Art, Self, and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art, Self, and Society - Essay Example The essay "Art, Self, and Society" discovers the wrapped Reichstag by Christo and Jean-Claude. Despite many challenges and rigorous process that someone has to go through in life, there is always a glimmer of hope and success at the end. The artists went through very tormenting moments, sacrifice and patience so that they could have the permission of the parliament to wrap Reichstag. Therefore, every endeavor that one undertakes should be driven by the end rather than the means. Arguably, the wrapped Reichstag also sends a message that in life nothing is impossible. Even the bigger structural constructions, which are more than the size of Reichstag, could be completed when adequate resources are properly used. Therefore, no matter how big something might appear, still there is a possibility of doing it to completion. This can as well be seen among the people who came to see the Reichstag structure that amazed many of them due to its big size and structural composition. Moreover, the Reichstag is a symbol of democracy to the people of the society. The convening of the old parliament building leaves a sign that the past dictatorship acts were outdated, thus autocratic laws were no longer passed. Indeed, the artwork at the moment identified with several people who had fallen victims of the oppressive dictatorship rules. The wrapping of Reichstag becomes very symbolic since it is a clear sign that the dark ages of oppressive rules are over, and this marks the new beginning of political dispensation.

Briefly comment on the communication research report Essay Example for Free

Briefly comment on the communication research report Essay With rapid advancement of new communication technologies, people currently can freely and actively express their own opinions in the new media. For example, the Internet has dramatically changed the ways in which some individuals receive news and information, this is very big different from the traditional forms of communication. However, there are some correlation links between traditional mass communication ways and modern new technology ways(Kotcher,1992;Rubin, 1994). Roberts M, Wanta, W and Dzwo, T (2002) examined one aspect of the Internet: electronic bulletin boards (EBBs). The objective of this study is to investigate if traditional news media sources have an agenda-setting impact on the discussions taking place on the EBBs. In other words, the purpose of the study is to examine the agenda-setting process and the role it may play on the Internet. The reports dominant methodology is quantitative. As we know, it is a critical issue that appropriate methodology should be taken depending on different research topic. Quantitative approach and qualitative approach have their respective advantages and disadvantages (Fowler, 1993). Quantitative research, through surveys, gathers data about peoples knowledge, opinions, attitudes and behavior. Quantitative research approach is used to generate new knowledge for evidence-based practice. Attention will be given to the advantages and disadvantages of Quantitative research designs for large group research, the principles of reliability and validity, the value of descriptive and inferential statistics and the importance of ethical research conduct. For the topic, it belongs to sociology category, so I think the researchers have used appropriate research approach (quantitative research approach) even though the approach has some disadvantages. This is because quantitative research approach for this topic has the following advantages: Large members of people can be studies; the method is relatively quick and relatively cheap; the results are reliable, and representative of a much wider population than that directly investigated, the personal influence of the research on the results is slight and the data can easily be expressed in statistical form. This enables comparisons to be made between different groups and populations. For this study, the researchers use Internet, its main advantages are low/moderate cost to design; low cost to send; quick to analyse data; easy for respondent to complete and can attach brochures, images, etc. However, Every survey methodology has its weaknesses, and online surveys are no exception. Not sure who is answering the survey. Like mail studies, it is difficult to insure the desired person actually answers the survey. Not representative of the population. The Internet population has a slight bias towards younger, more computer literate users, though this is changing all the time and becoming more representative of the population. Long surveys are more difficult. The personalities of todays online users makes it difficult to coerce respondents into completing long surveys. Not a mainstream research methodology, yet. With more experience and comparative analyses of online surveys versus mail and telephone results, online surveys should reach the same level of acceptance as other methodologies. For this research, the researchers use EBBs which has the above weaknesses too. For the researchs method, the researchers use five steps (Roberts, 2002, P456-458): The first step imperative examines whether traditional news media sources have an agenda-setting impact on the discussions taking place on the EBBs. They ask Do individuals take issue information gained from news media and pass information about this issue online to other electronic bulletin board users? The second step is selecting the sample. The third step deals with defining categories, time frames, coding units, and context units. The fourth step is content analysis and the final and fifth step of content analysis process is to analyze and interpret the data. The five steps are typical research method that is used by many researchers (McMillan, 2000) and they are very similar with the quantities analysis approach (the Scientific Method) which includes seven steps: Defining the problem; Developing a Model; Acquiring Input Data; Developing a Solution; Testing the Solution; Analyzing the Results and Implementing the Results (Render, 1982). The researchers use an ARIMA model cross-correlational test showed EBB discussions of three issuesimmigration, health care, and taxes-correlated with news media coverage, with time lags varying from 1 day to 7 days. In my opinion, the method is appropriate method for the topic. This investigation looks for a more powerful effect than previous agenda-setting researchers. Because of the Internets dynamic characteristic of transmitting information from senders to receivers, researchers currently assume that our traditional theories of mass communication can directly apply to online communication (Wimmer, 1994). The researches have an accurate research questions or hypothesis that are: how will the new online communication forms affect the agenda-setting process? Can we assume that the transfer of salience still follows the original hypothesis? How does the condensed and compressed environment of online communication affect what we know about time frame effects? All these questions are explored in their study. By quantitative research, the researchers concluded: The results demonstrate the usefulness of examining the rule the Internet plays in the agenda-setting process. Media coverage apparently can provide individuals with information to use in their Internet discussions. As the Internet continues to become an important source of information, it also will become an important area for mass communication researchers. (Roberts, 2002, P464). The report also recommended future research should link other mass communication theoretical approaches with Internet usage. Despite the research has some definite problems; online research has many more advantages than disadvantages. When surveying populations, which mimic the demographics of online users, online research can be a primary means of information collection. With other populations, online research can be effective as a supplement to more traditional survey approaches or as a quick impression of your customers (much like qualitative approaches are used). For outlook, as the Internet continues to grow in popularity, investigations of the content of information being sent online similarly will increase in importance. The study takes an important step in linking the Internet to a mainstream mass communication theory. References Kotcher, R. L. (1992). The technological revolution has transformed crisis communication. Public Relations Quarterly, 37(3), 19-21. Rubin, R. , P. Palmgreen, and H. Sypher (1994 eds. ), Communication Research Measures: A Sourcebook, New York: Guilford. Roberts, et al (2002), Agenda setting and issue salience online. Communication Research, Vol. 29 No. 4, August 452-465. Fowler, Floyd J. , Jr (1993). Survey Research Methods, 2nd ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. McMillan, S. J. (2000). The microscope and the moving target: The challenge of applying content analysis to the World Wide Web. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 77, 80-98. Render, B and Stair, R. M (1982). Quantitative Analysis for Management ( The Second Edition). New York: Library of congress Cataloging in Publication Data. Wimmer, R. D. and J. R. Dominick (1994), Mass Media Research: An Introduction, 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Information Technology Essay -- essays research papers

Information technology is a rapidly growing part of today's society. It affects everyone's life in many aspects. Every human endeavor is influenced by information technology and the increasing rate at which what it can perform includes. One area of human endeavor that information technology has greatly influenced is the practice of medicine, specifically veterinary medicine. Not only has veterinary medicine been influenced by information technology, it has also been enhanced by it. The degree to which the practice of veterinary medicine includes information technology is observable at the Animal Emergency Clinic of Central New York on Erie Blvd. in Syracuse, New York. Section I: veterinary medicine. Doctors of veterinary medicine are the people who engage in the human endeavor of practicing veterinary medicine. The activities that are included in this endeavor are the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases. The best way to handle a disease is to prevent acquiring it altogether. To accomplish this animals are given the available vaccinations for the most likely diseases they would get according to what type of animal they are and where they live. Unfortunately not every disease has a vaccination and not every animal has the opportunity to receive the available vaccinations. When an animal gets sick it is the duty of the veterinarian to determine the cause of the sickness and the best possible course of treatment for it. Veterinarians have many other responsibilities as well. These range from, but are not limited to, treating wounded animals and spaying or neutering them to preventing the spread of diseases from animals to humans through agriculture. The first school of veterinary medicine was in France. It opened in 1761. Veterinary medicine schools started to open in the United States of America during the civil war. (www.encyclopedia.com) To become a doctor of veterinary medicine, DVM, one must complete veterinary school. To get accepted into a school of veterinary medicine, a student has to meet the requirements of that particular vet school. Most of the requirements can be satisfied through undergraduate course work. The hard part is to have done a better job at meeting these requirements than the competition has. As an undergraduate, the student must demonstrate not only academic excellence and dedication to service and helping others, ... ... WWII. (www.encyclopedia.com) The use of certain information technologies in the field of human medicine are sure to have an influence in the practice of veterinary medicine. Antibiotics are another example of veterinary technology influencing human medicine. It is expected that advances in human medicine will affect veterinary medicine. The use of information technology to enable surgeons to perform surgery off site is sure to carry over to veterinary medicine. This will have a great affect on the way doctors perform in this field. To prepare oneself for success in veterinary medicine all of the required graduate and undergraduate courses must be completed. However, the best preparation for success is exposure to the field. In order to be completely ready for the practice of veterinary medicine knowing how to use the relevant information technologies is a necessity. The best way to accomplish this is through additional courses or observation. According to Tamela, a licensed veterinary technician who works at the AEC of CNY, watching another vet. at work, and seeing how he/she uses the technology to his/her advantage is an invaluable way to prepare for success in this field."

Different Kinds of Joy Essay

The pursuit of happiness is a reoccurring theme in numerous novels. In the novel, Their Eye’s Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, what brings happiness differs to each character. To the main character Janie, happiness is found in love, but to her grandmother Nanny, happiness is found in security. At first, Janie does what Nanny wills her to. At the age of 16, Janie marries into security. She is safe, but unhappy. Still yearning for love, Janie runs away with Mr. Starks. With Starks, Janie is once again safe, but unhappy. Starks then passes away, and Janie finds her true love, Tea Cake. Through Tea Cake Janie re-realizes her dream of love and abandons Nanny’s dream of security, she descends into the muck with Tea Cake, learning to love life too. To find happiness, Janie has to step down from her pedestal and into the muck. Hurston efficiently uses this reverse metaphor to convey that happiness comes from mutual love, and that this can be found anywhere, even from the muck of society. Nanny’s ideals in life and Janie’s are different. To â€Å"take a stand on high ground† (p16) is the ideal for Nanny. Nanny wants Janie to marry into security. With security, Janie could be safe from the abuse that her grandmother and mother had experienced. At first, this is what Janie does even though it is not what she wants. She wants to be in love, â€Å"to be a pear tree—any tree in bloom! With kissing bees and singing of the beginning of the world! † (p11). When Janie finds this, she realizes what Nanny’s dream had done to her. She realizes that her dreams had been â€Å"pinched it in to [into] such a little bit of a thing that she could tie her grandmother’s neck tight enough to choke her† (p89). With this realization, Janie’s dream rekindles. She realizes that mutual love, him loving her, and her â€Å"wants (wanting) to want him†, is all she needs to find love in life and herself. Janie’s search for love ends with Tea Cake. Janie and Tea Cake are at opposite ends of the social spectrum when they meet. Janie is known as Mrs. Mayor Starks, while Tea Cake is known as a â€Å"player. † Even though Tea Cake can offer her no security, he can offer her love and acceptance. When first meeting, Tea Cake asks Janie to play checkers. Janie â€Å"found (finds) herself glowing inside. Somebody wanted (wants) her to play. Somebody thought (finds) it natural for her to play† (p96). Tea Cake sees Janie as woman, not a trophy wife. And because of this, Janie sees Tea Cake as a lover, not a lowlife. Once Janie is able to love Tea Cake, she learns to love the muck as well. Janie thinks, â€Å"if people think de same they can make it all right. So in the beginnin’ new thoughts had tuh be thought, and new words said† (p115). Janie has to experience new things with Tea Cake, like the muck, in order to love and understand him even more. Once she accepts the muck, she becomes a part of it. Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the big white house and the store and laugh to herself† (p134). This is because like Tea Cake, the muck accepts her. â€Å"Only here, she could listen and laugh and even talk sometimes herself if she wanted to† (p134). Being in the muck is like being in love, except with place, and eventually with life. Even though the muck has no riches and is the lowest aspect in society, it doesn’t matter to Janie. In the muck, Janie is poor but she is accepted. Janie is loved, and Janie is happy. Janie has a dream of love and happiness, but her grandmother also has a dream of security. At first Nanny’s dreams overpowered her own, leading Janie into a secure but loveless marriage. Janie then becomes Mrs. Mayor Starks, which Nanny would have loved, but joy still eludes her. To find this joy, Janie has to find love. Then Tea Cake appears in her life, becoming her one and only. He gives her what she wants, a mutual love. Janie then moves to the muck with Tea Cake and learns to work. She is no longer Mrs. Mayor Starks, she is Janie. In the muck, she learns that love is trust and acceptance. She learns to find love in everything, even herself. Janie is now truly happy. Even in the lowest part of society.

Religious or moral issue of concern to Christians Essay

Analyse and explain the way in which a religious or moral issue of concern to Christians has been dealt with in a television soap opera The moral issue that I have chosen to follow is adultery, which is when a married person has voluntary sexual intercourse with other married or not married people, rather than his or her spouse. The reason I have chosen this moral issue is because it is part of everyday life, many people are doing it and are not taking notice of the hurt and pain they are causing. I have chosen Eastenders for my soap opera, because it is a popular soap and the moral issue adultery is shown, through Natalie and Ricky’s affair. Christians have a strong view on adultery, they believe that you should keep sexual intercourse for marriage because it makes it part of a religious or spiritual contact and it makes it dependant on a commitment to spend the rest of your life with someone, also â€Å"Do not commit adultery† is one of the ten commandments, so Christians are totally against adultery. The main characters involved were Ricky, Natalie, Pat and Barry. The storyline begins with, Ricky and his son Liam coming back to the square after a few years away. After a few weeks Ricky is starting to settle down and he is renting a flat with Sam Mitchell his ex-wife, Natalie and Ricky are friends at this point. After a while Natalie realizes she still loves Ricky, her first love, and starts meeting up with him secretly and has sexual intercourse with him. Natalie makes up excuses saying that she’s working overtime and during her lunch breaks when she’s really meeting up with Ricky. One night Pat sees Ricky picking up Natalie from round the corner from their house. The next morning Pat confronts Natalie about what she saw and tells her to end it but Natalie starts crying and says that she still loves Ricky, but Pat tells Natalie about her own love life and that she would be making a big mistake by seeing Ricky. Natalie is still confused and not sure whom she wants to be with. On Ricky’s birthday Natalie stays home and looks after Jack and Liam, Ricky’s son. So Barry, Pat and Roy can go to Ricky’s party soon after they arrive Barry persuades Roy and Pat to go home and baby-sit so Natalie can come to the party. When Natalie arrives she gives Ricky his card and on the back of the envelope Natalie wrote meet me outside the back where she tells him that she is going to leave Barry. Pat and Natalie talk again and Pat shows Natalie the secret tape, which Barry has recorded for Natalie’s birthday it is a really special tape because Barry says how much he loves her, how important she is to him and how happy she makes him feel, after seeing the video Natalie realises that she is doing wrong and tells Ricky it’s over. Natalie realises she can’t forget Ricky and soon their affair is back on and they plan to move away from the square and start afresh. They plan to leave on Natalie’s birthday, Natalie doesn’t even care about the preparations that Barry made for her birthday party in the Vic. They are ready to head off but Ricky’s car has broken down so they have to take the car that Barry bought for Natalie. Barry is still in the Vic waiting for the guest of honour to arrive but Janine knows about Ricky and Natalie and tells Barry. Barry runs outside and sees Natalie driving off but he stops them. Natalie then tells Barry she’s leaving him, Barry takes her into the Vic and shows her what he has organised for her, Natalie runs off to the toilets Barry runs after her and tries o make her change her mind but her minds already made up. Natalie is ready to leave but then Janine tells Natalie that Ricky slept with Sam, Natalie leaves the square only taking her son with he r. Barry is left heartbroken, he then finds out that Pat knew about Ricky and Natalie, Pat and Roy end up having an argument about it, Roy has a heart attack and dies. The issue seen was dealt sensitively because the different characters feelings were expressed, although it was Natalie who was having the affair, you could see that not only was it the innocent partner that was confused but the partner which was committing adultery was even more confused, Natalie wasn’t sure who she wanted to be with at some points and was getting very upset over it. Pat tried to help her make the right decision but Natalie didn’t care. This soap opera made the moral issue less appealing, I think that it made people think more about what they are doing is totally wrong. The reason it did not make it more appealing is because it showed all the different circumstances people were left in, Natalie ended it with Ricky because he slept with Sam, Barry was left with no son and no wife, the baby was left with no father, Pat was left as the enemy and homeless because Roy dies and leaves the house to Barry, so the issue was shown well balanced because all the main characters feelings and circumstances were shown, many of the characters were feeling hurt. Overall I think this soap opera has shown adultery to be unpleasant because it shows just how many peoples lives are ruined not just the adultery committers, but people who try to help them understand what they are doing is wrong, but are then given the evil for not telling the truthful partner. So this teaches most viewers that adultery is not a good thing. I don’t think that soap opera’s might affect people’s behaviour because mostly they deal with issues to express the circumstances of good and bad. This issue would not cause offence because although it is an issue, which is happening in everyday life it is not based on particular people.

Combination of Noir Style and Existentialist Motif The Matrix essays

Combination of Noir Style and Existentialist Motif The Matrix essays The Matrix (1999) is an extension of the existentialist motifs of the mid 20th Century set in the 23rd, for its obvious influences from the American Noir Style. This is apparent when looking at the five points of this existentialism. First, Thomas A. Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a.k.a. Neo, is portrayed from the beginning of the film as a normal Joe who holds the potential of a world savior, yet without the narcissism. He does not have X-ray vision or the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but rather, he is a lowly computer programmer for a respectable computer company. He does not appear important to anyone else in the film at first, and it is because of his lifestyle. Mister Anderson is immersed in the world of computers. As a result, he is lonely and alienated from the world or reality. This feeling is also reflected in the high, swooping camera angle found in the film, which is characteristically Noir. But what is reality? The truth? Neo makes the conscious choice to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. One finds out later in the film that at the point of making such a choice, he was nothing... or nothing more than an oversized Energizer; but upon choosing the truth he is also trying to free his mind from the prison he cannot taste or touch or see. Neo is doomed to fail, as no one has come before him to succeed in the freeing of his own mind. As a result, he is under a sentence of death; the system is set up against him; the Matrix has him... he struggles with the choice between life and death, as he must let his instructor, Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), die or sacrifice himself to save him. There is only one element holding his life in tact: Fate... At first, Mister Anderson does not like the idea of fate, as he cannot stand the idea of not being able to control his own destiny. Throughout the entire film, as Mister Anderson...

Technological Transformation essays

Technological Transformation essays Throughout history, technological advances have always altered society. Elizabeth Schwartz Cowan argues in her book A Social History of American Technology that from the earliest times, technology has had significant impact on the social, economic and political makeup. This is not a new phenomenon that started with computers. For example, mass production, transportation and especially communications have greatly impacted the world. The Industrial Revolution, first originating in Great Britain, quickly was accepted in the U.S. where it flourished and took a significant new shape (Pursell 87) and became the American system of manufacturers. The whole purpose of this system was to transfer the product from the workers to the machines. Specialized machines could much more rapidly and efficiently mass produce parts used for such consumer goods as sewing machines, bicycles and typewriters. One thinks of Henry Fords assembly line when regarding mass production, but Pursell (91) explains that More than any other product, it was the bicycle that forged the link between early-nineteenth-century armory practice and early-twentieth-century mass production. In the 1890s, one company, alone, was producing 60,000 bikes a year. From a social standpoint, Americans started to become dependent on these machines that made life easier. Increasing numbers of people began living in the cities instead of on farms. Closer living arrangements, unfortunately led to epidemics. According to Wilentz (79), domestic service was also transformed. Hired help, as a domestic servant was called, had been a traditional worker in New England local communities. After the mid-1800s, a larger number of these workers were hired for the labor market, and service became a low-paid job. This bastardization of craft, as Wilentz calls it, eliminated the traditional world of craft workers and apprentices and radically ...

Difference between Management and Leadership

Difference between Management and Leadership What is the difference between leadership and management? The question that is often asked nowadays. Read an article below to know the main differences between these two notions. What Is the Difference between Leadership and Management? The definition of management we can find in literature: management is the ability to identify, develop and support people so that individual contributions and contributions as a group promote organizational prosperity. Leadership is defined as an activity or set of attributes which is capable of producing a change and releasing innovation and development. Although the definition of the leadership may seem much the same as that of the management, these two notions differ. Usually, management is meant to plan, forecast, budget, and control. Leadership has very little to do with planning, budgeting and controlling. A leader and a manager are playing quite different roles. MANAGING CONFLICT IN GROUPS Leaders Are Special, Aren’t They? Those who hold a leadership role know that leadership based on human trust is a profitable way to run a company. If there’s no one to lead a team the employees will hardly care about the mission that may be the reason in a further fracturing of the team and losing its steam. Managers are considered to be a part of the machine. The manager’s job is to run a machine, a company etc. while that of the leader is to give an energy to his or her team to achieve the mission. Here are the main differences between a leader and a manager: 1. Managers create aims leaders create visions. Leaders activate people to work together in order to accomplish the tasks set. Managers set and measure the goals. 2. Leaders deal with changes, managers are a part of a system. Even if things are working well, leaders aim at changing them in such a way to make them work better, sometimes making waves. Managers try to make processes and structures work better. 3. Leaders take risks, managers control them. Leaders are not afraid of failures as they know that any failure may lead to success. Managers work to control and minimize the risks. 4. Leaders are constantly learning something new, managers rely on their skills and experience. Leaders know that it’s rather important to learn something new to succeed, they seek for people that will expand their mind and thinking. Managers mostly improve their existing skills. Managers are considered â€Å"rational†, â€Å"analytical†, â€Å"structured†, â€Å"persistent†, and â€Å"tough-minded†. Good leaders inspire creativity and are good motivators. Good managers inspire competence and discipline. Leadership as a Matter of Perception The difference between leadership and management is a contrived one, and we could perhaps dismiss the problem with that except for one troubling little fact: in real-life organizations, there are clearly people who are more effective in positions of authority than others – who are actually better leaders than other people in exactly the same clearly-defined organizational roles. The position of authority is perceived – by both the person having it and by his subordinates – as conferring some special qualities on the leader so that even very ordinary activities are considered somehow special. For example, small talk among coworkers is just small talk; small talk between the â€Å"leader† and â€Å"follower†, however, is â€Å"inspiring† or â€Å"motivating†. provides an academic assistance on a variety of subjects, including leadership and management. In case you need assistance with drafting your â€Å"management† or â€Å"leadership† essay, feel free to contact us or place an order.

Ethic issue Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ethic issue - Research Paper Example thought as being a reformer, a non-government official, first run for office - an operator who was going to come in and get it done," said Pat Fanning, a veteran New Orleans legitimate advisor and no fan of the past two-term pioneer. Prosecutors contended that Nagin who is 57-years old was at the focal point of a kickback plot in where he was issued with checks, money, wire exchanges, personal favors and free go from specialists looking for contracts and great treatment from the city. He is jailed for 20 years , though, Fanning said he was likely to serve 14- to 17-year term. A January 2013 prosecution nitty gritty more than $200,000 in fixes to Nagin and his relatives, professedly gained an excursion in Hawaii; top notch airfare to Jamaica; private plane travel and limousine for New York City; and cell administration. In return, organizations that hacked up for Nagin and his family got above $5 million in Orleans’s contracts, as stated by the January 2013 prosecution. Throughout the two-week trial, prosecutors brought to the stand a string of businesspeople who had officially conceded to paying off Nagin. His defense finished little to test their stories. When Ray Nagin took the stand to defend him, he denied the charges citing that he cannot recall who paid for his trips. Ray Nagin was an opportunist who would use the businessmen who needed contracts from the government for his own personal gains as testified by the business men who turned convicts. â€Å"Every time a contractor critically needed something from Mayor Ray Nagin, he would seize that opportunity to get something in return,† (New York Times Feb. 10). Aristotle accepts that the help of the a lot of people outweigh the benefit of the few. In any case, Aristotle says that this is just the case in compelling circumstances and that the singular ought to be, however, of and dealt with first and in the event that we are to deal with the few, the numerous ought to be dealt with. Which is evident in Ray

Evaluate the Future Impact of Media Technologies in Tourism Essay

Evaluate the Future Impact of Media Technologies in Tourism - Essay Example International arrivals rise at a slower rate but in complete terms rose from 394 million in 1988 to 613 million in 1997. Less inclusive figures are obtainable for domestic tourism. In some, such as France, domestic holidays continued to increase; elsewhere (for example, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand), signs of stagnation or decline were appearing, in part as a consequence of increased outbound tourism. In disparity, domestic tourism was fetching more important in some developing countries as varying values of living destined domestic tour was becoming more reachable to a wider example of society (Chris Cooper, 2001). Countries in Europe and North America are still major sources and others have joined destinations for international tourism but in recent years, especially in Asia and the Pacific. Varying rates of growth have been recorded in these and in other regions of the world, such as Africa and South America. Resorts in some of the latter regions have a relatively long tradition of tourism, such as Bariloche in Argentina. In further places, for instance parts of Africa or a few Pacific islands, tourism is still budding as a figure of expansion. While numbers there may as yet be relatively insignificant on a global scale, they may be of increasing significance locally. As an outcome of these models and procedures, tourism is moreover before now extensively recognized as a key segment of nationwide, regional and local economies in a lot of parts of the world or being aggressively measured or cultivated as an expansion alternative in many others (Jarice Hanson, 1990). The expansion of tourism h as been accompanied by a noteworthy increase in media technology and research activities in this field. Tourism programmes connected to media, centres and subdivisions have developed on sites universal, and tourism conferences have propagated and fresh

Business process modiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business process modiling - Essay Example SSP extends their services even to the public sectors in which they commonly deal with matters to do with invoicing among others within the Australian economy. Financial processing is usually very critical and the more reliable the customer perceives the company, the more the trust. It is, therefore, essential that firms handle their financial processes such as invoicing in a more accurate, efficient and reliable manner that can meet the satisfaction of the customers. This is the reason why SSP is restructuring its operations to meet these goals having received myriad complains from its customers. In order to attain this objective, process modelling is identifiably the most significant method that can be used. Technically, the method uses visual analysis and design to gain insight into the challenging process with the application of Business Process Model and Notation (language). This technique is vital in evaluating the status of the SSP and recommending what can be done to enhance the future. This report aims at comprehensively evaluating two processes that can help address the issues of the SSP. Initially, a choreography illustration is presented to demonstrate the relationship SSP has with its primary stakeholders such as the clients. The second diagram is a more sophisticated demonstration of the collaboration SSP has in its operation. It critically analysis how process run within the firm and how invoices (as at now) move in straight into the company. In a nutshell, the above mentioned process models are meant to determine how SSP invoicing system functions and contextu alize the relationships/interactions the organization has with the primary entities. Moreover, this report assesses governance of SSP through lenses of ‘governance structure and model conventions’. To gain a deep understanding of the nuances of the functional processes and value chain activities going on the company, a functional matrix is applied. It is virtually possible

Should capital punishment be suspended because of the chance of Research Paper

Should capital punishment be suspended because of the chance of executing an innocent person - Research Paper Example Abolition is becoming the norm and those who advocate for the death penalty face important challenges in the 21st century. For example, the United Nations and the European Union (EU) recently debated the legitimacy of the death penalty and world opinion is moving towards its abolition. The European Union, through its Charter of Fundamental Rights, has led the way and successfully banned the death penalty in all of its member states. Thus, if a country wishes to become a member of the EU and has the death penalty as a punishment on the books, that will need be overruled for the death penalty to become a member. This is just an example of how the tide is turning against advocates of the death penalty in the 21st century. Seeking to explore capital punishment and ask whether or not it is a good thing, the following will explore the deterrence argument for the death penalty and persuasively argue that the death penalty is not a good thing and should be banned. Furthermore, this paper wil l argue that lethal injection runs contrary to the prohibition against â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† and because the consequences of the death penalty are irreversible, it should be abolished worldwide (The Death Penalty Information Centre 2009; Hood 3). From an ethical standpoint, advocates of the death penalty argue that the death penalty serves to deter criminals and thus is effective in preventing crime. According to the well-respect British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the consensus among researchers in the field is that the deterrent aspect of the death penalty has yet to be proven. Furthermore, a survey on the subject was undertaken by the United Nations (UN) in an attempt to look at the relationship between the death penalty and homicide rates. According to this published analysis, the United Nations concluded that â€Å"research has failed to

An assessment of the role of personality in the development of Essay

An assessment of the role of personality in the development of leadership qualities - Essay Example After that, in the age of information, leadership is seen as shared decision making and consulting. Leadership role is argued to be derived from a certain set of attributes that reflect the willingness and motivation of an individual to lead in an organization. The personality attribute of leadership is supported by Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) model designed by Schneider (B.M. Bass and R. Bass, 2009; Mumford, 2009; Ciulla, 2008). This model has argued that due to different mixes in the attributes of personality, individuals are seen to be differentially attracted towards the organization and career. This study focuses on the role of personality in the development of leadership qualities among the individuals. Research Objective Deciding on the objective to be accomplished by the research plays a vital role in the study. If the objective of the research is clearly defined, then it will be easier for the researcher to plan the study and accomplish the objectives within a speci fied time frame. The main objective of this research is to unearth the role and contribution of personality in developing leadership qualities in an individual. ... For instance, meta-analysis, in order to determine the relationship between emergence of leadership effectiveness and Big Five traits of personality, had found that all the four factors, except ‘Agreeableness’, share a robust relationship with the leadership outcome of an individual (Judge, et al., 2002). In recent times, a meta-analysis that was conducted to determine relationships between specific individual differences such as, energy, self-monitoring, self-confidence and need of power and effectiveness in leadership, concluded that these personality traits hugely support the effective outcome of the leaders (Hoffman, et al., 2011). Though there is huge amount of literature related to the impact of personality on leadership, there is limited amount of literature related to the influence of personality on the changes in the effectiveness or development of leadership over time. Leadership development involves changes in the patterns of behaviour, perception, competencie s and motivations of the individuals in the leadership position, so that they can function more efficiently in their present roles. These changes can be achieved in both formal and informal manner which may involve several years or even few minutes. Although there are several literatures that stress on the fact that the rate of leadership development differs from one individual to another, many of these literatures have ignored the importance of personality as a moderator of this change (R. Hogan, J. Hogan and Kaiser, 2010). Certain personality traits are associated with the rate of leadership development such as, uncooperative individuals, who are seen to be less eager to change their behaviour as a response to the

International HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International HRM - Essay Example The United Kingdom is also a very masculine society, which emphasises a cultural orientation toward achievement of success and exhibiting ambition and motivation in the professional world. This culture is also driven by a short-term orientation, meaning that future gains will be more eagerly sacrificed in order to achieve rapid results, especially in business. This is especially apparent in the professional relationship between the London Stock Exchange and UK investors, using quarterly results to help investors achieve instant gains. In order to fully understand the complexities, problems or opportunities for UK-based management expanding into France, Germany and Japan, it is necessary to outline the most prominent cultural characteristics that make up societal and professional values, beliefs and orientations. This essay describes the characteristics of the French, German and Japanese business cultures to critically assess what degree of adaptability will be required by the UK-base d organization upon new foreign business market entry. Research indicates that there are some distinct differences and moderate similarities to the UK culture that will determine the strategy direction for people management in these countries. Working with French employees For people management to be effective in France, the UK-based HR team must understand the fundamentals of what drives professional culture in this country. France scores highly on the power distance metric in Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions framework. The notion of cultural power distance is defined as the level of inequality that is tolerated within a culture (Leng and Bothelo 2010). For instance, a less powerful figure (such as a subordinate employee) will be more indulgent and accepting of a more powerful figure (such as executives) maintaining disparity between ranking representatives of the business. Much of these cultural beliefs are driven by long-standing power distance between government and general society that was founded during the historical periods where France was governed by autocratic monarchy structures (Communicaid 2009). Powers in France, as it relates to business and government, have always been centralised in which business executives maintain the majority of control, thus creating organisational structures where decision-making authority is top-down rather than horizontal. French citizens further maintain a great deal of ethnocentrism, a belief in superiority of French culture and its rich history, which further supports acceptance and tolerance for power distance. For a UK human resources practitioner, there should be consideration of the high prevalence of tolerance of power distance. It is unlikely that French employees will be accustomed to working within decentralised business hierarchies that facilitate a great deal of team-working and horizontal problem-solving and decision-making. Therefore, there would be advantages for the UK manager that is attempting to facilitate more effective work processes and outcomes to take a hard approach to people management. Armstrong (2007) describes the hard HRM approach as an HR strategy that ensures more effective

An assessment of the role of personality in the development of Essay

An assessment of the role of personality in the development of leadership qualities - Essay Example After that, in the age of information, leadership is seen as shared decision making and consulting. Leadership role is argued to be derived from a certain set of attributes that reflect the willingness and motivation of an individual to lead in an organization. The personality attribute of leadership is supported by Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) model designed by Schneider (B.M. Bass and R. Bass, 2009; Mumford, 2009; Ciulla, 2008). This model has argued that due to different mixes in the attributes of personality, individuals are seen to be differentially attracted towards the organization and career. This study focuses on the role of personality in the development of leadership qualities among the individuals. Research Objective Deciding on the objective to be accomplished by the research plays a vital role in the study. If the objective of the research is clearly defined, then it will be easier for the researcher to plan the study and accomplish the objectives within a speci fied time frame. The main objective of this research is to unearth the role and contribution of personality in developing leadership qualities in an individual. ... For instance, meta-analysis, in order to determine the relationship between emergence of leadership effectiveness and Big Five traits of personality, had found that all the four factors, except ‘Agreeableness’, share a robust relationship with the leadership outcome of an individual (Judge, et al., 2002). In recent times, a meta-analysis that was conducted to determine relationships between specific individual differences such as, energy, self-monitoring, self-confidence and need of power and effectiveness in leadership, concluded that these personality traits hugely support the effective outcome of the leaders (Hoffman, et al., 2011). Though there is huge amount of literature related to the impact of personality on leadership, there is limited amount of literature related to the influence of personality on the changes in the effectiveness or development of leadership over time. Leadership development involves changes in the patterns of behaviour, perception, competencie s and motivations of the individuals in the leadership position, so that they can function more efficiently in their present roles. These changes can be achieved in both formal and informal manner which may involve several years or even few minutes. Although there are several literatures that stress on the fact that the rate of leadership development differs from one individual to another, many of these literatures have ignored the importance of personality as a moderator of this change (R. Hogan, J. Hogan and Kaiser, 2010). Certain personality traits are associated with the rate of leadership development such as, uncooperative individuals, who are seen to be less eager to change their behaviour as a response to the

Euthanasia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Euthanasia - Research Paper Example From one perspective many people believe vehemently in only one side of the argument or the other. According to an article written by the Telegraph (2010) it is the case that the BBC has been accused of ‘promoting’ euthanasia insofar as the organization highlighted Sir Terry Pratchett’s speech regarding assisted suicide by using dramatic effects and allegedly ignored the rights of disabled individuals. Although these allegations have not resulted in any significant legal action it the article did indicate that at least in the British context a poll indicated that people’s opinions are split evenly on the matter. On the second section of this paper some examples of how this issue can be complicated will be highlighted. For example, Butler (2010) writing for the New York Times indicated that decisions made earlier in the care. The article made reference to the father of the author suffering a serious stroke at the age of 79. After developing a serious and pai nful heart condition the individual had a pacemaker installed because of a desire of his wife to see her husband relieved of his pain. Fast forward five years the father is bedridden with dementia and is kept alive only with the aide of a pacemaker that is expected to last another five years.

Types Of Films And Films Narrative Essay Example for Free

Types Of Films And Films Narrative Essay Fiction something that does not exist in real life; Contrasted with Documentary films, Fiction does not purport to deal with factual information. However, there are also Documentary-Fiction combinations like in the JFK film. In JFK, the filmmaker incorporated found footage to give it a semblance of reality.   Ask your classmates for a show of hands, who has watched JFK? Documentary Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for documentaries that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these documentaries they volunteered.   Briefly discuss how The Blair Witch Project is of the subgenre, mockumentary, to supplement the discussion in the Film Art book. Ask questions about the accuracy and reliability of documentaries. Discuss the impact of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth as a popularized documentary for the purpose of environmental advocacy. Ask your classmates if they find documentaries convincing or just bordering on propaganda? Why is Michael Moore a controversial figure? Animation Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for animated films that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these animated they volunteered.   To supplement the book discussion, mention the other concepts and subgenres under animation such as: rotoscoping technique (like in Richard Linklater’s films, Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly), Japanese anime films (Voltes V, Daimos, Princess Mononoke), Computer Graphics Interface (CGI like Finding Nemo, Happy Feet, iMAX 3D animated features) in contrast to old celluloid techniques (manually drawing and painting on celluloid sheets that are overlapped and shot frame by frame). See more: how to start a narrative essay Experimental and Avant-Garde Please refer to the table above for the distinctions. Ask your classmates for experimental films that they have watched and point out the devices employed by these experimental films they volunteered. Discuss the Japanese-American film, Eiga Zuke, or Pickled Film, through the technique employed by the filmmaker. Here, the abstract splotches were created by soaking the negative in â€Å"pickling agents† before processing it into film stock. Experimental films generally have no rules, emphasizing self-expression and exploratory techniques. Ask your classmates what kind of experimentation they would eventually like to try in their own films in the future? Defining Genres: (Mental Note: Picture S-T-E-M, Subject, Theme, Emotional Effect, Manner of Presentation) Subject: Give an example of a film with a specific subject, like a biography, the subject is the life of the protagonist.   Theme: Give an example, like a Western, where the theme is resolving conflict between law and order forces, versus outlaws, bandits or Indian communities. Distinct Emotional Effect like in Horror movies and thrillers, these are calculated to make the audience feel horrified. These films challenge the sensibilities of what the audience perceives as normal. Manner of presentation: Give an example of a film, like a Musical, where the characters clearly engage in singing and dancing to communicate aspects of the plot Always remember that Genre Mixing is common and that there are certain innovations in film that challenge the preconceived notions established in that genre. This is a reflection of the social process that includes a transforming social milieu. For example, the film Aliens, portrays Ripley as a strong feminist character who is also a caring mother. Chapter 4: NARRATIVE AS A FORMAL SYSTEM STATE: The Story-Plot distinction suggests that you want to give someone a synopsis of a narrative film, you can proceed in 2 ways: 1. Summarize the story, starting from the earliest incident which the plot cues you, then infer straight through to the end.2. Tell the plot, starting with the first incident you encountered in watching the film 3 Aspects of Narrative: (Mental Note: Picture Ca-T-S , Causality, Time, Space) Narration: the Flow of Story Information Openings, Closings and Patterns of Development Refer to the table to discuss the distinctions and cite examples from the book. In the classical Hollywood narrative, the chain of actions that result from predominantly psychological causes tends to motivate most or all other narrative events. if the characters did not desire something to be different from the way it is at the beginning of the narrative, change would not occur. Discuss a short excerpt from the Citizen Kane film and analyzes the aspects by showing them the plot segmentation in the book. Integrate all the concepts discussed so far in the Citizen Kane class discussion. Don’t forget to thank your audience after your presentation. Works Cited Bordwell, D. and Kristin Thompson. â€Å"Types of Films.† Film Art: An Introduction. Location: Publisher, Year. 42-61 Bordwell, D. and Kristin Thompson. â€Å"Narrative as a Formal System.† Film Art: An Introduction. Location: Publisher, Year. 89-113

Gilbert Ryles The Concept of Mind Essay -- Concept Mind Gilbert Ryle

Gilbert Ryle's The Concept of Mind In The Concept of Mind Gilbert Ryle attempts, in his own words, to 'explode the myth' of Cartesian dualism. His primary method in this endeavour is to explain why it is a logical error to describe minds and bodies with semantically similar language; while secondarily, he proposes that even to speak of 'minds' as a second-order ontology is to take the first step in the wrong direction towards intellectual clarity. Thus, with the desire to arrive at this hypothetical locale, the following peripatetic discussion will set out with Ryle at his point of departure, viz. Descartes' Myth; it will then survey the "lay-of-the-land" at Ryle's mapped out midway point, viz. Self-Knowledge; and from there, judge whether Ryle himself is headed in the right direction, or, whether despite the ribbons and fan-fare, Ryle's excursion takes place on a circular track. Ryle begins by seeking to expose the theory of Cartesian Dualism as an absurd logical error. To do this, he accuses it of having an inherently faulty structure; that it exemplifies "one big category-mistake."1 To understand this claim we must first look at what Ryle deems a 'category-mistake.' A category-mistake is committed when one accounts for a concept by placing it in a certain logical type, or category, when in fact it belongs to a different division altogether. So to describe or qualify two items or ideas of dissimilar constitution within the same linguistic framework is to commit this mistake. Ryle provides numerous examples for the elucidation of this error, only one of which follows: "she came home in a flood of tears and a sedan chair."2 The absurdity of this statement shows the category-mistake for what it is: a failure to use langu... ...ons it is my considered opinion that despite Ryle's attempt at intellectual clarity, this clarity is an illusion. NOTES 1 Gilbert Ryle, The Concept of Mind, p. 17.Back to note location in text 2 Ibid., p. 23.Back to note location in text 3 Ibid., p. 15.Back to note location in text 4 Ibid. Back to note location in text 5 Ibid., p.21.Back to note location in text 6 Ibid., p. 23.Back to note location in text 7 I refer to John R. Searle, The Rediscovery of The Mind, in which the author states: "Mental phenomena are caused by neurophysiological processes in the brain and are themselves features of the brain." p. 1.Back to note location in text 8 Gilbert Ryle, The Concept of Mind, p. 149.Back to note location in text 9 Ibid., p. 149.Back to note location in text 10 Ibid., p. 162.Back to note location in text

Safety in Global Workplace :: essays research papers fc

Introduction Advierta este papel entrarà ¡ en llamas en diez segundos ! If you can read Spanish you might have already dropped this paper. However, if you cannot, let me translate the first line for you. It reads†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Caution, this paper will burst into flames in ten seconds!† Imagine yourself as a foreigner working in a country without being able to speak or read the language. Many foreign workers are too embarrassed or afraid of termination to admit that they do not understand instructions or safety procedures. A recent Census Bureau report indicates the number of United States residents for whom English is a foreign language is nearly 32 million 1. Mexican immigrants make up the largest minority group in our country today and many of these individuals have poor English language skills or none at all. They come to this country for an opportunity to work and make a better life. In order for these employees and their fellow workers to be protected properly, a way must be found to c ommunicate safety information to them. We must familiarize ourselves with the way in which people communicate and learn and adapt our techniques to get the message across most efficiently. A 16 year old Mexican immigrant working for a construction subcontractor from Texas who had been contracted by a framing contractor in Oklahoma, who in turn was working for a general construction contractor in Alabama, fell to his death from a roof at the construction site in Alabama. The Texas based contractor had a safety plan but it was written only in English. The general contractor in Alabama had a safety plan for its employees but it did not make any provision for subcontractors. Evidence indicated that the crew understood little or no English. Evidence gathered during OSHA interviews of the crewmembers, indicated that the crew had no knowledge of the safety plan 2. There were many mistakes made in this scenario and we must be mindful of this type of situation due to the changing composition of the modern workplace. As managers, we will face employees with various cultural and language backgrounds and these employees must be a vital and productive part of the overall scheme. Th e general contractor in this case should have incorporated any subcontracted employees in its safety plan. In so doing, these contingencies are provided for before they occur and may limit the company’s liability.

Nineteen Eighty Four Essay

Nineteen Eighty Four is George Orwell’s nightmare vision of the future. Written in 1948, at the end of World War II, Orwell simply switched numbers for his future view. The opening chapter is very effective in the way that it straight away lets the reader know the style of the novel. The opening is a description of post-war London, and the introduction of the main character. Orwell saw the evil in the war just passed, and wrote about it. The imagery used can all be linked to the war or London. The novel is not personal, with more reference to the party and regimes, Orwell was a political writer, an extreme socialist. He is criticizing any political regime, socialist or fascist. Right from the outset the author intends to draw attention to the setting. The chapter is typical of the book as a whole; describing Orwell’s dystopia. The main character we are first introduced to is Winston Smith. This is a common, English name, showing that Winston is in no way separate from the majority. The name â€Å"Winston† can be linked to Winston Churchill, who had just lead England through the war. Along with the name, Winston is not presented as a hero, as one would expect of a main character. Winston is â€Å"thirty nine and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle† and is incredibly unfit, â€Å"resting several times† on his way up the stairs. We are not, however, given a personality for our hero; we have to wait until part II of the novel to get personal detail. The opening passage introduces us to life for Winston. The settings described are not pleasant. Outside, there is a â€Å"vile wind† and â€Å"a swirl if gritty dust. † Inside Victory Mansions, where Winston resides, for it cannot be said that he â€Å"lives†, it is not much better. â€Å"The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. † This gives the impression of rotting and deterioration. Everything is rationed; this is a reference to the war. â€Å"The present electric current was cut off during daylight hours. † Winston uses â€Å"blunt razor blades† and â€Å"coarse soap. † There is no colour described in the opening, the picture of the settings in the reader’s mind are black and white, therefore giving a sense of a grey, unhappy world. The people of London are not free. There is an imposing poster everywhere one turned, bearing the caption, â€Å"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. † The man in the poster, â€Å"the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features† could very well be Hitler or Stalin, another reference to the war. There is a sense of being watched, â€Å"the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. † The notion of Big Brother is introduced to us in the first ten lines of the novel, this clearly shows us where Orwell’s intentions lie. We are introduced to the concept of â€Å"Hate Week,† although no further detail is given. Orwell writes of it as though it is an every day event and nothing obscure should be thought of it. Big Brother is the antithesis of Winston, strong and powerful vs. frail and weak. The reader gets the impression Winston could never overthrow the party, although we are not yet introduced to his rebellious side as he does not yet have a character. We are introduced to the party slogans. The set out of them is a triangle, representing hierarchy, authority. The words are oxymorons, War and Peace, Freedom and Slavery, Ignorance and Strength. The words are ironic when used next to each other. They are each the antithesis of the other. If you take away people’s knowledge, you can tamper with their minds, as shown in the last slogan. Once inside Winston’s flat, we are introduced to the telescreens, furthering the notion that no one is free. There are helicopters that look into the houses and the telescreens that watch you. There is a description of a â€Å"dulled mirror† but mirrors cannot be dull, or the view would be distorted, this is another message from Orwell showing us nothing was clear. We get more description of Winston, still nothing personal, and still anti-heroic, â€Å"a smallish, frail figure, the meagerness of his body merely emphasized by the blue overalls which were the uniform of the party. † We get the impression he is not well. Everything he can see from his window is unpleasant, â€Å"the world looked cold,† it was â€Å"torn† and â€Å"harsh. † References to the war are frequent. The â€Å"Ninth Three-Year Plan† is ironic, because it would not be possible, and the Three-Year Plan relates to the plan Germany had after the war. The houses are describes as â€Å"rotting,† and â€Å"their sides shored up with baulks of timber, their windows patched with cardboard and their roofs with corrugated iron. † This is war-torn London. The place Winston lives, Oceania is at war. Orwell suggests the war is just a tool used by the party to keep the people oppressed. We are introduced to the Ministries. Their descriptions are the antithesis of the houses described. They are described as â€Å"startlingly different† and they are a wonder to look at. The Ministries are of Truth, Love, Peace and Plenty. The irony lies in the fact that the Ministry of love was the frightening one. Things were done with military precision, even the time is in twenty-four hour clock. The Ministries were guarded by uniformed, armed guards, â€Å"gorilla-faced guards. † Orwell uses alliteration to emphasize how imposing and horrible they looked. Another war image. The opening chapter is very effective in making the reader wan to read on, as it makes you feel you are reading history. This is because we are reading with hindsight. The reader feels they want to get to know Winston better because of what they have so far read. Orwell is effective is his opening because the settings are so well described that you instantly get a mental picture and are intrigued by the contrast between the war-torn London so well known and the surreal idea of helicopters looking in windows. It makes the reader wonder what might have happened had the war turned out differently, and Orwell’s Big Brother, Hitler or Stalin, had been successful.

Ethics †Morality Essay

1. Definition of Ethics It studies how man ought to behave. Ethics is a thoughtful review of how to act in the best interest of patients and their family. It is also about making good choices based on beliefs and values regarding life, health, suffering and death. Relationship of Ethics in other branches of science: * Ethics and Logic- Studies the correct and organized thinking of a man. Focused foremost on demands of materials, nonhuman world, or world of â€Å"things† in one’s environment it is people-oriented * Ethics and Psychology- Both deals with the study of man and his behavior. Studies how man ought to behave. Concerned with man’s moral obligation or the result of his behavior. It studies the human behavior from the perspective of morality. * Ethics and Sociology- Sociology deals with the study of social order and human relations in a society. Sociology is related to Ethics because Ethics deals with the study of moral orders in a society. Importance of Ethics: Ethics form the base ground of values, which differ from one culture to another. Ethics was applied in health care system, since ancient Egyptian times. A physician has moral obligations towards his patient based on physician – patient’s relationship. The ethical principle of confidentiality confirms that patient can trust his health care provider not to disclose any information that the patient may have given in order to get cured. A current ethical issue in research involving human participant’s informed consent has prime importance. The subject and his guardian must have the capacity to understand the issue in question and the possible risks of treatment in the trial study. We need to do more to ensure that medical research practices are sound and ethical, and the goals of research should be secondary to the well being of the participants. The study of ethics and the study and practice of healthcare have not merged much in the past, but nevertheless ethical standards are essential to the practice of the health professions. Each professional discipline has its own code of conduct, guidelines for practice and philosophy of care to direct practice within its professional remit. There have been several international declarations of human rights within healthcare to protect patients from unethical practices that might nevertheless be portrayed to them as necessary evils in the course of scientific research and utilitarian principles – that is, the greater good. Despite the relative lack of moral philosophy and healthcare ethics in the curricula of healthcare professionals, it does not take long for anyone in clinical practice to face their first ethical dilemma about which they are called upon to make a judgment or have a view. In any healthcare system, whether organized and managed by the state or government or by the independent sector (private or non-governmental/voluntary) – or any mixture of these – moral issues will frequently be raised and should challenge the practitioner, teacher, manager or researcher. Establishing moral codes of practice between the various organizations mentioned above is important at the outset of any professional relationship or client encounter. For the practitioner the appropriate use of professional power, compared with the relative vulnerability of the lay client/patient during the first meeting, establishes the relationship for all future transactions between the two parties. In the context of progressive illness there are many occasions that will challenge this relationship as the illness trajectory takes its course. 2. Basic concepts in Ethics. Definition of Human Acts Human Acts (Actus Humani) refer to â€Å"actions that proceed from insight into the nature and purpose of one’s doing and from consent of free will†. Specifically, human acts are those actions done by a person in certain situations, which are essentially the result of his conscious knowledge, freedom and voluntariness, or consent. Hence, man performs these actions knowingly, freely, and voluntarily. Aspects of Human Acts * The Act Itself or the Object Of The Act. The act itself refers to the action that is done or performed by an agent, or simply, what the person does. This is the â€Å"substance of a moral act†, and here regarded as the basic factor of morality. More concretely, the object of the act is â€Å"that act effect which an action primarily and directly causes (finis operis). It is always necessary that the result of the act, independent of any circumstances or of the intention of the agent. † * The Motive or the Intention. The motive is the purpose that for the sake of which something is done. It is the reason behind our acting. It answers the question â€Å"why the person does what he does? †. Man normally performs an act as a means to achieve an end or goal, different from an act itself. And since the motive or intention is practically present in all human acts, it then becomes an important and integral part of morality. * The Circumstances. It refers to the various conditions outside of the act. They are not part and parcel of the act itself. Circumstances are conditions that influence, to a lesser or greater degree, the moral quality of the human act. The moral goodness or badness of an act is determined not only by the object or act itself, plus the motive or intention of the moral agent, but also on the circumstances or situation surrounding the performance of the action. Classification of Human Acts * Elicited Acts. These are actions performed by the will. (Wish, Intention, Consent, Election, Use) * Commanded acts. These are those acts done by man’s mental or bodily powers under the command of the will. (External and Internal Actions) Constituents of Human Acts * Knowledge. A human act as a deliberate act is a KNOWING ACT. No human act is possible without knowledge. * Freedom. The CAPACITY or POWER to choose between two or more courses of actions WITHOUT being forced to take one or the other by anything except our own will. * Voluntariness. A human act is a WILL- ACT. A voluntary act is different from what is merely WILLED and cannot be controlled by the will, as good or bad. Modifiers of Human Acts * Ignorance. It is the absence of necessary knowledge, which a person in a given situation, who is performing a certain act, ought to have. Ignorance therefore is a negation of knowledge. It can be classified as Vincible or Invincible Ignorance. * Passion or Concupiscence. It is here understood as a strong or powerful feeling or emotion. It refers more specifically to those bodily appetites or tendencies as experienced and expressed in such feelings as fear, love, hatred, despair, horror, sadness, anger, grief and the like. Passions are either classified as Antecedent or Consequent. * Fear. It is defined as the disturbance of the mind of a person who is confronted by an impending danger or harm to himself or loved ones. Fear may be considered a passion, which arises as an impulsive movement of avoidance of a threatening evil, ordinarily accompanied by bodily services. * Violence. It is generally referred to any physical force exerted on a person by another free agent for the purpose of compelling the said person to act against his will. * Habit. It is a constant and easy way of doing things acquired by the repetition of the same act. Habit is a lasting readiness and facility, born of frequently repeated acts, for acting in certain manner. Definition of Morality Ethics and morality are two words, which are oftentimes used interchangeably, not just in ordinary discourse and in popular media but also in academic discussions. Etymologically, the word â€Å"ethics† is derived from the Greek word â€Å"ethos†, which can be roughly translated in English as custom or a particular way and manner of acting and behaving. The Latin equivalent for custom is â€Å"mos† or â€Å"mores†. It is from this root word that the term â€Å"moral† or â€Å"morality† is derived. The two terms, ethics and morality, in this sense, therefore, have literally the same meaning. That is why ethics is usually taken synonymous with morality. Also because of this, ethics is also called morality, or more precisely, the other name of ethics is morality. Norms of Morality The general way in which a given society or group operates is largely determined by societal norms of morality. These norms are composed of the rules by which people are supposed to operate within that society, and these rules can be explicit or implicit. According to the definition of societal norms of morality, they are subject to change from society to society and age to age. If a particular social norm becomes unpopular, it ceases to be a social norm. There are, of course, some societal norms that are viewed with differing perspectives even within a society. Because of this, any given society can be broken down into further subgroups that share a more common set of societal norms. This process can, in theory, continue all the way to the individual level, at which point it ceases due to the obvious need for more than one person to constitute a group. Understanding and adhering to social norms begins at birth, and most of these social norms are so ingrained within an individual that it is difficult to see that they exist. Formal social norms are quite easy to spot, of course, because they are recorded in some way and require a specific punishment if they are not followed. Informal social norms make up the vast majority of social norms, however, and are much easier to miss. They take the form of folkways, which are rather informal norms that are ordinarily followed, but do not carry great consequences when broken, and mores, which are also informal, but carry great consequences when broken. The development of social norms is inevitable, and the pressure to conform to them is great. There are occasions upon which the larger group conforms to the norms of the individual or a small group, but it is far more likely that the individual or small group will conform to the norms of those in the majority. It is important to be aware of social norms so that the actions an individual can determine which social norms are worthy of challenging and which serve a useful purpose. Many of these social norms will not ever be noticed because they are a core part of each person, but it is still useful to reflect upon those which can be noticed. Determinants of Morality The factors in human conduct that determine whether it is good or bad. There are three such determinants of morality, namely the object, the end, and the circumstances. By object is meant what the free will chooses to do–in thought, word, or deed-or chooses not to do. Be end is meant the purpose for which the act is willed, which may be the act itself (as one of loving God) or some other purpose for which a person acts (as reading to learn). In either case, the end is the motive or the reason why an action is performed. By circumstances are meant all the elements that surround a human action and affect its morality without belonging to its essence. A convenient listing of these circumstances is to ask: who? Where? How? How much? By what means? How often? Some circumstances so affect the morality of an action as to change its species, as stealing a consecrated object becomes sacrilege and lying under oath is perjury. Other circumstances change the degree of goodness or badness of an act. In bad acts they are called aggravating circumstances, as the amount of money a person steals. To be morally good, a human act must agree with the norm of morality on all three counts: in its nature, its motive, and its circumstances. Departure from any of these makes the action morally wrong. Definition of Rights. Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory. Rights are of essential importance in such disciplines as law and ethics, especially theories of justice and deontology. Rights are often considered fundamental to civilization, being regarded as established pillars of society and culture and the history of social conflicts can be found in the history of each right and its development. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, â€Å"rights structure the form of governments, the content of laws, and the shape of morality as it is currently perceived. † The connection between rights and struggle cannot be overstated — rights are not as much granted or endowed as they are fought for and claimed, and the essence of struggles past and ancient are encoded in the spirit of current concepts of rights and their modern formulations. Definition of Duties. A duty to use care toward others that would be exercised by an ordinarily reasonable and prudent person in order to protect them from unnecessary risk of harm in a typical medical malpractice lawsuit, the plaintiff has the burden of proof to show that the physician had a legal duty of care to the patient, that the physician breached that duty, and that the breach caused injury to the plaintiff. Divisions of Duties An appropriate division of duties is the first basic principle of internal control. Remember, the basic point is that no single person should handle a transaction from beginning to end. The primary reason is to prevent an individual from having enough control over a transaction to where errors and/or irregularities can occur and go undetected for extended periods of time. An appropriate division of duties should also produce warning signals when errors and /or irregularities do occur. It is important to keep in mind that a good division of duties does not guarantee that things will operate, as they should. This is because two or more people can be involved in wrongdoing (i. e. collusion). Unannounced rotation of job duties and surprise audits can help reduce the chances of collusion. 3. Disablement Terminologies Disability * Inability to function normally, physically or mentally; incapacity. * Inability to pursue an occupation because of physical or mental impairment * The term â€Å"disability† summarizes a great number of different functional limitations occurring in any population in any country, of the world. People may be disabled by physical, intellectual or sensory impairment, medical conditions or mental illness. Such impairments, conditions or illnesses may be permanent or transitory in nature. Functional Limitation * Any health problem that prevents a person from completing a range of tasks, whether simple or complex. Handicap * A disadvantage for the given individual resulting from impairment or a disability that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a task that is normal in that individual. * A disadvantage that makes achievement unusually difficult. * The term â€Å"handicap† means the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others. It describes the encounter between the person with a disability and the environment. The purpose of this term is to emphasize the focus on the shortcomings in the environment and in many organized activities in society, for example, information, communication and education, which prevent persons with disabilities from participating on equal terms. Impairment (Indirect and Composite) * To cause to diminish, as in strength, value, or quality: an injury that impaired my hearing a severe storm impairing communications. * Any abnormality of, partial or complete loss of, or loss of the function of, a body part, organ, or system. * An injury, illness, or congenital condition that causes or is likely to cause a loss or difference of physiological or psychological function.

Storm Born Chapter Ten

By my count, we'd spent a little over two hours at Dorian's and almost an hour getting there. That did not please me. At this rate, we might not get home until dawn in our world. If we made it home. Dorian's servant, Gawyn, looked like he was about a hundred years old. No, wait. Actually, that'd be pretty young for one of the gentry. Okay. He looked about a millennium old. I don't know. He was just old, plain and simple. His gray hair fell almost to his ankles, and as soon as I saw him hobble forward, I suddenly envisioned us taking another three hours to get to Aeson's, despite how close Dorian and the spirits claimed it was. â€Å"He's ancient,† I whispered to Dorian. â€Å"And he seems kind of†¦out of it.† Gawyn was currently telling Wil what lovely legs he had, despite the fact that Wil had none in spirit form. I wasn't entirely sure if Gawyn even realized Wil was male. â€Å"His mind will be razor sharp when it comes to Aeson's castle. As for speed, I'll give you horses. You look like you could ride a number of things exceptionally well.† I ignored the innuendo, mostly thinking how it'd been years since I'd been on a horse – not counting my earlier capture. Horses had never done much for me. I didn't get why little girls wanted ponies. If I did more riding tonight, I'd likely be sore as hell tomorrow. Once my weapons were returned, we set out. Dorian waved us off, telling me he'd be looking forward to my next visit. I stayed professional, simply thanking him for his help. I think this delighted him more than any other reaction could have. The horses did give us more speed than walking and were the best I could have hoped for in a world without mechanical transportation. The horse I rode was midnight black with a small white star on its nose. Gawyn's appeared to be a palomino. The spirits and Wil merely drifted in our wakes. In the darkness, I could just barely see Gawyn glancing over at me. â€Å"So you're Eugenie Markham. The Dark Swan.† â€Å"So they say.† â€Å"I met your father once.† â€Å"Oh?† I didn't bother making the father-stepfather clarification. â€Å"Great man.† â€Å"You think so?† â€Å"Absolutely. I know some don't think so†¦but, well, you should be proud.† â€Å"Thank you. I am.† Gawyn said no more, and I pondered his words, feeling kind of surprised. Considering what Dorian had told me, I hadn't expected Roland to have fans in the Otherworld. Then again, Dorian had also said that some – what was her name? Maiwenn? – had opposed Storm King. They might very well view Roland as a hero. We traveled in relative silence after that, broken occasionally when Finn would happily spout about what a great party Dorian had had. Like before, we crossed in and out of the various kingdoms and their climatic changes. I still felt like we traveled in circles. More than once, Gawyn called us to a halt, scratched his head, and mumbled to himself. I didn't find that reassuring. At one point, he led us off the trail and into a forest, and I hoped one of my minions would speak up if we'd gotten completely lost. Everything was tropically warm and flourishing here, so presumably we rode in the Alder Land again. Gawyn came to a stop. â€Å"Here,† he said. I looked around. Night insects sang in the trees around us, and the smell of dirt, fresh growth, and decaying plants permeated the air. It had been dark before, but now the canopy of leaves blocked out even starlight. Gawyn climbed off his horse, nearly falling into a heap on the ground. I started to get down and help him, but he soon righted himself. He walked a few paces forward and then slammed his foot against the ground. A hard, solid sound answered back. I dismounted as well. â€Å"What is that?† Volusian, back in a legged form, walked over. â€Å"A door of sorts. Built into the ground.† â€Å"Yes,† said Gawyn triumphantly. â€Å"Built for sieges. But never used anymore.† â€Å"Does it lead into Aeson's fortress thing?† I asked. â€Å"To the cellar. Stairs from the cellar lead up to the kitchen. From the kitchen, you take the servants' stairs – â€Å" â€Å"Whoa, hang on.† I wanted to make sure I had it all. Volusian created blue flame to cast light, and we drew a map in a clear spot of dirt based on Gawyn's recollections. I might have doubted his memories, but he spoke with certainty, and he had managed to lead us to this obscure place. Maybe Dorian had been right in the â€Å"razor sharp† assessment. When Gawyn felt we had the directions to the residential wing memorized, he told us he wouldn't join us. He would wait here to tell Dorian what became of us. That was fine by me. I didn't really regard Gawyn as a battle asset – or Wil, for that matter. Unlike the old man, however, the ghostly conspiracy theorist didn't take being left behind so well. â€Å"But I told you, I need to reassure her – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I said firmly. â€Å"I let you come this far, and you almost ruined things with those riders. Now you wait. If Jasmine's scared, she'll hold on a few more minutes until we bring her out to you.† I worried I'd have to bind him – I could actually do it since he was here in spirit, not in body – but it didn't come to that. He conceded, so I entered the trapdoor with just my minions in tow. â€Å"Truly,† remarked Nandi as we entered a darkened tunnel, â€Å"it is amazing that you have not died yet, mistress.† â€Å"Well, hang in there. The night is young.† Volusian provided light again, and we let it guide us along a stone-encased tunnel that smelled damp. Rats ran by at one point. Finn had been right. Apparently the Otherworld did have its share of animals and vermin. When the tunnel sloped upward, I knew we had reached the end. A wooden door in the ceiling marked our next gateway. I asked the spirits to go into an insubstantial form. Hitherto, they'd walked along looking very human. I needed them obscured now. Compliant, all three shifted to what looked like a fine mist surrounding me. I pushed open the door and climbed out, finding myself in a small enclosed space. The mist that was Volusian glowed once more, and I made out the shapes of bags and boxes. If Gawyn was right about this attaching to the kitchen, then those containers probably contained food or other supplies. Twenty feet in front of me, a doorway was outlined in light shining through from the other side. I walked up about ten steps and gingerly opened the door. I now stood in a kitchen, a very rustic one compared to my own, but completely on par with what I'd seen at Dorian's place. All was quiet. â€Å"Where is everyone?† I murmured. â€Å"It's late now,† Finn whispered back. â€Å"No one's hungry. And Aeson's not into the party scene as much as Dorian.† We found the servants' stairwell exactly where Gawyn had said it would be. Unfortunately, when I opened the door, I found a servant there, just coming down. We stared at each other stupidly, and I had only a heartbeat to decide how to handle him. I wielded both gun and athame. In another state of mind, I probably would have just killed him. But something held me back. Maybe it was Dorian. Maybe it was seeing his people and having to acknowledge they were more than just a faceless mob. Whatever it was, I chose not to kill this time. I reached out, grabbed the guy, and gave him a hard jolt to the head with my fist and the butt of my gun. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor. Once he had been safely deposited in the cellar, we continued on our way. We encountered no one else on the stairs, nor in the magnificent hallway it led us to. Enormous stone pillars supported the high ceiling, and rich oil paintings of various landscapes turned the walls into seas of living color. We had reached the residential wing, just as Gawyn had said. If my other intelligence was correct, we'd find Jasmine Delaney behind one of the many doors lining the hall. Fortunately, housekeeping had decided to leave open all of the unoccupied rooms. Sticking my head inside a few, I could see no one had occupied them in awhile. The beds were stripped of covers, and dust coated everything. Only two doors were actually closed. In some ways, that made my job easier. Yet, I might have enjoyed the buildup of opening a few false doors before the big payoff. Weapons readied, I opened the first one. It led to a bedroom almost bigger than Dorian's, but no one was inside. All was dark and still. A smoldering fire provided the only source of movement. Pausing a moment, I admired the wall tapestries and canopied bed. It had a nice layout, almost circular, complete with adjacent rooms and high ceilings. It made my bedroom at home look like a closet. â€Å"One left,† I muttered, slipping back out. We turned down the hall and approached the only other closed doorway. Unless Jasmine was locked in a dungeon, we should find her here, according to what we'd heard. I reached for the handle, then hesitated. â€Å"You open it, Volusian.† Some of the mist coalesced into physical form. Once solid, Volusian slowly opened the door and peered in. It looked dark. I started to move forward, but he held up a warning hand. â€Å"No, there's something – â€Å" Light flared on, and suddenly we were under attack. I tried to back out of the room, but someone grabbed me, pulling me inside. With me at risk, the other minions poured into the room. They had no choice, their preemptive orders always demanding they look to my safety. This was a bedroom, like the other one, but seven men stood here, armed with weapons and magic. I fired at the one who had grabbed me, aiming for the face and neck now that I knew what little effect I'd had on Dorian's people. It was bloody and messy, but I felt pretty sure even the best healing magic would have a tough time fixing that guy up. Once free of him, I turned on the next one who came at me. He was smart enough to strike out at my gun hand, attempting to neutralize that threat. I slashed at him with the other hand, the one holding the athame. He flinched at the feel of iron, and I used that momentary weakness to grab him and shove him into the wall with my elbow. He collapsed to the floor, and a sharp kick to the gut made sure he stayed down. I saw the spirits engaged in battle nearby, shoving and fighting with a strength that was literally inhuman. Two other men had been subdued or killed by them, and they now fought a third. That left two. One lunged at me, and I shot him, the gun's report loud in the small room. He fell backward, and I fired again, still not trusting gentry healing on their own turf. I started to look for the last guy when I heard a small whimper on the far side of the room. I turned, pausing. It was her. Jasmine Delaney. She was smaller and slighter than I'd thought she'd be. A long white gown covered her body, and she wrapped its voluminous folds around herself as she huddled in the corner. Lank, reddish blond hair nearly covered her face, but it couldn't hide her eyes. They were enormous and gray, filled with fear. They stood out sharply against her pale, gaunt face. Seeing my gaze upon her, she cringed further. Anger boiled within me. And pity. I knew she was fifteen, but in that moment, she looked about ten. She was a child. And she was trapped here, taken against her will. Hotter and fiercer my rage grew. I needed to make her captor pay, to let him know he couldn't just – My moment of emotion cost me. In those seconds I'd spent staring at her, I'd lost the last man. I felt a blade at my throat and realized I'd let him sneak up behind me. â€Å"If you want to live,† he said, â€Å"drop your weapons and call off your servants.† I didn't really think I'd live if I did that, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't if I didn't. So I did as he asked. Yet, it wasn't entirely clear to me what this one guy could really do alone. A moment later, I had my answer as another man entered. Immediately, I knew he was Aeson. For one thing, the others had been dressed in a sort of uniform. He was not. He wore deep burgundy pants tucked into thigh-high boots made of black leather. A shirt of black silk clothed his upper body, billowing and gleaming. His gray-streaked brown hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, and a circlet of gold sat on his head. His face was long and narrow, with a mouth destined for good sneers. Arrogant or not, Dorian had never worn a crown in his own keep, I realized. There had been no need. His kingship was obvious to all. Two guards followed Aeson, and upon seeing the situation, he sent one for backup. And here we'd been doing so well in evening the odds. â€Å"If I'd realized you would decimate my men in minutes, I would have had the whole garrison up here,† Aeson remarked. He leaned toward me, touching my cheek. â€Å"It really is you. Eugenie Markham. I can't believe I finally have you.† I tried to squirm from that touch, but I had nowhere to go, not with a blade at my throat. My minions waited, tense, willing to do whatever I asked. Yet, I feared unleashing them might put Jasmine at risk – and my own throat. â€Å"You have her,† said a shaking voice from the hall. â€Å"I did what I said. Now give me Jasmine.† Moving my eyes, I stared in astonishment. Wil floated in the doorway. He must have followed us after all. He looked at Aeson expectantly. An uneasy feeling built up within me, and everything clicked into place. â€Å"You traitorous son of a bitch!† Ignoring my outrage, Wil turned pleading eyes to Aeson. â€Å"Please. I brought you Eugenie. I kept my part of the deal.† â€Å"Yes,† said Aeson without even looking at the other man. â€Å"You did. And I will keep my word – momentarily.† He kept studying me like I was some kind of treasure or artifact. Like I was the eighth wonder of the world. I appreciated the boost to my ego, but the look in his eyes was actually kind of creeping me out. â€Å"Aeson – † tried Wil again. â€Å"Shut up,† snapped the king, still staring at me. The hand on my cheek slipped down and cupped my chin. He smiled, but it was a cold smile, one that didn't meet his eyes. In the corner, I heard Jasmine make a distraught sound. â€Å"After all this time, after so much waiting, I can finally beget the heir.† The statement was so ludicrous as to simply bounce off of me without comprehension. â€Å"Either kill me or let me go. I hate these idiotic soliloquies.† The entranced look on his face suddenly sharpened, and he blinked. â€Å"You†¦you have no idea, do you?† When I didn't answer, he started laughing so hard, I thought tears would form in his eyes. â€Å"I've tried so hard to get you, and you never even knew. You really don't know.† â€Å"Know what?† I asked impatiently. â€Å"Who your father is.† I didn't really appreciate the Star Wars?Cesque routine. â€Å"Roland Markham is my father. And the next time I see him, we're going to come back and kick your ass together. If I don't do it now.† â€Å"The next time you see him, you should ask him for the truth about you and Storm King.† â€Å"I don't have anything to do with Storm King.† â€Å"He's your father, girl. Roland Markham is a murderer and a thief. How could you not have known?† He might as well have been speaking a foreign language. â€Å"Maybe because you're insane. And because I'm human.† â€Å"Are you? Funny. You function in this world as easily as one of the shining ones. I've never met a human who could.† â€Å"Maybe I'm gifted.† I had on my bitch-bravado face, but his words were sneaking into me. I've heard that the soul often recognizes truth when it hears it, even if the mind does not. Maybe that was what was happening. My logical self was still being stubborn, but something†¦something in his words tickled the back of my mind. It was like some image lay there, covered in a black veil, waiting for me to lift it. â€Å"You are gifted. More than you know.† He brushed my hair out of my face. â€Å"Soon I will give you the greatest gift of your life. I'll redeem you for being a blood traitor.† â€Å"Shut up.† The keres had called me a blood traitor too. â€Å"You don't know what you're talking about.† â€Å"Then why do you look so pale? Admit it. You've always known. You've always been alone.† â€Å"Everyone feels alone.† â€Å"Not like you do. Rest easy, though. You won't be lonely much longer. I would have taken you to my bed even if you were ugly, but now that I've seen you – â€Å" There were a lot of ways to have your maniacal tirade cut short, but being attacked by a fox was a new one. I didn't even know where it came from. One minute, Aeson was babbling on about having his way with me, and the next, a red fox was leaping out at him, claws and teeth bared. I'd never thought of a fox as a really dangerous animal, but this one looked lethal. It was the size of a German shepherd, and it hit Aeson like a tank. Its claws left scratches on his face. The guard holding me released me to help his master, and I retrieved my gun. I fired on him just as he was about to pry the fox from Aeson. It wasn't a killing shot, but it distracted him, halting his progress. I grabbed the wounded guard and threw him as far as the difference in our body weights would allow. He collapsed into a pile, and I shot him again. I turned toward Aeson to check the fox's progress, but the fox was no longer holding the king down. Kiyo was. My mouth dropped open. Kiyo. The black hair curled behind his ears, and I could see his muscles straining as he struggled with Aeson, his hands wrapped around the king's throat. Fire flared up from Aeson's fingertips, and I heard Kiyo grunt in response. I started to go to him without conscious thought, but he yelled at me to get Jasmine. Jasmine. Of course. The reason I was here. I dragged my eyes from the face I'd been obsessing on for the past week and approached the girl in the corner. I didn't think she could move any farther against the wall, yet she seemed to do so with each step I took. â€Å"Jasmine,† I said, leaning over and trying to sound gentle despite the panic coursing through me. â€Å"I'm a friend. I'm here to help you – â€Å" With those pathetic eyes and worn features, I'd expected some difficulty in getting her on her feet. What I did not expect was for her to suddenly leap out and flail at me with both hands. â€Å"Noooo!† she screamed, her shrill voice grating against my ears. I recoiled, not because of the threat she represented but because of the damage I could potentially cause her. â€Å"Aeson!† She ran to the struggling men and started beating fists on Kiyo's back. I suspected they had about the same effect as a fly landing on him. He transformed into a fox, and her blows fell on Aeson instead. I reached for her in that moment of surprise, but she was too small and too fast. She slipped away from me and everyone else in the room, and ran out the door before any of us could stop her. â€Å"Jasmine!† I yelled, my cries echoed by Wil as I ran to the door. Kiyo and Aeson still fought, and some distant part of me noted how Kiyo slipped in and out of fox and human forms as Aeson used fire magic against him. â€Å"Eugenie,† gasped Kiyo, â€Å"get out of here. Now.† â€Å"Jasmine – † I began. â€Å"The girl is gone, mistress,† said Volusian. â€Å"The kitsune is right. We need to get out of here. Cut your losses.† â€Å"No.† I stuck my head out the door. Jasmine was not in sight. Over a dozen or so guards running down the hall were, however. â€Å"Eugenie!† It was Kiyo again. â€Å"Run!† â€Å"Yes, Storm Daughter,† laughed Aeson, blood running out of his nose. â€Å"Run home. Ask Roland Markham who your father is.† â€Å"You bastard – † I wanted to lunge at him, to help Kiyo, but Finn grabbed me. â€Å"Jump now. Back to your world.† The pounding boots in the hall were almost upon us. â€Å"I can't. Not from here. I don't have an anchor.† â€Å"Yes, you do.† He glanced over at Wil, who hung there, translucent and utterly useless. If it had been up to me, I would have left Wil and his betraying ass here to be destroyed, but suddenly he had a purpose. Seeing my uncertain look, Kiyo said, â€Å"I'll go as soon as you do. They're here!† And they were. Men pouring into the room. I probably shouldn't have cared what happened to Kiyo, but I did. I wanted him to get out of this alive. I wanted to find Jasmine and bring her away. But the best I could do now was save my own skin. Invoking Hecate, I shifted my senses away from this world, reaching out to my own. While doing so, my will grabbed ahold of a startled Wil, dragging his spirit with me. A hard transition like that, without a crossroads or thin spot, theoretically could have dumped me anywhere in the human world. But I had Wil's spirit in tow. It had no choice but to snap back to his physical body, out in the Sonora Desert. If I was strong enough. â€Å"Follow!† I yelled to the minions. Or maybe it was to Kiyo. I didn't really know. The world shifted, my senses blurring. Crossing worlds in a convenient spot was like crossing through a wall made out of plastic sheeting. It was thin, and it took some struggling and clawing, but you could eventually get through. Jumping without a normal crossover spot, however? Well, that was like breaking through a brick wall.