Succubus on Top CHAPTER 17 Free Essays

â€Å"Should I put up Lorelei Biljan’s posters now? Or wait until after E. J. Putnam’s gone?† I looked up from the invoices on my desk. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus on Top CHAPTER 17 or any similar topic only for you Order Now I’d just reread the same line of numbers about five times without comprehending any of it, and I was having only a little better luck parsing Tammi’s question. I rubbed my eyes. â€Å"Why†¦would we wait?† She shrugged. â€Å"Dunno. Just seems kind of rude to be advertising one author during another one’s signing.† My mind moved slowly, probably because only 5 percent of it was actually here at the bookstore. The rest of my brainpower attempted to muddle through the disaster that was my life. â€Å"Um†¦no, it doesn’t matter. Put them both up. They’re only a week apart, and we want Biljan to get a fair shot at publicity too. Besides, I don’t think authors really get worked up over competition like that. They’re pretty low-key.† Tammi ran a hand through her short red hair. â€Å"I don’t know. They’re famous and artistic. Seems like that’s a bad combination. Temperamental and stuff. Not all writers can be like Seth. In fact, I bet when he gets angry enough about something, he could really let someone have it.† â€Å"Anything else?† I asked, a sharp note of dismissal in my voice. â€Å"Otherwise, just put up all the posters, okay?† She gave me a startled look and left the office. When the door closed, I put my head down on the desk and groaned. Tammi, in her blissful adolescent na §?te, had no idea how close to home she had hit. Like her, I too believed Seth could display a lot of anger if given enough cause. Like, say, his girlfriend cheating on him. True, Bastien had been right in saying Seth and I had loose definitions of â€Å"cheating,† but even I knew what did and did not qualify. There was no gray area here. No mutability. I had fucked up hard-core. I’d known it too, lying there in that unholy union with Bastien. After my sleepless night, I’d left him around dawn and took a cab back to Queen Anne, my body still aching. I hadn’t wanted to talk to him. He’d slept so heavily, he hadn’t heard me leave. No guilt weighed him down. But me? My cup of guilt was runnething over. Not only that, I still had to make the next decision in this mess: to tell or not to tell? That was what had really bothered me all day at work. The past was over; I could only worry about it for so long. My attention now focused on how to proceed with the future. Fortunately, Seth had worked from home today, which helped a little. He and I eventually had plans to meet up in the evening, but until that happened, I still had time to come up with something. Anything. Yet when I walked home at the end of my shift, I was no closer to an answer than I had been at the beginning of the day. Miserable, I pulled up a chair at my kitchen table and sat down with pen and paper. Aubrey jumped up on the table’s flat surface and lay down to watch me, half of her sprawling on the page. I slid her off and made the following list: DONT TELL SETH Pros: status quo resumes, he won’t be upset Cons: my own gnawing guilt, totally blowing the honesty thing I considered the list for a moment, surprised that neither the pro nor con side had more items. It was just that simple. Moving farther down the paper, I wrote up the reciprocal list. TELL SETH Pros: right thing to do Cons: admitting I’m an idiot, painfully emotional blowout, inevitable breakup, a literal eternity of heart-wrenching sorrow and regret I held the pen and looked back and forth between both lists. â€Å"This isn’t really clearing things up, Aubrey.† In an effort to relieve my frustration, I hurled the pen somewhere into my living room. She watched it sail off with interest and then darted off to confirm the kill. â€Å"What do you need to tell Seth?† â€Å"Jesus!† I yelled, practically jumping ten feet in the air. Carter had appeared out of nowhere and now stood beside the table, looking casual and laconic. He wore a black T-shirt over a gray thermal shirt and the same jeans I swear he’d had on for the last couple decades. â€Å"Don’t do that, okay? Knocking isn’t a lost art.† â€Å"Sorry.† He pulled a chair out and straddled it, so his long arms draped lazily over the back. Flipping his stringy blond hair out of the way, he gestured toward my list. â€Å"Didn’t mean to interrupt.† â€Å"You’re not,† I muttered, crumpling up the paper. I tossed that into the living room too, so Aubrey could have more to hunt. â€Å"Anything you want to talk about?† he offered. I hesitated. Of all the people I knew, only Carter had been a steadfast believer in Seth and me having a serious relationship. He was the only one who hadn’t treated it as a joke. In some ways, that might have made him a good confidante, yet it also disqualified him. I could not confess to the one person who had believed in me just how seriously I had messed things up in a weak moment. â€Å"No,† I said brusquely. â€Å"But I assume you have something to talk about.† He eyed me a moment, like he might push me on what I clearly held back, but then he let the matter go. â€Å"I have something for you.† He extended a balled fist. When he opened it, I found a small pouch lying on his palm. I picked it up and stroked the material. I had no idea what it was, but the cloth’s smooth texture felt like a flower petal. I started to open it. â€Å"Don’t,† he warned. His commanding tone instantly made me stop. â€Å"You’ll break the spell.† â€Å"What spell?† â€Å"The one that masks what’s inside the pouch. And the one that masks your immortal signature. â€Å" I nodded with understanding. I might not know what to do with my own love life, but immortal conspiracies I could follow. â€Å"To hide me and this from Alec’s supplier.† The angel nodded in return. I held up the pouch and waggled it at him. â€Å"So do I get to know what’s in there?† â€Å"It’s a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused, not from a reluctance to tell me but to search for the right word. â€Å"It’s a dart, I guess. Or maybe†¦like, an arrowhead. But that sounds weird. Nah, let’s call it a dart. It’s only about an inch long. A dart that looks like a small wooden arrowhead.† â€Å"Um. Okay. Got it. And what do I do with this darting arrowhead thing?† â€Å"You pierce the other immortal’s heart with it.† â€Å"Whoa. Like†¦staking a vampire?† â€Å"Uh, not entirely. You’ll sort of have to see when the time comes. The key is to move fast. As soon as you open the pouch, he’ll know what you are and what’s in there. You don’t want to give him time to react because it won’t be pretty if he does. Act fast, and don’t second-guess yourself.† â€Å"How is a small piece of wood going to solve all our problems?† â€Å"It’s special wood,† he replied with a grin. â€Å"Oh, yeah, that explains everything.† â€Å"Are you close to meeting him?† â€Å"Terribly close, actually. I probably could have met him yesterday if I’d wanted. Alec was very keen on introducing us.† Carter frowned, turning this over in his mind. â€Å"Hmm. Odd.† â€Å"Should I be worried?† â€Å"No more worried than you already should be at the thought of attacking an immortal.† â€Å"But I’ll be fine if I just act fast and don’t overthink it, huh?† â€Å"Right. I imagine that’s pretty common for you anyway.† â€Å"Anything else I should know?† â€Å"Well†¦let’s see. Yeah. One thing. Don’t actually do it until there’s provocation.† â€Å"What?† I stared. â€Å"Being a bastard who pushes addictive substances that destroy mortals isn’t provocation enough?† â€Å"Oddly, no. You have to be threatened in some way.† Annoyed, I tossed the pouch onto the table. This was so typical of Carter and Jerome. A bizarrely complex scheme with ridiculous nuances and loopholes. â€Å"Threatened? How can he threaten me? He can’t unless†¦wait, he’s not an immortal who could kill me, is he?† â€Å"No, of course not. But he could make things very†¦uncomfortable for you. Anyway, there’s a lot of ways to threaten a person. If he hurts you†¦or you feel vulnerable†¦like he could abuse his power over you, then that’ll work. He’s a stronger immortal than you. Preying on you – especially when you belong to Jerome, so to speak – is a big no-no. You would be justified in protecting yourself. But, if you attack wantonly, you’ll get in trouble from the powers that be for targeting other immortals. You’ll also get us in trouble for arming you.† â€Å"This sounds kind of like entrapment.† â€Å"That’s an ugly word. Let’s just keep it in terms of self-defense.† â€Å"So, you think things are going to get rough enough that I’ll actually need self-defense?† He hesitated. â€Å"I don’t know. I just don’t know.† â€Å"Yeah, but then, if this guy’s perfectly nice and just sells me a stash of ambrosia, I can’t do anything? We’ve wasted the trip?† â€Å"Like I said, I don’t know. Really. But honestly†¦if they’re making it this easy to find him, I have to think something weird is going on. Just be careful, okay?† His face was all seriousness now. â€Å"You’re smart. You can pull this off.† â€Å"And I don’t suppose, at any point in this, you’re going to tell me who this guy actually is?† â€Å"I believe ignorance is bliss.† I threw my hands up, not knowing what else to say. Carter traded a few more jokes with me and then rose to go. Hesitating, he gave me a curious look. â€Å"You sure you don’t want to talk? You’ve obviously got something bugging you. â€Å" â€Å"I do. But I’ve got to deal with it on my own.† â€Å"Fair enough. See ya.† An eyeblink later, the angel disappeared. Seth showed up about an hour later, a little blue paint smudged on his face. â€Å"Terry and Andrea are painting the kitchen now.† I smiled at him, swallowing all the churning emotions within me. â€Å"How can you get so messy when you don’t even do the painting?† I found a washcloth and dabbed at his face in a fruitless effort to clean him up. Standing so close, I suddenly had a flashback to last night. His hands stroking my breasts. Feeling him inside of me, filling me up. Our bodies moving together. His lips parting slightly when he came. â€Å"It won’t come off,† I said abruptly, jerking away. â€Å"Oh. Okay.† I stayed moody and silent for the rest of the night, stiff and distant at any sort of touching. Seth picked up on the vibe right away and let me have my space. We walked a few blocks down the street to a theater that only showed Oscar nominees and artsy, independent films. We saw one of the latter, and I have to admit, it did take my mind off my love life, if only for two hours. Sitting at an Italian restaurant afterward, I let him draw me into a discussion of the film’s merits. It amazed me that my mouth could keep up with the conversation while the rest of me was in an entirely different world. Over and over, I replayed what had happened last night – and not just the sex part. I analyzed everything, the events that had led up to it. Why had I done it? What had made me give in? Had it really been an altruistic attempt to fix Seth and me by removing the temptation? Had it been an aching desire to take comfort in Bastien? Or, most likely, had it been something selfish on my part? A burning desire to touch what I wasn’t supposed to have – not because it might help our relationship, but because I just wanted to do it. I had wanted that pleasure. I had craved his body and simply gave in to the hedonism I longed for. I was a creature of hell, after all. I had observed before that we weren’t exactly known for our self-control. Yet none of that changed the fact that it had happened. It had happened, and I had to do something about it. Or†¦did I? Seth sat across from me, looking happy and content as we talked. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes. I thought back to the lists. If he never found out, the truth couldn’t hurt him. We could go on as we had. The only problem would be that I knew the truth. I had to live with this betrayal, not only of our physical relationship but also of our attempts at honesty and openness. One more entry on the list of dark and nasty secrets I already kept. â€Å"You with me, Thetis?† he asked suddenly. â€Å"Huh?† He gave me a small, sweet smile and moved his hand over to hold mine. I squeezed it back. â€Å"You look like you’re miles away. â€Å" I gave him a half-smile in return. Apparently I wasn’t as subtle as I thought. I looked at him, studying those beloved features, and shook my head. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. â€Å"Just tired,† I lied. We shared a dish of gelato and then returned to my apartment. We had just set up the Scrabble board when I felt immortal signatures approaching. I groaned, not wanting to deal with this. â€Å"Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.† Seth looked puzzled until we heard the knock at the door. I opened it, letting in Hugh, Peter, Cody, and Bastien. â€Å"You are alive,† said Peter cheerfully, smothering me in a hug. â€Å"We tried calling you tonight.† â€Å"And I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day,† added Bastien pointedly. I was perfectly aware that he had called me many times. I had purposely not answered my phone. â€Å"Sorry,† I said to all of them. â€Å"Hey, Seth,† said Cody, clapping the writer on the back. The vampire and the rest of the immortals spread themselves out around my living room like they lived there. I gave their giggling and careless behavior a withering glance. â€Å"You guys been barhopping?† â€Å"Yup,† said Hugh with pride. â€Å"You – both of you – could have joined us.† â€Å"Fortunately, the night is still young,† declared Bastien. He strolled around the living room, arching an appalled eyebrow at the Scrabble board. â€Å"When you didn’t answer, we decided to come issue an invitation in person.† â€Å"We’re going to go shoot pool,† explained Cody happily. â€Å"Over at that place in Belltown. You guys should come along.† He gave Seth a conspiratorial grin. â€Å"Georgina’s a wicked pool player.† â€Å"Thetis is good at everything,† Seth murmured automatically. I could tell by his body language he wasn’t comfortable with a bunch of drunken immortals in the room. I also knew he didn’t want to go out. â€Å"Sorry, guys,† I told them. â€Å"We’ve already been out. We’re staying in.† This earned snide remarks and groans of disapproval. â€Å"Oh come on,† begged Hugh, trying to get Aubrey’s attention with a cat toy on a string. She didn’t fall for it and hissed at him instead. â€Å"We always get better service when you go with us.† â€Å"Besides,† said Bastien nastily. â€Å"It doesn’t look you’re doing anything else exciting. You should be grateful we came along. We’re giving you something. Something you couldn’t otherwise get.† I remained calm, but I think the others picked up on the sudden tension in the air. â€Å"Sorry,† I repeated. â€Å"We’re staying in. You guys can hang out for a little bit, but then I’ve got to kick you out. We’re doing our own thing. â€Å" â€Å"I wasn’t aware you guys did anything at all,† muttered Bastien in a voice only I heard. Maybe the vampires too, with their superhuman hearing. â€Å"You got anything to drink?† asked Peter, gently nudging me toward being a good hostess. I was still locked in a battle of wills and eye contact with the incubus. â€Å"Yeah, I just bought a six-pack of Smirnoff Ice.† â€Å"Oh,† said Cody. â€Å"Score.† He and Hugh raided my refrigerator, passing out bottles of prissy malted beverage to everyone except Seth and me. We abstained. Lounging around, conversation on silly topics soon ensued, although Bastien, Seth, and I did not participate. Seth stayed quiet because he always stayed quiet in such settings. Bastien and I stayed quiet because we were pissed off at each other. I excused myself for the restroom and found Bastien waiting outside the door for me when I finished. â€Å"Alcohol runs right through you, huh?† I asked, pushing past him. He blocked my way, backing me up against the wall. â€Å"What the hell’s wrong with you?† he demanded in a low voice. â€Å"Nothing. Let me go.† â€Å"Bullshit. I left you like a hundred messages. You’re avoiding me.† â€Å"So? It’s my prerogative. Just like that song.† He snorted. â€Å"Let me guess. You’re having some sort of melodramatic moral crisis over what happened last night. That’s so typical of you lately.† â€Å"Don’t talk to me about last night. You shouldn’t have done what you did.† â€Å"Is houldn’t have? My God, Fleur ,don’t act like you’re the victim here. Nobody forced you. You more than consented. In fact, I daresay you enjoyed it.† â€Å"It was a mistake.† â€Å"And so avoiding me is going to fix it? Don’t delude yourself. It wasn’t a mistake. It was good for you. I helped you. I gave you something you would have never gotten otherwise. You’ll remember it for the rest of your life.† â€Å"Gee,† I said, dripping sarcasm. â€Å"How kind of you. Because that’s really all there was to it, wasn’t there? You only did it to help me. Nothing more. You certainly didn’t do it just because you could. Because I was ‘beautiful and I was wonderful and you wanted me.’ â€Å" â€Å"Listen to me – â€Å" â€Å"No. You listen to me. If I want to avoid you, let me avoid you. Don’t show up at my house drunk and try to force your way into a dialogue. It makes you more of an asshole than you’d be otherwise. I don’t want to talk to you. Not anytime soon. Maybe not ever.† â€Å"Forever’s a long time.† He leaned closer, one hand on my arm. â€Å"Don’t you think you’re overreacting to one fuck? Besides, you can’t cut me off. You’ve got to help me with Dana.† â€Å"No,† I declared icily. â€Å"I do not. You’re on your own with that. And if you get sent to Guam, then it’s your own fucking fault. Maybe it’ll give you some time to think about your relations with women outside of business.† â€Å"Damn it – â€Å" â€Å"Georgina?† We both turned and saw Seth standing in the hallway. Bastien and I were close – too close – but not romantically close. Anyone with half a brain could tell we were locked in a dispute. Our postures radiated it, as did our expressions. The grip Bastien held on my arm was not friendly. â€Å"Are you okay?† Seth asked carefully. His words came out low and measured, but I saw something unfamiliar in his expression. Not anger, but something else kindling in his eyes. He had told me once he chose his battles carefully, and I wondered then what he would do if he thought the incubus was a real threat to me. â€Å"We’re fine,† I said. I broke from Bastien’s grasp, and he didn’t fight it. â€Å"Yes,† he agreed with a cold smile. â€Å"We’re fine.† He walked past me but stopped when he was even with Seth. â€Å"You should be flattered,† Bastien told him. â€Å"Most women invoke God during sex, but Fleur yells your name. One would have thought you were a deity, considering how many times she paid homage to you last night.† He continued on to the living room, and I didn’t even stick around to see Seth’s reaction. I stormed after Bastien. â€Å"Get out,† I told him. I looked over at the other immortals. â€Å"All of you, get out now.† Peter, Cody, and Hugh stared at me in astonishment. I’d kicked them out a number of times, but none of them had ever heard me use this voice on them. Consequently, they heeded it. They scrambled out the door in under a minute, Bastien shooting me a dark glance as he left. When they were gone, I took a deep breath and turned to Seth. Anger and despair boiled inside of me. â€Å"Let me guess. You want to know what he meant.† His face was unreadable. â€Å"Honestly, I don’t know.† He suddenly sounded tired. â€Å"I don’t know if I want to.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I’ll tell you anyway.† The words tore at me while coming out, but I really didn’t want to hold onto the secret anymore. Not only because Bastien had given it away but also because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stand having it fester inside of me. It hurt too much. Talking to the incubus had made me realize that. So while I didn’t mention the pictures, I told Seth everything else. Everything. When I finished, he didn’t say anything. He stared at some nonexistent spot in the air, face blank once more. After a couple of minutes of aching silence, he finally turned back to me. â€Å"So. How was I?† How to cite Succubus on Top CHAPTER 17, Essay examples

Developmental Psychology and Stage Statutory Framework free essay sample

Purpose and aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage 1. 1 Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. When parents choose to use early years services they want to know that provision will keep their children safe and help them to thrive. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is the framework that provides that assurance. The overarching aim of the EYFS is to help young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes of staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, and achieving economic well-being by: setting the standards for the learning, development and care young children should experience when they are attending a setting outside their family home, ensuring that every child makes progress and that no child gets left behind; providing for equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice and ensuring that every child is included and not disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability; creating the framework for partnership working between parents and professionals, and between all the settings that the child attends; improving quality and consistency in the early years sector through a universal set of standards which apply to all settings, endin g the distinction between care and learning in the existing frameworks, and providing the basis for the inspection and regulation regime; laying a secure foundation for future learning through learning and development that is planned around the individual needs and interests of the child, and informed by the use of ongoing observational assessment. 1. 2 Â ¦ Â ¦ Â ¦ Â ¦ Â ¦ Context and legal responsibilities 1. 3 The EYFS is a central part of the ten year childcare strategy Choice for parents, the best start for children and the landmark Childcare Act 2006. The Act provides the context for the delivery of the EYFS and taken together with the other elements of the strategy, the EYFS will be central to the delivery of the new duties on improving outcomes and reducing inequalities. Recent years have seen significant developments in early years practice and standards. The EYFS builds on these and practitioners will recognise continuity with the principles, pedagogy and approach of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage, the Birth to Three Matters framework, and the National Standards for Under 8s Daycare and Childminding. These three frameworks are replaced by the EYFS and will be repealed. The EYFS is given legal force through an Order and Regulations made under the Act. From September 2008 it will be mandatory for all schools and early years providers in Ofsted registered settings attended by young children – that is children from birth to the end of the academic year in which a child has their fifth birthday. 1. 4 1. 5 The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework 00267-2008BKT-EN Â © Crown copyright 2008 07 1. 6 The term ’early years provider’ includes: maintained schools; non-maintained schools; independent schools; and childcare registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register (to be introduced in September 2008), all of which are required to meet the EYFS requirements. From September 2008 it is the legal responsibility of these providers to ensure that their provision meets the learning and development requirements, and complies with the welfare regulations, as required by Section 40 of the Act. About this document 1. 7 This document contains the statutory framework for the EYFS. It sets out the legal requirements relating to learning and development (the early learning goals; the educational programmes; and the assessment arrangements) in Section 2 and the legal requirements relating to welfare (safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare; suitable people; suitable premises, environment and equipment; organisation; and documentation) in Section 3. The learning and development requirements are given legal force by the Early Years Foundation Stage (Learning and Development Requirements) Order 2007 made under Section 39 (1) (a) of the Childcare Act 2006. The welfare requirements are given legal force by Regulations made under Section 39 (1) (b) of the Childcare Act 2006. Together, the Order, the Regulations and the Statutory Framework document make up the legal basis of the EYFS. The requirements in this document have statutory force by virtue of Section 44 (1) of the Childcare Act 2006. Providers have a duty to ensure that their early years provision complies with the learning and development requirements, and the welfare requirements. In addition, this document contains statutory guidance. All providers must have regard to this guidance, which means they must take it into account and, if they decide to depart from it, they must have clear reasons for doing so and be able to demonstrate that their alternative approach achieves the ends described in this guidance. Ofsted will take account of any failure to have regard to this guidance when exercising its functions, including any proceedings which are brought under the Act. This document is referred to as the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and is part of a package of materials which comprise: this document – legal requirements relating to learning and development (including assessment) and the welfare requirements and statutory guidance; Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage booklet – the areas of Learning and Development, non-statutory guidance, additional advice and information; EYFS resources for providers and practitioners – CD-ROM, poster and Principles into Practice cards. 1. 8 1. 9 Â ¦ Â ¦ Â ¦ A principled approach 1. 10 The EYFS principles which guide the work of all practitioners are grouped into four distinct but complementary themes: Â ¦ Â ¦ Â ¦ Â ¦ A Unique Child Positive Relationships Enabling Environments Learning and Development 08 The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework 00267-2008BKT-EN Â © Crown copyright 2008 1. 11 Effective practice in the EYFS is built on these four guiding themes. They provide a context for the requirements and describe how practitioners should support the development, learning and care of young children. The themes are each broken down into four commitments describing how the principles can be put into practice. The EYFS Principles into Practice cards explain how practitioners can use these in their day-to-day work. Â ¦ A Unique Child recognises that every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. The commitments are focused around development; inclusion; safety; and health and well-being. Positive Relationships describes how children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person. The commitments are focused around respect; partnership with parents; supporting learning; and the role of the key person. Enabling Environments explains that the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. The commitments are focused around observation, assessment and planning; support for every child; the learning environment; and the wider context – transitions, continuity, and multi-agency working. Learning and Development recognises that children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates, and that all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected. Â ¦ Â ¦ Â ¦ 1. 12 This approach ensures that the EYFS meets the overarching aim of improving outcomes and reflects that it is every child’s right to grow up safe; healthy; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution; and with economic well-being. Setting the standards 1. 13 The EYFS sets standards to enable early years providers to reflect the rich and personalised experience that many parents give their children at home. Like parents, providers should deliver individualised learning, development and care that enhances the development of the children in their care and gives those children the best possible start in life. Every child should be supported individually to make progress at their own pace and children who need extra support to fulfil their potential should receive special consideration. All providers have an equally important role to play in children’s early years experiences – for example, a childminder who sees a child for two hours a day should consider what a child’s individual needs are at that time of day, and ensure that the provision they deliver is both appropriate to those needs and complementary to the education and care provided in the child’s other setting(s). All types of providers have the potential to deliver the EYFS to an excellent standard. Providing for equality of opportunity 1. 4 Providers have a responsibility to ensure positive attitudes to diversity and difference – not only so that every child is included and not disadvantaged, but also so that they learn from the earliest age to value diversity in others and grow up making a pos itive contribution to society. Practitioners should focus on each child’s individual learning, development and care needs by: Â ¦ Â ¦ removing or helping to overcome barriers for children where these already exist; being alert to the early signs of needs that could lead to later difficulties and responding quickly and appropriately, involving other agencies as necessary; stretching and challenging all children. Â ¦ The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework 00267-2008BKT-EN Â © Crown copyright 2008 09 1. 5 All children, irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability should have the opportunity to experience a challenging and enjoyable programme of learning and development. Creating the framework for partnership working 1. 16 Partnership working underpins successful delivery of the EYFS in a number of different ways. Â ¦ Where children receive education and care in more than one setting, practitioners must ensure continuity and coherence by sharing relevant information with each other and with parents. Patterns of attendance should be a key factor in practitioners’ planning. Close working between early years practitioners and parents is vital for the identification of children’s learning needs and to ensure a quick response to any area of particular difficulty. Parents and famili es are central to a child’s ell-being and practitioners should support this important relationship by sharing information and offering support for extending learning in the home. Practitioners will frequently need to work with professionals from other agencies, such as local and community health services, or where children are looked after by the local authority, to identify and meet needs and use their knowledge and advice to provide children’s social care with the best learning opportunities and environments for all children. Â ¦ Â ¦ Improving quality and consistency 1. 17 The EYFS brings together and simplifies the learning and development and welfare requirements, in addition to ending the distinction between care and learning and between birth-to-three and three-to-five provision.

Berth and Birth Commonly Confused Words

Berth and Birth Commonly Confused Words The noun berth refers to a place to sleep (usually on a train or ship), a place for a boat to moor, or a persons place or position on a team. As a verb, berth means to bring something (usually a ship) into a place where it can stay. The noun birth refers to the arrival of a baby (that is, the emergence of an infant from its mothers body) or to the beginning of something. As a verb, birth means to be born or to give rise to something. Examples At night, the seats pulled together to form the lower berth. The upper swung down on hinges from the wall. The upper berth contained the blankets, linens, mattresses, and pillows for both beds.(Rudolph L. Daniels, Trains Across the Continent: North American Railroad History. Indiana University Press, 2000)When a ship arrives at the port, the planners must decide where to berth the ship for the unloading and loading of containers.[Curt Siodmak] found an assignment at Paramount Pictures rewriting the script for a Dorothy Lamour sarong saga. He then found a berth at Universal Pictures, which specialized in horror movies.(Lee Server, Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers. Facts on File, 2002)An outdooring is the first African rite of passage. It always begins at dawn, eight days after the childs birth, and gives family and friends a chance to see and welcome the newest soul.(Maya Angelou, All Gods Children Need Traveling Shoes. Random House, 1986)The fact is that women can grow and birth a child independently of the father. Sadly, an increasing number of women in our modern societies are compelled to do exactly that.(Aviva Jill Romm, The Natural Pregnancy Book. Celestial Arts, 2011) Idiom Alert: "Give (Someone or Something) a Wide Berth" [This idiom means] to keep well away from or avoid (someone or something): I always give the park a wide berth when Im out at night. [A nautical idiom―a berth is the amount of space necessary for a sailing ship to maneuver safely.](Elizabeth McLaren Kirkpatrick and C.M. Schwarz, The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Wordsworth Editions, 1993)If Vito was impressed by his new schools academics, he gave a wide berth to its extracurricular activities and is notably absent from his sophomore and junior yearbooks.(Michael Schiavi, Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo. University of Wisconsin Press, 2011) Practice Exercises (a) In the history of invention a long time almost invariably elapses between the ____ of an idea and its realization in practice.(H. W. Dickinson and Arthur Titley, Richard Trevithick: The Engineer and the Man, 1934)(b) Give a wide _____ to nesting birds, animals with young, and wildlife that is using a water source. Feel free to watch these wild inhabitants of the desert, but do so at a respectful distance so that your presence does not disturb them.(Erik Molvar and Tamara Martin, Hiking Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, 2nd ed. Globe Pequot, 2005)(c) McDowell helped me walk back to the ships sick bay, a small _____ walled in with panels of strong canvas.(Paul Dowswell, Powder Monkey: Adventures of a Young Sailor. Bloomsbury, 2005) Answers to Practice Exercises (a) In the history of invention a long time almost invariably elapses between the  birth  of an idea and its realization in practice.(H. W. Dickinson and Arthur Titley,  Richard Trevithick: The Engineer and the Man, 1934)(b) Give a wide  berth  to nesting birds, animals with young, and wildlife that is using a water source. Feel free to watch these wild inhabitants of the desert, but do so at a respectful distance so that your presence does not disturb them.(Erik Molvar and Tamara Martin,  Hiking Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, 2nd ed. Globe Pequot, 2005)(c) McDowell helped me walk back to the ships sick bay, a small  berth  walled in with panels of strong canvas.(Paul Dowswell,  Powder Monkey: Adventures of a Young Sailor. Bloomsbury, 2005)

Doctors Paid to Hastily Review SSD Cases

Doctors Paid to Hastily Review SSD Cases Lives in the Balance: Doctors Paid for Quantity of SSD Case Reviews, Not Quality An investigation recently uncovered highly disturbing findings that doctors in Tennessee were paid for the quantity of federal disability program applications they reviewed, a system that creates a blatant disregard for proper procedure and attentiveness, and instead rewards efficiency motivated by greed.These doctors would hastily review disability cases, denying a majority of likely viable cases in order to receive a sizeable amount of money- filling their own pockets without a care for the fates of the thousands of vulnerable people they held in the balance.Trusting Corrupt Medical Professionals with the Fates of the Vulnerable Disabled Population Those who apply for disability often have a serious medical condition that is expected to last for at least a year, or unfortunately, is expected to be terminal.It is unconscionable that medical professionals, who were tasked with the important job of reviewing federal disability cases for vulnerable citizens, did not thoroughly review c ases, including pages upon pages of supporting evidence. These doctors would instead skim over the information, and provide speedy verdicts that would unfairly evaluate the needs of those waiting for benefits.The recent investigation supports a common trend of disability applicants dying waiting for a decision or facing further declining health due to the inability to afford medical treatment when benefits are denied. In fact, 9,714 people died waiting for an appeal in 2016, likely all while doctors got richer, with an indifferent swipe of a pen.Man with Stage 4 Cancer Denied Necessary SSD Benefits by Doctor Set on Filling His Own Pockets The article tells the story of a man, Alan Chrisman, who worked for 30 years as a Stonemason, and dutifully paid into the Social Security Disability fund throughout his career. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer which, according to the Social Security Administration’s rules, meets eligibility requirements.Unfortunately, his request for SSD benefits was flat-out denied by Dr. Thomas Thrush.He reviewed one case every 12 minutes in 2018. The federal standard is 1.5 cases an hour. Thrush has earned an astounding $2.2 million reviewing cases since 2012. Meanwhile, Mr. Chrisman and his family suffered, waiting six long months to receive an answer, only to feel the crushing weight of denial while suffering the pain of Stage 4 cancer.Lawyer Helps Apply for Reconsideration, Finds Critical Mistake, Wins SSD Benefits There is not a sufficient amount of checks and balances for doctors such as Thrush who are entrusted to review these critical cases. This is because a negligent 2% of denied cases are reviewed by the Social Security Disability Administration.Fortunately, Chrisman hired a lawyer who found a critical mistake that Dr. Thrush made, resulting in obtaining the benefits he needed to receive medical treatment and surgery.Nearly 50% of Disability Offices in the U.S. Reward Doctors for Reviewing as Many Cases as Possible The investigations findings are alarming, and these practices are not only confined to the offices in Tennessee. In fact, the investigation reported that nearly half of all disability offices hire doctors to act as medical consultants, creating a culture that essentially awards denials and inadequate reviews, all in the name of processing applications faster.But the applications and supporting medical evidence that the doctors spend limited time reviewing are more than just paper, it’s about people. These applicants could be a person’s mother, father, sister, brother, friend.You may even find yourself in need of applying. Wouldn’t you want a fair doctor to carefully review your application?Many people unexpectedly become sick, or are born with a condition that makes it impossible to work. In fact, nearly 50 million Americans are disabled, but only about nine million receive benefits, in part due to the complicated system.What should an applicant do to avoid delays and corruption, and improve the chances of being approved?Contact an Experienced Lawyer to Help Guide You Through the Complicated SSD Process If you are disabled, unfortunately, similar unjust Social Security Disability review practices could be happening in your state. In addition to potential fraud, the Social Security Disability application process is inherently complicated and confusing.It is important to contact a skilled Social Security Disability lawyer from the beginning who knows the ins and outs of the complicated process and can help you obtain the benefits you deserve, walking you through every step of the way. Your health is incredibly important, and during this difficult time, you should be focusing on getting better, while a lawyer fights for your rights.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determ ine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan  works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the  Social Security Disability  benefits they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental or cognitive impairment, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan now for a free consultation at  800-949- 2900.Let Michigan’s experienced disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Compassionate Excellence. Michigan Social Security Disability Attorney, Social Security Disability Lawyer

The Challenges That Induce Unfavorable Conditions Assignment

The Challenges That Induce Unfavorable Conditions - Assignment Example Deida, in his book, ‘The way of the superior man,’ notes that men positively convert challenges into growth. He explores a positive perspective of growth that stimulates individuals to works towards realizing their potentials. This is one of the ways in which challenges helps people to grow. When faced with a challenge, a person’s weakness is exposed to him and to the society by extension and this may trigger an initiative to cover the weakness by solving it. Challenges, therefore, stimulate growth by initiating improvements (Deida, p. 61). Challenges also form the basis upon which developments can be built, especially among people with positive attitudes. A person with a positive attitude particularly identifies a challenge with the notion that the challenge can be solved. Such individual, therefore, explores avenues into generating solutions to challenges a move that identifies challenges as an avenue towards growth (Emmerling, Ghanwal and Mandal, p. 42). Exploration of the story, ‘graduation,’ directly expresses growth through challenges. The main title of the book that conveys the author’s themes for example talks of the singing of a caged bird. While the bird faces a challenge of loss of freedom, its condition prompts it to sing in an attempt to find help out of the cage. The author also directly illustrates the impacts of poverty, as a challenge, towards innovation and hard work. While the rich could easily afford clothes for the graduation ceremony, the poor class developed initiatives having presentable clothes. Similarly, the narrator explains how her mother made her an outstanding garment from what they could afford.  Such an initiative was prompted by her family’s financial challenge. The narrator’s high ambitions to success were also most likely inspired by the level of poverty in their family.

Cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 26

Cover letter - Essay Example Gaining education from some of the most reputable institutes in the world like the University of La Verne also enabled me expand my knowledge and concepts pertaining to marketing. Besides routine academic activities, my activities outside college premises have always focused on building healthy relationship with my community. To this effect, I volunteered in many game tournaments and also served as a host in many soccer tournaments. As far as my short-term and long-term goals are concerned, I have planned them according to my personal and professional interests. For example, my short-term goal is to earn a position in the marketing department. This will allow me to gain invaluable information about my field and grow intellectually. My long-term goal is to work for some high profile social or economic organization at an executive position. I believe that a position in the marketing department can become a valuable part of my educational and professional career because it will allow me to exercise the skills I have gained so far in my desired field of

Does Money Equal Power In American Politics Politics Essay

Does Money Equal Power In American Politics Politics Essay This essay argues that money does equal power in American politics and that campaign reform is still required in American society as this remains an ongoing problem. In order to show the impact of money in the American campaigning system I believe this essay should begin with a statement of the recent facts and figures in relation to the cost of campaigning in America. The 2012 campaign by Obama and Romney for the presidential race resulted in spending of over $6 billion reported which  includes money spent by the campaigns of both candidates, outside groups such as PACs, and independent organizations such as businesses  [1]  . In the evaluating of money and democracy in the presidential campaigns we must also look at public spending as this was supposed to be the answer in reforming the presidential campaigning. Campaign finance is not just a problem in the presidential campaigns, In 2010 $1.5 million was the average spent by house incumbents and $11.2 million was the average spent by senate incumbents, these numbers which we will compare with those of challengers to see if there is any inequality  [2]  . These figures alone show the e ye watering large amounts of money spent today by those in politics. There are many aspects that need to be looked at to determine if money affects he democracy of America. However this is not a recent problem in America, money in elections has been a problem for many decades and finally an introduction of a Act in 1971 was supposed to put this problem to bed. The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971 was created to restore peoples confidence in the campaigning system as many people felt large contributors had the biggest voice in political campaigns. This required funding to be made public. The Watergate scandal revealed during President Nixons campaign proved the corruption that was within the political system even with reforms in place as those who contributed large amounts were given positions as ambassadors in Nixons re-election committees, money equalling power  [3]  . This resulted in amendments being made to the original FECA such as the creation of the Federal Election Committee (FEC) who would ensure laws such as declarations of contributions where adhered to and brought public funding into the picture to try to stop the influence of large contributors. However, even when efforts are made to make campaign finance transparent to the public, there are still those who challenge this. In 1976 in the case of Buckley v Valeo, the reforms legislated by the FECA were brought to the courts. This case argued that the provisions made in the Act were unconstitutional. Here it was argued that money in politics was not corruption but instead it was a form of speech, therefore was protected by the first amendment of the Constitution of America and was a right of all Americans. It was decided that monetary contributions were an expression of ones support for a candidate which was a democratic right  [4]  . This association of money equals speech has been the hindrance of any reform after that and still poses problems in reform. Justice John Paul Stevens in 2000 presented a forceful opinion that money is property and not speech, surely money couldnt equal speech when money is not evenly distributed, this would prove that those with the biggest wallet had the biggest voices. The need for further reform after an extremely large redirecting of contributions in the form of sof t money led to further reform of the campaign system in the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)  [5]  which targeted the booming problem of soft money during campaigns. This problem was as a result of the allowance of the FECA of organisations giving money indirectly to candidates; this money was not recorded by the FEC and had an unlimited budget. This was abolished by BCRA to further attempt to bring fairness to all candidates and to try, once again, ensure money did not equal power in America. Campaign reform in America tries to take the impact of money away from the impact of politics. But interest groups and the subsequent PACs have still left a question mark on the influence of money on the campaigns. Louise Overacker in 1932 expressed her concerns that financing of elections in a democracy is a major problem and raised the question of if democracies do not inevitably become government ruled by small groups  [6]  . This brings us into the discussion of interest groups and PACS and their impact on American Democracy. PACs are organisations created through the FECA to allow these organisations to raise and distribute money to campaigns, allowing more money to be directed at candidates. Many interest groups and large organisations create PACs  [7]  . Interest groups are known to have aims in politics in America, firstly to elect friends and defeat enemies and secondly to increase the number of people in political positions that share their views. Business interest groups on the other hand will more than likely use the friendly incumbent rule of backing the incumbent that is certain to be re elected and generally shares their views rather than a challenger who may be more supp ortive of their interests but is not guaranteed to succeed in their campaign  [8]  . Why is this? Why not support the candidate who is more supportive of your cause and stand by them? This raises the suspicion of interest groups being more concerned with gaining the access of those in power. If interest groups are raising large quantities of funding for these candidates surely they are receiving something in return, otherwise why continue to pump money into a wasted cause?  [9]  It is known that many people involved PACs are those that are well educated and part of the upper class society which raises the question of is there an unbalance in the representation of society in America? As political scientist E.E Schattschneider said the flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent  [10]  . If so this puts further questions on the American branding of democracy. However those who are against this view that interest groups and individual contributions thwart democracy argue that it does the opposite. They, on the other hand, argue that interest groups are a direct result of a democratic state. They argue that interest groups and PACs increase peoples awareness and interest in politics and therefore improve democracy in expanding peoples knowledge in political matters, an aspect recognised by James Madison  [11]  . Therefore in theory this activity contributes to democracy in America. But interest groups and PACs as discussed above look after and promote their own interests, they can do this by emphasising the negatives of another candidate through negative campaigning  [12]  or issue advocacy or by promoting the positive aspects of the candidate they are supporting. Therefore are they really serving the needs of the country or the needs of themselves? I feel they are only looking after their own interests to try to increase those in s upport of the candidate that will best serve them in the event that they win their election. Interest groups and PACs are unlikely to use their funding to compare the candidates in a fair and democratic way in the aim of giving the public a fair and even view of each candidate. Their aim of promoting their interests will lead to thwarted pictures of candidates. The fact is that organisations that make contributions, especially those with significant financial resources, want to ensure they make a Return on Investment, thats what these contributions are from many PACs and interest groups, they are investments not donations. As said on Capitol Hill my vote is not for sale but is available for rent.  [13]   Public funding was created by the FECA to try to take the issue of money out of campaigns and to prevent corruption of wealthy individuals in politics. However those who took public funding had to abide by a budget given to them. The option of partial funding in presidential primaries was rejected by many as they began to use the system to benefit themselves. In 2000 George Bush decided to reject partial funding in the primaries  [14]  . This was with the aim of using this time of to raise as much money as he could so that he could easily out race the other opponents in his raising of funds; therefore he was able to create more awareness of his campaign in the primaries over the opponents who were under strict instruction to stick to their public budgets. Bush easily received the nomination he needed but then used public funding in the general election as he has the awareness of his campaign already generated. This shows that even the candidates themselves are thwarting the syste m to improve their own campaigns without regard for other candidates chances of receiving recognition or a fair campaign. The ease of which Bush succeed proved that the money he received equalled power in his race for nomination despite the public funding being in place. More worryingly this year neither Obama nor Romney accepted public funding. Why? Because more money can be gathered from independent sources. A frightening thought considering how much they raised. Is the ideology of a public funding system becoming extinct?  [15]  if so it is direct proof that money equals power. Why is public funding being abandoned by candidates for the White House? Mainly it is due to the growth of Super PACs and dark money  [16]  . Super PACs seem to be replacing the previous spurt of 527 committees who raised money to influence the outcome of elections by raising unlimited amounts of money. Once this money was not used in conjunction with the candidates campaign and did not openly call for the defeat or election of a particular candidate it was completely legal. However now Super PACs can collect money from both individuals and corporations, they also cannot give money directly to the candidate but can use the money raised independently to help ensure the election of there preferred candidate. In the 2012 election the estimated money raised from outside groups was $970 million, this increase is being linked to the increase in Super PACs. $123 million is the estimated amount spent by dark money.  [17]  Dark money was a phrase adopted by the Mother Jones Magazine  [18]  which referred to the secret donations given to candidates by individuals and organisations. These donations occur in all political campaigns but seem to be most a part of the republican party fundraising. If people or businesses are able to donate large quantities of money to candidates without them being made public we again have to ask how this affects democracy in America. Money donated to campaigns that are not made public means that we are unable to see if there is a correlation between the money those secret donors have given and the decisions of the lawmakers. However the question on money in politics applies to all elections including those in the house and senate between incumbents and challengers. As mentioned in the introduction the power difference between incumbents and challengers in the house and senate where public funding isnt in place is extremely large. This difference boils down to money. Incumbents have the benefit of being well known and established and therefore do not need to spend vast amounts on creating public awareness. They also have loyal contributors already established to their campaign. Challengers on the other hand struggle to raise the money needed to create awareness of their campaign. Often the incumbents merely raise large quantities of money to discourage competition from new challengers. Is it a democracy where people are not made aware of new challengers due to the large spending of incumbents? When new challengers do not even get a chance due to the impact on money? It is known that people vote for those they recognise and reject those they have a lack of information on. Between 1984-2004 57% of challengers spent less than $100,000 on their camp aigns and all of them lost  [19]  . Money equals power. I have discussed many things within the American campaign system that make me question the branding of America as a Democracy due to the corruption caused by money. But does money actually get those who contribute a foot in the door? Political scientist say that the contributions of PACs does not have a major impact on legislators decisions, this is because although there is a direct correlation between donations and votes, there is no proven relationship between donations and lawmakers decisions  [20]  . However this will always be hard to prove as you cannot match contributions on a quid pro quo basis. It may have been found that money doesnt buy votes in congress but it is proven that contributors do get the loyalty of those in congress. It is known that contributions do achieve access  [21]  such as meetings with the candidates they have supported. Since most organisations will support those who are already in support of their views the do not need to persuade the candida te on their interests, therefore many of the PACs interests may be try to be mobilised through congressional committees. An example of money buying access can be seen in the Bush administration. Bush rewarded those who donated money to his Pioneer bundling system, most of whom were wealthy energy company official, business executives and lobbyists, with individual meeting and receptions, later Bush appointed 19 of the members as ambassadors worldwide  [22]  Would the lack of large donations have the same impact? We also saw that in the reign of Nixon those who donated large amounts became part of his re election committees, would this have been the case without the large donations? And would the contributors continue to donate without anything in return? It is unlikely. The New York Times gave the statistics that since Obamas election in 2008 to now, those who donated $30,000 or less, about 20% of these visited the White House, were those who donated over $100,000 where about 75 % more likely to visit the President.  [23]  Statistics that dont prove anything other than money equals power and access. Although reform was again attempted again through BCRA in 2002, there still seems to be problems within the campaign finance system. There are many suggested ways in which reform can be achieved. One is the idea of imposing ceilings on the amount spent in campaigns, but this may affect the competitive aspect of the campaigns. This also wouldnt help the challengers who already struggle to make themselves known to voters, therefore the well known incumbents would benefit leading to further questions of money impacting democracy. Another possible solution is to ban PACs and stopping large donations and let candidates rely on small donations to fund their campaigns but this is unlikely to raise enough funds.  [24]  The idea of public funding seemed to be the perfect solution as it took the importance of large donators out of the picture and put limits in place by candidates. If this was put in place for all elections in the house, congress as well as the presidential elections, this would reduce the amount spent on elections. However, the budgets of these public funds need to be increased to encourage candidates to be a part of this system. It may also attract candidates who dont want to waste too much time in their campaign raising money if the budget is right  [25]  . The problem with this is that this idea has been branded welfare for politicians an idea disliked by the American society.  [26]  The judgment by the courts that money equals speech also needs to be revisited. With this opinion being circulated it is only benefitting those with money. In order to pursue interests through politics, money and access is needed, but these are things not equally distributed, this makes you wonder how is this a democracy if it is allowing the people with these abilities to use them to push their ideas?  [27]   In conclusion, the problem is that many of the ideas for reform have as many positives as negatives, there seems to be no direct way to solve the problem of corruption within the political system and to prevent money from equalling power. In the last reform there was a corset affect that what was squeezed in one place merely popped out in another  [28]  in the increasing of 527 committees and the creation of Super PACs. It is viewed that this will be the case in any reform as John McCainn stated I promise you that in 20 or 30 years from nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a group of others will be standing here saying weve got to clean up the system again, because therell be smart people that figure out loopholes in the system. I doubt he foresaw the speed at which these loopholes would be found. The fact of the matter is that money will always be the fuelling of politics in America and therefore until some way is found to take money out of politics money will equal power. As this essay title say s America has the best democracy money can buy. Bibiography Book sources: Jon R Bond and Kevin B Smith, The promise and performance of American Democracy. Thomson/Wadsworth 2009 Lowi, Shepsle, Ginsberg. American Government power and purpose. 7th ed. New York:Norton 2002 Tonnahill, Neal R, American government: policy and politics, 11th ed, Pearson study edition 2012 Robert Singh, American government and politics: A concise introduction. Sage 2003. McKay, Haughton and Wroe. Controversies in American Politics and Society. Oxford UK, Malden,Mass:Blackwell 2002 Robert Singh, Governing America: The politics of a divided democracy. Oxford University Press 2003. Samuel Kernell and Gary C Jacobson. The logic of American politics. Cq Press 2006, 3rd edition Bardes, Shmidt and Shelley, American government and politics today. 2004-2005 ed, London: Wasworth 2003 Internet sources: The Atlantic Wire last accessed on 19/12/12 The New York Times: last accessed 20/12/2012 The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/us/politics/white-house-doors-open-for-big-donors.html?pagewanted=all last accessed 20/12/12