Greed Triggers Fraud And Corruption

Greed Triggers Fraud And Corruption ABSTRACT Purpose Greed triggers fraud and corruption which is one of the biggest problems we are facing in our country as its increasing enormously rather than decreasing. The purpose of this study is to assess the different types of fraud and corruption and because it is such a broad topic we will focus on a life situation which highlights how greed plays a huge role in the creation of fraud and corruption. Design/ Methodology/ approach in depth interview are conducted with a senior quantity surveyor who has been working for a contracting company for the past six years and has allowed me to be part of the investigation process that is being conducted. The reason behind the investigation is to find out how come they owe such a great amount of money for tax but money had been deducted from their salaries since they started working and reasons of being unfairly dismissed. Findings The employer of the contracting company seems to be deducting money from his employees salaries but not paying the tax company without the knowledge of his employees using it for his own private use. Additional information was found that all his workers havent been registered under the department of labour and the company has been running for a number of years now and unfair dismissal was practised in this company. Originality/ Value The final results of this paper will help us understand and beware that there are all kinds of corruption in the industry. Ms Anonyms will hand over all her payments slips to the investigation officers to prove that she has been working and paying for her tax over the past years while working and to also open a case of unfair dismissal and take it to the Commission for Conciliation Meditation and Arbitration (CCMA). TERMS OF REFERENCE PROPBLEM DESCRIPTION Fraud and corruption play a big role in the construction industry which this results in the hindering of development in our country and the country not moving forward. AIM The Aim of the research is to bring the matter of fraud and corruption to attention of the reader. To detect risks in the industry and to provide users with relevant anti- corruption resources. OBJECTIVES To find out what triggers fraud and corruption To what extent is an individual willing to scoop low to get what they want and not be caught How corruption affects the Construction industry How it hinders development. PROPOSAL Chapter one 1.1 Introduction Greed is a critical issue affecting the construction industry and country as a whole as it leads to fraud and corruption which plays a huge part on the hindering of development in our country. Chapter 2 2.1 Greed The selfishness of an individual of wanting more and not being satisfied of what they already have. 2.2 Fraud A criminal offence done intentionally because of personal motives which the individual will gain that could affect another individual. Corruption Chapter three 3.1 Case study Ms Anonymous finds herself in the middle of a fraud and corruption situation that she was not aware off. 3.2 Tax invasion CONTENT PAGE PGE NO. Acknwoledgements Abstract Terms of reference CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Fraud and Corruption are broad and complex issues but their roots are embedded in a countries social or cultural history, Political and economic development and it includes both these committed by the government, employers, employees, management staff, individuals or a group of people who have come together with one agenda only and these committed is motivated by Greed. Greed steers and individual into fraud and corruption which also triggers the power of the mind, when a person starts procrastinating about the benefits and what one shall gain they begin to start plotting ways in making these thoughts into reality and once these thoughts become reality and the outcome is greater than expected they start abusing the situation into their own advantage. The construction industry sector is recognised as carrying the highest risk of corruption, the rate of corruption and fraud in the industry is increasing enormously rather than decreasing which is slowing down the economy and surprisingly it has become an ordinary and normal habit that is being practised. It is almost like a swimming pool which everybody now wants to jump in and swim in the deep end not bearing in mind that not everybody can swim. CHAPTER 2 HISTORY GREED Greed is that extreme desire to attain or posses more than what one has such as material wealth which is usually more than what one needs and deserves. It also involves using being wealthy to gain power over others also denying others of wealth and power. It is basically being selfish, thinking of ones self while at the same-time affecting other people negative way. For example if a building inspector would accept a bribe from a contractor to approve and state that all work done is of good quality and condition while that is not true than that is an act of being greedy because looking at the situation the only people gaining here are the building inspector and the contractor while in the long it will negatively affect the community as a whole or the people who will be in use of the premises that is being built. FRAUD In the country we live in fraud is a criminal act that would disadvantage an individual or a group of people and it is also a civil law violation. Fraud is done intentionally which involves dishonesty for personal gain or damage to other individuals. Fraud can be categorized into many forms for example theft and embezzlement. In a case of fraud you would have for example a person such an Alien (not belonging in the industry) who knows nothing about the construction and the whole background of it having certificates qualifying him in erecting projects in a case that he doesnt even how foundation is done. CORRUPTION Corruption in any case is the act of being dishonest and abusing power or the persons position. Corruption can happen anywhere and is usually committed by an individual or a group of people such as officials or private persons. Corruption comes in many forms such as bribery, nepotism, cheating, vote rigging and extortion. An example of corruption would be paying off kickbacks to get multi million rand contracts for dubious reasons, having to regularly donating huge sums of money to maybe political parties or buy expensive gifts such as cars worth millions rands in-order to get something in return. Corruption and fraud come in with greed because they are actions stem from the lack of ethics and undermine human institution and human relations. CHAPTER 3 CASE STUDY Ms Anonymous and Contracting Company. Ms Anonymous has been working for a contracting company for the past 3 years as a senior quantity surveyor for this company. She did more than just her employed position where she also worked in the civil side of the work and any other work that needed attention she would be gladly to assist in other words she was more of an asset to the company and they had mentioned that to her as well. The problem started when Ms Anonymous received a letter that she needed to go sort out her tax returns. When she went to pay a visit at the tax company (SARS). S he was informed that she owes a lot of money and was asked why she hasnt been paying for her tax? She was shocked and told them that she has been paying for her tax ever since she started working for her recent company the past three years. They told her to request and RIP5 form from her employer and also to keep all her pay slips as proof of payments for tax when needed to check her account and also that her company was one of the companies that were chosen for audits in 2012 so they would be an investigation with regards to her matter of not paying tax and would take things from there. Audits where later on done of the company and it revealed that they owe a great deal amount of money and that they have not been paying whatsoever. They told Ms Anonymous to bring all evidence as proof that money has been deducted from her account for tax and they had promised that no information regarding with her account would he linked to the owners of the company and had assured her that she did nothing wrong as they had called in her to query her about her tax number. Investigations continued as the tax investigators kept coming into the office to do Company Audits and since they had no financial and bank statements and how much is being charged from the workers it pin pointed that they have been not paying such as VAT and PAYE. Things started to be little offish at work where they were all panicking and looking for fingers to point as they were not aware how and what had led SARS to come and audit the company with realising that SARS had chosen them themselves than rumour went out the Ms Anonymous had went to SARS. Later on they made false pay slips saying as he was paid more than she was being paid so that it will show as if she was the one who was not paying Tax but then Ms Anonymousness Payslips had proven all of that wrong. A month later Ms Anonymous was called into the Bosses office and was told that due to financial constraints they will have let her go because they will not be able to afford and they will be giving her 3 months to look for her job and are willing to give her good recommendation. TAXATION The importance of paying tax Nobody wants to pay tax which is highly understandable but that money is the only money raised through tax that the government relies on to produce public revenue to pay for public expenses that provide goods and services to the public. Without tax and people not paying it becomes difficult for the government to try meeting the basic needs of the country. Both the state and the local governments are imposed in collecting tax. There are different types of taxes that need to be paid which are: Income taxes Payroll taxes Sales taxes Excise taxes Wealth taxes Article I, Section 8, says: The Congress shall have Power to lie And collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the country Benefits and uses for tax As mentioned above that tax pays for goods and services for the public such as: Education Public housing Public welfare such as security Unemployment benefits Highways and public transportation Health Police Fire protection Tax also includes daily operating expenses of the government and also salaries of the government employees and also interest on debt owed by the government. It is highly important as the benefits of tax keep the country in place and running and also reaching out to the people who are unable to afford from themselves. The roads we walk and drive in everyday is because of the tax that is being paid, the public clinics and hospitals that help our people to get treatment and be attended to when they cannot afford when they are sick is because of tax and the list goes on but all in all it is beneficial for the country for tax to being paid. Responsibilities of income tax payers The income tax system is a voluntary act and compliance but it does not mean that tax payers can only pay tax when they want to or not pay tax when they also dont want to. In other words everybody who is working must pay tax and in order foe people to comply with the legal responsibilities the tax law must be fair and firm. When looking at being fair, the government must be fair enough as to the people paying tax wont resent him as the government and the leader of the country and also resent paying tax at the end of the day and making sure that everybody complies. When looking at being firm, people who dont comply with this law and try to duck it must be punished and made seen that they are committing a criminal offence and should pay dearly for such action. Penalties for Tax Fraud In most cases people who dont pay tax are due to carelessness or negligence or usually done intentionally and find ways to avoid paying tax which is seen as tax fraud and these people are faced with tax interest or tax penalties. Tax fraud is when people who avoid paying tax and are not honest to the government about their monthly/annually incomes so they can be taxed fairly with regards to how much they earn and they lie in-order to pay little tax which becomes unfair to the government and all other tax payers. Tax fraud is a crime and people who commit such crime face high consequences close to about 75 percent financial penalties. There is no way of ducking and hiding from paying taxes because eventually everybody is caught just that it might not be now but when it comes to fraud and corruption someone always slacks up and leaves foot prints. LABOUR RELATIONS ACT (LRA) The labour relations act is the relationship between people who work and those who they work for. The labour relations act was reshaped and implemented to create a good and working-full environment in the workplace. To give an employer and a employee to work under good and fair principles knowing their rights and limitations and which lines not to cross. To protect the employee against the employer and to also protect the employer against the employee but in most cases employees are opening cases against their employers. it is hoped that democracy in the workplace will bring industrial stability, economic growth, and labour peace. Dismissals of the Labour relations act Chapter VIII of the LRA concerns unfair dismissals. Section 185 records that every employee has the right not to be unfairly dismissed. The term dismissal is examined in the section 186 and includes: A termination effected by an employee with or without notice. An employers failure to renew a fixed term contract when an employee has a reasonable expectation Refusal of an employer to allow an employee to return to work after maternity leave. Retrenchment When retrenchment is introduced it is usually when a company is facing some financial difficulties and is done for the followings reasons, economic, structural or technical reasons and before retrenchment takes place a proper procedure needs to be taken in-order to allow for retrenctment which is as follows: Consultation Immediately when the employer has no other options but to apply retrenchment, he has to inform his employees buy holding up a mass meeting where everybody is present or he could hold individual meetings with the individuals who will be involved in the retrenchment. Employees are allowed to interact with the employer and also suggest other alternative ways which could be looked into such as reducing working hours and also workings days, the appropriate method to be used for the people are to be dismissed. Minutes can be taken in this case as it would help for misunderstood situations and to protect both the employer and employees. When consultation is taking place members of the trade unions can be present to protect their workers and all the commission for conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) can also be present to intervene in this matter. Disclosing of information in writing When complementing retrenchment the organisation or the employer should issue letters to the employees that will be affected because of retrenchment. The information should inform the employees of the pending and the dates of retrenchment, reasons why they will be intiating retrenchment, the servenrane pay that is proposed, the assistance of the employer with regards with interviews and assisting them in getting new employment if possible. Should there be any misunderstanding or any disputes that could take place than the employer shall refer to the written information to clarify any mis-understandingand these disputes could be handled by the labour court or the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Opportunity for feedback The employer should give employees the opportunity to give feedback with the proposed retrenchment that will take place, give them a chance to make presentations and whatever is said and presented must be taken inot consideration by the employer and try to negotiate as so all paryies are happy. The last in 1st out rule should be applied when dealing with retrenchment as you cant compare a person who has been working for a company for the past 3 years over a person who has been around the company for 2months. If the company is going through financial constraints and they wish to let go a few staff than they should consider the last recently employed staff. CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 Data collection With the information gathered with regards to Miss Anonymouses case we can draw up the following checklist: The company has been deducting tax from her salary She received a monthly income She enjoyed annual and sick leave, UIF and PAYE benefits She has been working for the company for the past 3 years She signed an employment contract of reinstatement in September 2009 There is no proof of her being registered by her employer under the Labour court Data analysis With the gathered information it shows that Miss Anonymouses was a full employee of the company which also makes her fall under the people who should be paying tax to the government every-month. Having a look at her payslip it clearly shows that money has been deducted for tax from her payslip and with her knowledge she has been paying for tax. Additional information has been found that she was has not been registered under the labour court meaning she cant be taxed as they may not be aware of how much she gets paid which is would make it hard for the tax man to tax her properly. The company is at fault for using moneyof the employees for their own personal use and without their knowledge and this sot of behaviour does fall under fraud and corruption and is a crime. She has been working for the company for over the past three years so if the company was going through any sort of financial problems and they saw using the retrenchment system as part of covering costs than they did not follow the proper procedures of dismissal, she was not even consulted properly or given a chance to discuss the matter and negotiate or think of other alternative ways to avoid such dismissal. Re-solutions, suggestions When referring to the case study, the best possible steps that could be taken here is that Ms Anonymous keeps all proof of her payments that she can represent to SARS, write each and every single thing said to her and if they is anything asked or told to ask for it in writing and signed for because in the country we live in anything is possible and to make life easy is having all proof and evidence just to be on the safe side. With regards to unfair dismissal, she should take the matter to the CCMA and report the act of unfair dismissal because no proper procedures where taken so it is either they will have to compensate her even more or giver her, her job back if she is willing to take it back. Each and every employee has a right to be treated fairly in the working environment and legal action can be taken in situations like this. CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSIONS Fraud and corruption is everywhere and is triggered by greed of an individual and it reduces economic growth, quality of life and undermines government creditability and reduces effectiveness. The fight against them should be presented in a short period of time in order to fight corruption. Every federal department and agency should work together continuously. Audit and investigation s could find any corruption or fraud cases, but the most important thing is to define how to prevent and detect them at the earliest stage possible.

Marriage in A Doll House and A Streetcar Named Desire Essay -- compare

A couple’s marriage along with their struggles and problems can tell us a lot about their individual morals and what type of people they are. How someone handles themselves when they are in a battle or argument with their spouse can show the reader the person they are, their strengths, weaknesses and even their outlook on life. In these plays we are shown Torvald Helmer and Stanley Kowalksi’s ways of controlling their wives, their strengths, weaknesses and outlooks on life, or morals just by their actions. In A Doll House written in 1879 by Henrik Ibsen and in A Streetcar Named Desire written in 1947 by Tennessee Williams we are shown two different husbands, Torvald Helmer and Stanley Kowalksi that have an issue with having to be in control of their wives and their lives. In A Doll House we see a marriage between Torvald and Nora Helmer. Torvald is a major character in the play because he is the person that helps make the conflict of his wife Nora not wanting to tell him about the loan she took out and that she forged her father’s name in order to do it. Ibsen brings the issue of power in this marriage by always having Torvald in charge or the marriage. Torvald is a man that looks at his wife as an object and something that benefits him. He doesn’t really have a deep love for her, but instead is married to her because she is young and beautiful and society accepts and likes married men better than single men. He is very protective of his image and he always wants to look perfect and be perceived as perfect from other people, and Nora helps him achieve this. Torvald takes the role of the ruler, the spouse in charge by treating Nora like a child or a play toy, calling her names like â€Å"pet†, â€Å"squirrel†, or â€Å"Ca pri girl†. He also t... ...y made himself look out of hand himself and he also showed his lack of respect for Stella. In A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen and in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams we are shown two different husbands, Torvald Helmer and Stanley Kowalksi that have an issue with having to be in control of their wives and their lives. Torvald has to be in charge of everything in his life including his wife and in his job so that society will look at him as a â€Å"well off† man and he will always be looked at as stable and in control of every situation. Stanley is somewhat the same, needing to be in charge of his wife and how she acts so that his friends will look at him as â€Å"the tough guy that keeps his wife in line†. In both of these plays we are shown the husband’s strengths and the wives weaknesses and how their conflicts and the husband’s actions affect their marriages.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 13

â€Å"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry,† Meredith said for the tenth time. Her usual y composed face was flushed, and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Matt didn't remember ever seeing her so upset about something, especial y something that had ended up not being a big deal. Sure, Celia could have been hurt, but the car hadn't touched her. â€Å"I'm fine, real y I am, Meredith,† Celia assured her again. â€Å"I just didn't see you. I don't know how, but I didn't. Thank God for Alaric,† Meredith said, throwing a grateful glance at Alaric, who was sitting close beside her and rubbing her back. â€Å"It's okay, Meredith,† he said. â€Å"It's al okay.† Alaric seemed more concerned for Meredith than for Celia, and Matt didn't blame him. Babbling was pretty out of character for Meredith. Alaric wrapped his arms tightly around Meredith, and she visibly relaxed. Celia, on the other hand, tensed noticeably as Meredith leaned into Alaric's embrace. Matt traded a rueful glance with Bonnie. Then Stefan reached out and stroked Elena's shoulder absently, and Matt was surprised to feel a jealous pang of his own. Wasn't he ever going to get over Elena Gilbert? It had been more than a year since they dated, and about a century in experience. Bonnie was stil watching him, now with a speculative gleam in her eyes, and Matt shot her a bland smile. He'd just as soon not know what Bonnie saw in his face when he looked at Elena and Stefan. â€Å"Around this bend and up the slope is the Plunge,† he said to Celia, ushering her forward along the trail. â€Å"It's a little bit of a hike, but it's the best place around here for a picnic.† â€Å"Absolutely the best,† said Bonnie cheerily. â€Å"We can jump down the waterfal .† She fel in on Celia's other side, helping him to herd her away from the two couples, who were murmuring to one another softly as they fol owed behind. â€Å"Is that safe?† asked Celia dubiously. â€Å"Total y,† said Bonnie. â€Å"Everybody jumps the waterfal here, and nobody's ever gotten hurt.† â€Å"Usual y it's safe,† said Matt, more cautiously. â€Å"You and Meredith might want to think about not swimming, Celia.† â€Å"I hate this,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I hate having to be extracareful because of some dark thing that we don't know anything about. Everything should be normal.† Normal or not, it was a magnificent picnic. They spread their blankets on the rocks near the top of the waterfal . The smal fal s plummeted down the side of the cliff and ended in a deep pool of effervescent water, making a sort of natural fountain that spil ed into a clear bronze-green pool. Mrs. Flowers had packed salads and breads and desserts for them, as wel as meat and corn to gril on a hibachi Stefan had brought from the boardinghouse. They had more than enough food for a couple days of camping, let alone one lunch. Elena had stowed cold drinks in a cooler, and, after hiking up the trail in the Virginia summer heat, everyone was happy to crack open a lemonade or soda. Even Stefan took a water bottle and drank as he started heating the gril , although it was automatical y understood by everyone that he would not be eating. Matt had always found the fact that he never saw Stefan eating a little creepy, even before Matt knew he was a vampire. The girls squirmed out of jeans and tops to display their bathing suits, like caterpil ars transforming into butterflies. Meredith was tan and lean in a black one-piece. Bonnie was wearing a petite mermaid-green bikini. Elena wore a soft gold bandeau that went with her hair. Matt watched Stefan watching her appreciatively, and felt that little twist of jealousy again. Both Elena and Bonnie pul ed their T-shirts back on over their bathing suits almost immediately. They always did: Their pale skin burned instead of tanned. Celia lounged on a towel, looking spectacular in a casual yet daringly cut white swimsuit. The effect of the pure white against Celia's coffee-colored skin was amazing. Matt noticed Meredith's eyes passing over her and then glancing sharply at Alaric. But Alaric was too busy shucking down to a pair of red trunks. Stefan stayed out of the direct sunlight, remaining in his dark jeans and black T-shirt. Wasn't that a little creepy, too? Matt thought. Stefan's ring protected him from the sun's rays, didn't it? Did he stil have to stick to the shadows? And what was with the black clothing? Was he pretending to be Damon now? Matt frowned at the thought: One Damon had been more than enough. Matt shook his head, stretched his arms and legs, turned his face toward the sun, and tried to get rid of his thoughts. He liked Stefan. He always had. Stefan was a good guy. A vampire, a dry voice in the back of his mind noted, even a harmless one, can rarely be described as a good guy. Matt ignored the voice. â€Å"Let's jump!† he said, and headed toward the waterfal . â€Å"Not Meredith,† said Stefan flatly. â€Å"Not Meredith, and not Celia. You two stay here.† There was a little silence, and he glanced up from the gril to see his friends staring at him. He kept his face neutral as he returned their gazes. This was a life-or-death situation. It was Stefan's responsibility now to keep them safe, whether they liked it or not. He looked at them each in turn, holding their eyes. He was not going to back down. Meredith had risen to her feet to fol ow Matt to the fal s' edge, and she hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure how to react. Then her face hardened, and Stefan saw that she had chosen to take a stand. She stepped toward him. â€Å"I'm sorry, Stefan,† she said, her voice level. â€Å"I know you're worried, but I'm going to do what I decide I want to do. I can look after myself.† She moved to join Matt, who was standing at the edge of the cliff, but Stefan's hand whipped out to grab her wrist, his fingers as strong as steel. â€Å"No, Meredith,† he said firmly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bonnie's mouth drop open. Everyone was looking at him with puzzled, anxious faces, and Stefan tried to soften his tone. â€Å"I'm just trying to do what's best for you.† Meredith sighed, a long, gusty sound, and seemed to be making an effort to let go of some of her anger. â€Å"I know that, Stefan,† she said reasonably, â€Å"and I appreciate it. But I can't go through the world not doing the things I usual y do, just waiting for whatever this is to come get me.† She tried to move around him, but he sidestepped to block her way again. Meredith glanced at Celia, who threw up her hands and shook her head. â€Å"Don't look at me,† Celia said. â€Å"I have no urge to jump off a cliff. I'm just going to lie in the sunshine and let you al work this out yourselves.† She leaned back on her hands and turned her face toward the sun. Meredith's eyes narrowed and she whirled back to Stefan. As she was opening her mouth, Elena broke in. â€Å"What if the rest of us go first?† she suggested placatingly to Stefan. â€Å"We can make sure there's nothing clearly dangerous down there. And we'l be near her at the bottom. Nobody's ever been hurt jumping here, not that I've heard of. Right, guys?† Matt and Bonnie nodded in agreement. Stefan felt himself softening. Whenever Elena used her logical voice and her wide, appealing eyes, he found himself agreeing to plans that, in his heart of hearts, he thought were foolhardy. Elena pressed her advantage. â€Å"You could stand right by the water below, too,† she said. â€Å"Then, if there's any problem, you could dive in right away. You're so fast, you'd get there before anything bad could happen.† Stefan knew this was wrong. He hadn't forgotten that sick swoop of despair, of realizing he was too slow to save someone. Once again, he saw Damon's long, graceful leap toward Bonnie that had ended with Damon fal ing to earth, a wooden branch driven through his heart. Damon had died because Stefan was too slow to save him, too slow to realize the danger and save Bonnie himself. He'd also been too late to save Elena when she had driven off the bridge and drowned. The fact that she now lived again didn't mean he hadn't failed her then. He remembered her pale hair floating like seaweed in the chil y water of Wickery Creek, her hands stil resting on the steering wheel, her eyes closed, and shuddered. He had dived repeatedly before he found her. She had been so cold and white when he carried her to shore. Stil , he found himself nodding. What Elena wanted, Elena got. He would stand by and protect Meredith as best as he could, and he prayed, as far as a vampire could pray, that it would be enough. The rest of the friends stayed at the top while, down at the bottom of the fal s, Stefan surveyed the pool at his feet. The water sprayed up exuberantly from where the fal s hit the surface. Warm, pale sand encircled the pool's edges, making a tiny beach, and the center of the pool seemed dark and deep. Matt jumped first, with a long, wavering whoop as he plummeted. The splash as he hit the water was huge, and he seemed to stay submerged for a long time. Stefan leaned forward to watch the water. He couldn't see through the foam thrown up by the fal s, and an anxious quiver shot through his stomach. He was just thinking of diving in after him when Matt's sleek wet head broke the surface. â€Å"I touched the bottom!† he announced, grinning, and shook his head like a dog, throwing glittering drops of water everywhere. He swam toward Stefan, strong tan limbs moving powerful y, and Stefan thought how easy everything seemed for Matt. He was a creature of sunlight and simplicity, while Stefan was stuck in the shadows, living a long half-life of secrets and loneliness. Sure, his sapphire ring let him walk in the sun, but being exposed to the sunlight for a long time, like today, was uncomfortable, as if there were some kind of itch deep inside him. It was worse now that he was readjusting to a diet of animal blood again. His unease was yet another reminder that he didn't real y belong here. Not the way Matt did. He shrugged off his sour feelings, surprised at their emergence in the first place. Matt was a good friend. He always had been. The daylight must be getting to him. Bonnie jumped next, and surfaced more quickly, coughing and snorting. â€Å"Oof!† she said. â€Å"I got water up my nose! Ugh!† She pul ed herself out of the water and perched on a rock near Stefan's feet. â€Å"You don't swim?† she asked him. Stefan was struck with a flash of memory. Damon, tanned and strong, splashing him and laughing in one of his rare fits of good humor. It was hundreds of years ago now. Back when the Salvatore brothers had lived in the sunlight, back before even the great-grandparents of his friends had been born. â€Å"Not for a long time,† he answered. Elena jumped with the same casual grace as she did everything else, straight as an arrow toward the bottom of the fal s, her gold bathing suit and her golden hair gleaming in the sunshine. She was underwater for longer than Bonnie had been, and again Stefan tensed, watching the pool. When she broke the surface, she gave them a rueful grin. â€Å"I couldn't quite reach the bottom,† she said. â€Å"I was stretching and stretching down. I could see the sand, but the water pushed me back up.† â€Å"I didn't even try,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I've accepted that I'm too short.† Elena swam away from the bottom of the fal s and climbed onto the sand, settling next to Bonnie at Stefan's feet. Matt climbed out of the water, too, and stood near the fal s, gazing up critical y. â€Å"Just jump feetfirst, Meredith,† he cal ed teasingly. â€Å"You're such a show-off.† Meredith was poised at the edge of the fal s. She saluted them and then leaped into a perfect swan dive, arching swiftly toward the pool, disappearing smoothly beneath the water with barely a splash. â€Å"She was on the swim team,† Bonnie said conversational y to Stefan. â€Å"She has a row of ribbons and trophies on a shelf at home.† Stefan nodded absently, his eyes scanning the water. Surely Meredith's head would break the surface in a second. The others had taken about this long to reemerge. â€Å"Can I jump yet?† Alaric cal ed from above. â€Å"No!† Elena shouted. She rose to her feet and she and Stefan exchanged a worried glance. Meredith had been down there too long. Meredith surfaced, sputtering and pushing her wet hair out of her eyes. Stefan relaxed. â€Å"I did it!† she cal ed. â€Å"I – â€Å" Her eyes widened and she began to shriek, but her scream was cut off as she was abruptly yanked under the water by something they couldn't see. In the space of a breath, she was gone. For a moment, Stefan just stared at where Meredith had been, unable to move. Too slow, too slow, an internal voice taunted him, and he pictured Damon's face, laughing cruel y and saying again, So fragile, Stefan. He couldn't see Meredith anywhere under the clear, effervescent water. It was as if she had been taken suddenly away. Al of this flew through Stefan's head in only a heartbeat, and then he dived into the water after her. Underwater, he couldn't see anything. The white water from the fal s bubbled up, throwing foam and golden sand in front of him. Stefan urgently channeled his Power to his eyes, sharpening his vision, but mostly that just meant that now he could see the individual bubbles of the white water and the grains of sand in sharp relief. Where was Meredith? The bubbling water was trying to push him up to the surface, too. He had to struggle to move forward through the murky water, reaching out. Something brushed his fingers and he grabbed at it, but it was only a handful of slippery pondweed. Where was she? Time was running out. Humans could go without oxygen for only a few minutes before brain damage set in. A few minutes after that, there would be no recovery at al . He remembered Elena's drowning once more, the frail white shape that he had pul ed from Matt's wrecked car, ice crystals in her hair. The water here was warm, but would kil Meredith just as surely. He swal owed a sob and reached out frantical y again into the shadowed depths. His fingers found skin, and it moved against his hand. Stefan grasped whatever limb it was, tight enough to bruise, and surged forward. In less than a second more, he could see that it was Meredith's arm. She was conscious, her mouth tight with fear, her hair streaming around her in the water. At first he couldn't see why she hadn't come to the surface. Then Meredith gestured emphatical y, reaching to fumble at long tendrils of pondweed that had somehow become entangled with her legs. Stefan swam down, pushing against the white water from the fal s, and tried to work his hand under the pondweed to pul it off her. It was wrapped so tightly around Meredith's legs that he couldn't get his fingers beneath it. Her skin was pressed white by the strands. Stefan struggled for a moment, then swam closer and let Power surge into him, sharpening and lengthening his canines. He bit, careful not to scratch Meredith's legs, and pul ed at the pondweed, but it resisted him. A little late, he realized that the resilience of the plants must be supernatural: His Power-enhanced strength was enough to break bones, tear through metal, and should have had no problem with a bit of pondweed. And final y – so slow, he reprimanded himself, always just so damn slow – he realized what he was looking at. Stefan felt his eyes widen in horror. The tight strands of pondweed against Meredith's long legs spel ed out a name.

Illusion of Color Article Review Sample

Illusion of Color Article Review Sample Illusion of Color Article Review Sample Illusion of Color Article Review Sample Reading the article â€Å"The Autonomy of Colour† written by Justin Broackes, one can meet few statements that are more disputable than others: â€Å"It is widely believed that mental and physical schemes of explanations can peacefully coexist if mental phenomena are supervenient upon physical phenomena†, suggesting that â€Å"My present perception of blue, for example, would be explained by the blueness of the mug in front of me, while the underlying visual processes were explained by whatever physical features are relevant.† There are several theories of color in philosophy. To all appearances, the author is a dedicated follower of realism or physicalism. Color realism affirms that color is nothing else but a physical property of objects. The theory of color physicalism is close to the previous statement in a sense that it frequently means that colors are just a reflection of objects’ physical characteristics. More often than not, according to Putnam and Hilbert’s suggestions and others defenders of this point of view, the physicalist color theory involves the position when colors are related to the physical features of real objects, allowing changing incident light and the disposition to be/look colored. The following essay is an attempt to show the position why the physicalist theory is radically false. It will be done by explaining the main important objections, including similarity relations between colors, the differentiation between unique and binary hits, proving that perception phen omena can be also explained from the standpoint of color experience and knowledge, making the physicalist theory unmotivated. Article Critique The principal task of a philosopher is to make attempts at combining a right reason with a scientific explanation in order to get a completed structure: to explain red color as a quality of subjects, combining it with a cause-and-effect analysis. The concept of color was always an interesting question for philosophers for a number of reasons. The first and the most important one is that color can pose serious metaphysical questions, concerning nature and physical reality of human brains. Among the all possible questions that can exist on this subject, there are also inquiries concerning the color experience, knowledge, and independent reality. The central problem about color from the physical point of view is that science, particularly physics, can tell everything about physical objects and their qualities. That particular problem was historically developed, explained, and defended by famous physicists David Lewis and Brian McLaughlin to show that all physical objects are colored through their particular physical properties. Taking into consideration the fact that color physicalism cannot explain the color structure in full measure, this theory must be rejected. The scientific approach contains a rather illogical color concept. In order to prove it, there is nothing else to say but cite David Ume’s comment: â€Å"Sounds, colors, heat, and cold, according to modern philosophy are not qualities in objects, but perceptions in the mind.† This statement means that physical objects have no color, at any rate, color can be characterized as a subjective quality of one or another physical object. Answering the question â€Å"why the apple is red?† from the point of view of reasoning, the right answer is the following: if the apple is well-lighted and the individual has normal perception of color, the apple is red. It is a complicated way to argue, but this statement is less than informative. The scientific answer sounds as follows. The apple in the daylight reflects a bigger amount of long-wave length radiation than short-wave. As a result, the light detectors, situated on the eye retina, that are more sensitive to long-wave leng th radiation react more strongly than those detectors that are sensitive to short-wave radiation. The difference in detectors’ work is connected with coding and encoding, stimulating corresponded neural networks in the human brain. This detailed answer to a simple question can be informative, except one significant element: there is not any mention nor reference to â€Å"red† in this answer as a quality of the apple or perception of red. Fundamentally, the color of subjects can be received by an individual through visual perception only. The ideologists of the physicalist color theory show everything like this: red color is a physical quality of the apple that makes people precept /see it red, as this apple selectively reflects a part of the light spectrum. However, all three types of detectors that human eyes have are limited in their capacity to perceive the details of the light spectrum. It is, therefore, possible that different things with different spectral reflec tance can look red. This fact, according to the explanation, can be related to both light-emitting objects and light-emitting diodes. The reasons why people can see red color are so physically multifarious that there is no clear position that can determine if there is something similar and stable between them. Some philosophers have put forward a strong argument against color physicalism based on claims about color structure. However, it is important to focus on two kinds of them: claims about the resemblance of colors and the position of unitary and binary color characteristics. It is important to consider a few statements: The claim that blue resembles azure rather than green relates to the resemblance of colors. The statement that azure is a binary color as far as blue is a unitary color corresponds to the unitary/binary color characteristic. The statement that blue is a unitary color cannot be true, as it has a hint of other colors from the color range. Azure or light-blue is a binary color as far as it obviously contains a hint of blue and white to some extent. There is always a position that azure is a separate entity, a mixed combination of blue and white. As the result of the previous analysis, blue cannot be explained as a combination of other separate colors, when azure can be described in the same way as blue-white. In such a manner, there are four types of unitary colors: yellow, red, blue, and green. All other colors are nothing else than binary combinations of the previous four color examples. The resemblance of colors, their characteristics, and other important aspects make the color struc ture. Therefore, the physicalist color theory is wrong, as it is explained by the argument of the color structure. This argument cannot be easily objected as any other popular attempts, such as simplicity of colors, because it relies on what people know about color thanks to their visual experience, combined with their concrete knowledge about reflected objects explained by psychophysics as well. There has been one more successful attempt to prove that physicalism is a wrong theory, using Jackson’s experiment, which suggested using a strong argument against this theory. Mary was locked in a black-and-white room, she read black-and-white books, watched lectures that were broadcasted on a black-and-white TV set. Consequently, Mary learns everything that is possible about the world’s physical structure. She knows all physical facts about people, environment – everything that was dictated by exact sciences: physics, chemistry, and neurophysiology. Moreover, Mary knows everything about casual relations between facts, including functional roles. If the physicalist theory is right, Mary should know everything she can. Supposing, the opposite means that there is always a chance for everyone to know about the subjects he or she is surrounded with to full extend, more than physical characteristics, which means that the physicalist theory should be rejected. Alternative View Physicalism in philosophy is an accomplished fact that the real world is primarily physical, but there is a rather provocative thesis that it is completely physical. That is why, physicalists should be of the opinion that complete physical knowledge is simpliciter complete knowledge at that. If, supposedly, knowledge is not complete, therefore, the world W should be differing from the world P, where that knowledge is complete. In such a case, physicalism will be a completely wrong theory for the world W, and a faithful axiom for the world P, without any difference between physical facts. Thus, it seems that Mary does not know everything she can. So, when she goes out of her room for the first time and watches a color TV, she will learn what television looks like. This process is called the information-translation process, in other words – a study procedure. Thus, the knowledge argument is the next important argument, proving that the physicalist color theory is completely fals e. According to these claims, Paul Churchland, and some others followers of the physicalist theory argue that the knowledge argument, which has been mentioned before, cannot be based on a doubtful hypothesis that there is no logical possibility for Mary to imagine what red looks like until she sees it. The power of imagination must be a key point of this case. Controversially, the point of the dispute concerning Mary does not lie in her inability to use imagination to see red. The key argument of the discussion is that Mary, using her unbelievable imagination and understanding of all physical and neurophysiological facts and concepts, can see red, but it does not mean that she knows it. If the physicalist theory is right, the girl should know everything without using the imagination power, as it is a useful ability for people who lack knowledge. Therefore, if it is hard to believe that Mary can feel the lack of knowledge just on the basis of her logical inferences from her wide physical knowledge, it is not enough for Mary to have a strong logic and mental aptitude to fill in gaps in knowledge of any sphere. As far as it is one of weighty arguments against physicalism, to get knowledge about one or other color, s it was not enough for Mary to experience it, she had to perceive others too. When she leaves the room, she will get the experience she has never had – the experience of color perception. The undeniable truth of the black-and-white room for both physicalist and non-physicalist lies in the fact that Mary cannot not know the facts of her experience or perception of red color as they were not excited at that moment. When she goes, the situation changes significantly as she gets information, which changes her physical substance, brain condition, functional roles. The problem of the physicalist theory is that after Mary sees her first red tomato, she realizes how poor her understanding of mental life and other process was before that moment. Moreover, she learns that during all the time she has spent in the room, there was always a lot of new complicated information around her. The life experience concerning things and their colors was obvious for others but hidden for her, which challenges her logic. As she always knew all the physical facts about those people and things, it means that all the information that Mary did not know before her escape cannot be named as a physi cal fact of human experience. Nevertheless, this cannot be the fact that concerns those people seriously. That is one more problem for the physicalist theory. The opposite question is what Mary has to show others, if her knowledge is not enough, in spite of the physicalist theory that her knowledge is simpliciter, the physicalist concept is absolutely failed, despite the strength of Mary’s imagination. Colors are everywhere. It is enough to look around to see blue, yellow, red, green – the list of colors and hints is never-ending. That is why, such a broad topic should be well approached and discussed with the help of both sciences and physiology. The article â€Å"The Autonomy of Colour† addresses the problem of color realism and thus physicalism. There are two important questions one can answer with the help of Broackes’ article. They sound like â€Å"are the objects colored?† and â€Å"what is the nature of colored objects?† The author defends the position that physical objects and properties (tomatoes, apples, and anything else) are colored and their color is a direct reflection of their physical properties. Capturing the ideas of minorities, circulating at least among the â€Å"color† scientists, this article argues that physical objects, in fact, are not colored, and the color one can see is nothing else but a subjective reflection of the reality taking place in the mind rather than in the real world. Consequently, the following essay pursues a few objective purposes. Firstly, it meets the audience with a number of philosophic instruments that can be irreplaceable for argumentation of the physicalist color theory. Secondly, the essay attempted to explain in detail the position and controversial issues of the following discussion. The first part of the essay explains the problem of color concept and perception through the physicalism theory, making some important remarks from the perspective of the unique and binary color’s analysis. The second part of the essay presents arguments against the physicalist position from the point of view of color structure, explaining it in the context of the knowledge theory, proving that all the attempts to explain the color theory only with the help of science are unmotivated.

DQ2 Example

DQ2_05 Example DQ2_05 – Coursework Example QD2_05: Intergovernmental Relationships QD2_05 Currently, the public health sector stands amidst various uncertainties which must bediligently tackled to ensure continued success in the sector. Notably, the sector has various pillars including the public body and governmental entities; both federal and national. Such pillars must exist in harmonious systems in which a collaborative approach to public health issues is promoted (Scutchfield adoption of frameworks that can be relied upon to deliver social justice to the patients and clients of the public health sector. In this regard, it is evident that social justice in public health is attainable through collaborative efforts among different governmental agencies. Such collaborative approaches must be able to eliminate selective justice which has often prevailed in healthcare systems. Indeed, successful adoption of comprehensive all-inclusive healthcare policies can only be possible if all stakeholders to the sector are able to come together in pursuit of a common goal (Magnussen, Ehiri & Jolly, 2004). However, politicization of various policies aimed at enhancing patient safety, and successful adoption of various policies can have negative impacts on the public health sector as noted by Bauer (2004). However, there is need for guidance and positive political involvement in the policy-making process to promote successful adoption of policies. ReferencesAwofeso, N. (2004). What’s new about the â€Å"new public health†?.  Journal Information,  94(5). Canadian Healthcare Manager. (2004). Patients vs Politics Gabrielle Bauer. Canadian Healthcare Manager. Toronto. Vol 11. Iss. (3), 42. Magnussen, L., Ehiri, J., & Jolly, P. (2004). Comprehensive versus selective primary health care: lessons for global health policy.  Health affairs,  23(3), 167-176.Morales, L. S., Rogowski, J., Freedman, V. A., Wickstrom, S. L., Adams, J. L., & Escarce, J. J. (2004). Use of preventive services by men enrolled in Medicare+ Choice plans.  American journal of public health,  94(5), 796-802.Scutchfield, F. D. & Keck, C.W. (2003). Principles of public health practices (2nd. ed.) New York: Thomson Delmar Learning. Chs 6-8, 75-138.