A Look into the Watergate Affair Essay -- Politics American History Ri

A Look into the Watergate Affair The Watergate Affair, is the worst political scandal in U.S. history. It led to the resignation of the president, Richard M. Nixon, after he became implicated in an attempt to cover up the scandal. â€Å"The Watergate Affair† refers to the break-in and electronic bugging in 1972, of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate apartment, and office building complex in Washington D.C. The term was applied to several related scandals. More than thirty administration officials, campaign officials, and financial contributors pleaded guilty or were found guilty of breaking the law. Nixon faced possible indictment after his resignation, received from his successor, Gerald Ford, a full pardon for all of his offenses he may or had committed (Branford 2). In 1971, Nixon created the Special Investigation Unit, know as the â€Å"plumbers†, their job was to plug all new leaks. Later that year, his agents broke into the office of Dr. Lewis Feilding, and Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, who had given copies of the Pentagon Papers, a secret account of U.S. involvement in Indochina, to newspapers. After Nixon learned of the break-in, he and his top advisors decided to say that the break-in had been carried out for naitonal security reasons(Watergate 3). Later in 1971, H.R. Haldeman, Nixon’s chief of staff, was notified by an assistant, Gordon Stachan, that the U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell and John Dean, counsel to the president, had discussed the need to develop a â€Å"political intelligence capability† at the Committee for Reelection of the President(CRP). Some of the personnel and tactics identified with the activities became associated with efforts aimed at the Democrats. In early 1972, Mitchell assumed a new positio n as director of the CRP and discussed political espionage plans with Dean. Mitchell also provided the proposal to break-in to the Watergate(Branford 3). On June 17, 1972, police arrested five men at the DNC headquarters. The men were adjusting electronic equipment that they had installed in May. One of the men arrested was James McCord, security coordinator for the CRP(Watergate 3). Ehrlichman was ordered to destroy incriminating documents and tapes. Then L. Patrick Gray resigned as acting director of the FBI, later admitting he had destroyed documents given to him by Ehrlichman and Dean. On June 23, 1972, Nix... ...dited version that Nixon would submit to the Grand Jury and to the Senate. One tape contained an 18 minute gap, that gave confusing testimony on how the gap might have occurred. Electronic experts found that someone must have deliberately destroyed evidence. On March 1, 1974 seven former aides to the president; Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, Colson, Strachan, Robert Mardian, and Kenneth Parkinson, were indicted for conspiring to hinder the Watergate investigation. Colson pleaded guilty, and Strachan’s charges were dropped. The remaining five went on to trial in October 1974 and January 1, 1975, all but Parkinson were found guilty. In late July the House committee approved three articles of impeachment(Carson 2). Shortly thereafter James St. Clair, the president’s lawyer, learned that one of the 64 tapes that Nixon had been compelled to surrender was the June 23, 1972, conversation with Haldeman in which Nixon sought to thwart the FBI investigation. He insisted that Nixon publish the tape. Nixon did so, and his support in congress virtually disappeared. Facing certain impeachment and removal from office, Nixon resigned, effective at noon August 9, 1974(Watergate 4).

Introduction to Banking Essay

1) Outline three ways in which the behavior of the financial system could affect the level of aggregate demand in the economy. The creation of liquid assets, the expansion of banking and money and the changes in people’s financial wealth are three ways by which the financial system could affect the level of aggregate demand in the economy. For a real economy to expand, liquidity of assets is a requirement and the availability of liquid assets increases the aggregate demand in the economy as consumers have easy access to cash when needed as liquid assets are assets that can be easily converted into cash. The expansion of banking and money also affects the level of aggregate demand in a positive way. The availability of proper banking systems which include financial intermediation increases the aggregate demand in the economy as people would be encouraged to spend and invest. Depending on the economy’s situation, changes in people’s financial wealth can have either a positive or negative on aggregate demand. Suppose the economy was experiencing a boom, the level of income and expenditure would be high and people would tend to spend more as a result of an increase in the aggregate demand. However, if the economy was going through a recession, the opposite would occur leading to a decline in spending thus a decrease in aggregate demand. 2) Suppose that prices in the US stock market suffer a major collapse. What effect would you expect this to have upon the rest of the US economy and the economies of other developed countries? As a reflection to what has happened in January 2001 when the FTSE-100 index of stock prices fell by 50%, the US economy, economies of other countries and people within the US were greatly affected by this fall in prices. Possible effects would include central bank’s around the world lowering interest rates, aggregate demand would decline, saving would increase since people would become very reluctant to invest in stocks, people committed to paying pensions would find that their investments would no longer support  their payments. 3) Why does a company’s share price matter in a takeover battle? If you were the financial director of the predator firm, what would you want to happen to your firm’s share price? Might you be able to influence it in any way? In general, the share price determines how much needs to be paid for a takeover to take place. The share price matters because it reflects a unit of ownership in a company which works as an advantage in the case of a takeover battle if it was low. As a financial director of the predator firm, I would want to increase the share price as much as possible to protect the firm and to stimulate competition. I would try to influence the price though marketing and through focusing on the potential market share. 4) Why might financial systems fail to allocate resources to their most desirable use? Financial systems might fail to allocate resources to their most desirable use due to different reasons which include: lack of resources available in the economy, shortage of funds circulating in the financial system, the cost of investment might be high, the interest rates might be high and many different competitors working within the same sectors hinders the proper allocation of resources to their most desirable use.

A letter from Banquo Essay

I write to all of you hoping that this letter will find you in the best of health. As all of you know, in the past few days Scotland was struck with a great misfortune when King Duncan was gruesomely murdered in his sleep while on his visit to Macbeth. And I have reason to believe that Macbeth is the one responsible for King Duncan’s murder because he had the motive and the opportunity to do so. And as I recall our encounter with the three witches when we were returning from the battlefield I realize that the witch’s prophesy to Macbeth, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter† [Act1, Scene3,Line54] has embedded in him a desire to rule and be king which was further implanted deeper in him by his wife whose grandfather, Kenneth III was overthrown by King Duncan’s ancestor, Malcolm II, many years ago and was waiting for a chance to avenge her grandfather’s death. But what Macbeth didn’t realize was that he had started to believe what he wanted and did not see the three witches for what they really are. And with each day passing by Macbeth thought more and more of the prophecy that he shall be king until it was the day to name an heir to the throne of Scotland during which King Duncan named Malcolm as the heir. As Macbeth watched I overheard him talking to himself and saying â€Å"The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’er-leap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.† [Act1, Scene4, Lines55-58] which shows that Macbeth was seriously thinking about the throne and the prophecy. It seemed as if greed, ambition and voracity were beginning to take hold of Macbeth. And on the night we escorted King Duncan on his visit to Macbeth’s castle, I  noticed how Macbeth didn’t come out to welcome the King like Lady Macbeth did. Instead he only showed up at dinner time. And after everybody went to their rooms Macbeth came to my room and we agreed to discuss the prophecies at a later time. But I also said to Macbeth, † So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counsell’d.† [Act2, Scene1, Lines32-35] hoping that this will stop Macbeth from thinking that I will help him make the prophecy true. Nevertheless what I had feared the most happened on that night; King Duncan was murdered. And as we all came to see what happened I could see a look of fear and guilt in Macbeth’s eyes. I realized that Macbeth had done what he wanted to in order to make the prophecy true. However Macbeth had not only killed his King who praised him for his courage and his valor, he also killed his cousin who was of his own flesh and blood. Indeed! What a true cousin Macbeth is. He was no different from the butcher who kills innocent lambs. All this time he thought that killing King Duncan would make the prophecies true but he never realized that he was deceiving and leading himself into a pit of trouble. None of us could have imagined that the courageous soldier who was loyal to his king could be easily corrupted by the witches’ prophecies. We all knew Macbeth as the soldier who fought for his king without mercy but it appears that his strive for ambition and his insurgent desire made him kill his own king and cousin without mercy. And if any one among you still does not believe that Macbeth is responsible for King Duncan’s murder then think back as to who had the strongest motive to kill the King and who could have done the crime without being suspected easily. It is Macbeth. My fellow Scots I believe that now we should take action against Macbeth for it shall be unjust if we let him go without punishing him for his bloody deed. In the end I hope that you may have found my letter convincing enough and I am certain that all of you will do what is best for Scotland.

Evolution and religion Essay

â€Å" Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind †, said Albert Einstein. This essay concentrates on evolution, religion, and creationism. In the first phase these are defined, and later their relationships and controversies are discussed. A conclusive statement is made a the end. Evolution The theory of evolution by natural selection was first put forth by Charles Darwin in his book, â€Å" on the origin of species†, in 1859. In 1930’s Darwinian natural selection was combined with Mendelian inheritance to form the modern evolutionary synthesis. With its enormous explanatory power, this theory provides a unifying answer to diversity of life on earth. Evolution is the change in a population’s inherited traits, from generation to generation. These traits are encoded as genes that are copied and passed on to offspring during reproduction. Mutations and other random changes in the genes can produce new or altered traits, resulting in difference between organisms. Evolution occurs when these different traits become more common or rare in a population. This happens through genetic drift and is based on the reproductive value of traits through natural selection. Under natural selection organisms with traits that help them to survive and reproduce tend to have more off springs. In doing so, they will pass more copies of inheritable beneficial traits on to the next generation. This leads to advantageous traits becoming more common in each generation, while disadvantageous traits become rarer. Over time, this process can result in varied adaptations to environmental conditions. As differences in populations accumulate, new species may evolve. All known species have descended from a single ancestral gene pool through this process of gradual divergence. According to theory of evolution, life on Earth started its journey over 3 billion years ago, when oxygenic photosynthesis emerged, which made development of aerobic cellular respiration possible around 2 billion years ago. In the last billion years, multi cellular plants and animals began to appear in oceans. The Cambrian explosion originated all major body plans of modern animals. About 450 million years ago ( mya) plants and fungi colonized the land, and were soon followed by anthropods and other animals. Amphibians first appeared around 300 mya, followed by reptiles and mammals around 200 mya, and birds around 100 mya. The human genus arose around 2 mya, while the earliest modern humans lived 200 thousand years ago. This theory states that all organisms on Earth have descended from a common ancestral gene pool. Evidence for this is inferred from traits shared between all living organisms. In Darwin’s days, this statement was based on visible observation of morphologic similarities. Today genetic science has proved this. For example, every living cell makes use of nucleic acids as its genetic material and uses the same 20 amino acids as the building blocks of proteins. The universality of these traits suggest common ancestry. The roots of evolution theory were laid by Charles Darwin in 1858. He could not propose any working mechanism for inheritance. This was provided by Mendel in 1865, who proved that distinct traits were inherited in a well defined and predictable manner.( Evolution ) Religion A religion is a set of beliefs and practices generally held by human community involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals, and study of ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, mythology, personal faith and mystic experience. It is also described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine or of the highest truth. Moral codes, values, practices, institutions, traditions, rituals and scriptures are often associated with the core belief. Religion is also described as a â€Å" way of life †. There are number of models in which religions come into being and develop. Broadly these models fall into three categories: 1) Those which see religion as social construction 2) Those which see religion as progressing towards higher, objective truth 3) Those which see particular religion as absolute truth Creationism Creationism is the belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the Universe were entirely created by a supernatural deity, God. His existence is presupposed. The term creationism is often used to describe the belief that creation occurred literally as described in the book ‘ Genesis’, for Christians and the Jews, and in ‘Qur’an’, for Muslims. In Christian context, many creationists adopt a literal interpretation of the Biblical narratives and say that Bible provides a factual account, given from the perspective of only one who was there to witness it at that time: God. Almost all churches teach that God created the Cosmos. Biblical creationism places knowledge of God central in pursuit of knowledge of anything, as everything comes from God. It says nothing about the mechanisms by which anything was created. No systematic or scientific inquiry was made into the validity of the text. Christian creationism id categorized into many types. These are : – Young Earth creationism. This is inclusive of modern geocentrism, Omphalos hypothesis, and creation science. – Old Earth creationism. This includes Gap creationism, Day-age creationism, and progressive creationism. Theistic creationism Neo-creationism, which includes intelligent design. While Christian and Islamic creationism are almost similar. Hindu creationism believes that all creatures including humans undergo repeated cycles of creation and destruction. The Hindu view of the cosmos is cyclic. ( Creationism ) Evolution and religion Religion is based on beliefs and science is based on proofs and evidences. The theory of evolution is backed by scientific proofs and is considered science beyond any doubt. The relationship between religion and science takes many forms as both are extremely broad. They employ different methods and address different questions. The scientific method adopts an objective approach to measure, calculate, and describe the natural, physical, material universe. Religious methods are more subjective, relying on notions about authority, intuition, belief in supernatural, individual experience and ‘reasoned’ observations about life or the universe, or a combination of all these. Science attempts to answer the ‘how’ and ‘ what’ of observable and verifiable phenomena, religion attempts to answer the ‘why’ question of values, morals, and spirituality. Both employ different methods to find answers to different questions. ( Relationship). A noteworthy dissimilarity between the two is that religion has been existing since ages, whereas science is too young. The earliest civilizations of human species have been worshipping a supernatural force, which was later named as ‘God ’ by Christianity and ‘ Allah’ by Islam. The two most popular religions of today’s world may be a few thousand years old only, but the concept of religion is as old as man himself. In opposition, the modern day science is hardly a few hundred years old. All the modern scientific theories and discoveries on which the world is thriving today, occurred after the renaissance era in Europe. There are two distinct views regarding relationship between religion and science. One known as ‘non-overlapping magisteria’, described by Stephen Jay Gould states that both deal with fundamentally separate aspects of human experience and so when each stays within its own domain, they can co-exist peacefully. The other view known as conflict thesis, which is not to the liking of historians but retains popular appeal, holds that science and religion inevitably compete for authority over the nature of reality. Here, religion has been gradually losing a war with science as scientific expressions become more powerful, acceptable and widespread. ( Relationship ) Evolution theory gives answers to various how life evolved and developed on this earth. Its domain is limited to explaining and proving the existence of a common genetic pool from which different species came into existence. On the other hand the combined domain of all the religions of this world is almost infinite. Answers to questions which science cannot answer are given by religion. The contents of theory of evolution are limited whereas that of all the religions combined are limitless. For example, evolution theory cannot give a satisfactory answer to the origins of universe or the starting point of life. It just assumes that there was a pool of genes from which all forms of life have descended. Religion explains that there exists a supernatural force, which is not seen by anyone and the existence of which can never be proved in a scientific way, which created the ‘ Big Bang’. Science assumes that this was the beginning of universe. Religion does have answers to questions which cannot be answered by any scientific theory. The theory of evolution has no clue about soul, which is globally accepted as a part of our body, while all religions of this world have clear answers to any question regarding soul. All scientific knowledge, if summed up, is like a small drop in an ocean of summed up knowledge offered by all religions on this world. If religion is based on assumptions, even science has assumptions at its base. Evolution is limited to various aspects of life on this planet. For any religion this is a very small chapter in a huge book. Religion not only touches the various aspects of how life developed, but numerous other topics also. As mentioned above, religion is a ‘ way of life’ and hence its perceptions are much broader than the evolution theory, touching the living and the non-living also. Conflicts between religion and evolution arise when religious fundamentalists refuse to accept the scientifically proved facts. This is true for Christian fundamentalists, especially in the United States. They are simply not ready to deviate from the Biblical teachings that God is the creator of all things and He runs the show. They tend to miss one important point that Darwin has never touched the debate on ‘why’ evolution occurred. He has simply found answers to ‘how’ it happened. The authority of God, or for that matter teaching of any religion is never questioned by the theory of evolution. As a matter of fact, there are ample proofs available which convince us that the scientific community also accepts and favors the theory of a super natural power. Writes Lovgren Stefan in his article in National Geographic news, â€Å" Some of history’s greatest scientific minds, including Albert Einstein, were convinced that there is intelligent life behind the universe. Today many scientists say that there is no conflict between their faith and their work†. He further writes, â€Å" the scientific evidence for evolution is overwhelming. Yet, in 2001 Gallup poll, 45% of USA adults said that they believe evolution has played no role in shaping humans. Darwin never said anything about God. Many scientists and theologians maintain that it would be perfectly logical to think that a divine being used evaluation as a method to create the world†. The article further argues , â€Å" there is no way to explain religious faith scientifically. It is hard to envision a test that can tell the difference between the universe created by God, and the one that appeared without God. But why did the universe exist at all ? This is a question which religion is particularly good at answering†. The same article has a report by Ted Sargent, a nano-technology expert at the University of Toronto. â€Å" Even as science progresses in its reductionist fashion moving towards deeper, simpler and more elegant understanding of particles and forces, there will still remain a ‘ why’, at the end. Why are the rules the way they are ? This is where people will find God †. Stefan comments, â€Å" To many scientists, this discoveries may not be that different from religious revelations. Scientific advancements may even draw scientists closer to religion†. ( Lovgren Stefan ) Conversely, religious fundamentalists should also accept the fats which are proven beyond any doubt. This establishes a harmony between religion and evolution. Evolution and creationism The conflict between the believers in evolution theory and creationism is more fierce than that of evolution and religion. This is especially true in the USA where it has become a political controversy. It is a dispute about the origins of Earth, humanity, life, and the universe. The level of support for the evolution theory is overwhelming in the scientific community and the academia, while support for creation based alternatives where evolution does not take place is minimal among secular scientists. Creationists argue that scientific theories are incomplete, incorrect, and inherently flawed due to the infinite regression nature of questions of origins. They argue that if science can provide answers to ‘ what caused the Big Bang ?’ or ‘ what was the nature of first life form ?’ it is likely that answers themselves will be subject to similar kinds of regressive inquiry. They firmly believe that science cannot provide answers to such questions and that their religious discourse is much more complete and more reliable than the naturalistic description provided by science. While creationists point at the limitations of scientific investigations, they intend to point towards the existence of creator God. Skeptics criticize this as ‘God of the gaps argument’. They say that religious argumentation is reduced to a place holder for gaps in human knowledge. One more argument presented is that evolution is a theory and not a fact. This is a result of misconception about the technical meaning of ‘theory’. In common usage, ‘theory’ means hypothesis and unproven assumptions. In science it means ‘ a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena†. Exploring this issue, Stephen Jay Gould wrote, â€Å" Evolution is a theory. It is also a fact, and facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing uncertainty. Facts are the world’s data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts do not go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein’s theory of gravitation replaced that of Newton’s but apples did not suspend themselves from mid –air. And humans evolved from ape-like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin’s proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be disclosed â€Å". Karl Propper gave a new dimension to the debate, by evolving the concept of ‘falsifiability’. He claimed that testable theories are scientific but those that are untestable are not. He declares, â€Å" I have come to a conclusion that Darwinism is not testable scientific theory but a metaphysical research program, a plausible framework for testable scientific theories†. Debate among some scientists and philosophers of science on the applicability of falsifiabilty have been offered by some scientists: Richard Dawkins and J.B.S. Haldane both pointed out that if fossil rabbits were found in the Precarribean era, a time before most similarly complex life forms had evolved â€Å" that would completely blow evolution out of water†. Creationists have criticized the scientific evidence used to support evolution as being based on faulty assumptions and unjustified jumping to conclusions. These include: – the fossil fuel record which has significant gaps that cast doubt on evolution – the emergence of new species which has not been observed directly – radiometric dating which is inaccurate due to an inappropriate reliance on assumption of uniformitarianism While creationists claim that the problems they point out represent significant ‘holes’ in evolutionary theory. Supporters of evolutionary theory respond by arguing that these gaps of knowledge do not cast doubt on the framework the theory of evolution provides, asserting that they indicate either areas where research needs to be directed or there is misunderstanding on the part of creationists. As a matter of fact scientists and subject experts of evolution, do not spend much time on refuting the charges of creationists. Many do not respond at all. They do not think it is worth it. After all, when they reply, creationists get the publicity. ( creation-evolution controversy ) Pope Benedict XVI , in a book titled â€Å" creation and evolution†, published on 11 April 2007, states that â€Å" The question is not to either make a decision for a creationism that fundamentally excludes science, or for an evolutionary theory that covers over its own gaps and does not want to see the questions that reach beyond the methodological possibilities of natural science. I find it important to underline that theory of evolution implies questions that must be to philosophy and which themselves lead beyond the realms of science. It is also true that the theory of evolution is not a complete, scientifically proven theory†. He believes that experiment in a controlled environment h as limitations, as, â€Å" We cannot have 10,000 generations into the laboratory†. He also does not endorse creationism or intelligent design. He defends ‘ theistic evolution’, a reconciliation between science and religion, already held by Catholics. He writes on evolution, as a ‘ process itself is rational despite the mistakes and confusion as it goes through a narrow corridor, choosing a few mutations and using low probability. This inevitably leads to a question that goes beyond science- where did this rationality come from ? † to which he answers that it comes from the ‘creative reason’ of God. ( creationism – evolution controversy) Third alternative The conflict and controversy over evolution and creationism can be resolved if a third alternative is adopted. If biology had followed Pasteur’s paradigm, instead of Darwin’s, and if the theory of cosmic ancestry was prevailing today, then the mechanical theory of nature would account for the evolutionary progress and the origin of life on Earth. There would be no need for supernatural intervention. Cosmic ancestry is fundamentally different from both Darwinism and prevailing western religions. Both hold that life arises and evolves from simpler beginnings. Darwinism explains this with material causes, western religions with supernatural causes. In Cosmic Ancestry life neither arises nor evolves to more highly organized forms from simpler beginnings. With material causes life can descend from prior life at least as highly evolved as itself. Thus in Cosmic Ancestry, life only descends. The fact is that neither science nor religion seem interested in adopting Cosmic Ancestry as an alternative. ( Evolution versus creationism) Conclusion The theory of evolution proves how life originated and developed on this Earth. It has a scientific base in all its claims. It is a result of careful analysis of data. All over the world it has been accepted as a ‘truly scientific explanation’ on evolution of life. It does not have to do anything with any supernatural power. Religious fundamentalists, specially Christian, have evolved a movement called ‘creationism’, which asserts that the theory of evolution tends to wipe off the Biblical teachings and the faith they have in God. Till today, the highest priest of Christianity, the Pope, is busy trying to find ‘holes’ in the theory of evolution, when the whole world has accepted this theory before 150 years. The paradox is that evolution has never touched upon the aspects of God. In fact, scientists also believe in God and accept His existence. There is no legitimate base for ‘creationism’, and it reflects the sense of adamancy among the Christian fundamentalists. Theory of Cosmic Ancestry can be adopted as an option. Works- cited page 1. Evolution, wikipedia the free encyclopedia, 14 April 07, Retrieved on 15 April 07 from: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution > 2. Creationism, wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 14 April 07, Retrieved on 15 April 07 from : < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationism > 3. Relationship, Relationship between Religion and science, wikipedia the free encyclopedia, 12 April 07, Retrieved on 15 April 07 from: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_between_religion_and_science > 4. Lovgren Stefan, Evolution and religion can co-exist, scientists say, National Geographic News, 18 October 2004, Retrieved on 15 April 07, from: < http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1018_041018_science_religion.html > 5. Creation-evolution controversy, wikipedia the free encyclopedia, 13 April 07, Retrieved on 15 April 07 from: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation-evolution_controversy > 6. Evolution versus creationism, Retrieved on 16 April 07 from: < http://www.panspermia.org/ mechansm.htm >

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 22

22. Meeting at the Palace RIVERA They traded in the Ford at the city motor pool for one that had a Plexiglas divider between the front and rear seats. Cavuto's knees were pressed against the glove compartment, since the seat didn't adjust, but it was worth the trade-off. It turned out the organic dog biscuits that Rivera had bought gave Marvin gas. He now had his own little glass partition in which to exhaust, and the inspectors drank their coffee relatively free of doggy stench. â€Å"I don't sleep well during the day,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Roger that,† said Rivera. â€Å"I feel like I've been up for a week.† He dialed his messages, then looked at his partner. â€Å"Fifteen unplayed messages? Are we out of the service area or something?† â€Å"You turned it off when we were zeroing in on that litter of dangerous kittens.† Rivera tried to drink his coffee while handling the phone and ended up pulling the car over to the curb. â€Å"They're all from the Emperor. Something about a ship down at Pier Nine being full of old vampires.† â€Å"No,† said Cavuto. â€Å"There are no more vampires until I've had two full cups of coffee and a healthy piss. That's my personal rule.† Cavuto keyed the radio and checked into dispatch. They did most of their communications by cell phone these days, but there were still rules. If you were a rolling unit, dispatch needed to know where you were. â€Å"Rivera and Cavuto,† said the dispatcher. â€Å"I have you guys tagged to call if there are any cases of cats attacking humans, is that right?† â€Å"Roger, dispatch.† â€Å"Well, live the dream, Inspector, we have report of a giant cat attacking a man at Baker and Beach. We have a unit on the scene reporting nothing.† Cavuto looked at Rivera. â€Å"That's the Palace of Fine Arts. The Marina is new territory.† â€Å"There might not be anything now. The uniforms don't know to look for clothes with dust and I don't want them to. Tell them we're on the way.† â€Å"Dispatch, we are responding. Tell unit on scene that we'll take care of it. Part of an ongoing investigation of a 5150 making false reports.† Cavuto grinned and looked at his partner. â€Å"Nice improvisation.† â€Å"Yeah, but I think this cat might be out of the bag, Rivera.† â€Å"I hope not.† They rolled up to the great faux stone classical dome, the only building left from the World Exposition of 1911, when San Francisco was trying to show the world that it had recovered from the earthquake of '06. The uniform unit was on the far side of the reflection pool, standing by their squad car. Cavuto waved them on. â€Å"We got this, guys. Thanks.† What there wasn't, was a huge shaved vampire cat attacking a guy. â€Å"You think it's a hoax?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"Pretty outrageous coincidence if it is.† Cavuto got out of the car and let Marvin out, who waited for his leash to be attached, then dragged Cavuto over to a tree by the pond to have a wee. Swans who had settled under the trees for the night stirred and gave Marvin dirty looks. â€Å"Nothing here,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Marvin's not doing his signal thing.† Rivera's phone chirped and he looked at the screen. â€Å"It's Allison Green, the creepy little Goth girl.† â€Å"If she called this in I will put her in Juvi overnight.† â€Å"Rivera,† Rivera said into the phone. â€Å"Turn your sun jackets on right now,† she said. â€Å"Right fucking now, both of you.† Rivera looked at Cavuto. â€Å"Turn on the LEDs on your coat, Nick.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Do it. She's not fucking with us.† Rivera hit the switch on the cuff of his sun jacket and the LEDs came on blindingly bright. A few blocks away they heard a man scream. Marvin barked. â€Å"Oh, trs bon, cop. Byez,† Abby said. The line went dead. â€Å"The fuck was that about?† said Cavuto. ROLF Rolf was actually looking forward to shooting someone. After hundreds of years, you get bored with killing, with hunting. The three of them had gone through cycles of stealthy killing of the unwanted, to outright slaughter of whole villages, to long periods where there was no killing at all. But it had been fifty years since he'd actually had to shoot someone. The change of pace was nice. Of course, it was messy, bodies, waste of good blood, but better that than having policemen running around telling people about them. No matter what kind of debaucheries they had indulged in over the years, and there had been many kinds-these too went in cycles-the one rule they held fast to was â€Å"stay hidden.† And to stay hidden, you couldn't permit yourself to get so bored that you didn't care about living. Well, surviving. Maybe it was just the two cops from last night. Elijah, in a rare moment of lucidity finally admitted that there were only two policemen that he knew of, and because they had taken money from the sale of the old vampire's art collection, they did not want the secret known. Clearly though, they were beyond their depth with the cats. He and Bella had made short work of the smaller cats. They used rapid-fire pellet guns, nearly silent, that fired pellets containing a liquid that destroyed vampire flesh on contact-a heinous, herbal mixture that someone in China had discovered hundreds of years ago. A weak UV light on the front of the weapons held the animals in solid form long enough for the pellets to impact. The pellets would injure a human vampire, but they were devastating to a feline. The Chinese had somehow tuned it to the cats. They had used the mixture to contain every outbreak since its discovery. Rolf remembered firing it from crossbows. Rolf keyed his cell phone, then called the emergency number and reported a man being attacked by a giant cat. Then he set up the bipod on his rifle, zeroed the twenty-power scope in on one of the swans under a eucalyptus tree, and lay down to wait. Seven minutes later the police cruiser arrived. They were both fresh-faced young men with bright pink life auras. From his rooftop, four blocks away, Rolf could just make out the squawking of their radios. They knew nothing. They panned their flashlights under the bushes surrounding the pond, and he watched them shake their heads to one another. Seventeen minutes after the call, the brown unmarked car pulled up and Rolf relaxed into his shooting posture. These were the two from the night before. The big red dog. The dog looked his way, briefly, then dragged the big cop down to a tree by the pond. He put the crosshairs on the thinner cop's face. But no, a headshot was arrogant. He had to make two shots, very quickly, so he would go for the center of their bodies. Shoot the thin cop first, then pan to the big one. A bigger target. Even if his first shot didn't kill him, it would drop him. He waited, waited for them to get clear of the car and the cover. The thin cop was walking toward the other one, then stopped to take a phone call. Rolf put the crosshairs over his heart and began to squeeze the trigger. Then the entire side of his head seemed to explode with pain and he screamed and grabbed at the flames that were shooting out of his empty eye socket. TOMMY â€Å"Are we doing this right?† Tommy asked. They were several blocks behind Rolf, who was moving so smoothly and easily through the Marina district that Tommy would have thought he lived there and was out for his evening jog. Except that no one in the Marina would be wearing a black duster. It would either be cashmere or Gore-Tex, business or fitness. The Marina was a rich, fit neighborhood. â€Å"We're following him,† said Abby. â€Å"How many ways can you do that?† Jody was leading them. She held up a hand for them to stop. The blond vampire had stopped at the corner of a four-story apartment building and was scaling it using just the space between the bricks as handholds. Tommy looked around and spotted a flat-roofed building down the alley. â€Å"That one has a fire escape. We'll be above him, we can watch him.† â€Å"I don't think watching is going to be enough,† Jody said. â€Å"He looks badass,† said Abby. â€Å"He's watching those cops over at the Palace.† â€Å"He won't just shoot a cop,† said Tommy. â€Å"Why would he shoot a cop?† â€Å"Plain clothes unit pulling in,† Jody said. â€Å"It's Rivera and Cavuto.† â€Å"And Marvin,† Abby said. â€Å"He knows they know,† said Tommy. â€Å"We need to go,† Jody said. â€Å"Abby, you have Rivera's number?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Call him. Give me that laser thing.† â€Å"The light from their jackets magnified through the scope will work,† Tommy said. â€Å"Let's go.† Jody ran to the edge of the roof and stopped. Abby hopped on her toes. â€Å"Spider-Man it, Countess.† â€Å"No fucking way,† Jody said, looking down just as Tommy ran by her and jumped across the alley to the next building. They were coming across the roof of a building a block away when they saw the side of the vampire's head ignite and heard him scream. He rolled away from the gun, clawing at his face. â€Å"Too far,† Jody said. The final gap between roofs was over a full street, not an alley, and they were a floor lower than the blond vampire. â€Å"Down.† Without thinking, Tommy jumped, then said, â€Å"What the fuck did I just do?† He landed on the balls of his feet and went down to crouch, catching himself just as he was about to drive his knee into the concrete. He looked up. Jody was still on the roof. â€Å"C'mon, Red, I'm not going up there alone.† â€Å"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,† she said, and then landed beside him and rolled. When he saw she wasn't hurt, he said, â€Å"Graceful.† â€Å"He's getting up,† she said, and she pointed at the next building. Tommy knew if he thought about it, he'd never do it, so he just started climbing up the corner of the building as fast as he could. He'd done this before. He didn't remember it, but his body did. Climbing the wall like a cat. Jody was right behind him. As he reached the top of the wall he stopped and looked back. â€Å"Sunglasses,† he whispered so faintly that only someone with vampire hearing would hear. He wedged his right hand between the bricks, then reached into his shirt pocket, flung open the sunglasses, and put them on. He couldn't climb with the laser in his hand. He'd have to clear the top, then grab the weapon out of his pants pocket. Jody had her glasses on, too. She nodded for him to go. He coiled, and sprang to catapult himself over the edge of the wall, but in midair a bright light went off in his head and he felt himself spinning, then a bone-crushing impact on the ground. Something had hit him, probably the rifle butt. He rolled over and looked up the wall. Jody was still clinging there, six feet below the edge, too far to be hit with the rifle. The blond vampire, his face charred, was turning the rifle, working the bolt. He was going to shoot her in the face. â€Å"Jody!† He saw her let go with one hand, reach for the small of her back, then there was another blinding light. He'd lost his sunglasses during the fall. Something splatted beside him on the pavement. He could smell burned flesh, and blood. â€Å"You okay?† she said. He felt a hand on his face. â€Å"I'm kinda blind. And I think I have a couple of broken ribs.† He blinked the blood tears out of his eyes, then saw something dark, circular on the pavement. â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"That's the top of his skull,† Jody said. Footsteps, then Abby was there. â€Å"That was awesome. Gruesome, but awesome. You were amazing, Countess.† â€Å"Not feeling all that amazing.† â€Å"You probably should drink some blood, Tommy. You're kind of fucked up.† He took the plastic blood pack from her and bit into it, draining almost the whole pint in seconds, feeling his bones and skin knitting together. Then Abby snatched it away from him and started drinking herself. â€Å"I feel like death on toast. I probably shouldn't have eaten that pigeon.† MARVIN Marvin ruffed three times fast, â€Å"Biscuit, biscuit, biscuit.† Then, as he pulled Cavuto around the corner and smelled the fourth dead one he ruffed again. â€Å"Another biscuit.† Then, mission accomplished. He sat. â€Å"Marvin!† Abby said. She dropped the empty blood bag and scratched between his ears, then fed him a Gummi bear. Rivera came around the corner with his Glock drawn. Jody stood, reached past the gun, and snagged the battery out of the cop's inside pocket. Abby did the same to Cavuto, who leveled a long orange Super Soaker at her. â€Å"Really, Ass Bear?† she said. â€Å"Really?† She snatched the squirt gun out of his hand and backhanded it a full block down the street where it shattered. â€Å"I have a gun on you, Missy,† said Rivera. â€Å"Biscuit,† Marvin ruffed. Clearly there are three dead people here and part of a fourth, and biscuits are in order. Jody snatched Rivera's Glock out of his hand so quickly he was still in aiming position when she popped the clip out of it. Cavuto started to draw the big Desert Eagle and Abby caught his arm and leaned in close. â€Å"Ninja, please, unless you're going to use that to take your own life out of humiliation for the squirt gun, just let it go.† She turned and looked at Tommy, who was sitting splayed-legged on the sidewalk, holding his ribs. â€Å"This fucking vampy power rocks my deepest dark.† Then back to Cavuto. â€Å"I'd slap you around a little, but I'm feeling kinda nauseous.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Cavuto. â€Å"I get that. That's how I know you're around.† â€Å"So you three are, all, uh, them,† said Rivera. â€Å"Not exactly them,† Tommy said. â€Å"Jody just took the top off the head of one of them.† He pointed at the charred brainpan. â€Å"He was about to take you out with a sniper rifle,† Abby said. â€Å"That's why I called. Thanks for just doing what I said and not being an assbag, by the way.† â€Å"You'll find the rest of him along with the rifle on the roof,† Jody said. â€Å"That's who called in the vampire cat attack?† Cavuto said. Tommy nodded. â€Å"There are at least three of them. Maybe two, now. Very old. They came in that black yacht that's down at Pier Nine. They are cleaning up the mess Elijah left. They must know you guys are hunting Chet and the vampire cats.† â€Å"He must have seen us last night, with the Animals. We thought the cats got Barry.† Tommy climbed to his feet. â€Å"Barry's dead?† â€Å"Sorry,† Rivera said. â€Å"So they know about the Animals, too?† Tommy said, â€Å"The Animals were the ones who took Elijah's art collection and blew up his yacht. Of course, they know about the Animals.† â€Å"We've got to get over there,† Rivera said. â€Å"They'll be hunting the Emperor, too. He's been calling all day about a black ship. I thought it was just more craziness. I don't even know where to start looking for him.† Jody handed Rivera back his gun and the battery to his jacket. â€Å"Wire those back up as soon as you get back in your car. They work.† Marvin let go with a barrage of barking, which translated, â€Å"I have found some dead people and I am going to make a fuss if I don't get a biscuit and the ear-scratch girl is dead and sick.† â€Å"Easy, Marvin,† Abby said. She steadied herself against the big dog and Cavuto caught her by the arm to keep her from falling. â€Å"I really don't feel good.† She crumpled to the sidewalk. Tommy caught her in time to keep her head from hitting the concrete. â€Å"My tail kind of hurts.† Jody snatched Rivera's gun out of his hand again. â€Å"Give Tommy your car keys.† â€Å"What! No!† Jody smacked Rivera's jacket, heard a jingle, then reached in his pocket and took the keys. Rivera stood there like he was five, being dressed by his mother. Jody threw the keys to Tommy. â€Å"Take her to the loft. Foo will still be there. Maybe he can change her back in time.† â€Å"Where are you going?† Tommy said. â€Å"I'm going to the ship. Maybe I can stop one of them there. They're going to come to the loft, so be ready.† â€Å"Not so fast, Red,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You will shut the fuck up!† Jody said. â€Å"You guys are six blocks from the Marina Safeway. The Animals should be at work, or will be there in a few minutes. That's where I went when I wanted to find them, that's where these vampires will go. So shag ass over there and warn them. Wire the batteries back into your jackets on the way there or they'll have you for lunch. Call for another car if you need to, but we just saved your lives and your car is ours.† Rivera smiled. â€Å"I'm okay with that.† Cavuto said, â€Å"You are?† Tommy picked Abby up and held her with one arm while he reached into her messenger bag, took out her phone, and handed it to Jody. â€Å"Call Foo, tell him we're coming.† â€Å"I will. Be careful.† She kissed him. â€Å"Save our minion.† â€Å"Got it,† Tommy said. Marvin whimpered at them as they went away, which translated to, â€Å"I'm worried about the ear-scratching dead girl with the Gummi bears.†

Nursing informatics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nursing informatics - Research Paper Example With computerized maintenance management systems, Tran & Taylor (2009) argues that healthcare professionals from different health care settings can retrieve patient information without the need to inquire from the patient. The systems save time for clinicians and other health care providers in retrieving patient information, providing accurate information about the patient, and providing effective care based on the past medical records. They also increase productivity in that health professionals can easily access the patient records and further provide quality care that aligns with the patient medical record. Computerized maintenance management systems monitor patient well being and improve safety and quality health care. They also improve communication in health care providers across the globe without the need to walk miles. Through internet, most health care professionals can interact with others across health care sites and as a result, exchange information on how to improve a ce rtain patient’s well-being. ... For instance, nursing involvement in the planning play a significant role of minimizing the overall health cost, thus reducing mistakes and improving health efficiency. Still, nursing involvement in the implementation of the systems help to record and retrieve patient information. By investing in health care technology, communication and coordination in health care improves. Health care providers also increase in their accountability to patients. They save time used when retrieving and recording patient information. With technology in mind, health professionals have been in a better position to compile patient medical information and access it at ease when required. In most cases, health professionals use electronic methods to compile information such as patient’s medical diagnosis, insurance information, prescription, and the effects of the treatment. With this information, a health professional can easily comprehend the patient’s progress over a span of time. Still, c ompiling patient information enables other health professionals to comprehend medical background of the patient despite not being familiar with the patient. The use of handheld devices by the nursing staff The use of handheld devices and computers by nurses can boost speed and competence of nursing documentation. Electronic handheld devices are importance resource tools for nurses. It allows nurses to gather information on various subjects such as drug lists and medical references. Most handheld devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) boost the quality of nursing care in the hospital setting. The PDAs is a handheld device capable of sending and receiving data, accessing the internet, and storing books with quality information. This tool increases the quality of

Shakespeare's Sonnet 55 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shakespeare's Sonnet 55 - Essay Example The audience is clearly the beloved, in the first instance, as there is tender intimacy in places, and can be interpreted as a gift used to woo. But the work can be accepted as directed at a universal audience, capable of understanding the messages. This essay will examine the speaker's tone as he applies it to the themes of death and immortality, and his belief in the power of his work to transcend one and create the other. No matter that 'marble' or monuments contain the strength of stone, as the visual imagery alludes, or that 'princes' are powerful, his written word is more lasting than either. With the next two lines, the tone becomes more tender and intimate, directed at the beloved and declaring that because of those words, he too will endure. The metaphorical adjective applied to time signifies his dismissal of it; he can transcend it with love and words. The poet is saying that the beloved will never be tarnished or eroded by time, because of his love and because the verse has made him immortal. There can be little doubt of Shakespeare's intent, for he is praising the object of his love and the poem itself. 'Wasteful wars' and 'broils' (battles), 'Mars his sword', and 'war's quick fires' may destroy the strong stone edifices, but never burn or ruin "The living record of your memory." (l. 8) This 'living record' is metaphorically related to the written word, while 'memory' literally places it alive in the minds of all. The subject again is the poet's lover and his own poem. This tone is so confident, and as history shows, this was not misplaced. The Enduring Love must be included as an apparent motivating creative force. The loved one will never be forgotten, thanks to the love he has engendered, and the place he has been given in posterity by the poet. These assertions contain that tone of certainty again, supported by tenderness. There is no insincere flattery, rather the work can be seen as an honest declaration of love, designed to woo and win the heart. ".your praise shall still find room Even in the eyes of all posterity. (l. 10-11) He is telling the subject, be it the lover or the verse, that he, the speaker has made certain of this through the power of his words. Paper and pen are mightier than any destructive power, and have immortalized the person and the poem. There is tenderness in the use of the possessive pronoun, 'your' but as ever, that belongs to the sonnet and the lover; he is certain he has given eternal life to both. In dealing with death, he is full of exultant self-belief. While he accepts its inevitability, he asserts that he can, and has, overcome its power. "'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity Shall you pace forth;" (l. 9-10), In the line that follows "the eyes of all posterity" - "That wear this world out to the ending doom." (l. 12), he is asserting that when the world ends, so long as just one person is left alive with a mind and a memory, both the words of the poet and