Management and Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management and Research - Essay Example 3. Innovation in business is a route that represents a high risk for any business endeavor. A higher risk implies the possibility of failure is more likely than normal. Many times the technological concept is solid, but not economically viable. Another deterrent is when a firm runs out of funds to continue developing a concept or the market does not accept a new product despite its technological superiority. 1. An individual can achieve an internal state of mind that allows for creativity since the person controls all dimensions to take the idea and convert into innovation that creates income or contributes a valuable service to society. Universities use innovation as a general guideline to foster R&D. Companies focus on innovation to create value. Governmental organizations use innovation to spark economic activity. Non-profit organizations value innovation since it opens new doors that lead to solutions to solve social, environmental, and other community concerns. \ 4. The relationship between company creativity as a function of the creativity of the individual associated with the firm is a hypothesis that a mathematical model could test to determine the correlation between the independent and dependent variable. In a business model with multiple variables such as structures, routines, incentives, etc. a multivariable regression model can accomplish the desired objective. A company that uses employee creativity to as part of its operating activities is IBM with its wide array of personalized high tech business solutions. 5. Collaborative research agreements allow for technological transfers among participants in the research alliance. Different geographical points across earth have certain characteristics that are unique to the region and may be of interest for foreign investigators, thus collaborative research agreements are imperative to foster

Social Networking Essay Example for Free

Social Networking Essay In this report I will be outlining what Social Networking Sites are. A growing number of different Social Network Sites allows people to reunite and communicate without the limitations of distance or time. Enabling people to have regular interaction and keep up to date with the everyday life of others. So how do these sites work and why are they so popular? Associates may include close friends, family, distant relatives, old school friends, previous work colleagues or just shared interests. Whilst you will have frequent face to face contact with many of these people, others you will not. It is thought that our interactions with others, enhances our individual well-being. Due to the mainstream popularity of Social Network Sites where many people engage, they are a useful platform for both businesses and academic learning, with the creation of forum groups, they provide and extension of class discussion. Communication pages are a great benefit for schools and colleges to update information for parents and students. Not forgetting the functional applications, designed to support education. Many sites introduced games and other â€Å"applications† to entertain users and combat the flatness for new users during the early stages and those with a low number â€Å"friends†. Facebook has a large number of Applications available. Most sites contain common aspects, including a personal â€Å"profile† to allow the user to identify themselves, possibly with a photograph and a short description. They can then link to other people they know within the site to create a list of â€Å"friends†. Additional information may also be invited, such as age, location, hobbies and interests. ‘Their network of connections is displayed as an integral piece of their self-presentation’ (boyd et. al 2007). Some sites such as Twitter allows users to change the appearance of their profile page, this site is very popular with celebrities. As always, there are negative aspects to using online social network sites and the growing concerns surrounds the privacy methods in place. It is imperative that these sites are responsible with the control and use of data held for their users. Not only for the risk of data theft, but companies have been known to pass personal details on to third parties and used for unsolicited emails, also known as spamming. In addition to this, data mining software is repeatedly used to spy on regularly visited web pages and purchases to target the user to a more precise market. It is reported that many users have experienced cyber-bullying, which can have a major impact on personal health and well-being, causing anxiety and fear. Trolling is another increasing menace, where a user tries to impersonate another user, by setting up an account in another persons’ name using their pictures, intentionally causing upset by being offensive to others. Other risks include grooming, where sex pests try to build a trusting relationship online, with the aim to eventually meet. However, sites such as MySpace and Netlog are pro-active with the increasing number of sexual predators active on their site and often liaise with law enforcement to monitor and intercept such activities. Therefore, it is clear why many people prefer to completely avoid them. Launched in 1997, SixDegrees was the first Social Network Site. It had the same characteristics that we see today. Despite having millions of users, it did not develop into a worthwhile business. SixDegrees closed in 2000. The site creator deemed the site was ahead of it’s time. Today the top most popular Social Network Sites are: Facebook and Twitter. Strong contenders include MySpace, and LinkedIn. To summarise, I would describe Social Network Sites to be speed socialising, as we all have busy lives and may find it hard to make time for our close friends and family. This method enables people to socialise with a wider circle of friends you wouldn’t necessarily have time to socialise with. It is important to be aware of the personal details we are supplying about ourselves and the consequences it could have, it may seem obvious but it is essential that people should only share information that you are happy for others to know. But, if used with both common sense and caution the sites can be very positive and gratifying. [Word Count: 700] References DirectGov, 2012. Social Networking Service [online] Available at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Yourchildshealthandsafety/Internetsafety/DG_182627 [Accessed 13 April 2012] Boyd, d. m. and Ellison, N. B. (2007) ‘Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship’, in Donelan, H., Kear, K. and Ramage, M. (eds) Online Communication and Collaboration: A Reader, Abingdon, Routledge, pp. 261–281.

In Seal Team Six English Literature Essay

In Seal Team Six English Literature Essay Herbert Spencer, a renowned philosopher once said, Life is the continuous adjustment of internal relations to external relations Herbert Spencer Quotes. Throughout his life, Wasdin was influenced by the experiences of his childhood, during which he was harshly abused by his stepfather. He decided to enlist after graduating from college, and went on to become a member of SEAL Team Six, an anti-terrorist group known for taking down Osama Bin Laden and various other terrorist leaders. His novel, SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of An Elite Navy Seal Sniper, describes his journey from a poor beginning in an impoverished neighborhood to a distinguished position in the army, and brings the reader through his journey to success. During his narration, he constantly reminds the reader of how experiencing abuse as a child helped him endure hardships and succeed. Howard E. Wasdin encountered many struggles throughout his life, but he was able to became one of the worlds most renowned and deadliest soldie rs, as evidenced and shown through his achievements in his life and his overcoming of abuse. Howard E. Wasdin was born Howard E. Wilbanks on November 8, 1961 in the quiet town of Screven, Georgia. His biological father ran away when Wasdin was a few months old, and his mother engaged and married another man, Leon Wasdin. Howard was born premature, but the clinic was so poor that it didnt have an incubator. Millie Kirkman, Wasdins mother, carried him home in a shoe box, and, for a bed, pulled out a drawer from one of the dressers and put blankets in it. As a child, I learned to endure forces beyond my control. My mother had me when she was sixteen years old (Wasdin 25). From an early age, Wasdin learned to adapt and live with a changing situation, an important aspect of a soldier. Belonging to a poor family did not help the fact that he was abused. The earliest memory I have of my childhood is when I was four years old awakened in the middle of the night by a huge man reeking of liquor. He snatched me out of the top bunk, questioning me about why Id done something wrong that day. Then he slapped me around, hitting me in the face, to the point where I could taste my own blood (Wasdin 26). Abuse heavily impacted Wasdin, and it stayed with him for the rest of his life. By the time he was five, Wasdin attempted to run away, but was later returned by the police a night later. On the night of his return, Wasdin was nearly beaten to death by Leon, his stepfather. Leon also happened to be a truck driver, and owned pecan trees in the yard of his house. It was Howards responsibility to pick up the pecans off the driveway when Leon came home, and if he heard any pecans pop under his wheels, that was my ass. Didnt matter if any had fallen since I picked them up. It was my fault for not showing due diligence (Wadin 28). In high school, Wasdin participated in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), and he discovered an interest in the military. He was fascinated with the discipline, structure, and nice uniform, and was always the outstanding cadet. It was a nice break from abuse, and after graduating from Cumberland Community College, he enlisted. On November 6, 1983, he reported to the Naval Training Center in Orlando, Florida for three months of basic training, and after basic training, Wasdin committed to six weeks of aircrew training and twelve weeks of search and rescue training at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. Then, he joined the Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Seven as an antisubmarine warfare operator and rescue swimmer. One of Wasdins first encounters with war was when his helicopter crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while investigating a Russian nuclear submarine that had sunk while sailing off the coast of Bermuda. Wasdin jumped to action, rescuing the pilot and f ellow comrades who had been knocked unconscious by the impact and calling in another helicopter for exfiltration. He was commended for his efforts and invited to join SEAL training, which he completed a year later. At first, Wasdin was assigned to SEAL Team Two, a more basic group, before being promoted to SEAL Team Six. Before being allowed to undergo training for becoming a navy SEAL on Team Six, Wasdin fought in Operation Desert Storm, a conflict between the United States and Iraq that would last for a year, and along with his SEAL Team Two, he took control of a cargo ship disguised under an Egyptian flag that was laying mines in the Red Sea. Also, he destroyed undetonated missiles in enemy territory to make sure they did not get the invaluable technology, and helped Iraqi refugees by transporting food and water. After the operation, Wasdin tried applying for a position on the SEAL teams, and he wrote, If I hadnt been a player in Desert Storm, I probably wouldve had to wait anoth er two and a half years (Wasdin 146). During his occupation as a SEAL Team Six operative, he was wounded in the Battle of Mogadishu, and discharged from the army shortly after. He developed neck problems from his wounds, and after seeing a chiropractor, he was completely cured without any medicine. Wasdin later went on to study at a chiropractic college and open his own chiropractic clinic. (Gray 2) In Seal Team Six: Memoirs of An Elite Navy Seal Sniper, Wasdin brings the reader through most of his life, from him humble beginnings as an abused child to his great achievements as a SEAL warrior, with a majority of the book focused on his training and life during war. The fourth week of basic SEAL training is aptly nicknamed Hell Week, because trainees have died from being exhausted or overworked, training for five days and five nights on four hours of sleep total. Howard records a certain event during Hell Week: Instructor Stoneclam said, Everybody out of the water! We crawled out of the water and on to the floating steel pier. He made us strip naked and lay down. Mother Nature had prepared the pier by blowing cool wind across it. Then the instructors sprayed us with cold water. Our muscles contracted wildly. The spasms were uncontrollable. Mike said, Sorry man. I gotta pee. Its okay man. Pee here. He urinated on my hands. Oh, thanks, buddy. Most people think its just gross theyv e obviously never been really cold (Wasdin 69). Hell Week always starts late at night on a Sunday, and ends at dawn of Saturday. By Thursday night of Hell Week, the trainees only had three to four hours of total sleep since Sunday, and the dream world started to mix with the real world. While enjoying a meal on Thursday morning of Hell week, an instructor said to Wasdin, You know, Wasdin, I want to you take this butter knife, go over there, and kill that deer in the corner (Wasdin 72). He looked over, and sure enough, a buck stood still in the chow hall. He crept up to the deer and pounced, only to discover it was the tray table. It was common for an instructor to play a trick like this, as it was their job to break the trainees and find their weaknesses. After completing SEAL training, Wasdin went directly to airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He ridiculed the other students at the training, because he felt that coming from SEAL training, airborne training was very easy. W asdin writes, Some of the soldiers talked as if the training were the hardest thing in the world. They thought they were becoming part of some elite fighting force (Wasdin 89). Then, he trained alongside Swedish Special Forces while moving on to winter warfare training in Scotland. About a year after he finished winter warfare training, he participated in Operation Desert Storm, and after Desert Storm, he applied for a spot on SEAL Team Six, and was accepted. However, the worst of his battles was yet to come. The Battle of Mogadishu, or Black Hawk Down, took place on October 3, 1993, and was one of the bloodiest battles of the twenty-first century for the United States. The goal was to hunt down Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, but Wasdin and his comrades were ambushed while pursuing him. In spite of one hundred eighty soldiers fighting against nearly three thousand of Aidids forces, American forces managed to capture several high value targets. However, Wasdin was shot by a Somali militant at close range, nearly blowing his right leg off. After the battle, Wasdin was airlifted to the armys Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest American hospital outside the United States. Upon his arrival, the doctors took him straight to surgery. At first, Wasdin refused to take the general anesthetic, because he was afraid of losing his leg to surgery, but the surgeon eventually gave him an epidural, which numbed him from the waist down. Uncle Earl, from his wifes family, came to visit Wa sdin after the surgery, and was appalled at the stark conditions at the hospital. Wasdin was lying in his own excrement, and was filthy all over. After the epidural, he lost control of his bladder, and there was still dried blood caked on his body from the battle. Maybe the hospital had been too busy to perform proper patient care due to the sudden influx of wounded soldiers from the battle, but after a brief discussion, Earl got the staff to clean Wasdin and replace his bed sheets. Nonetheless, Wasdin contracted a staph infection from the hospital stay, and nearly died. He managed to fully recover, but still had an unexplained wracking pain in his neck. He assumed the pain was some lasting effect from the infection, but after a few visits to a doctor, he discovered that the pain originated from adjusting for his gunshot wound by changing his gait. Wasdin compared his body to a house: If the basement tilts to the right and sinks a little, the roof follows except the necks pulls the opposite way (Wasdin 287). Eventually, a friend recommended a chiropractor to him, and after a few appointments, he was completely rid of the neck pain. This particular event inspired him to pursue an education in chiropractic, and he later graduated with honors as a doctor of chiropractic on September 24, 2009 from Life University in Georgia. Currently, Wasdin runs a chiropractic clinic in Jessup, Georgia. (Why I became a Chiropractor) In his novel, Wasdin revealed a lot of information about his own life. He took the reader through the grueling weeks of SEAL training, and led the reader through several significant military operations, including Operation Desert Storm, the Battle of Mogadishu, and investigating Soviet Submarine K-219. He also goes into detail about suffering PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) after being discharged. Wasdin writes, I suffered the withdrawal symptoms of being cut off from the camaraderie. I was in culture shock, too. People around town could talk to me about their lives, but I couldnt talk to them about mine (Wasdin 272). Moreover, he talked about how he was motivated to become a chiropractor: After all the neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and other doctors, a chiropractor gave me back my quality of life, (Wasdin 293) referring to how only the chiropractor was effective in treating Wasdins pain. Wasdin described his childhood and its later influence on his life. In his novel, he compared his kinfolk to a lion pride, or family. He comments, When a lion acquires a lioness with cubs, he kills them. Leon didnt kill me, but anything that was not done exactly right, I paid for (Wasdin 27). If the chores were not done correctly by the time Leon came home, Wasdin was beaten. If the pecans were not completely removed from the driveway when Leon came home, Wasdin was beaten. If the incorrect number of produce was brought home from the market, Wasdin was beaten. Although Wasdin lived an unfortunate childhood, this helped prepare him both mentally and physically for his military career. Child abuse is an issue prevalent throughout the world, and it is not a simple matter. As Giardino, a doctorate in pediatrics writes, It is impossible and inadvisable to consider physical abuse of a child as an isolated incident with one cause and one effect. The ecological model of human development and interaction is generally regarded as an ideal conceptual framework à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ leading to the nonaccidental injury or physical abuse of the child. While the relationshop between the amount of stress in an environment and the likelihood of abuse is not completely understood, there is data that suggests that the likelihood of abuse tends to increase when stress increases. Also, some caregivers can handle stress better than others, as evident with Leon, who could clearly not manage his temper. Leon and Wasdins mother both came from the poorer regions of Screven, Georgia, Wasdins birthplace. This may have contributed to an increased amount of stress experienced by the two parents, an d Leon was depicted as an alcoholic in the novel. Wasdins parents were both explicitly abusive, shouting expletives and threatening his life. There are many severe and permanent consequences to abuse. Suffering abuse can completely devastate a child, as they should be receiving love and nurturing instead. Childhood is a period of development during which a person takes in ideas and notions that he/she will retain for the rest of his/her life, and it is crucial that a child lives in a supportive environment that promotes growth. Child abuse has consequences for both society and the victim: According to a National Institute of Justice study, abused children were eleven times as likely to be arrested for criminal as a juvenile, four times more likely to be arrested for violent and criminal behavior as an adult à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Long term Consequences). Five children in the United States die every day from abuse-related injuries, and approximately eighty percent of children that die from abuse are under the age of five. Also, two-thirds of people in drug treatment program report being abused as children. For Wasdin, abuse started at the young age of four years old, when human developme nt starts to quicken. Despite the negative aspects of abuse, it played an important part in keeping Wasdin at the top of his SEAL class and alive in war. The slap of a belt against skin and the sound of a hand against a face may be stark reminders to Wasdin of his past, but in essence, being beaten prepared him for the physical test of training. Being scared for his life and dreading the next encounter with Leon may have been mentally scarring to Wasdin, but being placed under stress helped prepare him for the mental strain of training. Wasdin mentioned that many of his fellow trainees were more fit and stronger than him, yet did not have the mental toughness required of a SEAL. Among his classmates included an Iron Man triathlete, a college football player, and others. Wasdin writes, Anybody can be physically strong. A lot of people can show up to training and be able to perform the tasks given to them. Professional athletes and high school sports stars sometimes participate, and they are the first to quit. Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness, even more so in times of war (Wasdin 156). These traits kept him al ive in war. Wasdin learned important lessons from suffering abuse as a child. From the pecan tree punishments, he learned to be aware of his surroundings and pay attention to every single detail. When he took out the trash and the wind blew the trash can over after he went back inside his house, Wasdin learned to adapt to the changing situation and just deal with it. When he was beaten for bringing home the wrong number of carrots and watermelon, he learned the importance of being exact when counting. These are all aspects of a successful soldier. For example, during the Battle of Mogadishu, Wasdin was the driver of a Humvee, and if Wasdin did not see the militant who had popped up to shoot him, he would likely have been shot to death. When Wasdin was shot, he stayed calm and looked for safety, adapting to the situation. Before the battle, he had checked his weapon magazine for the correct number of rounds, so that it would not jam during a firefight. He also made sure that his medical supplies were adequate; if he had missed a single tourniquet during Battle of Mogadishu, he almost most certainly wouldve lost his leg. While abuse negatively affected Wasdin as a child, it ultimately benefited him later on in life. Wasdin had a tough beginning as a child, but he took advantage of his struggles and went on to become a renowned soldier, receiving several honors and awards for his valiance in combat. His novel Seal Team Six: Memoirs of An Elite Navy Seal Sniper received acclaim from critics from The Washington Post and Time Magazine, and continues to be a harrowing account of his journey from a victim of abuse to a victorious, decorated veteran.

walking your walk :: essays research papers

Walking your Walk The book mentions that ethics is about behavior. This means that for something to be a part of your ethical beliefs, you must be willing to act accordingly if put the situation. If you are not willing to act on something that you say is your ethical and moral belief, is it really a part of your ethics. I do not think that a person can believe something and contradict the beliefs with the decisions that they choose to make. The decisions that people make decide for them, what their ethical and moral beliefs. Talk is cheap when it comes to ethics. I think that in the case of ethics, the phrase should be switched around. If you are walking the walk, you are allowed to talk the talk. For example a teacher has many students, and at the beginning of the semester, or the beginning of their teaching career, they choose to grade fairly and to give students grades depending of the scores of the homework, tests, and participation. This is the right ethical way to grade for the teacher. If the teacher has a student who tries really hard, and puts in the time outside of class, and has a tutor, but in the end just has a hard time with the subject matter. Would that student deserve to get a failing grade just because they are slower than the rest of the class. Why does the smart kid who has to put forth no effort, and everything just comes natural, get the good grade. I think that teachers are more inclined to give the student who tries so hard a passing grade, when the numbers are the things that should determine the grade. I think that you absolutely have an ethical responsibility to be a role model for others in your daily activities. If you are in a management position for example, how can you expect people to behave like you want them to if you are not willing to be the example? I believe that a manager, and even a person for that matter, should not ask you to do something that they would not do themselves if put in the same situation. If you are not acting on something that is part of your ethical and moral beliefs, than it does not belong as part of your ethical makeup. It is more of a moral and ethical wish list, and the only things on that list that you can claim, are the things that you are practicing, and using to make your decisions.

Skin Facts

The skin is the largest organ of the body. On the average person, the skin is approximately 3000 square inches and weighs approximately seven pounds. While the eyes are the â€Å"windows of the soul†, the skin is the â€Å"window to the body† because it is the only organ that can be seen. The skin contains 25% of the body’s blood supply, which flow completely through the skin once every minute. The skin is the body’s largest organ of immunity. It is the body’s first line of defence, the boundary where self is designed from non-self, yet it is highly interactive with the environment. Anatomy of Normal Skin Approximately 50% of the body’s primary cells of immunity are housed in the skin at any minute. After puberty, these cells are matured in the skin. The skin is biodynamic, alive up to the stratum corneum the only barrier the skin has to the outside world. The stratum corneum is less than the thickness of one human hair. In one square inch of the skin there are 2800 openings for sweat and oil glands. Over three million sweat glands cover the body, contributing to one of the skin’s many nicknames, the third kidney. In one day, skin will release one to several millilitres’ of water. As we get older, these sweat glands produce less perspiration. Skin perspires, what some people mistakenly call breathing. It takes in about 2. 5% of the body’s oxygen and releases about 3% carbon dioxide. In general, the skin does not breathe from outside oxygen. It works on anaerobic metabolism through our lungs. The skin is a bio-conversion factory. It is the largest hormone and enzyme producing organ of the body. Two distinct layers make up the skin. The epidermis, which covers and protects and the dermis, supports the epidermis and connects it to the underlying muscles. It acts as a heat regular in conjunction with the blood stream and perspiration glands. When the body is exposed to too much heat, there is a rush of blood to the surface of the skin, permitting it to cool. At the same time, the perspiration glands secrete liquid to aid in the process. Sensory erception occurs in the skin, preventing damage to its ability to feel heat and/or cold, giving pleasure by the same ability to feel such things as the smoothness of satin of the softness of down. There is delayed light screening by means of melanin’s reaction to light. Melanin is a dark pigment found in the skin. It is the area where both sebum and perspiration production take place and where these two combine on the surface to form a protective film (acid mantle) which renders the skin less vulnerable to damage and attack by environmental factors (e. . sun, wind, bacteria) and less prone to dehydration. â€Å"pH† is a chemist’s term standing for â€Å"potential of hydrogen† and is used to describe the degree of acidity or alkalinity in the acid mantle of the skin or in a product. It is measured on a scale ranging from 0-14. The centre of the scale, 7, is neutrality (neither acid nor alkaline). A reading above 7 indicates that the substance being measured is alkaline; below 7, acid. As far as the skin is concerned, a normal pH (or normal Acid Mantle) is in the range of 4. 2 to 5. 6. It will vary from one part of the body to another and generally speaking, the pH of a man’s skin is lower (more acid) than of a woman’s. The Chemical Composition of the Skin: Water70. 0% All percentages are approximate, Protein25. 5%as water may range from 60% to 70%. Lipids2. 0% Trace Minerals0. 5% All Other2. 0% There are three main skin layers: †¢The Subcutis contains fat cells and Lipocytes which make lipids. †¢The Dermis contains nerves, blood vessels, sebaceous glands and sweat glands and consists mainly of collagen & elastin. †¢The Epidermis contains keratinocytes, melanocytes and Langerhans cells. The skin, and in fact our whole body, is composed of many different types of cells. These cells have the same fundamental chemical composition but they vary in size, shape and function. The cells that comprise the outer layer of the skin are themselves a series of many layers that overlap each other, thus ensuring that cellular or other fluids cannot escape from the body via the skin except through a cut or break, or by means of special escape routes: the pore of follicles. The outer surface of the skin is comprised of flattened dead cells. Underneath however, there are living cells, which are somewhat fuller, and the deeper one goes into the skin, the fuller and rounder the cells become. At the bottom of all the layers, there is a row of cells, which are the ones that are always growing and in the process, pushing other cells upward, the cells become flattened as they are emptied of their natural fluid through pressure and dehydration. This normal process of shedding and renewal takes about 30 days (which means that after a cell is born in the bottom layer, it ends up on the surface of the skin, dead and ready to shed). The number of things the skin does for us is incredible. It covers us (epidermis and dermis), helps us keep warm (fatty layer), cools us off (sweat glands), keeps itself supple (oil glands) provides ultraviolet ray protection (melanin cells, registers our sense of touch (nerves), and is ornamental (hair, eyelashes, nails). Over time, dead protein cells can build up and block sebaceous and sudoriferous glands. This causes disturbances in the skins pH levels, normal rhythm and proliferation.

Life and Works of Toni Morrison Essay

The Life and Work of Toni Morrison Toni Morrison, a premier contemporary American novelist, chronicles the African-American experience. Morrison has written six novels and a collection of essays and lectures. Her work has won national and international acclaim and has been translated into 14 languages. Her writing has been described as lyrical and she has been applauded for â€Å"writing prose with the luster of poetry. † Morrison won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her novel  Belovedand the coveted Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. In a released statement, the Nobel Prize Committee of the Swedish Academy awarded the prize to Morrison â€Å"who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality. † She is the first African-American writer to win the Nobel Prize, the first American woman to win in 55 years, and the eighth woman to win since the Nobel Prize was initiated in 1901. Morrison’s work, however, is not without controversy. In 1988, 48 African-American writers signed a letter protesting that her novel  Beloved  was overlooked for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics’ Circle Award. Many white authors and even some male African-American authors complained when she was selected for the Nobel Prize. They felt she received these awards due to preferential treatment based on race and sex. However, an overwhelming majority of the literary community agrees that such allegations are without merit. The Nobel Prize in Literature is not awarded for gender or race,† says Nadine Gordimer, the last woman to win the prize in 1991. â€Å"If it were, many thousands of mediocre writers might qualify. The significance of Toni Morrison’s winning the prize is simply that she is recognized internationally as an outstandingly fine writer. † Often the controversy surrounding such prizes are due in part to fierce competition for the money and prestige that are guaranteed to the rec ipients. Morrison has been hailed by experts for her ability to â€Å"re-imagine the lost history of her people. Others have recognized the Faulknerian influences in her work or that her plots have the sorrow of Greek tragedies. Along with the honor of winning the the Nobel Prize comes a cash award of $825,000. Morrison is currently the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University. Toni Morrison was born Chole Anthony Wofford in Lorrain, Ohio in 1931 during the Great Depression. (Toni is her nickname; Morrison is the name of her ex-husband. ) Her grandparents were former sharecroppers who migrated north from Alabama in 1910 to find a better life. Her family’s life was not without economic and racial hardships. They lived in a largely all-white town. Unpleasant memories of growing up there include being looked down upon because she was black. The only part-time job she could get at age 13 was cleaning people’s homes. In spite of these humble origins, Morrison received a B. A. from Howard University and a M. A. in English from Cornell University. Her master’s thesis was on writer William Faulkner, another Nobel Prize winner, whose work focused on life in the South. Upon graduation, one of her first round of jobs was teaching at Howard University. One of her students included writer Claude Brown who asked her to look at his 800 page manuscript. His book went on to become the classic urban autobiography  Manchild in the Promised Land. Another one of her students who went on to fame was Stokely Carmichael, a student activist and leader in the Black Power Movement of the sixties. In fact, the idea for her first book,  The Bluest Eye, came from the popular slogan â€Å"Black is Beautiful. Morrison placed a twist on that theme by focusing on a little black girl who did not think she was beautiful. After her teaching stints and the end of her marriage, she raised two sons as a single parent and wrote in her spare time. Morrison was hired by Random House, where she advanced from textbook editor to the position of senior editor. During her 18-year tenure, she helped writers to clean up their manuscripts, edited the  Black Book, a collection of Af rican-American memorabilia, and pushed for the publication of works by deserving, but often overlooked, African-American authors. Some of the authors that came to the limelight under her stewardship were Alice Walker, Gayle Jones, Gloria Naylor, and Toni Cade Bambara. Continuing to use Morrison as a guide, African-American female authors have emerged as a consistent and critical dimension in literature. In a 1994 interview with  Time  magazine, Morrison understands the significance of her work for female authors. â€Å"I felt I represented a whole world of women who either were silenced or who had never received the imprimatur of the established literary world. †¦ Seeing me up there might encourage them to write one of those books I’m desperate to read. † Before Morrison, the most successful African-American writers were males. For example, the work of acclaimed African-American novelist and essayist James Baldwin had tremendous literary impact in the fifties and sixties. Racial themes were explored as they had never been before in his books  Nobody Knows My Name  and  Go Tell It on the Mountain. Eventually, Baldwin felt uncomfortable living as a second-class citizen in the United States and became an ex-patriate who lived and worked from Paris. Richard Wright, Baldwin’s predecessor, was also an ex-patriate. Beginning with his autobiography  Black Boy  in 1945, Wright continued with  Outsiders, Uncle Tom’s Children, and his most important work  Native Son. Ralph Ellison wrote only one book. Yet Ellison’s Invisible Man won a National Book Award in 1952 and this allowed him to join the ranks of male authors successful at depicting the disenfranchisement of the African-Americans in the United States. Morrison is recognized as the most distinguished African-American novelist since Wright, Ellison, and Baldwin. In her work as an author, Morrison wanted to continue to broaden the perspective of American literature by telling the stories she felt were never told, stories about African-American girls and women and the racial and social pressures they faced. She wanted to write about people with the sensibilities of the culture she grew up in. Morrison wanted her work to focus on the joys and sorrows of their lives. She wrote her first novel when she was in her 30s. The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is about a black girl who feels she has no beauty. If only her eyes were blue and her skin was white, then she could be someone who could be loved. The book received respectable attention. The Bluest Eye  became the first of many of Morrison’s explorations into the identity, self-esteem, and impact of racial discrimination on what she believes to be the most vulnerable—women and children. Sula, published in 1973, shows two friends, black and female, and how they fit and don’t fit into their community. With the publication of Song of Solomon in 1977, Morrison won critical and commercial success and the National Book Critics’ Circle Award. By the time her next novel  Tar Babywas due in the bookstores in 1981, she was featured on the cover ofNewsweek. Ever expanding on the theme of telling stories untold, it is said her bookBeloved  was written in memory of the millions of lives lost during slavery. The plot centers around an ex-slave Sethe who would rather kill her own children than risk that they be re-enslaved. The ghost of Sethe’s dead child tries to remain close to her mother and wreaks havoc when she cannot. All of the characters in  Beloved, Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, try to recover from the personal and collective indignities of slavery. I was trying to make it a personal experience,† says Morrison in a question and answer interview with  Time  magazine. â€Å"The book was not about the institution—Slavery with a capital S. It was about these anonymous people called slaves. What they do to keep on, how they make a life, what they’re willing to risk, however long it lasts, in order to relate to one another—that was incredible to me,† she says. In 1992 Morrison published  Playing in the Dark, a collection of her Harvard lectures. In this collection she coins a new term, once again reinventing an already established concept. She teaches a humanities course that changes the term African-American to American Africanisms. This same year she also published  Race-ing Justice, En-Gendering Power, essays on the controversy surrounding the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings. In her novel  Jazz, also published in 1992, Morrison continues her theme of giving a voice to the voiceless. Once again, she does everything she can to stretch the imagination. The novel makes both racial and historical statements about the inequities of life for African-Americans in the post-slavery era. With the writing of  Jazz, Morrison takes on new tasks and new risks. Jazz, for example, doesn’t fit the classic novel format in terms of design, sentence structure, or narration. Just like the music this novel is named after, the work is improvisational. In this work, she is influenced not only by the jazz, blues, and gospel music she was reared on, but also by the folklore, tall tales, and ghost stories that her family told for entertainment. The result is a writing style that has a unique mix of the musical, the magical, and the historical.

Essay on Germany essays

Essay on Germany essays Germany is Western Europes richest and most populous nation, it remains a key member of the continents economic, political, and defense organizations. Even though European power struggled in the two World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. During the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany and the eastern German Democratic Republic. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German Unification in 1990. Ever since then Germany has expended considerable funds to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards. Germany and 10 other EU countries formed a common European currency, called the euro. Germany is located in central Europe, bordering the North Sea and the Baltic Sea between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. Germanys exact geographic coordinates are 51 00 N, 9 00 E. Germany has a total of 356,910 square kilometers of land. In Germany there is 2,389 kilometers of coastline. Germany climate is temperate and marine: cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers: occasional warm, tropical winds: with a high relative humidity. Germanys only natural disaster is the chance of flooding. Germanys natural resources include: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, and arable land. Germanys absolute advantages are the high percentage of arable land, which is 33%. Germanys comparative advantages are the iron ore and the coal. Since Germany is rich in these natural resources, there quantity is greater than many other countries. Germany has many export partners, including EU, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg, United States, and Japan. Germany exports many goods such as machinery, vehicles, chemicals,...

Explain succinctly how the musical language of the Concerto essays

Explain succinctly how the musical language of the Concerto essays Bartk was born in Hungary in 1881. He was a student of Liszt and Wagner, and influenced by Brahms. He became interested in Folk music during his younger years, and set out on a long expedition of collecting folk songs from the sub cultures of many countries. He did this so he could understand the music and how it arose and how it is transmitted. Modern Hungarian folk music research can be said to have commenced when Kodaly and Bartk set out on their first collecting trips in 1905 and 1906 respectively. From the outset they worked concertedly and systematically. They made a geographical division between them of the territories to cover. Bartk soon noticed that songs usually known as folk songs werent infact true folk, and that much more genuine folk music could be found among the peasantry. He began collecting folk music around 1905 and his collection expanded out to Eastern Europe. Bartk wanted to create modern music that equalled the modern west, so that this were better attitude could be overcome. The Concerto for Orchestra was completed in the autumn of 1943 and has a total of five movements indicating Bartks like of symmetry. The first and forth movements contain specific passages that are very prominent of folk tunes. Both the Harmonic and Melodic elements of the concerto represent a distillation of Bartks maturest style; the tendency to-ward more strongly affirmed tonality, lucid textures, plastic rhythms, is here intensified. But at the same time earlier characteristics become prominent. The parlando rubato of the introductory section as well as the intervallic structure of its melodies is firmly rooted in Hungarian Peasant music. In the opening movement, Bartk begins with a melody theme played by the cellos and basses. This begins at bar 1, ends at bar 6, and is repeated many ti ...

A personal visit ro a court in this semester Article

A personal visit ro a court in this semester - Article Example After the search, we were allowed to walk freely into the courtroom. I approached the receptionist and explained to her that my visit was part of my coursework, after which I was to write a report. She directed me to the six courtrooms available and told me to select one. I chose the first courtroom and sat at the public gallery with other members of the public who were there to watch the proceedings. Inside the courtroom, the public gallery was a portion at the back with stadium like seats.The barristers and solicitors sat in the middle area and the Judge in a raised box at the front.On the right was the defendant’s box and on the left was the claimant’s. I sat at the back facing the judge. The case in hearing was one about a stolen car. This case involved the claimant’s car was stolen from a parking outside a supermarket. The defendant on the other hand claimed he bought the same car legally from a local dealer. The claimant was the first to give an account of the events that led to the disappearance of his vehicle. He said that he had parked his car outside the supermarket and went inside to shop. After shopping, he came out only to find his car missing. He immediately rushed to the police station to report the incident. The car was found two weeks later driven by the defendant but under different registration. Soon after the claimant had finished narrating his ordeal, the defendant claimed he was not a thief and that he had just bought the said car from a local dealer. He presented all formal registration documents to prove he was the owner of the vehicle. The claimant’s barrister insisted that the defendant was aware that the car was stolen and participated in forgery of new documents. The defendant denied that and had to answer a series of questions from the claimant’s barrister as he was cross examined. After the defendant’s

Philosophy - Boethius and Aquinas on the Problem of God's Prescience Essay

Philosophy - Boethius and Aquinas on the Problem of God's Prescience - Essay Example This only serves to pronounces the clash with freewill. The Problem of God’s Prescience The conflict hence forms the basic premise of the Problem. God as the master of all things tangible and intangible is assumed to know incomprehensible details about human life and the course it will take. As such, His knowledge about a particular event precedes the event itself, thereby exemplifying his unique ability of knowing the future. This belief in God’s ubiquitousness forms one of the core foundations of his Divinity across the board of religions, whether the one in question is Christianity, Judaism or Islam. The Bible, Torah, and the Quran all repeatedly assert His pervasiveness carefully contrasting it with His limitless power. The masses of religions preach the notion that God is to be found everywhere at all times and no thought or eventuality escapes His gaze. Superficially, this ideology is readily admissible but when theologians venture to expound their gifts of insigh t onto the subject, striving to explain the Divine Knowledge, the one immediate problem they tend to notice is the apparent conflict with freewill. This is because the concept of freewill indicates that every human is capable of altering the course of his life as he deems fit by exercising discretionary powers of judgment. If God is to possess all knowledge of all time, this discretion may not in actuality exist, since God would already know the direction a particular individual would be expected to take. If the individual’s future is already preconceived in God’s eternal knowledge, the individual’s course of action could simply be labeled predetermined, even though he in his own right may be employing the gift of freewill. This notion forms what has come to be known as the Problem of God’s Prescience. Boethius’s ideologies Boethius in his Consolation of Philosophy sought to answer the very questions that formed the crux of the Problem. Firstly, it must be elucidated that incidents are historically conceived by philosophers to be of two kinds, necessary and contingent. God’s omniscience pertains to all knowledge that exists in the world, including the murkiest of thoughts that originate in a person’s mind. Hence, any thought, if formulated by a conscious course of judgment in a person’s mind, should be deemed contingent. It is contingent because it is not necessary for a person to think a certain thought, as his freewill allows him to develop a unique mindset, but if God already knows what his mindset would be, that contingent thought could become a necessary course of action for the person to take, as not taking that course of action would render God’s knowledge flawed. If it is assumed that God already knows the thought that is about to transpire, its contingency is made redundant. This, in essence, negates freewill and converts seemingly contingent occurrences into necessary occurrences since Go d already knows of their presence. As such, Boethius’ twin-prong ideologies regarding the problem emerge. His first limb identifies that God’s omniscience and perfection go hand in hand and can never be rebutted,

Emerging Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Emerging Technologies - Essay Example in law enforcement in an attempt to support police work in different forms for instance computer technology offers a wide variety of software tools and applications that can be used for examining data like that geographic information systems and entering information regarding crimes in databases. At the present, the advancements and developments in information technologies have required from law enforcement agencies to make use of the most excellent technology obtainable to carry out data analysis, respond to crises, protect people and stop crimes. In addition, a lot of researches have shown that computer technology can be used to increase the efficiency of police work; however it needs to be integrated with definite organizational activities which are implemented to take advantage of data availability. In this scenario, computer technology works as a wonderful tool for police to help them achieve their wider and more and more complicated tasks. Additionally, the research has also sh own that computer technology has significant effect on performance of police work. In other words, it can be said that if police department makes effective use of information technology, it can improve their performance and importance. In view of that, it is vital to gain knowledge of that how much information technology is useful for a police force (Ellahi & Manarvi, 2010). Moreover, before the implementation of information technology into the police stations, crime related data and information was stored by hand. However, at the present, the arrival of information technology offers wonderful techniques and technologies to store huge volumes of data which are not station specific; to a certain extent it can be used by all of the police officers. In other words, it can be said that after... In the past few years, the events of computer-related crime and telecommunications fraud have augmented at a very high speed. In addition, due to the intangible environment of these crimes, we could be able to see very few prosecutions and even fewer convictions. In many cases, the computer technology that has been accepted for automation and advancement of a wide variety of business operations has also brought a lot of new kinds of computer violence and crime. Though, some of these system attacks only use up to date techniques to hand over older, a lot of well-known types of abuse, while remaining engaged the utilization of absolutely new kinds of against the law action that has developed together with the technology.Basically, the computer technology is used in law enforcement in an attempt to support police work in different forms for instance computer technology offers a wide variety of software tools and applications that can be used for examining data like that geographic infor mation systems and entering information regarding crimes in databases.Moreover, before the implementation of information technology into the police stations, crime related data and information was stored by hand.However, at the present, the arrival of information technology offers wonderful techniques and technologies to store huge volumes of data which are not station specific; to a certain extent it can be used by all of the police officers. Additionally, computer technology in the scenario of police can be seen in a wide variety of aspects.

Write your own dystopian story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write your own dystopian story - Essay Example The country followed another ritual of a lottery of drowning thirty of its citizens down the sea every month to overcome its problems. It was due to these laws that Mrs. Dickinson had hidden her daughter. The Dickinson family was very happy until a police officer saw Emily playing around the house. The Butchering Team arrived at their doorstep. It was the day of the lottery as well. It was an unfortunate day as Mr. Dickinson’s name was in the drowning lottery as well. The family got a tip off and they all walked together towards the sea for the lottery from the backdoor. They took a brave step and Mrs. Dickinson stood in the middle of the crowd at the shore and announced that the entire family was going to go through the drowning ritual. Their protest was joined by a larger crowd and many people joined in. This led to wave of unrest and the state government of Ludiano was overthrown. The leaders were expelled from the state and so were the members of the Butchering Team. This was how peace was again restored in the state

Revolutionary Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Revolutionary Era - Essay Example Although the paper deals with significant aspects of the Revolution in connection with the African Americans, it fails to present the topic in an effective, organized way. One of the essential features of the paper is that it incorporates several essential facts in relation to this topic and attempts to establish the vital connection between the American Revolution and the African Americans. Thus, it suggests how the African Americans contributed to the revolution in America and vice versa. In order to substantiate the arguments, the paper makes reference to online textbooks such as digitalhistory.uh.edu, which enhances the relevance of the paper. The website used in the paper is authentic and reliable on the topic, especially relating to ‘Slavery, the American Revolution, and the Constitution’. It is also important to maintain that the paper effectively incorporates quotes from these sources, which include a book source. However, the paper is lacking in organization and effective presentation of the arguments. The thesis of the paper is vague and it is not presented in connection with the supportive arguments. Even the references from the websites and book are not presented in a way as to support the main arguments in the paper. It also does not use the scholarly information in reinstating the main arguments and fails to merge the material from the sources effectively in the paper.

Napoleonic paintings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Napoleonic paintings - Essay Example The genre of this picture is history painting for it contains human figure besides representing the nature in its correct form. Moreover, the painting has a subject matter that is more significant to the viewer for instance; it reflects the history of the Napoleonic war era. Upright rectangular landscape elongated to feature other images of warring soldiers seen in the background. Besides the landscape is bear and has a climbing. The image is in dynamic energy, which is evident from the posture of the picture. Exaggerated moonlight achieved by the use of bright colours is evident intelligent use of brushwork to reveal the strong physiques of the horse, its rider, and propaganda words written on the ground.Through the little, natural, soft and direct light besides lack of shadow, the viewer is able to guess the time of the day. The viewer recognizes different obstacles or objects in the picture using varied colours ranging from bright to dark. The picture symbolises the Napoleon war e ra in whereby Jacques-Louis David uses the horse to cross to the war zone. The painting was done by Jacques-Louis David showing Bonaparte crossing the Alps waters in between 1800 and 1801 besides, which is an oil canvas done on a sheet measuring 260 by 221cm. The picture depicts a portrait painting in that the artist made the whole image to be the main or specific point of concern. It shows the full body of Bonaparte resulting to being a portrait painting. The artist uses an upright rectangular background that is enough.

Write your own dystopian story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write your own dystopian story - Essay Example The country followed another ritual of a lottery of drowning thirty of its citizens down the sea every month to overcome its problems. It was due to these laws that Mrs. Dickinson had hidden her daughter. The Dickinson family was very happy until a police officer saw Emily playing around the house. The Butchering Team arrived at their doorstep. It was the day of the lottery as well. It was an unfortunate day as Mr. Dickinson’s name was in the drowning lottery as well. The family got a tip off and they all walked together towards the sea for the lottery from the backdoor. They took a brave step and Mrs. Dickinson stood in the middle of the crowd at the shore and announced that the entire family was going to go through the drowning ritual. Their protest was joined by a larger crowd and many people joined in. This led to wave of unrest and the state government of Ludiano was overthrown. The leaders were expelled from the state and so were the members of the Butchering Team. This was how peace was again restored in the state

Napoleonic paintings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Napoleonic paintings - Essay Example The genre of this picture is history painting for it contains human figure besides representing the nature in its correct form. Moreover, the painting has a subject matter that is more significant to the viewer for instance; it reflects the history of the Napoleonic war era. Upright rectangular landscape elongated to feature other images of warring soldiers seen in the background. Besides the landscape is bear and has a climbing. The image is in dynamic energy, which is evident from the posture of the picture. Exaggerated moonlight achieved by the use of bright colours is evident intelligent use of brushwork to reveal the strong physiques of the horse, its rider, and propaganda words written on the ground.Through the little, natural, soft and direct light besides lack of shadow, the viewer is able to guess the time of the day. The viewer recognizes different obstacles or objects in the picture using varied colours ranging from bright to dark. The picture symbolises the Napoleon war e ra in whereby Jacques-Louis David uses the horse to cross to the war zone. The painting was done by Jacques-Louis David showing Bonaparte crossing the Alps waters in between 1800 and 1801 besides, which is an oil canvas done on a sheet measuring 260 by 221cm. The picture depicts a portrait painting in that the artist made the whole image to be the main or specific point of concern. It shows the full body of Bonaparte resulting to being a portrait painting. The artist uses an upright rectangular background that is enough.

Afro Asians Essay Example for Free

Afro Asians Essay During the 1970s, an increased demand for copper and cobalt attracted Japanese investments in the mineral rich southeastern region of Katanga Province. Over a 10-year period, more than 1,000 Japanese miners relocated to the region, confined to a strictly male-only camp. Arriving without family or spouses, the men often sought social interaction outside the confounds of their camps. In search of intimacy with the opposite sex, sometimes resulting in cohabitation, the men openly engaged in interracial dating and relationships, a practice mostly embraced by the local society. As a result, a number of Japanese miners fathered children with native Congolese women. However, most of the mixed race infants resulting from these unions died, soon after birth. Multiple testimonies of local people suggest that the infants were poisoned by a Japanese lead physician and nurse working at the local mining hospitale. Subsequently, the circumstances would have brought the miners shame as most of them already had families back in their native Japan. The practice forced many native Katangan mothers to hide their children by not reporting to the hospital to give birth. Other women raised their child more rural or remote areas as blasian children were sought after and murdered in the city by Japanese officials. Today, fifty Afro-Japanese have formed an association of Katanga Infanticide survivors. The organization has hired legal council seeking a formal investigation into the killings. The group submitted official inquiry to both the Congolese and Japanese governments, to no avail. Issues specific to this group include having no documentation of their births, since not having been born in the local hospital spared their lives. The total number of survivors is unknown.

Human Resources in Malaysia

Human Resources in Malaysia Question1 ii) Assuming that you are the Senior HR Manager in one of the manufacturing company, how the minimum retirement age act in Malaysia has any impact in your company and industry taking into consideration it advantages and disadvantages? As a Senior HR Manager, I do believe there is impact of the minimum retirement age act in company and industry as well. Implementation of the new minimum retirement age act could be beneficial to the company. Based on the survey done by the group Aon Hewitt (2011), 53% out of the 107 companies that participated in the survey thinks that they will lose their talented employees. Furthermore, some companies also worry that they could not find the replacement for their talented senior employees due to the lack of talents in the market (Aon Hewitt, 2011). According to Tung and Comeau (2012), company that offer job rotation for the senior workers could save the cost of hiring new employees. Some senior employees are talented, still productive, and have many experiences that the younger employees do not have. Senior employees can share their experiences and knowledge, lead, and guide the newly hired employees. This could also help the company to save the cost of hiring outside trainer to train their new employees. However, there are drawbacks towards the company for implementing the new Act. Some company would face cost structure disruption due to the Act as mentioned by the Malaysia Employers Federation (Aruna Rahim, 2012). The senior employees have higher payroll than those younger ones. Some company could not afford higher wages employees and hence would face the financial problem due to the Act. Furthermore, some senior employees might face some health problem as they age and this would increase the company’s cost due to the medical bills (Tung Comeau, 2012). This would be a burden to the company especially those small-medium enterprises (SMEs). Besides the company, there are also some impacts of introducing the new retirement age act on industry field. According to Li (n.d.), delaying the retirement age from 55 to 60 can brings an impact on those fresh graduates or young employees. It is because the vacancies that were previously prepared for them which following the retirement of the older employees are delayed. He also stated that the pre-MRAA case of Sistem Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad had successfully argued in the Industrial Court on increasing the retirement age from 55 to 66 could cause frustration and stagnation of junior employees who failed to promote to the senior position as the senior staff only retires at the age of 60. Besides that, he also mentioned that the productivity of older employees may decline with age which lowers the performance of the organization. Some other disadvantages associated with older employees include inflexibility in executing tasks, unwilling to learn new knowledge, difficult in mainta ining up-to-date skills, and reluctance to take part in any training programs. Apart from that, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Executive Director, Y. Bhg. Datuk Hj. Shamsuddin bin Bardan also claimed that the unemployment rate could rise from 3.7% to 4% or higher as the industry field is forced to subdue the loss in job openings as employee retires later (FreeMalaysiaToday, 2013). He said that the Malaysian job market is not well-prepared for the entering of new fresh graduates if the present employees do not leave the job market at the age of 55. In the other hand, new retirement age act can bring some long-term benefits (Chew, 2013). He proposed that by elongate five more productive years, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the national economy could be raised by extra 400 000 workers. He also said the government deficit can be reduced significantly as the workers working longer and contribute to the Employees Providence Fund (EPF) by continuing paying income tax. Last but not least, the contributions and taxes from the private sector can be reduced. This is because with the increase of revenue and surplus from the government, the income tax and other tax incentives from the private sector can be reduce. In a nutshell, the new retirement age act in Malaysia do give impacts on company and industry as well. Therefore, it is important for us to modify and minimize the negative impact so that it won’t affect company, industry and country much. Question 2 a) Does Sally have a basis for claiming â€Å"hostile environment† sexual harassment? How was she harmed? In our opinion, we think that Sally does have a basis for claiming â€Å"hostile environment† sexual harassment. Based on Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace which established by Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia in 1999, sexual harassment means â€Å"any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having the effect of verbal, non-verbal, visual, psychological or physical harassment: that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as placing a condition of a sexual nature on her/his employment; or that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as an offence or humiliation, or a threat to his/her well-being, but has no direct link to her/his employment. Based on The Code, sexual harassment of Sally case is fall on sexual annoyance, a sexually-related conduct that is offensive, hostile or intimidating to the recipient, but nonetheless has no direct link to any job benefit. In Sally case, the sexual harassment was fall into category of harassment by an employee against another employee. From the text above, the co-worker of Sally were whistles, leers, comments about her sexy physical body, one of the crew members whom name Al, even grabbed Sally and tried to kiss her. Sally was refuge what Al did on her. The action did by Al and co-worker were an unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having the effect of physical, verbal, non-verbal and visual which can be counted as a hostile environment sexual harassment. She was harmed due to the unsuccessful of resolving her sexual harassment problem by her supervisor, Chunk. She has been told to be calm. Apart from this, the co-worker isolates her and refuge to work with her. She develops an ulcer and used all her sick leave and being diagnosed having job-related stress and took 60 days of leave-of-absence. Her fiancà © also break their engagement because of peer pressure. Besides, she also failed to appeal regards on her sexual harassment case by both the union and management. b) If you were the union or Chunk, how would you investigate her grievance? If no witnesses supported Sally’s story, what would you conclude? Grievance is being defined as the â€Å"dissatisfaction between the employees and the employers involving the work and working environment† (Zulkiflee Daud, Mohd Faizal Mohd Isa, Wan Shakizah Wan Mohd Nor, Zairani Zainol, 2013, p. 123). In terms of this context, Sally claimed that she was being sexually harassed by one of the crew member, Al, where he tried to grab her and kiss her when Sally was being sent out in truck with Al. However, Al denied in having any physical contact with Sally. Sally’s case is considered as individual grievance whereby formal stage grievance procedures will be taken to investigate this case. So, if I were the union or Chuck, I will initiate with the grievance procedure once I received the complaint lodged by Sally. But before that, I need to ensure that I understand thoroughly what have been written in the grievance/complaint form by Sally and to have a basic idea on Sally’s situation and why she lodged the complaint. Then, I will write an acknowledging receipt of the grievance statement and proposed some advises on the ways to handle the grievance to Sally within the 5 working days from the day the grievance are being received. Next, I would proposed for an investigation to be done onto Sally’s grievance by developing a separate complaint procedure that deals specifically with such a sexual harassment complaints as this is a very sensitive issue in an organization. In developing the complaint procedure, Sally would be protected from any further embarrassment in the course of investigation into the complaint, for instance, being continuously shunned by the crew of the utility company. There are three main elements in a complaint procedure; first element is the step-by-step procedure within a time frame given for each step in the process of reporting and processing the complaint lodges by the aggrieved person, second element is conducting an investigation procedure, and last element in the complaint procedure is to come out with an appeal procedure that enable the dissatisfied party to re-appeal for an investigation’s findings to a higher authority. Thus, in dealing with the complaints by Sally, I will then request for a complaint Committee, as what may have been outlined in the company’s Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harrassment in the Workplace. The complaint Committee shall includes at least three representatives from the other departments in the company not including the department of the accuser and the accused employee and the representatives shall have a higher position if compared to the employee that complaints and the employee that is being complaint. I shall also consider to go for a member from the outside counsel that is acquainted in dealing with the issue of sexual harassment. Not to forget, I shall go for a complaint Committee where at least half the members of the Complaints Committee are women and it is better to have Women member as the leader of the Complaints Committee. In setting up the Complaints Committee, I will proposed a tentative day, date, and time to the committee involved asking them to come for an investigation session and the committee shall present at the day, date, and time stated. Thus, in conducting the grievance investigation, separate interview will be held for both the aggrieved person (Sally) and the one who cause the aggrievation (Al). The interviews are done separately as to minimize the possibility of practicing bias and also to test the validity and reliability of the justification given by the parties involved. Apart from that, the investigation is carried out based on the 5W1H approach; who is involved in this case, what have happened, when did the case happened, where did the case takes place, and how did it happened? Both the parties, the aggrieved party (Sally) and the one who caused the aggrievation (Al) are given the fair chance to clarify and justify themselves. Other than the both parties involved, their colleagues l ike another women crew who also works would be called-in for the investigation session as well to know more about the parties involved, for instance, in terms of their attitudes in their working station and their personalities. After that, the Complaints Committee will come out with the final decision on whether Al is really guilty in sexually harassing Sally or not or it is Sally who has wrongly accused Al. The next step is closely linked to the decision made by the Complaints Committee. For instance, if Al was found guilty in sexually harassing Sally, I shall know what disciplinary actions that could be taken onto Al whether by terminating him without notice and showing him show cause letter or warning letter as the Employment Acts 1955 stated that: The individual found guilty of sexual harassment may be dismissed without notice, demoted or penalized with a lesser punishment, e.g. suspension without pay for a period of up to 2 weeks. Same situation applied to Sally, disciplinary actions will be taken if Sally was found guilty in accusing and maligning Al. It may be the possible that Sally is introverted and comes from a very conservative family background complaint that she was physically and verbally har assed. It might also be the case maybe Al was Sally’s former lover and had end their relationship or Al had fallen on her but she rejected and Al was envy what’s more to know that she had engaged with another man who is also the worker in the same company. If both the parties agreed with the final outcomes, the case is closed. But if both the parties do not agreed with the final outcomes, they are allowed to reappeal and the same investigation step will be carried on again. The investigation step will only come to an end when both the parties are agreed with the final outcomes or when one of the parties is proved to be guilty. In this sexual harassment case, if there is no witnesses that could support Sally’s story, I would conclude that Sally’s story is not valid. Without any strong supporting elements, the validity of Sally’s story is being questioned and without any proves, I have to come out with a conclusion that the sexual harassment do not take places as what have been told by Sally. Sally’s story could only be applicable if there is a strong evidence provided to support that the sexual harassment do take places and it do have the tendency to take place. However, if it really takes place, I will seek solution for the parties who found guilty and also provide some counseling session to help her recover from her emotional and physical injuries. Whether the charges are valid or not, I will transfer Sally to other department if she agrees to avoid the conflict between Al, the crew and herself which might affect her performance or given special attention on the welfare and saf ety of Sally if she has to work at night. c) How might this scenario have been prevented? This scenario can be prevented through several ways which are organization should develop policy statement prohibiting sexual harassment, provide training to employee and employer and take all the complaints of sexual harassment seriously. The organization should develop policy statement prohibiting sexual harassment. Based on The Code, policy statement on sexual harassment is a published message to all the members in organization which aim to create non-sexual harassment working environment. From the Sally case, it is clearly shown the co-worker doesn’t have a clear understanding on what sexual harassment is. A clear definition of sexual harassment is required include in the policy so that employee and employer can understand it and try to avoid doing it. Secondly, through provide training to employee and employer also can prevent sexual harassment. An effective policy, tied with training for all employer and employee will help in preventing harassment (Prevention of Sexual Harassment, n.d.). The training should teach what is sexual harassment is, procedure to complaints when facing such situation and etc. This can create awareness for all the staff to prevent sexual harassment with the knowledge gained during the training session. Lastly, the upper management should take complaints seriously rather treat it as small case. From the Sally case, we could see that her supervisor doesn’t treat it seriously. Instead of taking action on Al but the supervisor ask to keep her sense of humor and he just asked Al to keep his hands to himself. In fact, this obviously is a sexual harassment case and should take action quickly so that Sally’s right is protected. Due to the failure of taking complaint seriously, Sally being isolated by the co-workers and force to took leave because of job-related stress. It is important for the upper management especially immediate supervisor to take complaints seriously, take action on it, and figure it out whether sexual harassment exists or not. This is to ensure that the victim can be protected from being harass again. In conclusion, this scenario can be prevented through develop policy statement prohibiting sexual harassment, provide training to employee and employer and take all the complaints of sexual harassment seriously. This is to ensure Sally’s case won’t happened again.

DIBS Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Sometimes he sat mute and unmoving all morning or crawled about the schoolroom floor oblivious to the other children or to his teacher.† The book Dibs is a testimony of a child who seemed to be mentally retarded because he has created his own world inside of him. In her book, Virginia Axline proves that the therapy by the play is a way of curing people such as Dibs. During her book, she gives lecture to the reader of a recording taken from the sessions with the little child. During this expose, we will develop Dib’s relation with adults in particular his teachers, parents and grand mother. Then we will analyze another relation: the one with his therapist. In the second part the phenomena of rejection will be analyzed in both sides: in the mother and the father side but also with Dibs itself. Later, we will try to understand which role play therapy had occurred on Dibs change. When the books starts, Dibs is in the school since two years. At the beginning he refused to talk. Sometimes he could stay dumb and still during an entire morning. Other times, he could have violent bout of anger when it was time to go back home, which provoked towards teachers and director of the school a big anxiety. Was he mentally retarded? Was he suffering of a mental illness since his birth? Did his brain have received a shock? No one knew, even his parents who always refused to talk about their son’s attitude. But as the author, Virginia Axline, said â€Å"there was something about Dibs behavior that defied the teachers to categorize him, glibly and routinely, and send him on his way. His behavior was so uneven. At one time, he seemed to be extremely retarded mentally. Another time he would quickly and quietly do something that indicated he might even have superior intelligence† (Axline, Virginia Dibs in search of Self, 15). The staff meeting of class finally dec ide to help Dibs and to do something for him. It is at this point that the Doctor Virginia Axline, â€Å"specialized in working with children and parents† is called. Dibs relationship with his teachers was non existent. His reaction was the one of an assisted person. When it was going-home time, the child used to stay in the class without a gesture waiting for the teachers to put his coat on while saying â€Å"No go home! No go home! No go home!† (Dibs in search of Self, 1... ...ip with the examiner, whom he had never seen before† explains Virginia Axline in her books. The results of Dibs indicated that Dibs was an â€Å"exceptionally gifted child† capable of getting a score of 168 at a I.Q at fifteen years old. The reader will found in annex, a letter written by Dibs himself when he was fifteen in order to protest against an injustice. This letter shows first of all a maturity certain of the adolescent and the miracle that Play Therapy had on him. I found personally incredible to realize that this child who was predominate to stay in his own world all his life had been capable to write this letter where the theme of humiliation and revenge are once again present. Works Cited Axline, Virginia. Dibs in Search of Self. New York: Ballantine Books, 1964 Axline, Virginia. Play Therapy. New York: Ballantine Books, 1969 Battachi, Marco W. Une contribution à   la psychologie des à ©motions : l’enfant humilià ©. Paris: n.p, 1993 Brenner, Charles. An Elementary Textbook of Psychoanalysis. New York: Anchor Books Doubleday, 1973   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Winnicott, Donald. Playing and Therapy. London: Tavistock Publications, 1971   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Yellow Wallpaper :: essays research papers

We Must Creep to be Heard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s 2:00am and I cannot sleep. I toss and turn while the question, â€Å"Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?† keeps playing over and over in my mind. The picture in my mind of a subjugated woman who feebly attempts to fight against feminine oppression and her impending insanity is vivid and disturbing and continues to slap against the recesses of my mind with an angry hand. What was Charlotte Perkins Gilman attempting to convey to her readers when she wrote â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and created the characters of the narrator, her husband John, Mary and her sister-in-law Jennie? Obviously, in an exaggerated version of her own experience with post-partum depression and its prescribed â€Å"rest cure†, Gilman speaks of a world in which the female is forced into a role of the submissive counterpart to male dominance. In the following pages, I will describe how Gilman has effectively created characters that draw us into their vie w of control, dominance and frustrated silence against imprisonment in a paternalistic society, and how we are given a view into a perfectly healthy mind that goes awry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin with, Gilman created the narrator as a nearly anonymous identity; we know her only as John’s wife. This power imbalance extends to other areas of their relationship. John dominates her in a progressively patronizing manner. His character is displayed as strong, practical and stereotypically masculine and he seems skeptical of her seemingly weak, feminine condition. John diagnoses her problem, and prescribes the â€Å"rest cure† he believes she needs. The narrator has no say in her condition, and when she attempts to speak her mind, he treats her like a child and makes light of her voice. â€Å"John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that† (An Introduction to Fiction 572) which illustrates the role women are expected to play and accept in a marriage. Another main function Gilman gave of John’s control over the narrator is his inhibiting of her writing. Although she believes writing would help her condition, as I’m s ure Gilman did, John insists it would only debilitate her ailment further. He stifles her creativity and intellect, forcing her into the role of the submissive wife. She is forced to hide her writings, which frustrate her more â€Å"I did write for a while in spite of them; but it does exhaust me a good deal—having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition† (572).

Market Control: Boeing

Boeing is no doubt a market leader in the aircraft manufacturing industry with heavy presence in virtually all continents.   This places Boeing in a better place in the market control due to its ability and potential to influence aircraft prices.   Although market control for Boeing has not been that easy considering the stiff competition from competitors such as Airbus, mostly it is Boeing which evidently exerts a great deal of influence on the price of aircrafts. As a result, Boeing has been able to combine cutting edge technology with its market position to its advantage. Although aircraft-manufacturing industry has considerably many players, few have a global presence and can significantly have an input in the market control.   Boeing happens to be among the few players who influence prices. The fact that there are relatively more buyers of aircrafts than there are sellers especially of heavy and fighter airplanes means that the sellers can easily exert market control.   Considering this imbalance between strength of buyers and the control of the manufacturers, Boeing has come up as a market power.   The ability of Boeing in market control is not only evident in price control, but in innovation of new and modern products such as; custom made accommodation in the aircrafts especially targeting the business and tourist segment of market. Evidence of market control of Boeing is seen in the positively sloped supply curve which has characterized the market prices for Boeing’s products in the past decade.   Market control has had an effect on Boeing especially considering that, all of the functions of management such as planning; organizing, coordinating and controlling are pegged on market performance.   Market control has seen profits for Boeing stabilize which means the management of Boeing can strategically plan for expansion programs and other programs with certainty. With market control, it is easier to estimate sales volume with certainty, and therefore planning for staff needs becomes easy for Boeing as well as the organization of Boeing’s organizational structures.   It becomes easier for the management of Boeing to control its internal processes as well as its external process due to its market control ability.   Market control has made it possible for Boeing to source and maintain highly motivated staff due to the fact that Boeing has been able to maximize profits. The market control especially on aircraft prices by Boeing portents the danger of pushing small competitors out of business. As a result of market control by Boeing, there lacks perfect control as Boeing together with a few other industry big players continue to drive small firms out of business and therefore denying the buyers the freedom of choice as well as the satisfaction that comes with the freedom of choice.   Market control has resulted into a near monopoly situation in the aircraft manufacturing industry although in actual sense, Boeing’s environment is oligopoly. Market control by Boeing has resulted into a situation whereby, due to lack of many potential substitutes, Boeing continues to exert influence in pricing, making its prices some of the most exorbitant in the market.   On the other hand, market control has seen Boeing grow into a very profitable organization therefore creating benefits to the society by providing job opportunities as well as by engaging in sponsorship programs in the society. As a result of the market control mechanism employed by Boeing, decision-making process has become easy, as delegation is possible.   Market control mechanisms at Boeing has made it possible for the management at Boeing to execute its organizing, planning, coordinating and controlling functions easily as the market is friendly, less turbulent and predictable.   Despite the sustained competition from Airbus, Boeing still commands market control and it should be able to regain some of the market share it has lost to Airbus in the past few years. Reference http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/13/aribus_ed3._.php Accessed on 8/4/2007. www.tau.ac.il/~razin/Airbus%20versus%20Boeing%20revisited.doc Accessed on 8/4/2007.      

The Indigo Spell Chapter Thirteen

WADE TOLD ME EVERYTHING he knew. It was all useful, but I didn't know if it would be enough. First, I had to get to St. Louis . . . and that was going to be tricky. I braced myself for the phone calls I'd have to make, hoping I had enough Alchemist wiles to pull them off. Before I took on that task, I just wanted the normality and comfort of my own room. Eddie and I drove back to Amberwood, analyzing every detail of our meeting. He was chomping at the bit to make progress, and I promised I'd keep him in the loop. I had just reached my door when my phone rang. It was Ms. Terwilliger. I swear, sometimes I thought she had a sensor outside my room so that she'd know the instant I returned. â€Å"Miss Melbourne,† she said. â€Å"We need to meet.† My heart stopped. â€Å"There hasn't been another victim, has there? You said we have time.† â€Å"We do,† she replied. â€Å"Which is why we need to meet sooner rather than later. Reading up on spells is one thing, but you require some hands-on practice. I refuse to let Veronica get to you.† Her words triggered a mix of emotions. Naturally, I had my knee-jerk reaction against practicing magic. It was quickly squashed by the realization that Ms. Terwilliger cared about me and was so concerned about keeping me safe. My own personal desire to not be in a coma was also a strong motivator. â€Å"When do you want to meet, ma'am?† I asked. â€Å"Tomorrow morning.† I realized tomorrow was Saturday. Already? Where had the week gone? I was driving Adrian to pick up his car in the morning, which hopefully wouldn't take a long time. â€Å"Could we meet at noon? I've got an errand to run.† â€Å"I suppose so,† said Ms. Terwilliger, with some reluctance. â€Å"Meet me at my place, and then we'll go out to Lone Rock Park.† I was about to lie back on my bed and froze. â€Å"Why do we have to go out to the middle of the desert?† Lone Rock Park was remote and rarely saw many tourists. I hadn't forgotten how terrifying it was the last time she'd brought me out into the wilderness. At least this time we'd be in daylight. â€Å"Well, we can hardly practice on school grounds,† she pointed out â€Å"True. . . .† â€Å"Bring your book, and the components you've been working on.† We disconnected, and I jotted out a quick text to Adrian: Need to be fast tomorrow. Meeting Ms. T at 12. His response wasn't entirely unexpected: Why? Adrian naturally needed to know everything that was going on in my life. I texted back that Ms. Terwilliger wanted to work on magical protection. This time, he did surprise me: Can I watch? Wanna know how she's protecting you. Wow, Adrian actually asked? He had a history of simply inviting himself along on outings. I hesitated, still confused after our heated moment at the sorority. He'd never mentioned it again, though, and his concern now touched me. I texted back that he could come along and was rewarded with a smiley face. I didn't entirely know what to wear to â€Å"magical training,† so I opted for comfortable layers the next morning. Adrian gave me a once-over when he got into Latte. â€Å"Casual mode, huh? Haven't seen that since the Wolfe days.† â€Å"I don't know what she has in mind,† I explained, doing a U-turn on his street. â€Å"Figured this was best.† â€Å"You could have worn your AYE shirt.† â€Å"Wouldn't want to get it dirty,† I said, grinning. That was partially true. I still thought the fiery heart he'd painted was exquisite. But each time I looked at the shirt, too many memories seized me. What had I been thinking? That was a question I'd asked myself a hundred times, and every answer I came up with sounded fake. My preferred theory was that I'd simply been caught up in how serious Adrian had been about his art, how the emotion and passion had seized hold of him. Girls liked artists just as much as bad boys, right? Even now, something stirred in my chest when I thought about the enraptured look on his face. I loved that he possessed something so powerful in him. But, as I told myself constantly, that was no excuse for climbing all over him and letting him kiss me – on my neck. I'd bought and downloaded the â€Å"bad boy† book online, but it had been completely useless in advising me. I finally decided the best way – if not the healthiest one – was to act like the moment had never happened. That didn't mean I forgot it. In fact, as I sat beside him in the car, I had a difficult time not thinking about how it had felt to be pressed up against him. Or how his fingers had felt entangled in my hair. Or how his lips had – Sydney! Stop. Think of something else. Conjugate Latin verbs. Recite the periodic table. None of those did any good. To Adrian's credit, he continued to withhold any commentary about that night. Finally, I found distraction in telling him about my trip to San Bernardino. Rehashing the conspiracy, rebel groups, and break-ins pretty much killed any passionate feelings I still had. Adrian didn't like the idea of Alchemists working with Warriors or of the tattoo controlling me. But he also didn't like me walking into danger. I tried to downplay the near impossibility of breaking into the St. Louis facility, but he clearly didn't believe me. Ms. Terwilliger texted me twice not to be late to our meeting. I kept an eye on my watch, but the care of a Mustang was not something I took lightly, and I had to take my time at the mechanic's shop to make sure the Mustang was in pristine condition. Adrian had wanted to go with basic tires, but I'd urged him to upgrade, convincing him the extra cost would be worth it. And once I inspected them, I congratulated myself on the choice. Only after I was satisfied the car hadn't been unnecessarily scratched did I finally allow him to pay. We drove both cars back to Vista Azul, and I was pleased to see my timing was perfect. We weren't late, but Ms. Terwilliger was waiting on her porch for us. We designated Adrian as our carpool driver. â€Å"Jeez,† I said when she hurriedly got in the car. â€Å"Do you have somewhere to be after this?† The smile she gave me was strained, and I couldn't help but notice how pale she looked. â€Å"No, but we do have a schedule to follow. I cast a large spell this morning that won't last forever. The countdown is on.† She wouldn't say any more until we reached the park, and that silence unnerved me. It gave me the opportunity to imagine all sorts of frightening outcomes. And although I trusted her, I suddenly felt relieved that Adrian was along as a chaperone. Although it wasn't the busiest place, Lone Rock Park still had the occasional hiker. Ms. Terwilliger – who was actually in hiking boots – set off across the rocky terrain, searching for a suitably remote space to do whatever it was she had in mind. A few stratified rock formations dotted the landscape, but I couldn't really appreciate their beauty. Mostly I was aware that we were out here when the sun was at its fiercest. Even if it was almost winter, we'd still be feeling the heat. I glanced over at Adrian as we walked and found him already looking at me. From his jacket pocket, he produced a bottle of sunscreen. â€Å"I knew you'd ask. I'm nearly as prepared as you are.† â€Å"Nearly,† I said. He'd done it again, anticipating my thoughts. For half a heartbeat, I pretended it was just the two of us out on a pleasant afternoon hike. It seemed like most of the time we spent together was on some urgent mission. How nice would it be to just hang out without the weight of the world on us? Ms. Terwilliger soon brought us back to our grim reality. â€Å"This should do,† she said, surveying the land around her. She had managed to find one of the most desolate areas in the park. I wouldn't have been surprised to see vultures circling overhead. â€Å"Did you bring what I asked for?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am.† I knelt on the ground and rifled through my bag. In it was the spell book, along with some herbal and liquid compounds I'd mixed up at her request. â€Å"Take out the fireball kindling,† she instructed. Adrian's eyes went wide. â€Å"Did you just say ‘fireball'? That's badass.† â€Å"You see fire all the time,† I reminded him. â€Å"From Moroi who can wield it.† â€Å"Yeah, but I've never seen a human do anything like that. I've never seen you do anything like that.† I wished he didn't look so awestruck because it kind of drove home the severity of what we were about to attempt. I would've felt better if he'd treated it like it was no big deal. But this spell? Yeah, it was kind of a big deal. I'd once performed another spell that involved throwing a painstakingly made amulet and reciting words that made it burst into flames. That one had a huge physical component, however. This spell was another of those mental ones and essentially involved summoning fire out of thin air. The kindling Ms. Terwilliger had referred to was a small drawstring bag filled with ashes made from burnt yew bark. She took the bag from me and examined its contents, murmuring in approval. â€Å"Yes, yes. Very nice. Excellent consistency. You burned it for exactly the right amount of time.† She handed the bag back. â€Å"Now, eventually you won't need this. That's what makes this spell so powerful. It can be performed very quickly, with very little preparation. But you have to practice first before you can reach that point.† I nodded along and tried to stay in student mode. So far, what she was saying was similar to what the book had described. If I thought of all this as a classroom exercise, it was much less daunting. Not really scary at all. Ms. Terwilliger tilted her head and looked past me. â€Å"Adrian? You might want to keep your distance. A considerable distance.† Okay. Maybe a little scary. He obeyed and backed up. Ms. Terwilliger apparently had no such fear for herself because she stayed only a few feet away from me. â€Å"Now then,† she said. â€Å"Apply the ashes, and hold out your hand.† I reached into the bag, touching the ashes with my thumb and forefinger. Then I lightly rubbed all my fingers together until my whole palm had a fine gray coating on it. I set the bag down and then held out my hand in front of me, palm up. I knew what came next but waited for her instruction. â€Å"Summon your magic to call the flame back from the ashes. No incantation, just your will.† Magic surged within me. Calling an element from the world reminded me a little of what the Moroi did, which felt strange. My attempt started off as a red glimmer, hovering in the air above my palm. Slowly, it grew and grew until it was about the size of a tennis ball. The high of magic filled me. I held my breath, scarcely able to believe what I had just done. The red flames writhed and swirled, and although I could feel their heat, they didn't burn me. Ms. Terwilliger gave a grunt that seemed to be equal parts amusement and surprise. â€Å"Remarkable. I forget sometimes what a natural you really are. It's only red, but something tells me, it won't take long before you can produce blue ones without the ashes. Calling elements out of the air is easier than trying to transform one substance into another.† I stared at the fireball, entranced, but soon found myself getting tired. The flames flickered, shrank, and then faded away altogether. â€Å"The sooner you get rid of it, the better,† she told me. â€Å"You'll just use up your own energy trying to sustain it. Best to throw it at your adversary and quickly summon another. Try again, and this time, throw it.† I called the fire once more and felt a small bit of satisfaction at seeing it take on more of an orange hue. I'd learned in my very first childhood chemistry lessons that the lighter a flame was, the hotter it burned. Getting to blue anytime soon still seemed like a long shot. And speaking of long shots . . . I threw the fireball. Or, well, I tried. My control of it faltered when I attempted to send it off toward a bare patch of ground. The fireball splintered apart, the flames disappearing into smoke that was carried off by the wind. â€Å"It's hard,† I said, knowing how lame that sounded. â€Å"Trying to hold it and throw it is just like an ordinary physical thing. I have to do that while still controlling the magic.† â€Å"Exactly.† Ms. Terwilliger seemed very pleased. â€Å"And that's where the practice comes in.† Fortunately, it didn't take too many attempts before I figured out how to make it all work together. Adrian cheered me on when I successfully managed to throw my first fireball, resulting in a beautiful shot that perfectly hit the rock I'd been aiming for. I flashed Ms. Terwilliger a triumphant look and waited for the next spell we'd be moving on to. To my surprise, she didn't seem nearly as impressed as I expected her to be. â€Å"Do it again,† she said. â€Å"But I've got it down,† I protested. â€Å"We should try something else. I was reading the other part of the book – â€Å" â€Å"You have no business doing that yet,† she scolded. â€Å"You think this is exhausting? You'd pass out attempting one of the more advanced spells. Now.† She pointed at the hard desert floor. â€Å"Again.† I wanted to tell her that it was impossible for me not to read ahead in a book. It was just how I operated with all my classes. Something told me now was not the best time to bring that up. She made me practice the throw over and over. Once she was convinced I had it down, she had me work on increasing the fire's heat. I finally managed to get up to yellow but could go no farther. Then I had to work on casting the spell without the ashes. Once I reached that milestone, it was back to practicing the throws. She picked various targets for me, and I hit them all effortlessly. â€Å"Just like Skee-Ball,† I muttered. â€Å"Easy and boring.† â€Å"Yes,† Ms. Terwilliger agreed. â€Å"It's easy hitting inanimate objects. But moving targets? Living targets? Not quite so easy. So, let's move on to that, shall we?† The fireball I'd been holding above my hand vanished as shock shattered my control. â€Å"What do you mean?† If she expected me to start aiming at birds or rodents, she was in for a rude awakening. There was no way I was going to incinerate something alive. â€Å"What am I supposed to hit?† Ms. Terwilliger pushed her glasses up her nose and backed up several feet. â€Å"Me.† I waited for the punch line or at least some further explanation, but none came. I glanced behind me at Adrian, hoping perhaps he might shed some light on this, but he looked as astounded as I felt. I turned back to the singed ground where my earlier fireballs had struck. â€Å"Ms. Terwilliger, you can't ask me to hit you.† Her lips twitched into a small half smile. â€Å"I assure you, I can. Go ahead, you can't hurt me.† I had to think a few moments for how to phrase my next response. â€Å"I'm a pretty good shot, ma'am. I can hit you.† This earned an outright laugh. â€Å"Hit, yes. Hurt, no. Go ahead and throw. Our time is running out.† I didn't know how much time had passed exactly, but the sun was definitely lower in the sky. I looked back at Adrian, silently asking for help in dealing with this insanity. His only response was a shrug. â€Å"You're a witness to this,† I told him. â€Å"You heard her tell me to do it.† He nodded. â€Å"You're totally blameless.† I took a deep breath and summoned my next fireball. I was so frazzled that it started off red, and I had to work to heat it up. Then I looked up at Ms. Terwilliger and braced myself for the shot. It was more difficult than I expected – and not just because I was worried about hurting her. Throwing something at the ground required almost no thought. The focus there was on aim and little else. But facing a person, seeing her eyes and the way her chest rose and fell while breathing . . . well, she was right. It was entirely different from hitting an inanimate object. I began to tremble, unsure if I could do it. â€Å"You're wasting time,† she warned. â€Å"You're sapping energy again. Throw.† The command in her voice jolted me to action. I threw. The fireball flew from my hand, straight at her – but it never made contact. I couldn't believe my eyes. About a foot in front of her, it hit some kind of invisible barrier, smashing apart into small flames, which quickly dissipated into smoke. My jaw dropped. â€Å"What is that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"A very, very powerful shielding spell,† she said, clearly enjoying my reaction. She lifted up a pendant that had been hanging under her shirt. It didn't look like anything special, just a piece of unpolished carnelian wrapped in silver wire. â€Å"It took incredible effort to make this . . . and requires more effort still in order to maintain it. The result is an invisible shield – as you can see – that's impervious to most physical and magical attacks.† Adrian was by my side in a flash. â€Å"Hang on. There's a spell that makes you invulnerable to everything, and you only now just thought to mention it? You've been going on this whole time about how Sydney's in danger! Why don't you just teach her this one? Then your sister can't touch her.† Although it didn't seem like Adrian was about to attack her as he had Marcus, he was almost just as upset. His face was flushed, his eyes hard. He had clenched his fists at his side, but I didn't even think he noticed. It was more of that primal instinct. Ms. Terwilliger remained strong in the face of his outrage. â€Å"If it were that simple, then believe me, I would. Unfortunately, there are a number of problems. One is that Sydney, prodigy that she is, is nowhere near strong enough to cast this. I'm hardly strong enough. The other problem is that it has an extremely short time frame, which is why I've been so adamant about a schedule. It only lasts six hours and requires so much effort that you can't just cast it and permanently keep it on you at all times. I'm already worn out and will be even more so once it fades. I won't be able to cast it – or hardly any other magic – for at least another day. That's why I need Sydney to be prepared at all times.† Neither Adrian nor I said anything right away. I'd taken note of her weary state when she got in the car but hadn't thought much more about it. As we'd continued to practice out here, I'd observed her sweating and looking more fatigued, but I'd written it off to the heat. Only now could I fully appreciate the extent of what she had done. â€Å"Why would you go to so much effort?† I asked. â€Å"To keep you alive,† she snapped. â€Å"Now, don't make this a waste. We've only got one more hour before it wears off, and you need to be able to aim at someone without thinking twice. You hesitate too much.† She was right. Even knowing that she was invulnerable, I still had a difficult time attacking her. Violence just wasn't something I embraced. I had to push down all my inner worries and treat it exactly like Skee-Ball. Aim, throw. Aim, throw. Don't think. Soon, I was able to fight past my anxieties and throw without hesitation. She even tried moving around a little, just to give me a better feel for what it'd be like with a real foe, but I didn't find it to be much of a challenge. She was simply too tired and unable to run around or dodge me. I actually started to feel bad for her. She looked like she was about ready to pass out, and I felt guilty sizing up my next shot and – â€Å"Ahh!† Fire arced from Ms. Terwilliger's fingertips just as I released my fireball. My shot went wide, the ball disintegrating before it got anywhere near her. The fire she'd released passed me, about a foot away. With a weary grin, she sank to her knees and exhaled. â€Å"Class dismissed,† she said. â€Å"What was that?† I asked. â€Å"I don't have a magic shield on me!† She didn't display my same concern. â€Å"It was nowhere near you. I made sure of that. It was simply to prove that no matter how ‘boring and easy' this seems, all bets are off when someone is actually attacking you. Now then. Adrian, would you be kind enough to bring me my bag? I have some dried dates in there that I think both Sydney and I would appreciate right about now.† She was right. I'd been so caught up in the lesson that I hadn't noticed how exhausted I had become. She was in worse shape, but the magic had definitely taken its toll on me. I'd never worked with amounts this big for so long, and my body felt weak and drained as the usual blood sugar drop occurred. I began to understand why she kept warning me away from the really difficult stuff. I practically inhaled the dried dates she'd brought for us, and although the sugar helped, I was desperate for more. Adrian gallantly helped us both walk back to the parking lot at the park's entrance, keeping one of us on each arm. â€Å"Too bad we're out in the middle of nowhere,† I grumbled, once we were all in Adrian's car. â€Å"I think you'd be amazed at how much I could eat right now. I'll probably faint before we're back to some civilization and restaurants.† â€Å"Actually,† said Adrian. â€Å"You might be in luck. I think I saw a place not far from here when we were driving in.† I hadn't noticed anything, but I'd been too preoccupied worrying about Ms. Terwilliger's upcoming lesson. Five minutes after we were back on the highway, I saw that Adrian was right about a restaurant. He exited onto a drab little road, pulling into the gravel parking lot of a small but freshly painted white building. I stared at the sign out front in disbelief. â€Å"Pies and Stuff?† â€Å"You wanted sugar,† Adrian reminded me. The Mustang kicked up dust and gravel, and I winced on behalf of the car. â€Å"And at least it's not Pies and Bait or anything like that.† â€Å"Yeah, but the ‘Stuff' part isn't exactly reassuring.† â€Å"I thought it was more the ‘Pie' part that had you upset.† Despite my misgivings, Pies and Stuff was actually a cute and clean little establishment. Polka-dot curtains hung in the windows, and the display case was filled with every pie imaginable as well as â€Å"stuff† like carrot cake and brownies. We were the only people under sixty in the whole place. We ordered our pie and sat down with it in a corner booth. I ordered peach, Adrian had French silk, and Ms. Terwilliger went with pecan. And of course, she and I had the waitress bring us coffee as soon as humanly possible since we'd had to abstain, painfully, for the magic. I took a sip and immediately felt better. Adrian ate his slice at a reasonable rate, like a normal person, but Ms. Terwilliger and I dug in as though we hadn't eaten in a month. Conversation was irrelevant. Only pie mattered. Adrian regarded us both with delight and didn't try to interrupt until we'd practically licked the plates clean. He nodded toward mine. â€Å"Another piece?† â€Å"I'll take more coffee.† I eyed the sparkling plate and couldn't help but notice that inner voice that used to nag me about calories was quiet these days. In fact, it didn't seem to be around anymore at all. I'd been so angry about Adrian's food â€Å"intervention,† but his words had ended up having a bigger impact than I'd expected. Not that it had anything to do with him personally, of course. Lightening up my dieting restrictions was just a reasonable idea. That was it. â€Å"I feel pretty good now.† â€Å"I'll get you another cup,† he told me. When he returned, he even had a mug for Ms. Terwilliger. â€Å"Figured you'd want one too.† She smiled in appreciation. â€Å"Thank you. You're very astute.† As she drank, I couldn't help but notice she still looked tired, despite the fact that we'd just replenished with sugar. She no longer seemed in danger of passing out, but it was obvious she hadn't recovered as quickly as I had. â€Å"Are you sure you're okay?† I asked her. â€Å"Don't worry, I'll be fine.† She sipped more coffee, her face lost in thought. â€Å"It's been years since I performed the shield spell. I forgot how much it takes out of me.† I was again struck by all the trouble she'd gone through for me. Ever since she'd identified me as a potential magic user, I'd done nothing but resist her and even be antagonistic. â€Å"Thanks,† I told her. â€Å"For everything . . . I wish there was a way I could make it up to you.† She set her cup down and stirred in more sugar. â€Å"I'm happy to do it. There's no need to reciprocate. Although . . . once this is all over, I'd like very much if you'd meet my coven. I'm not asking you to join,† she added quickly. â€Å"Just to talk. I think you'd find the Stelle very interesting.† â€Å"Stelle,† I repeated. She'd never called them by name before. â€Å"The stars.† Ms. Terwilliger nodded. â€Å"Yes. Our origins are Italian, though as you've seen already the magic we use comes from a number of cultures.† I was at a loss for words. She'd gone to so much trouble for me . . . surely it wasn't a big deal just to talk to the other witches, right? But if it was such a small thing, then why was I terrified? The answer came to me a few moments later. Talking to others, seeing the larger organization, would kick my involvement with magic up to the next level. It had taken me a long time to come around to the magic I already used. I'd overcome many of my fears, but some part of me treated it as just some sideline activity. Like a hobby. Meeting other witches would change everything. I would have to accept that I was part of something so much bigger than just the occasional dabbling. Meeting a coven seemed official. And I didn't know if I was ready to be considered a witch. â€Å"I'll think about it,† I said at last. I wished I could give her more, but my protective instincts had seized me â€Å"I'll take what I can get,† she said with a small smile. Her phone chimed, and she glanced down. â€Å"Speaking of the Stelle, I need to talk to one of my sisters. I'll meet you at the car.† She finished her coffee and headed outside. Adrian and I followed a few minutes later. I was still troubled about the coven and caught hold of his sleeve to keep him back. I spoke softly. â€Å"Adrian, when did I reach this point? Trying to crack open the Alchemists and practicing magic in the desert?† Last summer, when I'd been with Rose in Russia, I couldn't even tolerate the idea of sleeping in the same room with her. I'd had too many Alchemist mantras running through my mind, warning me of vampire evils. And now, here I was, in league with vampires and questioning the Alchemists. That girl in Russia had nothing in common with the one in Palm Springs. No, I'm still the same person at heart. I had to be . . . because if I wasn't, then who was I? Adrian smiled at me sympathetically. â€Å"I think it's been a culmination of things. Your curious nature. Your need to do the right thing. It's all led you to this point. I know the Alchemists have taught you to think a certain way, but what you're doing now – it's not wrong.† I raked my hand through my hair. â€Å"And yet, despite all of that, I can't bring myself to have one tiny conversation with Ms. Terwilliger's coven.† â€Å"You have boundaries.† He gently smoothed one of my wayward locks. â€Å"Nothing wrong with that.† â€Å"Marcus would say it's the tattoo holding me back.† Adrian dropped his hand. â€Å"Marcus says a lot of things.† â€Å"I don't think Marcus is trying to deceive me. He believes in his cause, and I'm still worried about mind control . . . but honestly, it's hard to believe I'm being held back when I'm out here doing stuff like this.† I gestured outside, to where Ms. Terwilliger was. â€Å"Alchemist dogma says this magic is unnatural and wrong.† Adrian's smile returned. â€Å"If it makes you feel better, you actually looked natural out there – back in the park.† â€Å"Doing . . . what? Throwing fireballs?† I shook my head. â€Å"There's nothing natural about that.† â€Å"You wouldn't think so, but . . . well. You were . . . amazing, throwing that fire like some kind of ancient warrior goddess.† Annoyed, I turned away. â€Å"Stop making fun of me.† He caught my arm and pulled me back toward him. â€Å"I am absolutely serious.† I swallowed, speechless for a moment. All I was aware of was how close we were, that he was holding me to him with only a few inches between us. Almost as close as at the sorority. â€Å"I'm not a warrior or a goddess,† I managed at last. Adrian leaned closer. â€Å"As far as I'm concerned, you're both.† I knew that look in his eyes. I knew because I'd seen it before. I expected him to kiss me, but instead, he ran his finger along the side of my neck. â€Å"There it is, huh? Badge of honor.† It took me a moment to realize he was talking about the hickey It had faded but wasn't entirely gone. I pulled away. â€Å"It is not! It was a mistake. You were out of line doing that to me.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"Sage, I distinctly remember every part of that night. You didn't seem that unwilling. You were practically on top of me.† â€Å"I don't really remember the details,† I lied. He moved his hand from my neck and rested a fingertip on my lips. â€Å"But I'll stick to just kissing these if it makes you feel better. No mark.† He started to lean toward me, and I jerked away. â€Å"You will not! It's wrong.† â€Å"What, kissing you, or kissing you in Pies and Stuff?† I glanced around, suddenly aware that we were creating a dinner show for the senior citizens, even if they couldn't hear us. I backed up. â€Å"Both,† I said, feeling my cheeks burn. â€Å"If you're going to attempt something inappropriate – something you said you wouldn't do anymore – then you could at least pick a better place.† He laughed softly, and the look in his eyes confused me further. â€Å"Okay† he said. â€Å"The next time I kiss you, I promise it'll be in a more romantic place.† â€Å"I – what? No! You shouldn't try at all!† I began moving toward the door, and he fell in step with me. â€Å"What happened to loving me from a distance? What happened to not, um, bringing up any of this stuff?† For someone who was allegedly just going to watch from afar, he wasn't doing a very good job. And I was doing an even worse job of being indifferent. He moved in front of the door and blocked my way. â€Å"I said I wouldn't – if you don't want me to. But you're kind of giving me mixed signals, Sage.† â€Å"I am not,† I said, amazed that I could even say that with a straight face. Even I didn't believe it. â€Å"You're presumptuous and arrogant and a whole lot of other things if you think I've changed my mind.† â€Å"You see, that's just it.† There he was again, moving into my space. â€Å"I think you like the ‘other things.'† I shook off my daze and pulled away. â€Å"I like humans.† Another Alchemist lesson came to mind. They look like us, but don't be deceived. The Moroi don't display the malice of the Strigoi, but creatures who drink blood and manipulate nature have no place in our world. Work with them only as you must. We are not the same. Keep your distance as much as possible. It's for the good of your soul. Adrian didn't look like he believed this either, but he stepped away and headed outside. I followed a few moments later, thinking I'd played with fire more than once today.