Ancestry in a Drop of Blood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ancestry in a Drop of Blood - Essay Example The knowledge of the underlying historical issues of Indians is vital for their social integration especially in the US. This seeks to enable them establish their origin and â€Å"tribe membership†. Consequently, it seeks to enable them to understand their ancient cultural practices and social values that define what it means to be an Indian (Kaplan, 1). As indicated â€Å"Ancestry in a one drop rule† is a historical term used in the US for social classification of various communities and groups, for example, the Indians. The use of the term in describing various societies has made individuals from the settings to engage in systematic modalities to establish their origin (Kaplan, 1). Their interest, for example, the Indians is to establish their â€Å"tribe membership† to avert falling victims of â€Å"racism† in US. Indians who are referred to as Native Americans by the academicians leave in the northern part of the state. It is believed that their descendants are in the northern part of the state and that that is their origin. However, the reference of the Indians as invisible black people has prompted their quest to establish their real identity through â€Å"DNA tests† (Kaplan, 1). The tests are to enable citizens to establish their real origin and native landscape to quell the mixed reports on their origin. The â€Å"DNA tests† will be executed through â€Å"blood quantum† that is a credible procedure of conducting the test. This is to facilitate the identification of individual’s immediate parents and lineage setting (Benhabib, 73). Indeed, some of the Indians preferred to be called native speakers while some had preference to Indian. The term Indian was found later to be politically incorrect since it encourages racism that compromises integration. Some objected the idea of being referred to as native inhabitants since native means a person who is born at the location in question that they doubted. Ideally, the principle of blackness

Literature Review Relating to levels of Physical Actiity and Older Essay

Literature Review Relating to levels of Physical Actiity and Older People - Essay Example Physical activity levels in older people in rural areas are comparatively less when we consider the urban elder people because of social, economical and cultural factors. The older generation of UK in general and that of Ireland in particular are very much reluctant in doing physical activities to maintain their physical and mental health (See appendix for the statistics). The rural areas of Ireland are sparsely populated with no cities or major towns, which made the problem even worse. Moreover transportation services like the train services are less to the rural areas of Ireland which made this area less developed. People over the age of 55 (Older people) in this region are not engaging in physical activity levels as laid down by the Irish Government. This paper is written as a literature review concentrating mainly on the older generation of the Irish people especially in rural areas. Aim of this literature review is to prove that lack of infrastructure facilities, development and awareness forced rural Irish older people to stay away from physical workouts. In this paper, I have reviewed relevant journals/ articles mainly from UK, America and Australia to establish the need of physical activities for older people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical inactivity causes 2 million deaths a year worldwide and increases all causes of mortality (Medibank 2007, p.8). The advancements in science and technology and increasing living standards are the major reasons for the physical inactivity. For example, walking and cycling were the major means, people used to travel from one place to another earlier. But the arrival of new technology oriented industrialization, revolutionised the human life and people started to give up the traditional means of transportation, which once helped them to stay fit. Caspersen et al, (1985) defined physical

The U.S. Navy Essay Example for Free

The U.S. Navy Essay Substance abuse is a condition in which the individual utilizes chemical substances that alter mood and behavior in a maladaptive manner, causing significant distress and failure to function normally at home, workplace, school or in social settings. Some individuals may also do dangerous acts or get themselves in trouble with the law. Some of the substances which can be misused include alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, tobacco, cocaine, etc. The incidences of substance abuse are quite high in the navy. Substance abuse is often linked with several unsolvable problems in life especially at the workplace or concerning personal issues. Individuals who cannot cope with these problems turn to alcohol, cocaine, cannabis and other substance to relieve their distress. The US Navy is quite strict about substance abuse, and maintains a ‘zero tolerance policy’ both during duty and after duty, or offshore and afloat. According to this policy, misuse of drugs or alcohol in the Navy is not suited in maintaining the high standard of performance, discipline and promptness. It destroys the navy’s goal of installing pride and sense of professionalism However, several individuals in the navy may have a drug problem, and the leaders should try to retain such staff and help them to get back to normal life and functioning. The Navy has lost several of its sailors due to substance abuse, which has resulted in a number of families getting destroyed. A survey conducted by the Department of Defense in 1980 found that 46% of the navy personnel used cannabis during the last 1 month. Out of these, about 26% confessed that they had been under the influence of drugs at their work. The incidences of cannabis use were especially high in individuals who had experienced a traumatic event at their work. Cannabis is one of the most misused drugs in the navy. There is a common misconception that cannabis use is safer than smoking tobacco. However, studies conducted showed that smoking cannabis significantly increased the risk of developing cancers of the head, neck and the lungs. Many individuals also felt that it was easier to quit cannabis use. However, studies conducted on individuals trying to quit the habit showed that they had severe problems including sleeplessness, irritability and aggression. Amongst all positive urine test results, cocaine accounted for 14% to 22% in Navy personnel in the last four years. Cocaine can be consumed through various means such as smoking, snorting, etc. The drug makes the individual feels euphoric, energetic, mentally alert and sensitive to various stimuli. Cocaine produces several ill-effects on the heart, blood vessels, lungs, nerves and the brain. In developing a program to combat substance abuse in the navy, it is very important to make the participants understand the ill-effects and the risks associated with substance abuse. The program has to include certain aims, goals, objectives and the certain means have to be implemented in a planned manner to attain these goals. The main aim of the program is to stop illicit substance use by the navy personnel. The goals of the program include educating the participants about various signs/indications through which substance abuse can be recognized. They should also be educated about the ill-effects, risk and consequences of the drug use.

Completing Thesis: A Reflective Statement

Completing Thesis: A Reflective Statement Normally I set date to start my assignments am not a person who starts things earlier and finish it earlier, I set a time to start up things but anyway I finish my work on time. But after the last day of my dissertation advice session I start working on my thesis from that day. In the dissertation advice session the information given to complete the reflective analysis was major cause which helped me in to make my reflective report successfully. That daily dairy idea not only helps me in this project but also for normal activities of my life I started noting some important things. To complete the thesis I worked practically by talking to lot of people and I did studied lot of books, journals and internet materials and some thesis which is written by some one relates to topic. t took me almost 2 months to finish this thesis with all my hard work involved in it. When I started doing a thesis I found it difficult as I never did research like this as my previous education is based on exams and question and answer session. But this is the first time I am doing a project with lot of field work and lot of time I spend for understand the logistics management and the challenges faced by them. When I started doing this project I was not guided by any one and I was blank. Because I dont know what to write and how to start. Then I felt like going slowly to understand the topic first. What the topic says and what are the challenges faced by the apparel industry in logistics market. As one of my friends directed me what thesis is and what is the solution we should find for the topic. Which is set by the university. Before working for project I started collecting informations like articles, journals, websites and books related to supply chain management and logistics. Group discussion held after the advice session was useful that I come to know about the opinions and ideas of my group mates which was different from one another and was very useful. Every day colleagues came with several ideas which were followed by all the members of the group. But after meeting several people and after getting lot of information about the topic and different answer from different people and different book and journal says different things about the logistics world. It was bit confusing to start with but by setting a time limit to myself to write what I learned every three days. At the end of the month I saw what I wrote after 3 days. Then I consolidate it as a report. These are my basic step I took to start a thesis. But I find difficult in finding the information practically which is meeting the apparel industry managers and staff. As I find hard to get appointments to get information and the information they provide is not fulfilled my questions. But still I did not lose the hope. I did lot of try at last in few stores like Zara in Croydon high street and M S in Guildford had a good response to my entire question. I would like to state few of the answers provided by the managers in Zara, MS and few more stores. As I had several question relating to the topic. I went to Zara, Next and MS apparel stores to find out their logistics performance. First one I went is Zara in Croydon high street surrey. Were I found good information about their logistics strategy and the manager of the store started out by saying the apparel manufacturers and retailers mantra for the new millennium? Speed to market. Its the last leg of the right product, right market, right time race and its all about logistics. And he told the companies started concentrating and started investing heavily on investing on logistics as it is the back bone of the fashion industry. If I say you my personal opinion Zara logistics performance is excellent as it is vertical integration to ensure control over supply chain, and proximity. Zaras centralized distribution facility gives the chain a competitive advantage by minimizing the lead-time of their goods. Zaras internally or externally produced merchandise goes to the distribution centre. This is cost-effective due to the close proximities of the distribution centre in Arteixo and their factories in Coruà ±a. In the distribution centre, products are inspected and immediately shipped, since Zaras distribution centre is a place where merchandise is moved rather than stored. Then, to increase delivery speed, the shipments are scheduled by time zones and shipped by way of air, and land. The typical delivery time within and outside Europe is between 24 to 48 hours. It was an informative session I had in the Zara store and I was amazed with their logistics performance and the lead time to the shelf is best than all other brand. Like M S and Next lead time is longer than Zara lead time and these brands are horizontally integrated. But I found there is a disadvantage in vertical integration which I asked this question to a M S store in Guildford, Surrey. Zaras strategy also creates some weaknesses. Their vertical integration has more Advantages than drawbacks but it is important to recognize its limitations. Vertical integration often leads to the inability to acquire economies of scale, which means they cannot gain the advantages of producing large quantities of goods for a discounted rate. Higher costs are then incurred for the Inditex Corporation. Inditex also has to support their own high capital investments for their chains and be able to financially back their Technology and skills beyond those currently available within the organization. Zaras speedy and recurrent introduction of new products incurs increased costs as well. They have higher research and development costs. They also have elevated costs due to the constant changeover of production techniques to create their different apparel lines. That also means that employees must be trained in order to use the new manufacturing techniques, which again leads to increased costs. Traditional retailers do not experience higher costs in all of these areas. I found lot of information from local shopper till the managers about the logistics performance of lot of the apparel market like TK Maxx, Self Fridge, John Lewis and more. The outcome all are finishing at the end is right product at the right time and reducing the lead time to the shelf is always challenging to the logistics market. During my collection of information I came across some problem, I shifted from Luton to London in the beginning instance I find difficult in searching books and other related journals, but by the advice given by one of my friend I came to know libraries nearby it helped me in collecting information. I made a timetable for myself every week and worked according to it. Mostly I go to libraries and collect informations during day and after I return home I took rest for myself for some hours and then go through the information collected by me on that day and will take notes for my thesis. Once unfortunately I got a call from one of my elder cousin who is working in dubai and when he asked me about my studies I told him that am working for my project and by saying him the topic he gave me phone numbers of some persons who working in logistics sector. The information which was collected by me through phone from logistics managers who are working for ETA groups in middle east countries gave me a detail idea about the challenges which their company face and it was useful for me to research on the basis what exactly affecting apparels. From the day I started working whoever I meet I just put them my dissertation question and take note of the points given by them. For getting additional information and opinions of people I questioned them and comment their ideas and opinion in between which makes them to give answer and which helps me in theoretical argument. This is where the stage I taught myself how to approach people in collecting information and getting ideas. Each person tell their views what challenges their company face and I came to know that some challenges which are major in some countries are not a big problems in other countries. So then I started my work focus on different countries challenges in port and other clearing process. Then I realised that my ability to research on a issue was improving and I felt much confident. Previously while working for my assignments I compromise if I didnt get certain information. But I felt that compromise doesnt wins an argument, so I was very much strict in what I want and I didnt used any substituent if I couldnt get information related . I tried and kept pressure on myself to finding things what is needed for me in completing successful thesis. I find some difficulty in working during weekends after returning from my work. So entirely in the first month I couldnt able to work for my project during week days. Later I realised that am wasting time and even started working on weekends. This two and half month I heard many people saying even the person who talks with me in phone says your quite reserved than before. This is because my minds always think about the project that i need to submit and most of my words I had with my friends were about my project. Normally I am a talkative guy in nature but this time span made me and showed me a person who listens more than speak. I believe that this field work made me to think and act rather than before. Now I do started following the quote plan and implement. I even feel my patience was more than before. I even watched some short videos in Google and YouTube and some of the interview posted by people related to logistics and supply chain management as it was in a visualisation mode It helps me more in understanding the concepts and I made it as my hobby whenever I feel bored i use to watch songs but after starting my project I started watching videos related to logistics. It also took me in interesting way and motivated to watch more videos of such type. After collecting information from different ways like media, books, magazine, newspaper, journals, internet and meeting several professional and non-professional people I came to a understand a change in supply chain strategy and the current supply chain strategy in rapidly developing market. I couldnt able to be in contact with my group members often as am far from them so most of my time with them were in phone and I too asked suggestions and gave them suggestions in finding information. And there was a huge difference in the way of working for project among my group mates and the incidents and experience which we shared was useful for us in going to find more information. To make my work more easier in finding resources I even spoke with some seniors colleagues who finished their masters successfully they told about their time span spend for finishing the thesis and problems faced by them this made me aware to get rid of some problems which I may face in finding and working for data collection. I even quote a line for myself while going through data collection. That suggestion can be asked from everyone but decision should be decided only by my own. I felt there was one mistake which I made in this project work is I collected and take notes not in unique order that I should do my project .i mixed notes and it was quite difficult for me to arrange and make it. I get tensed several times because I was not confident and proper and was in a dilemma in making paragraph. I doubt myself which I need to mention first and follow other things. But quietly I came on it and did that accordingly in my best way. When I finished my theses I felt much happy that I havent felt happy like this when I finish my normal assignments. I believe that the effort I insert for this project in double the time which I work for assignments. After collecting information from different ways like media, books, magazine, news paper, journals, internet and meeting several professional and non- profession people. I come to a understand a change in supply chain strategy and the current supply chain strategy in rapidly developing market. But after collectively found some information about the topic I put myself in the place of a logistics manager and what will I do if I face this problem. I put myself in lot of question. This I thought because I felt like after my studies I have to face all the challenges and question I am thinking currently. I thought I will inter relate my questions and the challenges faced in my thesis which I did and more over this thesis made me think as a manager for a logistics apparel firm and it put me in a confident that I am capable of taking decision and I am capable of managing a logistics firm and I come to know what are the challenges and what are the disadvantage currently facing by the logistics operation. What is jazz? What is jazz? What is jazz? This question has been debated throughout the 20th Century, as jazz has proven difficult to define. The dictionary definition of Jazz states jazz as â€Å"a genre of music that originated in African-American communities around the late 19th – early 20th century†. Regarding its musical features, jazz relies heavily on the use of improvisation and syncopation as well as incorporating elements such as blue notes and poly-rhythms. The birth of jazz into Americas multicultural society has led many to believe that Jazz in one of Americas pristine art forms, parallel to the western classical tradition in Europe. But does this make jazz an American way of creating music, and therefore Americas classical music? This assumption leads to questions about identity and race as a social construct. Jazz emerged as an indigenous form of music that reflected the American ideal of the individuals freedom of expression. However throughout its discourse, jazz has continually evolved from casual improvisations into a set of musical elements that can characterize and define each classical style. However each new classical jazz style carried emerging ideas of ethnic black identity as a sub cultural crisis point. For example, the Blues period was a reflection of slavery, dixie jazz was an early reflection of crayol life and swing represented the commercialisation of black musicians. This implied the idea that jazz music was a reflection of race which articulated African American feelings and thoughts of the socio-political injustices of the time into the music. It is this struggle for identity and equality that in many ways, suggests jazz is a metaphor for the American idea of democracy. However the introduction of jazz to the black community was initially seen by the white as transgressive. It gave the black community emancipation from race, but not an emancipation of race. In essence, jazz created black people who spoke like middle class white people. This subverted their ethnic identities, which created a new socio-ethnic black stereotype, allowing the black man a redefined status. This led to many artists such as Dizzie Gillespie to create a new black intellectual image, as the social boundaries began to break down. Yet it could also be argued that this merely replaced one stereotyping with another. As jazz became more popular, white jazz bands such as the Benny Goodman Orchestra (1935-1939) began to emerge. However, music critic/poet LeRoi Jones saw problems with appropriating jazz. As a champion of the African-American population, he believed that black music belonged to black people. He saw white jazz musicians as thiefs that steal music from black people. How can jazz be seen as Americas classical music if America is divided on its appropriation? However, over time this view changed. Some 50 years later, jazz arguably transformed from a single, guarded expression of the consciousness of African Americans to a national music. This identity of jazz emerged in 1987, when the 100th congress of the U.S.A recognized jazz as â€Å"a national treasure to which we should devote our attention, support and resources to make certain it is preserved, understood and promulgate† (Price 2003, 1). This was a unique American phenomenon which appropriated jazz as a national symbol. Jazz historian/critic Grover Sales book Jazz: America’s Classical Music (1984) initiated this discussion of jazzs importance a few years earlier. The main proposition in the book was that jazz was a serious form of music that should be regarded as equally important as Western classical music, despite its differences. In 2001, the same statement was made in Ken Burns documentary Jazz (2001) by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. This started another debate as to whether jazz should be perceived as Americas classical music or whether jazz and classical music should remain separate. On the one hand, jazzs emergence as a form of popular music in the United States, like classical music was performance orientated, with jazz schools such as the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) formed in Chicago, 1965. This association, much like a conservatoire aimed to give young African-American jazz tutelage. As a genre, jazz music has also evolved through different forms, levels of complexity, literacy and excellence. Because of this, it shared many similarities with classical music. It is also argued that, like the classical music of other cultures, jazz has been time tested. In the early 20th century; it became a standard and a model, later established value and most of all was native to the African-American culture. A culture which, echoed its struggles, decade by decade through music. Jazz serves, in a sense, as a musical mirror, reflecting how not only the African-American jazz community saw themselves at different times in their history, but als o how society portrayed them, for example in the way Hollywood movies portray the 1920’s and 30’s using the jazz of those decades to underscore the pictures. Trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, believed in promoting the appreciation of both Classical and Jazz music. Born in 1961, Marsalis career progressed from teacher, to music educator, becoming Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, winning nine Grammys in both genres in the process. But despite his talent, critics opposed Marsalis views. Scott Yanow criticized his â€Å"selective knowledge of jazz history† and that he considers â€Å"post-1965 avant-garde playing to be outside of jazz and 1970s fusion to be barren. Marsalis was also criticized for pressing his opinions as producer and on-screen commentator in the Ken Burns documentary Jazz (2001). The documentary focused primarily on legends Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, presenting jazz as a lineage of great men and as Americas classical music. Marsalis also covered the years 1920–1965 more than later decades, and almost disregarded 1970 jazz completely. In response to the film, music journalist David Adler wrote, Wyntons coronation in the film is not merely biased. It is not just aesthetically grating. It is unethical, given his integral role in the making of the very film that is praising him to the heavens. Grover Sales opinion in 1984 supported Marsalis view, but he too was also criticised. Emmett price, associate professor of music and one of the worlds leading experts on African-American music, opposed Sales saying; â€Å"There is nothing classical about jazz. Classical implies static, non-changing; a relic frozen in time. J azz has never been static, non-changing or frozen. (Price 2003, 1). Prices interpretation is questionable, as the idea of classical music as a relic frozen in time is controversial, however his point about jazz being the opposite of this is hard to disagree with. The genre of jazz has been constantly evolving through the decades, with the emergence of fusion as a hybrid musical form. Can any classical genres, such as music from the Romantic period be described as a hybrid form to the same level as fusion is to jazz? Immediately there is difficulty classifying jazz as a classical music. Jazz is a constantly changing art-form that nowadays refers to new and evolving genres (such as acid jazz, punk jazz in the 90s). Arguably, the idea that jazz is never finished evolving challenges Sales 1984 claim of it being a form of classical music. The word classical implies a level of unchanging, solidarity, so is it appropriate to label the ever-changing jazz climate as classical music?

The Psychological Effects of War Exposed in The Sniper by Liam O’Flaher

The Psychological Effects of War Exposed in â€Å"The Sniper,† by Liam O’Flaherty War can destroy a man both in body and mind for the rest of his life. In â€Å"The Sniper,† Liam O’Flaherty suggests the horror of war not only by presenting its physical dangers, but also by showing its psychological effects. We are left to wonder which has the longer lasting effect—the visible physical scars or the ones on the inside?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this story the author shows how location plays a big part in how physically dangerous a war is. Gunshots heard throughout the city are a sign of how close the fighting between the â€Å"Republicans and Free Staters†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is to innocent citizens (this is most often the case in civil war). The sniper’s positioning â€Å"on a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge† is very dangerous, for he can see everyone who enters the town, but they cannot see him. â€Å"†¦Machine guns and rifles†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are the weapons of choice in this story; very dangerous, for they are very strong guns that are â€Å"true† war weapons. As evidenced above, location plays a big part in how dangerous a war is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bullets, of course, are another big danger in war. The author shows with bullets how close you are to death in a war. In the event where the sniper lights his cigarette, he is twice almost killed with the â€Å"enemy† sniper’s bullets! The sniper’s own bullets are quite dangerous, too, as seen when he easily kills the tank commander and citizen woman informer. After shooting them, the â€Å"enemy† sniper sees him, and â€Å"His fore...

The First-generation Immigrant in America Essay -- Minorities Equality

My grandmother has a certain look in her eyes when something is troubling her: she stares off in a random direction with a wistful, slightly bemused expression on her face, as if she sees something the rest of us can’t see, knows something that we don’t know. It is in these moments, and these moments alone, that she seems distant from us, like a quiet observer watching from afar, her body present but her mind and heart in a place only she can visit. She never says it, but I know, and deep inside, I think they do as well. She wants to be a part of our world. She wants us to be a part of hers. But we don’t belong. Not anymore. Not my brothers—I don’t think they ever did. Maybe I did—once, a long time ago, but I can’t remember anymore. I love my grandmother. She knows that. I know she does, even if I’m never able to convey it adequately to her in words. The scene is always the same: the three of us sitting in a room together, talking. I see her from the corner of my eye, glancing for only a second or two, but always long enough to notice the look on her face, the expression I’ve become so painfully familiar with over the years. I am forced to turn away; the conversation resumes. She is a few feet from us. She hears everything, and understands nothing except what she can gather from the expressions on our faces, the tone of our voices. She pretends not to be bothered, smiling at us and interjecting random questions or comments in Chinese—a language I was raised to speak, a language I’ve slowly forgotten over the years, a language that is now mine only by blood. It is an earnest but usually futile attempt to break through the invisible barrier that separates her from us, and in spite of all her efforts to hide it, that sad, contem... ...weak, when their echoes fade, and in that moment, I will awake to a dark, empty silence. And the silence will be deafening. * La Gringa: Derogatory epithet used to ridicule a Puerto Rican girl who wants to look like a blonde North American. Works Cited Andalzà ºa, Gloria. â€Å"How to Tame a Wild Tongue.† Encounters: Essays for Exploration and Inquiry. 2nd ed. Ed. Pat C. Hoy II and Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 93-101. Cofer, Judith Ortiz. â€Å"Silent Dancing.† Encounters: Essays for Exploration and Inquiry. 2nd ed. Ed. Pat C. Hoy II and Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 145-51. â€Å"History.† The Latino/a Education Network Service.14 Oct. 2002.. Tan, Amy. â€Å"Mother Tongue.† Encounters: Essays for Exploration and Inquiry. 2nd ed. Ed. Pat C. Hoy II and Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 603-07.

Legal Services Bill and Private Practice

The ability of the legal system to effectively manage and serve its consumers is one of the most important traits of justice.   Legal practitioners must be able to offer adequate and effective services for those who require those services, or else the concepts of a fair trial and of a balanced, impartial judicial system are ones that cannot be satisfied. The legal services bill, which was published in May of 2006, was aimed at improving private legal practice, and improving the level and quality of services provided by attorneys and other legal practitioners.   Yet, there are those who dispute the effectiveness of the legal services bill, and there have been many opinions given on the bill and on private practice in the entirety of the legal profession. These opinions have come from politicians, legal experts, and others who are concerned about the legal profession and its ability to serve its clients correctly and fairly.   This essay will attempt to delineate the legal services bill, the way in which it seeks to help the legal profession in the United Kingdom, and the dialogue that has emerged concerning the bill.   It will also put the legal services bill in perspective, and will look at private practice and the legal profession with a wider lens. The problems of the British legal system were widely acknowledged by the government.   Sir David Clementi, who was appointed in 2003 to produced a review of the legal services framework for Great Britain, published the results of his review in a 2004 report.   Clementi was not optimistic about the state of the framework as he saw it. â€Å"The current system is flawed,† he wrote in his introduction to the report.   â€Å"Whilst some lawyers will continue to argue that the current system ‘ain’t broke’, I believe there is strong evidence of the need for major reform: (I) to the regulatory framework which, as described in the Government’s own Scoping Study, is flawed; (II) to the complaints system which needs change to benefit the consumer; and (III) to the types of business structures permitted to provide legal services to the consumer, which have changed little over a significant period.† (Clementi, 2004)   Clementi believed that these reforms would help improve independent, private practice. In response to this report, the legal services bill was created, published in May of 2006 and highlighted in the Queen’s speech in November of 2006. The bill’s main goals, according to a BBC summary of the bill, is to â€Å"create independent regulators for the legal profession and greater competition in the legal services market.† (BBC, 2006)   The main provisions in the bill are to set out clear objectives about the regulatory framework and the legal principles of the profession, and to separate the representative and regulatory functions of designated legal bodies; to create a new Legal Services Board that will provide oversight of legal regulatory bodies; to give the Legal Services Board powers to oversee frontline regulators; to create an Office for Legal Complaints; and to enable new business structures for the legal profession, which will allow various types of lawyers and non-lawyers to work on equal footing. (BBC, 2006) Yet, in order to understand the reasons for the legal services bill, it is necessary to give a general background for the status of the legal profession in the United Kingdom, which gave rise to the need for this bill. In 1944, when legal aid and the legal profession in the United Kingdom were still unreformed and were poorly designed, a Departmental Committee appointed Lord Rushcliffe to examine the legal profession in the UK.   Rushcliffe advised that instead of the State employing thousands of attorneys to practice cases, it should instead give legal aid to attorneys in private practices.   His advice was implemented in 1949, and continued to be used for several decades without much reform. Since that time, it has been difficult to strike a balance between the amount of aid given out, the amount of legal professionals available for practice, and the availability of legal service to consumers.   Many had been calling for major reform since the late 1970s. (Thorp, 1999) The Law Commissions Act of 1965 was created in order to keep the law and the legal profession under review and to recommend reform where it is needed.   The Law Commission had been responsible for many reforms in regards to specific laws, but where independent legal practice is concerned, the jurisdiction of the Law Commission does not permit them to reform the overall system of private legal practice. Legal work in the UNK can be broken down into three distinct categories: non-contentious, which includes things such as contracts, wills, and other issues between clients that is able to be resolved without litigation; litigation, which includes the actual courtroom process and the formal and informal processes leading up to the courtroom proceedings; and advocacy work in the courts. As Stephen Davies writes, sometimes it is difficult for legal consumers to understand their particular legal problems, and therefore, it is difficult for those consumers to contact the proper attorney or legal personnel to resolve the case. â€Å"Moreover,† says Davis, â€Å"many will have little or no knowledge about the skills and experience of different advocates, or ability to judge their quality.   For many consumers, the demand is exceptional, and there is little opportunity for quality comparison through repeat purchases.   Thus, legal services are not homogenous – consumers differ in their problems and barristers differ in their skills, knowledge and experience.† (Davies, 2005) This is a problem, according to Davies, because those who wish to bring legal cases, but do not understand their particular legal problems, are not receiving justice.   The court system, according to Davies, should be open to all, and these restrictions do not allow for all to be satisfied by the current system. According to the OFT report of 2001, there were 101,000 registered solicitors in England and Wales, in the year 2000, and the ten largest solicitors’ firms had a market share of 46.8%. (Davies, 2005) These solicitors are responsible for playing the â€Å"middleman† between consumers and litigators, and their role is and important one in the legal process. Says Davies, â€Å"In the traditional model, the solicitor plays this middle-man role.   This is, of course, not particularly exceptional – few markets in general are characterized by perfect information on both sides, and a common response to this market imperfection is the existence of the middle-man.   Of course, we should not expect the asymmetry to be pronounced for those consumers who make repeat purchases, and for whom it is worthwhile to accumulate costly information (e.g. many corporate customers).† (Davies, 2005) With figures updated to 2004, the amount of solicitors has grown to 121,000, which represents a 20% growth in the size of the profession, but the number of firms has declined by 500.   Size distribution among these firms is very skewed with most either having between 2 to 4 partners, or more than 81 partners. The Bar, in England and Wales, is a much smaller profession.   According to the same OFT report, about 10,000 barristers are employed in independent practice in England and Wales, and 2,500 are employed by the State. While Davies admits that there are problems with the current structure and market saturation of both solicitors and barristers, he derides those who believe that any system of legal service could be made perfect. â€Å"In some of the public debate, I have seen comparisons between the market so described and the economists’ ideal notion of perfect competition.   In my opinion, this I not an appropriate comparator,† Davies continues.   â€Å"Perfect competition is characterized by (I) perfect information, (II) an homogeneous product, (III) the absence of regulation.   None of these assumptions is appropriate for legal services. Asymmetric information is an innate feature of the market, and it is difficult to imagine how any policy intervention could entirely remove this market imperfection.   Amongst barristers (and perhaps between solicitors too), there are important differences in their services (specialisms).   The profession’s obligations to â€Å"The Law† and universal access dictates that some sort of regulation is unavoidable.† (Davies, 2005) Davies was directly responding to the original draft of Clementi’s report. â€Å"In proposing reforms designed to encourage cost-effective practices,† writes Clementi, â€Å"there is no suggestion of diminution in standards, either in the quality of legal advice provided or in the ethical standards of practitioners.† (Clementi, 2004) Clementi’s recommendations, and the subsequent publishing of the legal services bill, was met with split reactions, and continues to be a lightning rod for mixed opinions.   Some believe that the benefits of the bill are â€Å"more flexible working environments attracting a more diverse group of high quality individuals into the profession; an increased supply of services focused on what customers want to buy rather than what lawyers want to sell; and increased competition leading to cheaper and better services.† (Blanes, 2005) Yet, â€Å"this is the optimist’s view,† writes Jordi Blanes i Vidal, in a 2005 response to Clementi’s recommendations co-written with Ian Jewitt and Clare Leaver. â€Å"There is also a pessimistic view: a breakdown in the functioning of the legal services industry as professional standards of behaviour become eroded through the unleashing and subsequent enforcement of short-term opportunistic profit motives.† (Blanes, 2005) The structure of the legal services bill is such that it is designed to work within the regulation, complaints system and the restrictive nature of current business systems. Regulation will be overseen by the Legal Services Board.   They will the charge of promoting seven regulatory objectives, including the rule of law and improved access to justice. As Sarah Clover and Lydia Hassall observe, â€Å"More controversially, they include the protection and promotion of the consumer interest, despite the Joint Committee’s recommendation that the Bill should also protect and promote the public interest, which may not always coincide with consumer interest.† (Clover and Hassall, 2007) One another objective of the bill, which was not featured in the original draft but was added in response to widely-expressed concern from those who believed that the bill threatened the independence of the legal profession, is to encourage an independent, strong and effective legal profession.   However, the addition of this objective in the bill has not completely stopped the criticism from those who see a conflict of interest, which centers on the idea that the Secretary of State appoints all Chairpersons and the members of the board. â€Å"It remains unclear how the [Legal Services Bill] will operate in practice.   Indeed, there is no statement in the Bill as to what the LSB will actually do.   Whilst the Government has said in the response to the Joint Committee’s Report that the LSB will operate in partnership with the Front Line Regulators and would only use its powers if the Front Line Regulators were clearly failing, many, including the Law Society, would like to see a positive commitment in the Bill to such ’light-touch’ regulation.† (Clover and Hassall, 2007) The government has agreed to take another look at the regulation part of the bill because of such widespread discontent. The Complaints section of the bill created a single independent service for handling complaints – the Office of Legal Complaints – for all branches of the legal profession, in order to provide customers will greater confidence in their legal service, and to provide a quick and fair fix when things go wrong.   The OLC will be funded by the legal profession as a whole, and consumers will get the service for free, assuming that they do not pass  £20,000 in compensation. â€Å"It will be interesting to see how the increased level of redress to  £20,000 (compared with the Law Society’s current maximum of  £15,000) affects the consumer’s choice in pursuing a remedy against his solicitor. Whilst in the past most complaints to the Law Society have resulted in only a small payment of a few hundred pounds, the available figures relate to a time when the maximum award was only  £5,000 and when the Law Society did not deal with allegations of negligence as such. It is clear that, in the absence of legal aid, the OLC should provide consumers who have suffered losses of up to  £20,000 with an affordable and quick remedy, although it is unlikely to have much impact on claims of higher value, or those involving complex legal matters.† (Clover and Hassall, 2007) The third objective of the bill is to affect the structure of firms and legal partnerships.   The bill will provide for Alternative Business Structures, or ABS, which will provide lawyers and non-lawyers a chance to work together to provide legal services, and for non-lawyers to inject capital into legal services firms. It is expected to take several months until these reforms are fully implemented into the current system, and will take years for those reforms to have an impact on the system. In May of 2006, a report was published by an all-party Committee that has raised concerns about the legal services bill. Lord Hunt of Wirral, who served as Chairperson of the Joint Committee on the legal services bill, said, â€Å"we have some very real concerns about the proposals put forward in this bill.   The draft legal services bill departs from the recommendations of Sir David Clementi in a number of important respects and it is essential the Government should explain each of those departures fully.   Most of our substantive recommendations would come under a single heading, namely that of going back to the future – the future envisaged by Clementi.† (Parliament, 2006) Hunt raised concerns about the legal profession remaining independent from the government.   He said that it is not only important that the legal profession be independent, but that it must be perceived as an independent body, and Hunt expressed concern that too much regulation would undermine general support and confidence. Seemingly, the main concern for all those who are involved in this reform process, including those are for and those who oppose the legal services bill or portions of the legal services bill, is the wishes of the consumer. In a 2005 white paper, â€Å"The Future of Legal Services: Putting the Consumer First,† the government expressed its views on the topic. â€Å"Consumers need, and deserve, legal services that are efficient, effective, and economic.   They want to have choice, and they want to have confidence in a transparent and accountable industry.   Legal services are crucial to people’s ability to access justice.   They must therefore be regulated and made available in such a way as to meet the needs of the public – individuals, families, and businesses. The professional competence of lawyers is not in doubt.   The calibre of many of our legal professionals is among the best in the world.   But despite this, too many consumers are finding that they are not receiving a good or a fair deal.† (White Paper, 2005) The government concluded in their white paper that the current system was a ’regulatory maze’ and that it is outdated, inflexible, over complex and not accountable or transparent enough. â€Å"Reform is overdue.   It is necessary to ensure that consumers are in the driving seat in the provision of legal services.   It is also important to ensure that confidence in providers is maintained and increased.† (White Paper, 2005) In response to this white paper, the City of London Law Society said that there was not much enthusiasm in the city for the alternative business structures that were planned, although the CLLS was interested in the prospect of forming partnerships with barristers and solicitors, and promoting non-lawyers to partner with litigators. â€Å"Despite the concerns,† write Clover and Hassall, â€Å"most welcome the idea of reform and a better (but not necessarily more) regulated profession.   This should have a positive impact on the professional performance of the legal profession as a whole thereby reducing the number of negligence claims.† (Clover and Hassall, 2007)   This positive impact is dependant upon the degree and amount of regulation for many in the profession. Major reform is taking place with the implementation of the legal services bill, despite the fact that not all are satisfied with the type or quality of the reform.   Concerns about an outdated system being replaced with a restrictive system are still important to listen to, but the despite its flaws, the legal services bill is aimed to repair many of the flaws in the current system.   Reexamination of the bill is necessary to please all parties involved, but the bill seems to be a step in the right direction for the future of the legal profession in the United Kingdom. With so much riding on the ability to obtain competent, fair and efficient legal service, it is crucial that reforms be taken seriously and should not be used to undermine public confidence and opinion about the legal profession.   With so many solicitors and barristers causing concern over the â€Å"middle-man† function in the legal profession, regulation and complaints are mandatory aspects.   The legal profession in private practice is able to provide the general public with adequate and effective service, and the legal services bill has an opportunity to improve the quality of service being provided. Works Cited Blanes i Vidal, J., I. Jewitt and C. Leaver. (2005). Legal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disciplinary Practices: A Discussion of the Clementi   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Proposals. Clementi, D. (2004). Report of the Review of the Regulatory Framework for Legal Services in England and Wales. Legal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Services Reform. Clover, S. and L. Hassall. (2007). United Kingdom: The Legal Services Bill. Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Retrieved from Mondaq.com on April 18, 2007. Davies, S. (2005). The economic implications of partnership   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   restrictions in the legal services sector and their possible   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   removal. Government White Paper. (2005). The Future of Legal Services:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Putting Consumers First. Compiled by Lord Falconer. â€Å"Joint Committee Raise Concern Over Proposals in the Legal    Services Bill.† (2006). Retrieved from UK â€Å"Legal Services Bill.† (2006). BBC News, on April 18, 2007. Thorp, A. (1999). The Access to Justice Bill: Legal aid.   Ã‚  Ã‚   House   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Commons Research Paper, 99(33).