Disparities in Healthcare Does Everyone Receive the Same...

Research shows that healthcare is not equal among all demographics and it is evident that throughout time, various groups of people have been taken advantage of by the medical community. In the United States, we believe that health care should not differ by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or geographic location. When these differences do exist, they are referred to as disparities. We see this when racial and ethnic minorities receive lower quality healthcare than whites, when age is a determinant of quality of care, when level of education or sexual orientation are taken into consideration or when a person is uninsured or must rely on government issued health coverage for care. It is important to understand that differences in†¦show more content†¦She thought since science could keep her mother’s cells alive, they ought to be able to make another Henrietta. Had Mrs. Lacks been white or affluent, her family quite possibly would have been informed of what doctors were doing. They were a simple family and medically and ethically, the medical community took advantage of this fact. Also revolving around HeLa cells were experiments performed on men in prison in the 1960s. They were directly injected with cancer cells to see if they developed cancer, what kind of cancer they developed and if the cancer was curable. Some of the men understood what was being done to them, but others did not. Those who did not know were not told. None of the inmates died as a result of the injected cancer cells. In an aim to abolish unfair and harmful practices, the Institutional Review Board was established to eliminate the inequality of medical experimentation on humans. Since the IRB began regulating biomedical and behavioral research the things that happened in the past are, with hope, not going to occur again. What exists now is an apparent inequality in the level of care some individuals receive. Disparities in health status and health care have been well documented, but solutions for reducing them are less clear. One reason is that the landscape of influences on health disparities is complex. The factors include individual socioeconomic circumstances such as level of education, income, wealth and occupation; physical andShow MoreRelatedSocial Determinants Of Health Care Healthcare Accessibility1375 Words   |  6 PagesSocial Determinants of Health Care—Healthcare Accessibility In this comparative case study, healthcare accessibility in the United Kingdom is researched assiduously in order to get a better understanding of the health inequalities that a myriad of refugees and minorities face on an everyday basis. In addition, it will focus on the notion of a social gradient and its impact in communities that are of the minority. 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Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10 Free Essays

string(68) " bright and passionate woman, who loves life, and wants to live it\." Jesus. What had I been thinking? I had to work today. Not only that, I had to work in ten minutes. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10 or any similar topic only for you Order Now I had no time for â€Å"real† clothing or makeup. With a sigh, I shape-shifted form, my robe giving way to gray slacks and an ivory blouse, hair and makeup suddenly done to my normal, immaculate perfection. Brushing my teeth and adding perfume could not be faked, and after performing those tasks, I grabbed my purse and sprinted out. When I reached my lobby, the desk clerk called out to me. â€Å"Got something for you.† He handed over a flat parcel. Still conscious of the time, I quickly tore at the wrapping and stifled a gasp at what I found. Black Velvet Paint by Number Kit, read the package. A subheading proclaimed: Create Your Own Masterpiece! Contains Everything You Need to Paint Just Like a Real Artist! The â€Å"masterpiece† I could create depicted a desert landscape with a giant cactus to one side and a howling coyote on the other. An eagle soared in the sky, and a ghostly, disembodied Native American head floated nearby. Terribly stereotyped and cheesy. A small piece of paper had been taped to it. Start small, the note said. Love, Roman. The writing was so perfect as to be unreal. I was still chuckling when I got to work. In my office, I settled in front of the computer and discovered a second morning surprise: another e-mail from Seth. It had been sent at five in the morning. Georgina, A few years ago, while writing Gods of Gold, I met a woman at a class I took on South American archaeology. I don’t know how it is for women; it’s probably not even always the same for us men. But for me, when I meet someone I’m attracted to, time stands still. The planets come into alignment, and I stop breathing. The angels themselves descend to sit upon my shoulders, whispering promises of love and devotion while less heavenly creatures whisper promises of an earthier, baser nature. I guess that’s part of being a man. Anyway, that was what happened with this woman. We fell pretty hard for each other and dated off and on for a very long time. Some days we wouldn’t be able to leave each other’s side for more than a minute, and then later, months would go by without any sort of contact. I have to confess, this latter behavior was more my fault than hers. I mentioned before that Cady and O’Neill are demanding. During phases when I was hot into my writing, I wouldn’t be able to think about or do anything else that didn’t involve my novel. I knew it hurt her – knew she was the kind of person who wanted to settle down and start a family, live a quiet and committed life. I was not that kind of person – I’m not even sure I am now – but I liked the idea of always having someone around, someone reliable who I could call up when I was finally ready to make time. It really wasn’t fair to do that to her, always leave her hanging like that. I should have ended things early on, but I was too selfish and too comfortable. One day, after not having spoken to her in a few months, I called her up and was astonished to hear a man answer the phone. When she came on the line, she told me she’d met someone else and wouldn’t be able to see me anymore. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I started rambling, going on and on about how much I cared for her, how she couldn’t throw away what we had. She took it all pretty nicely, considering what a psycho I must have sounded like, but in the end, she closed things by saying I shouldn’t have expected her to wait forever. She had her own life to live. The reason I share this embarrassing tale from the canon of Seth Mortensen is twofold. First, I need to apologize to you for what happened tonight. In spite of my grumblings, I really did intend to meet you. A couple hours before the game, I ran home to get something and suddenly thought of a solution to the snag that had been blocking me all day. I sat down to write, only planning to spend an hour on it. As you might be guessing by now, it took a lot longer than that. I got so caught up that I completely forgot about the game – and about you. I never heard my phone ring. I wasn’t aware of anything else except getting the story out on paper (or rather, my screen). This, I’m afraid, is a problem I frequently have. It happened with my ex, it happens with my family, and unfortunately, it happened with you. Don’t even get my brother started about how I nearly missed his wedding. The worlds and people in my head are so alive to me that I lose track of the real world. Sometimes I’m not even convinced Cady and O’Neill’s world isn’t the real one. I never mean to hurt people, and I feel terrible afterward, but it is a failing I can’t seem to overcome. None of this justifies abandoning you last night, but I hoped this might offer some insight into my unbalanced worldview. Please understand how very sorry I am. My second reason for the memoir is to address your comment about Cady â€Å"getting some.† In thinking about her and O’Neill, I decided that Cady wasn’t the kind of person who would wait around forever either. Now, don’t get me wrong: I don’t think Cady and my ex-girlfriend have a lot in common. Cady isn’t looking to settle in the suburbs and pick out curtains with O’Neill. But, she is a bright and passionate woman, who loves life, and wants to live it. You read "Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10" in category "Essay examples" A lot of people were upset to see her break out of her devoutly chaste, puppy-at-O’Neill’s-side role, but I think she had to do it. Let’s face it: O’Neill takes her for granted, and he needed a wake-up call. Now, does this mean steps are being made to finally bring them together, as so many readers have asked? Naturally, as their creator, my lips are sealed on that, but I can say this: I have a lot more books with them in mind, and readers tend to lose interest when protagonists hook up. – Seth P.S. – By the way, I bought the condo. Mistee was so excited that she took me on the spot, and we made love all over the granite countertops. P.P.S. – All right, I’m making up that last part. Like I said, I’m a man. And a writer. My eyes still heavy with sleep, I sluggishly pondered the letter’s message. Seth had had a serious girlfriend. Wow. That shouldn’t have surprised me, especially considering the sex scenes he wrote. I mean, he couldn’t have pulled them all out of imagination. Still, it was hard to picture introverted Seth participating in all the social exchanges normally required of a long-term relationship. And then the other part, his reasons for not showing. What to think of those? He was right in saying his burst of inspiration was no excuse for what he had done. The explanation did take away some of the sting, however, moving him from rude to simply thoughtless. No, maybe thoughtless was too harsh. Scattered, that was it. Perhaps scattered wasn’t such a bad thing, I mused, since ignoring the real world allowed him to work on the written one. I just didn’t know. I pondered all this for the rest of the morning, my anger from last night growing cold in the wake of time passing and my speculation on a brilliant writer’s mind. By the time lunch rolled around, I realized I had gotten over the hockey mishap. He had not intended the neglect, and it wasn’t like my night had turned out too badly after all. Around late afternoon, Warren came trolling around. â€Å"No,† I said immediately, recognizing the look in his eyes. I hated his presumption, yet always found myself eerily drawn to it. â€Å"I’m in a terrible mood.† â€Å"I’ll make you feel better.† â€Å"I told you, I’m too bitchy.† â€Å"I like you bitchy.† The succubus feeding instinct began waking up. I swallowed, annoyed at it and my own weakness. â€Å"And I’m really busy. There are†¦ things†¦ I should do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My excuse sounded halfhearted, though, and Warren apparently recognized that. He walked over to me and knelt by my chair, running a hand over my thigh. I wore thin, silky slacks, and the feel of his fingers stroking me through that smooth material was almost more sensual than on bare skin. â€Å"How was your date the other night?† he murmured, moving his mouth up to my ear and then my neck. I arched my head obligingly, in spite of my best resistance, liking the way his mouth grew fiercer against my skin, his teeth just teasing me. He was far from being a boyfriend but was still the closest I had to any sort of consistent relationship. That meant something. â€Å"Fine.† â€Å"Did you fuck him?† â€Å"No. I slept alone, alas.† â€Å"Good.† â€Å"He’s coming back tonight, though. For the dance lesson.† â€Å"Really?† Warren unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse, revealing a pale pink lace bra. His fingertips traced the shape of one of my breasts, following its inner curve down to where it met the other one. Then he moved his hand up to that breast, playing with the nipple through the lace. I closed my eyes, surprised at my swelling desire. After helping Hugh close the contract with Martin, I wouldn’t have thought I’d need a fix so soon. Yet, the hunger tugged ever so slightly within me, mingled with lust. Pure instinct. â€Å"We’ll introduce him to Maria.† Maria was Warren’s wife. The thought of passing Roman off on her was too funny. â€Å"You sound jealous,† I teased. I pulled Warren toward me, and he responded by pushing me on top of the desk. I moved my hands down to unfasten his pants. â€Å"I am,† he grunted. Leaning over, he pulled the bra down to bare my breasts and lowered his mouth to one of the nipples. He hesitated. â€Å"Are you sure you didn’t fuck him?† â€Å"I think I’d remember something like that.† A knock sounded at the door, and Warren hastily sprang away from me, pulling up his pants. â€Å"Shit.† I, too, sat up and returned to my chair. With Warren’s eyes on the door, I quickly used some more shape-shifting to neaten myself up and rebutton my blouse. Satisfied we were both decent, I called, â€Å"Come in.† Seth opened the door. I clamped down on my jaw, lest it drop open in astonishment. â€Å"Hi,† said Seth, looking back and forth between Warren and me. â€Å"I didn’t mean to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no, you aren’t,† Warren assured him, clicking into public relations mode. â€Å"We were just having a quick meeting.† â€Å"Not a very important one,† I added. Warren gave me a droll look. â€Å"Oh,† said Seth, still appearing like he wanted to bolt. â€Å"I just came by to see if maybe†¦ you wanted lunch. I†¦ e-mailed you about what happened.† â€Å"Yeah, I read it. Thanks.† I smiled at him, hoping to silently communicate that all was forgiven. The worried look on his face was so heart-wrenching that I felt certain his conscience had suffered more than my ego last night. â€Å"Excellent idea,† boomed Warren. â€Å"Let’s all go get some lunch, shall we? Georgina and I can meet again later.† â€Å"I can’t.† I reminded him about how short-staffed we were and how I was needed for coverage. He scowled when I finished. â€Å"Why haven’t we hired anyone?† â€Å"I’m working on it.† Warren ended up just taking Seth out – something the writer seemed highly uneasy about – and I was left alone, feeling abandoned. I would have half liked to hear what else Seth had to say about writing taking over his life. I might have even liked getting laid. Neither was to be. Ah, the injustices of the universe. I apparently had one karmic favor left, however. Around four, Tammi – the red-haired girl from Krystal Starz – showed up to solve my staffing problem. As suggested, she brought a friend. After a quick interview, I felt satisfied by their competency. I hired them on the spot, pleased to have one task taken off my list. When the store finally closed later, those few hours of sleep were catching up with me more fiercely. I felt in no mood to teach a dance lesson. Realizing I needed to change, I closed the office door and shape-shifted my outfit for the second time that day. It felt like cheating, as always. For dancing I selected a sleeveless dress, clingy through the bodice and flowing through the skirt – just right for twirls. Colored in blending hues of peach and orange, I hoped the dress would warm my mood up. I also hoped no one had noticed I hadn’t carried a change of clothes in with me this morning. On the overhead speakers, I heard one of the cashiers make the announcement that the store had closed, just as another knock sounded on my door. I called an entry, wondering if it might be Seth again, but Cody appeared this time. â€Å"Hey,† I said, forcing a smile. â€Å"Are you ready for this?† I had taught Cody to swing dance a year or so ago, and he had picked it up remarkably well, probably half due to vampire reflexes. As a result, I had – against his better judgment – recruited him to be my coteacher in these impromptu lessons for the staff. He kept claiming he was no good, but in both lessons so far, he’d proven remarkably efficient. â€Å"What? Dancing? Yeah. No problem.† I glanced around, ascertaining we were alone. â€Å"Any more weird occurrences?† Cody shook his head, blond hair framing it like a lion’s mane. â€Å"No. It’s been pretty quiet. Maybe I was overreacting.† â€Å"Better safe than sorry,† I advised, feeling like somebody’s cliched grandmother. â€Å"What are you doing after this?† â€Å"Meeting Peter at a bar downtown. You want to come with us?† â€Å"Sure.† We’d all be safer as a group. The door pushed open, and Seth stuck his head inside. â€Å"Hey, I – oh, I’m sorry,† he stammered, catching sight of Cody. â€Å"I didn’t mean to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no,† I said, waving him inside. â€Å"We were just talking.† I gave Seth a curious look. â€Å"What are you still doing here? Are you staying for the lesson?† â€Å"Er, well I, that is, Warren invited me to†¦ but I don’t think I’ll actually dance. If that’s okay.† â€Å"Not dance? What are you going to do then, watch?† I demanded. â€Å"Be like a voyeur or something?† Seth gave me a sage look, appearing for the first time in a while like the guy who had written the comic observations about real estate agents and old girlfriends. The guy I’d once engaged in a stumbling flirtation with. â€Å"I’m not that desperate. Not yet, anyway. But it’s really safer if I don’t dance. For those around me.† â€Å"That’s what I used to say until she made me try it,† remarked Cody, clapping me on the shoulder. â€Å"Just wait until you’ve been in Georgina’s capable hands. You’ll never be the same.† Before any of us could acknowledge that suggestive comment, Doug appeared behind Seth, outfitted as his grunge band self rather than assistant manager self. â€Å"Hey, are we getting this party started or what? I came back here today just for this lesson, Kincaid. You better make the trip worth my while. Hey, Cody.† â€Å"Hey, Doug.† â€Å"Hey, Seth.† â€Å"Hey, Doug.† I groaned. â€Å"All right. Let’s do this.† We left en masse for the cafe, where tables were being moved to give us space. I introduced Cody and Seth along the way. They shook hands briefly, the young vampire looking at me meaningfully when he realized just which Seth this must be. â€Å"You sure you aren’t going to dance?† I asked the writer, still puzzled by his obstinacy. â€Å"Nope. Just doesn’t feel right.† â€Å"Yeah, well, after the shitty day I’ve had, running this shindig doesn’t feel right to me either, but we all endure. Put on the happy face and go, you know?† Seth looked like he didn’t know, only giving me a small, bemused smile. A moment later, that smile dimmed slightly. â€Å"You said you got the e-mail†¦ did it†¦ do you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It’s fine. Forget about it.† His bizarre social habits might not mesh with mine, but I couldn’t stand seeing him worry anymore about last night. â€Å"Honestly.† I patted his arm, gave him my Helen of Troy smile, then turned my attention to the scene upstairs. Most of the staff who’d worked today milled around, along with a few others who, like Doug, had come back. Warren and his wife waited with them, and so did Roman. He approached with a smile when he saw me, and I felt a faint wave of lust sweep me, independent of any succubus feeding. As good-looking as ever, he wore black slacks and a teal shirt that gleamed like his eyes. â€Å"Group date, huh?† â€Å"For my safety. I’ve always found it best to keep a few dozen chaperones on hand.† â€Å"You’ll need a few dozen more in that dress,† he warned in a low voice, those eyes molesting me from head to toe. I flushed, taking a few steps away from him. â€Å"You’ll have to wait your turn, like everyone else.† Turning away from him, I inadvertently made eye contact with Seth. He had obviously overheard the brief exchange. My blush deepening, I fled both of them for the center of the floor, Cody in tow. Putting on the so-called â€Å"happy face,† I pushed my long day out of my mind and grinned at my coworkers’ whoops and cheers. â€Å"All right, gang, let’s get going. Doug’s in kind of a hurry and wants to finish this up as quickly as possible. I understand that’s pretty standard for him in a lot of matters – especially romantic ones.† This elicited both positive and negative catcalls from the crowd, as well as an obscene gesture from Doug. I reintroduced Cody, who was less comfortable with the attention than I was, and began sizing up the group. We had more women than men, per usual, and a wide range of skill levels. I split couples up accordingly, putting especially adept women with other women since I felt confident they could dance the male part for this practice and switch effortlessly later. I didn’t have such faith in everybody; some of them still struggled to follow a beat. Consequently, I started the lesson by reviewing from last time, turning on the music and making everyone practice basic steps. Cody and I monitored, making minor adjustments and suggestions. My tension from the long day eased slightly as I worked the crowd. I loved swing dancing, had loved it when it first emerged in the early twentieth century, and had been thrilled when its revival came around recently. I knew it was going out of style again, which was part of the reason I wanted to pass on the knowledge to others. Not knowing Roman’s level of expertise, I’d placed him with Paige, a pretty skilled dancer. After watching them a minute or so, I shook my head and approached. â€Å"You hustler,† I chastised. â€Å"You acted all nervous about dancing, but in reality, you’re a pro.† â€Å"I’ve done it a few times,† he admitted modestly, taking her into a turn I hadn’t taught them yet. â€Å"Stop that. I’m splitting you guys up. Your skills are needed elsewhere.† â€Å"Oh come on,† pleaded Paige. â€Å"Let me keep him. It’s about time we had a man around here who knows what he’s doing.† Roman cut me a glance. â€Å"She said it, not me.† I turned my eyes heavenward and reassigned them to new partners. After a bit more supervising, I grew satisfied with the whole group’s prowess, convinced I’d see little change. Deciding to move on, Cody and I taught them lindy kicks next. Not surprisingly, chaos soon broke out. The gifted in the group picked the move up right away, those who had struggled previously continued to struggle, and some who had performed fine with the basic steps and turns now fell completely apart. Cody and I moved through the dancers, doing damage control, offering our words of wisdom. â€Å"Keep the tension in your wrist, Beth – not too much, though. Don’t hurt yourself.† â€Å"Count, damn it! Count! The beats are still the same as before.† â€Å"Keep facing your partner†¦ don’t lose track of her.† My role as teacher consumed me, and I loved it. Who cared about vampire hunters and the eternal struggles of good and evil? I caught sight of Seth sitting off to the side, just as he’d vowed. â€Å"Hey, voyeur, still just want to watch?† I chided, breathless and excited from running all over the makeshift dance floor. He shook his head, a faint smile playing across his features as he studied me. â€Å"Plenty to see from here.† Standing up from his chair, he leaned forward in a familiar sort of way, startling me when his hand reached out and pushed up a dress strap that had slipped off my shoulder down to my arm â€Å"There,† he pronounced. â€Å"Perfect.† Goose bumps rose on my flesh at his touch, his fingers warm and gentle. For just a moment, a look I hadn’t seen before crossed his face. It made him look less like the distracted writer I’d come to know and more†¦ well, male. Admiring. Considering. Maybe even predatory. The look was gone as quickly as it had come, though I still felt taken aback. â€Å"Keep an eye on that strap,† warned Seth mildly. â€Å"You’ve got to make him work for it.† He inclined his head slightly toward some dancers, and I followed the motion to see Roman walking one of the baristas through a complex step. I admired Roman’s graceful moves a moment before turning back to Seth. â€Å"It’s not that hard. I can teach you.† I held up a hand by way of invitation. He looked as though he might agree but shook his head at the last second. â€Å"I’d make a fool of myself.† â€Å"Ah yes, and sitting here alone, while everyone else dances and we’re short of men – yes, that doesn’t make you look foolish at all.† He gave a soft laugh. â€Å"Maybe.† When no other explanation came, I shrugged and returned to the dance floor, continuing my instruction. Cody and I added a couple new tricks, assisted in more practice, and finally stood off to the side admiring our pupils. â€Å"Think they’ll be ready for the Moondance ?† he asked. The Moondance Lounge was a ballroom dance club that hosted monthly swing dance nights. We considered this group’s appearance there to be the ultimate triumph of graduation. â€Å"One more lesson, I think. Then we can take them out in public.† An arm caught me around the waist, pulling me onto the dance floor. I recovered my footing quickly, falling in step with Roman as he spun me into an intricate turn. A few people nearby stopped to watch. â€Å"It’s my turn to be teacher’s pet,† he admonished. â€Å"I’ve hardly seen you all night; I don’t think this counts as a date.† I let him lead me around flamboyantly, curious as to just how good he really was. â€Å"You’re always changing what you want,† I complained. â€Å"First you just want to go out, now you say you actually want to be alone with me. You need to pick a story and stick with it. Be more specific.† â€Å"Ah, I see. No one told me that.† He led me into a reverse whip, and I followed through flawlessly, earning a grudging look of approval from him. â€Å"I don’t suppose there’s a Georgina Kincaid Instruction Manual around somewhere to help me avoid these embarrassing blunders in the future.† â€Å"We sell them downstairs.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† He began improvising steps now, and I enjoyed the challenge of second-guessing where he would go. â€Å"Is there a page on how to woo the fair Georgina?† â€Å"Page? Hell, there’s a whole chapter.† â€Å"Required reading, I’d imagine.† â€Å"Definitely. Hey, thanks for the paint by number.† â€Å"I expect to see that on your wall the next time I’m over.† â€Å"With that horrible Native American stereotype? The next time you see it will be on the ACLU’s hit list.† He spun me out into a flourish-filled ending, much to the delight of everyone else. They had long since stopped dancing to watch me make a spectacle of myself. I felt slightly self-conscious but shrugged it off, savoring the moment, taking Roman’s hand to bow luridly to my coworkers’ applause. â€Å"Get ready,† I announced, â€Å"because that’s going to be next week’s exam.† Cheers and laughter continued, but as they faded and the group dispersed for the night, Roman persisted in holding on to my hand, his fingers laced with mine. I didn’t mind. We walked around, making small talk and saying goodbyes. â€Å"You want to go get a drink?† he asked me, once we were momentarily alone. I turned toward him, standing close, studying those gorgeous features. In the now-warmed-up room, I could strongly smell his perspiration mingled with cologne, and it made me want to bury my face in his neck. â€Å"I want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly, wondering if alcohol and raw animal lust would be a wise combination with someone I wanted to avoid sleeping with. Looking beyond him, I caught Cody’s eye. He was talking earnestly with Seth, which I found odd. Suddenly, I remembered my earlier promise to go meet the vampires at the bar. â€Å"Damn,† I muttered. â€Å"I don’t think I can.† Still holding Roman’s hand, I led him over to Cody and Seth. They stopped talking. â€Å"I feel left out,† joked Cody a moment later. â€Å"I saw you do some stuff just now that you never taught me.† â€Å"You were supposed to have been doing it for homework.† I cocked my head in consideration. â€Å"Have you met Roman, Cody? Or you Seth?† I made quick introductions around, and they all politely shook hands, guy-style. Once that was done, Roman settled his hand comfortably on my waist. â€Å"I’m trying to get Georgina to have a drink with me. But I think she’s playing hard to get.† Cody smiled. â€Å"I don’t think she’s playing.† I looked apologetically at Roman. â€Å"I told Cody I’d meet him and another friend tonight.† The young vampire made a wave of dismissal. â€Å"Forget about it. Go have fun.† â€Å"Yeah, but – † I cut myself off and made significant eye contact with him  §?la Jerome and Carter. I didn’t want Cody to go off alone, lest he be targeted by the vampire hunter, but I could hardly say that in front of the others. â€Å"Take a cab,† I said at last. â€Å"Don’t walk.† â€Å"Okay,† he said automatically. Too automatically. â€Å"I mean it,† I warned. â€Å"Yes, yes,† he muttered. â€Å"Do you want to call it for me?† I rolled my eyes at him, then suddenly remembered Seth’s presence. Feeling kind of embarrassed with him standing there while we all made plans, I wondered if I should offer to invite him along or send him with Cody. As though reading my mind, Seth bluntly declared, â€Å"Well, I’ll see you guys later.† He turned around and left before any of us could answer. â€Å"Is he mad or something?† asked Cody after a moment. â€Å"I think that’s just the way he is,† I explained, not sure I’d ever understand the writer. â€Å"Weird.† Roman turned back to me. â€Å"Ready to step out?† Seth quickly left my mind. Roman and I walked over to a small restaurant across the street from Emerald City, sitting together on one side of a booth. I ordered my vodka gimlet, and he got brandy. When our drinks arrived, he asked, â€Å"Should I be jealous of anyone back there?† I chuckled. â€Å"You don’t know me well enough or have any claims on me to worry about jealousy yet. Don’t jump the gun here.† â€Å"I suppose not,† he agreed. â€Å"Still, famous writers and suave, young dance partners are certainly exalted company.† â€Å"Cody’s not that young.† â€Å"Young enough. Is he a close friend?† â€Å"Close enough. Not romantically close, if that’s what you’re still driving at.† Roman and I had snuggled together in the booth, and I gave him a playful poke in the ribs. â€Å"Quit worrying about my acquaintances. Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about the world of linguistics.† I meant it half-jokingly, but he complied, explaining his specialty – classical languages, ironically enough. Roman knew his material well, speaking about it with the same wit and cleverness used in his flirtations. I followed these explanations avidly, enjoying the opportunity to engage in a topic few others knew anything about. Unfortunately, I had to taper my participation, lest I show just how well versed in the subject I truly was. It might look a little weird if a bookstore manager knew more about an area of study than someone who had made a career out of it. Throughout this whole gripping discourse, Roman and I stayed in contact – arms, hands, and legs touching. He never tried to kiss me, for which I was grateful, as that would have been walking into dangerous territory. We were really on an ideal date for me: stimulating banter and as much physical contact as a succubus could safely handle. Our flirty conversation flowed effortlessly, like reading from a script. Our drink flew by in an eye blink, and before I knew it, we stood back outside, parting ways and making arrangements for another date. I attempted my protests, but both of us could see how weak they were. He kept claiming I owed him a real, unchaperoned outing. Standing there with him, warmed by his presence, I felt surprised at how badly I wanted that date. The thing about sparing nice guys was that I always ended up lonely. Looking up at Roman, I decided then that I wanted to put off being lonely again – just for a little while. So I agreed to go out again, ignoring the mental warning bells this decision set off. His face lit up, and I thought he would definitely try a mouth kiss now. My heart thumped loudly at the prospect, scared and eager. Apparently my previous neurotic rants about not getting too close hit home, however. He merely held my hand, finally brushing his lips across my cheek in a kiss that was barely a kiss. He wandered off into the streets of Queen Anne, and a moment later, I walked the half-block back to my apartment. When I reached my door, I discovered a note taped to it. My name, done in beautiful, heavily inked calligraphy, lay scrawled across the surface. An apprehensive coldness ran through me. The note read: You are a beautiful woman, Georgina. Beautiful enough, I think, to even tempt angels into falling – something that doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should anymore. Beauty such as yours is effortless, however, when you can make it anything you like. Your large friend, unfortunately, doesn’t have such luxury, which is a damned shame after what happened today. Fortunately, he works in the right business to correct any damage to his appearance. I stared at the note like something that might bite me. It bore no name, of course. Ripping it off the door, I hurried into my apartment and picked up the phone. I dialed Hugh’s number without hesitation. With the references to â€Å"large† and â€Å"right business,† he was the only one the note could be referring to. His phone rang and rang before giving way to an answering machine. Annoyed, I dialed his cell number. After three rings, an unknown female voice answered. â€Å"Is Hugh Mitchell there?† There was a long pause. â€Å"He†¦ can’t talk right now. Who is this, please?† â€Å"This is Georgina Kincaid. I’m his friend.† â€Å"I’ve heard him talk about you, Georgina. This is Samantha.† The name didn’t mean anything to me, nor did I have the patience for this runaround. â€Å"Well, can I please talk to him then?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice sounded strained, upset. â€Å"Georgina, something bad happened today†¦Ã¢â‚¬  How to cite Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10, Essay examples

Roman Aristocracy free essay sample

What virtues and attainments defined the Roman aristocrat in the Republic? How, if at all, did this conception of the aristocrat change during the empire? Select one biography, by either Suetonius or Plutarch: discuss its subject’s successes and failures in realizing the appropriate aristocratic ideal. Include in your essay some consideration of the importance placed on this matter by the biography’s author (that is, is the matter of aristocratic excellence relevant to the biography, and, if so, in what ways? If not, why not? ) What virtues and attainments defined the Roman aristocrat in the Republic? How, if at all, did this conception of the aristocrat change during the empire? The aristocracy of Rome has changed with the transition from the Republic to the Empire. This can be seen through analyzing funeral epitaphs, such as the epitaph of the Scipionic family and the epitaph of Publius Plautius Pulcher. Virtues of the aristocracy in the Republic were mainly focused on virtus and gloria; they attained such precedence by maintaining the achievements of their ancestors and upholding their status as the nobilitas. We will write a custom essay sample on Roman Aristocracy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page During the empire virtues and attainments of the nobility did not change completely, they merely altered to the new setting of imperialist Rome. Becoming a great man in Imperial Rome was somewhat harder, but still achievable as can be observed from the biography of Gnaeus Julius Agricola written by Tacitus. Suetonius’ life biography of the Deified Julius Caesar clearly shows the aristocratic ideal. Caesar’s success is extensively remarked upon showing that aristocracy excellence is relevant to the biography. The Roman aristocracy was an important part of Rome and analyzing their change is an appropriate way to understand the change from the Republic to the Empire. Roman aristocracy in the Republic was known under the term nobilitas, or nobility. It was a combination of leading Patrician and Plebeian families who had leading positions in the political powers of Rome. The aristocracy was simply a political aristocracy,1 those who held office in politics were those of great status in Rome. Nobilitas in the first century BC was limited to families that had consular lineage; it became a birthright. 2 New men, novi homines, were not easily accepted into the aristocracy,3 they did not come from well-known families who had already achieved great things; the aristocracy looked down on those without great ancestry lineage, they had no standing in politics. The introduction of new men created a possible balance but few advanced to significant positions of power. This lead to a small percentage of Rome’s population holding all the power; around twenty powerful families controlled Rome’s politics along with armies, provinces and the policy of Rome. 4 They had almost complete control of all politics in Rome. 5 There was a fierce competition for power and glory especially with few political positions available. It is important to understand that the aristocracy of the Republic did not achieve political and military success for wealth nor for superiority over the common people. Wealth was not an incentive for the aristocracy; it was not their nature to be greedy and to accumulate wealth in ways that would be looked down on. Wealth was of course a must for the aristocracy but it had to be gained by honest means. They did not deal in trade or business, and regarded those occupations with distaste. 6 The aristocracy either had to inherit a large sum of money or negotiate in profitable land investments. 7 Aristocracy received no privileges; they were technically equal before the law to the same standard of a common Roman man. Only the Patricians were awarded a few decorative privileges. 8 It was power and prestige that was paramount in the aristocrat’s life. 9 Power remained in the aristocracies’ hands due to the clientela relationship. All citizens had a patron, many of whom stemmed from a noble family; it was the patrons’ job to look after their clients in return for political support. 10 This clientela system was important, as the clients were the voters for who in the aristocratic class received certain political positions. A greater client base enhanced the nobles’ political success by increasing their number of votes. The clients were pleased with this arrangement as long as stability and freedom were secured. 11 The clientela system had similarities to the process of lobbying observed today in many modern democracies. If the nobility could uphold these benefits to the ordinary Romans, all would be well. This relationship enabled the Roman elite to control not only Rome, but also the rest of Italy and its allies giving the aristocrats more prestige and influence in the political scene. 12 In the Republic, aristocracy followed two main virtues, virtus and gloria and displays of these two virtues defined one as a great man, honoring ones ancestors and progeny. Virtus can be translated in many different ways depending on what it concerns. The most common translation is ‘manliness’ but it can also be associated with prayer, money or the quality of man. 13 In context to the Roman aristocrat it was in relation to the individuals glory and greatness one attained from serving the Roman state. 14 Virtus could also be gained by the good conduct of the aristocracy. 15 Their morals in the second BC had been tainted by debauchery but they still prided themselves on not fighting their wars with money, reward or trickery. 16 Aristocracy had to aspire to live in an honourable way and commit oneself to fides, good faith, to earn more virtus for ones family. 17 Gloria, the second most important virtue of Roman aristocracy, was acquired when one gained an excellent reputation through brave deeds. One had to have a good reputation and be a good man to achieve gloria and â€Å"†¦was awarded by the political class for political achievements†18 If both virtues were exhibited one attained honos, bestowing honor on your family. To achieve pride in your family you had to devote your life to military and public service. 19 The Scipionic epitaphs reflect both these virtues; Lucius Cornelius Scipio displayed his virtus through his courage in military success â€Å"†¦he captured Taurasia and Cisauna in Samnium†(ILS 1) plus he went on to achieve in politics â€Å"†¦he was aedile, consul, and censor among you†(ILS 1) Another Lucius Cornelius Scipio attained the virtues of virtus and gloria by his individual political and military attainments â€Å"†¦he was aedile, consul and censor†¦this man captured Corsica and the city of Aleria†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (ILS 23) he was also pious and dedicated a temple to the Goddess of Weather. This display of political and military success proved that the Scipio’s had achieved virtus and gloria and honored their family as the proper aristocrat should. It was not Roman custom to speak ill of the dead, but it is clear in some cases like Publius Cornelius Scipio that some aristocrats did not achieve greatness. Publius’s epitaph envisions what he could of achieved had he not been short lived â€Å" if you had been allowed to enjoy a longer life, you would of easily have surpassed the glory of your ancestors†(ILS 4) He is said to have died early, although his age was to be of 40; in Roman times that was old. His political and military success is excused by the position of Flamen Dialis (ILS 4) yet his epitaph still speaks of the glory he could of attained. It is clear that he did not honor his family or ancestors in politics or military success, as the other Scipios’ did. This clearly shows the importance of individual success, it was an aristocratic tradition to only record achievements made in servitude of the state20 and it becomes very apparent when little was achieved. The main defining attainment of the aristocrat was to honor their ancestors, family and progenies. By displaying virtus and gloria and gaining honor for ones family one managed to attain the greatest glory. This can be seen in the Scipio epitaph of Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Hispanus where he states that he tried to equal his fathers achievements and â€Å"†¦attained the distinction of my ancestors, so that they were glad I was born of their line †(ILS 6) Gnaeus achieved the attainment of honoring his ancestors through the means of politics and his â€Å"good character† although he did not achieve consulship. If an aristocrat failed in participating in public life and did not contribute to the families glory they failed the aristocratic ideal. 21 Gnaeus himself may not of attained consulship but he still took an active role in public life and was worthy of the aristocrat title. It was a disgrace of an aristocrat who did not try to attain some sort of virtus and gloria to honour their family. 22 Nobilitas men had to have an avid political and military contribution to be considered successful. They had to devote their life to the public and maintain mos maiorum. Consul was the highest position and most successful magistracy. If you achieved this position you had a successful life and had undoubtedly succeeded in honoring your ancestors. In Caecilius Metullus’ funeral oration it states that he obtained consul twice, a great achievement. It also states that he â€Å"†¦had achieved the ten greatest and noblest objects in pursuit of which wise men devote their lives†(Plin. HN 7. 39) Metullus was a great man and he had achieved his greatness in honourable and wise ways upholding his and his families status as part of the nobility. Metullus was a â€Å"†¦superlative warrior, the best orator, the bravest general†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he had fully participated in public life just to ensure that he would continue his families prosperity and bestow enough honour on his progeny so they may surpass his own glory. With the transition from the Republic to the Empire the aristocracy was seen to have some change in their virtues and attainments. The aristocracy retained the virtues of gloria and virtus but added in two more: obsequium and moderatio. 23 These were what the imperial aristocrat needed in order to become a great man instead of just a good man. Imperial Rome was both part republican and part autocratic24 so the aristocrat still had the duty to fulfill of servitude to the state. Emperor Augustus transformed the aristocracy;25 he had all authority but knew to share the running of the state with his inferiors. 26 Under the empire the need for competition was less, as one technically could not surpass the superiority of the autocrat. 27 The emperor was the greatest of Romans,28 it was a lifetime position and he held the power to elect magistracies. Without competition for political power the nobles had to form a new way to honour their ancestors. Thus the virtue obsequium29 came into practice, obsequium was the respectful attitude and compliance towards the powerful. Deference towards the Emperor and earning his favour gave you virtus and gloria. In exchange for ones loyalty to the emperor they were rewarded in both prestige and wealth. 30 By looking at the epitaph of Publius Plautius Pulcher we can see that he is not disgraced for not attaining the consulship nor is there any mention of military success. He still managed to achieve political success and receive the magistracy of praetor in 47BC (CIL 14. 3607) but the main focus is on his closeness to the Emperor â€Å"†¦friend of Drusus the son of Germanicus, uncle of Drusus the son of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (CIL 14. 3607) His ties to the Emperor Claudius are how he attains his ancestral glory. There is no excuse given to why he did not attain a consulship like the Scipionic epitaphs do. Military and political success, although still prominent, had a lesser meaning for the aristocracy of imperial Rome. Senatorial greatness was to a great extent reliant on the emperor. 31 Moderatio,32 the second virtue meant simply in moderation, everything was regulated and taken in moderation. In the Republic the aristocracy wanted everything and tried to be the best of the best. But in imperial Rome one could not be the best of the best as there was always an emperor who was greater. The aristocrat had to regulate what one could have and take it in moderation and be careful not to threaten the emperor. The biography of Gnaeus Julius Agricola illuminates these two virtues. Tacitus, the writer, depicts Agricola as a great man; something he would of attained through virtus and gloria plus the imperial virtues of obsequium and moderatio. Tacitus states that Agricola â€Å"†¦ retained what is most difficult to compass moderation. †(Tac. Ag. 4) Agricola was offered a proconsulship yet he refused instead to live in private; (Tac. Ag. 42) he took his political powers in moderation, and knew when to decline. Agricola also displayed obsequium in that he had an honorable career and respected the Emperor in power, even when it was Domitian who roundly hated Agricola. 33 The moral attitude of the aristocracy also underwent change during the empire due to Augustus’ influence. In the republic the aristocrats had become debauched and had forgotten their morals of being honest and boni as they became consumed with lust for money and power. 34 Augustus set about restoring the moral standards of Rome by restoring temples, religious practices, and even going as far as intruding on the private lives of Romans by regulating family values. 35 He wanted pristine values and virtues in Rome. This interference with moral standards would hopefully rid the aristocracy of their arrogance, cruelty and neglection of the gods36 that they had acquired during the republic. If these new moral standards were not adhered too, serious consequences would follow. The attainments of the aristocracy in Imperial Rome did not change significantly. It was still a great attainment if you achieved gloria and honos for your ancestors and progeny. But the emperor had impacted both the political and public identity of the aristocracy. 37 To accomplish military and political success was still an avid part of the aristocracy but their reasoning had changed. The competition was lost, and they now succeeded in gaining favour from the Emperor instead. Obsequium, the virtue, can be easily seen in this way. Like discussed previously, the funeral oration of Publius Plautius Pulcher readily shows how the aristocracy did not care for power as greatly as before. If you had achieved friendship with the Emperor but did not achieve consul it did not matter, your ancestors would still be pleased. In the Republic an aristocrat had to participate fully in public life or you were accused of failing the idealistic Roman aristocrat life. 38 But in the Empire you could merely befriend the Emperor and honor to your family was attained. In conclusion, to state that the aristocracy changed is simplistic; they adapted to a new environment through an evolutionary process and utilized new methodology to maintain status and power. There is a difference in the aristocrat of the Republic and the Empire but it is not a direct change, more an evolution. Instead of going against the new Empire the aristocrat instead moved with it. They evolved their virtues and attainments to suit the current situation. By keeping the basis of their virtues they retained their previous ancestral glory and honor but also allowed their progenies to attain such glory in the new setting of politics. The introduction of an Emperor reduced the fierce competition of power so the aristocracy created a new competition; a competition to befriend and earn the favour of the Emperor. Gloria and virtus were still key virtues, but everything was taken in moderation with regards to the emperor. Discuss Julius Caesar’s successes and failures in realizing the appropriate aristocratic ideal. Is importance placed on this matter by Suetonius, that is, is the matter of aristocratic excellence relevant to the biography, and, if so, in what ways? If not, why not? Suetonius discusses the successes and failures of the deified Julius Caesar in realizing the appropriate aristocratic ideal. Importance is placed on the matter of achieving the aristocratic ideal as Suetonius discusses the military and political attainments of Julius Caesar’s life extensively. Although whilst assessing Caesar’s aristocratic credentials he does allude to some potential failures. Aristocratic excellence is relevant to the biography as it is full of Caesar’s successes and little of his failures. The biography itself is called the ‘deified’, which relates to a godlike presence, which signifies that Caesar was worshipped after the end of his life. Julius Caesar’s biography by Suetonius is full of his success in both military achievements and politics fulfilling the aristocrat ideal. He gained both virtus and gloria and bestowed honos on his ancestors. Suetonius has put great effort into describing Caesar’s success and little on his failures making out that Caesar was a very great man. Caesar’s success as an aristocrat seem to arise from when he looked upon the statue of Alexandra the Great at the temple of Hercules in Gades. (Suet. Jul. 7) Suetonius portrays him as groaning at the thought of how little he has accomplished at an age where Alexandra had already conquered the world. (Suet. Jul. 7) On his return to Rome, Caesar was already determined to seize the greater opportunities available to him and become a great man. Caesar’s political history saw him attain military tribune, questor, aedile, pontifix maximus, praetor, consul and dictator. (Suet. Jul. 10,13,14,18) By achieving so highly in politics Caesar had accomplished the appropriate aristocratic ideals. Caesar was also an excellent general who cared for his ‘comrades’. Caesar was reputed for having no stains on his manliness (Suet. Jul. 49) and was of a handsome sort. (Suet. Jul. 45) He was a good man and Suetonius clearly thinks so as he praises Caesar and has little to fault him on. Caesar attains the Republican aristocrat ideal by pursuing a public life and devoting himself to serving the state. His prestigious career undoubtedly would of bestowed virtus, gloria and honour on his family. The people loved him, according to Suetonius they mobbed him and demanded he be returned to power when the senate had sent him away. (Suet. Jul. 16) This was the same attitude of the men that served under his command. It was said that â€Å"†¦he made his men utterly loyal to him and supremely brave as well† (Suet. Jul. 68) Suetonius also goes to mention that Caesar grew his beard and hair out and refused to cut them until he had his vengeance after the Titurian disaster. (Suet. Jul. 67) By participating in public life and gaining the peoples love he was able to succeed further in his political attainments, as the people wanted him to continue serving the state. Caesar was a reputable general who never seemed to lose a battle and was merciful to those he defeated. He conquered Gaul and the Britons and occupied Picenum, Umbria and Etruria in the civil war. (Suet. Jul. 25,34) These military achievements gave Caesar an excellent reputation which aristocrats strove for. He was lenient in his revenge; a great example that Suetonius mentions is to do with the pirates who had previously captured him. He ordered them to be crucified but had them strangled first to save them the pain of crucifixion. (Suet. Jul. 74) Even when his slave Philemon tried to poison him Caesar was considerate and gave him a quick death with no punishment. (Suet. Jul. 74) Caesar became ‘the father of the fatherland’ (Suet. Jul 85) and was given a godlike status after his death. He had attained the Republican aristocratic ideal via his display of virtus and gloria by being honest, just and committing oneself to fides. Nevertheless Caesar was a human being and did have his failings as an aristocrat although they did not cause great injury to his reputation. Suetonius states that Caesar had epileptic fits, (Suet. Jul. 45) which portrayed poor health. This was not an idealistic trait of an aristocrat, and would be perceived as a weakness although the truth behind this claim is speculative. Another weakness Caesar had was becoming completely engrossed with power. Suetonius mentions Caesar becoming arrogant and excessive in the amount of honour bestowed upon him. (Suet. Jul. 76) Caesar was given a godlike status and idealised himself as a god, even going as far to state that his aunts fathers family was related to the goddess Venus. (Suet. Jul. 6) He was supposedly caught saying in public â€Å"Men should now have more consideration in speaking with me and regard what I say as law†(Suet. Jul. 77) This was inclined to failing the aristocratic ideal as by assuming himself in control of all law was taking away the freedom of the people and disregarding the republic of Rome. An aristocrat obtained wealth either by inheritance or land investments yet Caesar went against this and obtained some through trickery. This was distasteful in regards to the moral of fides. Caesar is said to have stolen three thousand pounds of gold from the capitol replacing it with gilded bronzed coins. (Suet. Jul. 54) This failed the ideal of the aristocrat, as it was not an honorable way to gain wealth but a shameless act. Caesar was also accused of being a tyrant and a King. (Suet. Jul. 79) Caesar himself denied himself as King yet allowed himself to have special privileges, which went against the republic and angered the rest of the aristocracy. It was said that he was given a golden seat in the senate, temples, altars and statues placed next to Gods and of course a month of the year named after him. (Suet. Jul. 76) Suetonius refers to one moment, which thoroughly angered the senate, where Caesar did not rise from his seat to thank the senate for bestowing the highest decrees to him. (Suet. Jul 78) This lead to immense jealousy throughout the senate, Caesar was seen as a threat to the Republic and the senatorial auctoritas. Suetonius details some ways that Caesar secured alliances that gave him a homosexual reputation. Homosexuality was debauchery and impure to the moral standards of aristocrats. 39 It was said that he sold himself to King Nicomedes in order to gain a Bithynia fleet thus earning the degrading title of Queen of Bithynia. (Suet. Jul. 49) His soldiers chanted â€Å"Caesar had his way with Gaul; Nicomedes had his way with Caesar: Behold now Caesar, conqueror of Gaul, in triumph, Not so, Nicomedes, conqueror of Caesar†(Suet. Jul. 49) and this escapade follows him throughout his career and was later used against him by his enemies. (Suet. Jul. 49) Other facts Suetonius touched on concerned his infidelity towards his wives, (Suet. Jul. 50) he was renowned for being an adulterer although he does not place importance on this fact and merely regards it as a small problem concerning Caesars aristocratic status. Caesar’s cunning and dirty ways he accomplished such things were occasionally overlooked. He was still perceived as attaining virtus and gloria even amongst his few failures as an aristocrat. Aristocratic excellence is relevant to the biography of the Deified Julius Caesar as it concerns his excellence. Suetonius covers mostly Caesar’s success in the military and political scene of Republic Rome and how he rose to become one of the great Caesars of Rome. Suetonius treats the weaknesses of Caesar as historical facts. He states that Caesar had a weakness in moral character with infidelity and a reputation of an alleged homosexual. Yet they do not demoralize his aristocratic excellence. Caesar’s excellence is also largely relevant due to the fact that he was the instigator of the decline of the Republic. His successes in Rome lead to jealousy amongst the senate, which enthralled them to conspire together and plan Caesar’s death. (Suet. Jul. 80) Although it was not the custom of the Republican aristocracy to take things in moderation, it is obvious to see that Caesar took too much and paid for this mistake with death. To conclude, the aristocracy of Rome evolved with the transition of the Republic to the Empire. The republican virtues of virtus and gloria were incorporated into the empire along with obsequium and moderatio thus creating new motives for the aristocracy. In the republic it was a battle over who was greatest but in the empire it focused on the emperor. Suetonius’ life on Caesar enhances his success as an aristocrat, confirming his achievement of being the greatest. It is clear to see that Caesar did achieve the republican aristocratic ideal, definitely in securing honos for his ancestors and progeny. The morals of aristocracy were on a downward spiral tainted by trickery but the intervention of Augustus and the Roman Empire rectified them by making everyone a winner. Being a great man was a continuous self-centered battle in Republican Rome but in Imperialistic Rome there was a lesser need to compete, as the greatest would always be the emperor. One attainment of the aristocrat that stayed true through both Republic and Imperial Rome was that family honour was a fundamental principal of any aristocrat and the main instigator for any success. No aristocrat wanted to disgrace their family. Bibliography: Primary Sources – Excerpts from the Scipionic Epitaphs (ILS 1-4, 6-7) Epitaph for Publius Plautius Pulcher (CIL 14. 3607) Funeral oration for Lucius Caecilius Metellus (Plin H. N 7. 139) Suetonius. â€Å"The Deified Julius Caesar†. Lives of the Caesars. Trans. C. Edwards (United States, 2000) 3-42 Tacitus, Agricola Secondary Sources – Earl, D. The Moral and Political Tradition of Rome (Ithaca 1967), 11-43 Tatum, W,J. Always I am Caesar (Oxford 2008), 167-88 Wallace-Hadrill, A. ‘ Civilis Princeps: Between Citizen and King’, JRS 72 (1982), 32-48

Innovations Planned and Unplanned

Introduction There has been substantial controversy on whether innovation is planned or unplanned. Both sides have attracted arguments supporting them, as well as arguments discrediting them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Innovations: Planned and Unplanned specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A careful examination of real life examples of how organizations come up with innovations reveals that innovations are both planned and unplanned. This is the case despite the fact that planned innovations occur more often than unplanned innovations. Both innovations have advantages and disadvantages that complement each other due to the differences in their origin. Unplanned innovation Unplanned innovations are innovations in which an organization discovers a new way of doing things in the course of its day-to-day activities. These innovations are not as common as the planned innovations because they are accidental per se. In most cases, they are discovered by a clever individual within an organization, who comes across or thinks of a new way of solving the problems of the organization. Although these innovations build upon existing knowledge, they have substantial originality and thus they qualify the organization for acquisition of copyrights. In some cases, the individual who comes up with these innovations is not even part of the organization (McNamara, 2010, p. 1). The individual may be a professional who has a passion for problem solving. After identifying a problem common with organizations, the individual may approach the organizations concerned and present his solutions. Advantages of unplanned innovations The greatest advantage of unplanned innovations is that they are substantially cheaper than their planned counterpart. This is especially the case if the person who comes up with the innovation is a member of the organizations’ staff. If the innovation is from an outsider, the process is also cheaper since it involves a single individual who can easily be recruited into the organization, or persuaded to sell the idea to the organization. Another advantage comes from the fact that unplanned innovations are more or less instantaneous. This is to mean that the innovations are not planned in advance and thus they do not take much of the organization’s time. Their implementation is thus time saving, and they do not have the risks associated with planned innovations. Additionally, unplanned innovations tend to be more successful than planned innovations since, for them to be adopted, their usefulness to the organization must be established. In other cases, the unplanned innovations actually lead to planned innovations since after an individual comes up with an idea, the organization may desire to perform systematic checks of the relevance of the innovation and even repeat most of the steps of innovation carried out during planned innovation.Advertising Look ing for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Disadvantages of unplanned innovations Unplanned innovations may prove to be disadvantageous to an organization in that it may lack the holistic coverage of issues of the organization. This is because an unplanned innovation is mostly the creation of an individual and thus the individual may overlook important aspects of the organization. This shortfall is minimized by customizing an innovation after its discovery in order to make it conform to the needs and circumstances of a particular organization. Another disadvantage is that unplanned innovations may be adopted inappropriately in cases where an organization adopts an innovation just because the innovation is available. This problem comes about because, as stated above, most unplanned innovations are instantaneous and thus an individual may come up with an innovation in an area that does not require change wi thin the organization (Knowles, 2002, p. 49). In such a case, the organization may face a reduction in its productive potential due to implementation of a new mediocre innovation. Planned innovation This is the most common form of innovation. In this type of innovation, organizations identify the need to have a strategic change in their operations and plan on how to come up with an innovation that will satisfy the need. Thus the innovation is participatory and it makes it easy for the organization to come up with an innovation that touches all aspects of the organization. In most cases, such an innovation is necessitated by competition from other organizations, and the organization may even be required to make use of prevailing ideas on how to offer services or make certain goods. In most cases, the innovation is planned and developed by the staff in the organization, but in other cases, the organization may opt to hire a consultant to come up with the problem-solving innovation (Gu y, 2010, p. 1). In both cases, the development of the innovation is consultative and thus it makes use of inputs from all stakeholders. Advantages of planned innovation Planned innovations are advantageous because they are developed as a response to a need in the organization. Therefore, almost all the planned innovations developed are utilized and have positive results. The positive results are even enhanced by the fact that, unlike unplanned innovations, planned innovations are focused and they have a holistic impact in the organization.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Innovations: Planned and Unplanned specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another advantage is the fact that it is likely to increase the competitiveness of the organization than its unplanned counterpart. This is because planned innovations take into consideration the shortfalls the organization is experiencing and thus the innovation takes care of t hose shortfalls in the best way it can. For instance, if a company realizes that its rival is offering certain services that are making customers prefer the goods/services of the rival, the company can come up with a strategic innovation of providing other related services in order to gain a competitive edge (Anderson, 1992, p. 37). Therefore, planned innovations are more likely to increase the competitiveness of the organization than unplanned innovations. Disadvantages of planned innovations The greatest disadvantage of planned innovations is, perhaps, the high costs that are involved in developing them. For instance, if an organization decides to use its employees in the development of the innovation, the organization will spend money in wages, allowances, and also lose a considerable amount of time doing consultations. On the other hand, if an organization decides to hire a consultant, substantial amount of time will be spent while making consultations and the consultancy fee wi ll also be high. Another disadvantage is the fact that planned innovations may not come out as planned, and thus the efforts in developing a particular innovation may go down the drain. Conclusion As evidenced in the discussion above, innovation may be planned or unplanned. The effect that a specific innovation has on an organization will depend on the nature of the organization and the need for a change in its operations. As much as the two forms of innovation are important, planned innovation is more advantageous than unplanned innovation because it is more focused and it tailors solutions to fit the needs of the organization. Planned innovation is thus more common than its unplanned counterpart. Reference List Anderson, N. (1992). Organizational change and innovation: psychological  perspectives. New Jersey. Wadsworth Publishing. Guy, M. (2010). Planned and Unplanned Cultural change. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Knowles, H. (2002). Organizational leadership of planned and unplanned change. Journal of Management, Vol 1, pp. 23 – 79. McNamara, C. (2010). Organizational change and development. Retrieved from https://managementhelp.org/organizationalchange/index.htm This essay on Innovations: Planned and Unplanned was written and submitted by user Tony Medina to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Problem of Pedophilia in Modern Society

The Problem of Pedophilia in Modern Society Pedophilia is described as the act of an adult or a late adolescent (16 years and older) having asexual orientation towards children (14years and below); normally a child who is five years younger than them. Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Problem of Pedophilia in Modern Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Production and selling of child pornography is also considered as pedophilic behavior. The individuals who practice these acts are known as pedophiles. Though pedophilia is listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders) as a mental illness, many scientists beg to differ and campaign for its removal. Many debates have arisen from a number of individuals either in support of pedophilia being in the DSM while others argue vehemently against its inclusion in the DSM like Dr. Richard Green a psychiatrist in the Charing Cross Hospital, London who is an dedicated campaigner against pedophilia being categorized as a mental disorder (Ahlers et al. 2007). Across many cultures in the world, pedophilia is not considered to be morally wrong. Actually it is encouraged and praised like the Siwans in North Africa consider anal intercourse between men and boys as being an integral part of their living. It is such an important part of their culture that those who don’t practice it are frowned upon in the society. The Aborigines of Central Australia give another example. There, it is allowed for a grown up man who is not yet married to live with a minor (twelve years or below) for the time of his bachelorhood till he gets married. It was seen that sexual relationship between a minor and an adult was beneficial to the child rather than the adult (Ben-Aron, Hucker, Webster, 2003). Dr. Richard Green argues that general personality features and psychopathology studies are influenced and hampered by sampling bias. He further argues that most of the candidates c hosen for research studies are mostly incarcerated individuals and insists that this is not a credible sample of all the pedophiles. This is supported by Finkelhor et al. (1986) when he wrote â€Å"[They are] a small fraction of all offenders, the most flagrant and repetitive in offending, most socially disadvantaged, and least able to persuade criminal justice authorities to let them off† (p. 34). Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The difference between the incarcerated pedophiles and the non sexual deviant psychiatric patients is very minimal according to the Psychopathic Deviate Scale. Anxiety disorder and mood swings were also found in about two thirds of the non-incarcerated pedophiles. According to these researches, it is safe to say that pedophiles are generally introverted and hence most of the studies on psychosis and neurosis carried out tend to sh ow their levels as slightly elevated but not to a clinically abnormal. Studies on non-pedophiles have also been carried out where 80 â€Å"normal† individuals were studied and questioned about their sexual orientations. They showed that over 25% showed some pedophilic interest when shown pictures of prepubertal children. This study showed penile response of all the 48 soldiers to the adult female pictures, 40 of them for the adolescents and 28 of them to the children between 4 and 10 years. On the flip side, there is another group of individuals who â€Å"enjoy† being pedophiles and even argue that it should be legalized and accepted just like homosexuality. These individuals argue that pedophilia does more good than harm to the child. They have no sense of remorse. These types of individuals are normal and have perfectly normal lives. They engage in pedophilia as a sport. Taking this to account, a big dent is put in the theory that pedophilia is a mental disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a well packaged and sorted out list of all mental disorders that affect both adults and children. It was first published in 1952 and has been revised a total of five times. Pedophilia has been listed here from the DSM I to DSM IV-TR. In DSM-I pedophilia is listed as a sexual deviation and was labeled â€Å"sociopathic† (went against societal morals), in DSM -II, â€Å"sociopathy† was removed and it became a non-psychotic mental disorders but it still remained as a sexual deviation (Blanchard, Cantor, Robichaud, 2006). In DSM-III pedophilia became a paraphilia. In DSM-III-R pedophilia was categorized as a â€Å"sexual paraphilia†. This categorizing gave rise to the argument that pedophilia was not a mental disorder but a social more. DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic criteria for pedophilia states that; A pedophile is an individual who over a peri od of six months has recurrent intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children (generally age 13 years or younger), has acted on these sexual urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty and has acted on these sexual urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty. (Blanchard, Cantor, Robichaud, 2006, p. 56)Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Problem of Pedophilia in Modern Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is a bit confusing because it only classifies the pedophiles that act on their sexual urges as mentally ill but leaves out the ones who do not. This raises the question as to whether the pedophiles who don’t act on their â€Å"feelings† are mentally ill or not. There are some individuals who argue that pedophilia is a mental illness and pedophiles should not be condemned but should be treated with understanding and drugs. Traditionally, pedophiles were considered to have been molested or abused in their childhood hence their â€Å"abnormal† sexual orientation. This theory has proven true in the past but there have been a number of researches that have pointed to the contrary. One of this new development shows that pedophilia is indeed a mental disorder. Many individuals have embarked on the process of searching for treatment and a cure for pedophilia. One such individual is Dr. Anthony Siracusa, who treats sexually abused children, argues that pedophiles are regressed offenders. This means that they do not move forward in terms of relationships and they tend to be moving backwards (that is to children) instead of moving towards adults. Dr.Hord also agrees with this and adds that pedophiles are insecure and are often not capable of having intimate relationships with other adults and keep moving from one relationship to another. Pedophiles prefer children because they have control over them and they tend to feel more confident among children than among anyone else. According to Dr. James Cantor and his team, pedophiles brains have less white matter. In biology, the white matter is responsible for the thinking process (wiring). These studies were carries out on incarcerated pedophiles. Interesting studies that has been done in this area has indicated that pedophiles generally have lower IQ, are shorter and most of them are left-handed. This might be the reason for their general lack of self esteem. Dr. Cantor insists that the studies carried out are not meant to act as a scapegoat for pedophilia but it is meant to enhance the process of treating and even curing pedophilia. There are a number of theories that try to explain pedophilia. One theory considers pedophilia as paraphilia where it is argued that it mostly affects men since testosterone predisposes men to having deviant and queer sexual behaviors. This, however, does not explain the reason for female pedophiles hence this theory is inconclusive.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another theory regards pedophilia as a psychological issue. Most researchers argue that pedophiles were sexually abused as children or they have very strained relationships with their parents. Others argue that pedophiles are attracted to children because they never really matured psychologically. They still reason and think like children hence their resultant attraction to children. Another group regard pedophiles behave the way they do as a result of having an urge to control their sexual partners hence their attraction to children. Children are weaker both physically and emotionally than adults. This theory is mostly proven in male pedophiles because most of they crave domination and they don’t seem to achieve that with adult females or males. Researchers supporting this idea argue that pedophilia is an illness like any other and pedophiles should be treated with concern and understanding. In conclusion, human beings have a lot of desires. The society that we live in toda y is full of people with a lot of depraved sexual perversions. Pedophilia is simply one of them. Pedophilia is not in the same level as homosexuality as the latter is considered as sexual interaction between two adults who have willingly accepted to engage in it. For Pedophilia, only the adult has the consent; the child is simply a victim. A pedophile is an adult who knowingly has sexual relations with a child. This means that he/she sits down and hatches a plan on how to â€Å"woo† a child. It is pre-meditated and is certainly not a mental disorder. It is simply an act of satisfying one’s selfish desires and hiding these individuals under the clause â€Å"mental illness† is wrong because we would end up classifying all those individuals from the different cultures in the world as being mentally ill. Pedophilia is not a mental illness and it should be removed from the DSM. References Ahlers, J., Schaefer, A., Mundt, A., Roll, S., Englert, H., Willich, N., Bei er, M. (2007). How Unusual are the Contents of Paraphilias? The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2(3), 23-98. Ben-Aron, M., Hucker, J., Webster, D. (2003). Clinical Criminology: The assessment and Treatment of Criminal Behavior. Toronto, Canada: M M Graphics. Blanchard, R., Cantor, M., Robichaud, K. (2006). Biological Factors in the Development of Sexual Deviance and Aggression in Males. The Juvenile Sex Offender, 8(2), 77–104). Finkelhor, D., Araji, S., Baron, L., Browne, A., Peters, S. D., Wyatt, G. E. (1986). A Sourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Fuller, A. (1989). Child Molestation and Pedophilia: An Overview for the Physician. JAMA, 261(4), 602-6.

Friendship with Your Reader

Friendship with Your Reader Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one. ~ C. S. Lewis Whether you write poetry, scripts, freelance features, nonfiction, memoir, or novels, your goal is to touch minds with a reader. And if the stars align, and you write like an angel, you connect with many readers, making them think you are of like souls. Think of yourself as a reader, and remember that special book that touched you once upon a time. The author reached across the void with characters, storytelling, and voice, and made you believe they understood you as a human being. The author deemed you credible, and you felt the same in return. But friendship with your readers means more these days. Once your writing passes muster, you are expected to be readily available online. You are also expected to respect the reader, because they invested time into the reading of your words. Not only do you want to feed them the words they want to hear, but you want to let them know you appreciate them for giving you attention in return. Its a personal relationship. Someone with my publishing house asked me why I still did face-to-face appearances when everyone did online events these days. I told that to a room of twenty ladies this week at a book club, and their faces expressed a combination of shock, disagreement, and dismay. Rumblings went around the room as everyone discussed how they appreciate a writer who dares make appearances, giving to the reader in return for reading the book. One lady even came up to me afterwards and said that she was about to give up on coming until she heard me, and I convinced her to stick with her book club, all because of the experience I gave her that night. So, if you think its about selling books, youre wrong. If you think its about your Facebook numbers, youre wrong. Its about becoming intimate with your readers, embracing them, thanking them for choosing your work to read when the world is flooded with choices. You owe yourself to your readers. Thanks Hope TWITTER http://twitter.com/hopeclark FACEBOOK facebook.com/chopeclark GOODREADS goodreads.com/hopeclark BOOKBUB https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-hope-clark

Entrepreneur Interview and Personal Analysis Essay - 1

Entrepreneur Interview and Personal Analysis - Essay Example Establishing a new business venture is often seen as a challenge by many aspiring entrepreneurs hence there is need for outstanding ideas in order to appeal to the interests of the potential customers. Mr Jones said that he carefully scanned the market for any opportunity and he gathered as much information and ideas as possible to come up with an ideal business venture. Therefore, the rationale of the interview questions to the interviewee is to solicit for responses about his preparedness and willingness to accept the risk and uncertainties for the success of the new venture. As noted, entrepreneurship is about building something of recognised value around perceived opportunities which implies that innovation is something the entrepreneur is continually doing (Burke, 2006). Innovation is concerned with finding a unique way of offering a particular service or product to the market while utilising resources in such a way that there are likely risks to be encountered since the targete d customers may not readily accept the offering. ... In deciding the scope of his business, Mr Jones pointed that there were some pull factors that compelled him to try the untested market segment he had realised. Thus, the concept of push factor in business is refers to those influences which can push the individuals towards venturing in a business opportunity that exists in the market which is not fully covered by the other players (Burke, 2007). Therefore, the purpose of the interview was to get a clear understanding of how Mr Jones identified this gap in the market and how he came up with the idea of establishing this business venture. This entrepreneur is proud of his success in the carpet cleaning business which he started a couple of years ago. Evaluation of the entrepreneur A critical evaluation of the attitude of Mr Jones shows that he possesses various entrepreneurial skills which can be attributed to his success. First and foremost, it can be noted that this entrepreneur created his carpet cleaning business enterprise after realising the need in the market for this particular service given that the targeted customers could not employ people to do the job for them on a permanent basis but had to rely on services provided by others ate a substantial cost. As aptly pointed out by Bessant & Tidd (2007), an entrepreneur is always on the lookout for new opportunities, either in existing enterprise or in the creation of a new enterprise. Very often, the consumer does not even realise that he needs the service and this is the strategy that was utilised by Mr Jones where he developed this service and brought it to the attention of the consumers through utilization of different marketing techniques. The approach

Evaluation of myself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluation of myself - Essay Example As per my mother, I was always a disciplined and good natured person who has evolved into a responsible and reliable personality. It goes without saying that while constructing this configuration; my mother was to a large extent biased pertaining to the selection of data she subscribed to, to shape my persona. The information that she relied on to typify my configuration was primarily obsolete, as she had either little information as to how I carried myself as a social   and professional person, or she decided to ignore the information at her disposal, going by the choice of words that she used to define me. Not to mention that such a response from her was accurately in consonance with my expectations, though not in tandem with my innate self concept. I can say that my mother’s opinion of me was aimed at securing optimal relational satisfaction for her. The configuration contrived by my mother catered to my innate self concept that is adhered to a large extent to the stable set of perceptions that I held about myself. This indeed boosted my self esteem as it satiated that aspect of my, self concept that involved personal evaluations of my, self worth. I also need to mention that this particular interaction with my mother proceeded smoothly as her and mine communication was indeed impacted by a mutually evinced high self esteem. As my mother happens to be a ‘significant other’ in my life I must acknowledge that her evaluation of me was especially taken to be quiet influential.   This evaluation was no way influenced by any viable and pragmatic social comparison. Wang had been working as my subordinate for the past ten months and in the context of personal expectations, I considered him to be quiet close to me, irrespective of him being my subordinate. However, the configuration that Wang assorted turned out to be really surprising yet insightful in many respect. As per Wang, I happened to be a talented person, who lacked in patience and many a times he found me quiet confusing and indecisive. The conclusions arrived at by Wang tore through my, self serving biases as I considered myself to be quiet a patient and calm person. However, ascribing me to be impatient was indeed contrary to my expectations. Besides, in a way it turned to be insightful that I had always assumed Wang to be like me, which he was not. The configuration of Wang was always culturally influenced as he happens to be a person of Chinese origin. Being from a high power distance culture, perhaps Wang expected me to be hierarchical in my approach towards my subordinates, whic h I being from a low power distance culture, scarcely am. My habit of delegating responsibilities while extending minimal instructions may have turned out to be quiet unsettling for Wang, when he always expected me to be clear and concise with my professional expectations. The configuration facilitated by Wang especially upraised me of the need for retaining a flexible self concept and the need for not over resisting the revision of my personal self concept. Thereby while communicating with Wang I tried my best to not to engage in cognitive conservatism that is seeking only such information that bolstered my

Electric Cars Essay Example for Free

Electric Cars Essay Are electric cars a more sustainable method of transport than diesel or petrol powered cars? In this Case Study, I explored whether electric cars are as eco-friendly as they claim to be, providing a sustainable method of transport that could significantly reduce our carbon footprints if we all ditched the convectional vehicles, and changed to electric cars. I found many arguments both for and against electric cars. Electric cars are powered by an electric motor which draws its power from an on-board battery pack which acts as an energy store for the car. Energy is measured in joules. A joule is a very small amount of energy so a domestic electricity metre measures the energy in kilowatt hours. Stoical Energy Transferred = Power x Time (Joules, J) (Watts, W) (Seconds, S) (Kilowatt hours kWh) (Kilowatts, kW) (Hours, H) Source; GCSE Core Science revision guide (Information collected from GCSE Science revision guide 13:26hours) Batteries are charged by simply connecting the vehicle to a mains power supply, and are usually need to be charged overnight (or 7-8 hours) for a full charge. Electricity is a secondary source of energy. This means that the electricity is generated elsewhere from another energy source, in the case of an electric car, the primary source (where the electricity first comes from) is from coal powered power stations. Some people believe that coal powered stations, release the same if not more emission of harmful gas into the atmosphere. Conversely, others feel that they do not pollute, and save money, whilst reducing the Carbon Footprint, that would otherwise be increasing if a petrol or diesel powered vehicle was used. Fors Electric cars produce no CO? emissions when they are running, and neither do they emit nitrous oxide or produce other harmful particle emissions either. Regular fossil fuelled road transport accounts for around one fifth of all global greenhouse gas emission. Emissions from the combustion of a diesel or petrol powered engine, are carbon based fuels, which release, unpleasant and potentially dangerous fumes. Electric cars, on the other hand, do not produce any waste gases when on the move. In Europe, where electricity is produced in a number of different ways, electric cars do offer environmental benefits when compared with cars with internal combustion engines. Electric vehicles powered by the present European electricity mix, have been found to offer a 10% to 24% decrease in their global warming potential relative to conventional diesel or petrol vehicles. An electric car consumes energy, at a level far less than that of petrol or diesel powered cars. As well as this they are extremely cost effective. The purchase price of electric cars is significantly higher than that of diesel/petrol powered vehicles, but this is all outweighed when the cost of running the car is taken into consideration. Electric cars run longer, faster and more efficiently than convectional vehicles. Against Electric cars are only at â€Å"zero emission† if they get their power from a renewable source. Coal powered power factories, along with other sources used to provide for electricity for these electric cars do not provide this, as they tend to use non-renewable. Whenever fossil fuels, such as coal are burned they increase the amount of carbon dioxide (CO? ) in the atmosphere. Charging an electric car only uses 3% of renewable resources, the colossal amount of 97% comes from resources such as coal; which are non-renewable, a percentage that is not much better than a normal car. An option here is to use a green tariff for your electricity supply which will lower the carbon intensity of your electricity supply. Electric cars run off batteries made from metals such as lithium or zinc. These metals come from recycled batteries, other cars, forklifts or in some cases wheelchairs. However the actual production of these batteries, rely on demands of virgin materials. This consequently means that these batteries have a huge carbon footprint Another source I found, actually said that electric cars cause more pollution than diesel and petrol powered cars. The electricity generated to power electric cars caused more particulate matter pollution than that caused by an equivalent number of petrol driven vehicles. Particulate matter comes from the combustion of fossil fuels and includes acids, organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles. For electric vehicles, combustion emissions occur where electricity is generated rather than where the vehicle is used. The power generated to power electric vehicles, emit harmful particles at a much higher rate than diesel and petrol vehicles do. In terms of air pollution impacts, they found, electric cars are more harmful to public health per kilometre travelled than conventional vehicles. A similar source was found, but this time written by BBC. They say that not only do electric cars pollute more than diesel and petrol powered cars, but they also pose an environmental threat. It has been discovered that electric car factories also emitted more toxic waste than conventional car factories. The production phase of electric vehicles proved substantially more environmentally intensive, and the global warming potential from electric vehicle production is about twice that of conventional vehicles. As well as this the use and the end-of-life dismantling of a car affects the environment far more than diesel/petrol-powered cars. In addition, producing batteries and electric motors requires a lot of toxic minerals such as nickel, copper and aluminium. Hence, the acidification impact is much greater than that of conventional car production. Similar information was also found on the Guardian Website, which is another source than is considered to be quality media, as reports are written by a recognised expert in the field. The batteries used to power electric cars are heavy, and this may affect the speed somewhat along with the distance that the car can travel. Battery costs vary, but they tend to be extremely expensive, costing around several thousand pounds, and the necessity to be replaced every 5 years, at best. The maximum range that the car will allow you to travel before it needs to be recharged is about 100 miles, and charging can take up 7 or 8 hours, before the battery is full and the car can run efficiently again. The charging can be done at charging stations, but the numbers of these are in their few, and far between. Disposing of the batteries can also cause real environmental issues and problems. Chemicals spilled from the battery may also be extremely dangerous.? The main primary energy source that is used by humans is through the burning of fossils fuels, such as oil, coal or gas. Nuclear fuels, biofuels, such as wood, waves and radiation from the sun (solar energy). To generate electricity, fuel is burned to produce heat. 1) The heat is used to boil water, which produces steam. 2) The steam drives the turbines, which power the generators 3) Electricity produced in the generators is sent to a transformer and then on to the National Grid. 4) Electricity is distributed, through the national grid at high voltages to prevent energy loss. Power stations that burn fossil fuels like coal produce carbon dioxide, which is a type a greenhouse gas, contribute to global warming and climate change. (Information collected from GCSE Revision guide 12/1/13 13:58hours) To conclude I feel that electric cars are not more sustainable than diesel or petrol powered cars. They are often more efficient to run, when things such as cost are taken into consideration, but the method that it used to produce the electricity that gives the cars the power they need, seems to release the same, if not more harmful emission into the atmosphere. This is mainly through the production of the electricity, and the burning of coal which releases Carbon Dioxide (CO? ) into the atmosphere. To conquer this problem, instead of the use of coal powered power stations, pedal power stations provide an eco-friendly alternative. However, greater power appliances will take more energy and electricity to power. Generating electricity is never 100% efficient. Continuous cycling will cause the cyclists bodies to become tired, and any energy stored from food or drink, only some is given off as energy to produce the electricity, the majority is given off as heat. Another method that could be used as an alternative, to ensure the amount of greenhouse gases emitted is kept minimal, is the use of renewable energy sources. Examples of renewable energy sources are; * Wind * Waves * Bio fuels (such as wood). * Solar power Travelling alone in a car uses more energy than public transport, which means the use of public transport can also provide a more effect, sustainable transport method than electric cars, and diesel or petrol powered vehicles. Transport | Energy per passenger/KM (Kwh/passenger )| Bus| 0. 19| Train| 0. 06| Aircraft| 0. 51| Boat | 0. 57| Car| 0. 6| Source – GCSE Physics book (Information retrieved 10/1/13 13:01hours) Sustainable Transport is sometimes known as Green Transport and it is any form of transport that does not use or rely on dwindling natural resources. Instead it relies on renewable or regenerated energy rather than fossil fuels that have a finite life expectancy. For this reason it is said to have a low or a negative effect on the environment since it makes use of energy sources that are sustainable. GCSE Physics book/Core Science Revision book – These are very reliable sources as they are school textbooks and are written by recognised experts in the field, to be used in schools, and other forms of education.