Sustainable Future Alternative Energy Philosophy Essay

Sustainable Future Alternative Energy Philosophy Essay Research into a Sustainable Future or alternative energy has been going on for roughly 30 years. In the beginning some scientist were faced with challenges by others who deemed that their work was only for their geographic areas, and not really for the use of all mankind. Later, more rigidly controlled studies were approached to ensure that all of mankind would benefit from this research to prove that it is indeed useful for everyone and not just one general area. Other studies were conducted and it showed that some places needs more alternative energy than other place, such as poverty places compared to urban areas of America. Over the past 30 years, scientists have demonstrated that alternative energy (water, wind, steam, and heat) resemble fossil fuel abilities more than ever possible. Just how close that resemblance extends, however, has been a matter of some controversy. Scientists agree that they have acquired fairly valuable grounds to the success of alternative energy and artificial materials, but they have drawn quite different conclusions in addressing the following questions: In an influential article, Laughlin (2010) argued that alternative energy experiments were not just focused on a certain part or group of the world but rather the fact that it based on experiments done for the whole world in general. Laughlin and his colleagues at Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADD) did extensive research of the cost of alternative energy and conventional energy, and what this means for the world to shed light on much needed attention. In fact, funding for these experiments were provided by key stakeholders on a voluntary basis to show understanding on how the prices compared and what deals the people obtain such resources will be getting out of theses resources. In retrospect, the conclusions of Michael D. Laughlin seem to have been premature. Although some alternative energy and conventional energy studies had not been rigorously controlled to eliminate cuing, even as early as the production era of America, the down fall of the stock market has pushed all expensive to a semi-halt, with the increase of buying these energies (Alternative Energy, 2010). Since 2000, researchers have diligently guarded against cuing. Perhaps the evidence that renewable energy is merely a response to cues is that mankind is indeed using more energy than that can be reproduced. Like many of the renewable energy studied, many have been in use for long time and others are being experimented with, such as solar energy, wind turbine energy, water energy, and steam energy (Alternative Energy, 2010). At the Alternative Energy Institute (AEI) founded in 1977 at West  Texas State University, Texas, USA, as an outgrowth of wind energy research begun in 1970. AEIs primary emphasis has been placed on wind energy, though certain research and education are also on solar energy. Recognized both nationally and internationally, AEI is proud to be the major information resource of wind energy for the State of Texas (Alternative Energy, 2010). Interesting fact is that this state is generally known for the gulf and all the oil production that goes on there and to see that this state is taking steps into wind turbines as an effort t o produce renewable energy is remarkable. The extent to which alternative energy and conventional energy spontaneously usage may depend on the amount of which it is being produced. Laughlin has been informing many around the world about his remarkable break through with the cost of this useful energy and the technique of operant conditioning, so that it is no surprise that one day will be manufacturing alternative and conventional energy at a lower cost than fossil fuel. Many other researchers have used conventional energy and are now taking an approach that parallels the process by which humans acquire most of. In an experimental study, alternative energy and conventional energy have shown significant (Alternative energy, 2010) contrasted two techniques, using electricity as their subject. They found that most of the renewable energy usage was significantly more than what they expected. How will mankind benefit from this research? There is considerable evidence that alternative energy have invented creative ideas. One the earliest and most controversial examples involved the Hoover dam of Nevada. Hoover dam, was a break through with hydropower plants which is capable of producing 24 percent of the worlds electricity and supply more than 1 billion people with power (Hydro plants, 1998). Researchers suggested that there was no basis for concluding that alternative energy was going to be the next big thing to happen since the production era Alternative Energy, 2010). Alternative energy was simply looked at another research project to Just do to get paid and never taken seriously until now that is. Other examples are not so easily explained away. Laughlin has suggested that by combining alternative energy and conventional energy will result in a cost effective manner for all of mankind since the discovery of fire (Alternative Energy, 2010). If one could think about all the possibilities of alternative energy and what this means for the future, everyone will know that taking the step into renewable resources can be what everyone will need. It seems as if the way mankind consumes natural resources and of course the daily burning of fossil fuels all result in the idea to expand on alternative energy. Any analyses report will end showing results that are all the same and that is production of alternative energy is what everyone will need, and this need will come so fast that it will get one thinking will there be enough of it when demand rockets sky high? Or is this problem concerning the same problem as conventional energy can we make it? Is alternative energy to solution to the depletion of fossil fuel? The early terms in which recycling can become difficult and easier said than done. However many years of research showed that Environmental Specialist have been through enormous efforts to find ways of acquiring alternative energy. An attempt to keep Hawaii sustainable for our youths of tomorrow depends whether or not everyone will take action to this problem. Factoid #20 did you know that Renewable energy is becoming cost-competitive with fossil fuels in the U.S' (Sustainable, 2010). What are you going to do? Previous attempts at sustainability have seemed to fail yet there is still another chance to take a shot at it again. This change is possible and truly depends on everyones input to this effort. What needs to happen for this to take place, which is simple and that is to ensure that everyone embracing the idea that alternative energy is the way to go. This can be different since some people who figure that it isnt their duty to conserve when the in the past mankind has ruined for others in the future. So therefore they dont feel responsible for what is going on today. However everyone is responsible for others actions because its one world and this means we need to police each other if we want this world to last, to show the future what it was to preserve it. Such as dependency on fossil fuels to operate mainly everything there is in this world. As time goes on we notice the dramatic increase on the depletion of fossil fuels. However there are alternative ways of power besides fossil fuels. In the turn of the century mankind is research with as many alternative energy as possible to reduce carbon emission given off from fossil fuel which adds to the global warming issue. (Sustainable, 2010). Meaning What does it mean to obtain a sustainable future is to ensure the safety of all mankind far and wide. The understanding of a sustainable future is related to like having an Army that will protect you no matter what happens but in this case its more like an Army that everyone must put a piece together to ensure that this Army is stand strong. It can only get stronger the more that mankind adds to it. By adding to it, is to ensure that people conserve and recycle their garbage daily. Such ways are make sure that you separate all metal, plastic, and other waste products in separate containers and dispose of properly. Although everyone will have there own meaning of a sustainable future there is one fact that can be concluded about all these unique definitions and that is that they all comes down to alternative energy. According to Farlex dictionary is states that sustainability is To keep in existence; maintain; to supply with necessities or nourishment; to provide for; to affirm the va lidity of; and to keep up (Farlex Inc, 2010) the natural resources and recycle to reuse. Therefore a sustainable future is stated more or less as a very serious situation in which we all must pay attention to. However as according to Investopedia renewable resources mean, A substance of economic value that can be replaced or replenished in the same amount or less time  as it takes  to draw the supply down. (Investopia, 2010).  Some renewable resources have essentially an endless supply, such as solar energy, wind energy and geothermal pressure, while other resources are considered renewable even though some time or effort must go into their renewal, such as wood, oxygen, leather and fish.  Most precious metals are considered renewable as well; even though they are not naturally replaced, they can be recycled  because they are not destroyed during their extraction and use.    What are the implications of the usage of alternative energy? Researchers are so impressed that they may help everyone world wide to come to an understanding of alternative energy. Pointing out that majority of the current generation are seeing this problem on daily basis that alternative energy is the way to go because of natural resources being used up quickly. The evolution of energy is on the breaking point and soon everyone will being producing their own renewable energy and who knows what would be next to replace the renewable energy. For example if everyone is using and reproducing it is there going to be problem of conserving it? However there is no explanation for that situation until we know what will happen. So as for now mankind is exposed to the renewable resource and all there is to do is embrace it for what it is. Renewable energy is all around us however it will take a lot to understand that the resources are very obtainable it more of when mankind will want to use it and when they wont depend so much on fossil fuels as much as they did before. Mankind can benefit from all of these researches conducted because due to the fact that all these researches really depend on the geographic locations of where they will be used. Due to the geographic location it can depend on what alternative energy can be produced and used more often than opposed to other locations. For example if a location doesnt naturally have hydro plants and the use of hydro plants are wanted then efforts to obtain resources to make this happen will be difficult and therefore this explains everything about how it depends on the geographic location. Modern day systems allow this unique attribute to take shape, because the technology is available to mankinds use. This understanding is true to know that alternative energy is available to mankind because there is reason to believe alternative energy is going become more valuable to the people of the 20th century then ever before. If this could happen to be know to mankind that alternative energy is something that must be looked upon as an important factor of life then everyone would take this aspect of life much more seriously. Consequences When you think about a more reliable future, there are more efficient ways to go about. However efforts to obtain and conserve the importance of a renewable future have only begun. There are many ways in which many around the world are pitching in to do their deeds to help a bigger cause. Therefore is an on going effort in which the cure has yet to come. The result of this is alternative energy. When mankind depletes natural resources faster than it can be replaced will result in the use of alternative energy (Renewable, 2005). A Sustainable future is one that now mankind are seeking knowing willing that the gases and carbon emission that came from factories in the past have tolled a dramatic affect on todays climates and weather patterns. Many can justify this as another multibillion-dollar project in which taxpayers will end up in the end paying out of their pockets because money is near dead squat just due the economical crisis. Understanding the meaning of conserving to many is just to simply look at the person next to you and say, hey that person isnt recycling or if that person doesnt do why should I do it and others will think that it is just another scam to just people to run crazy about cheaper and better products when in the end they end up paying or more for the same product in which they recycled. Many can say that even if they recycle, use electric instead of gas, or even use renewable energy that the effort will fall shy of its intended goal to universally change the world. However this concept is more gear to a different generation. However these generations that it is geared to are somewhat paying for the dept of the generation that came before them. Take a step back into history when America was in the production period of products, the so-called Manufactured period. In this era production line rained supreme, and anything that was being build was build with chemicals and harmful particles in which at the time wasnt known to the people as the people werent so educated upon the substances being added to toys to cars and even to your everyday values. This understanding comes from many years of research as to where history repeats itself. All throughout the existence of mankind, people never had a grasp on the importance of these harmful additives were going to impact the future. Now that the damage has been inflected in todays society todays generation are now paying the debt from the generation in the past. Considering the changes over the years and how modern technology has globalize and unify the world to come to an understanding that now we need to take a stand and ensure that alternative energy is a key concepts of mankind to survive. Now that generations are being more or well educated upon the sources and procedures they can take to ensure alternate energy is attain, this can ensure a brighter and better future. Such as electric cars, to hybrid cars, and even to hydro cars are one of many examples of how alternative energy can be embraced and be globalized to the modern society. The future has yet to be told and there are many reasons as to why the mankind race is the way they are. Billions of years later and there have been a tremendous expedition towards technology to find better ways of the use of alternative energy. To include all is to know it all many will disagree but to come to an understanding of alternative energy people will need find ways to get themselves well educated with the subject at hand. There are so many programs out there in the efforts of informing the people of the world that a sustainable future is a bright future in which we all can live in. Many today are pushing to find more alternative energy to ensure a better and brighter future for tomorrow. Just like the ethnicities of the world mankind has become so diverse that even in finding ways of alternative energy or renewable energy scientist want to find all or many diverse ways to share the concept of a sustainable future for Hawaii. Hawaii is well known for its natural beauty, and because of its natural beauty a sustainable future is the key to a bright future for tomorrows generation. In another walk of life trying to bring knowledge to the people has proven effective but yet not to complete, due to the fact that not everyone will be informed or educated well enough and just do because its the right thing to do, however to give them glance at what a sustainable environment will look like if one encountered. Many things can be taken out about this and that is no matter what happens there is a meaning for it and why it happened to be that way. No matter what though there hasnt been enough information passed along to ensure that a sustainable future is what we will see. However according the Sustainable Energy Coalition (SEC) brings together more than 60 national and state-level business, environmental, consumer, and energy policy organizations.  Ã‚   Founded in 1992, the Coalition promotes increased federal support for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and reduced federal support for unsafe or polluting energy resources (Sustainable, 2010)

Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute Essay

Rooted in the history of common law in England was the immunity of the sovereign from the processes of the law (Christie and Meeks, 1990). However, this idea of some man or body of men above the law was said to be objectionable to the English concept of justice (Christie and Meeks, 1990). â€Å"The King can do no wrong† was often the explanation for the said immunity but denoted more the lack of adequate redress at law than absence of capacity to violate the law (Christie and Meeks, 1990). Thus, the agitation for the availability of tort remedy against the sovereign, or the state to any considerable degree led to the mature development of the law (Christie and Meeks 1990, page 1202). Because of the increase in the scope of governmental activities and the expanding activities of the Federal Government which touch upon the life of every citizen in such an intimate manner, pressures to either abolish the state’s immunity from suit or to have a waiver of the sovereign immunity in limited situations, increased (Christie and Meeks, 1990). The Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute has been one of those which hoped to address the increasing dissatisfaction with the concept of sovereign immunity from suit (Christie and Meeks, 1990). This paper hopes to explain the Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute and the exceptions provided for under the said statute. The paper would also present the particular Constitutional provision which provides support for the exception to the Sovereign Immunity. Finally, the paper hopes to present case laws, the venue, process and limitations, in order to explain further the exception to the said immunity statute. Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute Over three-fourths of the states in the United States of America have either totally abolished the doctrine of sovereign immunity or substantially modified it (Christie and Meeks, 1990). One such example is Pennsylvania which provides for exceptions to the doctrine of sovereign immunity. 42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8521-8528 provides for the Sovereign Immunity in general, the exceptions and the limitations on damages. 42 Pa. C. S.  § 8522 (b) provide for acts which may impose liability which include: Vehicle Liability or the operation of any motor vehicle in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party; Medical-professional liability or acts of health care employees of Commonwealth agency medical facilities or institutions or by a Commonwealth party who is a doctor, dentist, nurse or related health care personnel; Care, custody or control of personal property in the possession or control of Commonwealth parties, including Commonwealth-owned personal property and property of persons held by a Commonwealth agency; A dangerous condition of Commonwealth agency real estate and sidewalks, including Commonwealth-owned real property, leaseholds in the possession of a Commonwealth agency and Commonwealth-owned real property leased by a Commonwealth agency to private persons, and highways under the jurisdiction of a Commonwealth agency; Potholes and other dangerous conditions of highways under the jurisdiction of a Commonwealth agency created by potholes or sinkholes or other similar conditions created by natural elements; The care, custody or control of animals in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party, including but not limited to police dogs and horses and animals incarcerated in Commonwealth agency laboratories; the sale of liquor at Pennsylvania liquor stores by employees of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board created by and operating under the Liquor Code, if such sale is made to any minor, or to any person visibly intoxicated, or to any insane person, or to any person known as an habitual drunkard, or of known intemperate habit; National Guard activities or acts of a member of the Pennsylvania military forces; and finally, the administration, manufacture and use of a toxoid or vaccine not manufactured in the Commonwealth under conditions specified by the statute (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, all courts shall be open and every man for an injury done him in his lands, goods, person or reputation shall have remedy by due course of law, without sale, denial or delay, and suits may be brought against the Commonwealth in such manner, in such courts and in such cases as the Legislature may by law direct (Pa. Const. Art. I,  § 11). Hence, under this provision the general assembly waives sovereign immunity which is a bar to an action against commonwealth parties where damages would be recoverable under the common law or statute creating a cause of action if the injury were caused by a person to whom the defense of sovereign immunity is not available (Westlaw, n. d. ). Exceptions to the Sovereign Immunity The first exception to sovereign immunity is the vehicle liability or the operation of any motor vehicle liability in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). Motor vehicle means any vehicle which is self-propelled and any attachment thereto, including vehicles operated by rail, through water or in the air (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8522 (b)). In Harding v. City of Philadelphia, 777 A. 2d 1249 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2001), the Court held that bicycles are not motor vehicles (Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, 2003). In determining whether the vehicle is in operation, the Supreme Court held that the dispatcher’s directions do not constitute operation under the vehicle exception (Regester v. Longwood Ambulance Company, Inc. , 797 A. 2d 898 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2002)). In another case, the Court held that city’s negligent maintenance and repair of fire department’s rescue van was â€Å"operation of motor vehicle† within meaning of motor vehicle exception to governmental immunity (Mickle v.  City of Philadelphia 550 Pa. 539, 707 A. 2d 1124 (1998)). The Court further explains in the case of Vogel v. Langer, 569 A. 2d 1047 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1990), that â€Å"operation† necessarily entails momentary stops due to traffic and communication with other drivers, or such acts which are an integral part of the operation itself (Vogel v. Langer, 569 A. 2d 1047 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1990)). The second exception provides for the medical-professional liability or acts of health care employees of Commonwealth agency medical facilities or institutions or by a Commonwealth party who is a doctor, dentist, nurse or related health care personnel (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In Williams v. Syed, No. 431 C. D. 2001, the Court held that Dr. Syed has no privilege to claim sovereign immunity as a defense because as Chief Medical Director of State Correctional Institute at Pittsburgh, he falls within the medical professional liability (Williams v. Syed, No. 431 C. D. 2001). In the case of Stack v. Wapner, 368 A. 2d 292 (Pa. Super. 1976), patients successfully sued physicians for their negligent failure to monitor the patients after administering certain drugs (Stack v. Wapner, 368 A. 2d 292 (Pa. Super. 1976)). The third provides for the personal property exception, which is under the possession or control of the Commonwealth. The Court held that personal property must directly cause plaintiff’s injury not just facilitate it (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). In this case, a helicopter pilot brought an action for injuries incurred when, under contract with the Department of Environmental Resources (DER), his helicopter ran into power lines while spraying for gypsy moths (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). The pilot alleged that DER negligently placed the balloons marking the boundaries of the area to be sprayed as well as negligently providing him with a typographical map that failed to show the power lines (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa.  Cmwlth. (1990)). Because of the negligent placement of the balloons and the incorrectly marked map, the pilot contended those items of the Commonwealth’s personal property directly caused his injuries (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). Rejecting that argument, the Court held that the placement of the balloons did not cause the injury, but merely facilitated another kind of negligence which is professional incompetence (Dept. of Environmental Resources v. Myers, 581 A. 2d 696 Pa. Cmwlth. (1990)). The fourth provides for the real property exception which is under the care, custody or control of the agency. The Court in a case held that the scroll saw was realty, taking into account the nature of the saw, the status of it with respect to the realty, the manner of annexation, and the use for which the scroll saw was installed (Cureton ex. rel. Cannon v. Philadelphia School District, 798 A. 2d 279 Pa. Cmwlth. 2002). In Collins v. City of Philadelphia 227 Pa. 121, 75 A. 1028, Pa. 1910, the Court held that the hole, six inches square, near the middle of a narrow sidewalk and in the direct line of ordinary travel, was more or less dangerous to all persons passing, whether walking or on skates (Collins v. City of Philadelphia 227 Pa. 121, 75 A. 1028, Pa. 1910). Thus, the girl whose foot went into the opening which resulted in permanent injuries, is within the exception provided by the statute (Collins v. City of Philadelphia 227 Pa. 121, 75 A. 1028, Pa. 910). The fifth exception provides that a dangerous condition of highways under the jurisdiction of a Commonwealth agency created by potholes or sinkholes or other similar conditions created by natural elements, shall be an exception to the sovereign immunity but the claimant must establish that the dangerous condition created a reasonably foreseeable risk of the kind of injury and that the Commonwealth agency had actual written notice of the dangerous condition of the highway a sufficient time prior to the event to have taken measures to protect against the dangerous condition (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In Litchfield, 22 D. & C. 4th 123 (C. P.  Clinton 1994) in that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has the responsibility to make a highway under its jurisdiction safe before it can transfer that jurisdiction, and that whether the highway was safe at the time of transfer is a factual issue for the jury (Litchfield, 22 D. & C. 4th 123 (C. P. Clinton 1994)). The sixth exception provides for the care, custody or control of animals in the possession or control of animals in the possession or control of a Commonwealth party to which the Commonwealth may be held liable (condition (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In a case, the Court held that the City of Philadelphia was not in control of a stray dog that attacked the plaintiff under the exception because a stray dog was not within the possession and control of the City (Jenkins v. Kelly, 498 A. 2d 487 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1985). Furthermore, the Court also held in another case that the fact that a township had investigated prior attacks by a dog, owned by a private citizen, and had even temporarily quarantined the dog on one of the occasions, did not create â€Å"possession or control† of the dog, when, at its owner’s premises, the dog attacked her guests (Lerro ex rel. Lerro v. Upper Darby Tp. , 798 A. 2d 817 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2002). The seventh exception provides that liquor store sales at Pennsylvania liquor stores by employees of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board if such sale is made to any minor, or to any person visibly intoxicated or to any insane person, or to any person known to any person known as a habitual drunkard or of a known intemperate habit then, Commonwealth cannot use as a defense, sovereign immunity (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). Acts of members of the military forces are also included in the exception from the sovereign immunity statute (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). In a case, the Court held that the proposition that the Supreme Court held that the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution prevents a state from immunizing state acts from liability imposed under federal holding that because the Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Act does not immunize the unnamed defendants from a cause of action created under federal law, the action cannot be foreclosed merely because the conduct of the defendants does not fall within any of the exceptions to immunity (Heinly v. Commonwealth, 153 Pa. Cmwlth. 599, 621 A. 2d 1212, 1215, 1216 (1993)). Finally, the last exception provides that the liability may be imposed on the Commonwealth for a toxoid or vaccine not manufactured in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania must take responsibility for it (42 Pa. C. S.  §Ã‚ § 8522 (b)). The statute provides for the following additional guidelines, that the toxoid or vaccine is manufactured in, and available only from, an agency of another state; the agency of the other state will not make the toxoid or vaccine available to private persons or corporations, but will only permit its sale to another state or state agency; the agency of the other state will make the toxoid or vaccine available to the Commonwealth only if the Commonwealth agrees to indemnify, defend and save harmless that agency from any and all claims and losses which may arise against it from the administration, manufacture or use of the toxoid or vaccine; a determination has been made by the appropriate Commonwealth agency, approved by the Governor and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, that the toxoid or vaccine is necessary to safeguard and protect the health of the citizens or animals of this Commonwealth; the toxoid or vaccine is distributed by a Commonwealth agency to qualified persons for ul timate use. Hence, the Court held that to apply this exception, there must be a strict interpretation based on the legislature’s intent (Jones v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority 565 Pa. 211, 772 A. 2d 435 (2001)). Venue, Process and Limitations As provided in 42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523, actions for claims against a Commonwealth party may be brought in and only in a county in which the principal or local office of the Commonwealth party is located or in which the cause of action arose or where a transaction or occurrence took place out of which the cause of action arose (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523). The statute adds that if venue is obtained in the Twelfth Judicial District (Dauphin County) solely because the principal office of the Commonwealth party is located within it, any judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County shall have the power to transfer the action to any appropriate county where venue would otherwise lie (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523). The service of process in the case of an action against the Commonwealth shall be made at the principal or local office of the Commonwealth agency that is being sued and at the office of the Attorney General lie (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8523). Limitations on damages is also stated in 42 Pa. C. S.  § 8528 wherein damages arising from the same cause of action or transaction or occurrence or series of causes of action or transactions or occurrences shall not exceed $250,000, in favor of any plaintiff or $1,000,000 in the aggregate (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8528). Furthermore the types of damages recoverable are those damages recoverable only for: Past and future loss of earnings and earning capacity; Pain and suffering; Medical and dental expenses including the reasonable value of reasonable and necessary medical and dental services, prosthetic devices and necessary ambulance, hospital, professional nursing, and physical therapy expenses accrued and anticipated in the diagnosis, care and recovery of the claimant; Loss of consortium; Property losses, except that property losses shall not be recoverable in claims brought pursuant to section 8522(b)(5) which relates to potholes and other dangerous conditions (42 Pa. C. S.  § 8528). In all these, suits against an agency of Pennsylvania may prosper once the plaintiff provides that his claim is under one of the exceptions provided for under the statute. The sovereign immunity therefore under the Pennsylvania Sovereign Immunity Statute is not at all absolute and persons may file suits if their cla ims fall under one of the exceptions provided.

Christening Ships, Champagne, and Superstition

The ceremony of christening new ships began in the distant past, and we know that Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians all held ceremonies to ask the gods to protect sailors. By the 1800s the christenings of ships began to follow a familiar pattern. A â€Å"christening fluid† would be poured against the bow of the ship, though it was not necessarily wine or Champagne. There are accounts in U.S. Navy records of 19th-century warships being christened with water from significant American rivers. The christening of ships became great public events, with large crowds assembled to witness the ceremony. And it became standard for Champagne, as the most elite of wines, to be used for the christening. The tradition developed that a female would do the honors and be named the sponsor of the ship. Also, maritime superstition held that a ship that wasn’t properly christened would be considered unlucky, and a champagne bottle that didnt break was a particularly bad omen. The Christening of the Maine When the U.S. Navy’s new battle cruiser, the Maine, was christened at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1890, enormous crowds turned out. An article in the New York Times on November 18, 1890, the morning of the ship’s launching, described what was to happen. And it stressed the responsibility weighing on 16-year-old Alice Tracy Wilmerding, the granddaughter of the secretary of the Navy: Miss Wilmerding will have the precious quart bottle secured to her wrist by a short bunch of ribbons, which will serve the same purpose as a sword knot. It is of the utmost importance that the bottle be broken on the first throw, for the bluejackets will declare the vessel is unmanageable if she is permitted to get into the water without first being christened. It is consequently a matter of deep interest to the old â€Å"shellbacks† to learn that Miss Wilmerding has performed her task successfully. An Elaborate Public Ceremony The next day’s edition provided surprisingly detailed coverage of the christening ceremony: Fifteen thousand people – on the word of the watchman at the gate – swarmed about the red hull of the giant battle ship, on the decks of all the assembled vessels, in the upper stories and on the roofs of all the adjacent buildings. The raised platform at the point of the Maine’s ram bow was prettily draped with flags and flowers and upon it with Gen. Tracy and Mr. Whitney stood a party of ladies. Prominent among them was the Secretary’s granddaughter, Miss Alice Wilmerding, with her mother. It was upon Miss Wilmerding that all eyes centred. That young lady, clad in a cream white skirt, a warm black jacket, and a big dark hat with light feathers, wore her honors with a very modest dignity, being fully sensible of the importance of her position. She is scarcely sixteen years old. Her hair in a long braid fell gracefully down her back, and she chatted with her more elderly companions with perfect ease, as though entirely ignorant of the fact that 10,000 pairs of eyes were looking toward her. The bottle of wine which her hands were to break over the formidable bow was a pretty thing indeed – quite too pretty, she said, to be offered up on the shrine of so unfeeling a monster. It was a pint bottle, covered with a network of fine cord. Wound around its full length was a ribbon bearing a picture of the Maine in gold, and from its base hung a knot of varicolored silk pennants ending in a gold tassel. Around its neck were two long ribbons bound in gold lace, one white and one blue. At the ends of the white ribbon were the words, â€Å"Alice Tracy Wilmerding, November 18, 1890,† and at the ends of the blue were the words, â€Å"U.S.S. Maine.† The Maine Enters the Water When the ship was released from restraints, the crowd erupted. â€Å"She moves!† burst from the crowd, and a great cheer went up from the lookers-on, whose excitement, no longer pent up, ran wild. Above all the uproar could be heard Miss Wilmerding’s clear voice. â€Å"I christen thee Maine† she said, accompanying her words with a smash of the bottle hard against the steel of the cruiser’s bow – a performance attended by a great splashing of the effervescent wine, which flew all over the coats of Secretary Tracy and his close companion, ex-Secretary Whitney. The USS Maine, of course, holds a unique place in history as it exploded and sank in Havana harbor in 1898, an event which led to the Spanish-American War. Stories later circulated that the ship’s christening had portended bad luck, yet the newspapers reported a successful christening at the time. Queen Victoria Did the Honors in England A few months later, on February 27, 1891, the New York Times published a dispatch from London describing how Queen Victoria had traveled to Portsmouth and christened a warship of the Royal Navy, with some help from electrical machinery. At the conclusion of the religious service the Queen touched a button protruding from a small electric machine which had been placed in front of the place where her Majesty was standing, and the traditional brightly beribboned bottle of champagne, detached by the current from its position over the bows of the Royal Arthur, crashed upon the vessel’s cutwater, the Queen exclaiming, â€Å"I name thee Royal Arthur. The Curse of Camilla In December 2007 news reports were not so sanguine when a Cunard liner named for Queen Victoria was christened. A reporter from USA Today noted: Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, the controversial wife of Englands Prince Charles, christened the 2,014-passenger ship earlier this month in an elaborate ceremony in Southampton, England that was marred only by the fact the champagne bottle didnt break — a bad omen in the superstitious seafaring trade. The first cruises of Cunards Queen Victoria were marred by outbreaks of viral illness, an intense vomiting bug, that afflicted passengers. The British press was buzzing with tales of The Curse of Camilla. In the modern world, its easy to scoff at superstitious sailors. But the people stricken aboard the Queen Victoria would probably put some stock into stories about ships and champagne bottles.

Nurses s Role For The Care Of Their Patients - 1838 Words

NURSES ROLE IN EUTHANASIA PATRICIA RANAUDO SULLIVAN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE NUR2030 Abstract Nurses play a very important role in the care of their patients, however, not all of this care is without controversy. This paper addresses the role that nurses have in the process of euthanasia and how this role is directly impacted by one’s own ethical and moral beliefs. Several studies looked at the importance of the nurse’s role during euthanasia and what nurses deem important and necessary during the process. Common factors that have a role in how a nurse addresses and participates in euthanasia include: the nurse/patient relationship, the ability to communicate with the patient, patient’s family and other health care†¦show more content†¦Euthanasia can be either passive, active, active voluntary, active involuntary. According to Dyer (1999), active euthanasia refers to actions that are followed by the purpose of ending a patient’s life while passive euthanasia refers to allowing a patient to die, with no attempt to neither quicken nor prolong the process, even if the means to do so are available. The act of euthanasia is one of great controversy and one that can cause moral and ethical dilemmas for the patient, his or her family as well as the health care team. Dyer (1999) also feels that as nurses, there may be times when we encounter a terminally ill patient who wishes to hasten their death to end or avoid suffering. If faced with such a situation, how would the situation be approached as a nurse, what role would the nurse play and traditionally, and where do nurses fit in during this process? According to the ANA (2013), the collaborative efforts of the health care team are important in the care of the patients at the end of life. During this stage, patients and their families have a variety of needs that should be addressed and taken into consideration. These needs should be understood and taken into consideration in order to provide the best care possible for the all. Discussion It is through the day-to-day interaction and care of the critically ill, that nurses discover what the requests and needs are of those seeking to participate in euthanasia