Wants vs. Needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wants vs. Needs - Essay Example The notion of wants and needs will be accorded in this instance in the context of desert survival with the semi-nomadic Ju/'hoansi Bushmen in the Kalahari desert. Contrary to the common views that desert survival is relatively easy, being stuck or to live in a desert for an indefinite period of time needs a lot of careful planning and effective strategy. Before deciding which things I need to bring with me, it is important to describe the prospective conditions. Half of the Kalahari Desert does not qualify as a desert because it â€Å"receives much more rainfall† (Encyclopaedia Britannica, â€Å"Kalahari Desert†), than the other half of the desert. While rains occur at a significantly large volume annually with â€Å"a mean precipitation of more than 20 [Student’s Last Name] 2 inches† (Encyclopaedia Britannica, â€Å"Kalahari Desert†), still the area is extremely dry and there are no surface water. By and large, the sand is red and hot. Edible veget ation and fruit-bearing trees are present in some parts of the desert but occur on a single season within a year. Semi-nomadic tribes like the Bushmen live in Kalahari Desert. Majority of the Bushmen, also known as â€Å"Shan†, have shelters of their own. Water is their main concern. In dry seasons, they use sip-well to extract water from the ground. While they are hunter-gatherers and plant eaters, they also consume a considerable amount of insects especially during hot seasons (Morris 57). They also have common household necessities like knives, cloaks, blankets, etc. Given these conditions, I have come up with a list of things, either a need or a want, which I will be bringing with me in a stay with the Bushmen for an indefinite period of time: (1) distilled water; (2) medical kit; (3) communication tools; (4) wool jacket; (5) alcohol. Living in a stern environment in so far as water is concerned is both difficult and life threatening. Thus, water is a dire need for someon e who will have to spend an indefinite period of time in the desert. To prevent diarrhoea or other related diseases, it is absolutely helpful to bring large volumes of distilled drinking water. Similarly, dangers are very common in the desert. Poisonous creatures like scorpions and snakes are lurking everywhere. It is especially important to anticipate the possibility of encountering these dangers, or even worse, getting bitten by these deadly creatures in order to carefully plan the travel. Hence, a medical kit should not be discounted as it helps preclude the possibility of injury or even death. Similarly, deserts like Kalahari have very erratic weather conditions. Temperatures are normally high during the day but go too low during the night. If the body is not used to recurrent weather changes, one may [Student’s Last Name] 3 not be able to survive; therefore, a wool jacket should be brought together with the traveller. This somehow neutralizes the body temperature, which may help in regulating the blood flow. As aforementioned, water is the prime concern in Kalahari; water is scarce in the area. Thus, it is rather inappropriate to employ the same hygienic practices in the desert; in other words, taking a bath is relatively not a possibility. Nevertheless, this should not serve as a

Police Response to Domestic Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Police Response to Domestic Violence - Essay Example By using discretion to avoid making arrests in some cases, the police are perceived to be declining to offer â€Å"necessary assistance to the victims of the violence† (Hendricks and Byers, 37). The police policy geared at delaying response with intention that the â€Å"domestic violence would resolve itself† has in some cases been worsening the situation instead of helping it (Hendricks and Byers, 39). Hendricks and Byers assert that the police are normally trained to rely more on crisis intervention, mediations and separations of parties involved in the violence, counseling for substance abuse cases, and let the victims carry the burden of arrest. Practically, this kind of training has made it very difficult for these victims especially the poor ones to seek justice against the sufferings they undergo during the violence (102). Police officers prefer not to respond to domestic violence calls following the organizational disincentives. For instance, the officers perceive the violence to be dangerous. â€Å"Statutory restrictions on misdemeanor† have prevented the police from doing anything worthwhile (Hendricks and Byers, 112). The cases in which the victims fail to follow through with prosecution have also demoralized the officers from responding to the violence as required of them. There also have been cases in which the police are accused of being biased while making arrests on the â€Å"offenders of the domestic violence† (Hendricks and Byers, 113). There have been several reforms that have been enacted to improve the â€Å"police response to domestic violence† (Hendricks and Byers, 115). The reforms were pushed through due to mounting pressure from the women’s rights groups and battered women’s advocates. Implementation of pro-arrest policies such as Domestic Violence Act has been instrumental in ensuring â€Å"warrantless arrest† in cases perceived to have probable cause of violation of a protection order (Hendricks and Byers, 118). According to