Humorous Wedding Speech Delivered by the Best Man -- Wedding Toasts Ro

Humorous Wedding Speech Delivered by the Best Man Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. First of all, I’d like congratulate the groom (bridegroom) on a very enjoyable speech - which has raised the expectation of my speech to a level that I cannot possibly hope to fulfill now. Thanks for that! Now I know I’m expected to say this but it really is an honor being John’s best man. He’s a very popular person with many close friends, so when he asked me to do this job I was extremely pleased and very proud – and I hope he remembers that sentimental moment just as well as I do. We’d been having a few drinks in Bournemouth one Saturday night, when John stumbled over towards me, belched a couple of times, put his arm around my shoulder and said, ‘Jason, I’m getting married in May as you know, and I suppose I’ve got to ruin someone’s day, so I’d like it to be yours.’ My mind immediately turned to the speech. So in preparation, and yes this was prepared, I asked John and Sabrina for a complete list of everyone present, broken down by age and sex. But, looking round, I can’t see anyone who isn’t. (Laughter) What an excellent venue this is though, and seeing these two families together is an interesting experience. I can certainly see where Sabrina got her brains and good looks from, and John his limitless capacity to eat and drink. John is able to mix beers, wines and spirits with considerable ease and c... ...too Sabrina.’ For it’s no lie to suggest that John recollections are often triggered by memories of food. If you ask him a question, like ‘remember that day we played golf in the thunder?’ he’ll come back with ‘oh, that day we got ham, egg and chips in the club house.’ To bring things to a conclusion, I'd like to thank you all for your attention. And if anyone hasn’t yet bought John and Sabrina a wedding present, I hear that they need a new shower rail for the bathroom. The last one, according to John, 'just fell off' – like they do. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a toast to the happy couple, John and Sabrina. I know you're going to be great together - God bless you and good luck to you both.

A Worn Path and The Jilting of Granny Weatherall Essay -- Compare/Cont

In the short stories A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and The Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter, both women overcame several obstacles. In A Worn Path, Phoenix Jackson faced obstacles such as her age, physical challenges, and how others viewed her. Granny faced obstacles such as dying, feeling betrayed by her children, and disappointment in her love life. In A Worn Path by Eudora Welty an elderly African American woman named Phoenix Jackson picks a cold December day to make yet another perilous journey to a near by city to get medicine for her ailing grandson. On the way this old woman faces many obstacles, both natural and man-made. Phoenix draws upon her perseverance and willingness to sacrifice herself to help her throughout her journey, but it is the undying love for her grandson that truly guides and drives her to her final goal. She is described as being a very old woman. â€Å"Her eyes were blue with age. Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles and as though a whole little tree stood in the middle of her forehead, but a golden color run underneath, and the two knobs of her cheeks were illuminated by a yellow burning under the dark (Welty 386). These all show an indication of her old age. Also, her loss of memory indicates her old age. It was only until Phoenix reached the doctor’s office she remembered why she went on her journey. â€Å"My grandson. It was my memory had left me. There I sat and forgot why I made my trip†(Welty 394). Another character in the story was a white man who was a hunter. When Phoenix falls in the ditch, he helps her out of the ditch. Even though the hunter helps Phoenix, he still poses as a threat to her, because it seems he did not want her to finish her journey. This is made apparent when he states, â€Å"Why, that’s too far! That’s as far as I walk when I come out myself, and I get something for my trouble†(Welty 391). In addition, like her name, Phoenix seems ageless. When she stops to drink water from the spring she says, â€Å"Nobody know who made this well, for it was here when I was born†(Welty 391). When she encounters the hunter and he asks her how old she is she says, â€Å"There is no telling, mister, â€Å"said, â€Å"no telling† (Welty 392). Again her age is emphasized when she goes to t he doctor’s office and the nurse ask her why she never went to school. â€Å"I never did go to school, I was too old a... ...e must have due a great compensation in the afterlife. The greatest wrongdoing was that having been promised a Heaven, an eternal life, and Granny was once again left alone. Granny was much like Phoenix Jackson, they both had to overcome obstacles or challenges in life that made them stronger. Granny had to deal with the heartache and pain of being deceived and disappointed by what she thought was love and Phoenix had to overcome the obstacles of traveling a difficult Journey because of the love she had for her grandson. Fate can control humans’ lives and can help humans reach the end of the challenging path. Phoenix’s and Granny Weatherall’s ability to withstand and overcome these challenges shows their strong determination, and the will power to endure hardship and continue to be strong. Works Cited Bartel, Roland. â€Å"Life and Death in Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path.’† USA: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1998. 45-48 Kirsznerand and Mandell, Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Earl McPeek. USA: Harcout, Inc., 2001, 1997,1994,1991. 388-395 Porter, Katherine Anne. â€Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.† Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2000.

Chapter 13 Mad-eye Moody

The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Harry, Ron, and Hermione examined their new course schedules at breakfast. A few seats along, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Triwizard Tournament. â€Å"Today's not bad†¦outside all morning,† said Ron, who was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. â€Å"Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures†¦damn it, we're still with the Slytherins†¦.† â€Å"Double Divination this afternoon,† Harry groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry's death, which he found extremely annoying. â€Å"You should have given it up like me, shouldn't you?† said Hermione briskly, buttering herself some toast. â€Å"Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy.† â€Å"You're eating again, I notice,† said Ron, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast too. â€Å"I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights,† said Hermione haughtily. â€Å"Yeah†¦and you were hungry,† said Ron, grinning. There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap – Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Harry returned to his porridge. Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn't even got his letter? His preoccupation lasted all the way across the sodden vegetable patch until they arrived in greenhouse three, but here he was distracted by Professor Sprout showing the class the ugliest plants Harry had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid. â€Å"Bubotubers,† Professor Sprout told them briskly. â€Å"They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -â€Å" â€Å"The what?† said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted. â€Å"Pus, Finnigan, pus,† said Professor Sprout, â€Å"and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus.† Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints. â€Å"This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy,† said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. â€Å"An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.† â€Å"Like poor Eloise Midgen,† said Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, in a hushed voice. â€Å"She tried to curse hers off.† â€Å"Silly girl,† said Professor Sprout, shaking her head. â€Å"But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end.† A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuffs climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindors heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid's small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions. â€Å"Mornin'!† Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Be'er wait fer the Slytherins, they won' want ter miss this – Blast-Ended Skrewts!† â€Å"Come again?† said Ron. Hagrid pointed down into the crates. â€Å"Eurgh!† squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward. â€Å"Eurgh† just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Harry's opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches. â€Å"On'y jus' hatched,† said Hagrid proudly, â€Å"so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!† â€Å"And why would we want to raise them?† said a cold voice. The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words. Hagrid looked stumped at the question. â€Å"I mean, what do they do?† asked Malfoy. â€Å"What is the point of them?† Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds' pause, then he said roughly, â€Å"Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things – I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer – I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake – just try 'em out with a bit of each.† â€Å"First pus and now this,† muttered Seamus. Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, and Hermione pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry couldn't suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn't seem to have mouths. â€Å"Ouch!† yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. â€Å"It got me.† Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious. â€Å"Its end exploded!† said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand. â€Å"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off,† said Hagrid, nodding. â€Å"Eurgh!† said Lavender Brown again. â€Å"Eurgh, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing on it?† â€Å"Ah, some of 'em have got stings,† said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). â€Å"I reckon they're the males†¦.The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies†¦.I think they might be ter suck blood.† â€Å"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive,† said Malfoy sarcastically. â€Å"Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?† â€Å"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful,† Hermione snapped. â€Å"Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?† Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew only too well – he had owned one for a brief period during their first year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better. â€Å"Well, at least the skrewts are small,† said Ron as they made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later. â€Å"They are now,† said Hermione in an exasperated voice, â€Å"but once Hagrid's found out what they eat, I expect they'll be six feet long.† â€Å"Well, that won't matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?† said Ron, grinning slyly at her. â€Å"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up,† said Hermione. â€Å"As a matter of fact I think he's right. The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all.† They sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry and Ron stared at her. â€Å"Er – is this the new stand on elf rights?† said Ron. â€Å"You're going to make yourself puke instead?† â€Å"No,† said Hermione, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. â€Å"I just want to get to the library.† â€Å"What?† said Ron in disbelief. â€Å"Hermione – it's the first day back! We haven't even got homework yet!† Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leapt to her feet, said, â€Å"See you at dinner!† and departed at high speed. When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Harry and Ron set off for North Tower where, at the top of a tightly spiraling staircase, a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling, and the room where Professor Trelawney lived. The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the stepladder. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Harry and Ron walked through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room, and sat down at the same small circular table. â€Å"Good day,† said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney right behind Harry, making him jump. A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face, Professor Trelawney was peering down at Harry with the tragic expression she always wore whenever she saw him. The usual large amount of beads, chains, and bangles glittered upon her person in the firelight. â€Å"You are preoccupied, my dear,† she said mournfully to Harry. â€Å"My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas†¦most difficult†¦I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦.and perhaps sooner than you think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who looked stonily back. Professor Trelawney swept past them and seated herself in a large winged armchair before the fire, facing the class. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who deeply admired Professor Trelawney, were sitting on poufs very close to her. â€Å"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars,† she said. â€Å"The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle†¦.† But Harry's thoughts had drifted. The perfumed fire always made him feel sleepy and dull-witted, and Professor Trelawney's rambling talks on fortune-telling never held him exactly spellbound – though he couldn't help thinking about what she had just said to him. â€Å"I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Hermione was right, Harry thought irritably, Professor Trelawney really was an old fraud. He wasn't dreading anything at the moment at all†¦well, unless you counted his fears that Sirius had been caught†¦but what did Professor Trelawney know? He had long since come to the conclusion that her brand of fortunetelling was really no more than lucky guesswork and a spooky manner. Except, of course, for that time at the end of last term, when she had made the prediction about Voldemort rising again†¦and Dumbledore himself had said that he thought that trance had been genuine, when Harry had described it to him. â€Å"Harry!† Ron muttered. â€Å"What?† Harry looked around; the whole class was staring at him. He sat up straight; he had been almost dozing off, lost in the heat and his thoughts. â€Å"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn,† said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words. â€Å"Born under – what, sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!† said Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn't riveted by this news. â€Å"I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth†¦.Your dark hair†¦your mean stature†¦tragic losses so young in life†¦I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"I was born in July.† Ron hastily turned his laugh into a hacking cough. Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart, and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles. â€Å"I've got two Neptunes here,† said Harry after a while, frowning down at his piece of parchment, â€Å"that can't be right, can it?† â€Å"Aaaaah,† said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney's mystical whisper, â€Å"when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry†¦.† Seamus and Dean, who were working nearby, sniggered loudly, though not loudly enough to mask the excited squeals from Lavender Brown – â€Å"Oh Professor, look! I think I've got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one's that, Professor?† â€Å"It is Uranus, my dear,† said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart. â€Å"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?† said Ron. Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give them so much homework at the end of the class. â€Å"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart,† she snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy-fairy self. â€Å"I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!† â€Å"Miserable old bat,† said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. â€Å"That'll take all weekend, that will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Lots of homework?† said Hermione brightly, catching up with them. â€Å"Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!† â€Å"Well, bully for Professor Vector,† said Ron moodily. They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them. â€Å"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something. â€Å"What?† said Ron shortly. â€Å"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!† said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. â€Å"Listen to this! FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.† Malfoy looked up. â€Å"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?† he crowed. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on: Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers (â€Å"policemen†) over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of â€Å"Mad-Eye† Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene. â€Å"And there's a picture, Weasley!† said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. â€Å"A picture of your parents outside their house – if you can call it a house! You r mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?† Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him. â€Å"Get stuffed, Malfoy,† said Harry. â€Å"C'mon, Ron†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?† â€Å"You know your mother, Malfoy?† said Harry – both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy – â€Å"that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?† Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink. â€Å"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter.† â€Å"Keep your fat mouth shut, then,† said Harry, turning away. BANG! Several people screamed – Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face – he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he'd even touched it, he heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall. â€Å"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!† Harry spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry – at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head. â€Å"Did he get you?† Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly. â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"missed.† â€Å"LEAVE IT!† Moody shouted. â€Å"Leave – what?† Harry said, bewildered. â€Å"Not you – him!† Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody's rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head. Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons. â€Å"I don't think so!† roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again – it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more. â€Å"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned,† growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. â€Å"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. â€Å"Never – do – that – again -† said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again. â€Å"Professor Moody!† said a shocked voice. Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. â€Å"Hello, Professor McGonagall,† said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher. â€Å"What – what are you doing?† said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air. â€Å"Teaching,† said Moody. â€Å"Teach – Moody, is that a student?† shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms. â€Å"Yep,† said Moody. â€Å"No!† cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing. â€Å"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!† said Professor McGonagall wealdy. â€Å"Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?† â€Å"He might've mentioned it, yeah,† said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, â€Å"but I thought a good sharp shock -â€Å" â€Å"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!† â€Å"I'll do that, then,† said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike. Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words â€Å"my father† were distinguishable. â€Å"Oh yeah?† said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. â€Å"Well, I know your father of old, boy†¦.You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son†¦you tell him that from me†¦.Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?† â€Å"Yes,† said Malfoy resentfully. â€Å"Another old friend,† growled Moody. â€Å"I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape†¦.Come on, you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he seized Malfoy's upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons. Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms. â€Å"Don't talk to me,† Ron said quietly to Harry and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened. â€Å"Why not?† said Hermione in surprise. â€Å"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever,† said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. â€Å"Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret.† Harry and Hermione both laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of their plates. â€Å"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though,† she said. â€Å"It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione!† said Ron furiously, his eyes snapping open again, â€Å"you're ruining the best moment of my life!† Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again. â€Å"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?† said Harry, watching her. â€Å"Got to,† said Hermione thickly. â€Å"Loads to do.† â€Å"But you told us Professor Vector -â€Å" â€Å"It's not schoolwork,† she said. Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley. â€Å"Moody!† he said. â€Å"How cool is he?† â€Å"Beyond cool,† said George, sitting down opposite Fred. â€Å"Supercool,† said the twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. â€Å"We had him this afternoon,† he told Harry and Ron. â€Å"What was it like?† said Harry eagerly. Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning. â€Å"Never had a lesson like it,† said Fred. â€Å"He knows, man,† said Lee. â€Å"Knows what?† said Ron, leaning forward. â€Å"Knows what it's like to be out there doing it,† said George impressively. â€Å"Doing what?† said Harry. â€Å"Fighting the Dark Arts,† said Fred. â€Å"He's seen it all,† said George. â€Å"‘Mazing,† said Lee. Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. â€Å"We haven't got him till Thursday!† he said in a disappointed voice.

Early Identification of Gifted Children Essay

Gifted children are special children that need to be given the right education and attention. They are usually categorized on their capacity to do and produce. Huang (2008) wrote an article on the necessity of identifying them at the earliest time possible in order to nurture, cultivate, and lead them to a successful life. The article is entitled â€Å"Early Identification: Cultivating Success for Young Gifted. In its abstract it stated that â€Å"early identification and cultivating gifted preschoolers provides appropriate education for young children† (Huang, 2008). The kind of education that must be provided to learners must indeed depend on their capacity to learn and understand the concepts and the skills. It is difficult to impose concepts and to require mental and physical exercises beyond the capacity of the children. However, it is also equally frustrating for children of higher capacity to do lesser tasks when they have higher level of comprehension and performance. It is important therefore that parents must be able to assess the capacity of their children. It is imperative that parent must be able to detect that their children are not the usual children who can easily cope up with the environment and different situations as they expect them to be. The question however, would be the capacity of the parents and family members to identify the giftedness of their children. Parents could not waste time. The earlier time they can identify that there children are gifted, the greater the chances of leading their children to a fuller and happier life. This is what many other researchers have stressed on child giftedness: â€Å"There is no more crucial period in human development that childhood for maximizing the potential of gifted preschoolers (Odorn, Hanson, Blackman & Kaul, 2003 as cited by Huang, 2008)†. There are many ways in which child giftedness may be identified at an earlier stage. In Huang’s study where he utilized earlier researches and studies and reviewed relevant documents, he pointed out that early identification that were used in the 21st century were simple activities such as arranging of puzzles, building of blocks, and figuring of words on the back of cereal boxes. Huang investigated on the effectiveness of the implementation and the service treatment in three (3) phases: (1) â€Å"integrating the rationale of a development system of products; (2) analyzing service support and coordination and service approach about service treatment and benefits; and (3) outlining the future perspective. What Huang tried to establish in his study were also seen by other researchers such as Silverman (2007) who along with other researchers studies the development of gifted children. The following are some of the highlights in the study of Silver man that supports the thesis of Huang’s study: â€Å"(1) parents are excellent identifiers of giftedness of their children; (2) giftedness can be observed in the first three years; (3) when parents fail to recognize giftedness of children, teacher most likely do the same; (4) ideal age for testing is between five and eight; (5) second children are most likely gifted than firstborn children; (6) gifted children have different coping mechanisms and are likely to face problems; (7) they are asynchronous with uneven developments; (8) they have better social adjustment in classes with children like them; (9) traits such perfectionism, sensitivity, and intensity are associated with them; (10) most of them are introvert; (11) they have learning disabilities; and (12) giftedness cuts across all social groups (Silverman, 2007). The concept of Huang who stressed the need to identify giftedness was confirmed by Elhoweris (2008) who also explained what Silverman and her fellows found out in their years of practice. Elhoweris also pointed out that the gifted children are neglected in terms of educational and development programs: â€Å"One of the most serious problems plaguing in the field of gifted education is the need for the development of appropriate programs and identification procedures for gifted and talented students from different culturally and diverse backgrounds (Ford & Harris, 1991; Maker, 1996 as cited by Elhoweris, 2008)†. There is so much about child giftedness. Parent and teachers and the whole society must be work together in order to draw a better program that would bring out the best from the gifted children. Huang in his abstract of the study states: The experiences of early intervention in education can powerfully impact on attitudes toward learning confidence and later achievements for all children. The optimal development for gifted pre-school with individual special needs can be enhanced with intervention at early age (Huang, 2008). Parents and teachers then must be gentle and patient with their children and find every time and effort to identify the condition of their children or their students.The chance for the gifted children to succeed lies with the commitment of the parents and the educators. References: About. com. (1999). Young gifted children. GABC Newsletter. 1(1): 1 Retrieved October 5, 2008, from http://giftedkids. about. com/gi/dynamic/offsite. htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn= giftedkids&cdn=parenting&tm=221&gps=101_1013_796_713&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www3. telus. net/giftedcanada/erlychild. pdf Elhoweris, H. (2008). â€Å"Teacher judgment in identifying gifted/talented students. † Multicultural Education. Retrieved, October 5, 2008 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3935/is_/ai_n25500441 Goliath. com. (2008). â€Å"Considerations for conducting culturally responsive research in gifted education,† Gifted Child Today. Retrieved October 5, 2008 from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-8043736/Considerations-for-conducting-culturally-responsive. html Goliath. Com (2006). â€Å"Closing the achievement gap: How gifted education can help,† Gifted Child. Retrieved, October 5, 2008 from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-5841295/Closing-the-achievement-gap-how. html Huang, Y. H. (2008). â€Å"Early identification: Cultivating success for young gifted children,† Gifted Education International 24 (1): 118-124. Silverman, L. (2007). â€Å"What we have learned about gifted children,† Gifted Development Center. Retrieved October 5, 2008 from http://www. gifteddevelopment. com/ What_is_Gifted/learned. htm

Health Care Policy, Law and Ethic Essay

As a Chief Nursing Officer, I’m responsible for one of the state’s largest Obstetric Health Care Centers. I just received word of some fraudulent behaviors in the center. To mitigate this type of behaviors I must evaluate how the healthcare Qui Tam affects health care organizations, provide four examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations, Devise a procedure for admission into a health care facility that upholds the law about the required number of Medicare and Medicaid referrals, Recommend a corporate integrity program that will mitigate incidents of fraud and assess how the recommendation will impact issues of reproduction and birth, and Devise a plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws. After completing my evaluation on Qui Tam I will be able to provide a proper protocol to handle or prevent future issue and grow awareness on how fraudulent behavior affects the health care center. Qui Tam is Latin for â€Å"he who brings a case on behalf of our lord King, as well as for himself†. Qui Tam allows a private citizen (relator, whistleblower) to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the government, as well as himself, against a defendant who may has knowingly committed fraud or criminal act in which the government was victimized (Showalter, 2012). The private citizen need not have been personally harmed by the defendant’s conduct (Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General, 2010). The government can choose to take over the prosecution, but if the government declines the private citizen can proceed alone. How Healthcare Qui Tam affects health care organizations. Healthcare is a multi-billion dollar industry and has attracted those who want to defraud health insurance companies and the government (Showalter, 2012). Based on the healthcare industry monetary value it has become the fertile soil for white –collar crimes that end in criminal convictions and financial penalties (Showalter, 2012). The punishment for payment fraud and abuse is shared with the abuser and the organization. When an employee is involved in act of fraud and abuse management, officers as well as the organization is held accountable. They share in the punishment even if management, officers or the organization is aware of the abusers actions. . One way to minimize exposure to fraud and abuse is to have a strong corporate compliance program in place. Developing a strong compliance  programs will ensure an organization’s adherence to federal and state regulations such as false claim act, anti-kickback statues, the Starks self-referral laws and HIPAA. Using go vernment regulation as the bases of an organizations compliance program will help significantly in the effort to prevent fraud, abuse and waste within the organization (Showalter, 2012). Healthcare Qui Tam along with state and government regulations has pushed organizations to develop new or stronger compliance programs in the hopes to prevent fraud, promote integrity and improve billing accuracy. Not only has it push health care organization to create compliance program to protect the company these policy also include process for an employee to anonymously report and undesirable conduct they may see. Companies have also created their own fraud and abuse compliance departments that are responsible for educating the staff of any federal and state regulations and created requirement for and standards each depart must to abide by. This department will also be responsible for the investigation of any reported behavior. These measures are put in place to prevent any possible fraud and abuse acts with in the organization. Examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations. To remedy abuse associated with ghost billing, up coding, unbundling, and billing for inadequate or unnecessary care the government put in place the false claims act. During January 2009 through 2012 the justice department used the false claim act to recover more than 9.5 billion dollars in health care fraud cases. Below is an example of a False Claim Act Case. Example of FCA Nelson v. Alcon Laboratories, No. 3:12-cv-03738-M (N.D. Tex.) †¢Complaint filed : September 14, 2012 †¢Complaint unsealed : July 16, 2013 †¢Intervention status : Declined †¢Claims: False claims to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and the federal defense procurement programs in violation of the Civil False Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C.  § 3729 et seq. †¢Name of Relator: Michael Nelson and Steve Gonzales †¢ Defendant’s Business: Pharmaceutical manufacturer †¢Relators’ Relationship to Defendant: Former employee †¢Relators’ Counsel: Bell, Nunnally & Martin, LLP †¢Summary of case: Alcon Laboratories allegedly failed to adhere to FDA regulations in manufacturing, packaging and delivering nonprescription and prescription eye care products sold to the U.S. government under Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other insurance programs held by a variety of military and federal employees and their dependents. Alcon even provide the eye care product to the U.S. Department of Defense †¢Current status: The U.S. declined to intervene in the case: relator may proceed on their own †¢Reason to Watch: This case was viewed similar to United States ex rel. Eckard v. GlaxoSmithKline and SB Pharmco Puerto Rico, which was settled in 2010. This case involved both civil and criminal allegation, but the focus was on failing to comply with the FDA’s regulations regarding manufacturing practices and product quality. This case resulted in a guilty from the defendant, a civil settlement of $600 million, and a criminal fine of $150 million. Anti-Kickback Statue is a criminal statute that prohibits the exchange or offer of an exchange, of any value or form, in the efforts to induce or reward the referral of federal health care program business. This statue was creates to establish penalties for individual and entities on both sides of the prohibited exchange. If convicted the violator can be fined up to 25,000 and sentenced up to five years. In lieu of the fine and the jail time the violator(s) can be excluded from participating in federal health care programs. Listed below is an example of an anti-kickback statue case. Example of AKS United States ex rel. Nevyas v. Allergan, Inc., No. 2:09cv432 (E.D. Pa). †¢Complaint Filed: January 30, 2009 ( Second Amendment Complaint Filed September 27, 2010) †¢ Complaint Unsealed: December 16, 2013 †¢Intervention Status: Unclear from docket †¢ Claims: The relators assert that the defendant caused the submission of claims for payment for prescription drugs induced by illegal kickbacks in violation of the FCA, as well as analogous false claims statutes of 19 states and the District of Columbia †¢Relators’ Names: Herbert J. Nevyas.; Anita Nevyas-Wallace, M.D. †¢ Defendant’s Business: The defendant is an international biopharmaceutical company †¢Relators’ Counsel: Pietragallo, Gordon, Alfano,Bosick& Raspanti LLP (Philadelphia, Pa) †¢Relators’ Relationship to Defendant: The relators are third party physicians who claim they were offered the alleged inducements by the defendant. †¢ Current Status: Ongoing †¢Summary of Case: The relators allege the defendant violated the Anti-Kickback Statues buy offering ophthalmologists and optometrists to prescribe the defendant’s exclusive chronic dry-eye prescription drug Retasis ®. According to the defendant Allergan offer free consulting services, free acesss to a restricted website, invitation to and payment of expenses related to advisory board meetings and offers to fund independent research. †¢Reason to Watch: The defendant entered into a five year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General in connection with a settlement of an unrelated criminal investigation and Qui Tam action. Some of the conducted listed in this case may have occurred while the defendant CIA was in place. Also point out possible compliance issues for pharmaceutical companies seeking to grow their business through relationship with physicians (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014) Example of billing for unnecessary services and ghost billing United States ex rel. Fife v. Lymphedema and Wound Institute, Inc., Civ. No. 04:11-CV-271 (S.D. Tex.). †¢Complaint Filed: September 22, 2011 †¢Complaint Unsealed: November 25, 2013 †¢Intervention Status: The United States intervened. †¢Claims: Defendants allegedly submitted false claims for treatment of lymphedema †¢Name of Relator: Dr. Caroline Fife †¢Defendants’ Businesses: The individual defendants are the executives and owners of the defendant company and its affiliates, whose employees provide physical therapy and treatment for lymphatic disease. The individual defendants also managed and operated a network of sleep-study clinics. †¢Relator’s Relationship to Defendants: Relator is a competing physician and professor at the University of Texas who often treated patients who had  stopped receiving treatments from defendants’ facilities. †¢Relator’s Counsel: Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C. (Houston, TX) †¢Summary of Case: The Relator alleged that the defendant provider used unqualified massage therapist to provide services to their lymphedema patients. Also according to the relator the defendant bill for unnecessary services as well as services and supplies that were never rendered. Lastly, the relator alleged the defendant used similar scheme to inflate billing services that were rendered at their sleep clinic. †¢Current Status: The parties settled the claims related to lymphedema treatments for $4.3 million. Additionally, the defendant company’s founder and CEO voluntarily submitted to a 10-year exclusion from federal health benefit programs and the defendant company entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) as of June 25, 2013 (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). †¢Reasons to Watch: Although the amount of the settlement — $4.3 million — is relatively modest when compared with the $165 million in fraudulent Medicare billings alleged in the complaint, the voluntary exclusion of the defendant company’s CEO from participation in federal health care programs is severe, as an excluded individual will likely find it difficult to continue working in the health care industry (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). Example of up-coding United States ex rel. Oughatiyan v. IPC The Hospitalist Company Inc., Civ. No. 09-C-5418 (N.D. Ill.). †¢Complaint Filed: September 1, 2009 †¢Complaint Unsealed: December 5, 2013 †¢Intervention Status: The United States intervened, but Illinois and the other 12 plaintiff states declined to intervene †¢Claims: Defendants allegedly encouraged the filling of up-coded claims for services in inpatient and long-term care facilities to federal care programs †¢Name of Relator: Dr. Bijan Ouhatiyan †¢Defendants’ Businesses: National hospitalist independent contractor company and its local subsidiaries â€Å"employing physicians and other health care providers who work in more than 1,300 facilities in 28 states.†1 Hospitalists are physicians who assist in directing and coordinating inpatient care from admission to discharge, and only work in hospitals or  long-term care facilities (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). †¢Relator’s Relationship to Defendants: Relator is a former employee/independent contractor of dependent. †¢Relator’s Counsel: Goldberg Kohn Ltd. (Chicago, IL) †¢Summary of Case: Relator alleges that IPC The Hospitalist Company (IPC) engaged in the following schemes to cause its employed hospitalists to bill for the services they rendered at the highest reimbursement levels even though such codes were inappropriate, a practice called â€Å"upcoding.† The lawsuit contends that IPC trained its physicians to bill at the highest levels without regard to the actual complexity of the services provided. Additionally, IPC allegedly tracked the coding statistics of its hospitalists and used the results to pressure hospitalists to upcode their services to achieve productivity and profit goals. As a result of these practices, according to the relator, the medical documentation of the actual work done did not support the billing records submitted by the hospitalists (Abhar, Grammel, McGinty, & Willis, 2014). †¢Current Status: Ongoing †¢Reasons to Watch: The defendant has another case (United States ex rel. Ziaei v. IPC The Hospitalist Company Inc., et al., Civ. No. 2:12-cv-01918 (D. Nev.)) with similar allegation, but was dismissed. Our Facility admission Policy, which is in accordance with Medicare and Medicaid referral guidelines. Medicare and Medicare Referral guidelines are based on the Stark law. To prevent any issues or conduct that violates the Stark law our facility will participate in CMS Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS). We will require all qualifying providers to register their NPI with Medicare and Medicare by the deadline date. This system will allow us to submit claims, referral, and review for admittance. This program will catch any potential violations of abuse and fraud. The Physician Self -Referral law is listed below. â€Å"The Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) (42 U.S.C. Section 1395nn) prohibits a physician from making a referral for certain designated healt h services to an entity in which the physician (or an immediate member of his or her family) has an ownership/investment interest or with which he or she has a compensation arrangement, unless an exception applies. Penalties for physicians who  violate the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) include fines as well as exclusion from participation in all Federal health care programs† Corporate integrity program that will reduce fraud and impact issues of reproduction and birth. A Corporate Integrity program is put in place to ensure the organization and the employees would not knowingly violate any laws that control the conduct of the organization operations. Staff will receive training regarding the health care center’s Corporate Integrity Program and all law associated with the program. †¢Code of Conduct Promote and Preserve the organization values Protect the privacy of the Health care centers patients Protect the confidentiality of the patient and the employee information o Avoid all forms of discrimination Act in accordance of all policies and procedures Comply will all law that apply to the health center operations and practices o Disclose all potential conflicts of interest No accepting of gift, goods and services Adhere to all professional standard Ensure consent for service is received and documented Refusal for services are document Patient is informed/education of risk and requires treat for their condition †¢Submission of claims only for services That are actually for service renders For services that the patient or patient represented consented to oFor services that are medical necessary for the patient condition That have appropriate documentation to support the claim All services will be reviewed before billing All billing staff will be trained and certified No claim will be submitted that fall under the Physician Self-Referral law or Anti- Kickback statues Plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws As one of the state’s largest Obstetric Health Care Centers in the area we have an extensive staff. The first policy is to provide excess to patient information that is in the scope of your job. For example the registration staff will not have access  to the patient’s lab results and the lab technician will not have access to member complete medical history. When a staff member signs on to any system that houses patient information they will only be able to view or update information that is within the scope of the job responsibility. This way the patient private medical records are kept private. Education, training and yearly certification of Health Insurance Portability Act and the organization privacy policy will be required fall all staff members. Certification will only be provided to those that achieve at least an 80% on any test that is provided in training. Failure to comply will result in suspicion until certified or termination. For existing employees yearly certification will be done throughout web base training portal. For our new employees training and certification will be part of their new hire orientation and any future required Training will be done through our train portal. The staff can access the training portal at home. This way our staff and complete the certification at the leisure (with in the due date). Also we have the proper process in place to such as authorization and de-identifying Protection Health Information when share and medical or any sensitive information with others. For example there maybe reason why a department must share the type of patient seen or the treatment provided. There should be not reason that patient’s name, address, or any information that may identify the patient be included in the report. We also require the patient to sign an authorization for every year, which will allow us to submit information to insurance companies for payment, medical necessity review, and appeals. We will also have the patient to sign an authorization form allowing us to spe ak with a specific individual, leave voice mail massages and or email the member about appointment and care. Any unauthorized disclosure of private health information the patient will be notified right away. Various federal and state laws, regulations, rules and guidelines govern the use, Disclosure and protection of health information. These include certain provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), certain provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), and any other patient privacy-related laws, regulations, rules and guidelines will be used as the bases of our privacy policies Bibliography Department of Health and Human Services. (November, 27 2013). Physician sefl Referral: CMS. Retrieved 15 2014, March, from Center of Medicare & Medicaid Services: Abhar, S., Grammel, S., McGinty, K., & Willis, S. (2014, February). Qui Tam Defense: MintzLevin. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from MintzLevin: http://www.mintz.com/newsletter/2014/Newsletters/3691-0214-NAT-HL/ Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General. (2010, October 6). False claim Act: office of Inspector General. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from Department of The Interior Office of Inspector General: https://www.doioig.gov/docs/falseclaimsact.pdf. Abhar, S., Grammel, S., McGinty, K., & Willis, S. (2014, February). Qui Tam Defense: MintzLevin. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from MintzLevin: http://www.mintz.com/newsletter/2014/Newsletters/3691-0214-NAT-HL/ Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General. (2010, October 6). False claim Act: office of Inspector General. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from Department of The Interior Office of Inspector General: https://www.doioig.gov/docs/falseclaimsact.pdf. Dunphy, B. P., Kingsbury, S. P., Miner, T. A., Foster, H. S., & Willis, S. D. (2012). Health Care enforcement : 2012 Trends . MintzLevin. Gumbert, J. G. (2003). Qui TamActions Under the False Claims Act. Medical Journal – Houston. Levine, R. H. (2005). Internal Investigations By Healthcare Organizations: Practical considerations. American Health Lawyers association. Showalter, J. S. (2012). The Law of Healthcare Adminstration (6th ed.). Chicago: Health Adminstration Press. Staman, J. (2013). Health Care fraud and Buse Laws affecting Medicare and Medicaid: An Overview. Congressional research Services report for Congress.

Strategy at Tesco Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategy at Tesco - Assignment Example is therefore a lot of pressure on traditional means of consumer shopping and the consumer behavior in the current scene of the UK economy is bad news for all. In the third quarter however, there has been seen a slight increase in sales due to people shopping for winter clothes and school uniforms and economists believe that this my point to a recovery of the economy, starting in the beginning of 2013. The third quarter saw sales volumes grow by 1%, compared to 0% in the previous quarter – a tremendous improvement when compared to the low growth seen in the last two years of very low shopping. (Uruci 2012) Looking at the current figures, although the growth rate seems to be on the rise, there is always that nagging doubt whether the economy is going to flourish or fall in the near future and how that is going to affect the retail industry. Take for instance the Olympic season – online sales in the UK fell since people were busy watching the Olympics instead of shopping as they normally would. Such is the state of the economy in the UK. (BBC 2012) Founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen, Tesco is one of the largest retailers in the world. They operate in 14 countries and employ over 520,000 people, and serve millions of customers every week. (Tesco PLC: History). What used to originally be a grocery retailer has grown tremendously to include books, clothing, electronics, furniture, petrol, software, financial services, DVD rentals, telecom and internet services, music downloads and so much more. Food or groceries however, still remains their greatest strength. Tesco currently appeals to a wide audience, across social groups because of its variety of products that range between Tesco Value and Tesco Finest. This gives them a benefit as they aren’t just focused on cost, but they work to provide quality and experience as well. Tesco is in an extremely competitive environment. They face competition from quite a lot of retail stores, many primarily grocers like

Argument rehearsal for multiple realizability of mental states (contra Essay

Argument rehearsal for multiple realizability of mental states (contra the identity theory) - Essay Example This follows from property identity: if X = Y, you can’t have X without Y, or Y without X. For example, you can never ask for six bottles under the condition that you will not be given half a dozen bottles. This is because six is just the same as half a dozen. This is true of the identity of mental and physical states. For example, if the physical realization of pain is C-fiber firing, then it cannot be anything else but C-fiber firing. This is property identity theory. But the multiple realizibility of mental states opposes this claim. If pain is related to both C-fiber firing and D-fiber firing, you can have pain without C-fiber firing (given that you have D-fiber firing), and you can have pain without D-fiber firing (given that you have C-fiber firing). What this also implies is pain is not identical to either one – you cannot have six bottles without having half a dozen. Therefore, I ask myself the following question, is there valid reason to think that mental state s are in fact multiply realizable? I believe so. Alien beings are often conceived as having similar mental attributes to humans, albeit physically different. Intelligent beings develop the capacity to select advantageous mental states to sustain life force. For example, if I am unable to feel pain (which is a mental state), it won’t be possible for me to recognise any physical experience which is life threatening. Resultantly, I would cease to exist, thus failing to reproduce and pass on my legacy. Likewise, my cognitive capacities such as intuition and decision making abilities enhance my awareness about surroundings and help me do the right things at the right time. Without these traits, I wouldn’t have been able to sense danger and would expose myself to potentially harmful situations, which, again, would make me susceptible to extinction. Therefore, one can rationalise that an intelligent alien creature living somewhere in the universe would have