business for 5 years. All the employees have been with JCS Technology for 5 years. The six full time employees are paid an hourly rate along with completion bonuses, the part time employees are paid an hourly rate, and the contractors are paid per job along with completion bonuses. JCS Technology has a small office and most of the work is done outside of the office. There is one full time person in the office all the rest of the employees work 95% of their time outside the office. Employees are paid every week with monthly bonuses. The IT field is always changing therefore JCS Technology offers education reimbursement which also includes any tests that need to be taken to get certifications that will keep the employees up to date in their skills. Each employee has a company issued laptop and cell phone. Flex scheduling is also offered along with one week paid vacation. We are going to look at adding paid mileage as most employees have to travel to get to the job site and the job site can change more than once a day. We will also look at medical care as we don’t know what is going to happen with Obama Care. Then lastly we are going to look at a 401k. All of JCS Technology’s employees are fairly young so we are going to see what it is going to take to make this company grow as they grow. I. Statement of Issues JCS Technology is a very small and young company which does not have a very high profit margin. Along with being a young company the employees are also young and all single males. With only ten employees and six of them are full-time Steve has not researched a benefit package other than the things that are needed to perform the tasks to complete their job. After looking at three other small IT companies JCS Technology seems to offer about the same benefits as his competitors. I did find that most IT companies do offer some type of car allowance as there is a lot of travel time. I did a survey of all the employees that Steve employs and found that there are some benefits that the employees would like to see and others that are not of immediate concern. I asked the employees to rank a group of benefits in order of importance to them. These benefits include more vacation time, flex scheduling, car allowance, health care, bonuses, and a retirement plan. II. Literature Review There is a wide range of benefits that may be offered such as educational, family, lifestyle, recreational, retirement, savings, and transportation. Other benefits that are mandatory are Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, COBRA, and FMLA. Benefits are incentives to attract and keep good employees and are also a way of meeting the needs and wants of employees. Another role of benefits is to provide income protection to workers lacking income. Five principal types of income protection delivered by benefits are: (1) disability income replacement, (2) medical expense reimbursement, (3) retirement income replacement, (4) involuntary unemployment income replacement, and (5) replacement income for survivors. (Dave Mote, 2011) Many consumers make random choices, follow the advice of others, or pick a plan that may include a particular medical group. A survey was conducted of 1,800 enrollees and patient in Iowa. It was conducted by the Health Institute at the New England Medical Center Hospitals, Boston, with a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation. None of the plans received excellent ratings.†I think we’re headed toward more consumer choice among competing health plans, and the choice will be largely determined by survey results such as this one,† says Paul Pietzsch, HPCI president. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa are reviewing the study and would like participate in another study but would like to revise some of the questions. [ (Bergman, 1993) ] Do consumer-driven health care plans offer a more affordable health care plan? Myth has it that CDH plans do not reduce the costs but rather shifts them. Data found that there was almost a 14% difference in favor of the CDH plans he study also showed that CDH plans do not â€Å"cherry pick† the youngest, healthiest, and richest. The data also shows that enrollment in CDH covers healthy along with chronically ill. It also looked at two chronic conditions and showed that the medical costs tend to less for customers of a CDH plan. [ (Reindl, 2010) ] III. Issue Analysis JCS Technology is a small company that does not offer any health care plans. Steve feels that he is a small company and cannot afford offer this type of benefit. With Obama care in the near future we looked at if heath care is something that can be offered now or in the near future. Right now the tax credit is 35 percent of the cost that a company paid premiums that increasing to 50 percent in 2014. After interviewing the six full time employees of JCS Technology I found that health care is not a major concern of the men right now. Bob, Joe, and Sam being the oldest of the group stated that they would like to have some type of retirement plan verses health care. Jesse, Cody, and Richard being the youngest of the group stated that they would like more vacation time. Over half the guys said they would like a fitness program. All of the employees stated that they would like a car allowance as there is a lot of travel time involved in their jobs. IV. Issue Analysis We are going to look into maybe offering AFLAC in the place of health care coverage right now. The employees are being paid a modest pay for the size of the company, but the men have expressed that they are not really sure about pay anything towards health care at this time. We have time before Obama care goes into effect so the men will begin to look more heavily at heath care next year maybe in place of the bonuses that they are getting right now. Since all the employees have been with the company for five years we will look at adding one more week of vacation also we may also give the men an opportunity to buy extra vacation days. We are going to look at the gas mileage that each of the employees are getting with their car and look at getting a company gas card for the crew to use. If the gas mileage is low on average then we will figure out a fair amount to pay per mile that each employee drives on monthly bases. Next we are going to look into a fitness program for the employees. Since all the employees are young and male we are going to hire a nutritionist and add a quit smoking program. We are going to check the local recreation center and the local gyms to get the best offer for memberships for all the employees this will also include the part-time employees. V Issue Solutions After some research we have found that there is wide range of health care programs. Rather than try to set up a company program we looked at individual plans. The plans run from 93 dollars a month for a very high deductable ($10,000) to $610 a month for a low deductable. The men are young and healthy, but are on the road for about 30% of their time. It would be nice if the men had a health care plan just in case but do we offer the high deductable with the company paying the premium or offer a lower deductable with the employees paying part of the premium. When questioning the men they did not want to give up any pay to get better health benefits. If the company stops the bonus program then there is room for some health care. If we stop the bonus program the men will be up-set as each one of them as expressed that they do not want to give up any money for health care. Bob, Jesse, Richard, and Cody said that they would really like a fitness program, Frank, Sam, Terry, and Jack said that they would like a car allowance of some kind. All the men expect for Richard and Bob would like more vacation time. None of the men are interested in a retirement plan. Five of the men smoke and only two would like to quit. With little impact to the bottom line we can add a fitness program. For the men that wish to quit smoking we are going to offer them and incentive to reward them upon them completing one year of non-smoking. VI Solution and its Implementation I have found it hard to work out a plan that all the men would be happy with. With an annual salary of $50,000 plus a year the men are quite happy the way things are as far as their salary goes. As of January 1, 2012 the company will no longer be offering completion bonuses which will equal to about $5,000 a year. Each man will be offered a yearly membership to the gym of their choice. The men that smoke will be offered help to quit smoking. We have decide that if the men are interested in a health care plan that they can get one on their own and the company will pay 50% of the premium up to $3,000 a year. Each of the men will be given a $100 a month gas allowance as we found that each person drives about 500 miles a month. Those employees that choose not to get health insurance the company will reimburse 50% of their car insurance as a replacement. We have decided not to add any more paid vacation time at this present time but we are going to offer a buy vacation time: each employee will be able to buy three vacation days at the rate of $50 per pay period. The men are giving up a little when it comes to the bonus that they will not longer receive but Steve and I feel that we have come up with a plan that everyone can live with. VII Justification Steve really wanted to try and offer his men the best things that he could and things that would make a difference to each one of the men. The men that work for Steve are like family to him and he tries to make his company one that each man can take pride in working for. We fell that we took what each person had to say and applied it to the decisions that we made. The men really did not want to give up any cash that they were making but we think that what we are offering will make up any money that we may have taken away. We looked to see what the changes would cost the company and the benefits to each the company and the employees and feel that we did the best for everyone. VIII Reflection Meeting with Steve and his employees was very enjoyable. I have not had the chance to meet with a company and discuss things that could change a year or more of a person’s life. The thought of making life changing decisions for someone else is pretty scary. You try to make everyone happy but you can’t you have to make the best decisions for the company. If you make the wrong choices for the company it could be devastating. I have learned that it would be wonderful if you could please everyone which for a small company like the one that I looked at it may be possible but not probable. Large companies have to look at the bottom line where I think that some smaller companies may have lee way in their thinking. All the men that work for Steve were get in giving me their honest feed back about what they would have like see happen with their benefits. I had to take a step back and stop and think what was best for the company in the end. I wanted to give the men what they were asking for but then I knew it was my job to do the best thing for the company. I know that it was a small company that I worked with and a larger company is going to have more issues to look at and I look forward to the day that I can put to work what I have learned in this class and doing this project. I know that my research will not end here because there are so many more benefits that I want to take a closer look at. Such as the tax credits for health care and other credits that larger companies receive.

Case Study of The Deepwater Horizon Disaster Essay

Case Study of The Deepwater Horizon Disaster - Essay Example decision makers have to consider several tensions; for instance, individuals against profits, or short against long term rewards, so as to account for the various decision points of the diverse stakeholders. The management of BP illustrated that the company the development and also safety of the societies in their areas of operation. Safety is achieved through aiming for minimal accidents and harm to individuals, and also minimal environmental damage. Present companies generally explain that they serve the best interests of stakeholders. The companies stress the â€Å"triple bottom line† illustrating people, planet and then profits. These companies also emphasize good corporate citizenship in their societies, and ensure sustainability through safeguarding long term assets like environment and employees. But, this desired rhetoric cannot be achieved without the formulation of strategic decisions which reflects corporate social responsibility. Decisions illustrates where company rhetoric is transformed into practical reality, through implementation. Ethical decision making entails less complicated processes. Organizational structures or routines can develop organizational culture that render activities common sense, require less or no decisions. Company decisions are mainly among competing â€Å"goods† like short term against long term interests, proven systems against innovation, and reducing different categories of risks. This 2010 case study that analyzes deepwater horizon and Macondo well explosion, illustrates good example of ethical decision making complexities (Liu, 2011). On 20th April, 2010, leaking gas and oil from the Macondo exploratory site reached the overhead deepwater rig, and resulted in an explosion, and eventually the well blowout. The explosion resulted in the death of 11 individuals, the injury of 16 people, and traumatizing experience of 99 survivors. The blowout discharged approximately 5 million oil barrels for more than 87 days. Several

Hypertension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hypertension - Essay Example This is not a condition which can be treated lightly. If you have Hypertension, you have to get it treated. You ignore it only at your peril. Doctors think that many things combine to cause Hypertension2. Hypertension can be caused by other illnesses and it is often cured once the original medical problem is cured Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition and the symptoms just show chronically high blood pressure. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of another condition, such as kidney disease or tumors, Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, and eating too much salt, stress ,genetics, older age, family history of high blood pressure , chronic kidney disease and adrenal and thyroid disorders are risk factors because they raise your risk of having hypertension. They do not cause it directly but they can contribute to it and if not watched can aggravate it.. It is interesting to know, that while you cannot accuse a disease of being racist or sexist, if you are an African American you are more likely to get Hyperte nsion. If you are a pregnant woman you are again more susceptible to it. These are things which can't be ignored and many times these risk factors can add up and can be even more dangerous. A pregnant African American woman may need to look at the possibility of hypertension with that much more care. Now it does not mean that if you have any of these you are likely to get hypertension and that if you have none of these, that you won't get hypertension. It just means that if you have any of the above risk factors, you should make an effort to take precautions. Statistics on Hypertension The number of people suffering from Hypertension in the United States is staggering. In reports given by the department of Health, the percent of non-institutionalized adults ages 20 and over is 29% (2001-2004)3. That is more than one out of every four adults has Hypertension. This is a staggering number. And this is not some benign number either. This is a number which directly translates into fatalities. The number of deaths in 2004 was 23,076. In other words deaths per 100,000 populations are 7.9. These are real and frightening numbers. Symptoms of Hypertension Now, how would one know if they have hypertension There are usually no symptoms or signs of hypertension. In fact, nearly one-third of those who have it don't know it. The only way to know if you have hypertension definitely is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including, Severe headache , Fatigue or confusion , Vision problems , Chest pain , difficulty breathing , Irregular heartbeat Blood in the urine . People often think that High Blood Pressure is dangerous and while very often it is true, we deal with high blood pressure constantly on a daily basis. Blood pressure goes up in all people during periods of stress or exercise. But avoiding stress will not prevent high blood pressure. You can have High Blood Pressure even though you are usually a calm, relaxed person. High Blood pressure is fairly common and that is precisely why, everyone

The Doctrine of Acte Clair in the Context of National Courts Research Paper

The Doctrine of Acte Clair in the Context of National Courts - Research Paper Example A national court can ask the CJ questions pertaining to the interpretation of the EU charter. It can also ask the CJ to give rulings on the interpretation of the Treaty and Acts of the EU institutions. The CJ can be asked questions on the validity of Acts of the EU institutions - not on the validity of the Treaty through, or be asked to give rulings on such Acts. In practice, as only the CJ can rule on the invalidity of EU law, any such question must be referred to it by the concerned national court. This function of the CJ is enshrined in the EU charter. Art 256(3) TFEU (Art 225(3)EC: Art 168(a) EEC) specifies the General court’s authority that it shall have the ‘†¦jurisdiction to hear and determine questions referred for a preliminary ruling under Art 267 TFEU, in specific areas†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Moreover, CJ can only interpret EU law. It cannot interpret national law nor pass comment on the compatibility of national law with EU law. A good example can be found in th e case of 6/64 Costa v ENEL [1964] ECR 585. If CJ is asked a question raising the compatibility of national law with EU law, it has the duty to reformulate the question into one just of EU law – see eg26/62 Van Gend en Loos [1963] ECR 1. In C221/89 ex p Factortame [1992] QB 680. Nevertheless, even though expressed in abstract terms, the CJ gives a clear ruling that UK law is incompatible with EU law. Additionally, the CJ can only rule on the interpretation of EU law, not on the application of it by the national court in the particular case. However, often the guidance given by the CJ is so specific that it equates to the application, for example as seen in C392/93 R v HM Treasury ex p BT[1996] ECR I 1631.

The Long War Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Long War - Movie Review Example However, there may never have been any need for such surveillance in the first place if the US had never underestimated al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations. The line of thought of the United States is that since there were not many al-Qaeda members, they constituted little or no threats, so shouldn’t be monitored so much. This held until al-Qaeda, through the September 11 attack, proved what they were capable of. There were many options that could have been explored by the United States but they explored hard power more than they explored soft power. The application of coercion has not led to a reduction in the number of terrorist organisations and their members; it has, on the other hand increased their number. Rather than continually use coercion, Mark Sageman, one of the panellists, thinks the US could have relied more on negotiation, law enforcement and some political mechanisms. It must also be mentioned that the US seems not to be well informed to know that the Ta liban is very much different from al-Qaeda. Sometimes, rather than wage war on al-Qaeda, war is waged on the Taliban. Actually, in the opinion of Lawrence Wright of the Centre for Law and Security, al-Qaeda is not the enemy, Taliban is. The US indirectly encourages the merging of the two.