Am I a Constructivist Teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Am I a Constructivist Teacher - Essay Example I also have group activities once a day. Reading to each other, playing math games, and other activities are encouraged. Every lesson also has an open discussion. I allow all students to participate with answers, questions, and even stories. I am at the middle of the constructivist spectrum due to my views on individual teaching. I feel that children can play around or distract when grouped together too often. Interspersing constructivist activities with traditional assignments seem to keep the children focused better. A child does not automatically understand self-control, autonomous behavior, and self-reliance without doing traditional assignments by themselves. On the other hand, after doing a traditional assignment constructivist activities about the traditional assignment are handy. This helps the children do the assignment on their own merits while learning from their and others’ mistakes and successes. My current teaching habits do reflect my constructivist-based views. I like to mix both traditional and constructivist views. Children cannot be programmed like computers. It is essential to use constructivist-based activities to help the child learn. Upon learning a skill a student can then reproduce the skill alone. For example, creative writing is a test given in the 5th grade. All year descriptive writing is examined by the students. Papers are written and shared by the entire 5th grade. Students bounce ideas off of each other in groups and through open discussion, however when taking the writing test the student must perform on their own. This is why I prefer both methods. Discipline is another reason I am in the middle on constructivist views. Some students cannot handle group interaction. Often these children have rough backgrounds. These children need a more traditional approach. This is especially true when speaking about emotionally disturbed (ED) children. Every child is different. If a

Strategic briefing paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic briefing paper - Case Study Example Analyzing the history of Euro Disney, one can draw connections between the financial issues of Euro Disney and its name, which its bosses were forced to change from Euro Disney to Disneyland Paris because people in Europe linked a word euro with business and finance. In addition, the company was also forced to overturn an alcohol ban as French admired wine and thus, it led to a huge bank bailout in the 90s. The company had also difficult relations with its staff, which protested against a payment freeze and went on striking and marching through the park that caused the first ever cancellation of the famous daily parade (Losing the magic: How Euro Disney became a nightmare, 2010). One of the ways out of such complicated situations is the proposal about recapitalization in order to improve Euro Disney financial position. It will also enable the company to continue making investments in the resort thus increasing the guest experience. In addition, shareholders will have the opportunity to purchase shares issued in the debt conversion and the companys debt will fall taking Euro Disney’s balance sheet from a negative to positive equity position. Disney finance director states, that such operation will strengthen Euro Disney, not de- listing it from the stock market (Holton, 2014). For Disneyland Paris it is essential to formulate a new strategy by setting fresh goals and values, search for the new resources and capabilities, and revise the company’s structure and system. For this purpose, the company should understand how its current structure drives competition, whether it is a changing customers’ demand, changing prices or certain technological change. With the help of diagnostic strategic capability that may be performed by means of value chain analysis or SWOT analysis, the company would consider the development of its availabilities. Besides, the

European Court of Justice - Free

European Court of Justice Free Movement of Persons Essay From early on it became clear to close observers of the EU that the role and rule of law were going to be critical in anchoring EU policy regimes. If the legal system could ensure a high rate of compliance, a way of giving authoritative interpretation to disputed texts, and a means of redress for those for whom the law was created, then the EU process as a whole would gain solidity and a predictability that would help it to be sustained. The ECJ was established in the first treaty texts; these have been virtually unchanged since then, except to cater for the increasing workload and successive enlargements of the EU membership. The ECJ, sited in Luxembourg, is now composed of fifteen judges, as well as the nine advocates-general who deliver preliminary opinions on cases. The SEA in 1986 established a second Court of First Instance, composed now of fifteen judges, to help in handling the heavy flow of cases. The EU has thus something like a supreme court, able to provide an overarching framework of jurisprudence, as well as to deal with litigation, both in cases referred via the national courts and in those that are brought directly before it. The Courts sanctions are mostly the force of their own rulings, backed up in some instances by the ability to impose fines on those (usually companies) found to have broken EU law. The T EU gave the ECJ power to fine member governments for non-application of European law. Also, as a result of its own rulings (especially one of the Factortame cases on fisheries see Chapter 13), damages can be claimed against governments that fail to implement European law correctly. The Courts take their cases in public, but reach their judgments in private by, if necessary, majority votes; the results of their votes are not made public, and minority opinions are not issued. A series of key cases has, since the early 1960s, established important principles of European law, such as: its supremacy over the law of the member states, its direct effect, a doctrine of proportionality, and another of non-discrimination. In doing so the ECJ has gone further in clarifying the rule and the role of law than had specifically been laid down in the treaties. In some policy domains court cases have been one of the key forces in developing EU policy regimes. Table 1. summarize the pattern and volume of cases before the Court. Table 1 New cases at the European Court of Justice, 1972-1997 (no.) (five-year, periods, Since 1972; five-year 1992-1997; each year given) Subject-matter Cases 1972 1977 1982 1987 1992 1993 1994 1995    1997    until       1971    Agriculture and 99 36 61 83 81 198 210 65 70 60 66 fisheries Transport 3 2 4 5 14 10 11 5 3 11 Taxation 27 1 2 9 35 20 21 25 36 33 61 Free movement of 53 3 25 56 45 33 58 86 79 50 61 goods and customs Competition and 38 6 10 42 34 54 35 20 35 28 45 state aids Freedom of 3 2 4 12 12 20 47 34 46 39 establishment and to provide services Free movement for 37 11 19 17 35 49 59 44 54 70 51 workers and social policy Environment 15 11 11 42 59 47 Rest a 2 16 21 44 23 43 29 26 54 34 Staff of EU 268 23 25 85 77 9 10 5 15 13 14 institutions b Other(ECSC, EAEC, 25 27 11 9 4 13 4 15 privileges and immunities) All 895 82 162 348 395d 438 486c 347 409 420 444 a Inc. common commercial policy and cases under agreements with third countries. b These are contract and social security cases of EU civil servants, mostly dealt with by Court of First Instance created in 1989, except for appeals to ECJ. This strong legal dimension has a large influence on the policy process. Policymakers pay great attention to the legal meaning of the texts that they devise; policy advocates look for legal rules to achieve their objectives, because they know that these are favoured by the institutional system; policy reformers can sometimes use cases to alter the impact of EU policies; and in general there is a presumption that rules will be more or less obeyed. Hence policy-makers have to choose carefully between treaty articles in determining which legal base to use, and to consider car Efully which kind of legislation to make (Reich Harbacevica, 2003). Regulations are directly applicable within the member states once promulgated by the EU institutions. Directives have to be transposed into national law, which allows some flexibility to member governments, but within limits set by the ECJ. Decisions are more limited legal instruments applied to specific circumstances or specific addressees, as in competition policy. All three kinds of law may be made either by the Commission (under delegated powers), or by the Council, or jointly by the Council and EP (under co-decision). And all are subject to challenge through the national and European courts. The vigour of the European legal system is one of the most distinctive features of the EU. It has helped to reinforce the powers and reach of the EU process, although in recent years the ECJ has become a bit more cautious in its judgments. We should note also that in some policy domains member governments have gone to considerable lengths to keep the ECJ out of the picture. Part of the reason for the three-pillar structure of the T EU was to keep both CFSP and JHA well away from the reach of the European legal system. Even though the ToA goes some way towards incorporating parts of JHA and Schengen more fully within the system, it remains contested how far they will be brought within the jurisdiction of the ECJ. One issue which floats in the debate is how far the other European legal order, based on the European Convention of Human Rights attached to the Council of Europe, is to be linked to the EU, and whether the EU should adopt its own Charter on Fundamental Rights. The wider institutional setting The EU institutional system includes in addition a number of additional organizations that have an impact on, or provide instruments for, EU policies. Some are consultative. Some provide control mechanisms. Some provide autonomous operating arms. Consultation and lobbying The founding treaties established the Economic and Social Committee (and the Consultative Committee for the ECSC) as a point of access to the policy process for socioeconomic groups. Its creation borrowed from the corporatist traditions in some of the founder member countries. It has not, however, become an influential body in the policy process. Instead socio-economic groups have found their own more direct points of access since the 1960s, both through EU-Ievel federal associations and through sector-specific trade and producer organizations. These became even more active in the period around the development of the single European market (Forder, 2002). Individual large firms have also taken pains to develop links with the EU institutions, again some since the 1960s, but many more and with more vigour since the early 1980s. A more recent development has been the increased activity of groups and lobbies representing societal interests, the consumers, the environmentalists, womens groups, and increasingly a range of other advocacy groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Illustrations of the activities of these different kinds of groups can be found in many of our case-studies (Groenendijk Guild, 2001). The TEU introduced a second consultative body, the Committee of the Regions, in response to the extensive involvement of local and regional authorities in seeking to influence those EU policies that impacted on them. The Committee provides regional and local politicians from the member states with a multilateral forum, and an opportunity to enhance their local political credibility. At least as important, however, is the direct lobbying by infranational (local and regional) authorities, many with their own offices in Brussels. These same infranational authorities also engage in efforts to influence national policy positions and the implementation of Community programmes. Chapters 9 and 13 comment on this in relation to the structural funds and the common fisheries policy. Control and scrutiny In the mid- 1970s concern started to be voiced that the EU policy process was subject to few external controls. The EP at the time had few powers, and national parliaments paid rather little attention to EU legislation and programmes. It was the growing scale and scope of the EU budget and spending programmes that led the arguments about the inadequacy of scrutiny. This led to the creation of the European Court of Auditors by the 1975 Budget Treaty. Since 1978 it has, from its seat in Luxembourg, endeavoured to evaluate systematically both revenue-raising and spending. Both in its Annual Reports and in specific reports it has drawn attention to various weaknesses in the budgetary process, as handled by the Commission and national agencies. Here we should note that about four-fifths of EU budgetary expenditure is disbursed by national agencies. Chapter 8 describes some of the Court of Auditors activities and impact. We note here that many of its criticisms fell for many years on deaf ears member governments that were reluctant to face up to some of the issues, an EP that had other preoccupations, and a Commission which repeatedly undervalued the importance of sound financial management. In late 1998 this situation was reversed by the row over alleged financial mismanagement by the Commission. Another new instrument of post hoc control is provided by the Ombudsman attached to the EP under the provisions of the TEU. The aim is to provide a channel for dealing with cases of maladminstration vis-à  -vis individuals. Thus far the existence of this office has not had a large impact, although it may have contributed to making the policy process a little more open than hitherto. Some control and scrutiny of policy depends on national institutions, both parliamentary and financial. National parliaments had no official recognition in the institutional system until the early 1990s. Each member state had developed its own, mostly rather limited, procedures for national parliamentary scrutiny of EU policy. The same discontent that had led to some strengthening of European procedures started to provoke a debate on national scrutiny. Both the T EU and the ToA mention the importance of encouraging this, although there is little likelihood of standardized procedures emerging. Instead it seems likely that EU-level policy-makers, especially in the Commission, will pay more attention to national parliamentary discussions and appear more readily before national parliamentary committees of inquiry. This heightened sensitivity to country-level preoccupations is becoming a more marked feature of the EU policy process. It may well be emphasized by the establishment of national parliamentary offices in Brussels (by September 1999 from Denmark, Finland, France, and the UK). From market citizenship to political and social citizenship As mentioned previously, 184 it was at the 1972 Paris Summit that European economic integration was put into a broader perspective of social welfare. Since then, the neo-liberal philosophy that was at the basis of the European Economic Community (and still is, to a large extent, at the basis of the European Community, that is, the first pillar of the Union) was gradually turned into a more socially oriented philosophy. From a perspective of citizen rights, this means that the rights that citizens enjoy by virtue of EC law are no longer only â€Å"market rights† but have been enlarged to include â€Å"political rights† as well, and slowly also â€Å"social rights† in the broad sense of the word, that is, rights (and duties) concerned with peoples welfare generally, including work, education, health, and quality of life. 185 This transformation started with the incorporation, by the Maastricht Treaty, of a new part II in the EC Treaty, entitled â€Å"Citizenship of the Union† and composed of Articles 17–22 (ex 8–8e) EC. According to Article 17 (1) EC, citizenship in the Union, â€Å"complement[ing] and not replac[ing] national citizenship, † is established and accorded to every person â€Å"holding the nationality of a Member State.† The rights enjoyed by Union citizens are, according to Article 17 (2), â€Å"the rights conferred by [the EC] Treaty †¦ subject to the duties imposed thereby.† Those rights are in the first place the internal market freedoms (in the exercise of which discrimination on the basis of nationality is prohibited) and related consumer and worker rights specified elsewhere in the treaty. Then, in Articles 18 to 21 EC, a limited number of rights are enumerated, starting with the general right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States and followed by a number of specific political rights: the right to vote and stand as a candidate at municipal and European Parliament elections, the right to diplomatic protection in a third country, 186 the right to petition the European Parliament and to address complaints to the European Ombudsman. In Articles 39–46 of the (as yet non-binding) EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, this list of citizen rights was consolidated, and it was expanded with the rights to good administration and access to documents (Peers, 2004). The enumeration of these lists of rights in the EC Treaty, as amended, and in the EU Charter may seem rather symbolic, many of the rights mentioned being already specified in other treaty provisions. However, the fact should not be overlooked that the rights enumerated in Articles 18 to 21 EC are granted to all citizens, that is, they are unconnected with the exercise of any economic activity. That obviously holds true for the political rights, but it is also becoming increasingly true, as we will see below, for the general right of citizens, established in Article 18 EC, to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States. Among the rights conferred by other treaty provisions are the rights that workers from other Member States, and by extension members of their family (so-called â€Å"dependents†), enjoy in the Member State where they work. These rights remain connected, however, to the status of â€Å"worker† in the sense of Article 39 (1) EC (relating to freedom of movement for workers), as interpreted by the ECJ in numerous judgments. It means, in concrete terms, that nationals from one Member State who want to work in another Member State need a residence permit, for which they must produce proof of engagement from an employer. Similarly, family members, whether from a Member State or a third country, must produce proof of their relationship with the worker. it was expanded with the rights to good administration and access to documents. The enumeration of these lists of rights in the EC Treaty, as amended, and in the EU Charter may seem rather symbolic, many of the rights mentioned being already specified in other treaty provisions. However, the fact should not be overlooked that the rights enumerated in Articles 18 to 21 EC are granted to all citizens, that is, they are unconnected with the exercise of any economic activity. That obviously holds true for the political rights, but it is also becoming increasingly true, as we will see below, for the general right of citizens, established in Article 18 EC, to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States (Pettit, 1997). Among the rights conferred by other treaty provisions are the rights that workers from other Member States, and by extension members of their family (so-called â€Å"dependents†), enjoy in the Member State where they work. 188 These rights remain connected, however, to the status of â€Å"worker† in the sense of Article 39 (1) EC (relating to freedom of movement for workers), as interpreted by the ECJ in numerous judgments. It means, in concrete terms, that nationals from one Member State who want to work in another Member State need a residence permit, for which they must produce proof of engagement from an employer. Similarly, family members, whether from a Member State or a third country, must produce proof of their relationship with the worker. [1] A financial burden on the host Member State, the students right of residence was directly based on Article 18 EC, with the effect that he was entitled in Belgium to financial assistance available to Belgians. In fact, not only EU citizens but also third-country nationals enjoy social rights under certain conditions, principally when they are family members of migrant workers, or migrant workers from countries with which the EU has special agreements. In this context, the Mary Carpenter case deserves to be mentioned: it concerned the right, under EU law, of the non-EU spouse of a U.K. national to remain with him in the United Kingdom, despite her having violated immigration rules. The ECJ ruled in that case that, since the deportation of his spouse (who cared for children from his previous marriage) could adversely affect the husband in the exercise of his (EC) right to provide services in other Member States, the situation fell within the scope of EC law. Furthermore, the Court held that although a Member State may limit the right to provide services on grounds of public policy or public security (as mentioned in Article 46 referring to Article 55 EC), the Member State concerned is bound to observe the human rights requirements embodied in EC law, including respect for the right of family life, as laid down in Article 8 ECHR. Citing the Boultif judgment of the Court of Human Rights, the ECJ held that the U.K. would be violating the right to respect for family life if it expelled Mrs. Carpenter without a more significant public policy reason than violation of immigration laws. The ECJs case law deriving social rights for Union citizens from the free movement and residency right embodied in Article 18 EC raises the delicate issue of how far the ECJ can go in imposing financial burdens on Member State social security systems in the name of solidarity between Union citizens. The issue is underlying many recent judgments, but is most apparent in Baumbast. In that case, the ECJ ruled that Article 18 (1) EC is sufficiently clear and precise to be directly applicable (and directly effective), and this despite the fact, as pointed out previously, that the article submits the free movement and resident right â€Å"to the limitations and conditions contained† in the treaty and in secondary legislation. The question at issue was whether the U.K. immigration authorities could reject Mr. Baumbasts application for renewal of his residence permit on the grounds that he and his family were not insured for emergency treatment in the U.K., where the family lived (although they were covered by comprehensive medical insurance in Germany, of which Mr. Baumbast was a national). Such a residence permit is needed under the three EC directives granting rights of residence to categories of persons other than workers. These directives provide that rights of residence are subject to two conditions: first, the applicant must possess sufficient resources, and, second, he or she must have comprehensive medical insurance for all risks. It was clear, as the court observed that Mr. Baumbast had sufficient resources, but it was equally clear that he had no health insurance for emergency treatment within the U.K (Dougan Spaventa, 2003). In its judgment, the ECJ ruled that the refusal of the British authorities was unfounded. It recognized that the requirements in the directives were permissible, being based on the idea that exercise of the Union citizens right of residency can be subordinated to the legitimate financial interests of the Member State, including the fact that foreign nationals should not become an â€Å"unreasonable burden† on the public finances of the host state. Nevertheless, those limitations and conditions, laid down in secondary Community legislation, must be applied in compliance with general principles of Community law, and in particular with the principle of proportionality. The Court then found that to deny Mr. Baumbast residence solely on the grounds that he lacked medical insurance for emergency treatment within the United Kingdom would be a disproportionate interference with the exercise of his residency right under Article 18 (1) EC. Conclusion The difficulty with the ECJs case law in this case, but also in other â€Å"social rights† cases, is that the Court, and the EU, â€Å"cannot simply grant full rights of residency to all its citizens, because it cannot foot the consequent welfare bill, especially in respect of economically inactive individuals. The aspiration towards a supranational form of social citizenship, which many see embodied in Article 18, must therefore remain sensitive to domestic conceptions of belonging to (and being excluded from) the welfare society.† Apart from this basic question, many other issues of a more specifically legal nature arise, such as which general principles other than proportionality will be permitted to qualify restrictions imposed by secondary Community legislation. The question is most acute with regard to economically inactive and financially dependent persons: What are the benefits of Union citizenship for them? Should they not be able to derive residency rights from fundamental rights provisions, such as respect for private and family life and for human dignity? Should these rights not have an impact upon the ability of Member States to expel individuals who would otherwise be considered an unreasonable burden upon the public purse? A straight answer to that question would be to grant Union citizens who have been lawfully resident in another Member State, for example, at least five consecutive years â€Å"permanent resident† status regardless of their economic or financial status, as is proposed by the Commission in a draft general directive which, if adopted, would replace much of the existing secondary legislation. References Bright; Christopher. Business Law in the European Economic Area. Oxford University, 1994 Case C-413/99, Baumbast and R v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2002] ECR I-7091. Case C-60/00, Mary Carpenter v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2002] ECR I-6279. Dougan, Michael and Spaventa, Eleanor; â€Å"Educating Rudy and the (Non-) English Patient: A Double-bill on Residency Rights under Article 18 EC, † 28 ELRev., 2003, 699–712. Forder, Caroline; â€Å"Editorial: Common Minimum European Standards in Immigration Matters, † 9 MJ, 2002, 221–29. Groenendijk, Kees and Guild, Elspeth; â€Å"Converging Criteria: Creating an Area of Security of Residence for Europes Third Country Nationals, † 3 EJML, 2001, 37–59, at 52. Goyder; D. G. EC Competition Law. Oxford University Press, 1998 Jarvis; Malcolm A. The Application of EC Law by National Courts: The Free Movement of Goods. Oxford University, 1998 Leibfried, Stephan; Pierson; Paul; European Social Policy: Between Fragmentation and Integration. Brookings Institution, 1995 Pettit, P. Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997). Peers, Steve; â€Å"Implementing Equality? The Directive On Long-Term Third-Country Nationals, † 29 ELRev., 2004, 437–60. Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the Right of Citizens of the Union and their Family Members to Move and Reside Freely within the Territory of the Member States: COM (2001) 257 final. Reich, Norbert and Harbacevica, Solvita; â€Å"Citizenship and Family on Trial: A Fairly Optimistic Overview of Recent Court Practice with Regard to Free Movement of Persons, † 40 CMLRev., 2003, 615–38. [1] The most important of these measures are: Council Directive 68/360, containing formal requirements for workers and their family members, and Council Regulation 1612/68, concerning the substantive rights and social advantages that workers and their family members enjoy. Further directives relating to rights of residence granted to categories of persons other than genuine workers are: Directive 90/366, replaced later by Directive 93/96, covering students exercising the right of vocational training; Directive 90/365, dealing with persons who have ceased to work; and catch-all Directive 90/364, governing all those persons who did not already enjoy a right of residence under Community law. These three residency directives have in common that the persons involved must have adequate resources not to become a financial burden on the social assistance schemes of the host Member State and must be covered by sickness insurance. For references, see Craig and de Bà ºrca, n. 36 above, 756. Th e scope of these directives was reconsidered by the ECJ in its Grzelczyk and Baumbast judgments mentioned later in the text.

Reporters Privilege Examples

Reporters Privilege Examples Rahim Aziz Sajwani Fahad Faruqui In United States of America the reporter’s privilege is provided to protect reporter from being compelled to testify the information provided by the source or the source itself. The reporter’s privilege is guaranteed by U.S constitution and statutory law. Reporter’s privilege has nothing to do with confidential communication but it grants the disclosure of information through news media. Reporter’s privilege is not for secrecy purposes. Secrecy is the part of agreement between the reporter and the source. In context of journalism, source is any person, record, article or publication that provides relevant information about subject. In the case where there is legal system against a journalist one of the problems is to what degree law will provide protection to the source and material provided by source of journalist from unconscious discloser. Even though there is reporter’s privilege to protect a journalist from disclosure of sources but practical application of reporter’s privilege depends on the context, situation and judgments by media organizations regarding how far they will go to authorize their rights. About forty nine states and the District of Columbia provide reporter’s privilege which tends to protect them from government trying to reveal the secret information and sources. Some of the states also have shield laws that guarantee protection to journalists and right to access information but there are no federal shield laws. However, the journalists are trying to pass the federal shield law by congress that will protect them from accessing information and indirectly protect their sources too. In post 9/11 scenario the government of United States is more concerned with leak control and Obama administration trying to update the Justice Department guidelines that deals with media to prevent leakage of any information. Joshua Selassie (Josh Wolf), a freelance video journalist was sentenced to prison in 2006 when he was subpoena for the videotape that he captured during the protest on July 8, 2005 in San Francisco. During that protest some of the protestors wore masks and violated laws by causing destruction to some builds and getting in fist fight with police officials. A police car was also damaged that brought federal intervention in the case. That over ruled state shield laws and there are no federal shield laws available for journalists. Even though Wolf had not captured the scene of damaging the police car but he was charged because he shot the video of protest and tends to have evidence about protestors who were intended to cause destruction. Wolf edited the videotapes and then posted it on the news website Bay Area Indymedia but he was subpoenaed by the court to testify to provide all the videotapes he had captured during the protest. He did not comply with the subpoena and refused to submit the videotapes to court. He was jailed in August 2006 and was bailed in September 2006 but still did not comply. In April 2007 the prosecution dropped their charges against Wolf after he posted the unaired video online. In Wolf’s case the prosecutors argued that Wolf was not affiliated with any news organization. For them he was just a man with the video camera who had captured the protest.[1] So, it is nothing wrong to ask him to testify the video tapes to the grand jury. However, for Wolf it was inappropriate to testify his videotapes as a journalist because he cannot reveal his sources and he could not break the trust with the people who gave interview in the video. Wolf said it was his property and it was only his choice of what he wants to show to the public and what not because he does not want to give away everything just like that. His case raised question against first amendment and free speech. Wolf stood firm till the end even though he knew that there was nothing confidential in those videotapes but he fight for freedom of press and right to access information. It was also irrelevant for the court to hold charge against Josh Wolf because he had already posted the edited footage on the website and he had ensured that the footage that was left out had nothing relevant information and evidence about the destruction of police car. The only justification for testifying those tapes was that law enforcement officials wanted to identify people who were involved in the protest. That is why when Wolf posted the unaired footage on the blog he was released and charges were dropped down. The prosecution found nothing in those video tapes. President Obama had promised freedom of press during his election campaign and was poised as champion of freedom of the press. However, his administration is the most aggressive administration in history of United States of America in terms of targeting whistleblowers. His Justice Department has brought eight cases in this way; it is much more in number because it has more than all past administrations joined. It is getting more difficult to have free speech and press when the administration is that aggressive against investigative journalism because the government brings 1917 Espionage act under the way of reporter’s privilege and subpoena suspected journalists to testify their sources. In 2008 James Risen, the investigative journalist of the New York Times was subpoenaed to identify the source of the information which he had published in his book State of War about Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A) operation in Iran. Before Risen published his book he and his fellow journalist Eric Lichtblau got this information from a source that National Security Agency (NSA) was keeping an eye on American citizens. They were listening telephone calls locally and internationally, gathering lots of information and lots of data mining through telephone conversations and content in email without having any permission from court to do it. They were doing it on the bases of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court which was organized to get secret warrants to spy on suspected terrorists and whistleblowers. The government had decided not to tell this to anyone except few people from Congress like chairman of intelligence agencies and was keeping it secret from everyone else. It took them fourteen months to investigate all this information from an authentic source and then gave it to Bell Keller the executive editor for New York Times at that time. Keller decided to hold this article and not to publish it in the newspaper before elections. After the elections Risen and Eric worked on the article again, re-edited but editors refused to publish it because it was subject concerned with national security. Bell Keller was called up to the President and he was said that publication of that story will lead them to another incident like 9/11 and if it will happen than the New York Times will be held responsible for it. They could have the blood on their hands. [2] After debating with their editors Eric and Risen got approval to publish their story in the newspaper and they were awarded Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2006 for their efforts on drawing a line between war on terrorism and civil liberty. However, James Risen was prosecuted for another story that he had published in his book State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. The story was about CIA involvement in the nuclear program in Iran. CIA said to give flawed blueprints to the Iranis so they cannot make nuclear bombs but those blue prints had some potential information about bombs. He was subpoenaed for specifically writing this in his book and court asked Risen to testify his sources. The government had decided not to attack New York Times for the story Risen had covered on NSA because it would have made a mess as New York Times is a reliable news organization and have ample followers and readers. However, it was easy for government to prosecute Risen for his book because than no one could save him. When Government asked Risen to testify his source in court for the information he had published in his book. He denied giving away any information about his source because he believes that aggressive investigative journalism cannot possess without secret sources. There can’t be democracy without aggressive investigative journalism because it gives the genuine oversight of the legislation. However, the government is more afraid of investigative journalism because it puts light on what is going on inside the government and this is not possible without keeping up the privacy of sources. [3] [1] Howard [2] Democracy Now 14th October, 2014 [3] James Risen Democracy Now 14th October, 2014

services marketing Essay -- essays research papers

Services Marketing A service is the action of doing something for someone or something. It is largely intangible (i.e. not material). A product is tangible (i.e. material) since you can touch it and own it. A service tends to be an experience that is consumed at the point where it is purchased, and cannot be owned since is quickly perishes. A person could go to a cafà © one day and have excellent service, and then return the next day and have a poor experience. So often marketers talk about the nature of a service as: Inseparable - from the point where it is consumed, and from the provider of the service. For example, you cannot take a live theatre performance home to consume it ( a DVD of the same performance would be a product, not a service) Intangible - and cannot have a real, physical presence as does a product. For example, motor insurance may have a certificate, but the financial service itself cannot be touched i.e. it is intangible. Perishable - in that once it has occurred it cannot be repeated in exactly the same way. For example, once a 100 metres Olympic final has been run, there will be not other for 4 more years, and even then it will be staged in a different place with many different finalists. Variability - since the human involvement of service provision means that no two services will be completely identical. For example, returning to the same garage time and time again for a service on your car might see different levels of customer satisfaction, or speediness of work. Right of ownership - is not taken to the service, since you merely experience it. For example, an engineer may service your air-conditioning, but you do not own the service, the engineer or his equipment. You cannot sell it on once it has been consumed, and do not take ownership of it. Western economies have seen deterioration in their traditional manufacturing industries, and a growth in their service economies. Therefore the marketing mix has seen an extension and adaptation into the extended marketing mix for services, also known as the 7P's – physical evidence, process and people. Physical evidence is the material part of a service. Strictly speaking there are no physical attributes to a service, so a consumer tends to rely on material cues. There are many examples of physical evidence, including some of the following:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Packaging  · ... ... Service Many products, services and experiences are supported by customer services teams. Customer services provided expertise (e.g. on the selection of financial services), technical support(e.g. offering advice on IT and software) and coordinate the customer interface (e.g. controlling service engineers, or communicating with a salesman). The disposition and attitude of such people is vitally important to a company. The way in which a complaint is handled can mean the difference between retaining or losing a customer, or improving or ruining a company's reputation. Today, customer service can be face-to-face, over the telephone or using the Internet. People tend to buy from people that they like, and so effective customer service is vital. Customer services can add value by offering customers technical support and expertise and advice. Services Characteristics - the features of services that distinguish them from tangible products; these are intangibility, variability, inseparability and perishability. See Inseparability; Intangibility; Perishability; Variability. Services Marketing - the marketing of intangible products, such as hairdressing, cleaning, insurance and travel.

Priest Celibacy :: essays research papers

Fundamentalist attacks on priestly celibacy come in a number of different forms—not all compatible with one another. There is almost no other subject about which so many different confusions exist. The first and most basic confusion is thinking of priestly celibacy as a dogma or doctrine—a central and irreformable part of the faith, believed by Catholics to come from Jesus and the apostles. Thus some Fundamentalists make a great deal of a biblical reference to Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:30), apparently supposing that, if Catholics only knew that Peter had been married, they would be unable to regard him as the first pope. Again, Fundamentalist time lines of "Catholic inventions" (a popular literary form) assign "mandatory priestly celibacy" to this or that year in Church history, as if prior to this requirement the Church could not have been Catholic. These Fundamentalists are often surprised to learn that even today celibacy is not the rule for all Catholic priests. In fact, for Eastern Rite Catholics, married priests are the norm, just as they are for Orthodox and Oriental Christians. Even in the Eastern churches, though, there have always been some restrictions on marriage and ordination. Although married men may become priests, unmarried priests may not marry, and married priests, if widowed, may not remarry. Moreover, there is an ancient Eastern discipline of choosing bishops from the ranks of the celibate monks, so their bishops are all unmarried. The tradition in the Western or Latin-Rite Church has been for priests as well as bishops to take vows of celibacy, a rule that has been firmly in place since the early Middle Ages. Even today, though, exceptions are made. For example, there are married Latin-Rite priests who are converts from Lutheranism and Episcopalianism. As these variations and exceptions indicate, priestly celibacy is not an unchangeable dogma but a disciplinary rule. The fact that Peter was married is no more contrary to the Catholic faith than the fact that the pastor of the nearest Maronite Catholic church is married. Is Marriage Mandatory? Another, quite different Fundamentalist confusion is the notion that celibacy is unbiblical, or even "unnatural." Every man, it is claimed, must obey the biblical injunction to "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:28); and Paul commands that "each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). It is even argued that celibacy somehow "causes," or at least correlates with higher incidence of, illicit sexual behavior or perversion.

Healthcare Facilities

Research the websites of two competitors and assess the effectiveness of their online presence. Identify specific areas where those websites are superior to yours whether in form or function. Also identify areas where your own website is superior. In searching the Web for the only two competitors in the community in which our organization serves, it was interesting to learn that neither had a website. When searching for Desoto Healthcare Center website, web-surfers are led to a blue page that flashes the message â€Å"This site is currently under construction†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (desotohealth. com. 2013).This for profit nursing home, located nearest the only Hospital in the community, is a 120-bed center with no apparent online presence. Landmark of Desoto, another competitor, is a 60-bed non-profit nursing home with no online presence nor is there any sign of a website to come. Therefore, when compared to other Skilled Nursing Facilities in the area, it is safe to say that Golden Living Center’s website is in fact superior to the competition in both form and function. Research the websites of one supplier and one client. Evaluate the effectiveness of each website as it relates to their association with your organization.Identify specific areas where those websites could better serve your needs. In the Nursing Home sector of Healthcare, many of the suppliers are also the clients. Sta Home Health and Hospice serves as both a supplier and a client to our organization. Sta-Home’s website effectively allows us to refer potential patients to them directly through a link on the site offering us the opportunity to save time from having to make a phone call, leave a message, or provide needed information to someone who may not deliver it to the proper person or location.The website includes a â€Å"Helpful Resources† tab where patients can obtain information on diseases, treatments, tests and procedures, and many other resources. This tab, however, does not offer any information regarding the services offered by my organization. If a Sta Home patient or family were seeking assistance with finding a skilled nursing facility in the area this site would be of no help to them, nor would help my organization with gaining a new referral or potential resident. Identify a journal or publication specific to your industry.Evaluate the overall value that reading such a journal brings to your knowledge of your organization's performance. In reading the Long Term Living publication I learned valuable information about the performance of my organization. While reading an article on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services I discovered clarification on new guidelines to laundry regulations for nursing facilities. These guidelines have not yet been implemented in my facility and failure to do so would result in receiving an F tag on the Annual State Survey (Pamela Tabar, 2013).My continued reading introduced me to new products on the market that would allow for better monitoring of the residents and patients in our care. With a wristwatch appearance, The Trilock personal locator functions as both a tracking and communications device and offers a perimeter management setting that would alert caregivers when the wearer is near the set area (Tabar, 2013). For my organization, this would serve as another safety measure and allow for added patient/resident security.As I read through this online publication, I found information that is vital to both patient care and overall operations of our organization. Some of this information had not been communicated to our facility and could cause potential service issues or even result in a failing score on CMS review. This gives me insight that there is a possible breakdown in our organizations performance as it relates to communications from the top down. References Desoto Healthcare Center. 2013.Retrieved on February 15, 2013 from http://www. desotohealthcare. com/ Stahome. com Pam ela Tabar. 2013. CMS Cleans Up Guidelines on Laundry and Infection Control. Retrieved on February 15, 2013 from http://www. ltlmagazine. com/news-item/cms-cleans-guidelines-laundry-and-infection-control Pamela Tabar. 2013. GPS Wristwatch Locates Wandering Seniors, Contacts Care Team. Retrieved on February 15, 2013 from http://www. ltlmagazine. com/news-item/gps-wristwatch-locates-wandering-seniors