The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 10

The next morning Elena got up and dressed quietly in the motel room, grateful for the extra space. Damon was gone, but she had expected that. He usually got his breakfast early while they were on the road, preying on waitresses at all-night truck stops or early-morning diners. She was going to discuss that with him someday, she thought as she put the packet of ground coffee in the little two-cup percolator the motel provided. It smelled good. But more urgently, she needed to talk to someone about what had happened last night. Stefan was her first choice, of course, but she'd found that out of body experiences weren't just to be had for the asking. What she needed to do was call Bonnie and Meredith. She had to talk to them – it was her right – but now, of all times, she couldn't. Intuitively, she felt that any contact between her and Fell's Church might be bad. And Matt had never checked in. Not once. She had no idea where he was on the road, but he had better be in Sedona on time, that was all. He had deliberately cut off all communication between them. Fine. As long as he showed up when he had promised. But†¦Elena still needed to talk. To express herself. Of course! She was an idiot! She still had her faithful companion that never said a word, and never kept her waiting. Pouring herself a cup of scalding black coffee on the way, Elena dug her diary out of the bottom of her duffel bag and opened it to a fresh, clean page. There was nothing like a fresh page and an ink pen that ran smoothly to start her writing. Fifteen minutes later there was a rattle at one window and a minute later Damon was stepping through. He had several paper bags with him and Elena felt unaccountably pleased and homey. She had provided coffee, which was rather good even if it came with dried cream substitute, and Damon had supplied†¦ â€Å"Gasoline,† he said triumphantly, raising his eyebrows significantly at her as he set the bags on the table. â€Å"Just in case they try to use plants against us. No, thanks,† he added, seeing she was standing with a full cup of coffee held in his direction. â€Å"I had a garage mechanic while I was buying this. I'll just go wash my hands.† And he disappeared, walking right past Elena. Walking right past her, without a glance, even though she was wearing her only clean pair of clothes left: jeans and a subtly colored top that looked white at first glance and only in the brightest light revealed that it was ethereally rainbow-shaded. Without a single look, Elena thought, feeling a strange sensation that somehow her life had just lapped itself. She started to throw the coffee away but then decided she needed it herself and drank it in a few scalding gulps. Then she went and stood by her diary, reading over the last two or three pages. â€Å"Are you ready to go?† Damon was shouting over the sound of running water in the bathroom. â€Å"Yes – in just a minute.† Elena read the diary pages from the previous entry, and began skimming the one before that. â€Å"We might as well go straight west from here,† Damon shouted. â€Å"We can make it in one day. They'll think it's a feint for one particular gate and search all the small ones. Meanwhile we'll go on heading for the Kimon Gate and be days ahead of anyone tracking us. It's perfect.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Elena said, reading. â€Å"We ought to be able to meet Mutt tomorrow – maybe even this evening, depending on what kind of trouble they cause.† â€Å"Uh-huh.† â€Å"But first I wanted to ask you: do you think it's a coincidence that our window is broken? Because I always put wards on them at night and I'm sure – † He passed a hand over his forehead. â€Å"I'm sure that I must have done that last night, as well. But something got through and broke the window and got away without a trace. That was why I bought all the the gasoline. If they try something with trees, I'll blast them all back to Stonehenge.† And half the innocent residents of the state, Elena thought grimly. But she was in a state of such shock that not much could make an impression on top of it. â€Å"What are you doing now?† Damon was clearly ready to get up and going. â€Å"Getting rid of something I don't need,† Elena said, and flushed the toilet, watching the torn-up bits of her diary swirl round and round before disappearing. â€Å"I wouldn't worry about the window, though,† she said, coming back into the bedroom and slipping her shoes on. â€Å"And don't get up for a minute, Damon. I've got to talk to you about something.† â€Å"Oh, come on. It can wait until we're on the road, can't it?† â€Å"No, it can't, because we've got to pay for that window. You broke it last night, Damon. But you don't remember doing it, do you?† Damon stared at her. She could tell that his first temptation was to laugh. His second temptation, to which he gave in, was to think that she was nuts. â€Å"I'm serious,† she said, once he had gotten up and started to pace toward the window with a distinct look of wanting to be a crow flying out of it. â€Å"Don't you dare go anywhere, Damon, because there's more.† â€Å"More stuff I did that I don't remember?† Damon lounged against the wall in one of his old, arrogant poses. â€Å"Maybe I smashed a few guitars, kept the radio on until four A.M.?† â€Å"No. Not necessarily things from – last night,† Elena said, looking away. She couldn't look at him. â€Å"Other things, from other days – â€Å" â€Å"Like maybe I've been trying to sabotage this trip all along,† he said, his voice laconic. He eyed the ceiling and sighed heavily. â€Å"Maybe I've done it just to be alone with you – â€Å" â€Å"Shut up, Damon!† Where had that come from? Well, she knew that, of course. From her feelings about last night. The problem was that she also had to get some other things settled – seriously, if he would take them. Come to think of it, that might be a better way to go about this. â€Å"Do you think that your feelings about Stefan – well, have changed at all recently?† Elena asked. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Do you think† – oh, this was so difficult looking into black eyes the color of endless space. Especially when last night they had been full of myriads of stars – â€Å"do you think that you've come to think of him differently? To honor his wishes more than you used to do?† Now Damon was openly examining her, just as she was examining him. â€Å"Are you serious?† he said. â€Å"Completely,† she said, and, with a supreme effort, she sent her tears back where they were supposed to go. â€Å"Something did happen last night,† he said. He was looking intently at her face. â€Å"Didn't it?† â€Å"Something happened, yes,† Elena said. â€Å"It was – it was more of a – † She had to let out her breath, and with that almost everything went. â€Å"Shinichi! Shinichi, che bastardo! Imbroglione! That thief! I'm going to kill him slowly!† Suddenly Damon was everywhere. He was beside her, his hands on her shoulders; the next minute he was shouting imprecations out the window, then he was back, holding both her hands. But only one word mattered to Elena. Shinichi. The kitsune with his black, scarlet-tipped hair, who had made them give up so much just for the location of Stefan's cell. â€Å"Mascalzone! Maleducato – † Elena lost track of Damon's cursing again. So it was true. Last night had been completely stolen from Damon, taken from his mind as simply and completely as the interval when she had used Wings of Redemption and Wings of Purification on him. The latter he had agreed to. But last night – and what other things had the fox been taking? To cut out an entire evening and night – and this evening and night in particular, implied that†¦ â€Å"He never shut down the connection between my mind and his. He still can reach inside me any time he chooses.† Damon had finally stopped swearing, and stopped moving. He was sitting on the couch opposite the bed with his hands drooping between his knees. He looked singularly forlorn. â€Å"Elena, you have to tell me. What did he take from me last night? Please!† Damon looked as if he might fall on his knees in front of her, without melodrama. â€Å"If – if – it was what I think – â€Å" Elena smiled, although tears were still running down her face. â€Å"It wasn't – what anyone would think, exactly, I suppose,† she said. â€Å"But – !† â€Å"Let's just say that this time – was mine,† Elena said. â€Å"If he's stolen anything else from you, or if he tries to do it in the future, then he's fair game. But this†¦will be my secret.† Until maybe someday you break into your huge boulder of secrets, she thought. â€Å"Until I tear it out of him, along with his tongue and his tail!† snarled Damon, and it was truly the snarl of an animal. Elena was glad it wasn't directed at her. â€Å"Don't worry,† Damon added in a voice so chilling that it was almost more frightening than the animal fury. â€Å"I will find him, no matter where he tries to hide. And I will take it from him. I might just take his entire little furry hide off with it. I'll make you a pair of mittens out of it, how's that?† Elena tried to smile and did a pretty good job. She was just coming to terms with what had happened herself, although she didn't believe for a minute that Damon would really leave her alone on the subject until he forced the memory back out of Shinichi. She realized that on some level she was punishing Damon for what Shinichi had done, and that was wrong. I promise no one will know about last night, she told herself. Not until Damon does. I won't even tell Bonnie and Meredith. This made things a lot harder on her, and therefore probably more equitable. As they were cleaning up the debris from Damon's most recent fit of fury, he suddenly reached up to brush a stray tear from Elena's cheek. â€Å"Thank you – † Elena began. Then she stopped. Damon was touching his fingers to his lips. He looked at her, startled and a little disappointed. Then he shrugged. â€Å"Still unicorn bait,† he said. â€Å"Did I say that last night?† Elena hesitated, then decided that his words didn't fall within the crucial time limits of secrecy. â€Å"Yes, you did. But – you won't give me away, will you?† she added, suddenly anxious. â€Å"I've promised my friends not to say anything.† Damon was staring at her. â€Å"Why should I say anything about anybody? Unless you're talking about the little redheaded one?† â€Å"I told you; I'm not saying anything. Except that obviously Caroline isn't a virgin. Well, with all the ruckus about her being pregnant – â€Å" â€Å"But you remember,† Damon interjected, â€Å"I came to Fell's Church before Stefan did; I just lurked in the shadows longer. The way you talked – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, I know. We liked boys and boys liked us, and we already had reputations. So we just talked any way we felt like talking. Some of it may have been true, but a lot of it you could take two ways – and then of course you know how boys talk – â€Å" Damon knew. He nodded. â€Å"Well and so pretty soon everyone was talking about us as if we'd done everything with everyone. They even wrote stuff about it in the paper and the yearbook and on the bathroom walls. But we had a little poem, too, and sometimes we even wrote it with our signatures on it. How did it go?† Elena cast her mind back a year, two years, more. Then she recited: â€Å"Just because you heard it, doesn't make it true. Just because you read it, doesn't make it so. The next time that you hear it, it may be about you. Don't think that you can change their minds, just 'cause you know – you know!† As Elena finished, she looked at Damon, suddenly feeling the urgent need to get to Stefan. â€Å"We're almost there,† she said. â€Å"Let's hurry.†

Pros and Cons on Death Penalty Essay

Ms. Pat Johnson ENG-099 Pros and Cons of Assisted Suicide: Argument Essay When death is knocking at your door, do you answer or ignore the call? Unfortunately, some people answer the call willingly. Euthanasia is painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. All motives are compassionate for a patient, whether the killing is by a direct action, such as a lethal injection, or by failing to perform an action necessary to maintain life. The euthanasia movement started in l935 in Britain, in l938 in the U S A, and in l980 in Canada (catholicapologetics). Opinion polls show average support of 60 percent in the USA, 74 percent in Canada, and 80 percent in Britain (catholicapologetics). Many people disagree that death is a decision upon GOD but, why make a person suffer more pain being alive? Today, many people are against euthanasia because; they feel that it is murder. This is because there are certain cons of euthanasia that compel them to think this way. Firstly, medical science has made great advancements in the recent years. There is almost always a cure available for a disease. So euthanasia should not be kept as a viable option. One of the other cons of euthanasia is that sometimes there is pressure from family members who want to induce death for their own gains. The doctor may get influenced by the ideas that are put forward by them. In that case it becomes very difficult to decide whether euthanasia was completely necessary or was influenced by the family members. Sometimes even medical science cannot predict with certainty the fate of a patient. In such cases, euthanasia would mean snatching away the chances of a patient’s survival. There are many cases where mercy killing has often been misused. To prevent such manhandling euthanasia should be prohibited. Something that concerns the life of a person should not be left in the open for people to play around with.

Choose two potential markets( construction related, such as railway or Essay

Choose two potential markets( construction related, such as railway or civil etc. ) for a contracting organisation to enter for - Essay Example Overall, construction advanced by 8% in the year 2010 and in the subsequent year by 2.8% (DKM Economic Consultants, 2009, P.15). Nevertheless, by the later part of the year 2011, the entire construction industry’s growth had started to become slow with a relative downturn in the year 2010. For instance, new construction orders in the year 2012 were below the preceding quarter’s level, by 8.5% (DKM Economic Consultants, 2009, P.17). At this time, the house construction sector, both public and private suffered a major blow, and only infrastructure construction showed slight signs of development, as the government made the attempt to keep the civil works running, through collaboration with private investors. This implies that, by the year 2012, the house construction segment had been surpassed by civil engineering in terms of performance and industry leadership. The United Kingdom’s construction industry is a major economic pillar, since it contributes about a tenth of Britain’s (GDP), provides work to approximately 1.4 million individuals and accrues revenue of about ?65 billion per year. This industry is also ranked among the world’s top ten industries, further emphasizing its significance and the wide array of opportunities it has for new engineering companies. Construction Market Sectors The United Kingdom building and engineering industry comprises of large and dominant companies, which operate along with smaller establishments. Competitive rivalry in the industry is slightly eased when companies diversify their operations into different sectors. Key among these sectors, are the house construction and civil engineering sectors, which are analyzed hereunder, for the purpose of advising a potential construction contractor (Greenhalgh and Squires, 2011, P.35). Civil Engineering Sector Civil Engineering, which encompasses public works like railway, highway and other infrastructure constructions, is UK’s building and const ruction industry’s largest segment. This sector accounts for approximately 52.9% of the overall value of the industry (Data Monitor. 2012, P.7). In 2012, the output from infrastructure construction amounted to ?14,181 million, whereas infrastructure maintenance stood at ?7,775m (Data Monitor. 2012, P.10). Division of the civil engineering sector into its sub-sectors indicates that, railways, roads, as well as, water and sewerage subdivisions represent the greatest infrastructure construction components, at 25%, 24% and 22% in that order (Data Monitor. 2012, P.16). In the duration running from 2007 to 2011, all the new civil engineering sub-sectors depicted relatively steady annual growth. For instance, the water and sewerage sub-sector depicted a 10% growth, the roads sub-division a growth of 9%, while the railway construction sub-sector was at 24% (Data Monitor. 2012, P.18). One of the principal leaders in this sector is Balfour Beatty. This renowned civil engineering compan y deals with construction, business investment and overall engineering services. Balfour Beatty offers its specialized services in complex structure, road, utility systems and rail construction, not only to the United Kingdom, but to the entire globe as well. The company’s operations cover the entire European region, the Americas, as well as, the Asia Pacific area. This

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Culture and religions - Essay Example Pesently, there are at least 5000 indigenous groups in the world. Their indigenous religion and culture has faded away with the spread of the non-indigenous religions and cultures. The modern civilization has also made it difficult for them to practice the indigenous religion because their rights to practice it are subjugated by the dominant modern people (Scheiner, 1992). The importance of interrelatedness of everything in the cosmos developed from the similarity of experiences of the indigenous people dwelling in different parts of the world. Such experiences included but were not limited to feelings of pain and pleasure, instances of birth and death, and indigenous people’s wonderment regarding the cosmos as well as the place they had in it. In addition to that, the indigenous people also interacted with one another through trade and traveling. These factors allowed the exchange of beliefs and cultures and played the role of catalyst in the interrelatedness of everything in the cosmos. The spiritual purpose that they serve for the indigenous people is that they inculcate unity and harmony among them and enable them to interact with one another in spite of the indigenous religious and cultural differences because these factors make them feel that they are not alone and that they can help others and attain help from them in

Whole Foods case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Whole Foods - Case Study Example Tri-component model which is expressed through sequence cognitive-affective-conative can be utelised by Whole Foods Market towards this effect. This denotes that Whole Foods Market should first engage in informing the potential customers of the importance of the organic food and then work towards lowering the prices. This can be achieved by packaging its foods into different sizes that would enable such customers afford to buy. When this is done, the feeling of affordability will be created to the customers and they will be eventually buy Whole Foods Market foods. At the end, customers would buy the recommended products and succeeed in weakening any misconception that bar them from buying the products. In fact, when a few of them get the experience of the products, they would recommend the products to other customers. However, this has to be accompanied by other complementing strategies. The company should produce high quality products and offer good customer service. Customers are c onsidered to be rational in consumption. Therefore, they tend to purchase from stores that meet their current needs. If Whole Foods Market is unable to meet different customer needs, there is a high possibility of the customers would shift to other companies offering similar products. For Whole Foods Market to be able to change some of the negative attitude of customers that bars them from buying the organic food, the company should concentrate on changing the motivation function. This can be achieved by offering cheap organic foods that would negate the customers’ misconception that organic foods are expensive. Additionally, this can be done strategically by focusing on the group that has such misconceptions with the intent of proving that Whole Foods Market foods are of high quality and affordable to all. Additionally, if the customers have a different belief that seems to

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Ethics assignment - Essay Example have said that this serial has disregarded all forms of ethical values. According to virtue theories, virtuous character traits are developed in one's youth. Adults are responsible for instilling virtues in the young. (Ethics, excerpts from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). What are the serial teaching children It has portrayed a historical leader as a dubious, violent, rude and repulsive character! The character Mohandas thrives on slang! Even cursing has been uplifted by making use of a historical language like Sanskrit. (That is sheer blasphemy!) This view has been strongly supported by the PTA and PTC who specifically condemn the extreme violence. They further argue using Kant's categorical imperative1 which says "Treat people as an end and never as a means to an end" (qtd.in. Ethics, excerpts from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) saying that people's anger and the whole controversy is being used to make the serial popular. Is such a success morally right Duty theories consist of many duties, among which are duties towards others. German philosopher Samuel Pufendorf divided these duties2 into three; among which was-"avoid wronging others". The Indians are being wronged here by insulting their "Father of the Nation". The very fact that the character was named Mohandas Satyagraha in the original memo and made to act violently and regressively shows the deliberate attempt to make Gandhi a laughing stock! "Satyagraha" means the eternal follower of truth, whereas this character does no such thing! Why does the West repeatedly try to undermine the image of Gandhi, whether it is the MTV "Clone High" (Clone High, Wikipedia Encyclopedia) or "The Great Gandhi" Normative ethics says that we should do to others what we would want others to do to us.(Ethics, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Would the West accept one of their leaders made fun of in this way and to this extent Gandhi stood for peace and non-violence. While the whole world admired this quality this serial is denouncing and making a mockery of that principle! India respects him even today and looks up to him. This act will not go unnoticed. People will definitely protest this. Citing the theory of Act-Utilitarianism3 the consequences of this action should have been considered. (Ethics, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). This great leader's memory has been damaged. Who will pay for it The recent list of duties given by British philosopher W.D.Ross, under Duty Theory includes Reparation or the duty to compensate others when we harm them. (Ethics, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Who is going to compensate this moral damage caused This is merely an act of Ethical Egoism4. Only the profit of the production has been considered, completely ignoring people's sentiments. Gandhi is called the "Mahatma" in India. "Mahatma" means, 'the great soul'. People also called him "Bapu" or 'Father'. He was like God to Indians. Is this the way to treat such a revered figure Gandhi's character has been degraded and slurred. The same Gandhi who had introduced the term "Harijans" or 'people of God' to describe the lower caste people and abolish the caste system in India. It is as if, a deliberate attempt of racism. 'The great Gandhi' is like a blemish on the spirit of India! Counterviews 'The New Adventures of the Great Gandhi' is a comedy which revolves around the character Mohandas, based on the real Mohandas

Analysis of the Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Analysis of the Business Environment - Essay Example The daring steps in the formulation of the monetary policy have been taken in order to contain the deflation in the country. Despite the continuous efforts of the government the yield of the bonds issued by the government of Japan has remained more or less static and low. On the other hand the net public debt of the economy of Japan is as high as 134 % of the GDP. This is one of the highest levels of public debt out of the advanced economies of the world. In such a situation the Abenomics policies of 2013 to bring about a surge in the growth rate of the country and to bring about inflation in the country is considered to be having a lot of uncertainty and is dependent on the proper implementation of the strategies. This report is an analysis of the key measures under the policies, the main objectives as well as the long term implications of the policy. Scholarly resources have been consulted extensively in order to conduct the research and to draw appropriate inferences. Discussion B ackground of the Japanese economy In the post world war period Japan experienced spectacular growth of the economy. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the average rate of the economy had been 10%, 5% and 4% respectively. The country moved to being one of the advanced economies. However, Japan witnessed a burst in the assets bubble in the early 1990s. There was an economic slowdown which resulted in a high level of unemployment in the country. Adding to this there was a huge amount of deficit in the budget which occurred due to the ventures of the government to finance the projects related to public works in the country. However the stagnation in the economy could in no way be stimulated by the different infrastructure projects. In order to battle such an economic situation the Japanese government took policy measures that would take out the speculative part of the surplus liquidity from the stock markets as well as the real estate markets. These policies led the country into a phase of intensive deflation during the phase of 1990 to 2004 (Arslanalp and Lam, 2013, pp. 12-16). Due to the policies the economy recovered once again but the deflation still persisted. At the time of the financial crisis which had hit almost all the countries of the world, Japan experienced a loss in the level of GDP by 0.7% in the year 2008 and about 5.2% in the year 2009. On the other hand the growth rate of GDP of the country was negative in 2009. The volume of international trade in the country also suffered a decline of 27%. Key policies under Abenomics The policies under Abenomics comprise of mainly three strategies which are better known as the â€Å"three arrows† (Itoh, 2013, pp. 2-3). The three pillars are Bold monetary policy Flexibility in the Fiscal Policy Strategy to induce growth The Prime Minister intended to take a bold monetary policy through the introduction of quantitative easing as well as increasing the level of spending on the public expenditure along with the attempt to devalue yen. The Bank of Japan intended to undertake a strategy of Quantitative Easing through this policy. The bank would be buying assets from the open market worth $ 1.4 trillion so that the money

Analysis of the Research Article pH Effects on the Bio-Permeability of Essay

Analysis of the Research Article pH Effects on the Bio-Permeability of Polymers Used in Prophylactics - Essay Example The hypothesis in this study was that pH has an effect on bio-permeability of NLR condoms hence research question is: Does pH increase the permeability of NLR condoms to infectious agents? In order to get an answer to the research question, this study tested pH effects on the permeability of natural latex rubber thus pH is an independent variable while permeability of NLR is a dependent variable. The investigators exercised adequate control of the variables. The NLR were first tested for any permeability using neutral water, bacteriophage and bacteria (E. Coli) and only those that were impermeable at the beginning of the experiment were used in the experiment. This was very important since it ensured the results that showed permeability after treating with different pH solutions were not as a result of any other factor but the pH. The second control was by cleaning the NLR condoms using distilled and neutral water. This was important because of two controls; first, by ensuring all lubricants, flavors and essence are removed from the NLR condom and second, there is no effect on the subsequent removal since distilled water (neutral was used) (Tubman et al 293-294). The investigators also prepared and standardized the bacteria that was used in this experiment and used the right media to inoculate and isolate the bacteria and bacteriophage. However, the investigators have not shown evidence of calibration of the pH meter that was used. Since pH is a variable, preparation of the pH solutions that were used to treat NLR condoms only is only mentioned but does not show for example how the study confirmed that pH 4.2 was actually 4.2. Moreover, replication of this study could face a challenge due to this fact.

Labor Reallocation in The Transition Economics Essay

Labor Reallocation in The Transition Economics - Essay Example Some important failures of the capitalist system like the Great Depression serve as the reasons on why the event should be remembered. Capitalism has not tested success on everywhere it was implemented (Aslund, n.d.). Transition Economies The economy which experiences change from a centrally planned economy to free market is defined as transition economies. In this type of economies the central planning organization is not entrusted with the task of setting the price. The market forces tend to determine the prices. There is no restriction to trade and the economy witness economic liberalization. There is tendency towards privatization and the financial sector takes the responsibility in facilitating stability in the economy. The change and creation of institutions characterizes the process of transition. The private enterprises have a major role to play (Atkeson, Andrew and Patrick, 1996, p. 377). The process of transition changes the role of the state. The process encourages the cre ation of different institutions and promotes state owned enterprises and financial institutions which can act independently. The role of the state in the transition transforms from being the provider of growth to an enabler. The private sector serves as the engine of growth in the transition economies. ... China and Vietnam followed the gradual transition mode while Russia and some East-European countries followed the aggressive model of transition. The main indicators of the process of transition include liberalization, macroeconomic stabilization, restructuring and privatization and legal and institution reforms (Boeri and Terrell, n.d. p. 2). A rapid change was expected in the configurations of institutions that structured the transition countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Almost all transition economies were expecting to face the twin impacts of recession and income inequality. In order to shift to an economy where wage is determined by the market transitional unemployment is necessary. Structural challenges like shortage of labor demand can result because of long periods of unemployment. The market should set the appropriate price of labor taking into account free mobility of labor and a supportive institutional framework (Nickel, n.d. p. 96). Labor Reallocation in T ransitional Economies The process of transition involves substantial reallocation of labor. Employment in the planned economies is concentrated on the heavy industries. There was absence of small business sector and private initiatives concentrated almost solely in agriculture. The economic planners used to determine the pattern of foreign trade. The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance was used to govern the trade flows in what are now regarded as the transition economies. In the process of transition, employment is concentrated in the small scale business sector. Actually shifting of employment from the state owned industries to these units take place. The success of transaction depends on how efficiently the reallocation of labor has been handled. Comparison of the modification

Health Care Spending Essay Example for Free

Health Care Spending Essay Healthcare is a very important sector in the countries around the world. The countries and the government always keep some money in their budget in relation to the health care activities in their countries. In the United States of America also, there are certain provisions in relation to the health care. The paper shall discuss about the health care spending in relation to United States of America. It shall discuss about the current level of health care expenditure in United States of America. There are shall be a lot of discussion in relation to the fact that whether the expenditure on health care in United States of America is appropriate or not. It shall also discuss about the manner in which the health care needs of the people in United States of America are paid by the government. In the end of the paper, there shall be a forecast in relation to the health care spending in United States of America. All the above said things shall be discussed in detail in the current paper. The government of United States of America has made a lot of provisions in relation to the expenditure of health care facilities in United States of America. In the United States of America, the health care spending has been increasing continuously (Hawe, 2008). There have been a lot of funds kept by the government of United States of America in its budget in relation to the health care services. In the year 1990, the expenditure made by the government of United States of America in relation to the health care spending was $714 million. Since then, the amount of expenditure on health care has increase to $2. 3 trillion. This is around 3 times of what it was in the year 1990. The government of United States of America is spending around 16% of its total gross domestic production on providing the health care facilities to the people. It is estimated that around $7600 are spent by the government of United States of America for each and every resident in the country. In this way, it can be said that the expenditure in relation to health care in United States of America is quite good and the country is taking adequate steps for making sure that adequate health care facilities are provided to the people in a proper and appropriate manner. The health care spending of the United States of America is the highest all around the world. There is no problem with the extent of money spend by the country towards the health care. Other countries around the world are also spending some money towards the health care but the expenditure made by the government of United States of America is the highest. Currently the expenditure incurred in United States of America towards is adequate and appropriate. It has to increase only with the increase in population. According to the per capita expenditure, the current expenditure in the country towards the healthcare is appropriate. When the country makes the budget in relation to the health care expenditure, then it has to take care that adequate expenditure is incurred on each and every activity related to health care. The government of United States of America should make sure that it spends appropriate expenditure on each and every area of the health care. The expenditure should be more on the critical areas and it should be reduced on the areas which are not very difficult to handle for the government. The government of United States of America should make sure that it increases the expenditure of the health insurance of those people which are not in a position to afford the costs for themselves (U. S. Health Care Costs, n. d. ). The government should also increase the expenditure in relation to the funds provided to the health care organizations for providing the benefits to the poor people in the United States of America. The government of United States of America should also increase the expenditure in relation to some specific and high risk diseases such as Cancer, Aids etc. If the expenditure shall be reduced in relation to the above said activities then, there is a possibility that the people in United States of America shall be benefitted to a very high extent. Other than the above areas, there are certain areas in which the government of United States of America should look to reduce the expenditure. The cost on some of the areas in the health care should not be reduced to the extent it hampers the health care services. If there is a requirement to reduce the health care costs then, these should be reduced only till the services are not affected in a negative manner. The areas in which unnecessary costs are incurred by the government should be recognized and the costs should be reduced in those areas. In the United States of America, there are adequate sources used for the purpose of financing the health care services in the country. In the country, the funding for the health care services is done together by the government and the non government agencies in the country. While preparing the budget, the government of United States of America keeps a percentage of funds in relation to providing the health care services to the people who are in need and also the people which are not able to have the health care insurance for themselves. Other than the government of United States of America, there are various other forms of associations which work for the purpose of providing the health care services to the people. They not only provide the health care services but also provide the financial for the insurance of the patients. There are few programs also in relation to the same. The programs include Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, Community Health Accreditation Program and various other programs. The health care finance in the United States of America are funded by the above said facilities and things. In the United States of America, the government and the non government associations share 50% of the expenditure each. In this way, there is a proper sharing the expenditure. For the last few years, the healthcare expenditure in United States of America has been increased considerably at an increasing rate. It is expected that the healthcare expenditure in United States of America shall increase in the same rate as it was increasing earlier (Scambler, 2008). In the year 2007, the health care expenditure in United States of America was $2. 2 trillion. This amount increased to $2. 3 trillion in the financial year 2008. In this way, there was a definite increase in the health care expenditure in the two years. It is expected that the health care expenditure will grow even more. In the year 2013, the healthcare expenditure is expected to reach the figure of $3 trillion and in the year 2017, it is expected that the health care expenditure shall reach the figure of $4. 3 trillion. In this way, it can be said that there is a forecast of increased expenditure on health care in the years to come. The chart below provides the forecast for health care in a proper manner. This chart is showing the healthcare expenditure in United States of America. The government of United States of America is spending a lot of money on the healthcare services in the country. With the kind of expenditure, the government of United States of America is spending on the health care facilities in the country, it can be said that the government is spending sufficient amount of money on the health care facilities.

Perception Visual System

Perception Visual System Critically evaluate two fundamental approaches to explaining perception. Perception is our sensory experience of the world around us and involves recognition of environmental stimuli which allows us to act within our environment which is critical to our survival. There are two contrasting theories which both seek to explore and explain perception. These two theories are the constructivist approach and the ecological approach. Both ecological and constructionist approaches branch out to explain depth perception, optic flow pattern, visual system, prior knowledge of visual objects and the surrounding environment and overall, give a greater insight into defining perception. In order for us to understand visual perception we have to look more closely at the different parts of the visual system to understand how the visual system works. According to Gregory â€Å"The task of the eye and brain is quite different from either a photographic or a television camera converting objects merely into images† (Atkinson, 2002. pg. 34), Gregory clearly explains from the aforementioned quote that the eye and the brain consists of many different stages from light entering the eye to the eye producing the image to which we perceive in the environment. The factors that generally make up this process are mainly consisted of the colour, movement, and brightness of the perceived image (Atkinson, 2002). The image below gives an indication into how the eye and its multi-different parts process light when entering the eye. In order for visual perception to take place, a number of processes must occur involving the structures within the eye and the brain. The human eye is comprised of many parts which work together to process light when entering the eye. When optical light rays pass through the pupil; the ray of light automatically transforms into information that the persons brain interprets (Wade, 2001). The cornea focuses the light on the lens once light has passed through the pupil of the eye. Following on from this step the lens then focuses the light by focusing the light across the back of the eye across the retina. Finally, the retina sends light signals to the brain via the optic nerve which is where the information is processed and depicts the image in which we see as the perceiver (Wade, 2001). These steps are crucial to allowing us to view images from the environment. Many theories argue and hypothesise ‘how the information is really produced within the visual system. There are many theorists who argue that perception is indirect. Indirect theory is based upon the notion that perception is built upon the intervening of memories and representations as far as the environment is concerned (Gordon, 1997). This means, according to Gregory, that the environment provides us with stimulated senses which we then receive as retinal images from the optical array of light, which is then processed by the visual system to produce an image from the viewed environment on the back far end of the eye (retina) to project the image perceived. Gregory (Grieve, 1986) introduced the ‘Hypothesis theory, which according to Gregory, the signals we receive from our brain are compared with our expectation of what we ‘expect to see and presume how an object should look like. The ‘Hypothesis theory, generally assumes that we ‘hypothesise what we see and predict the shape and size and depth of an object. Gregory (Grieve, 1986) used an ice cream as an example to prove his point further. Most of us have consumed an ice cream before, and so once we eat a future ice cream we hypothesise the fact that we may need to take precautions to not eat the ice cream too fast this time, if eaten fast the first time on contact with this object. This simple example can be used for many other objects too within the environment. No strong evidence of psychological research of this theory actually exists but it is a theory none the less to take into consideration when concerning the explanation of perception. Gregory (Grieve, 1986) argued further that perception is nearly always accurate despite the absence of a limited amount of signals sent from the brain to the visual system is not always obtained properly. For example, we see and perceive objects such as a familiar bus timetable that we can see from a far distance. We know what a bus timetable comprises of (destination, departure, and arrival times from a familiar route), although we can only see a ‘part of the timetable from the distance we make an assumption from prior knowledge to complete the missing stimuli and complete the image being perceived. Gregory (Gordon, 1997) argued that what we perceive of an object image in our minds changes based on prior knowledge, however the interpretation changes and not the object itself. Gregory (Bruce, 2003) also argued further that if we understand an image showing an object being smaller than in reality, ‘ponzo illusion going into a far distance, humans must use a substantial amount of information interpreted from the brain to distinguish and separate the image perceived to reality, as quite obviously the smaller size of the track couldnt possibly be this small in reality and so cognition corrects this illusion. According to the direct perception theory however, direct perception theory argues that all information required for visual perception is biologically obtained from prior knowledge which is in contrast to the indirect theory which states that new information must be processed through the visual system from the optical array of light. Gibsons perspective is based upon the ‘direct perception theory which according to Gibson is explained in the following quote; â€Å"Optic array of light provides a direct abundance of visual information which we use to project an image of an object from the surrounding environment.† (Gibson, 1986, p.g.12). What Gibson generally means from the aforementioned quote is that information of the viewed object is contained in the optic array of light in ‘direct contact with the eye, but also that the perceiver recognises and perceives his or her own environment from biological past senses, hence the meaning of the named, ‘Direct perception theory. This is a process of information pick up which tends to revolve around looking at objects distinctly and observing the environment. Gibson devised a rare study during the dangerous period of World War 2, a study concerning visual perception concerning American pilots landing an aircraft after studying training films taugh t by Gibson detailing visual perception. Gibson served in the U.S air force during the dark era of World War 2. Gibson was asked by a higher serving member of the army to produce training films which involved teaching the American pilots to land an aircraft in a safe manner. Before this even in Gibsons life, he only concentrated on perception involving non-movement, which did limit Gibsons research a fair margin. Gibson tried to understand how and what pilots perceive when flying and when landing an aircraft, which led Gibson to study the subject are of perception of motion (Gibson, 1986). While conducting this field of research Gibson discovered the ‘optic flow pattern which promoted his ‘direct theory for further proving that his theory has the correct view point upon perception (Gibson, 1986). ‘Optic flow pattern of course, proved to be, according to Gibson, information flowing through the optical array of light to our visual system information containing the objects and overall environment in which we see. For the pilots, this was an everyday occurrence and so became ‘used to their environment when landing their aircraft due to prior knowledge. Gibson (Gibson, 1986) argued that the new ‘optic flow pattern theory provides the perceiver with information regarding speed and distance of the perceived environment (pilot). The optic flow pattern appeared to the viewer as if the environment is moving away from the perceiver while the perceiver remains motionless in the cockpit (environment is flowing past the perceiver while the pilot remains ‘motionless in the aircraft). Gibsons direct perception theory as this led to the theory splitting into three other key areas such as; affordance, textured gradients and optic array. Affordance, according to Gibson, is attaching meaning to an object, such as climbing up and down a ladder and driving a car as a sue for transport and so on. From this ‘affordance theory Gibson rejected the long term memory theory which stated that we know what objects mean from past memory. Optic array, according to Gibson, provides information about the environment from the light entering the eye to providing images to the retina section of the eye. Gibson believed that this was more automatic so to speak and provided accurate and stable information about the object being perceived. As far as textured gradient is concerned, it was believed by Gibson that it provides information about the distance of the object and the speed or non speed of the object (Eysenck, 2005). Gibson findings from the field research concerning the American pilots produced two ingredients for further backing his theory; pole and horizon. The pole is the point of direction in which the viewer is moving which is in relation to the horizon, which is concerned with the height of the perceiver. Height is extremely important with regards to viewing objects, as found from the American pilot training research (Eysenck, 2005). The horizon from a ground level perspective when viewing a ponzo illusion shows the two line sin the far distance becoming smaller and coming to a non-parallel close, where as the horizon from a pilots view when looking down shows two plain parallel lines on a continuous pattern in comparison. Gibson concluded that from his research the constructionist approach was inadequate because the viewers perception is too ‘near perfect to be based on prior knowledge as this varies between person to person and saw perception as a very stable phenomena. Overall, Gibsons direct perception theory provided an important base for further research and developments. The two theories contrast each other when explaining depth perception. The ecological view argues that depth perception is perceived by biological cues which, for example, could be height in the field viewing the horizon. The pilot training experiment yet again proves to be a good example to use for aerial perception. (Objects are higher in the distance than nearby objects), texture gradients (faded objects in the distance). The constructionist view of perception argues for a different point of view. According to indirect perception theory, depth perception is only possible for the simple reason that objects are constant in shape and size and is impossible to just change appearance within the perceived environment (Schiffman, 2000). Relative size, according to indirect perception theory, gives an overview that although we may perceive different objects in the environment, different retinal images are produced from the different distance between each object, such as perceiving a different retinal image of the far end of the ponzo illusion although seeing the correct view at the nearest point of view to us. The two theories differ on their views when explaining the topic of visual illusions. The constructionists argue that we see three-dimensional illusion objects over 2 dimensional objects because the visual system and the brain perceives three-dimensional objects as a simpler object to project rather than two dimensional objects (Farah, 2000). Depth perception is key here as to the size, shape and the shadow effect that the object gives off during perceiving of the object. Critics have commented on the possible fact that the constructivist approach gives a computational feel effect when explaining and defending its theory (Farah, 2000). However, both theories are seen as computational, the difference is that the constructivists appear to process information that has nothing to do with sensory stimulation while the ecological approach however, flaws itself by only concentrating information found in stimulation; completely opposing the constructionist approach towards perception. Visual illusions work because the view we have is often of a very short time and usually two dimensional. However, the constructionist only go so far in understanding ‘seeing and not far enough in explaining how people assign meaning to illusions; much is yet to be explained further. The Necker cube is a good example of a visual illusion. As you can see from figure 2, when two lines cross, the picture does not show which is in front and which is behind. This makes the picture ambiguous; it can be interpreted two different ways. When a person stares at the picture, it will often seem to flip back and forth between the two valid interpretations, known as multi-stable perception (Humphrey, 1989). This illusion gives the impression that no sides of the cube are at all missing and that what the viewer is seeing is true. However, if you was to ignore prior knowledge, expectation, and assumption and viewed the cube from a total different angle you would come to the conclusion that the cube isnt what it appears to be as perceived. Viewing the figure picture from a certain perception point of view, it would appear that the cube is defying the laws of geometry. However, once the point of perception is changed to another angle we can clearly see that, from figure 1, it becomes clear that the beams are not solid as once thought (Eysenck, 2005). The illusion plays on the humans eyes interpretation of two-dimensional pictures as three-dimensional objects. This apparent solidity gives the impossible cube greater visual ambiguity than the Necker cube, which is less likely to be perceived as an impossible object. This wrong view of the cube on the left is also a good example of how wrong or flawed a theory can be due to the prior knowledge of objects from the ‘hypothesis theory by Gregory (1966). In conclusion, indirect perception believes that perception is built upon the fact that our visual system produces memories and representations of the environment which intervenes when viewing an object and the environment as a whole. Indirect theory also concludes that the (‘Hypothesis theory) the signals we receive from our brain are compared with our overall expectations of the presumed environment, along with our visual system predicting how a shape and size of an object should look like. Indirect theory also further concluded that prior knowledge and experience of an object helps us how to perceive it once more from viewing the object in the past (bus timetable) from a far distance. However, Gibsons direct perception theory can be concluded that from Gibsons own personal research, perception is based upon the optical flow pattern which contains the array of light, attached with it, information needed to reproduce this viewed environment from any angle and distance. Pole position from Gibsons research showed an illusion where the aircraft appeared to be motionless while the environmental moved past and around the aircraft, this produced the temptation for future researchers to investigate the subject of motion. Both theories show an intriguing insight into perception, however, neither one of the aforementioned theories appear to explain how the visual system works, as each theory is flawed and only produced a speculation into how the visual system functions. With future theories waiting to be introduced we may finally be able to answer the question, how does the visual system work?. References 1. Atkinson, J. (2002) ‘The Developing Visual Brain. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2. Bruce, V. (2003) ‘Visual Perception: Physiology, Psychology and Ecology. 4th edition, Hove: Psychology Press. 3. (2005)Necker Cube Experiment. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/neckercube/decision?_next=index_1.tmpl  (Accessed on 18th January 2008). 4. Eysenck, M and Keane, M. (2005) ‘Cognitive Psychology: A students handbook, 5th Ed. Psychology Press. 5. Farah, M. (2000) ‘The Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. 6. Gibson, J (1986) ‘The ecological approach to visual perception. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 8. Grieve, J. (1986) ‘Neuropsychology for occupational therapists: assessment of perception and cognition, 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell Science 9. Gordon, I (1997) ‘Theories of Visual Perception. Chichester: Wiley. 10. Humphrey, G. (1989) ‘Visual Cognition: Computational Experimental and Neuropsychological Perspectives, Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 11. Necker Cube and Impossible Cube. Available at: http://www.thebestlinks.com/Image__3A__Necker_cube_and_impossible_cube.PNG.html  (Accessed on; 18th January 2008) 12. Paterson, A. (2005) ‘Perception and Visual Cognition. Available at: http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~martinl/Assets/PVC/PVCL3ML.pdf (Accessed on: 16th January 2008) 13. Schiffman, H. (2000) ‘Sensation and perception: an integrated approach, 5th edition. New York: Wiley. 14. Wade, N (2001) ‘Visual Perception: an introduction. Hove: Psychology Press.

Windows 98 :: essays research papers fc

Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows 98 is an operating system and its predecessor was Windows 95. An operating system is the interface between you and the computer, which helps manage files and makes using your personal computer simple and easy. While this release was not as big as Windows 95, Windows 98 contains significant updates, fixes, and support for new peripherals. Features like improved protection and better support make Windows 98 a quality upgrade. A new type of file system called FAT32 is used to take advantage of hard disk space, while Windows 95 supported PnP (plug and play). Windows 98 built on that technology and detects devices even better then 95, which will greatly increase the ease of hardware installation. Bundled in the installation of Windows 98 you will get some new software such as Internet Explorer 4.0 and Microsoft Outlook. These additions help Windows 98 take a big step forward. For familiarity and ease of use, Windows 98 has been modeled to look more like Windows NT. A cop y of Windows 98 can be obtained for around $100.00 - $200.00. An upgrade is also available, but you must already have Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 to use the upgrade CD, which costs between $80.00 and $100.00. System Requirements   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before installing Microsoft Windows 98, it is important that the user make sure you meet the minimum system requirements. For better performance, you will want to exceed the minimum requirements. The system requirements for the installation of Windows 98 are as follows: System Component  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What You Need DOS version  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Minimum: DOS 3.31. Recommended: DOS 5.0 or higher. DOS 4.0 was so buggy that you're really taking a chance installing Windows 98 over it. Processor  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Minimum: 66 MHz 486DX2 Recommended: Pentium, Pentium MMX, or Pentium II. However, Pentium Pro systems do not run Windows 98 noticeably faster than other Pentiums running at the same clock speed. The Pentium Pros are optimized for pure 32-bit code (such as you find in Windows NT), and Windows 98 contains enough 16-bit code to prevent any significant speed increases. Memory  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Minimum: 16MB. Recommended: Windows 98 runs much better with 24MB of RAM. For best results, I recommend at least 32MB, with 64MB being the bottom line for the truly impatient. Hard disk free space  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Minimum: The minimum amount of space required by Windows 98 Setup is 225MB. Recommended: A full install of Windows 98 could use up as much as 400MB of hard disk space. (See the following Note box.) Setup may also require another 45-50MB for the backup copies of your system files, and Windows 98 will need 20MB or 30MB for its dynamic swap file.

The Works of John Grisham Essay -- essays research papers

John Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on February 8, 1955. His parents were a construction worker and a homemaker. As a child, John Grisham dreamed of one day becoming a professional baseball player. In 1967, his family moved to the town of Southaven, Mississippi. Ten years later he received an undergraduate degree in accounting from Mississippi State University. In 1981, he received a law degree from Ole Miss. That same year, he married Renee Jones. He also started a law practice in Southaven, where he practiced both criminal and civil law. Two years later, Grisham was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives where he served until 1990. During his seven year span, he one day overheard the testimony of a 12 year old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the father had murdered his daughter's rapists. Grisham spent five years of getting up a 5 a.m. to finish this novel, entitled A Time to Kill. Initially, the story w as rejected by many publishers, but was bought by Wynwood Press and given a modest printing in 1988. Before A Time to Kill was published, Grisham had already begun work on The Firm, which was bought by Paramount Pictures for $600,000. The Firm spent 47 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was the best-selling novel of 1991. Grisham has continued to write one novel per year since A Time to Kill. Grisham now resides in Oxford, Mississippi and Charlottesville, Virginia. John Grisham writes a very distinctive style of mystery. Grisham started out as a lawyer, so he generally writes mysteries that pertain very much to law and government. This type of mystery is commonly known as the legal thriller. He gives you just enough information to keep you guessing, but not enough to give away the ending. Although, Grisham has written one novel that has absolutely nothing to do with law, lawyers, or courtrooms. To date, John Grisham has written twelve novels. They are A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, and A Painted House. There have also been several media adaptations to Grisham's novels. They include: - The Firm. Dir. Sydney Pollack. Paramount Pictures, 1993. Based... ... September 1952. The Cardinals were five games behind the Dodgers with two weeks to go, and the season looked hopeless. The cotton, however, was waist- high to my father, almost over my head, and he and my grandfather could be heard before supper whispering words that were seldom heard. It could be a "good crop." Thus begins a story inspired by life in rural Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents in a little house that's never been painted. The Chandlers farm eighty acres that they rent, not own, and when the cotton is ready they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it. For six weeks they pick cotton, battling the heat, the rain, the fatigue, and, sometimes, each other. As the weeks pass Luke sees and hears things no seven-year-old could possibly be prepared for, and finds himself keeping secrets that not only threaten the crop but will cha nge the lives of the Chandlers forever. A Painted House is a moving story of one boy's journey from innocence to experience. - Oxford, Mississippi: The Oxford American (2000) - New York: Doubleday, 2001 The Works of John Grisham Essay -- essays research papers John Grisham was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on February 8, 1955. His parents were a construction worker and a homemaker. As a child, John Grisham dreamed of one day becoming a professional baseball player. In 1967, his family moved to the town of Southaven, Mississippi. Ten years later he received an undergraduate degree in accounting from Mississippi State University. In 1981, he received a law degree from Ole Miss. That same year, he married Renee Jones. He also started a law practice in Southaven, where he practiced both criminal and civil law. Two years later, Grisham was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives where he served until 1990. During his seven year span, he one day overheard the testimony of a 12 year old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the father had murdered his daughter's rapists. Grisham spent five years of getting up a 5 a.m. to finish this novel, entitled A Time to Kill. Initially, the story w as rejected by many publishers, but was bought by Wynwood Press and given a modest printing in 1988. Before A Time to Kill was published, Grisham had already begun work on The Firm, which was bought by Paramount Pictures for $600,000. The Firm spent 47 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was the best-selling novel of 1991. Grisham has continued to write one novel per year since A Time to Kill. Grisham now resides in Oxford, Mississippi and Charlottesville, Virginia. John Grisham writes a very distinctive style of mystery. Grisham started out as a lawyer, so he generally writes mysteries that pertain very much to law and government. This type of mystery is commonly known as the legal thriller. He gives you just enough information to keep you guessing, but not enough to give away the ending. Although, Grisham has written one novel that has absolutely nothing to do with law, lawyers, or courtrooms. To date, John Grisham has written twelve novels. They are A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, and A Painted House. There have also been several media adaptations to Grisham's novels. They include: - The Firm. Dir. Sydney Pollack. Paramount Pictures, 1993. Based... ... September 1952. The Cardinals were five games behind the Dodgers with two weeks to go, and the season looked hopeless. The cotton, however, was waist- high to my father, almost over my head, and he and my grandfather could be heard before supper whispering words that were seldom heard. It could be a "good crop." Thus begins a story inspired by life in rural Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents in a little house that's never been painted. The Chandlers farm eighty acres that they rent, not own, and when the cotton is ready they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it. For six weeks they pick cotton, battling the heat, the rain, the fatigue, and, sometimes, each other. As the weeks pass Luke sees and hears things no seven-year-old could possibly be prepared for, and finds himself keeping secrets that not only threaten the crop but will cha nge the lives of the Chandlers forever. A Painted House is a moving story of one boy's journey from innocence to experience. - Oxford, Mississippi: The Oxford American (2000) - New York: Doubleday, 2001

The Effects of the Renaissance Essay -- European Renaissance Essays

The Effects of the Renaissance When the Renaissance crept into the world?s social senses people were moved. However, when the Renaissance began to affect the literature of the sixteenth century, the world was changed forever. The Renaissance, meaning a ?re-birth,? was a time of many changes. These changes wrought pandemonium among the civilized people of earth. There was a recovery and discovery of medieval texts in which scholars were deeply impressed by. Those in love with the arts and literature now had more choices to view and read. There was an outpour of those individuals attempting to create paintings that exemplified the feelings that saturated the minds of the brilliant scholars. Most importantly, however, was the huge change of the role of the church in everything. Martin Luther nailed up his ?95 Thesis? and thus began the Reformation of the Catholic Church. With this came a rushing tide of secularization in Europe. This, of course, blew over into literature and the arts. The Faerie Queen is one epic that included the ideals and morals that the excom...

Heart of Darkness Novel on Seaman’s Life Charlie Marlow

Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness is about a seaman named Charlie Marlow and an experience he had as a younger man. Early in the novel it becomes apparent that there is a great deal of tension in Marlow ¹s mind about whether he should profit from the immoral actions of the company he works for which is involved in the ivory trade in Africa. Marlow believes that the company is ignorant of the tension between moral enlightenment and capitalism . The dehumanization of its laborers which is so early apparent to Marlow seems to be unknown to other members of the Company's management. In this story Marlow's aunt represents capitalism. Her efforts to get him a job are significant because of the morally compromising nature of the work of which she seems totally ignorant. When Marlow expresses doubts about the nature of the work, she replies, â€Å"You forget, dear Charlie, that the labourer is worthy of his hire† (12). It is clear that Marlow has mixed feelings about the whole idea. At one point, trying to justify his actions to himself, he says, â€Å"You understand it was a continental concern, that Trading Society; but I have a lot of relations on the living continent, because it's cheap and not so nasty as it looks they say† (12). Marlow finally takes the job, however, and tells himself that the pain and unusually harsh treatment the workers are subjected to is minimal. During the tests and the requirements that he has to undergo before entering the jungle Marlow feels that he is being treated like a freak. The doctor measures his head and asks him questions such as, â€Å"Ever any madness in your family?† (15). In this part of the story Marlow is made to feel small and unimportant. Any feelings or concerns that he has are not important to the company, and as a result, he feels alone. It is only logical that Marlow would have been second guessing his decision and feeling some kinship with the other (black) workers who are exploited, but he does not reveal any such understanding. Upon reaching his destination in Africa, Marlow finds that things are just the same. At the point when he is denied rest after traveling twenty miles on foot he sees things are not going to change. Marlow then tells of how disease and death are running wild through out the area, and the company does nothing in the way of prevention other than to promote those who stay alive. Marlow's theory on why the manager was in that position was that â€Å"†¦he was never ill† (25). This is a bad situation for Marlow because he sees his boss as a simple man with little else to offer the company other than to be a mindless foreman over the operation. This is an example of the company stripping self worth from its workers in the sense that it does not encourage or expect input from them. This is all significant because Marlow finds himself in a position where he is giving up a big piece of himself and his beliefs to make money. The tension between capitalism and moral enlightenment in the first twenty pages of this story is evident. Conrad uses Marlow to depict a seemingly good-hearted person caught in the middle of the common dilemma of moral ethics and desire for monetary success. Marlow knows that there is a great deal of repugnance in what he is doing, yet he finds himself forced to deal with it in his own personal way, which is justify it or ignore it. It is clear that the company also is forced to deal with this same issue, but it does it simply by pretending that it is not dehumanizing its entire work force. This blindness allows the Company to profit and prosper, but only at the expense of the lives of the workers in the jungle who have no way to protest or escape and the â€Å"white collar† workers like Marlow who have to live with their hypocrisy.

Commodification of women Essay

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience(viewers, readers, listeners)to take some action with respect to products, ideas or services. Most commonly the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common . Advertising messages are usually paid for by various sponsors and viewed via various traditional media ; including mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertising or direct mail ,or new media such as website and text messages. History of Advertising Going back in time Egyptians used papyrus to make sale messages and wall posters. Commercial messages and political campaign displays have been found in the ruins of Pompeii and ancient Arabia . Lost and found advertising on papyrus was common in ancient Rome . Wall or rock painting for commercial advertising is another manifestation of an ancient advertising form, which is present to this day in many parts of Asia, Africa and south America. The tradition of commercial wall painting can be traced back to Indian rock art painting that date back to 400 B. C. History reveals that out of home advertising and bill boards are the oldest form of advertising . As education became an apparent need and reading ,as well as printing developed advertising expanded to include hand bills . In the 17 century advertising started to appear in weekly newspapers in England. These early print advertisements were used mainly to promote books and newspapers ,which became increasingly affordable with advances in the printing press, and medicines ,which were much sought after as several diseases ravaged in Europe As the economy expanded in the 18th century advertising grew along side . During the next five decades it emerged as a strong industry. In 1840 Volney B. Palmer a calculating businessman established the roots of the modern day advertising agency in Philadelphia. In 1842 Palmer bought large amount of space in various newspapers at a concessional rate and then resold the space at higher rate to advertisers. At the turn of the century ,there were few career choices for women in business, however, advertising was one of few. Since women were responsible for most of the purchasing done in the household, advertisers and agencies recognized the value of women’s insight during the creative process. In fact ,the first American advertising to use a sexual sell was created by a women –for a soap product. Although tame by today’s standard ,the advertisement featured a couple with a message â€Å"the skin you love to touch†In the 21st century , marketing through the internet has opened new frontiers for advertisers. A number of websites have been created exclusively for selling products and services e. g. Ebay. com, Flipkart. com, Shadi. com etc. Even the search engine Google has started a change in online advertising by emphasizing contextually relevant , unobtrusive ads intended to help ,rather than inundate ,users. This has lead to plethora of similar efforts and an increasing trend of interactive advertising. How important has advertising become in our lives is clear from the fact that in 2010 , spending on advertising was estimated at more than 300 billion dollars in U. S and 700 billion U. S dollars worldwide Impact of Advertising Nowadays, advertising is omnipresent in our lives and has a really strong influence in our decisions as consumers. The aim is no longer to inform us of a new product and its use , it is more to create a desire and longing to possess it. Moreover ,advertising has become a centre of attraction . Television shows are devoted to it, a Museum is dedicated to it in Paris and we discuss advertisement in our daily lives. It can make us laugh, it can shock us, which shows that advertising has a link with the customs and the codes which govern our society . For instance the Museum of advertising in Paris presents a retrospective about the Chinese advertising from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day to show the impact of governments on the advertising , the link between advertising and communist society and reflects the Chinese history Women and Advertising: From the Feminist Social Perspective No issue related to women can be debated without reference to the feminist theory. Feminist social theory has been concerned with understanding fundamental inequalities between women and men and with analysis of male power over women. Its basic premise is that male derives from the social, economic, political arrangements specific to particular societies. Endorsing the view ,American feminist Catherine Mackinnon says: â€Å"men create the world from their point of view ,which then becomes the truth to be described . This is male world†. Initially feminist theory based its study on â€Å"things† such as housework, inequalities or male violence but now it has to be more concernd with â€Å"words† and with issues of representation. One of theses issues which is much discussed is women and their role in sphere of Advertising . Going with Mc Kinnon ,it can be said that in this field ,till recently everything was created from the male point of view . The interest was focussed on women in a house, as a wife, mother, homemaker and well wisher. This was image that would sell. From Marxist Social Perspective: The Marxist theory concentrates on the role of women in economic growth. Women are now capable of contributing towards the economy and share equal monetary responsibility. Hence in this paper ,women in advertising are represented in two ways: †¢Women as models to attract the consumers and sell the products and services †¢Women as consumer and target audience The advertising of the 20th century shows indeed the evolution of the women’s status. Historians refer to this century as â€Å"the century of women and sexual revolution† because the situation of women and consequently the relations between men and women changed considerably in western societies. Women obtained a real political, economic and domestic power of decision. POTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN ADVERTISEMENT The end of 19th century saw many women going to work ,as workers in the factories ,as domestic or employees, so that the time for household task and cooking was reduced. Having less time restricts the possibilities for women; but having a professional situation means beginning a long process of liberation . Work is money ,and money permits to buy the products ,not only the ones which are targeted to women ,but also other products . The 1920’s are the period of real evolution on the vision of women in advertising . Paris welcomes the poster realized by Leonetto Capiello for the â€Å"Delices† pasta ,which shows the first bare legged pin up of a beautiful women. Even though a liberated women had emerged in the 20 century but still until the 1950’s advertising gave the image of a passive women who was a housewife, a caring wife, a devoted mother and a symbol of beauty. But she was still not very active in other areas. Maternal streak was fully exploited during this period. A mother keeping the house clean with â€Å"Dettol â€Å" or cooking healthy food in â€Å"Dalda† ghee were representative advertisements of this period. A much discussed ad is of a â€Å"Baby Johnson Soap† that presents a chubby baby referring to family, childhood , happiness and other values directly linked to home. Similarly ‘Lux’ soap has always opted for celebrities whether its is Ava Gardner in Italy or Sharmila Tagore and current Katrina Kaif in India. The sales of these mentioned products was much above expected The models used were women and the target was also obviously women –whether a housewife, mother or simply a women desiring to look beautiful. The advertisers were sharp enough to realize that a good study of the target can bring considerable profit even though these cases confirm that the most shared values are almost the ones that men consider as â€Å"feminine†. Another aspect of women is the housewife . Many products for cooking and cleaning are created keeping a housekeeper in mind. They promise time saving devices, more free time to spend with family and healthy environment Progressive Women: A Change in Image The 1960’s witnesses a progressive unveiling of the body with the mini skirt. The stocking arrived as a liberator and the feminist movement was becoming popular. The advertisement for ‘ dim’ tights in U. S. A brought forth the concepts of a free women . The slogan highlighted was â€Å"in dim, you are free, you are beautiful†. From 1965 onwards the image of women changed. She asserted herself more and more and advertising presented a new independent women. She was no longer limited to housekeeping and in children’s upbringing ,from now on she worked and gained her autonomy. This changed image was also fully exploited by manufactures. Many advertisements related to the ready to serve food hit the market. ’Maggie’ diversified its range and launched the Mousseline instant mashed potatoes and the â€Å"three crowns† ready to serve dishes . Washing machines were introduced along with ovens, food processors and vacuum cleaners because they went well with the image of a progressive women . Instant coffee became a hit as did soup ,noodles and pasta. This was because the women of the 1980’s and 1990’s had emerged as â€Å"the wonder working women†. She was confident, reliable and independent but at the same time she had not forgotten or abandoned her traditional role of a mother ,wife and a daughter . The advertisement of ‘Lizol’ disinfectant portrays a lady doctor who wants her house clean with the said product and it makes her house germ free. Also noteworthy is another recent advertisement which features a busy boss ordering his Secretary not to permit anyone to enter. Surprisingly she enters but only to remind the boss that being a diabetic he needs to eat every two hours ,leaves a packet of sugar free Nutralite oat biscuits ,says sorry and leaves. The point is that-when the wife is absent the task is to be performed by a Secretary ,again a women. Yet in the field of advertising the emphasis still is on the stereotyped image of women . She is an object of appeal to men, attracts by her body, skin etc. The list of advertisements pertaining to beauty products ,perfumes ,soaps ,lotions ,shampoo etc is endless. Decorative models who are passive and non functional are used. Their primary activity is to adorn the product /service as a attractive stimulus. They are like mannequins with the least lifelike roles . †She† is in an artificial world ,often obviously so in the way she stands in dummy poses. The way these hackneyed stereotypes are repeated reveals a kind of discrimination ,clear and easy to denounce but hard to end to. This archaistic stereotype of women is strong and stubborn ,and for sure the advertising does not really permit to make its vanish. Indian advertising is to much dependent on the stereotyped image of women . Till now she is shown in the kitchen, running around her family, carrying grocery bags and then the husband giving her a â€Å"Moov† massage or she taking an advertised â€Å"Revital For Women† vitamin. The message clearly is â€Å"carry on with your duties but with the product suggested†. Similarly for cholesterol control products like cooking oil (Saffola) or oats, it is always a women who is concerned about her husbands blood pressure but rarely the other way around.

Hektor and Paris Essay

The Illiad is an ancient Greek epic poem which comprises of twenty-four books. It is believed to be composed in the 8th century BC. It describes the events of the Trojan War, a conflict between Greece and Troy that took place four centuries earlier. The initial cause of the Trojan War was the abduction of Helen, the queen of Sparta, by Paris, aTrojan prince. As the poem unfolds more and more is apparent as we are introduced to new characters, who we see develop in new situations. Distinctive characters are formed within the Illiad as Homer has made their importance and significance to the story apparent. Two such characters are Hektor and Paris, whom I am going to analyse thoroughly by referring to books three and six. Paris is the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, and brother to Hektor. He is also referred to as Alexandros in the Illiad. In Book three we are first introduced to Paris very early on, on the battle field, just as the Achaians are approaching. He is described as â€Å"Alexandros the godlike†. Throughout the Illiad Homer uses many references to refer to Paris. He refers to Paris as â€Å"the hero†, as â€Å"godlike† and even as â€Å"son of Priam†. Homer also uses the same technique in reference to Hektor. Hektor is also the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba as he is brother to Paris. Hektor is referred to as â€Å"the mightiest warrior in the Trojan army†. He is also referred to as â€Å"tall Hektor†, as â€Å"beloved of Zeus† and as â€Å"the slayer of men†. Although these references are insightful, they are vague. To understand these characters true personalities we must look closer at the text and the context in which they are present in. Paris’s character is apparent and definable from the context in book three alone. We learn a lot about him and how he is perceived, not just by his family, but also his people. Our first description of Paris in book three is in his armour as he is prepared for combat. He is described as â€Å"wearing across his shoulders the hide of a leopard, curved bow and sword; while in his hands shaking two javelins pointed with bronze.† This brief description is insightful as we can deduct a lot about his personality just from his attire. The fact that Paris is intending to use a curved bow in combat is significant. A curved bow was seen as a cowardly means of fighting as it involves attacking from a safe distance, as no physical combat is therefore necessary. This suggests that Paris has no real intention of fighting appropriately but is just present for show. The fact Homer has described his attire in so much detail further exemplifies this. The leopard across his shoulders is symbolic of the great Herakles whom fought and killed a leopard as part of his twelve labours. Perhaps Homer is suggesting that although Paris may appear to be of the same physical stature as Herakles, he certainly doesn’t posses the same courage and fighting ability. Paris’s cowardly nature is then confirmed as â€Å"when he saw Menelaos showing among the champions, the heart was shaken within him; to avoid death he shrank into the host of his own companions†. Although we do not get a direct insight into Hektor’s fighting capability in books three and six, he is constantly referred to as the â€Å"mightiest warrior of the Trojans† and â€Å"slayer of men†. We do however get an insight into Hektor’s leadership qualities, which Homer runs parallel and contrasts to Paris’s gutless nature. After Hektor confronted Paris on the battlefield he confronted the rest of the Trojan and Greek  army to inform them of how the battle could be resolved. â€Å"Hektor hearing his word was happy and went into the space between and forced back the Trojan battalions holding his spear by the middle until they were all seated. But the flowing-haired Achaians kept pointing their bows at him with arrows and with flung stones striving ever to strike him†. This point the situation is very perilous for Hektor as he is being attacked from all sides. Homer has to bring in Agamemnon to deal with the situation and calm his men down to hear what Hektor has to say. It is only after the men are calmed that we see Hektor’s great leadership qualities as he sustains the attention of both sides of the army and clearly presents them with an ulterior way of resolving the war. This scene is interesting as Hektor is portrayed strangely in a heroic light. Here Hektor is being confronted by the entire Greek army yet doesn’t stand down or hide away, he faces up to them in an attempt to get his message across. This situation mirrors Paris’s, when he fled and hid on the battlefield because he confronted by just one warrior. Although Paris appears to possess greater strength and courage, it is actually Hektor who does. Homer has clearly distinguished a difference in character between the two brothers here. Paris is portrayed as an effeminate character in comparison to the rest of the male characters in several ways. It has already been established that he is not a great warrior as he posses no courage or strength. The degree of precision which Paris takes in putting on his armour is humorous as his vanity shines through. â€Å"First he placed along his legs the fair greaves linked with silver fastenings to hold the greaves at the ankles†. Not only is the style in which he dresses himself effeminate but also the  extent of his armour. The fact that everything is trimmed with silver and that his helmet is â€Å"well-fashioned† illustrates this. The idea of Paris’s looks being his  distinguishing characteristic is again exemplified when he is being referred to by Aphrodite. â€Å"Shining in his raiment and his own beauty; you would not think that he came from fighting against a man; you would think he was going rather to dance, or rested and had been dancing late ly†. This description is very insightful as Homer is almost suggesting that Paris is only fit for and suitable for dancing, he is not made to fight, unlike his brother Hektor.

Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House Essay

Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House is about â€Å"domestic politics† (Hurwitt, 2004, p. D-2).   Ibsen created a seemingly perfect atmosphere, enough to make one believe that marital bliss exists in such a setting.   As Hurwitt (2004) narrates, â€Å"the whole household contributes to the impression of marital bliss† (p. D-2). However, as the play progressed, it slowly becomes obvious that Ibsen wanted to show more than the problems of a married couple.   He evidently wanted to paint a socially significant picture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The play’s story is domestic in scope, primarily because two of the main characters are husband and wife.   Nonetheless, the play did include broader issues.   It showed how society in the 1800s view marriage, the functions assigned to man and wife, and the limitations it gave to women in general.   It is also climactic in structure. The three main characters are Nora and Torvald Helmer, and Krogstad.   The gist of the play revolved around them.   Nora is the play’s heroine; the beautiful loving wife and doting mother.   Torvald is her husband, who works as a manager in a bank.   Then there is Krogstad, the character responsible for the past to slowly unfold and for the story to begin.   A few years back, when Torvald was sick, Nora was forced by circumstance to borrow money from Krogstad.   She kept that from Torvald, and she was scared for him to find out.   Now that Torvald is manager, he could now also fire Krogstad, who also works at the bank. Krogstad now threatens Nora that he will reveal her secret if she does not help him keep his job.   Nora then talks to her husband and tries to put in a good word for Krogstad, but to no avail.   Thus, the past is revealed to Torvald through the letter, and the real story begins.   Torvald is outraged, and begins calling Nora names.   What she has done is out of duty to her husband, being the obedient wife that she is.   Instead of thanking her, he greets her with anger.   Torvald is simply infuriated. By the time he forgives her, however, Nora has had a realization and decides his forgiveness no longer matters.   Nora undergoes a drastic transformation, a change in her individual persona that Torvald did not expect.   Hurwitt (2004) describes Nora as, â€Å"so animated in her kittenish sexuality, so maddeningly delightful in her teasing manipulations, and so punishingly fretful in her fear of discovery – that the stillness in her final disillusionment is enormously eloquent† (p. D-2).   Nora is the doll referred to in the title.   She was Torvald’s doll: she was his possession, his play thing.   She was under his control, and was extremely dependent on him.   Their home is the house; â€Å"the room is very much Nora’s dollhouse domain, as indicated†¦by the child’s table, chairs and tea set downstage† (Hurwitt, 2004, p. D-2). All her actions, decisions and choices are made by her husband, and she operates on his demands.   Everything she is involved in is mere play, because she is but an object.   His husband cannot even discuss serious matters with her because she herself is not taken seriously.   This is until she decides to leave everything behind and free herself from the prison that is her marriage.   She walks out the door and never looks back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ironically, in contrast with Torvald’s treatment of her wife, the overall quality of the characters is serious, simply because it mirrored a serious social problem.   The majority of the play can be considered tragic, except the hopefulness described by Nora’s escape.   The characters are simple.   At the same time, they hold meaning and weight because not only are they telling the story of a problematic marriage, they are also trying to discuss gender issues. The other aspects of the play also helped in clearly conveying the message.   The language used was easy to understand.   It remained faithful to the language Ibsen used, one that was neither shallow nor overcomplicated, yet it revealed real life emotion.   It was â€Å"emotional, thematic, and metaphoric† (Hurwitt, 2004, p. D-2).   The stage set-up was also instrumental in bringing the message to the audience.   In a play, usually these things are overlooked.   Yet if one pays enough attention, the setting call also help tell the story and make the play come to life. Hurwitt (2004) observes, â€Å"A box constrained within boxes of social strictures, the Helmers’ tidy living room is redolent of the genteel poverty from which Nora dreams her husband’s new job as a bank manager will allow them to escape† (p. D-2).   The living room is then responsible for telling the viewers the social status of the family.   There were no special techniques used, no special music. With an already weighty play to speak of, it would be unnecessary to overembellish it.   In the instance of viewers, it was interactive in a sense; the play’s â€Å"deliberate pacing somewhat undercuts the tension, leaving room for audience members to make their own vocal contributions on opening night, rooting for Nora to get out and slam that door behind her† (Hurwitt, 2004, p. D-2).   The audience had been able to contribute to the play. In the end, Ibsen’s play is as personal as it is communal.   The family is the basic unit of society, and affairs between husband and wife are private matters.   Nonetheless, these matters are also influential in the social sphere, hinting that the problems of individuals are also characterized by issues in society.   Everyone should watch A Doll’s House because Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece is as relevant then as it is now.   References Hurwitt, R. (2004, January 16). ACT draws out sexual politics in ‘Doll’s House.’ San Francisco Chronicle, p. D-2.

Poverty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Poverty - Research Paper Example My research will point out the importance of certain functions in the Elizabethan history of poverty and its relevance to present world. Presence of poor people is evidently manifested around the globe. Changes in political and economic organizations result to re-distribution of wealth and in effect, the number of poor people increases, rate of poverty heightens, and in domino effect, crimes are manifested. Way back in the middle Ages in England, society has been defined into three categories, monarchy, nobility, and peasantry. These three elements of the society are considered to be interdependent between each other and in spite of the existing differences between the three when it comes to status and wealth, buffer have to be put on the side of the peasantry. Continuous trends of the monarchical policies led to the rise of unemployed people and subsequently heighten poverty and crime. With regard to resolving this issue, during the Elizabethan times, acts and laws were struggled and serve as the buffer between the monarchical and the peasant (Talbot, R. 2002). The population grows and as it grows, the pressure of sustenance to peoples needs is evidently manifested not only on the part of the government but as well as on the part of the general public. Acts have been promulgated and stretched that the poor people was belong to the community’s responsibility and every individual has a role to play in the society. Poverty is a state of material and social deprivation. People who experience poverty feel the deprivation of well-being, having not enough income to support the needs of the family when it comes to basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing. Child malnutrition is considered the closest manifestation of poverty among the poor families in a certain society. In Elizabethan society, the definition of poverty is also the same with regard to the universal definition, however, Elizabethan treatment to poor

Market Data and Pay Grades and their Structures Essay

Market Data and Pay Grades and their Structures - Essay Example The desserts and pastries offered include pies, cakes, donuts, cupcakes, and many other treats. To differentiate our service, we offer personalization to include names, phrases, or exact matched colors. With this service, we are providing high quality personalized sweets and treats to our customers. Compensation Needs Direct compensation will be based on education and experience for each position. Thus, each position will receive different levels of direct compensation based on their job description. Directors, supervisors, and the human resources department will all be salary based. For indirect compensation, each will be offered medical, dental, and vision insurance and a 401k retirement plan. Other indirect compensation will include holidays, vacation, sick, and paid time off. To ensure employee morale remains high, merit pay increases offered based on work performance and incentives offered based on company performance. HR Mission Simple Sweet Six Corporation is dedicated to the provision of the highest quality of services to its clients while treating each person with value, friendliness, company pride, and a sense of warmth. To our employees: SSS is committed to providing its staff with equal opportunities for learning and personal growth in a working environment that is stable and favorable to all. We will provide quality services and support in employment, training and development, employee relations, benefits, compensation, and safety to all employees. This will help to better serve our clients. Lastly, the firm will treat each employee with respect, equity, and value within the organization. Job Profiles and Market Data and Analysis Human Resource Manager The human resource manager in Simply Sweet Six is responsible for managing the most important resources of the organization. The manager provides consistent, proactive and practical assistance to employees in addition to provision of advice and direction. The manager reports to the director while his /her services are to all managers in other departments on HR policies within the firm. Due to the requirements of the position, the HR manager is responsible for hiring and recruitment of employees in the organization. He/she also organizes employee training and designs a compensation systems for employees together with other management team members of the company. The employees’ database is developed and maintained by the HR manager. Specific responsibilities of the manager are as outlined in the next section. To define the strategy for learning and recruitment of employees in the organization, set high measures, principles, and provision of solution to HR issues facing the firm. Throughout his/her duties, the HR manager will provide pragmatic and consistent guidance to employees and giving them advices on resolution of conflicts, attendance and issues related to employee performance. The HR manger should identify practical solutions to practical and complex issues related t o the management of human resources to the management of the SSS. The HR manager will compile and manage HR documentation for use by other managers. Moreover, he/she would brief other managers on HR policies adopted by the organization especially in relation to establishment of a winning team to solve complex issues within the firm. The HR manager liaises with the recruitment team in the organization in order to harmonize compensation issues related to each job category. In addition, he/she prepares the payroll data for