Texas Government analytical research paper Essay

Texas Government analytical research paper - Essay Example Some would say that it is fear that makes them forgo any sense of reason, or rational, when they decide that this is their only best option in their quest to enter the country through any means. Through the mainstream news media, the immigration debate is a hotly discussed topic and is ever more so during election time. Observation would note that the states that see the biggest influx of immigration include California, Arizona, New Mexico and lastly Texas. During election time, politicians set out to achieve the highest office in the land and parade about the country, all the while detailing how they and they alone can fix the ailments for the country and its people. With two of the biggest political contests also being two of the states that deal with immigration issues on a daily basis, immigration itself has grown into one of the biggest discussed issues during both the primaries, as well as the general election cycle. With Americans nervous on a daily basis about their own job security and the welfare of their families, the illegal immigration debate is something that they take very personally. As the 2008 Presidential election continues, it is imperative to observe how the mainstream candidates plan to conquer this problem. The best way to do that is to not only listen to their public speeches on the matter, but to also observe their written statements, or "agendas", that are published on their online campaign websites. Most would argue that this election year is a year of firsts. Either the first woman President, the first African American President, or the oldest ever elected President will be the result of this election year. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been in the political mindset for many going back to her husband's 1992 Presidential campaign. After her husband left office in 2001, she began a career in the United Sates Senate as a representative for the citizens of New York. Even before she officially entered the race, many had contemplated and theorized as to when, if ever, Mrs. Clinton would in fact fun for the highest elected office in the nation. After looking at the mainstream candidates who are working tirelessly to achieve the highest office in the land, it is also important to assess the methods which are being taken by the local, as well as state level government, to go about the issue of immigration. Before doing so, one would have to understand the costs of the illegal immigration to the citizens of the state of Texas. To do that, the group FAIR, or the Federation for American Immigration Reform, in their online report writes that, "Analysis of the latest Census data indicates Texas's illegal immigrant population is costing the state's taxpayers more than 4.7 billion per year for education, medical care, and incarceration. Even if the estimated tax contributions of illegal immigrant workers are subtracted, net outlays still amount to more than 3.7 billion per year. The annual fiscal burden amounts to $725 per Texas household headed by a native-born resident," ("FAIR" p.1). An idea to be brought forward to the bargaining table would be the introduction of new laws to deal with the issue of illegal immigration and its impact of native citizens. As another state that deals with the issue of illegal immigrants within its own borders, the California-based newspaper the San Francisco Chronicle, in an article written

The Role That Statistics plays in the Healhcare Industry Essay

The Role That Statistics plays in the Healhcare Industry - Essay Example Various organizations use statistics to make decisions. Health information technology which is based on statistics is a very integral aspect of the health care organizations. For example, in healthcare organizations there are numerous reasons for collecting patients’ data and analyzing it. For instance statistics about activities that take place in the healthcare organization shows the details of the patients and how they have been attended to as well as the cost of the care. The details on patients care statistics and their performance can indicate quality of care offered to them. Most of the recognized organizations need data analysis system which is used as part of accreditation while many third party payers need facilities in collecting performance data. Healthcare administrators also require statistics in order to prioritize services needed and to establish where efficiency and effectiveness need to be increased. The healthcare facilities are as well interested in kind of patients they attend to in regard to their diagnosis. This is important in that it helps them maintain the top physician specialty mix required in the healthcare organizations. Moreover the government needs to maintain population statistics so as to establish the number of healthcare institutions needed. As a result the government establishes a health agency which is responsible for ensuring protection of the health of the country’s population. This helps in providing important information which help individuals come up with right healthcare decisions. It is important to recognize that health statistics provides information regarding the health of individuals. Therefore, every individual forms a part of some health statistics just like everyone has birth statistics. Healthcare statistics are also important in determining the percentage of population suffering from a certain disease hence the diseases prevalence as suggested by Plichta and Garzon (2008). This is important as it helps the government to plan for the healthcare budget which accommodates all individuals. Many healthcare organizations have tried to improve their quality of service and profitability simply because they have not considered application of statistics in their transformation. Those companies which have achieved these is through the application of statistical thinking in reducing process variation. The use of scientific approach in the analysis of data in any healthcare organization is an important element for improving quality of services. The scientific approach which employs statistics enables studying process variation and relationships via the objective use of data. As a result of this a technology termed as Statistical Process Control (SPC), has been applied in healthcare organizations as a way of understanding, improving and managing the quality of healthcare processes. The SPC helps the healthcare management to realize the performance and the ability of a certain process a ccording to Berger (2008). Control charts are used in healthcare organizations for complimenting healthcare institution epidemiology techniques through the provision of additional process information. Flowcharts are also used in defining and understanding patients’ status as well as redesigning the process of their treatment. An example of statistics collected in the healthcare situation is presented in table 1 below. One organization that relies heavily on statistics to accomplish its tasks and to make decisions is

An Inferential Statistic of Housing Problems Assignment

An Inferential Statistic of Housing Problems - Assignment Example The null hypothesis of equal variances is rejected and it is concluded that there is a difference between the variances in the population.It is called heteroscedasticity. Some of the procedures typically assuming homoscedasticity are the ANOVA, t-tests.Levene's test is often used before a comparison of means. When Levene's test shows significance, one should switch to generalized tests, free from homoscedasticity assumptions. Since the p-value is less than 0.05 ( 0.000) in this case hence homoscedasticity or equal variances cannot be assumed. The computed t statistic is 6.95 which is more than the assumed or critical t statistic of 6.82 for assuming equal variance. The degree of freedom is hence retained as 957.51 and the p values as stated is

The Metamorphosis & Existentialism Essay Example for Free

The Metamorphosis Existentialism Essay Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is a masterfully written novella about Gregor Samsa, a man who devotes his life to his family and work, for nothing in return. Only when he is transformed into a helpless beetle does he begin to develop a self-identity and understand the relationships around him. The underlying theme of The Metamorphosis is an existential one that says that any given choice will govern the later course of a person’s life and that a person has ultimate will over making choices. In this case, Gregor’s choices of his part in society cause him to have a lack of identity that has made him to be numb to everything around him. One morning Gregor awakens to find himself transformed into a beetle. Although the reader is never enlightened on how Gregor morphed into a beetle, or shown that Gregor gives much thought to having a body of an insect, Kafka gives the strong impression that Gregor is very devoted to his work and is the sole support of the family, none of which work themselves. Gregor devotes himself to a life of work and self-sacrifice, â€Å"[d]ay in, day out- on the road† (Kafka 4), following ever order, and expectation to a scurrilous degree. His life could be linked to that of a drone in an ant colony, and thus gives an explanation to Kafka’s logic when he is transformed into an insect, and thinks nothing of it. In fact upon finding himself transformed he immediately prioritizes his work above everything else; The next train left at seven o’clock; to make it, he would have to hurry like a madman, and the line of samples wasn’t packed yet, and he himself didn’t feel especially fresh and ready to march around. (5) Through his transformation into a beetle, Gregor abandons his mislead obligation to society and instead devotes the rest of his life to himself. Because of this Gregor’s family quickly grows to resent him as a burden to the household. Society and his family had no further use for him, so Gregor starves to death is his bedroom. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Gregor’s father began the story as a lazy and non-productive human being. He relied solely and completely on his son. After Gregor’s transformation, his father followed suit. He became a proud and productive individual of the lower bureaucracy. He found the balance between work and leisure that Gregor could not. According to Kafka and existentialism, people have both an individual side and a side with the commitment of society. It is our choices that must be in moderation of the two, to maintain balance. If a person chooses himself over society, he will lose the support of society; however, if a person chooses society, he will lose his individuality. Gregor initially chooses society over himself, which in turn transformed him into the working drone he was. After his physical transformation, he is forced reassert his focus to himself, and society abandons him. Through Gregor’s plight, his family became cohesive and productive in society, each contributing through work and leisure. Gregor learned to live for himself too late to become a whole person. Gregor begins to look for entertainment and fun in the form of a bug, a form that knows nothing but work, by crawling up to the ceiling and hanging from there, or from wall to wall over the various objects, this gave him a feeling of â€Å"almost happy absent-mindedness† (32). Haven given up any hope of returning to his human form or being a civilized working part of society ever again, this was one of the only joys Gregor had left in his life. By ignoring the purpose of being an insect, Gregor defeats the purpose of living in his new form of life, and in effect, dies. The Metamorphosis advances the existential view that choice is the opportune of the individual. It is the responsibility of the individual to maintain a balance between work and leisure. The Metamorphosis lends the idea that, if one chooses to devote their life entirely to work, they are no more than droning insects, yet if they devote their lives to leisure, they are no better off. A balance needs to be found. As rational beings, the burden of moderation between value to society and value to self must be assumed by the individual. One must be productive in order to be valuable to society, and one must have leisure in order to be valuable to them.

Medieval Renaissance Middle Ages

Medieval Renaissance Middle Ages There are many differences in the beliefs and values between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was a time of great suffering, including famine and widespread disease. The Renaissance, however, was a revival of art, learning, and literature. Their views of the purpose of life in the present world and mans place in the world were, perhaps, the greatest contrast. However, their views on politics, religion, and education were very different as well. The purpose of life and mans place in the world was viewed differently during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, also known as The Age of Faith, mans purpose was to serve God. Looking upon life as a journey is prevalent during this era. The focus of life was on the afterlife, primarily because there were no guarantees in the present life. The life of highest value was the contemplative life, one devoted to God. The passive virtues such as compassion, suffering, and humility were highly regarded. God was the center of mans world during the Middle Ages. On the Great Chain of Being, man was below God and the angels and above the animals, plants, and inanimate objects. It is amazing how aspects of society can and will change so significantly over the course of a few hundred years. Between the times of the Medieval era and the Renaissance, one can note numerous significant changes, mainly those pertaining to religion and art, and specifically, drama. In Medieval times, people seemed to rely mainly on the church and God for their entertainment purposes; whereas during the Renaissance, the focus was more secular: humans and life on earth. In general, ideals and subjects evolved from unquestionable Church dogma (and therefore very safe subject matter) to ideas that focused on the questions of humanity (and therefore creating an unstable and unsettling universe.) The evolution from the Medieval dogma to the humanistic focus of the Renaissance is apparent through the dramatic texts of the time. Although these two eras differ in many other ways, the most illustrated differences deal with the realm of drama, starting with the Medieval Cycle dramas and culm inating in Shakespeares King Lear. Drama noticeably shifted from religious awe to classical reason between the Medieval era and the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, drama aimed mainly at making advancements in the church. Thus, the Cycle Dramas or English Passion Plays performed with the permission and help of the church. The belief is that the church clergy probably wrote the short stories or playlets and then gave them to the Guilds for their performance in theaters. Although the appearance of the Cycle Dramas seems unimaginative and commonplace at a first glance, there are some striking innovations in terms of furthering a dramatic structure. This is the first time we see the use of a double plot in which the honored and revered story is compared to a similar situation but of a base (and most times, immoral) story. A perfect example of this is in The Second Shepards Play where Mak and Maks wife, Gill, imitate the glorious scene of Christs birth in the manger by putting the stolen lamb in a basket and pretending it is a baby. Almost every Cycle Drama has a similar structure, and the dramas that came after the Cycle Dramas continue to use this structure. We can see the double plot/sub plot structure becoming more and more significant and taking on more importance in plays such as Gorboduc, The Spanish Tragedy, most of Shakespeares works, and ultimately in King Lear. As the Medieval era ends and the Renaissance emerges we also see a shift in the attitude towards evil. Through the texts of the English Passion Plays we can see that the attitude is playful and comic when the subject matter is the Devil or something equally as wicked. The possibility of questioning religion, faith, and humanity has not yet entered the picture. As soon as the possibility emerges, the safe and secure world of absolutes is violently thrashed. We see the possibilities emerge in Everyman when Death comes before Everyman has a chance to redeem himself. We see it again with more force in Gorboduc when the King cannot restore his kingdom from his sons. Another great example is in Marlowes The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus where Faustus has the opportunity to redeem himself, but does not, and evil conquers all. We see the culmination of the destroyed safety of the Medieval world in Shakespeares plays including Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear. Shakespeare especially do minates this subject matter because of historic events in his lifetime. Because of political strife between the Catholics and Protestants, and to avoid conflict, Queen Elizabeth forbid the subject matter of religion to enter into any play, and thus Shakespeare very craftily described worlds in his plays that related to religion, but had none as specific as Christianity. With these circumstances he was able to open the door to a type of thought not used since the Greek age. In his play, King Lear, Shakespeare describes a world in which the gods are just, and of our pleasant vice make instruments to plague us. In other words, the gods are just but cruel. And thus, dramatic focus had changed from the security of religious dogma in the Medieval era to a more humanistic, questioning and circumstantial view of the world in the Renaissance. The steadfast, secure world of the Medieval age was at an end. Then it all crashes down and you break your crown.. In King Lear, we see the evolution of thought from the Medieval to the Renaissance played out for us onstage. The safe, secure world of Britain we glimpse at the beginning (not unlike the Medieval world) is a hoax and King Lear is the largest proponent of it. Lear must go through the process of learning to see the truth of the world around him, a world that is full of questions and not so many answers-in other words, a Renaissance world. When King Lear gives up his kingdom to his daughters, he is quick to dismiss any truth not to his liking. He is convinced that the world is an absolute, that he has absolute power and that he will never lose it. He has no need to listen to anything but flattery. And it all goes downhill for King Lear because he gives his kingdom to his dishonest daughters Regan and Goneril who are willing to flatter through forked tongues. Lear, in a fit of rage, disowns his honest daughter Cordelia for telling him a plain truth. He loses everything, including his power, money, family, and life. King Lears reign ends because of his foolishness and his corrupt daughters deceit. His once mighty grip upon his kingdom is now nullified and hes just left with just a memory of his rule. People still regarded him the king, however he has no money and no power. In Act IV, Scene 6, we see Lear dressed in wild berries and donning a crown made from weeds Lear has begun to see clearly and still believes himself to be a King, but, more realistically, a King of nothing. Lears life ends tragically without any kind of redemption of the Medieval sense. We can see that Shakespeare has completely opened up the curtain to reveal a shaky and unstable world where there is no God and possibly no gods either to remedy the situation. A Medieval audience would not have been able to handle this collapse of religious structure, but the Renaissance was ready for it. Perhaps the greatest and most evident way in which the Medieval and Renaissance time periods differ is found in the opposing premises of philosophy, which we see through, its dramas. Again, the theme of progression from religious-oriented thoughts in the Middle Ages to the secular ideals of the Renaissance is evident in texts from Everymans spiritual journey to Christian redemption, through Lears possibly godless universe. The general view of people in the Middle Ages was that of putting faith in the church, with beliefs that there would be a reward in heaven for them at the end of their tired lives (Everyman). During the latter Renaissance, however, thoughts were more associated with living life on earth rather than the afterlife in heaven. The consequences of King Lears actions appear before death and there is no resolution to say whether or not Lear is relieved of his burden through death. New confidence in human abilities and thought was developed in drama, and there were many mo re inquiries pertaining to science and reason (Faustus), rather than religion as it was in the Middle Ages. Faustus is an interesting mix of a Renaissance man in a Medieval world and the collision that these two subjects make is astronomical. Also, philosophic developments during the Renaissance were made to be more practical and had more realistic applications to everyday life. The philosopher, Machiavelli, is an example of this, as he made attempts to find a balance between freedom and authority, something that was very useful in life and put no confidence in the church or God. He developed the idea that a corrupt society needs to find a strong leader(who is not necessarily moral) to govern so that the people can learn to be capable of self-government. This was a practical idea and applicable to everyday life although not necessarily a popular idea. He also developed the classic archetype of the Machiavel, which we see in almost every dramatic text from The Spanish Tragedy on. The ultimate changing theme as is evident in the dramatic literature during the progression from the Medieval to Renaissance eras was that of religious-based ideals to ideals that were humanistic and questioning in nature. People turned from putting all their faith in religion and the afterlife, and began focusing more specifically on problems concerning everyday life. As seen in the English Passion Plays and Everyman the focus of Medieval drama is specifically on biblical topics, especially redemption and the journey of a religious nature, whereas the texts of the Renaissance describe situations of governmental disputes, issues of pride, truthfulness, and many other humanistic attributes of life. The focus has clearly shifted from the religious to the secular.

Edward II of England :: Essays Papers

Edward II of England Edward II was born in April 25, 1284 to the great King Edward I and Eleanor of Castille in Caernaven Caste in Wales. Edward II did not have a particularly happy childhood as he grew up under his overbearing father and in the absence of his mother. Edward II had three older brothers, two of which died in infancy and the third unexpectantly in adolescence. Thus, in 1307 Edward gained the throne of England and then married Isabella, daughter of Philip IV of France, in 1308 as a matter of convenience. Edward is said to be as much of a failure as king as his father was a success. Edward II’s contemporaries thought him to be an incompetent ruler. They claimed that the king had been led and ruled by others, who had advised him badly to his own dishonor, and to the destruction of the Church and of all his people. He and neither made any effort to see of find out what was good or bad, nor taken any steps to remedy the situation when requested to do so by the great and wise men of the kingdom. They also said that during all his reign, the king had been unwilling to take of believe good advice, and, instead of devoting his efforts to good government, he had spent all his time in unseemly pursuits, neglecting the affairs of the kingdom. Edward II possessed none of the chivalric qualities attributed to great men of his time. Edward had no interest in knightly exercises such as joust and tourney. Instead of spending time with nobility, he preferred to consort with singers, actors, oarsmen, diggers, etc., who shared his tastes. This failure to understand the importance of patronage lost him the trust of nobility as he turned to unsuitable favourites such as Piers Gaveston and the Despensers whom he had homosexual relations with. Because Edward did not care about his responsibilities as King, he appointed these men to handle his affairs. Gaveston assumed this position and behaved like a second king who was above everyone, and had no equal. He was accused of treason and executed. When the younger Despenser was later appointed, he too was accused of the same crimes, namely accroaching royal power and dignity and counseling the king badly.

A Scientific Solution to the Whaling Problem

Science faces a dilemma when it comes to consider the breakdown of society in the face of technological advance. The situation is even more difficult when science takes the environmentalist stance and then finds itself in opposition to native culture, which it also wants to preserve. Anthropological studies have shown that many cultures around the world are integrally linked to whaling, both economically and culturally. But now that whales are facing extinction, the scientific community must make a decision as to which is more worth preservation, native human cultures, or the population of whales. In my opinion, science should support the latter cause. It is an accepted tenet of modern life that technological advance breaks down old modes of social solidarity, and introduces new forms of connectedness. These new spheres of connection bypass locality and ethnicity, so that the tendency is towards a global culture and economy. What seems to be initially a cultural loss is not so, for culture is evolving in step with technology. However, the extinction of whales is a true and final loss. In 1999 the international whaling commission lifted its moratorium and allowed the Makah Indians of Washington State to hunt whales for the first time in 70 years. Charlotte Cote, a descendant of whaling Indians, enthuses over the decision, and describes how whaling has â€Å"reaffirmed their identity as a whaling people and providing a symbol for tribal resiliency, adaptability, and cultural survival† (2006, p. 177). However, Richard Caulfield, who has carried out extensive research into the whaling tribes of Greenland, opines that we cannot view these cultures in isolation, and these people have always retained links to mainland Europe. The recent speed of technological advance has only intensified these links. It is obligatory, therefore, that the remote whaling communities collaborate with the international community (Nuttall 1998, p. 831). The best role for the scientific community would, thus, be to effect a dialogue between the natives and the international body politic, while carrying out research from both points of view.