Review of Technology Opportunities for GLM's Information Systems Research Paper

Review of Technology Opportunities for GLM's Information Systems Management 2012-2017 - Research Paper Example This new technology has been seen to have a lot of potential. With the advent of information technology, there is a lot to be desired with the adoption of mobile applications. The mobile phone technology is proving to be a simple and effective method of managing applications and businesses. There is also the technology of customer relationship management software that has been used and employed extensively. With the use of this enterprise software, it is simple to manage the relationship that the organization has with the clients. It is good to know what the clients require. This paper will look at the role that the three technologies have on GLM Company. It will assess the role that these three technologies have. Introduction There have been some trends which have boosted the growth of enterprise software in the market. The first factor that was considered is the achievement of integrated information architectures which is used to improve the performance of business systems. When on e company adopts the use of enterprise software, the competition will also be compelled to adopt enterprise software so that they are at par in competition. The second fact that has boosted the adoption of packaged software is the Y2K bug which was feared as the world turned to the millennium. Since the bug was solved, another factor is the striving of the European Union to have one currency. This encouraged the companies to have packaged software to replace tailor-made software solutions. This is seen as a way of solving a universal bug instead of having independent software developers. This is hard because there will be difficulty if bugs like Y2K is realized in the market. Another factor is that there is the paradigm shift of businesses from the offline systems to e-commerce. There are the greater advances in technology where the companies are shifting to the use of the Internet for solutions to the problems and challenges found in the business world. A brief review of the organi zation’s IS/IM to date after the implementation of the findings from BCCD The organization’s information system has been greatly improved since the implementation of the finding from BCCD. The operations and activities in different departments have been running on smoothly. The major challenges the organization faces and need to be addressed is the fact the different systems that are running in each department are independent. These make the flow of information from one department to another and hence slow down the speed of doing business. Another issue that still exists is the fact that these systems are managed separately. This gives room to risk like fraud. As such there is need for improvement in the system so that these entire shortcomings are addressed. We must enhance marketing capability to respond to new markets 2. We must improve customer communication 3. We must build integrated IT systems which are easy to manage and responsive to customer needs 4. We must improve working environment and practices for staff. 5. We must provide customer support training for key customer interface staff. 6. We must enhance sales to increase existing markets. Description of the technologies Mobile technologies One challenge that the company has been facing is ensuring that they are efficient in offering the services and also being able to outdo its competing firms. Often, the staff is faced with the difficulty of both attending to clients and attending the training workshops that were demanded. The

Reflection paper Essay Example for Free

Reflection paper Essay Visiting the Daybreak Family Centre gave me the opportunity to learn more about social services in reality. Albeit not having the chance to interact with their clients because we were untrained, I had a fruitful discussion session with the social workers there. â€Å"Learning in social work isn’t a linear process,† shared one of the social worker. Theories though being taught in school seems like there is an accurate answer social work is not a mere transfer of learning. With real clients, it takes time to generate solutions. Some lessons can only be self-discovered through experiences. Since social workers usually deal with case-works, this provided me another insightful take-away of the importance of self-reflection which allows most practitioners to explore reasons they response in certain ways, helping to create self-awareness of own strength and weaknesses. Social workers too have attitudes, past and prejudices that will affect their responses to certain things. Without learning from oneself and acknowledge all these, it will be exceptionally difficult for social workers to assist clients effectively. These social workers shared that critical reflection allows them to form new perspective of the situation, understand themselves better and hence, advance. In social services, the importance of maintaining confidentiality and establishing professional boundaries could not be emphasizes enough. Also, bearing in mind, social workers cannot overpower clients, make assumptions or put own expectations on them. I have learnt that only when appropriate, can then a social worker take more control of clients’ lives. Social services focus on client’s self-determination. Clients ultimately have to be responsible of the decisions they make. Social workers cannot allow a particular incident to affect them so as to continue their profession. It is apparent that females mainly dominate the social work profession. It struck me on how this negatively impacted the manpower issue. In particular, the root cause of delinquency is the distant-father-figure at home. The  general consensus that men are more likely to be receptive towards other men in this issue causes a greater demand for male social workers. Unless the society takes a step forward and change this delusion that social work is a â€Å"voluntary-work†, not a profession, it will be rather difficult to ameliorate this situation. This general misconception has to be addressed meritoriously. On a side note, all the social workers I have meet were like angels, kind-hearted, understanding and never failed to wear on a big-smile!

Essay --

1.1. Background and problem statement Food is an essential component in the life of human beings and thus a necessity for survival. Often food crises in developing world has seen millions of people starve to death despite tremendous wastages witnessed in developed countries. It is often accentuated that, this wastages are attributed to our attitudes and habits as consumers, especially with regards to eating habits and the way we dispose food waste (Morgan 2009).Such attitude and habits have been regarded to not only impact on the consumers way of life but also the economy and environment (Morgan 2009, von Braun 2007). For the last five decades increased economic growth in Singapore has seen tremendous increase in amount of disposable income coupled by declining food prices, thus leading to reduction in the proportion of income spend. Imperatively, with increased availability of food worldwide and variety choices offered, there has been increased lack of interest towards wasteful behavior and attitudes. This is more pronounced developed countries. In this countries the increase in plenty of food choices offered necessitated increased purchase of such foods (Stuart 2009). Such increased purchases have contributed to increased food wastages and over consumption. However the year 2008 saw a change in world perception towards food consumption. This was as a result of the food crises that saw the prices of food rise significantly in Singapore as well as globally. Thus the dwindling food resource and scarcity, has necessitated a rethink and drawn much attention on the problem that is food scarcity and wastages. Further, with increased concern for reduction of greenhouse gas emission contributing to global warming focus has been draw... ... basis for implementation of measures by the government, consumers and other stakeholders towards reducing wastages for sustainable development. 1.3. Research questions The study sought to answer the following question 1. Which are Singapore consumers’ perceptions regarding the food waste? 2. Which are Singapore consumers’ practices regarding food waste? 3. Which are the predictors of the food waste behavior of consumers in Singapore? I undertaking the research the study utilized the theory of Planned Behavior. This thesis is structured into five chapters. Chapter two will be the literature review on prior studies on food wastages and theoretical models. Chapter three will incorporate the methodology adopted for the study and empirical study findings. Chapter four will include the research findings. Chapter five will provide conclusion and recommendations. .

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 24 VOTE

HE WAS NOT PLEASED, THAT MUCH WAS EASY TO READ in his face. But, without further argument, he took me in his arms and sprang lithely from my window, landing without the slightest jolt, like a cat. It was a little bit farther down than I'd imagined. â€Å"All right then,† he said, his voice seething with disapproval. â€Å"Up you go.† He helped me onto his back, and took off running. Even after all this time, it felt routine. Easy. Evidently this was something you never forgot, like riding a bicycle. It was so very quiet and dark as he ran through the forest, his breathing slow and evendark enough that the trees flying past us were nearly invisible, and only the rush of air in my face truly gave away our speed. The air was damp; it didn't burn my eyes the way the wind in the big plaza had, and that was comforting. As was the night, too, after that terrifying brightness. Like the thick quilt I'd played under as a child, the dark felt familiar and protecting. I remembered that running through the forest like this used to frighten me, that I used to have to close my eyes. It seemed a silly reaction to me now. I kept my eyes wide, my chin resting on his shoulder, my cheek against his neck. The speed was exhilarating. A hundred times better than the motorcycle. I turned my face toward him and pressed my lips into the cold stone skin of his neck. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, as the vague, black shapes of trees raced past us. â€Å"Does that mean you've decided you're awake?† I laughed. The sound was easy, natural, effortless. It sounded right. â€Å"Not really. More that, either way, I'm not trying to wake up. Not tonight.† â€Å"I'll earn your trust back somehow,† he murmured, mostly to himself. â€Å"If it's my final act.† â€Å"I trust you,† I assured him. â€Å"It's me I don't trust.† â€Å"Explain that, please.† He'd slowed to a walkI could only tell because the wind ceasedand I guessed that we weren't far from the house. In fact, I thought I could make out the sound of the river rushing somewhere close by in the darkness. â€Å"Well† I struggled to find the right way to phrase it. â€Å"I don't trust myself to be enough. To deserve you. There's nothing about me that could hold you.† He stopped and reached around to pull me from his back. His gentle hands did not release me; after he'd set me on my feet again, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, hugging me to his chest. â€Å"Your hold is permanent and unbreakable,† he whispered. â€Å"Never doubt that.† But how could I not? â€Å"You never did tell me† he murmured. â€Å"What?† â€Å"What your greatest problem is.† â€Å"I'll give you one guess.† I sighed, and reached up to touch the tip of his nose with my index finger. He nodded. â€Å"I'm worse than the Volturi,† he said grimly. â€Å"I guess I've earned that.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"The worst the Volturi can do is kill me.† He waited with tense eyes. â€Å"You can leave me,† I explained. â€Å"The Volturi, Victoria they're nothing compared to that.† Even in the darkness, I could see the anguish twist his faceit reminded me of his expression under Jane's torturing gaze; I felt sick, and regretted speaking the truth. â€Å"Don't,† I whispered, touching his face. â€Å"Don't be sad.† He pulled one corner of his mouth up halfheartedly, but the expression didn't touch his eyes. â€Å"If there was only some way to make you see that I can't leave you,† he whispered. â€Å"Time, I suppose, will be the way to convince you.† I liked the idea of time. â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. His face was still tormented. I tried to distract him with inconsequentials. â€Å"Sosince you're staying. Can I have my stuff back?† I asked, making my tone as light as I could manage. My attempt worked, to an extent: he laughed. But his eyes retained the misery. â€Å"Your things were never gone,† he told me. â€Å"I knew it was wrong, since I promised you peace without reminders. It was stupid and childish, but I wanted to leave something of myself with you. The CD, the pictures, the ticketsthey're all under your floorboards.† â€Å"Really?† He nodded, seeming slightly cheered by my obvious pleasure in this trivial fact. It wasn't enough to heal the pain in his face completely. â€Å"I think,† I said slowly, â€Å"I'm not sure, but I wonder I think maybe I knew it the whole time.† â€Å"What did you know?† I only wanted to take away the agony in his eyes, but as I spoke the words, they sounded truer than I expected they would. â€Å"Some part of me, my subconscious maybe, never stopped believing that you still cared whether I lived or died. That's probably why I was hearing the voices.† There was a very deep silence for a moment. â€Å"Voices?† he asked flatly. â€Å"Well, just one voice. Yours. It's a long story.† The wary look on his face made me wish that I hadn't brought that up. Would he think I was crazy, like everyone else? Was everyone else right about that? But at least that expressionthe one that made him look like something was burning himfaded. â€Å"I've got time.† His voice was unnaturally even. â€Å"It's pretty pathetic.† He waited. I wasn't sure how to explain. â€Å"Do you remember what Alice said about extreme sports?† He spoke the words without inflection or emphasis. â€Å"You jumped off a cliff for fun.† â€Å"Er, right. And before that, with the motorcycle† â€Å"Motorcycle?† he asked. I knew his voice well enough to hear something brewing behind the calm. â€Å"I guess I didn't tell Alice about that part.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, about that See, I found that when I was doing something dangerous or stupid I could remember you more clearly,† I confessed, feeling completely mental. â€Å"I could remember how your voice sounded when you were angry. I could hear it, like you were standing right there next to me. Mostly I tried not to think about you, but this didn't hurt so muchit was like you were protecting me again. Like you didn't want me to be hurt. â€Å"And, well, I wonder if the reason I could hear you so clearly was because, underneath it all. I always knew that you hadn't stopped loving me.† Again, as I spoke, the words brought with them a sense of conviction. Of rightness. Some deep place inside me recognized truth. His words came out half-strangled. â€Å"You were risking your life to hear† â€Å"Shh,† I interrupted him. â€Å"Hold on a second. I think I'm having an epiphany here.† I thought of that night in Port Angeles when I'd had my first delusion. I'd come up with two options. Insanity or wish fulfillment. I'd seen no third option. But what if What if you sincerely believed something was true, but you were dead wrong? What if you were so stubbornly sure that you were right, that you wouldn't even consider the truth? Would the truth be silenced, or would it try to break through? Option three: Edward loved me. The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time. And no matter how much more special or beautiful or brilliant or perfect than me he might be, he was as irreversibly altered as I was. As I would always belong to him, so would he always be mine. Was that what I'd been trying to tell myself? â€Å"Oh!† â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Oh. Okay. I see.† â€Å"Your epiphany?† he asked, his voice uneven and strained. â€Å"You love me,† I marveled. The sense of conviction and Tightness washed through me again. Though his eyes were still anxious, the crooked smile I loved best flashed across his face. â€Å"Truly, I do.† My heart inflated like it was going to crack right through my ribs. It filled my chest and blocked my throat so that I could not speak. He really did want me the way I wanted himforever. It was only fear for my soul, for the human things he didn't want to take from me, that made him so desperate to leave me mortal. Compared to the fear that he didn't want me, this hurdlemy soulseemed almost insignificant. He took my face tightly between his cool hands and kissed me until I was so dizzy the forest was spinning. Then he leaned his forehead against mine, and I was not the only one breathing harder than usual. â€Å"You were better at it than I was, you know,† he told me. â€Å"Better at what?† â€Å"Surviving. You, at least, made an effort. You got up in the morning, tried to be normal for Charlie, followed the pattern of your life. When I wasn't actively tracking, I was totally useless. I couldn't be around my familyI couldn't be around anyone. I'm embarrassed to admit that I more or less curled up into a ball and let the misery have me.† He grinned, sheepish. â€Å"It was much more pathetic than hearing voices. And, of course, you know I do that, too.† I was deeply relieved that he really seemed to understandcomforted that this all made sense to him. At any rate, he wasn't looking at me like I was crazy. He was looking at me like he loved me. â€Å"I only heard one voice,† I corrected him. He laughed and then pulled me tight against his right side and started to lead me forward. â€Å"I'm just humoring you with this.† He motioned broadly with his hand toward the darkness in front of us as we walked. There was something pale and immense therethe house, I realized. â€Å"It doesn't matter in the slightest what they say.† â€Å"This affects them now, too.† He shrugged indifferently. He led me through the open front door into the dark house and flipped the lights on. The room was just as I'd remembered itthe piano and the white couches and the pale, massive staircase. No dust, no white sheets. Edward called out the names with no more volume than I'd use in regular conversation. â€Å"Carlisle? Esme? Rosalie? Emmett? Jasper? Alice?† They would hear. Carlisle was suddenly standing beside me, as if he'd been there all along. â€Å"Welcome back, Bella.† He smiled. â€Å"What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?† I nodded. â€Å"I'd like to talk to everyone at once, if that's okay. About something important.† I couldn't help glancing up at Edward's face as I spoke. His expression was critical, but resigned. When I looked back to Carlisle, he was looking at Edward, too. â€Å"Of course,† Carlisle said. â€Å"Why don't we talk in the other room?† Carlisle led the way through the bright living room, around the corner to the dining room, turning on lights as he went. The walls were white, the ceilings high, like the living room. In the center of the room, under the low-hanging chandelier, was a large, polished oval table surrounded by eight chairs. Carlisle held out a chair for me at the head. I'd never seen the Cullens use the dining room table beforeit was just a prop. They didn't eat in the house. As soon as I turned to sit in the chair, I saw that we were not alone. Esme had followed Edward, and behind her the rest of the family filed in. Carlisle sat down on my right, and Edward on my left. Everyone else took their seats in silence. Alice was grinning at me, already in on the plot. Emmett and Jasper looked curious, and Rosalie smiled at me tentatively. My answering smile was just as timid. That was going to take some getting used to. Carlisle nodded toward me. â€Å"The floor is yours.† I swallowed. Their gazing eyes made me nervous. Edward took my hand under the table. I peeked at him, but he was watching the others, his fate suddenly fierce. â€Å"Well,† I paused. â€Å"I'm hoping Alice has already told you everything that happened in Volterra?† â€Å"Everything,† Alice assured me. I threw her a meaningful look. â€Å"And on the way?† â€Å"That, too,† she nodded. â€Å"Good,† I sighed with relief. â€Å"Then we're all on the same page.† They waited patiently while I tried to order my thoughts. â€Å"So, I have a problem,† I began. â€Å"Alice promised the Volturi that I would become one of you. They're going to send someone to check, and I'm sure that's a bad thingsomething to avoid. â€Å"And so, now, this involves you all. I'm sorry about that.† I looked at each one of their beautiful faces, saving the most beautiful for last. Edward's mouth was turned down into a grimace. â€Å"But, if you don't want me, then I'm not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not.† Esme opened her mouth to speak, but I held up one finger to stop her. â€Å"Please, let me finish. You all know what I want. And I'm sure you know what Edward thinks, too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote. If you decide you don't want me, then I guess I'll go back to Italy alone. I can't have them coming here.† My forehead creased as I considered that. There was the faint rumble of a growl in Edward's chest. I ignored him. â€Å"Taking into account, then, that I won't put any of you in danger either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming a vampire.† I half-smiled on the last word, and gestured toward Carlisle to begin. â€Å"Just a minute,† Edward interrupted. I glared at him through narrowed eyes. He raised his eyebrows at me, squeezing my hand. â€Å"I have something to add before we vote.† I sighed. â€Å"About the danger Bella's referring to,† he continued. â€Å"I don't think we need to be overly anxious.† His expression became more animated. He put his free hand on the shining table and leaned forward. â€Å"You see,† he explained, looking around the table while he spoke, â€Å"there was more than one reason why I didn't want to shake Aro's hand there at the end. There's something they didn't think of, and I didn't want to cine them in.† He grinned. â€Å"Which was?† Alice prodded. I was sure my expression was just as skeptical as hers. â€Å"The Volturi are overconfident, and with good reason. When they decide to find someone, it's not really a problem. Do you remember Demetri?† He glanced down at me. I shuddered. He took that as a yes. â€Å"He finds peoplethat's his talent, why they keep him. â€Å"Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So I saw how Demetri's talent works. He's a trackera tracker a thousand times more gifted than Jarres was. His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aro does. He catches the flavor? I don't know how to describe it the tenor of someone's mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances. â€Å"But after Aro's little experiments, well† Edward shrugged. â€Å"You think he won't be able to find me,† I said flatly. He was smug. â€Å"I'm sure of it. He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn't work with you, they'll all be blind.† â€Å"And how does that solve anything?† â€Å"Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they're planning a visit, and I'll hide you. They'll be helpless,† he said with fierce enjoyment. â€Å"It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!† He and Emmett exchanged a glance and a smirk. This made no sense. â€Å"But they can find you,† I reminded him. â€Å"And I can take care of myself.† Emmett laughed, and reached across the table toward his brother, extending a fist. â€Å"Excellent plan, my brother,† he said with enthusiasm. Edward stretched out his arm to smack Emmett's fist with his own. â€Å"No,† Rosalie hissed. â€Å"Absolutely not,† I agreed. â€Å"Nice.† Jasper's voice was appreciative. â€Å"Idiots,† Alice muttered. Esme just glared at Edward. I straightened up in my chair, focusing. This was my meeting. â€Å"All right, then. Edward has offered an alternative for you to consider,† I said coolly. â€Å"Let's vote.† I looked toward Edward this time; it would be better to get his opinion out of the way. â€Å"Do you want me to join your family?† His eyes were hard and black as flint. â€Å"Not that way. You're staying human.† I nodded once, keeping my face businesslike, and then moved on. â€Å"Alice?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Jasper?† â€Å"Yes,† he said, voice grave. I was a little surprisedI hadn't been at all sure of his votebut I suppressed my reaction and moved on. â€Å"Rosalie?† She hesitated, biting down on her full, perfect bottom lip. â€Å"No.† I kept my face blank and turned my head slightly to move on, but she held up both her hands, palms forward. â€Å"Let me explain,† she pleaded. â€Å"I don't mean that I have any aversion to you as a sister. It's just that this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone there to vote no for me.† I nodded slowly, and then turned to Emmett. â€Å"Hell, yes!† He grinned. â€Å"We can find some other way to pick a fight with this Demetri.† I was still grimacing at that when I looked at Esme. â€Å"Yes, of course, Bella. I already think of you as part of my family.† â€Å"Thank you, Esme,† I murmured as I turned toward Carlisle. I was suddenly nervous, wishing I had asked for his vote first. I was sure that this was the vote that mattered most, the vote that counted more than any majority. Carlisle wasn't looking at me. â€Å"Edward,† he said. â€Å"No,† Edward growled. His jaw was strained tight, his lips curled back from his teeth. â€Å"It's the only way that makes sense,† Carlisle insisted. â€Å"You've chosen not to live without her, and that doesn't leave me a choice.† Edward dropped my hand, shoving away from the table. He stalked out of the room, snarling under his breath. â€Å"I guess you know my vote.† Carlisle sighed. I was still staring after Edward. â€Å"Thanks,† I mumbled. An earsplitting crash echoed from the other room. I flinched, and spoke quickly. â€Å"That's all I needed. Thank you. For wanting to keep me. I feel exactly the same way about all of you, too.† My voice was jagged with emotion by the end. Esme was at my side in a flash, her cold arms around me. â€Å"Dearest Bella,† she breathed. I hugged her back. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rosalie looking down at the table, and I realized that my words could be construed in two ways. â€Å"Well, Alice,† I said when Esme released me. â€Å"Where do you want to do this?† Alice stared at me, her eyes widening with terror. â€Å"No! No! NO!† Edward roared, charging back into the room. He was in my face before I had time to blink, bending over me, his expression twisted in rage. â€Å"Are you insane?† he shouted. â€Å"Have you utterly lost your mind?† I cringed away, my hands over my ears. â€Å"Um, Bella,† Alice interjected in an anxious voice. â€Å"I don't think I'm ready for that. I'll need to prepare† â€Å"You promised,† I reminded her, glaring under Edward's arm. â€Å"I know, but Seriously, Bella! I don't have any idea how to not killyou.† â€Å"You can do it,† I encouraged. â€Å"I trust you.† Edward snarled in fury. Alice shook her head quickly, looking panicked. â€Å"Carlisle?† I turned to look at him. Edward grabbed my face in his hand, forcing me to look at him. His other hand was out, palm toward Carlisle. Carlisle ignored that. â€Å"I'm able to do it,† he answered my question. I wished I could see his expression. â€Å"You would be in no danger of me losing control.† â€Å"Sounds good.† I hoped he could understand; it was hard to talk clearly the way Edward held my jaw. â€Å"Hold on,† Edward said between his teeth. â€Å"It doesn't have to be now.† â€Å"There's no reason for it not to be now,† I said, the words coming out distorted. â€Å"I can think of a few.† â€Å"Of course you can,† I said sourly. â€Å"Now let go of me.† He freed my face, and folded his arms across his chest. â€Å"In about two hours, Charlie will be here looking for you. I wouldn't put it past him to involve the police.† â€Å"All three of them.† But I frowned. This was always the hardest part. Charlie, Renee. Now Jacob, too. The people I would lose, the people I would hurt. I wished there was some way that I could be the only one to suffer, but I knew that was impossible. At the same time, I was hurting them more by staying human. Putting Charlie in constant danger through my proximity. Putting Jake in worse danger still by drawing his enemies across the land he felt bound to protect. And ReneeI couldn't even risk a visit to see my own mother for fear of bringing my deadly problems along with me! I was a danger magnet; I'd accepted that about myself. Accepting this, I knew I needed to be able to take care of myself and protect the ones I loved, even if that meant that I couldn't be with them. I needed to be strong. â€Å"In the interest of remaining inconspicuous,† Edward said, still talking through his gritted teeth, but looking at Carlisle now, â€Å"I suggest that we put this conversation off, at the very least until Bella finishes high school, and moves out of Charlie's house.† â€Å"That's a reasonable request, Bella,† Carlisle pointed out. I thought about Charlie's reaction when he woke up this morning, ifafter all that life had put him through in the last week with Harry's loss, and then I had put him through with my unexplained disappearancehe were to find my bed empty. Charlie deserved better than that. It was just a little more time; graduation wasn't so far away I pursed my lips. â€Å"I'll consider it.† Edward relaxed. His jaw unclenched. â€Å"I should probably take you home,† he said, more calm now, but clearly in a hurry to get me out of here. â€Å"Just in case Charlie wakes up early.† I looked at Carlisle. â€Å"After graduation?† â€Å"You have my word.† I took a deep breath, smiled, and turned back to Edward. â€Å"Okay. You can take me home.† Edward rushed me out of the house before Carlisle could promise me anything else. He took me out the back, so I didn't get to see what was broken in the living room. It was a quiet trip home. I was feeling triumphant, and a little smug. Scared stiff, too, of course, but I tried not to think about that part. It did me no good to worry about the painthe physical or the emotionalso I wouldn't. Not until I absolutely had to. When we got to my house, Edward didn't pause. He dashed up the wall and through my window in half a second. Then he pulled my arms frcm around his neck and set me on the bed. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking, but his expression surprised me. Instead of furious, it was calculating. He paced silently back and forth across my dark room while I watched with growing suspicion. â€Å"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work,† I told him. â€Å"Shh. I'm thinking.† â€Å"Ugh,† I groaned, throwing myself back on the bed and pulling the quilt over my head. There was no sound, but suddenly he was there. He flipped the cover back so he could see me. He was lying next to me. His hand reached up to brush my hair from my cheek. â€Å"If you don't mind, I'd much rather you didn't hide your face. I've lived without it for as long as I can stand. Now tell me something.† â€Å"What?† I asked, unwilling. â€Å"If you could have anything in the world, anything at all, what would it be?† I could feel the skepticism in my eyes. â€Å"You.† He shook his head impatiently. â€Å"Something you don't already have.† I wasn't sure where he was trying to lead me, so I thought carefully before I answered. I came up with something that was both true, and also probably impossible. â€Å"I would want Carlisle not to have to do it. I would want you to change me.† I watched his reaction warily, expecting more of the fury I'd seen at his house. I was surprised that his expression didn't change. It was still calculating, thoughtful. â€Å"What would you be willing to trade for that?† I couldn't believe my ears. I gawked at his composed face and blurted out the answer before I could think about it. â€Å"Anything.† He smiled faintly, and then pursed his lips. â€Å"Five years?† My face twisted into an expression somewhere between chagrin and horror. â€Å"You said anything,† he reminded me. â€Å"Yes, but you'll use the time to find a way out of it. I have to strike while the iron is hot. Besides, it's just too dangerous to be humanfor me, at least. So, anything but that.† He frowned. â€Å"Three years?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"Isn't it worth anyrhing to you at all? â€Å" I thought about how much I wanted this. Better to keep a poker face, I decided, and not let him know how very much that was. It would give me more leverage. â€Å"Six months?† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Not good enough.† â€Å"One year, then,† I said. â€Å"That's my limit.† â€Å"At least give me two.† â€Å"No way. Nineteen I'll do. But I'm not going anywhere near twenty. If you're staying in your teens forever, then so am I.† He thought for a minute. â€Å"All right. Forget time limits. If you want me to be the onethen you'll just have to meet one condition.† â€Å"Condition?† My voice went flat. â€Å"What condition?† His eyes were cautioushe spoke slowly. â€Å"Marry me first.† I stared at him, waiting â€Å"Okay. What's the punch line?† He sighed. â€Å"You're wounding my ego, Bella. I just proposed to you, and you think it's a joke.† â€Å"Edward, please be serious.† â€Å"I am one hundred percent serious.† He gazed at me with no hint of humor in his face. â€Å"Oh, c'mon,† I said, an edge of hysteria in my voice. â€Å"I'm only eighteen.† â€Å"Well, I'm nearly a hundred and ten. It's time I settled down.† I looked away, out the dark window, trying to control the panic before it gave me away. â€Å"Look, marriage isn't exactly that high on my list of priorities, you know? It was sort of the kiss of death for Renee and Charlie.† â€Å"Interesting choice of words.† â€Å"You know what I mean.† He inhaled deeply. â€Å"Please don't tell me that you're afraid of the commitment,† his voice was disbelieving, and I understood what he meant. â€Å"That's not it exactly,† I hedged. â€Å"I'm afraid of Renee. She has some really intense opinions on getting married before you're thirty.† â€Å"Because she'd rather you became one of the eternal damned than get married.† He laughed darkly. â€Å"You think you're joking.† â€Å"Bella, if you compare the level of commitment between a marital union as opposed to bartering your soul in exchange for an eternity as a vampire† He shook his head. â€Å"If you're not brave enough to marry me, then† â€Å"Well,† I interrupted. â€Å"What if I did? What if I told you to take me to Vegas now? Would I be a vampire in three days?† He smiled, his teeth flashing in the dark. â€Å"Sure,† he said, calling my bluff. â€Å"I'll get my car.† â€Å"Dammit.† I muttered. â€Å"I'll give you eighteen months.† â€Å"No deal,† he said, grinning. â€Å"I like this condition.† â€Å"Fine. I'll have Carlisle do it when I graduate.† â€Å"If that's what you really want.† He shrugged, and his smile became absolutely angelic. â€Å"You're impossible,† I groaned. â€Å"A monster.† He chuckled. â€Å"Is that why you won't marry me?† I groaned again. He leaned toward me; his night-dark eyes melted and smoldered and shattered my concentration. † Please, Bella?† he breathed. I forgot how to breathe for a moment. When I recovered, I shook my head quickly, trying to clear my suddenly clouded mind. â€Å"Would this have gone better if I d had time to get a ring.'† â€Å"No! No rings!† I very nearly snouted. â€Å"Now you've done it,† he whispered. â€Å"Oops.† â€Å"Charlie's getting up; I'd better leave,† Edward said with resignation. My heart stopped beating. He gauged my expression for a second. â€Å"Would it be childish of me to hide in your closet, then?† â€Å"No,† I whispered eagerly. â€Å"Stay. Please.† Edward smiled and disappeared. I seethed in the darkness as I waited for Charlie to check on me. Edward knew exactly what he was doing, and I was willing to bet that all the injured surprise was part of the ploy. Of course, I still had the Carlisle option, but now that I knew there was a chance that Edward would change me himself, I wanted it bad. He was such a cheater. My door cracked open. â€Å"Morning, Dad.† â€Å"Oh, hey, Bella.† He sounded embarrassed at getting caught. â€Å"I didn't know you were awake.† â€Å"Yeah. I've just been waiting ior you to wake up so I could take a shower.† I started to get up. â€Å"Hold on,† Charlie said, flipping the light on. I blinked in the sudden brightness, and carefully kept my eyes away from the closet. â€Å"Let's talk for a minute first.† I couldn't control my grimace. I'd forgotten to ask Alice for a good excuse. â€Å"You know you're in trouble.† â€Å"Yeah, I know.† â€Å"I just about went crazy these last three days. I come home from Harry's funeral, and you're gone. Jacob could only tell me that you'd run off with Alice Cullen, and that he thought you were in trouble. You didn't leave me a number, and you didn't call. I didn't know where you were or whenor ifyou were coming back. Do you have any idea how how† He couldn't finish the sentence. He sucked in a sharp breath and moved on. â€Å"Can you give me one reason why I shouldn't ship you off to Jacksonville this second?† My eyes narrowed. So it was going to be threats, was it? Two could play at that game. I sat up, pulling the quilt around me. â€Å"Because I won't go.† â€Å"Now just one minute, young lady† â€Å"Look, Dad, I accept complete responsibility for my actions, and you have the right to ground me for as long as you want. I will also do all the chores and laundry and dishes until you think I've learned my lesson. And I guess you're within your rights if you want to kick me out, toobut that won't make me to go to Florida.† His face turned bright red. He took a few deep breaths before he answered. â€Å"Would you like to explain where you've been?† Oh, crap. â€Å"There was an emergency.† He raised his eyebrows in expectation of my brilliant explanation. I filled my cheeks with air and then blew it out noisily. â€Å"I don't know what to tell you, Dad. It was mostly a misunderstanding. He said, she said. It got out of hand.† He waited with a distrustful expression. â€Å"See, Alice told Rosalie about me jumping off the cliff† I was scrambling frantically to make this work, to keep it as close to the truth as possible so that my inability to lie convincingly would not undermine the excuse, but before I could go on, Charlie's expression reminded me that he didn't know arything about thecliff. Major oops. As if I wasn't already toast. â€Å"I guess I didn't tell you about that,† I choked out. â€Å"It was nothing. Just messing around, swimming with Jake. Anyway, Rosalie told Edward, and he was upset. She sort of accidentally made it sound like I wa? trying to kill myself or something. He wouldn't answer his phone, so Alice dragged me to L.A., to explain in person.† I shrugged, desperately hoping that he would not be so distracted by my slip that he'd miss the brilliant explanation I'd provided. Charlie's face was frozen. â€Å"Were you trying to kill yourself, Bella?† â€Å"No, of course not. Just having fun with Jake. Cliff diving. The La Push kids do it all the time. Like I said, nothing.† Charlie's face heated upfrom frozen to hot with fury. â€Å"What's it to Edward Cullen anyway?† he barked. â€Å"All this time, he's just left you dangling without a word† I interrupted him. â€Å"Another misunderstanding.† His face flushed again. â€Å"So is he back then?† â€Å"I'm not sure what the exact plan is. I think they all are.† He shook his head, the vein in his forehead pulsing. â€Å"I want you to stay away from him, Bella. I don't trust him. He's rotten for you. I won't let him mess you up like that again.† â€Å"Fine,† I said curtly. Charlie rocked back onto his heels. â€Å"Oh.† He scrambled for a second, exhaling loudly in surprise. â€Å"I thought you were going to be difficult.† â€Å"I am.† I stared straight into his eyes. â€Å"I meant, ‘Fine, I'll move out.'† His eyes bulged; his face turned puce. My resolve wavered as I started to worry about his health. He was no younger than Harry â€Å"Dad, I don't want to move out,† I said in a softer tone. â€Å"I love you. I know you're worried, but you need to trust me on this. And you're going to have to ease up on Edward if you want me to stay. Do you want me to live here or not?† â€Å"That's not fair, Bella. You know I want you to stay.† â€Å"Then be nice to Edward, because he's going to be where I am.† I said it with confidence. The conviction of my epiphany was still strong. â€Å"Not under my roof,† Charlie stormed. I sighed a heavy sigh. â€Å"Look, I'm not going to give you any more ultimatums tonightor I guess it's this morning. Just think about it for a few days, okay? But keep in mind that Edward and I are sort of a package deal.† â€Å"Bella† â€Å"Think it over,† I insisted. â€Å"And while you're doing that, could you give me some privacy? I really need a shower.† Charlie's face was a strange shade of purple, but he left, slamming the door behind him. I heard him stomp furiously down the stairs. I threw off my quilt, and Edward was already there, sitting in the rocking chair as if he d been present through the whole conversation. â€Å"Sorry about that,† I whispered. â€Å"It's not as if I don't deserve far worse,† he murmured. â€Å"Don't start anything with Charlie over me, please. â€Å" â€Å"Don't worry about it,† I breathed as I gathered up my bathroom things and a set of clean clothes. â€Å"I will start exactly as much as is necessary, and no more than that. Or are you trying to tell me I have nowhere to go?† I widened my eyes with false alarm. â€Å"You'd move in with a house full of vampires?† â€Å"That's probably the safest place for someone like me. Besides† I grinned. â€Å"If Charlie kicks me out, then there's no need for a graduation deadline, is there?† His jaw tightened. â€Å"So eager for eternal damnation,† he muttered. â€Å"You know you don't really believe that.† â€Å"Oh, don't I?† he fumed. â€Å"No. You don't.† He glowered at me and started to speak, but I cut him off. â€Å"If you really believed that you'd lost your soul, then when I found you in Volterra, you would have realized immediately what was happening, instead of thinking we were both dead together. But you didn'tyou said ‘Amazing. Carlisle was right,'† I reminded him, triumphant. â€Å"There's hope in you, after all.† For once, Edward was speechless. â€Å"So let's both just be hopeful, all right?† I suggested. â€Å"Not that it matters. If you stay, I don't need heaven.† He got up slowly, and came to put his hands on either side of my face as he stared into my eyes. â€Å"Forever,† he vowed, still a little staggered. â€Å"That's all I'm asking for,† I said, and stretched up on my toes so that I could press my lips to his.

Conflict Essay

The bringing of people together in social interaction necessarily involves a set of interpersonal dynamics which sooner or later will lead to conflict. Conflict between people or groups often arises from competition for resources, power, and status. Family members compete for attention. Individuals compete for jobs and wealth. Nations compete for territory and prestige. Different interest groups compete for influence and the power to make rules. Often the competition is not for resources but for ideas, one person or group wants to have the ideas or behaviour of another group suppressed, punished, or declared illegal. When you consider what a diverse society we live in, with so many different backgrounds, perspectives and approaches to life, it is not surprising that conflict is established as part and parcel of our everyday life. This is because people will have competing interests and competing perspectives in relation to the same issues, and so we should not be surprised when tensions exist between individuals and groups. Conflict is concerned with difference. If we were all the same, then there would be little or no conflict. However, thankfully we are not all the same, and so part of the price that we pay for the richness of diversity is that conflicts will arise at certain times. Conflicts are inevitable in one’s organizational life and personal life. Conflict tends to have negative consequences for both the individual and the organization. Performance is adversely affected. Decisions made may not be appropriate. Occasionally, they might even be unrealistic or irrational. Thus, conflicts tend to impair one’s efficiency. Sometimes, conflict is also observed to give rise to certain maladjusted behaviours in individuals trying to cope with it. These include alcoholism, drug abuse, excessive smoking, under eating or overeating and extremely aggressive or submissive behaviour. Conflict has also certain physiological consequences in that, certain changes take place within the physiological system which are often ignored or unnoticed. Hence, it may be understood that conflict not only affects an individual’s performance, but also gives rise to psychosomatic disturbances, which undermine the health of the individual. It can also be argued that conflicts are not necessarily bad. The progress we have made so far in our civilization is due to the conflict between nature & man. Conflict releases energy at every level of human activity, energy that can produce positive, constructive results. Conflicts tend to have a motivational value; they drive or energize an individual to tackle a situation. To resolve a conflict one might explore different avenues or alternatives of action, which make him/her more knowledgeable. Conflicts also provide opportunities to test one’s own abilities. Conflict can occur at personal level, interpersonal level, group level. It can be latent or covert. Causes of Conflict 1. Conflicts arise when people are competing for the same resources, when they are not fairly distributed or when there are not enough to go round. 2. Conflicts arise when the people are unhappy with how they are governed. 3. Conflicts arise when people’s beliefs clash. Religious and political views are particularly sensitive, because people often depend on these for a sense of identity and belonging. Sometimes the conflict is caused by a religious/political group being attacked; sometimes it is because the group is eager to spread a particular belief and even enforce it on others. Some leaders may aggravate religious and political differences as part of their tactics for keeping or gaining power. 4. In the same way ethnic differences can cause conflict, or be made to cause it. Again, people’s ethnicity gives them a sense of identity and belonging, and it is threats to this sense which can cause violent responses, just as individuals may lash out with angry words or gestures when they feel threatened. Causes of conflict in the work place The cause of workplace conflict is often misunderstood and blamed on personalities and misbehaviour, but in reality much workplace conflict is systemic and endemic to the workplace environment. Ineffective organisational systems, unpredictable policies, incompatible goals, scarce resources, and poor communication can all contribute to conflict in the workplace. Workplace conflict causes loss of productivity, distractions, and employee dissatisfaction. However, management can produce positive results by paying attention to and addressing the true causes of conflict in their organisations. Managing conflict Managing a conflict contains specialized interaction that prevents a dispute from becoming a destructive battle. Managing a conflict attends to the personal issues so as to allow for a constructive relationship, even though the objective issues may not be resolvable. For example, the former Soviet Union and the United States managed their conflict during the Cold War by using a variety of mechanisms. The objective issues in the dispute were not resolved, and neither were the personal issues, which contained significant perceptual differences. However, both sides attended significantly to the relationship to keep the disagreement from turning into a destructive battle. Ways people deal with conflict There is no one best way to deal with conflict. It depends on the current situation. Here are the major ways that people use to deal with conflict. 1. Avoidance. Pretend it is not there or ignore it. Usually this approach tends to worsen the conflict over time. 2. Accommodation. Give in to others, sometimes to the extent that you compromise yourself. Usually this approach tends to worsen the conflict over time, and causes conflicts within yourself. 3.  Competition. Work to get your way, rather than clarifying and addressing the issue. 4. Compromising. Mutual give-and-take. 5. Collaboration. Focus on working together. This approach sometimes raises new mutual needs. Effects of conflict Conflicts have positive and negative effects. They can lead to change if they are well managed, they can be used as a learning experience and they can be used to open up opportunities. However, prolonged conflicts can erupt into violence and disrupt the activities of the organisation, they may also damage relationships permanently and they can also lead to the death of an organisation. Change Most of us live and think as if the world were static, or as if it should be. As individuals, as professionals, and as members or leaders of organizations, too often the way we act, plan, and react betrays the assumption that tomorrow will be much like today, that we’ll slide by all right if we just get a little better, a little smarter, at doing what we are already doing. Some people, and some organizations, fall apart in the face of change. They seem well organized until something changes in their environment. According to Robbins (1999), change is concerned with making things different. Things must be different because they change constantly. When an organizational system is disturbed by some internal or external force, change frequently occurs. Change as a process, is simply modification of the structure or process of a system. It may be good or bad, the concept is descriptive only. † It may be constructive, destructive, comfortable or uncomfortable. People and organizations seem to have a pattern over their lifetimes. People and organizations that thrive on change share some fundamental attributes. Change is fractal: its basic nature looks the same at different scales. So the attributes that make an organization powerfully adaptive also make a relationship flexible and fruitful, a community liveable, and an individual creative, adaptive, and secure in the midst of turbulence. It is not possible to change an organization without changing oneself. Changing oneself will change an organization. The two are inextricably linked. If people seriously intend to help their organization go through the massive changes, they must set out on a path of changing their own lives, of learning the skills of change and applying them first to themselves. Any change is, in part, physical. It can be understood in one’s head, but until it lives in their body, it won’t change their behaviour. If a person wishes to be different, that person must learn to move differently, to make different physical decisions. â€Å"Stick to your knitting,† turns out to be a useful thought for dealing with change. However, at the core of every truth is a fallacy, a route to a deeper truth. The fallacy at the core of â€Å"stick to your knitting† is the invitation not to change, to stay satisfied with the way we are. Many of us have a grudging acceptance of the need to change. The reality is that every change is a new skill, one that takes time and attention to learn. If I wait to change until I am forced to it, I will be too late. To wait until change is forced on me is to stay perpetually behind on the learning curve. Whenever a person is trying to change something in his life, they should always remember that change without getting rid of the beliefs that cause the current behaviour or feelings is almost impossible. Furthermore, change probably is difficult when one is onvinced that they either saw or felt the belief causing their current behaviour or feeling on numerous occasions earlier in life. When they realize they never saw their belief and they caused the feeling, not reality, their belief will just dissolve. Today change is the essential of survival and a way of carrying out business. Every business firm whether big or small has to change with time or it will perish. This change along with it brings insecurities and pain that forces human beings or individuals to come out of their comfort zones to zone of uncomfortable debate and this leads to resistance to change.

Immigration Essays

Immigration Essays Immigration Essay Immigration Essay Angels must: undergo a medical examination, and, purchase Canadian medical insurance coverage for at least one year that has a minimum coverage of $100,000 with coverage for health care, hospitalizing and repatriation, and; -provide proof of grandparent relationship to the Canadian citizen, (birth certificate, or baptismal certificate, etc). 4. What income requirements, if any, must Anastasia fulfill to ensure that her mother qualifies for the Parent and Grandparent super Vela? Anastasia must Tuttle provoke a written commitment AT uncial support, including a letter of invitation that sets out living arrangements, care, and support for the duration of the stay. She also must meet the minimum income threshold according to the LICK. Anastasia will have to provide supporting documentation to prove she has sufficient financial resources, could be, an Option C printout from her latest tax return, or a copy of her most recent TTL or TO. She is looking at a LICK for a 6-person family unit of $53,808. Tansys Case Tanya, a Colombian national, would like to visit her sister Bilabial, who lives in Calgary, or two weeks. Tanya is married and has three children in Colombia. Tanya is a stay- at-home mom and her husband works as an architect. The family income is $18,000 annually. Tanya has never been in Canada and is interested in applying for a single- entry temporary resident visa. Neither Tanya nor her family members have criminal records, and they are all in good health. 1) Is Tanya required to apply for a temporary resident visa to enter Canada? Yes, Tanya is required to apply for a Trot enter Canada. She needs a Letter of Support from her sister to show she will be purporting her while she visits.

Theseus and Hippolyta

Theseus and Hippolyta Theseus and Hippolyta appear in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, but who are they? Find out in our character analysis. Theseus, Duke of Athens Theseus is presented as a fair and well-liked leader. He is in love with Hippolyta and is excited to marry her. However, he does agree to enforce the law where Hermia is concerned and agrees with Egeus her father that she should obey his wishes or face death. â€Å"To you your father should be a god† (Act 1 Scene 1, Line 47). This reinforces the idea that the men are in control and make the decisions, however, he does give her a chance to consider her options: THESEUSEither to die the death or to abjureFor ever the society of men.Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires;Know of your youth, examine well your blood,Whether, if you yield not to your fathers choice,You can endure the livery of a nun,For aye to be in shady cloister mewd,To live a barren sister all your life,Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.Thrice-blessed they that master so their blood,To undergo such maiden pilgrimage;But earthlier happy is the rose distilld,Than that which withering on the virgin thornGrows, lives and dies in single blessedness.(Act 1 Scene 1) In giving Hermia time, Theseus allows fate and unknowingly the fairies to intervene in order that Hermia gets her way and can marry Lysander. At the end of the play, he urges Egeus to listen to the lovers story before acting and demonstrates his even hand in this. Theseus shows he is fair and patient again at his nuptials when Egeus warns him of the mechanical’s play No, my noble lord;It is not for you: I have heard it over,And it is nothing, nothing in the world;Unless you can find sport in their intents,Extremely stretchd and connd with cruel pain,To do you service.(Act 5 Scene 1, Line 77) Theseus demonstrates his sense of humor and graciousness when he welcomes Bottom and his friends to show their play. He urges the nobles to take the play for what it is and see the humor in its awfulness: The kinder we, to give them thanks for nothing.Our sport shall be to take what they mistake:And what poor duty cannot do, noble respectTakes it in might, not merit.Where I have come, great clerks have purposedTo greet me with premeditated welcomes;Where I have seen them shiver and look pale,Make periods in the midst of sentences,Throttle their practised accent in their fearsAnd in conclusion dumbly have broke off,Not paying me a welcome. Trust me, sweet,Out of this silence yet I pickd a welcome;And in the modesty of fearful dutyI read as much as from the rattling tongueOf saucy and audacious eloquence.Love, therefore, and tongue-tied simplicityIn least speak most, to my capacity.(Act 5 Scene 1, Line 89-90). Theseus goes on to make funny comments throughout the play and revels in its ineptitude demonstrating his fairness and sense of humor. Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons Betrothed to Theseus, Hippolyta is very much in love with her husband to be and is very much looking forward to their imminent wedding. â€Å"Four days will quickly steep themselves in night, Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow New bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities† (Act 1 Scene 1, Line 7-11). She, like her husband, is fair and allows Bottom’s play to go ahead despite being warned of its inappropriate nature. She warms to the mechanicals and is entertained by them, joking along with Theseus about the play and its characters â€Å"Methinks she should not use a long one for such a Pyramus. I hope she will be brief†. (Act 5 Scene 1, Line 311-312). This demonstrates Hippolyta’s good qualities as a leader and shows her to be a good match for Theseus.

Grammar Tips Subjectâ€Verb Agreement - Proofread My Paper

Grammar Tips Subject–Verb Agreement - Proofread My Paper Grammar Tips: Subject–Verb Agreement An important part of writing a grammatical sentence is making sure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree. In the following, well take a look at some of the basics. The Basics of Subject–Verb Agreement In the present tense, subject–verb agreement requires using singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects. In this context, the â€Å"subject† is the person or thing in the sentence performing the action, while the verb is the action being performed: Singular Subject Present Tense Singular Verb The bird†¦ †¦sings. Plural Subject Present Tense Plural Verb The birds†¦ †¦sing. In the simple past tense, though, there’s usually no difference between singular and plural verbs: Singular Subject Past Tense Verb The bird†¦ †¦sang. Plural Subject Past Tense Verb The birds†¦ †¦sang. Songbirds themselves care little for grammar.(Photo: Georg_Wietschorke) Compound Subjects Subject–verb agreement becomes more complicated when using a compound subject. When two subjects are joined with the coordinating conjunction â€Å"and,† we always use a plural verb: Bob and Cheryl are going to the game. However, when using â€Å"either/or† or â€Å"neither/nor† in a compound subject, whether to use a singular or plural verb depends on the term nearest to the verb: Singular: Either the girls or the boy is going to the game. Plural: Neither the boy nor the girls are going to the game. In the above, we use the singular â€Å"is† when the singular noun â€Å"boy† comes after â€Å"or,† but the plural verb â€Å"are† when the plural noun â€Å"girls† comes after the conjunction. Parenthetical Statements One common mistake with subject–verb agreement occurs when a parenthetical statement appears between the subject and the verb: The man, in the company of his dog, goes for a walk. Here, we use the singular verb â€Å"goes† because the bit of the dog is mentioned within a parenthetical clause (i.e., within commas), not as part of the subject of the sentence. If we rephrased this so that the dog was part of a compound subject, we would use the plural verb â€Å"go† instead: The man and his dog go for a walk. But when an additional person or thing is mentioned in parentheses or within commas, the verb should always agree with the subject that appears outside of the parenthetical clause. A man trying to explain parenthetical statements to his dog.(Photo: ToNic-Pics) Collective and Mass Nouns Another potential confusion relates to the use of collective nouns. In American English, these require using a singular verb despite referring to a group of things: The team is playing to win! Here, we use â€Å"is† because â€Å"team† is singular. Mass (or â€Å"non-count†) nouns are similar, since they take singular verbs despite referring to a mass substance (e.g., â€Å"milk† or â€Å"sand†): The milk is going sour. Here, it doesn’t matter how much milk we’re discussing: we’d always use the singular â€Å"is.† Some Exceptions As usual in English, there are exceptions to the rules above. The first-person â€Å"I† and the singular second-person â€Å"you,† for example, reverse the usual rules in the present tense (e.g., we say â€Å"I sing† not â€Å"I sings,† even though â€Å"I† is singular and â€Å"sing† is usually a plural verb). Auxiliary (or â€Å"helper†) verbs (e.g., â€Å"is†/â€Å"are† or â€Å"has†/â€Å"have†) also cause trouble, since they often change depending on whether the subject is singular or plural when using a past participle (e.g., â€Å"The boy has finished his homework† vs. â€Å"The boys have finished their homework†). And since the rules do vary depending on how a sentence is constructed, it pays to be careful with subject–verb agreement! Having your work proofread is a good idea if you’re not confident about this aspect of grammar.

Internal assessment for International bacculaureate Essay

Internal assessment for International bacculaureate - Essay Example Megginson, William L., Robert C. Nash, and Matthias Randenborgh. "The financial and operating performance of newly privatized firms: An international empirical analysis." The Journal of Finance 49.2 (2012): 403-452. Introduction General Introduction Organizations within the contemporary environment continue to struggle in order to survive and grow amidst the increased competition. The reductions in the barriers to entrants have been a major factor contributing to increased competition (Altman 591). Classical firms continue to have significant problems in respect to competition despite the fact that they may be commanding high market share. As a result, such firms need to establish an evaluation and analysis into its performance in order to ascertain whether they can continue to survive or grow within the contemporary business environment. Hafeera Contracting Company is one such organization that has existed since 1968. The following is an analysis of Hafeera’s financial and ov erall performance in a bid to establish its survival and growth within the contemporary business environment. ... has been involved in undertaking specific projects that correspond to government industry, housing, road works, building, sewage and drainage, heavy civil construction, and construction of water supply networks amongst others. Indeed, Hafeera Contracting Company has been involved in many activities, which provide further room for both survival and growth within the construction industry. Findings The main question that this assessment and analysis aim at answering is â€Å"Can Hafeera Group continues to survive based on the current performance status?† In order to find the answers to this question, the assessment and analysis employed the use of financial data (Altman 591). The following are some of the findings from the assessments and analyses of financial data for Hafeera Contracting Company. The findings are categorized into the current financial information as well as the comparison of past financial information (2007 to 2010). It is important to understand a firm on the basis of its past performance whilst comparing with the present for the purposes of forecasting into the future. Latest Financial Performance Table 1: Latest Financial Performance 31 December 2011 Total Income $ 3,984,950 Total Expenses $ 3,059,556 Net Profit for the year $ 925,394 Total Equity $ 3,310,348 The above table shows or indicates the latest financial performance of information of the client. These data are useful in understanding the current performance of the firm hence provides a room or an opportunity of forecasting and making inferences about the future (Chadwell-Hatfield 101). The financial information provided in Table 1 can be used to generate various financial ratios, which may provide an understanding of the status and performance of Hafeera Contracting Company thus enhance in

The Four Noble Truths and the Life of Siddhartha Gautama Essay

The Four Noble Truths and the Life of Siddhartha Gautama - Essay Example To live means to suffer. Throughout our lives, we experience suffering irrespective of we want it or not. Everything in life leads to suffering of one form or another, sometime physical and sometimes psychological. Both physical and psychological sufferings such as tiredness, sickness, pain, old age, injury, depression, frustration, disappointment, fear, sadness and finally death are inevitable. Life is not all about suffering as we do experience positive feelings such as happiness and comfort. But to believe that life is all about such positive experiences and emotions is to live in a delusion. Life is not perfect and definitely not complete. The world we live is subject to impermanence. Everything changes, and positive emotions and feelings also do change. It is not always possible to get what one wants. Therefore, suffering is an integral part of life and everybody experiences it in one form or another and to variable degrees. Life is a suffering is the first of the four noble tru ths1. This is illustrated in Buddha’s life when he goes on ride through the countryside. During his journey he saw an old man, a sick man and a corpse. This signifies the hard realities and suffering of life which no one can escape: old age, sickness and death2. Noble Truth of Origin of Suffering Being attached to things that are transient and the ignorance that they are transient is the cause of all origin. It is in this attachment and ignorance that lays the origin of suffering. Transient things are not just limited to physical objects but include everything from our ideas to concepts. Nothing is permanent and constantly changes. Attachment to these transient things and ignoring the fact that they will not remain forever is the root cause of suffering. That is, craving and clinging on transient things is what causes suffering. Desire, popularity, fame, passion, wealth, prestige, ardour, self image, etc are the various transient things that lead to suffering3. This is illust rated in Buddha’s life when he leaves the palace and goes in search of enlightenment. But his father, the king, had always believed that the palaces he had created were enough to keep his son happy and in turn keep him happy. All that he had created for his son were transient and as a result had created him a transient environment. But it all fell apart when Buddha decided to give up everything and this caused a lot of pain and suffering to the king. He was attached to his son and the things that he had created for his son4. Noble Truth of Cessation of Suffering The suffering can be stopped and the way to do it is to eliminate the cause of the suffering. That is, the suffering can stopped by eliminating the conceptual attachment and sensual craving. Therefore, the suffering can be overcome by detaching from the transient things which are the cause of suffering. It is by attaining and perfecting complete dispassion that the suffering can be completely removed from one’s life5. Buddha gave up all transient things in search of enlightenment. He left all the pleasures and attachments of the palace and decided to live as a ascetic. He also detached himself from human bonds of family (father, wife and son). He eliminated all causes of suffering from his life6. Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering The path to cessation of suffering is one of self-improvement. The path to self improvement is neither of the

Economics of Energy and Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Economics of Energy and Environment - Essay Example The remaining amount of fuel had been utilised for energy motives. It has been observed that the consumption of energy in the UK fell to its lowest level in the years2010 and 2011 compared to the year 1984. This decrease in energy has been conceived due to the reduction of 18% in the utilisation of gas. From the year 1970, there has been a change in the consumption of fuel from solid fuels to fuel mix from 46,120 million tonnes to 2,437 million tonnes of oil in the year 2011. The consumption of fuel has been substituted by gas which increased from 14,408 million tonnes to 42,378 million tonnes of oil equivalent from the year 1970 to 2011. The consumption of electricity is also observed to have increased by a considerable extent i.e. by 65% which is equivalent to 27,334 million tonnes of oil (Crown, â€Å"Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom: 2012†). The industrial sector is responsible for consuming around 40% of energy which amounted to around 62,333 thousand tonnes of oi l equivalent. On the other hand, the domestic sector and transport are perceived to be utilising nearly 24% and 18% respectively. Other users including public administration, agriculture and commerce are observed to be using 12% of energy. Furthermore, 7% of the energy was consumed for non-energy motives (Crown, â€Å"Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom: 2012†). Domestic Energy Consumption From The Year 1970 To 2011 Source: [1] (Crown, â€Å"Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom: 2012†) In the year 1990, it has been perceived that the industrial sector consumed around 24% of energy which signifies that there was fall in energy consumption in the industrial sector as compared to the period of 1970.... This essay stresses that the households are also required to adopt innovative and certified household electrical appliances and products with the intention of better utilisation of energy. Moreover, households are required to adopt latest products which are energy efficient with the motive of ascertaining that energy is consumed at a minimum level. The households are required to acquire technologies which emit carbon in a minimised manner. Furthermore, these innovative and low carbon emitting technologies will facilitate households with better power as well as money saving opportunities. The increased price of energy will initiate households to acquire more innovative technologies for producing renewable sources of energy. This paper makes a conclusion that it can be comprehended that the prices of energy is likely to increase for households, as the current market prices only pay for returns to existing energy production. By raising the regulation and costs of existing energy production, and providing grants and subsidies to encourage the adoption of new technology, the government is rebalancing the costs of energy consumption more in favour of low carbon technologies. In the long run, combined with technological developments making such technologies more affordable, and regulations requiring that they are used, there will be a shift toother non-renewable sources of energy in order to improve energy efficiency, preserve energy for future consumption, as well as reducing carbon emission.

How did Mao Zedong and the top CCP leaders modernize the political Essay

How did Mao Zedong and the top CCP leaders modernize the political state systems of China according to the interpretation of Melanie Manion (2009) - Essay Example His dependence on the lower class (a significant takeoff from predominating Soviet convention) and reliance on guerrilla warfare in the insurgency were vital to the Communist triumph in China. Taking after the foundation of the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) in 1949, Mao was answerable for a large number of the political activities that changed the substance of China. These included area change, the collectivization of farming, and the spread of restorative administrations. Specifically, this pioneer of the transformation remained caution to what he saw to be new manifestations of mistreatment and touchy to the investment of the oppressed. In 1958 he supported a confident" "Incredible Leap Forward" fights in country improvement. The disappointment of the Leap headed Mao to turn numerous obligations over to different pioneers (Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, and so on.) and to withdraw from animated choice making. Manion interpretation is not logical because throughout the early 1960s, Mao preceded his fretful test of what he discerned as new manifestations of mastery (in his words, "revisionism," or "investor reclamation"). In remote strategy he headed Chinas separation from the Soviet Union. Conclusion, locally, he got to be progressively careful about his subordinates methodology to advancement, expecting that it was cultivating profound social and political favoritisms. At the point when Liu, Deng, and others appeared to be disregarding his call to "always remember class battle," Mao in 1966 started the "Incredible Proletarian Cultural Revolution," abusing discontent around a few people (the "Red Army") and

The challenges of managing communication, leadership and decision Essay

The challenges of managing communication, leadership and decision making - Essay Example The role of managers is to level possible disagreements and create positive climate and atmosphere. In hospitality, sector, cohesive groups, and self-managing teams create a tension and pressure which has a negative impact on critical analysis and decision-making process. The challenge of management is to restructure self-managing teams and introduce new methods and forms of communication between teams members. Cohesiveness is more likely when members of a team are to gather for a reasonable length of time, and changes occur only slowly. Strict guidelines and rules established by a manager will help to avoid conflict situations and turnover of members. Low morale and a negative attitude are often associated with a large number of team members undertaking similar work. This requires realistic planning by which the degree and quality of goal achievement can be determined. Teamwork coordination should be stated clearly and communicated to those concerned, and to those who are subject to the operation of the control system. Decision-making has a great influence on effective teamwork, because it involves some degree of participation. Team decision-making uses an overlapping form of structure (Dittmer 2001). Cross-cultural environment and cross-cultural teams create another challenge for management. This issue is typical for hospitality management and communication based on the nature of business itself. Hospitality management operates on the global scale and has to deal with different customer groups and culturally diverse employees. In this case, communication and leadership are the main tools used by management to eliminate cultural differences and tension (Beardwell et al 2001). There are always certain groups in any society that are discriminated against unfavorably due to the prejudices and preconceptions of the people with whom they have to deal. These preconceptions are sometimes verbalized, but often not, and the people holding these preconceptions may well be unaware of the way that they see and judge things and people. The key to managing a diverse workforce is increasing individual awareness of and sensitivity to differences of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and age. The locus of change is the individual and change itself is both intra- and inter-personal. The action plan will can be based on employee' survey (questionnaire) aimed to identify the main areas of improvement and current problems faced by hospitality managers (Dow 1999). Primarily, it is crucial to develop mutual acceptance and membership within each team. Members in different departments and corporate office environment should have an initial mistrust of each other and a fear of inadequacies. If they remain defensive and limit their behavior through conformity and ritual, the manager should adopt diversity policies to reduce a negative impact (Bowen, Ford 2004). The priority is with questions of likes and dislikes, and power or dependency of group members. Critics admit that there is

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 29

Research Paper Example However, the case was dismissed since Ali sued the human resource director rather than United States; therefore, the complaint was dismissed based on the deficiency of jurisdiction. Comparing the case of Ali v Rogers and Jack’s case both cases base complications on nationality issues. However, Jacks case base more ideas on employees rather than states. The case between Ali v Rogers base legal ideas on public vessels Act and Admiralty Act should have developed a case against United States rather than the human resource director. Therefore, both cases are dismissed because of insufficient jurisdictions in the two cases (Ali v. Rogers, 2015). Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Peabody 2001, alleging Peabody implementation of tribal hiring was illegal (EEOC v. Peabody, 2010). It was alleged that Peabody violated Title VII of Civil rights Act 1964. Additionally, Peabody had violated Title VII of record keeping requirements. In jack’s case, Jack was accused of violating the company’s records on laws touching policies of the Grocery just as EEOC case v Peabody. According to Zeinali v Raytheon business case, the court of appeal reversed the district court judgment (The Recorder, 2011). The court maintained federal precedent in excluding judicial evaluation of security authorization verdicts had no interest on employees’ and, therefore, discriminating against a private employer. Comparing, the case with Jacks, security issues have been addressed in Zeinali case by developing critical security issues for employees while Jacks case, security of employees is not taken into consideration. In July 2011, a black employee from South Africa called Jack secured recruitment as a chief security officer in a California grocery store. In the second week of work at the store, Jack spotted a white female customer robbing items from the store. Jack alerted Chris to assist her in stopping the theft at

The challenges of managing communication, leadership and decision Essay

The challenges of managing communication, leadership and decision making - Essay Example The role of managers is to level possible disagreements and create positive climate and atmosphere. In hospitality, sector, cohesive groups, and self-managing teams create a tension and pressure which has a negative impact on critical analysis and decision-making process. The challenge of management is to restructure self-managing teams and introduce new methods and forms of communication between teams members. Cohesiveness is more likely when members of a team are to gather for a reasonable length of time, and changes occur only slowly. Strict guidelines and rules established by a manager will help to avoid conflict situations and turnover of members. Low morale and a negative attitude are often associated with a large number of team members undertaking similar work. This requires realistic planning by which the degree and quality of goal achievement can be determined. Teamwork coordination should be stated clearly and communicated to those concerned, and to those who are subject to the operation of the control system. Decision-making has a great influence on effective teamwork, because it involves some degree of participation. Team decision-making uses an overlapping form of structure (Dittmer 2001). Cross-cultural environment and cross-cultural teams create another challenge for management. This issue is typical for hospitality management and communication based on the nature of business itself. Hospitality management operates on the global scale and has to deal with different customer groups and culturally diverse employees. In this case, communication and leadership are the main tools used by management to eliminate cultural differences and tension (Beardwell et al 2001). There are always certain groups in any society that are discriminated against unfavorably due to the prejudices and preconceptions of the people with whom they have to deal. These preconceptions are sometimes verbalized, but often not, and the people holding these preconceptions may well be unaware of the way that they see and judge things and people. The key to managing a diverse workforce is increasing individual awareness of and sensitivity to differences of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and age. The locus of change is the individual and change itself is both intra- and inter-personal. The action plan will can be based on employee' survey (questionnaire) aimed to identify the main areas of improvement and current problems faced by hospitality managers (Dow 1999). Primarily, it is crucial to develop mutual acceptance and membership within each team. Members in different departments and corporate office environment should have an initial mistrust of each other and a fear of inadequacies. If they remain defensive and limit their behavior through conformity and ritual, the manager should adopt diversity policies to reduce a negative impact (Bowen, Ford 2004). The priority is with questions of likes and dislikes, and power or dependency of group members. Critics admit that there is

Crash Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crash - Movie Review Example From this paper it is clear that the Character of Persian delivery man is also subjected to racism due to his profession of a domestic worker. Even Cameron and Christine a well off black couple faces racism. According to â€Å"Cameron and Christine are a black well off couple. They experience stereotyping and racism when they are driving home from a party†. On the way, they were harassed by a white police officer who ran fingers on Christine’s body and Cameron felt helpless. Also Farad a Muslim shop owner in the movie faces discrimination as he is Muslim and it was a time prior to 9/11 terrorist attack.Also Graham, a black police officer with Hispanic woman called Rita tells his mom that he is with white woman which makes her angry.This study outlines that the discrimination due to class is also evident in the movie. Jean being a woman from upper class looks down upon all minorities. She looks at blacks strangely and shows offensive attitude as she walks down the street . We can see that she also acts badly to her maid servant who is black. Even with Mexican locksmith who was Hispanic she reacted in an offending manner. She blamed the locksmith for being a gang member and a potential threat. Also the shop owner Farhad who is from a working class has to live in a neighborhood with no security where his daughter was almost shot.  The movie depicts that whites are superior class and this can be evident in the scene where the white producer tells the black actor to act dumb to make him look more like a black man.... As per ( Blunt) â€Å"Because this is a movie about connections, some of the most painful moments in Crash show classism and racism supporting each other in people's personal lives†. The movie depicts that whites are superior class and this can be evident in the scene where the white producer tells the black actor to act dumb to make him look more like a black man. The movie also shows the distinction between the rich and poor class. Here in the movie, Jean and her husband are rich and afford luxurious car but poor farhad a shop owner is struggling to live in a scary neighborhood. He keeps a gun to save himself from Hispanics and blacks. Also the movie shows, the Chinese slaves who are imported to US. So in the movie there is upper class, middle class and even slaves. Gender roles are also portrayed in many scenes along the movie. In the beginning , when Jean and husband are walking on the street and when she finds two black men coming towards them, Jean hold on to her husband which shows the traditional role of male as a protector. Although he is not armed, society’s traditional view is depicted in the movie where a man is a protector and women in need of protection. Another example is where, Jean and husband in career with traditional gender role notion. Rick, the husband is an Attorney while she remains a housewife. Here, the roles reinforces male as a â€Å"breadwinner† and woman as a â€Å"domestic†. Another scene which showcases gender roles is when Cameron and Christine are stopped by the police while driving home. Here there is depiction of male versus female struggle which is much obvious in the society. The female is sexually assaulted by Ryan, a police officer while her husband watches helplessly. Although, this instance has racism, the gender

Underage Drinking Essay Example for Free

Underage Drinking Essay Episode 4 Underage Drinking; A National Concern of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia addresses underage drinking through politically incorrect satire while still focusing on the seriousness of the subject matter. It is widely known and accepted that alcohol abuse by teenagers is not only a crime; it is also a sorrowful situation when it involves ruining lives and it can even result in death. The cast of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia presents a new and obviously demented view point to the subject. The friends portrayed in the show understand teenage drinking is unacceptable and in the opening scenes of this particular episode the cast shares some personal youthful experiences while sitting together in the bar that that is owned collectively by the group. Charlie points out a particularly dangerous moment when he says several times â€Å"Remember when we totaled Ben’s car after we plowed into that tree!† (â€Å"Underage Drinking, A National Concern†). Alcohol use among teens increases dramatically during the high-school years and leads to serious consequences for many teens. As studies by statistics from the National Institute of Health show, each year in the United States, alcohol-related automobile accidents are a major cause of teen deaths. Alcohol is also often a cause in other teenage deaths, including drowning, suicides and homicides. â€Å"Teens who drink are more likely to become sexually active, have sex more frequently and engage in risky, unprotected sex than are teens who dont drink.† (National Institute of Health). For each person who will agree with a specific angle to this subject there will be two who will stand up and disagree. A classic example from this episode is the early comment from Dee, â€Å"[there is] a social responsibility to keep teenagers from drinking.† (â€Å"Underage Drinking, A National Concern†). Obviously this is right thinking however this is the twisted turning point with regards to this episode. It is suggested and then agreed upon to give the local youth a â€Å"safe† place where they can consume alcohol without the worries typically associated with attempting to purchase liquor without valid identification. The topic should be black and  white. There isn’t supposed to be a gray area involving illegal activities and the bottom line is simple; if you’re under 21 you cannot drink alcohol. What happens on the show is especially ironic because the owners of the bar justify making money off of ignorant teenagers while telling each other they’re providing a controlled environment for something that teenagers are going to do anyway. They point out that in many countries the world over it is not uncommon for someone as young as 12 or 13 to be found drinking with some degree of regularity and rationalize that they’re actually providing a community service. Everyone would like to know why teens use drugs and alcohol; some use narcotics to fit in and then become addicted. Others think a more complicated reason exists why people use drugs, especially teenagers. During the teen years, kids are more likely to engage in risky behaviors. The increasing need for teenaged independence may make kids want to defy their parents wishes or instructions as a way of asserting their independence. Peer pressure can also have an effect on an adolescents decision to begin drinking. While much has been written about peer pressure, and its effect should not be ignored, study after study proves that parental involvement carries much more weight. Teenage bodies and minds are still developing, and drinking at that age has a much more negative effect than on an adult The abuse of alcohol by teenagers is a sneaky thing, and many times adults who dont want to believe their children would do that, find out too late that they already have. â€Å"Parents, teachers and social workers need to remain alert to the signs of alcohol abuse in teenagers.† (National Institute of Health). There is a misconception, especially among non-alcoholics, that a teenager is too young to become an alcoholic. This is a subject that is completely overlooked in the episode in spite of the tongue in cheek satire. Some recovering alcoholics can look back through specific teenage years and see that they were drinking as an alcoholic when they were much younger. It is true that most teenagers wont come to grips with their drinking problems until much later in life. Alcoholism does not discriminate against its victims, and it crosses into all age groups. What the show does not focus on ultimately, is that bad choices have bad consequences. If a teenager thinks they have a drinking problem, they should be assisted in finding help and not given rationalizations that offer a quick escape. There are many young people Alcoholics Anonymous groups available today all across the country. They are living their teenage years as it was intended to be, free of alcohol and happy. Underage drinking is a serious and criminal offence and there should be zero tolerance in spite of the success of comedic displays in the media. Works Cited National Institute of Health. Alcoholism When Drinking Becomes a Disease. â€Å"Underage Drinking; A National Concern.† It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. By Glenn Howerton. Rob McElhenney. Charlie Day. FX Productions. 18 Aug. 2005.

Prostitution Under the Taliban :: Taliban

With the arrival of the Taliban the social and more importantly the economical problems for the women of Afghan has increased. These women live their lives under monstrous oppression of both Jehadi and Taliban fundamentalists in disastrous situations, most of the Afghan women’s basic human rights are denied to them. By the rule of the Taliban, women are denied the right to have a job, this ruling that has created a flood of unemployed women in Kabul. These women that are unemployed now face very serious financial difficulties, suffering along side them are their children. Together that suffer from malnutrition, hunger many forms of illnesses as well as living that a chronic state of poverty. Majority of these women have lost their husbands and have sold the last of their valuable possessions in order to buy food. The women that were fortunate to be able to afford to leave the country and build a new life outside of Afghanistan have long go from the scene. The women that could not afford to leave have become the bulk of beggars in their country. Surprisingly the majority of the street beggars are ex teachers and civil servants. With Kabual being in a bad state of economy it has hit hard the pity income of these beggars. The banning of female beggars entering shops, inns as well as other trading places has increased and this has affected the women’s income greatly. This has forced them to enter into prostitution simply in order for them to make sure that both their children and them-selves survive. Many young widows that are the sole bread earner in their family have had all their doors closed on them with job prospects and have joined the rank of prostitutes as well. Preliminary research on this issue has showed that there are hundreds of new prostitutes that have joined the ranks with the professional ones. Most of these women are working from their homes under the name of ‘Qala’. In the city of Kabul there is somewhere between 25 to 30 brothels actively functioning. However due to security reasons these brothels are constantly on the move every few months. The brothels usually have three to five women working and living in them. ‘Kharabati’ is the name given to the prostitute while the old woman that manages the work of the brothel is call ‘Khaka Kharabati’ and the pimps are called ‘Qala Dar’.

The Divine Comedy and the Human Experience :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

The Divine Comedy: The Depth of Human Experience Religious, structured, and orderly. Although this book is religious through and through, it is also very earthly. You seem to never leave the earth. In fact, there seems to be no difference between earth and the heavenly sphere. It is a solid world, no distinction between mind and matter, everything is touchable. The physical expresses the spiritual, the spirit of God is physical and pervades the physical universe--it's all one place. There is no heaven and hell, it is just all here. For this reason, this book answers all of those questions you had as a kid in Sunday school and nobody could give you a satisfying answer, for instance, where do people go when they die, what does hell look like, what does heaven look like, what is purgatory, and how does one get from purgatory to heaven. Sunday school teachers should just read Dante to the kids--it is the end-all encyclopedia of heaven, hell, and purgatory. The symbolism of the beginning is nice, that he is in a forest being chased by various animals. I can imagine that each of the animals represents some kind of vice and that the part in the woods symbolizes the sinful, confused life full of temptations. It was interesting that Virgil was his guide. I was expecting a more religious character, for instance, Moses--but it later turned out that he was sitting in hell himself! That was an eye-opener. It makes you realize the difference between the old and the new testaments. Even Noah was in hell.(!) But at least they weren't very deep in hell. "All hope abandon ye who enter here." I liked how Hell is an interactive place for Dante. He isn't afraid to "touch the merchandise." Then seizing on his hinder scalp, I cried: "Name thee, or not a hair shall tarry here." He is human, he takes part and overreacts. And he keeps fainting. It's not a Universal Studios ride through hell, but you can actually grab ahold of the props, talk to old friends and acquaintences, and the guide will patiently wait for you when you faint. Another aspect of hell that surprised me was that the devil was standing on a frozen lake. This isn't the picture of Larson's Far Side hell scenes, nor is the devil the cool, rebellious bad boy of Milton's Paradise Lost.

Analysis of Pivotal Moment in “A Separate Peace” Essay

The book, â€Å"A Separate Peace† by John Knowles is a coming of age story of two best friends, Gene and Finny. Although the story is told through Gene’s point of view, his perception of Finny is most important as Finny develops psychologically throughout the book. A pivotal moment in Finny’s psychological development is Brinker’s investigation in Chapter 11, when Finny finally acknowledges it was Gene who pushed him and this changes Finny’s innocent view of the world. Finny sees everyone how he wants to see them, assuming the world is a fundamentally friendly place. In life he always thinks the best of people and counts no one as his enemy, just as he dislikes games with winners and losers. Blitzball, the game he invents where everyone competes furiously but no one wins, shows Finny’s attitude toward life. According to Gene, these qualities make Finny unique. But, Finny’s inability to see others as hostile is his weakness as well as his strength; he refuses to believe any dark motives toward Gene. Finny’s naà ¯ve mindset makes him assume that everyone thinks like he does. This carefree, self-absorbed attitude is one of the roots of Gene’s jealousy of Finny, although Finny, aware only of himself and seeing the good in others, never seems to pick up on Gene’s inner turmoil. Gene’s resentment of his best friend caused him to hold dark, unspoken feelings toward Finny which led him to push Finny off of the tree, making him unable to play sports, his most notable skill. But of course Finny, seeing the best in everyone, refuses to even think that his best friend could have caused the accident. When Gene tries to confess that it was his fault for the accident, Finny refuses to talk about what he doesn’t want to hear. Getting upset at Gene, Finnt tells him, â€Å"If you don’t shut up, I’ll kill you.† However, Brinker’s investigation in chapter 11 shows Finny’s psychological transition when he is finally able to listen to what he doesn’t want to hear. The first time Gene tried to confess that it was his fault; Finny immediately gets upset and simply won’t talk about it. On the other hand, Brinker/s trial forces Finny to accept the truth and illustrates Finny’s psychological development, consi dering Finny doesn’t react like he did the first time Gene tried to talk about the fall. It takes Finny longer  to get angry, and he is more tolerant to talk about the accident. When Brinker asked Finny if he had ever considered that he didn’t just fall out of the tree, implying that someone pushed him, Gene describes Finny’s reaction as it â€Å"touched an interesting point Phineas had been turning over in his mind for a long time. I could tell that because his obstinate, competitive look left his face as his mind became engaged for the first time.† (Pg.169) Finny is then open to talking about the accident and it takes him much longer to get upset than it did the first time. Once Leper told the truth about the fall, Finny became upset again as â€Å"The words shocked Phineas into awareness.† (Pg.177) Finny’s mindset shifts from seeing a world with no wrong to an understanding, less naà ¯ve view.