My Blueprint of Professional and Personal Growth

This paper is my analytic theorem to my Blueprint of Professional and Personal Growth from the course â€Å"Managing People & Promoting Collaboration†. It gives a brief breakdown of my path to become a manager I aspire to be, how my relationship with my family, partner and work can be a root of my happiness and how sure I maintain my personal integrity of ethics and morales within my work environment.An executive summary is presented to show how the course educated me in a more systematic way and how it helped me identify my strengths and weakness as a manager, how I can build a functional team, managing team and teams in virtual environment, building a team charter and etc†¦ Furthermore, in detail is one goal I added to my previous goals I identified in the previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership†, that I plan to achieve in my personal and professional development.Executive SummaryThroughout this course, Managing People & Promoting Collboration has educated and e nlightened me in four aspects – how to manage people, how to build a successful team, how to select a strategy to use in supporting a positive work environment and creating & sustaining culture in organization. Managing people can be natural as well as an acquired skill. Due to human nature that is ever changing and evolving, management also in order to be effective must also be evolving and be able to accommodate dynamicity. As this course exposed me to so many different concepts, theories and strategies in building a functional team, team work and fostering collaboration.I was able to identify my strength and weakness as a team leader which actually can aid as well as can hamper my ability to manage. Thought-provoking topics we covered during the eight (8) weeks ranging from finding an effective  manager; ensuring effective communication in organizations; handling difficult conversations; motivating others & personal motivation and purpose; strategies required to motivate team members; giving effective feedback; forming a team & selecting members; building a team charter; building functional teams; managing diverse teams and teams in a virtual environment; my role as an effective collaborator; ethical challeneges and legal risks of being a manager; creating a sustainable organization; strategies, theories and concepts on promoting a positive work environment and being a manager that’s a dynamic leader.Two elements that improved my understanding of managing people and fostering collaboration is effective communication and vulnerability based trust. The key to effective communication within team members is the context of the information. â€Å"Team members, therefore, must be aware of what, where, and when to communicate information to achieve effective and efficient outcomes† (McComb, 2012). Furthermore a team with a creative behavior creates an environment that could compel them to work with determination. Being able to make a difficul t task look like a fun game, the ability to challenge each other’s ideas in order for a new idea to arise and to be innovative.â€Å"When teams engage in creative behavior, their activities are focused on generating novel and useful ideas and solutions† (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson, 2013). Also having energetic persona within the team keeps the team in rhythm and enables the team members to make spontaneous decisions – energetic persons have the natural powers of conviction and are able to communicate to others their point of view openly and with acuity. Most importantly, building vulnerability based trust according to Lencioni, â€Å"This means that members of a cohesive, functional team must learn to comfortably and quickly acknowledge, without provocation, their mistakes, weaknesses, failures, and needs for help.They must also readily recognize the strengths of others, even when those strengths exceed their own† (Lencioni, 2003). Such a trust enables the team to work with each other recognizing and admitting their strengths and weakness and they accept each other’s challenge as a lesson or an experience to their skills and not as an offence. Learning to be humble and show humility with each other will lead to successful team collaboration. This will enable the team to accept others point of view with keenness and also allow them to face any hindrances and challenges with  diplomacy.Moreover, this course assisted me in learning how to create a team charter in which it has showed me my strength and weakness. A Team Charter helps â€Å"team members recognize their complementary skills, their common purpose, common goals, and mutual accountability† (Byrd & Luthy, 2010, p. 14). It made me understand how to be prepared for any arising conflicts and how to manage it. †Conflict management works best when the parties involved in a disagreement are equipped to managing it themselves† (Weiss & Hughes, 2005). I also learnt the importance of feedback and feed forward. â€Å"Feedforward helps people envision and focus on a positive future, not a failed past† (Goldsmith, 2002). How it puts the employees in a check list in order to spot where they are wrong and perform better.â€Å"Effective feedback helps the coachee see the gap between intended performance and actual performance† (Payne, V. 2007). The requirements needed to excel and improve in their workforce. †Employees can provide useful input on the effective of procedures and processes and as well as input to managers on their leadership effectiveness† (Goldsmith, 2002). I believe that I can be more impactful to organizations due to my improved understanding by the way I can improve team building and team work as well as forster collaboration among collegues. I would also be able to be impactful as a manager who is able to lead, a leader who is able to communicate effectively, and one who can motivate others, a good manager that has an inspiring values following with ethics and morales at work and with the team memebrs; most importantly I can be a leader who can manage people and resources of an organization effectivtely and efficiently.â€Å"Some of the most critical decisions a manager makes involve personal values- how much emphasis to place on the immediate interests of the customer or the long-term interests of the company† (Posner, 2009). The understanding of effective communication has changed the way I view the job of a manager and the way I can practice collaboration in the organization because it has made me realize that the manager is not just a post or position but a responsibility taken upon oneself to utilize resources in an organization and to make sure that every individual under his control is aware and equipped with all the necessary information and that communication flows to and fro management to employees and between employees in oder to keep all parties involved in tune with organization’s objectives and targets.My goals to be successful and finish with my MBA in  the nearest future has grown even more stronger and this course has exposed me to the possibility of using other people to achieve these goals by learning from them and openining myself to opinions of others. Taking advices as well as giving advices to others that have problems and learning from the results. In other words, this course taught me how to feed forward effectively. â€Å"Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things.† â€Å"Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It improves responsibility.† – Peter DruckerLive, Learn & Loveâ€Å"The worm on the hook for the fish† – I stated this in my previous post as my motivational theme. The desire to achieve the goal and knowing what needs to be done to achieve that goal. The truth is I don’t know if I would be happy in my career, but I do enjoy and d o know that I want to be happy in any field I choose to be in and give a hundread percent to achieveing things expected of me. Being a manager must start with me being able to first manage myself, because if I can not take charge of things around me that are available to me and motivate myself to be the best I can be with the resources at my disposal then it would definitely be unnatural to manage others.And I can be that manager I aspire to be by gradually practicing and building on myself and then applying it to with others. I have to show others that I can lead and manage and that I believe in myself- by coaching and teaching them through what I have learnt and through my experiences. I must say it is an uneasy task to lead and manage especially when it comes to a diversity workforce of gender, qualifications, ethnicities and etc†¦ But I like the challenege as it gves me joy and eagerness into gaining more experience, learning openly without fear of making mistakes and enabl e me to make the right decisions. No relationship is perfect, I argue with my spouse and family at times and yet they are the one’s I seek advices and support from. I love them and they love me and we want to keep loving each other and pushing each other to attain the best things we want to acheive in life and more.My father taught me that family comes first and there is no joy if there is no family bond. Nothing is perfect and what makes the thrill of the bond to be unbreakable is all those arguments and laughter after that. What makes me sure that I can be happy with my partner and family is  because first and foremost, I want to be happy and remain that way with what I have. Though there would be differences and clashes at times because no one and nothing is perfect, I know that we can always try to make each other content and importantly, as long as we keep trying, that’s really want counts.Regardless of the fact that I may not be able to see or have enough time for my partner and my family am just glad that technology beats it all in bringing me close to them through phone calls, emails, skype and other applications. I for one can not please or make everyone happy, but to sustain my relationship with my family, partner and work I try as much as possible to separate my professional life from my personal life and also as I give my full time to my work I also have to give sometime for my personal matters. When it comes to intergrity, personal morales and ethics, I have come to realize that when in Rome, behave as the Romans would at the same time having standarnds and limits to what you can accept from others that are not ethically accepted by you is important.In business it is no new thing to get dirty for the greater good of the organization like to lobby or tell white lies; like hyping in other to make the organization have a favorable postion but at the same time safety, health and respect should never be compromised. I would as a leader work for the interest of the organization and push on to hit its projected targets but would pull the plug when its target are harmful and could end up bringing more loss then profit to the myself, the organization and its employees. Moreover, instilling humility and fairness is an important factor of my values in giving me a firm stand of integrity.Of course as a leader of a hospitality company I do make aware to my staff about policies and rules in order to control any unforeseen unethical behavior. Strategies that I am using at the moment in my organization as well as my personal life is firstly to communicate effectively – from the article of â€Å"Difficult Conversations† by Christensen, K 2011; feedforwad instead of feedback; the five (5) basic conditions to maintain an effective team by Coutu & Beschloss, 2009; building trust – vulnerability based trust by Lencioni, 2003 and the 4Rs of motivation by Maccoby,M 2010.The shared practices within the forum, he lped me to be more analytical and logic. Reading from my peers their diverse experience and goals, not only  powered me to achieve more, open other types of companies, listen more, better creative ideas, but most importantly they give me the â€Å"determination† in achieving them without fear and be prepared to face predicted challenges. My passion driven for the purpose; as the previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership† has taught me the dynamic styles of leadership due to dynamic personalities a leader have to encounter when leading others. This combined with Managing people & promoting collboation have broadened my goals and how I would develop my action plan.Action PlansDuring the shared practices and articles read during the eight (8) weeks of the course â€Å"Managing People & Promoting Collaboration† and the previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership†, I was able to build an action plan that I was taught from my previously. This has helped me see th ings more clearly and able to establish a clear game-plan and clarify my goals as a leader. Moreover, I was able to draw out many short and long term goals and have them prioritized. From the action plan that I have set, it is much easier to ride the wave of my success. As it is a stimulating elemenet that drives my passion for the purpose as I excel in my performance and also help others excel in theirs. Below is a new goal added to my list of the other goals I have planned previously.New Goal : My new goal is to improve my ability to motivate myself as well as others. My aim is to understand the personality traits of each employee and how they interact together; by identifying their strengths and weakness and coaching them if the need be. Motivation internal and external is a great factor that fuels the urge to achieve the unachievable. â€Å" Men and women want to do a good job, a creative job and if they are provided the proper environment, they will do so.† – Bill Hewlett – Co-founder, Hewlett-PackardObejctive 1: Self MotivationMilestones: a. Set mini goals or mini targets. This will aid me achieve a fraction of the major goal I have set. So this will actually help me feel like I am accomplishing something and I am moving forward in a bid to attain the entire target. Milestones: b. Positive mental attitude & enthusiasm to work. By avoiding negative feelings and persistently focus on the positive and eyes on the target. By talking to inspiring people or listening to new ideas. Being enthusiastic in finishing the mission; maintaining a healthy work and life balance. Obejctive 2: Motivating OthersMilestones: a. Mountain of vote of confidence. By making them aware that I am confident in the team members ability in getting the work done. Keeping things in perspective. According to Christensen article, Frederick Herzberg stated â€Å"the powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money, it’s the opoortunity to learn, grow in respo nsibilities, contribute to others and be recognized for achievements† (Christensen, 2010) Milestones: b. Recognition for those who portray exemplary attitudes in aiding the team, achieve its goals as well as also a collective reward for the teams success.Below is my previous goals I have listed in my previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership†. Goal 1 : My first goal as I mentioned in the post of week 7, is to successfully improve and expand the hotel industry that I am leading. My aim is to attract more customers and offer quality services. My calculated time frame for this is between 2 to 3 years.Obejctive 1: To do this I have to achieve my MBA within 2 years. Milestones: a. Implementation of new approaches and different leadership styles.Although with these time set objectives, there are other points that   will stay for a long term such as building team work that involves   shared goals, productivity and problem solving. b. Professional training: A period of 6 mon ths period will be   offered for advanced staff training to a more higher professional   level. With this knowledge I would be able to help guide the   people I lead, share with them my experiences and foremost   improve myself personally and professionally. Obejctive 2: Improve many features within the hotel industry which will take 6 to 9 months. Milestones: a. Establishing flexibility to access: Such as improve the  quality of   services, improve the advertisement criteria by subscribing to   different online booking websites like www.booking .com or   Expedia and also spreading of flyers to the airport and other public   vicinity – cafeterias, malls or supermarkets. b. Enlargement of infrastructure or amenities by increasing more   rooms and provide other facilities such as business center, spa and   gym which this will take approximately a year or so to put that into   settlement.Goal 2 : Obtain another MBA degree in Marketing to be achieved in th e commencement of the 3rd to 5th years. Obtaining more degrees may open doors to so many opportunities such as becoming more effective, more strategic, more developed, more crtitical thinking and be able to progress more strengthing my pillars in the realm of my business.Obejctive 1: To do this I have make a thorough research on the subject. Milestones: a. This is a milestone itself to plan to have another MBA degree in Marketing. I would do researches on the subject through the   internet or library or articles And also seek vices from my   academic advisor. b. Seek opinions and advices from family, friends, peers, colleagues   at work and most importantly from my academic advisor. More   prominently to know how this MBA, if pursued how it could be a   transition to effectively prepare for a career progression or a career direction.Obejctive 2: Time Management & Finances Milestones: a. Being that I am already pursuing an MBA degree I have to virtually draw a schedule betw een work, family , MBA – Project Management , Upcoming MBA – Marketing and myself. It is   essential that I don’t cram myself up and know if there is a   possibility I could pursue it comfortably. In the case if I did I would end up being workaholic plus MBA-holic. b. Financing my education wont be that much of a problem, being there is so many possibilities that I could fund my MBA. By   loaning from my income, family help maybe but may not be   needed, bank loan or a financial aid if applicableGoal 3 : Finally my last and ultimately crucial goal is to develop and enhance myself. After taking the Personal Values Survey, I was able to identify my eakness and would like to transform it into strength.Obejctive 1: Improve my communication skills with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Milestones: a. Improvement of communication skills, strengthening my   presentation as well as the way I carry myself in the business world   as well as in the society. b. Improve my ability to get information to and fro, people of diverse  culture and background in a clear, accurate and concise manner that would enable my messages to be clear and easy to understand. As in straight to the point, simple and understandable.Obejctive 2: To be more courageous Milestones: a. Build my courage esteem to venture into opportunities, ask questions and have a stand in decision making. b. To instill the valor to follow what I believe. As well as having a  personal and professional evaluation of things. Moreover I want to   have the courage to believe in my judgements and my intuition on business and other important decisions.As implied above, by achieving the goals and others I am planning for, I see and believe that these will help me advance to the next higher level and more professional. There is this quote that I stumbled across which resonated to me, â€Å"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.† – Vince Lombardi. I couldn’t agree less to this quote, because your team portrays you and vice versa, therefore in order to be an exemplary leader  for your people to look up to, one would have to be a genuine leader who is wise, modest, trustworthy and fair; to be supportive, to allow them the initiative, to involve them and to be true.I am aware of all the possible obstacles that could delay me and cause hindrance but I believe if you want to achieve something you will have to be well prepared to face the challenges ahead. Therefore, from the knowledge I have gained from this course, Managing People & Promoting Collaboration, not only it has heightened my beliefes but also give me the power to advance to another level I was not expecting to heed. My dad said, â€Å"Nothing comes easy†¦ To dream and to talk is free†¦ To achieve it requires your utmost effort and preparedness†.Therefore, I am de termined with trust and belief that together with my team I will achieve my goal with full passion and nothing is going to hold me back. A good relevant quote that shares the same point, â€Å"There’s nothing anyone can do to prevent you from reaching your potential; the challenge is for you to identify your dream, develop the skills to get there, and exhibit character and leadership. Then you need to have the courage to periodically reassess, make adjustments, and pursue a course that reflects who you truly are† (Kaplan, 2008).

Open Boat Analysis on Naturalism

In this story, four men, known simply as the captain, the oiler, the correspondent, and the cook, become stranded in the sea in a small boat. Together they are forced to bare the torments of one of Mother Nature’s toughest challenges, the open sea. In this process these four men learn much about nature and just how little they are on Earth. One of the characters, the correspondent, comes to the realization that nature is indifferent despite the struggles of the individuals, â€Å"When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The captain, who is seen as a symbol of strength to the other men on the boat, has doubt as to whether they can make it to shore safely, â€Å"Then the captain, in the bow, chuckled in a way that expressed humor, contempt, tragedy, all in one. â€Å"Do you think we’ve got much of a show now, boys? † The men in the boat are still upset with what fate has dealt them and seem to have the same opinion that they are still in control of their outcome, â€Å"If I am going to be drowned—-if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life? † The men are in a desperate situation, but nature continues to go on as if they were not there. This unsubstantial state is evident in the story when a shark swimming next to them doesn’t even take notice of their existence. All four men in the boat are searching for some sort of miracle to happen, but neither nature nor fate sends anything their way. All they have to comfort themselves is each other. Throughout the story the men in the boat are working together for a common purpose, to get to the shore. The correspondent remembers a verse about a soldier of the Legion dying in Algiers, and realizes that he and the other men in the boat are like the soldier, alone and they only have each other to get through their crisis. These men must work together to form a unity amongst each other, if they are to survive what fate has given them. This comradeship is evident throughout the story by the men sharing the chore of rowing the boat, â€Å"The correspondent wondered ingenuously how in the name of all that was sane could there be people who thought it amusing to row a boat† When the men of the boat came to the realization that they may parish, the will to live was stronger than what nature or fate had in store for them. At this instance is when the men seem to come together, and through their companionship, they have the ability to make it through any obstacle fate or nature puts in front of them. At the conclusion of the story, the survivors in the boat feel they understand natures language, â€Å"When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea’s voice to the men on the shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters. † When I read this I remember a saying my grandmother use to say, â€Å"When life gives you sour lemons, make lemonade. † This is true but it would be better if shared with another. In the end, no matter what life gives you, you always have your fellow man to share your experiences.

How do Prospero and two Other Characters of Your Choice Change in the Course of the Play? Essay

How do Prospero and two Other Characters of Your Choice Change in the Course of the Play? The Tempest is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s last plays written. It explores the concept of change and forgiveness along with power. In this essay I am going to explain how three characters, Prospero, Miranda and King Alonso’s attitude and behaviour change throughout the play. I will explore how Prospero goes from surviving off his magic and perhaps being a little over-protective towards his daughter, to realising that he needs to learn to let go and that there is more out there than just power. I will also say how Miranda goes from being quite shy and unaware of anything that isn’t related to the island, to discovering love; and also finally how King Alonso repents his sins after all this time. Firstly, I will discuss how Prospero’s attitude changes as the play unfolds. Prospero is the over-thrown Duke of Milan. He has a daughter called Miranda and an evil brother, Antonio. King Alonso, along with Antonio, helps over-throw Prospero but a loyal councillor, Gonzalo, saves him and Miranda by giving them food and water, and also Prospero’s magic books, which he prizes dearly. When Prospero first reaches the island he comes across a creature called Caliban, who, at first, he treats and cares for. This relationship continues until Caliban tries to disrespect his daughter. From then on he is Prospero’s slave. Caliban’s mother, Sycorax, has a spirit imprisoned, which Prospero rescues from a ‘clover pine’. Ariel, the spirit, now helps Prospero in his life. We first meet Prospero in Act 1 Scene 2, just as he is explaining to Miranda that the shipwreck he caused has hurt no one, ‘Tell your piteous heart there’s no harm done’. This shows that although he wants to cause these people complications, he is not a murderer. He then goes on to tell Miranda the truth about how they came to be on this island, ‘Tis time I should inform thee farther.’ The fact that Prospero is willing to let Miranda know more about her life shows that he is aware that Miranda is growing up and that he must let her know more about her past. As the play progresses we see that as well as Miranda being a big part in Prospero’s life, his magic also plays a very big part in it. He prizes this skill amongst all others, ‘above my dukedom.’ In this sentence we can see that maybe Prospero may have concentrated more on his magic than his ‘job’. This could have been one of the reasons why his brother wanted to over-throw him. Magic was not thought highly upon in the time the play was written. We also see throughout the play how Prospero’s relationship with Caliban and Ariel differ. Although Caliban and Ariel are both Prospero’s slaves, he treats Ariel with respect and trusts her. ‘Thy charge exactly is performed.’ Prospero’s praise shows that he is a kind person at heart as long as you can please him and stay on the right side of him. It also shows that perhaps he has more respect for creatures with magical talents. Prospero treats Caliban with no respect whatsoever and also sends him to do all the ‘dirty’ jobs. Prospero is like this obviously because Caliban tried to rape Miranda, he must now be punished. Further on in the play, when Ferdinand arrives, we see Prospero give a fine example of his protectiveness for Miranda. He calls Ferdinand a ‘spy’ and tells Miranda not to associate herself with him, ‘Speak not you for him: he’s a traitor.’ This now shows that although Prospero is starting to accept the fact that Miranda is growing up, by telling her about their past, he still cannot yet accept that she will find love and one day part from his company. It also shows that Prospero may feel threatened that Ferdinand may take Miranda away from him. Although Prospero seems to despise Ferdinand and Miranda being together, we see later on that they do in fact, play quite an important role in Prospero’s ‘plan’. At this point in the play he is still relying heavily on his magic. Finally, towards the end of the play we see Prospero giving in to the things he holds dear to him. He accepts that Miranda has fallen madly in love with Ferdinand and that he cannot stop her growing up, even with all his power. He finds that magic is not the answer to everything, ‘I have given you hear a third of mine own life†¦now my charms are all o’erthrown and what strengths I have’s my own.’ Prospero also recognises that forgiveness is greater than vengeance. ‘Sir, I invite your highness and your train to my poor cell.’ All of these things show that Prospero in being in this island has learnt some key things in life and about himself. It also shows that being marooned there for all those years helped him grow into a better person. I will now explore how Miranda’s character opens up throughout the play. Miranda is the son of Prospero and arrived on the island aged about three. She doesn’t remember much about her previous life in Milan. At first, Miranda appears almost in Prospero’s command, ‘O my heart bleeds to think o’th’teen that I have turned you to.’ As she knows nothing about her previous life and he is the only man she knows of, she looks up to him like a servant would to his master. It is clear that Miranda has utmost respect him. She is aware that he does not conceal to her about her past life in Milan, ‘You have often begun to tell me what I am, but stopped,’ but now she is ready to know more; she is more mature than Prospero takes her for. Prospero holds Miranda back. As the play moves forward, very slowly, Miranda starts to grow into an adult. She starts to challenge Prospero, ‘O dear father, make not to rash a trial of him,’ Miranda is now gaining confidence in herself instead of ‘just standing in the shadows’. She also finds love in the form of the King’s son, Ferdinand. She can never remember seeing a man other than Prospero before, so as she looks upon him, she thinks that he must be a spirit. Finally, by the end of the play Miranda has developed into a woman. There is still one thing that suggests Miranda still has a lot more to learn about real life; when she looks at the villains she still mistakes them from people of a ‘brave new world’. Apart from this she seems to be a ‘new person’: she is to marry Ferdinand and she can now speak out for herself as she wishes or sees fit, ‘If you’ll sit down.’ In saying this she indicates that she is very much more in command of her own life and what she says now. Finally, I will explore how King Alonso’s attitude and behaviour changes throughout the play. Alonso is the King of Naples who has a brother, Sebastian and a son, Ferdinand. He plays a part in helping Antonio over-throw Prospero. He is on his way back from his daughters weeding when we first encounter him and at once we get the feeling of great power, ‘Good Boatswain, have care where’s the master†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ordering one of the crew members about when it’s not his ship to control shows that he wants to/needs to know what is going on all the time. We do not meet him again properly until half way through the play, where he is roaming the island, having been separated from his son. At this point, although he does not know it yet, he is already part of Prospero’s ‘plan’. Gonzalo is trying to comfort the King but Alonso receives comfort like ‘cold porridge’. ‘Prithee, peace†¦I prithee, spare.’ By saying this he is showing that he does not like to be told what to do or what to feel, he does what he wants and doesn’t like anyone else interfering. He also assumes that his son is dead very quickly, ‘No, no, he’s gone.’ This shows that either King Alonso is very strong mentally and can accept the truth quickly or conceals his emotions very well. We Meet Alonso again at the end of the play where everyone is brought together, the King, assuming his son is dead all this time is over-whelmed with joy to see Ferdinand playing chess with Miranda In Prospero’s cave. ‘Now all the blessings of a good father compass thee about,’ even thought he assumed and accepted that his son had died very quickly we now see that he does care and love his son very much, as much as Prospero loves his magic and daughter. In the end King Alonso repents all his sins, ‘Thou pardon me my wrongs,’ by repenting his sins Alonso is showing us that he is a very mindful character and can accept that he has done wrong and is aware that he needs to take responsibility for his own actions. Throughout the whole play there is a great amount of change going on, whether it be Prospero giving up his magic or Caliban repenting his sins. I believe that this play is built with a moral behind it. At the end of The Tempest everybody is bought together and we find out how different everyone is as well as how they feel about each other truthfully. Although Prospero has been on the receiving end of so many wrong doings, he can still forgive them all, including his unrepentant brother, Antonio. Some of the characters: Gonzalo, Caliban and King Alonso ask for his forgiveness and repent their sins. Others: Sebastian and Antonio do not and still believe that he got all he deserved. This shows that they are in some ways ignorant and not as ‘big’ as those who asked for forgiveness, it takes a bigger man to own up to what he has done.

Musical investigation of the Faahae Tabu using concepts of Music Essay

Musical investigation of the Faahae Tabu using concepts of Music - Essay Example The relationship of music to language has been a topic of renewed debate in recent years. Many orientations and methodologies have been applied to musico-linguistic studies, from Chomsky's generative grammar to semiotics. Many writers have felt that such linguistic approaches have been at best limited in their applicability to music, although some recent studies of syntax have generated interest. This article will advance a rationale for the study of music theoretical and perception issues in the light of contemporary advances in the area of linguistic prosody. While some issues in linguistics have been widely discussed in the music psychology and perception literature, much research in prosody has not been addressed. In order to understand the position adopted herein, the reader may find it helpful to review some previous avenues of exploration in the comparison of music and language. While Chomsky has recently rethought his theories of deep structure in language, applications of th is theory to music have held a fascinating lure for musicians and theorists, from Bernstein's Schenkerian speculations to Lerdahl and Jackendoff's Generative Theory of Tonal Music (hereinafter GTTM). One of GTTM's main contributions is a systematized version of the hierarchical structure of meter, incorporating the linguistic studies of Liberman & Prince. (Liberman 249-336) Referencing transformational grammars, GTTM places a good deal of emphasis on the deep structure in composition, particularly in regard to metrical hierarchies and tonality. Lerdahl & Jackendoff are less interested in the 'surface' structure of a piece, which is generally defined to include melody, rhythmic patterns (as opposed to meter), dynamics, timbre, register, etc. In an effort to empirically demonstrate the theories contained in GTTM, many cognitive scholars gave designed experiments to measure performance variables. Often, these experimental performances are judged on their ability to reflect and/or communicate to listeners the deep harmonic structure of a composition. (Deliege 325-60) Contrary to expectation, research in music cognition has faltered when it has attempted to verify musical response in the context of the deep structure of transformational linguistics. Sloboda and Cooke, among others, have found that emotional response occurs in very short fragments of music and in a very short space of time. (Cooke 64-95) Such response is not relevant to the large-scale structural hierarchy of the composition. Factors such as repetition, changes of texture, register or dynamics are much more important in perceptual grouping than such tonal factors as modulations, cadence points, or tonal closure. (Clarke 352-8) Rosner and Meyer have attempted to experimentally document Meyer's theory of melodic processes. (Meyer 1-40) Meyer distinguishes between structural and ornamental melodic notes (much in the manner of Schenker). Wishing to prove that the underlying structure of the melody is more perceptually important to the listener than low-level structures such as contour, the authors instead find a greater perceptual effect for melodic process. They also discover a much more important role for melodic contour than they had predicted. The idea of top-down processing of musical hierarchies been widely verified experimentally, (Narmour 1-26) yet from the standpoint of music theory, the level of surface has been subject to unwarranted neglect. If deep structure is significant in both music theory and language, why can its effects not be verified in music perception research In part, the attention paid to deep structure by scholars of music perception has come about through some confusion of purpose. The aims of theorists are not necessarily those of perception researchers. Theoretical analysis tends to be highly reductive in nature, insofar as

Why Saudi Arabia has not joined the CISG And should it join now Research Paper

Why Saudi Arabia has not joined the CISG And should it join now - Research Paper Example The popularity of the CISG was however restricted in some Arab Islamic countries due to the presence of conflicting and ambiguous principles. Though certain modification have been done by some of the Islamic countries in signing to the convention but still countries like Saudi Arab have refrained themselves from taking part in the CISG. The factors which prevent Saudi Arab from being a part of the CISG have been studied over here. A special analysis of the article 78 of the CISG has been carefully studied over here. Critical recommendations have been made for analyzing whether CISG should involve them in the treaty and be a part of the global treaty. CISG: The CISG (Convention for the International Sale of goods) is an important adoption in the international business transaction. The area covered by CISG is huge and a large portion of the international business transaction is under its control. The CISG covers only the buying and selling of goods. The various signatories of CISG have decided to implement the laws of the CISG in a uniform fashion. The United Nations Convention for International Sale of goods is applicable to international transactions of goods. However it does not applies to transaction of personal and family household. The CISG came into effectiveness in the year 1988, and fifty eight countries have been the signatory of the treaty including four Islamic countries from the Arab. The success of the CISG can be attributed to the expansion of the global business worldwide. However the establishment of the CISG came into existence after a long struggle in the 1920’s. The evolution of CISG has been an important historical treaty in the international trade. However there exists disparity in terms of the understanding of the CISG and the Islamic law and it is found that many Arabic countries have refrained from joining or being a member nation of the treaty. The contracting propositions are discussed below. Analyzing the causes for Saudi Arabâ €™s non-participation in CISG CISG and Islamic law of Interest: Under the international law of the CISG Article 78 clearly underlines the payment of interest to the distressed party (Akaddaf). The convention of the CISG however does not have any clear rules or policies regarding the interest rate calculation or the time frame required for the payment of interest. However charging of interest is not promoted under the Islamic law and it is prohibited. According to Quran charging of interest is held as an injustice. A notion is held that in order to maintain equity and fairness in carrying out a trade transaction, charging of interest brings differences and becomes unfair in respect to the weaker party of the contract. The Islam idea regarding this unfairness is somewhat similar to the Uniform commercial code as followed in the American approach. Islam’s held the idea that charging of interest leads to the oppression of the poor and is generally believed that interest charg ing should be eliminated from the commercial transactions. Practice of providing loans is common in the Islamic countries but the theory of profit making is not encouraged to place a party in any sort of financial disadvantage. Relieving a person form the debt is assumed to be an act of charity according to Islamic laws and culture. Evidence of international arbitration regarding the charging of interest or â€Å"riba† also exists. It claimed that the policy regarding riba did not provide restriction on all cases where it led to a financial loss of one party due to the inability of one of the party to pay back in time (Twibell). Islamic Banking: Islamic banking came into functioning in the year 1970. It started its operation in Egypt. Soon it became popular in the other Islamic countries as well and became popular

Ajax Minerals and Perrier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ajax Minerals and Perrier - Essay Example Communications is highly necessary in regard to change management because it helps in creating mutual trust. The first way that communication to employees and the middle level management will help is in creating trust by the employees. This can be seen in the history of Ajax. In the past, Ajax failed to communicate to employees, and this led to the employees being suspicious any time the firm is about to make any changes. Communication is seen as a way to create trust because through good communication, it helps in making sure that the employees understand the need for change rather than leave the employees to speculate. The same kind of speculation has been the cause of resistance to change because the employees are extremely suspicious that any change process will affect the negatively. Involvement Involving the employee and the middle level managers is essential in helping to smooth out the process of change. When communication and involvement is used in concert, the best result will be achieved. Ajax is trying to involve the employees in the development of the solution and this will be necessary due to a number of reasons. The first reason is the fact that the involving the employees and the middle level managers will result in a change solution that will be accepted by the employees. Involvement will create minimal resistance from the employees. It will also be good in creating a solution that is most holistic in the way the firm deals with future problems. Will it succeed? Although Ajax has chosen to use this particularly valuable strategy to change management, there cannot be a guarantee that the strategy will succeed. This is because Ajax failed to use this strategy right from the beginning and there is a lot of suspicion in among the employees. Perrier case Perrier has a t least two sources of resistance. The first source of resistance is from the worker union CGT, which believes that Nestle does not have the right to cut off the number of workers in Perrier. The second source of resistance is definitely from the employees who feel that they need to protect their jobs. Nestle has tried to cut down employees in order to salvage the Perrier brand. When the employees could not allow the firm to cut the employees, the management placed the product of another brand in their cafeterias as a way to have the employees see the sense in trying to change. This method of trying to deal with the issue of change resistance did not help the firm to do away with resistance. If anything, this method of dealing with the issue made things between the management and the employees worse. Comparison There are a number of differences in the way the managers in both of these cases handled the case. Although the Perrier case was more complicated by the issue of the worker u nion that was

The Role of User Interface Design in Product Accessibility Research Paper

The Role of User Interface Design in Product Accessibility - Research Paper Example As product engineers pays attention to the technology, usability specialists pay attention to the user interface. Thus, in order to get maximum efficiency, cost efficiency and success, this working association should be upheld from the beginning of a project to its completion. However, in the scenario of computer software, user interface design is as well recognized as HCI (Human-Computer Interaction). As people frequently think of interface design in a scenario of computers, it as well guides to a lot of products where the user interacts with displays or controls (Usernomics, 2011; Ambler, 2010; Smith & Mosier, 1986). This paper will discuss some of the important aspects of the user interface design. This paper basically attempts to assess and analyze some of the critical aspects of interface design to ensure a product is suitable for its intended users. In this scenario, this paper will discuss user interfaces design aspects like navigation, usability, accessibility, and consistenc y. Part 1 Navigation A more effective set of graphic navigation and interactive communication links inside web-pages will be useful in catching the attention of users towards the web pages, weaning them from the wide-ranging purpose web browser communication links and drawing them more into our viewpoint. In addition, by providing them with our own steady and expected set of navigation buttons we as well offer the user a good judgment of our website's structure as well as formulate the logic and organization of our website visually precise (Lynch & Horton, 2004). In more simple words, website navigation is an implementation or document of a table of contents. Thus, it allows the users to think where they are at, where they have been, as well as where they are moving. Alternatively, the overall navigation aspects should respond to the query: Where they are? In addition, navigation should as well include the classification we have intended for our system consequently we are able to re cognize the content of our system (Poteet, 2007). In addition, for an attractive system navigation design, it is important to recognize the interface also. In fact, system interface works as an intermediary among content and users, an interpreter and guide to the difficulties of a system. In the graphical state of the web, interface design has to work with assembled visual meaning (Fleming, 1998). Moreover, straightforward and understandable system navigation is important  for the success of any system or application. In fact, the system should allow its users to move from page to page with connecting links, menu items or buttons. More significantly,  navigation has to as well address the weak balance among real-life user objectives and business aims of the application. However, when business needs terms filters into system navigation, there is some kind of risk that the common user can misinterpret the language employed in the navigation. Thus, these misunderstandings create th e risk to user’s capacity to complete the job and are able to dominate the reimbursement the technology objectives to offer. In this scenario, the term ‘transfer of eligible internal account fund’ is used to send funds from a user’s account to a mortgage, through the web.

The affect of globalization on China Literature review

The affect of globalization on China - Literature review Example Globalization is a significant but not a new economic phenomenon. World Bank throws out that there were three main globalization waves since 1870 where the global economy, capital flow and migration have been increasing dramatically. China is the fastest growing country among all the developing countries and dominates an important role in the most recent globalization wave. From the figure 1, we can see that the GDP of China has been significantly increasing to an unprecedented rate and the rate has maintained 12% growth annually in the global economic integration decade. The rapid economic growth in China captures the world’s attention especially after the economic reform and openness policy in 1978 as the Trade, exports and imports have enormously gone up (Refer to Figure 2). Perhaps like other developing countries, China has been experiencing an increase in economic inequality accompany with the global economic integration. As shown in figure 3, the Gini coefficient from 19 78-2008 presents that the inequality within the country has been highly raised. Growing on the intra-country inequality not only affect the stability of the country, but also hamper the potential economy growth. Moreover, the inequality problem is quite complicated in China as the wage inequality, uneven income distribution and regional disparity are all needed to take into account when we concern about the economic inequality of a country. The following chapter will briefly review the current literature to see what scholars have discovered on this topic and how they argue about the story. In chapter 3, the empirical model will be constructed and displays the details of data resource, data description and OLS assumptions. Chapter 4 will access the tests for the model to check its validity, and then find out the relationship between the four independent variables and the dependent variable. Critical analysis about the globalization impact on the inequality in China will also applied in Chapter 4. The conclusion will be drawn in Chapter 5 to summarize what evidences have been found from

Graduate Book Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Graduate Book Review - Assignment Example The cover of the work documents the content of the book and what the author aims at portraying to the readers. With a boldly written title and clear subtitles on the themes inside, the reader can easily search for the information required. The main thesis of the work involves the defining what is required by an individual in terms of business innovation, identifying the problem that may hamper innovation, and then defining a solution. The work also indicates that new ideas can be created from existing ones. Creativity is, therefore, key as far as business innovation is concerned. In the first chapter, for example, Murray explains that the first step of business innovation must involve identifying the existing problem or an issue that is to be solved (31-60). It is in the course of business innovation that Murray indicates that there is need to get similar ideas from similar problems that have been existent before (61-62). This means that the business innovator must collect facts from what has been existent before, and then come up with a solution. The next step in business innovation involves connecting all the borrowed ideas and combining them to make a workable idea. In the next step, Murray explains that there is n eed for patience so that the collected ideas can be given time to come up with solutions (101-139). Patience is, therefore, a requirement in business innovation. The fourth step as Murray recommends is the incubation process that allows for the decisions made to come up with a solution (141-176). Next is coming up with an approach that will evaluate the pluses and the weaknesses of the solutions incubated so as to assess if the decisions made were fruitful or not (178-210). Lastly, enhancing is a major step in the course of business innovation (211-255). This step allows for strengthening the strong points of the business idea and eliminating the weak points. Evidently,

Themes and Style comparison between Pans Labyrinth and The City of Essay

Themes and Style comparison between Pans Labyrinth and The City of Lost Children - Essay Example The themes of both the films have one thing in common; they are about dreams. The films show how important dreams are and especially of young children. In Pan’s Labyrinth, this theme is shown as the young girl has an imaginative fantasy world in which she lives and creates her own magical world. In her dream world, she is a princess and she sees people in the real world as annoying and distracting. It is her love for fairy tales that led her to go on an adventure where she was given the chance to become the princess she was and return to her father, the King. She was told that she was a born princess by a faun who she meets at the night in the forest. The rest of the film shows how the young girl accomplishes three gruesome tasks just to claim her royalty and her status as a princess. In The City of Lost Children, the theme of dreams is depicted as the old aging scientist kidnaps young children to steal their dreams. This theme is portrayed as children dream big and they have the capability to dream about their fantasies and their innocent world. The evil scientist starts stealing these dreams leaving the children empty and without their dreams. The children are lost without their dreams and they are kept in a secret place. The old scientist steals the dreams as he doesn’t have the capability to dream himself. It is also shown that the scientist is aging rapidly only because he doesn’t have dreams. The film shows how dreams keep us younger and give us the reason to live a life. The theme of evil is also somehow depicted in both the films as they are fantasy films and they show the evils which are associated with every good. The young girl in Pan’s Labyrinth is living her dream fantasy of being a princess and having royalty. However, her dream is disrupted by the evils that surround her. The fairy takes her to the forest where she is told she is a princess and in order to

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 28

Case Study Example With the Freemium Pricing Strategy in place, it was obvious that the company’s user base would definitely increase. The strategy worked effectively in that Dropbox managed to grow from at least 4 million Dropbox users in January 2010 to more than 200 million users by November 2 years later. In as much as the company never revealed its exact revenues, it was reported by an industry analysts that the company made more than $400 million by 2012. Five years after it was launched, it can be reported that Dropbox was valued at more than 4 billion dollars. This means that the company benefited from the strategy. Alternatively, the company managed to secure a large share of Dropbox users especially for the cloud storage. This therefore enabled the company management to switch its attention to corporate customers. First, the strategy led to overcrowding with minimal competitors. Alternatively, getting users was somehow tough because of bureaucratic delays especially in making them integrate the services. There is also the notion that the freemium strategy would end being a costly affair for the company. It was feared that the strategy would leave the company with thousands of freeloaders and higher operating costs. It was also difficult to get individuals pay since most mainstream users were not used to paying for the services. Another challenge of this strategy is that the company might suffer from value perception of the services. The fact that the basic package is free, most users might have the perception that any other version that company offers has little value. Lastly, issues with competition are common. After the success of the freemium strategy, Houston started to target the corporate customers directly. Whereas the consumer Dropbox version started at only $120 per year, the business type was estimated to cost more than $800 on a yearly basis for users. Termed as the Dropbox for Business version, the strategy featured

The Nexus Between Social Psychology and Psychoanalytic Family Therapy Essay Example for Free

The Nexus Between Social Psychology and Psychoanalytic Family Therapy Essay This paper addresses the connection between self and collectivism concepts of social psychology and psychoanalytic family therapy. It is revealed in the discussion in the paper that the link between the two psychology elements is very strong and thus the need for family therapy to solve some of the problems accruing from self and collectivism.   In essence the paper looks at the nexus by bringing out real life examples emanating from these socio psychology concepts. In essence there is affirmation that the two psychology disciplines are interrelated and one helps to improve the problems that are created from the other. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Social psychology is the bit of psychology that deals with how the thoughts, feeling, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or indirect presence of others.   It can therefore be insinuated that social psychology not only studies an individual but the whole society. In the study of social psychology therefore an individual is looked at a part of a society and not a unique entity. Thus in essence, an individual can affect others or be affected by others. On the other hand psychoanalytic family therapy studies an individual with the focus that, he or she emanates from a family unit. Basically the psychoanalytic family therapy focuses on the basic wants and fears that keep individuals from interacting in a mature way. Family therapists find profound truths about system interactions and how they affect individuals in the family- in this case a family is a system unit. The nexus that come along this with the social psychology concept can be concluded to be that, studying a family is the beginning of studying the first interactive social unit and thus a strong bond is created between social psychology and psychoanalytic family therapy. Psychoanalytic family therapy aims to free family members of unconscious constraints so that they interact with each other as healthy individuals. In essence, the bottom line is that psychoanalytic family therapists aim at changing an individual’s personality rather than the entire family. When individual character traits are changed in the society, then eventually the whole society is shaped towards a designated direction. Concept of Self and Psychoanalytic Family Therapy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of self can be realized to advocate the underlying reality that every human being longs to be appreciated. This might be internalized at an early age when parents tend to appreciate their children. As a matter of fact, this shows a direct link with the concept of self and the psychoanalytic family therapy. The concept of self was studied by social psychologists in pretext or disguise of self awareness, self consciousness and self esteem.   On the other hand the internalized behaviors as a result of appreciating parents are like self confidence- this comes as a result of appreciative parents. This shows the bond between the concept of self and psychoanalytic family therapy since it is the realization of an individual’s self confidence for example that enables him/her to interact with others as a healthy individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concept of self is a controversial one such that psychologists have failed to agree on what self entails. It cannot be distinguished if self is what you are, something you want to be or something you were or something you aspire to be. Selfhood can be said to have two facets; that is its uniqueness and its innate tendency to preserve its integrity. There is a sociological self that can be identified by others owing to its distinctive attributes- this points at the social psychology direction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Family therapy involves the study of social relationships. This shows that as much as an individual is a self-being they relate to others on the basis of expectations formed by early experience probably gotten from the family as a social unit. This can be depicted by the fact that an individual learns the wrongs and the rights from the family. Therefore when the relationships in a family are in crisis the therapists come in to change the self that appears to be the source of the crisis so that they can harmonize the interaction in that family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of self is perceived by Freud that an infant conceives itself as all encompassing and with time sees itself as distinctive and unique. In psychoanalysis individuals and their deepest motives are studied (Kohut 1971).   While family therapy studies social relationships, there is a relation that comes up with the expectations formed by early experiences. The result of the past relationships is the internalized objects – mental images of self and others developed from the previous experiences and expectations.   Example of this can be seem in racial prejudices- where an individual can have an internal feeling that he/she is inferior to another or a certain race is inferior to theirs or vice versa, this is by virtue of the experience they had in their previous life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of self can be perceived with the development of language that comes with the boundary between one’s body self and one’s symbolic self. It is indispensable at this juncture to de-link the nexus between social psychology concept of self and family therapy since psychoanalytic family therapy endeavors to study social interaction and language is the vehicle in which this is done thus its development is crucial.   The broadening contacts with secondary (friends) and primary (family) groups and strangers develop increasingly defined boundary between self and groups or others thus showing the link between social psychology and psychoanalytical family therapy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of self can be considered when an adolescent brings increasing differentiation between self and parents featuring battles for privacy and rights for distinctive as individuals make to break from parents. This is a scenario when the self ego creates a crisis. This in essence causes disharmony in the interaction within the family set up. Thus the need for family therapy to harmonize interactions in this family becomes essential.   This shows a very common crisis between young people and parents and the link between the concept of self in social psychology and psychoanalytic family therapy. On the other hand, adulthood features maintain boundaries between one’s public and private selves, such as those of one’s work and family roles. It is common for adults to keep family roles distinct from their work, for instance men are known to keep their business deals private even from their wives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is the notion of participants in social interaction tending to take the role of each other. This enables individuals to know how they are coming across to others and allows them to guide their social behavior so that it has desired effect. It is a situation when an infant tries to emulate the object that it appreciates. For young children therefore, parents offer models for idealization. In this case parents are selfobjects experienced as part of the self (Kohut 1971. 1977). Therefore, the believe and trust to the parent give the child the base of self-esteem. So there will be the need for psychoanalytic family therapy if the concept of self is not attained. This hence shows the bond between social psychology and family therapy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Socially, the concept of self can be distributed such that socio- historical settings can give rise to a prevalence of a given self type in the society- a situation where we have a certain character in a society- and how in turn this can affect the society’s collective. This can affect the society collectively in terms of its attitude to religion, political and economic orders. This denotes that new social arrangements leads to new action or ways of doing things thus to new personality of people in the society. This re-emphasizes the link between the self concept of social psychology and psychoanalytic family therapy since the latter tend to reshape individual’s personality in aim of facilitating societal integration. Though when identifying individual, people tend to peg them to their sociological setting, but still some types of self like the Machiavellians, authoritarians, high self monitors and introverts can be expected to act distinctly regardless of the setting or the environment they are in. Therefore it can be insinuated from this that there is an overriding concept of self in these characters, thus the need for psychoanalytic therapy that will see them may be change their personalities. Concept of collectivism and psychoanalytic family therapy      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Collectivism is a concept is a social psychological idea that focuses on groups engaging in struggle for scarce resources of some sort. For instance, an individual is supposedly to be a self willed determine but the case of racism is which emanates from either deterministic external environmental forces or equally deterministic internal psychological forces does not give a provision for the latter. For example a child acquires racism attitudes and believes by observing those that are surrounding him/her -that is the media, parents and peers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of collectivism is perceived in that it has characteristics of personal to the collective good i.e. to the societal betterment.   There is an assumption that individuals are members of a collective group. Thus, the family is the smallest unit of this collective group. As a child joins school they join another social group, regardless of the learned personalities from home they form other personalities. Therefore this concept of social psychology links to family therapy such that if the unwanted characteristic traits are not treated in the family unit, they will be transferred to another collective unit and this is a class (group of students)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Collectivism values similarity and conformity rather than uniqueness and independence. Collectivism in this case gives a perception that individuals are grouped as per their similarity and conform to the standards set up by the setting they live in. There is no provision for uniqueness according to the concept of collectivism.   Thus the psychoanalytic family therapists can be linked to this social psychology concept of collectivism by changing the family set up in the effort of correcting a crisis, for instance if a family has members who are violent then this will be a time for family therapy to step in to curb the social psychological collective trait of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  When cultures are more collectivistic, conformity tend to be higher and identification of groups also influences the amount of conformity. When people identify highly with a group they show more conformity than the low identifiers. When social identity is most important the norms attached to these identities guides the group members’ behaviors.   People from a collectivistic culture who identified highly with their group were less individualistic than low identifiers (Jetten, Postmes, and McAuliffe 2002). The social psychological concept of collectivism thus becomes linked to psychoanalytic family therapy since the latter can be used in addressing the critical and controversial cultures at the family level. For example the family therapists can be used to correct stereotypic cultures like female genital mutilation by helping the individuals in the society practicing this act by changing their attitude towards this act. Also the perception of individuals on the basis of their race can be addressed using psychoanalytical family therapy. It is therefore an open secret that, using the above mentioned examples, there is a link between social psychology concept of collectivism and psychoanalytic family therapy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another case where collective concept of social psychology applies is in suicide terrorism. This can be realized when suicide terrorism which is a function of culture martyrdom where an organization   establish social contracts of identity – as a living martyrdom- thus gaining prestige in the society. This can be addressed by applying psychoanalytic family therapy at the family level which will see the recruits retreating after learning the negatives of the actions. This in essence is a case where social psychology concept of collectivism can be resolved by the link it has with psychoanalytic family therapists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The two concepts of social psychology discussed in the paper (self and collectivism) provide ways in how the problems emanating from the concepts can be addressed using analytical family therapy. This depicts the bond that is found between the two and if used in the right way can be used to prevent some of the problems that are in the contemporary world like terrorism and suicide among the youth. The bond between social psychology and analytical family therapy comes by the fact that family therapy convenes families to help go one another- by improving the trait of an individual by allowing them to be independent; at the same time ensuring that people are related in the society. It is to this effect that the nexus between the two is indispensable. References Freud, S. Group Psychology and Analysis of Ego. Edition 17. London: Hogarth press, 1955. Jetten, J â€Å"We are all individuals.†Ã‚   Group norms of individualism and collectivism, levels of identification, and identification threat.   European Journal of Social psychology, 32, 189-207    Justin, J Group domination and inequality in context: evidence of the unstable meanings social and dominance and authoritarianism (p 704-724)   Kevin, A. Theory Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy. Barnes: Psychology press, 2004.   Marc, M. Psychology and its Allied Disciplines. Chicago: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1984. Shapiro, R. Family Dynamics and Object Relation theory. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.

Powerlessness: Cause And Effect Of Poverty

Powerlessness: Cause And Effect Of Poverty Powerlessness is a cause and effect of poverty because people living in absolute poverty often have no political power and is subjected to exploitation by the state. They lack protection, and report widespread corruption within state education and health care systems. Poor people in many countries speak of being kept waiting endlessly while the rich of the country go to the head of the queue. Situations like these create more problems for that already in absolute poverty, and continue to divide the rich from the poor without providing any help. The problem with a lack of voice and power as a cause of poverty is that it enforces a lack of voice and power as an effect of poverty, creating a continuous cycle that deliberately separates the poor of a country from the rich. The last major cause and effect of poverty is vulnerability. Natural disasters, economic crises, and conflict leave the poor very vulnerable, with nobody to help and a lack of resources to use to help themselves. This idea is best expressed through the story of a poor villager from Benin, in the World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty. Three years ago was a very bad year. The flood washed away all our crops, and there was a lot of hunger around here, to the point that many people actually died of hunger. They must have been at least a dozen, mostly children and old people. Nobody could help them. Their relatives in the village had no food either; nobody had enough food for his own children, let alone the food for the children of his brother or cousin. And few had a richer relative somewhere else who could help. This is a perfect example of the vulnerability that is both a cause and effect of poverty. The relatively poor can become the poorest through disasters, both eco nomic and natural, and conflict, which causes more vulnerability that affects their ability to escape poverty. Poverty and conflict are often closely linked. In many developing countries there are huge contrasts in access to power and control of resources, leading to a sense of powerlessness within the poor of the country. This unfair distribution of wealth, power and often land creates conflict, as those with the advantage battle the disadvantaged in order to maintain their advantages. In El Salvador, during the 1980s, Oxfam worked to alleviate poverty and suffering intensified by years of armed conflict. The roots of this conflict lay in the unequal distribution of power, wealth and resources. Poverty causes, and is effected by, many different other global issues. A set of international development goals were created by the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, to address inequities in income, education, access to health care and the inequalities between men and women. In 2000 these goals were updated and the United Nations Millennium Declaration committed all countries to doing everything possible to eradicate poverty, promote human dignity and equality, and achieve peace, environmental sustainability, and democracy. At this time approximately 1.2 billion people were living on less than $1 (U.S) a day, with an additional 1.6 billion living on less that $2 (U.S) a day. The goal to reduce poverty was seen as an essential part of the way forward. It is crucial to understand why this is seen as a fundamental step and to do this one should look into some of the arguments aga inst helping the poor that philosophers and political theorists pose. The basic lifeboat ethics argument against helping the poor, argued by Garrett Hardin, states that the world is like a lifeboat. In a lifeboat there is a limit to how many people can be carried, and there is no fair way to choose from among those who need to come aboard. Therefore the only fair alternative is to let everyone who needs to come aboard drown. What Hardin is getting at is that we, the developed world, can not save every person, and therefore how can we fairly choose those that we do save and those that we do not. He argues that it would be much fairer to let everyone in absolute poverty die. Other arguments against helping the poor include Friedrich von Hayeks Game of Catalaxy. Hayeks theory stems from a liberal laissez-faire view of the global economy. He believed that the global market should characterized by a spontaneous order that happens when individuals pursue their own ends within a framework set by law and tradition. Hayek goes on to argue that his Game of Catalaxy is a game of skill and all players within the global market are different and therefore not all can win. The winners, he believed, won because they took certain chances and therefore deserved to win, while the losers deserved to lose. Therefore, according to Hayek, countries that have problems with absolute poverty have played the Game of Catalaxy and lost, and deserve to lose. Theoretically these countries will continue to play the game and if they take certain chances they may eventually win. This theory may work but meanwhile the problem of absolute poverty is affecting the rest of the world and therefore we cannot ignore it, or let the Game of Catalaxy sort it out. As Ambassador Jams head Marker, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, says, We are all now in the same lifeboat. The continued health of the North [developed, rich countries] depends on the survival and sustainable development of the South [less developed, poorer countries]. Beyond this argument is a belief that food is a basic human right. If hunger is a cause and effect of poverty and food is a basic human right, then theoretically every country should be doing everything within their power to reduce poverty and create a well-nourished world. This argument is reflected in the Millennium Development Goals. The United Nations believes that food is a basic human right. On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration is the only human rights declaration with universal in its name, and most countries have agreed on it. It can therefore be argued as a legitimate international agreement on the rights of all human beings. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services. Therefore, since the declaration is argued to be a legitimate international agreement on the rights of humans, it can be argued that food, along with other basic necessities, are basic human rights. The orthodox approach to development is the view held by many international regimes like the World Bank and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The basic concepts behind it are the ideas that the free-market system can create unlimited economic growth, that the Western liberal model and knowledge are superior to anything else, and the belief that the process of free-markets would benefit everyone. Theoretically economies would slowly take-off because of the free-market and from there on the wealth would work its way down to the people actually living in absolute poverty. To do this there would be a production of surplus, with individuals selling their lab our for money, as opposed to producing to meet their family and community needs. This orthodox method is known as the top-down liberal method and relies on external expert knowledge, technology, an expansion of privatization, and large capital investments. As already stated, the orthodox approach is based almost entirely on a monetary and material concept of poverty. In 2000: A Better World For All, the World Bank, United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) state that it is possible to cut poverty rates in half by 2015 if countries follow policies that both reduce social and gender inequalities and, most importantly, create income-earning opportunities for the poor. This is the key for, and a perfect example of, the orthodox approach to development. The UNDP Human Development Report 2003 states that there are six basic policies that should be implemented in order to help the countries reduce poverty. Firstly countries should invest early and ambitiously in basic education and health while fostering gender equality. These are preconditions to sustained economic growth. Second, countries should increase the productivity of small farmers in unfavorable environments [environments where hunger and famine are a problem]. Thirdly countries should improve basic infrastructu resto reduce the costs of doing business and overcome geographic barriers. The last three policies involve developing an industrial development policy, working on promoting democracy, and ensuring environmental sustainability. The World Bank concurs with these ideas, as does the World Trade Organization who state that poor people within a country generally gain from trade liberalization. The orthodox approach to development, portrayed by international regimes including the World Trade Organization, World Bank and United Nations involves liberalizing trade and creating empowerment in order to create faster economic growth, which in turn helps to alleviate poverty. This approach is both valid and sound, and has been proven to work in some countries, although not as quickly as the international regimes would like. As this approach is the dominant view, it is seen as more likely to work. However a number of development theorists have discovered problems within this dominant view. The idea that the free market can end hunger, if governments just get out of the way, is seen by some theorists as a myth. These theorists believe that the free-market-is-good/ government-is-bad view is far too simplistic and can never help address poverty and hunger. The top-down approach is seen as unlikely to work in most situations due to corrupt governments who will not let the wealth trickle down to those actually living in poverty. The theory of comparative advantage holds that nations should produce and export those goods and services in which they hold a comparative advantage and import those items that other nations could produce at a lower cost. The problem with this theory, which is also promoted by the World Bank, UN and IMF as a method for alleviating and reducing poverty, is that it falls apart when applied to the real world. Many countries living in absolute poverty can produce large amounts of coffee at a low cost to themselves, however since there are many producing, the price of coffee on the global market is forced downwards and these countries are producing more coffee for less money. These are just two examples of the kind of problems that make the orthodox method for development less viable. The alternative approach to development is argued by many NGOs like World Vision and the World Development Movement. The core concepts of this approach are the ideas that humans should learn to be self-reliant, that nature, cultural diversity and community-controlled commons (water, air, land, and forest) should be valued, and that democratic participation will help to reduce poverty. This approach relies on participation at the community level, working with local knowledge and technology to create a bottom-up approach to community development. It is a grassroots approach, focusing on helping individuals and communities become self-reliant. This approach is often argued by dependency theorists who believe that the structure of the global political economy essentially enslaves the less developed countries by making them dependent on the capitalist, liberal nations. The alternative approach to development is therefore seen by dependency theorists as one of the only ways to develop less developed countries. Much of the anti-globalist campaign is directed at organizations like the World Bank and IMF because their policies encourage less developed countries to become dependent on foreign aid and investment which continues the poverty and hunger within the less developed countries. Although the alternative approach to development also seems sound and viable, it lacks monetary value and places too much emphasis on the power of communities to change governments. Neither approach is perfect in its methods for the alleviation and reduction of poverty. I believe it is a combination of the orthodox and alternative approaches that really has the ability to help reduce poverty in todays world. The orthodox approach focuses too narrowly on money and capital, while the alternative approach believe too heavily in the power of communities to affect change at a national level. I therefore believe that international regimes, like the World Bank and United Nations, should attempt to affect changes at the state level, working to create democratic governments. Non-Governmental Organizations should continue to work at the grass roots level, affecting changes for the individuals and communities while helping them to become self-reliant. This approach is not without problems and cannot be called easy, but I believe it deals with both the individuals and the state at the levels needed and could help to halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015. Ther e are no perfect answers for development. Poverty is a complex issue. The key is that we do not ignore those living in poverty but help, in whatever way we believe is best. We are obliged to try our hardest to make circumstances better for them. http://www.vuwcu.orconhosting.net.nz/warp/poverty.htm

Kants Categorical Imperative Essay -- Philosophy Categorical Imperati

Kant's Categorical Imperative Deontology is the ethical view that some actions are morally forbidden or permitted regardless of consequences. One of the most influential deontological philosophers in history is Immanuel Kant who developed the idea of the Categorical Imperative. Kant believed that the only thing of intrinsic moral worth is a good will. Kant says in his work Morality and Rationality â€Å"The good will is not good because of what it affects or accomplishes or because of it’s adequacy to achieve some proposed end; it is good only because of it’s willing, i.e., it is good of itself†. A maxim is the generalized rule that characterizes the motives for a person’s actions. For Kant, a will that is good is one that is acting by the maxim of doing the right thing because it is right thing to do. The moral worth of an action is determined by whether or not it was acted upon out of respect for the moral law, or the Categorical Imperative. Imperatives in general imply something we ought to do however there is a distinction between categorical imperatives and hypothetical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are obligatory so long as we desire X. If we desire X we ought to do Y. However, categorical imperatives are not subject to conditions. The Categorical Imperative is universally binding to all rational creatures because they are rational. Kant proposes three formulations the Categorical Imperative in his Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Moral, the Universal Law formulation, Humanity or End in Itself formulation, and Kingdom of Ends formulation. In this essay, the viablity of the Universal Law formulation is tested by discussing two objections to it, mainly the idea that the moral laws are too absolute and the existence of false positives and false negatives. The first formulation of the Categorical Imperative is defined by Kant to "act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law†. Good moral actions are those of which are motivated by maxims which can be consistently willed that it’s generalized form be a universal law of nature. These maxims are otherwise known as universilizable maxims. Maxims can then be put through the Categorical Imerative test to determine their universilisablility and thus the premissability the maxim. To test a maxim we must ask ourselves whether we can consi... ... Therefore the action of removing all your money from the bank when there is a stock market downturn is immoral according to the first formulation of the Categorical Imperative. The fact that a person cannot withdraw their money from a bank because of moral restraints shows that there are some serious problems with the moral theory at work. The first formulation of the Categorical Imperative â€Å"act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law† seems at face value viable. Nevertheless the lack of guidelines to determine which maxim should be used to describe an action causes problems with the consistency of the Universal Law formulation. Moreover, the abundance of false positives and false negatives suggests a deep problem with the first formulation of the Categorical Imperative that may not be fixable. Works Cited: 1) Feldman, Fred. ‘Kantian Ethics’ in [EBQ] James P Sterba (ed) Ethics: the Big Questions, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998, 185-198. 2) Kant, Immanuel. ‘Morality and Rationality’ in [MPS] 410-429. 3) Rachels, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy fourth edition. NewYork: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Diffusion Essay -- essays research papers

Lab Report #1: Diffusion Introduction: The human body undergoes a variety of processes throughout each and every day in order to sustain life. Tasks such as walking, breathing, and digesting what has been eaten are sometimes considered mundane, even taken for granted. One such process that is necessary to maintain life is diffusion. Diffusion is a key factor in moving ions, fuels, and other molecules into and out of the blood. It is one of the most important components in supplying oxygen to the alveoli and removing carbon dioxide. Without diffusion, substances would find it very difficult to pass through membranes and could cause detrimental effects to the human body. The paradox scientists have drawn is related to glucose molecules and the directions in which the molecules â€Å"know† to move. No single molecule should diffuse in any particular fashion, but should diffuse randomly. This report looks at four simulations attempting to solve the problem presented, how do the molecules know which way to diffuse? In order to understand the obtained research, it is necessary to present and identify the key components of Fick’s Law of Diffusion: F = -D * A*dC/dx F = the flow of material across a real or imaginary plane D = the diffusivity of the diffusing molecules (the ease in which the molecule diffuses in the surrounding medium)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A= area of the plane   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C= concentration of the molecules   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  X= distance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dC/dx = the concentration gradient There will be four simulations conducted in order to apply Fick’s Law and determine if molecules do in fact know which way to diffuse. The first simulation will look at a single molecule in an open area, the second looks at the movement of several molecules, the third looks at molecules diffusing in a ... ...te the change in concentration with respect to the change in distance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Simulation 4 we have two chambers connected with a pipe. Like simulation 2, the concentration of molecules across the whole system at equilibrium is equally distributed. If the dimensions of the pipe were small and narrow, only a small percentage of the molecules will be contained in the pipe at equilibrium. The flow of molecules to the right chamber would decrease. The calculation of the rate of approach to equilibrium in simulation 2 cannot be applied here because we have a pipe of a different volume that alters the flow. As the figure above depicts, the rate of approach to equilibrium increase as the diameter of the pipe increases. However the rate of approach will not increase infinitely but will plateau as some point because the diameter of the pipe can only be so large to connect the boxes. Accordingly, increasing the length of the pipe will slower the rate of approach to equilibrium because the molecules will have to travel a greater distance. References â€Å"Diffusion- Simulation of randomly moving particles† WebCT. Drexel University. April 2005

Medical Marijuana: A not so new form of medical treatment Essay

Marijuana usage for the purpose of medical treatment has been a debated issue in many states and Countries around the world. The United Kingdom and Canada have both adopted laws that are directed at protecting patients and doctors from prosecution due to possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. Australia has passed laws, but has not put them into effect, and the United States has not made any allowances, leaving marijuana in the same category with other illegal drugs and allowing for prosecution if a person is found to be growing, possessing or using marijuana, regardless of the reasons. According to Dresser, there are currently fourteen states that have taken it upon themselves to enact laws that allow for the prescribing and use of medical marijuana, California being the most liberal in terms of allowed usages (7). While medical conditions that allow marijuana to be prescribed vary from state to state, Hall and Degenhardt write that accepted treatments generally incl ude issues such as nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, wasting due to HIV and aids, movement disorders and muscle spasticity disorders (690-692). Although many government and public agencies disagree on the medical benefits that marijuana may provide in the relief of chronic symptoms, marijuana seems to be growing in popularity among doctors and the patients that benefit from its use and a vast number of people feel it should be legalized for medical conditions across America. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is not a new issue. Prior to the twentieth century, marijuana was often used for treatment of symptoms caused by medical issues in both the United States and throughout Europe, Asia and India. In their report, Hall & Degenhardt stat... ... discusses a study that was performed in California and other States due to concerns about medical marijuana having an elicit effect of influencing young people and causing an increase in illegal marijuana use. The study showed that no abnormal increase was seen among people ages 16 to 25 following the legalization of medical marijuana. Wiwi, Amy Komoroski, and Nicole P. Crifo. "The Unintended Impact of New Jersey's New Medical Marijuana Law on the Workplace." Employee Relations Law Journal 36.1 (2010): 33-37. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. This article discusses the medical marijuana laws in New Jersey and offers suggestions to employers on how to address issues in the work place, such as failed drug testing and employee usage of marijuana. It also addresses the lack of consideration of employment in the drafting and passing of these laws. Medical Marijuana: A not so new form of medical treatment Essay Marijuana usage for the purpose of medical treatment has been a debated issue in many states and Countries around the world. The United Kingdom and Canada have both adopted laws that are directed at protecting patients and doctors from prosecution due to possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. Australia has passed laws, but has not put them into effect, and the United States has not made any allowances, leaving marijuana in the same category with other illegal drugs and allowing for prosecution if a person is found to be growing, possessing or using marijuana, regardless of the reasons. According to Dresser, there are currently fourteen states that have taken it upon themselves to enact laws that allow for the prescribing and use of medical marijuana, California being the most liberal in terms of allowed usages (7). While medical conditions that allow marijuana to be prescribed vary from state to state, Hall and Degenhardt write that accepted treatments generally incl ude issues such as nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, wasting due to HIV and aids, movement disorders and muscle spasticity disorders (690-692). Although many government and public agencies disagree on the medical benefits that marijuana may provide in the relief of chronic symptoms, marijuana seems to be growing in popularity among doctors and the patients that benefit from its use and a vast number of people feel it should be legalized for medical conditions across America. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is not a new issue. Prior to the twentieth century, marijuana was often used for treatment of symptoms caused by medical issues in both the United States and throughout Europe, Asia and India. In their report, Hall & Degenhardt stat... ... discusses a study that was performed in California and other States due to concerns about medical marijuana having an elicit effect of influencing young people and causing an increase in illegal marijuana use. The study showed that no abnormal increase was seen among people ages 16 to 25 following the legalization of medical marijuana. Wiwi, Amy Komoroski, and Nicole P. Crifo. "The Unintended Impact of New Jersey's New Medical Marijuana Law on the Workplace." Employee Relations Law Journal 36.1 (2010): 33-37. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. This article discusses the medical marijuana laws in New Jersey and offers suggestions to employers on how to address issues in the work place, such as failed drug testing and employee usage of marijuana. It also addresses the lack of consideration of employment in the drafting and passing of these laws.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 19

Damon wouldn't have thought a sadistic old fool who whipped a woman to pieces for not being able to pull a cart meant for a horse would have any friends. And Old Drohzne, indeed, may not have had any. But that wasn't the issue. Neither, strangely, was murder the issue. Murder was an everyday affair around the slums and the fact that Damon had initiated and won a fight was of no surprise to the inhabitants of these dangerous alleyways. The issue lay in making off with a slave. Or perhaps it went deeper. The issue lay in how Damon treated his own slaves. A crowd of men – all men, no women, Damon noticed – had indeed gathered in front of the doctor's building, and they did in fact have torches. â€Å"Mad vampire! Mad vampire on the loose!† â€Å"Drive him out here for justice to be done!† â€Å"Burn the place down if they won't turn him out!† â€Å"The elders say to bring him to them!† This seemed to have the effect the crowd desired, clearing the streets of the more decent people and leaving only the bloody-minded sort who'd been hanging about at a loose end, and were only too glad of a fight. Most of them, of course, were vampires themselves. Most of them were fit vampires. But none of them, Damon thought, flashing a diamond-bright smile around the circle that was closing in on him, had the motivation of knowing that the lives of three young human girls depended on him – and that one of them was the jewel in the crown of humanity, Elena Gilbert. If he, Damon, was torn to pieces in this fight, those three girls would lead lives of hell and degradation. However, even this logic didn't seem to help him prevail as Damon was kicked, bitten, head-butted, punched, and stabbed with wooden daggers – the kind that slice vampire flesh. At first he thought he had a chance. Several of the youngest and fittest vampires fell prey to his cobra-quick strikes and his sudden strafes of Power. But the truth was that there were simply too many of them, Damon thought, as he snapped the neck of a demon whose two long tusks had already scored his arm almost through the muscle. And here came a huge vampire, clearly in training, with an aura that made Damon feel bile at the back of his throat. That one went down with a foot in the face, but he didn't stay down; he came up, clinging to Damon's leg and allowing several smaller vampires with wooden daggers to dart in and hamstring him. Damon felt black dismay as his legs went out from under him. â€Å"Sunlight damn you,† he grated through a mouthful of blood as another tusked, red-skinned demon punched him in the mouth. â€Å"Damn you all to the lowest hells†¦.† It was no good. Dully, still fighting, still using great swaths of Power to maim and kill as many as he could, Damon realized this. And then everything became dreamlike and dazed – not like his dream of Elena, whom he seemed to see constantly in his side-eye, weeping. But dreamlike in a feverish, nightmare sense. He could no longer use his muscles efficiently. His body was battered and even as he healed his legs, another vampire scored a great cut across his back. He was feeling more and more as if he were in a nightmare where he could not move except in slow motion. At the same time, something in his brain was whispering for him to rest. Just rest†¦and it would all be over. Eventually, the greater numbers bore him down, and somebody appeared with a stake. â€Å"Good riddance to new rubbish,† the stake bringer said, his breath reeking of stale blood, his leering face grotesque, as he used leprous-looking fingers to open Damon's shirt so as not to make a hole in the fine black silk. Damon spat on him and had his face stamped on hard in return. He blacked out for a moment and then, slowly, came back to pain. And noise. The gleeful crowd of vampires and demons, drunk on cruelty, were all doing a stomping, rhythmic, improvised dance around Damon, roaring with laughter as they thrust imaginary stakes, working themselves into a frenzy. That was when Damon realized that he was actually going to die. It was a shocking realization, even though he'd known how much more dangerous this world was than the one he'd recently left, and even in the human world he had only escaped death by a hairsbreadth more than once. But now he had no powerful friends, no weaknesses in the crowd to exploit. He felt as if seconds were suddenly stretching into minutes, each one of incalculable worth. What was important? Telling Elena†¦ â€Å"Blind him first! Get that stick blazing!† â€Å"I'll take his ears! Someone help me hold his head!† Telling Elena†¦something. Something†¦sorry†¦ He gave up. Another thought was trying to break into his consciousness. â€Å"Don't forget to knock out his teeth! I promised my girlfriend a new necklace!† I thought I was prepared for this, Damon thought slowly, each word coming separately. But†¦not so soon. I thought I'd made my peace†¦but not with the one person who mattered†¦yes, who mattered the most. He didn't give himself time to think about that subject further. Stefan, he sent out on the most powerful but clandestine jettison of Power he could manage in his foggy state. Stefan, hear me! Elena's come for you – she'll save you! She has Powers that my death will let loose. And I am†¦I am†¦s – At that moment there was a stumbling in the dance around him. Silence descended on the drunken revelers. A few of them hastily bowed their heads or looked away. Damon went still, wondering what could possibly have stopped the frenzied crowd in the very midst of their revelry. Someone was walking toward him. The newcomer had long bronze hair that hung in separate unruly tangles down to his waist. He was naked to the waist, too, exposing a body that the strongest demon might envy. A chest that looked as if it had been carved out of gleaming bronze stone. Exquisitely sculpted biceps. Abs – a perfect six pack. There was not a spare ounce of fat on his entire tall leonine frame. He wore unadorned black trousers with muscles rippling under them at every step. All along one bare arm he had a vivid tattoo of a black dragon eating a heart. Nor was he alone. He held no leash, but by his side was a handsome and uncannily intelligent-looking black dog that stood at alert attention every time he paused. It must have weighed close to two hundred pounds, but there was not an ounce of fat on it, either. And on one shoulder he carried a large falcon. It wasn't hooded as most hunting birds were on forays out of their mews. It also wasn't standing on anything padded. It gripped the bare shoulder of the bronze young man, digging its three front talons into the flesh and sending small streams of blood down his chest. He didn't seem to notice. There were similar, dried streams beside the fresh ones, undoubtedly from previous journeys. In the back, a single talon made a lonely red trail. An absolute hush had fallen on the crowd and the last few demons between the tall man and the bloody, supine figure on the ground scrambled out of his way. For a moment, the leonine man was still. He said nothing, did nothing, emitted no trace of Power. Then he nodded at the dog, which padded forward heavily and sniffed at Damon's bleeding arms and face. After that it sniffed at his mouth and Damon could see the hairs go up on its body. â€Å"Good dog,† said Damon dreamily as the moist, cool nose tickled his cheek. Damon knew this particular animal and he knew also that it did not fit the popular stereotype of a â€Å"good dog.† Rather, it was a hellhound who was used to taking vampires by the throat and shaking them until their arteries spouted blood six feet high into the air. That kind of thing could keep you so occupied that having a stake slipped into your heart might seem an afterthought, Damon mused, holding perfectly still. â€Å"Arrtez-le!† said the bronze-haired youth. The dog obediently backed off, never taking its shining black eyes off Damon's, who never took his own eyes off it until it was some feet away. The bronze-haired youth glanced over the crowd briefly. Then he said with no particular vehemence, â€Å"Laissez-le seul.† Clearly, to the vampires no translation was necessary, and they began to edge away immediately. The unlucky ones were those who didn't edge fast enough and were still around when the bronze young man took another leisurely look about him. Everywhere he looked, he met downcast eyes and cringing bodies, frozen in the act of edging but apparently turned to stone now in an attempt not to attract attention. Damon found himself relaxing. His Power was returning, allowing him to make repairs. He realized that the dog was going from individual to individual and sniffing at each one with interest. When Damon was able to lift his head again, he smiled faintly at the newcomer. â€Å"Sage. Think of the devil.† The bronze man's brief smile was grim. â€Å"You compliment me, mon cher. You see? I'm blushing.† â€Å"I ought to have known you might be here.† â€Å"There is infinite space to wander, mon petit tyran. Even if I must do it alone.† â€Å"Ah, the pity. Tiny violins are playing – † Suddenly Damon couldn't do it anymore. He just couldn't. Maybe it was because of being with Elena before. Maybe it was because this hideous world depressed him unutterably. But when he spoke again, his voice was entirely different. â€Å"I never knew I could feel so grateful. You've saved five lives, though you don't know it. Though how you stumbled on us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sage crouched down, looked at him with concern. â€Å"What is it that has happened?† he said in a serious voice. â€Å"Is it that you hit your head? You know: news travels fast here. I heard you arrived with a harem – â€Å" â€Å"That's true! He did!† Damon's ears caught a bare whisper of sound at the edge of the street where he'd been ambushed. â€Å"If we take the girls hostage – torture them – â€Å" Sage's eyes met Damon's briefly. Clearly, he had heard the whisper as well. â€Å"Saber,† he said to the dog. â€Å"Just the speaker.† He jerked his head, once, in the direction of the whisper. Instantly, the black dog jumped forward, and faster than it took for Damon to describe it in his own mind, had sunk his teeth into the throat of the whisperer, flipped him over once, causing a distinctive crack, and was bounding back, dragging the body between his legs. The words: Je vous ai inform au sujet de ceci! blasted by on a surge of Power that made Damon wince. And Damon thought, yes, he did tell them before – but not what the consequences would be. Laissez lui et ses amis dans la paix! Meanwhile, Damon was slowly getting up, only too glad to accept Sage's protection for himself and his friends. â€Å"Well that certainly should have done it,† he said. â€Å"Why not come back and have a friendly drink with me?† Sage peered at him as if he'd gone mad. â€Å"You know the answer to that is no.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I told you: no.† â€Å"That's not a reason.† â€Å"The reason I will not come back for a friendly drink†¦mon ange†¦is that we are not friends.† â€Å"We pulled some pretty scams together.† â€Å"Il y a longtemps.† Abruptly, Sage took one of Damon's hands. There was a deep and bloody scratch on it, which Damon hadn't got around to healing. Under Sage's gaze it closed, the flesh turned pink, and it healed. Damon let Sage continue to hold the hand for a moment, and then, not ungently, retrieved it. â€Å"Not such a very long time ago,† he said. â€Å"Away from you?† A sarcastic smile formed on Sage's lips. â€Å"We count time very differently, you and I, mon petit tyran.† Damon was full of befuddled cheer. â€Å"What's one drink?† â€Å"Along with your harem?† Damon tried to picture Meredith and Sage together. His mind balked. â€Å"But you've made yourself responsible for them anyway,† he said flatly. â€Å"And the truth is that none of them are mine. I give my word on that.† He felt a twinge when he thought about Elena, but his word was true. â€Å"Responsible for them?† Sage seemed to be reasoning it out. â€Å"You pledged to save them, then. But I only inherit your pledge if you die. But if you die†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The tall man made a helpless gesture. â€Å"You have to live, to save Stefan and Elena and the others.† â€Å"I'd say no, but that would make you unhappy. So I'll say yes – † â€Å"And if you don't perform, I swear I'll come back to haunt you.† Sage regarded him for a moment. â€Å"I don't think I've ever been accused of being unable to perform before,† he said. â€Å"But of course that was before I became un vampire.† Yes, Damon thought, the meeting of the â€Å"harem† and Sage was bound to be interesting. At least it would be if the girls discovered who Sage really was. But maybe no one would tell them.