The Host Chapter 7: Confronted

Yes, Faces Sunward?† I asked, grateful to the raised hand for interrupting my lecture. I did not feel as comfortable behind the lectern as I usually did. My biggest strength, my only real credential-for my host body had had little in the way of a formal education, on the run since her early adolescence-was the personal experience I usually taught from. This was the first world's history I'd presented this semester for which I had no memories to draw upon. I was sure my students were suffering the difference. â€Å"I'm sorry to interrupt, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The white-haired man paused, struggling to word his question. â€Å"I'm not sure I understand. The Fire-Tasters actually†¦ ingest the smoke from burning the Walking Flowers? Like food?† He tried to suppress the horror in his tone. It was not a soul's place to judge another soul. But I was not surprised, given his background on the Planet of the Flowers, at his strong reaction to the fate of a similar life-form on another world. It was always amazing to me how some souls buried themselves in the affairs of whichever world they inhabited and ignored the rest of the universe. But, to be fair, perhaps Faces Sunward had been in hibernation when Fire World became notorious. â€Å"Yes, they receive essential nutrients from this smoke. And therein lies the fundamental dilemma and the controversy of Fire World-and the reason the planet has not been closed, though there has certainly been adequate time to populate it fully. There is also a high relocation percentage. â€Å"When Fire World was discovered, it was at first thought that the dominant species, the Fire-Tasters, were the only intelligent life-forms present. The Fire-Tasters did not consider the Walking Flowers to be their equals-a cultural prejudice-so it was a while, even after the first wave of settling, before the souls realized they were murdering intelligent creatures. Since then, Fire World scientists have focused their efforts on finding a replacement for the dietary needs of the Fire-Tasters. Spiders are being transported there to help, but the planets are hundreds of light-years apart. When this obstacle is overcome, as it will be soon, I'm sure, there is hope that the Walking Flowers might also be assimilated. In the meantime, much of the brutality has been removed from the equation. The, ah, burning-alive portion, of course, and other aspects as well.† â€Å"How can they†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Faces Sunward trailed off, unable to finish. Another voice completed Faces Sunward's thought. â€Å"It seems like a very cruel ecosystem. Why was the planet not abandoned?† â€Å"That has been debated, naturally, Robert. But we do not abandon planets lightly. There are many souls for whom Fire World is home. They will not be uprooted against their will.† I looked away, back at my notes, in an attempt to end the side discussion. â€Å"But it's barbaric!† Robert was physically younger than most of the other students-closer to my age, in fact, than any other. And truly a child in a more important way. Earth was his first world-the Mother in this case had actually been an Earth-dweller, too, before she'd given herself-and he didn't seem to have as much perspective as older, better-traveled souls. I wondered what it would be like to be born into the overwhelming sensation and emotion of these hosts with no prior experience for balance. It would be difficult to find objectivity. I tried to remember that and be especially patient as I answered him. â€Å"Every world is a unique experience. Unless one has lived on that world, it's impossible to truly understand the -â€Å" â€Å"But you never lived on Fire World,† he interrupted me. â€Å"You must have felt the same way†¦ Unless you had some other reason for skipping that planet? You've been almost everywhere else.† â€Å"Choosing a planet is a very personal and private decision, Robert, as you may someday experience.† My tone closed the subject absolutely. Why not tell them? You do think it's barbaric-and cruel and wrong. Which is pretty ironic if you ask me-not that you ever do. What's the problem? Are you ashamed that you agree with Robert? Because he's more human than the others? Melanie, having found her voice, was becoming downright unbearable. How was I supposed to concentrate on my work with her opinions sounding off in my head all the time? In the seat behind Robert, a dark shadow moved. The Seeker, clad in her usual black, leaned forward, intent for the first time on the subject of discussion. I resisted the urge to scowl at her. I didn't want Robert, already looking embarrassed, to mistake the expression as meant for him. Melanie grumbled. She wished I wouldn't resist. Having the Seeker stalk our every footstep had been educational for Melanie; she used to think she couldn't hate anything or anyone more than she hated me. â€Å"Our time is almost up,† I announced with relief. â€Å"I'm pleased to inform you that we will have a guest speaker next Tuesday who will be able to make up for my ignorance on this topic. Flame Tender, a recent addition to our planet, will be here to give us a more personal account of the settling of Fire World. I know that you will give him all the courtesy you accord me, and be respectful of the very young age of his host. Thank you for your time.† The class filed out slowly, many of the students taking a minute to chat with one another as they gathered their things. What Kathy had said about friendships ran through my head, but I felt no desire to join any of them. They were strangers. Was that the way I felt? Or the way Melanie felt? It was hard to tell. Maybe I was naturally antisocial. My personal history supported that theory, I supposed. I'd never formed an attachment strong enough to keep me on any planet for more than one life. I noticed Robert and Faces Sunward lingering at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense. I could guess the subject. â€Å"Fire World stories ruffle feathers.† I started slightly. The Seeker was standing at my elbow. The woman usually announced her approach with the quick tap of her hard shoes. I looked down now to see that she was wearing sneakers for once-black, of course. She was even tinier without the extra inches. â€Å"It's not my favorite subject,† I said in a bland voice. â€Å"I prefer to have firsthand experience to share.† â€Å"Strong reactions from the class.† â€Å"Yes.† She looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. I gathered my notes and turned to put them in my bag. â€Å"You seemed to react as well.† I placed my papers in the bag carefully, not turning. â€Å"I wondered why you didn't answer the question.† There was a pause while she waited for me to respond. I didn't. â€Å"So†¦ why didn't you answer the question?† I turned around, not concealing the impatience on my face. â€Å"Because it wasn't pertinent to the lesson, because Robert needs to learn some manners, and because it's no one else's business.† I swung my bag to my shoulder and headed for the door. She stayed right beside me, rushing to keep up with my longer legs. We walked down the hallway in silence. It wasn't until we were outside, where the afternoon sun lit the dust motes in the salty air, that she spoke again. â€Å"Do you think you'll ever settle, Wanderer? On this planet, maybe? You seem to have an affinity for their†¦ feelings.† I bridled at the implied insult in her tone. I wasn't even sure how she meant to insult me, but it was clear that she did. Melanie stirred resentfully. â€Å"I'm not sure what you mean.† â€Å"Tell me something, Wanderer. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Who?† I asked blankly. â€Å"The Walking Flowers?† â€Å"No, the humans.† I stopped walking, and she skidded to a halt beside me. We were only a few blocks from my apartment, and I'd been hurrying in hopes of getting away from her, though likely as not, she'd invite herself in. But her question caught me off guard. â€Å"The humans?† â€Å"Yes. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Don't you?† â€Å"No. They were quite the brutal race. They were lucky to survive each other as long as they did.† â€Å"Not every one of them was bad.† â€Å"It was a predilection of their genetics. Brutality was part of their species. But you pity them, it seems.† â€Å"It's a lot to lose, don't you think?† I gestured around us. We stood in a parklike space between two ivy-covered dormitories. The deep green of the ivy was pleasing to the eye, especially in contrast to the faded red of the old bricks. The air was golden and soft, and the smell of the ocean gave a briny edge to the honey sweet fragrance of the flowers in the bushes. The breeze caressed the bare skin of my arms. â€Å"In your other lives, you can't have felt anything so vivid. Wouldn't you pity anyone who had this taken from them?† Her expression stayed flat, unmoved. I made an attempt to draw her in, to make her consider another viewpoint. â€Å"Which other worlds have you lived on?† She hesitated, then squared her shoulders. â€Å"None. I've only lived on Earth.† That surprised me. She was as much a child as Robert. â€Å"Only one planet? And you chose to be a Seeker in your first life?† She nodded once, her chin set. â€Å"Well. Well, that's your business.† I started walking again. Maybe if I respected her privacy, she would return the favor. â€Å"I spoke to your Comforter.† And maybe not, Melanie thought sourly. â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"I gather you've been having more trouble than just accessing the information I need. Have you considered trying another, more pliable host? She suggested that, did she not?† â€Å"Kathy wouldn't tell you anything!† The Seeker's face was smug. â€Å"She didn't have to answer. I'm very good at reading human expressions. I could tell when my questions struck a nerve.† â€Å"How dare you? The relationship between a soul and her Comforter -â€Å" â€Å"Is sacrosanct, yes; I know the theory. But the acceptable means of investigation don't seem to be working with your case. I have to get creative.† â€Å"You think I'm keeping something from you?† I demanded, too angry to control the disgust in my voice. â€Å"You think I confided that to my Comforter?† My anger didn't faze her. Perhaps, given her strange personality, she was used to such reactions. â€Å"No. I think you're telling me what you know†¦ But I don't think you're looking as hard as you could. I've seen it before. You're growing sympathetic to your host. You're letting her memories unconsciously direct your own desires. It's probably too late at this point. I think you'd be more comfortable moving on, and maybe someone else will have better luck with her.† â€Å"Hah!† I shouted. â€Å"Melanie would eat them alive!† Her expression froze in place. She'd had no idea, no matter what she thought she'd discerned from Kathy. She'd thought Melanie's influence was from memories, that it was unconscious. â€Å"I find it very interesting that you speak of her in the present tense.† I ignored that, trying to pretend I hadn't made a slip. â€Å"If you think someone else would have better luck breaking into her secrets, you're wrong.† â€Å"Only one way to find out.† â€Å"Did you have someone in mind?† I asked, my voice frigid with aversion. She grinned. â€Å"I've gotten permission to give it a try. Shouldn't take long. They're going to hold my host for me.† I had to breathe deeply. I was shaking, and Melanie was so full of hate that she was past words. The idea of having the Seeker inside me, even though I knew that I would not be here, was so repugnant that I felt a return of last week's nausea. â€Å"It's too bad for your investigation that I'm not a skipper.† The Seeker's eyes narrowed. â€Å"Well, it does certainly make this assignment drag on. History was never of much interest to me, but it looks like I'm in for a full course now.† â€Å"You just said that it was probably too late to get any more from her memories,† I reminded her, struggling to make my voice calm. â€Å"Why don't you go back to wherever you belong?† She shrugged and smiled a tight smile. â€Å"I'm sure it is too late†¦ for voluntary information. But if you don't cooperate, she might just lead me to them yet.† â€Å"Lead you?† â€Å"When she takes full control, and you're no better than that weakling, once Racing Song, now Kevin. Remember him? The one who attacked the Healer?† I stared at her, eyes wide, nostrils flared. â€Å"Yes, it's probably just a matter of time. Your Comforter didn't tell you the statistics, did she? Well, even if she did, she wouldn't have the latest information that we have access to. The long-term success rate for situations such as yours-once a human host begins to resist-is under twenty percent. Did you have any idea it was so bad? They're changing the information they give potential settlers. There will be no more adult hosts offered. The risks are too great. We're losing souls. It won't be long before she's talking to you, talking through you, controlling your decisions.† I hadn't moved an inch or relaxed a muscle. The Seeker leaned in, stretched up on her toes to put her face closer to mine. Her voice turned low and smooth in an attempt to sound persuasive. â€Å"Is that what you want, Wanderer? To lose? To fade away, erased by another awareness? To be no better than a host body?† I couldn't breathe. â€Å"It only gets worse. You won't be you anymore. She'll beat you, and you'll disappear. Maybe someone will intervene†¦ Maybe they'll move you like they did Kevin. And you'll become some child named Melanie who likes to tinker with cars rather than compose music. Or whatever it is she does.† â€Å"The success rate is under twenty percent?† I whispered. She nodded, trying to suppress a smile. â€Å"You're losing yourself, Wanderer. All the worlds you've seen, all the experiences you've collected-they'll be for nothing. I saw in your file that you have the potential for Motherhood. If you gave yourself to be a Mother, at least all that would not be entirely wasted. Why throw yourself away? Have you considered Motherhood?† I jerked away from her, my face flushing. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she muttered, her face darkening, too. â€Å"That was impolite. Forget I said that.† â€Å"I'm going home. Don't follow.† â€Å"I have to, Wanderer. It's my job.† â€Å"Why do you care so much about a few spare humans? Why? How do you justify your job anymore? We've won! It's time for you to join society and do something productive!† My questions, my implied accusations, did not ruffle her. â€Å"Wherever the fringes of their world touch ours there is death.† She spoke the words peacefully, and for a moment I glimpsed a different person in her face. It surprised me to realize that she deeply believed in what she did. Part of me had supposed that she only chose to seek because she illicitly craved the violence. â€Å"If even one soul is lost to your Jared or your Jamie, that is one soul too many. Until there is total peace on this planet, my job will be justified. As long as there are Jareds surviving, I am needed to protect our kind. As long as there are Melanies leading souls around by the nose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned my back on her and headed for my apartment with long strides that would force her to run if she wanted to keep up. â€Å"Don't lose yourself, Wanderer!† she called after me. â€Å"Time is running out for you!† She paused, then shouted more loudly. â€Å"Inform me when I'm to start calling you Melanie!† Her voice faded as the space between us grew. I knew she would follow at her own pace. This last uncomfortable week-seeing her face in the back of every class, hearing her footsteps behind me on the sidewalk every day-was nothing compared to what was coming. She was going to make my life a misery. It felt as if Melanie were bouncing violently against the inner walls of my skull. Let's get her canned. Tell her higher-ups that she did something unacceptable. Assaulted us. It's our word against hers – In a human world, I reminded her, almost sad that I didn't have access to that sort of recourse. There are no higher-ups, in that sense. Everyone works together as equals. There are those whom many report to, in order to keep the information organized, and councils who make decisions about that information, but they won't remove her from an assignment she wants. You see, it works like – Who cares how it works if it doesn't help us? I know-let's kill her! A gratuitous image of my hands tightening around the Seeker's neck filled my head. That sort of thing is exactly why my kind is better left in charge of this place. Get off your high horse. You'd enjoy it as much as I would. The image returned, the Seeker's face turning blue in our imagination, but this time it was accompanied by a fierce wave of pleasure. That's you, not me. My statement was true; the image sickened me. But it was also perilously close to false-in that I would very much enjoy never seeing the Seeker again. What do we do now? I'm not giving up. You're not giving up. And that wretched Seeker is sure as hell not giving up! I didn't answer her. I didn't have a ready answer. It was quiet in my head for a brief moment. That was nice. I wished the silence could last. But there was only one way to buy my peace. Was I willing to pay the price? Did I have a choice anymore? Melanie slowly calmed. By the time I was through the front door, locking behind me the bolts that I had never before turned-human artifacts that had no place in a peaceful world-her thoughts were contemplative. I'd never thought about how you all carry on your species. I didn't know it was like that. We take it very seriously, as you can imagine. Thanks for your concern. She wasn't bothered by the thick edge of irony in the thought. She was still musing over this discovery while I turned on my computer and began to look for shuttle flights. It was a moment before she was aware of what I was doing. Where are we going? The thought held a flicker of panic. I felt her awareness begin to rifle through my head, her touch like the soft brush of feathers, searching for anything I might be keeping from her. I decided to save her the search. I'm going to Chicago. The panic was more than a flicker now. Why? I'm going to see the Healer. I don't trust her. I want to talk to him before I make my decision. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. The decision to kill me? Yes, that one.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset Essay

Keeping a positive attitude, having perseverance and staying motivated while attending school is paramount to achieving educational success. However, what if I told you there is an idea more powerful than any of these notions, one that is a game changer, both academically and in life, AND that we are in complete control of it. This idea is how we perceive our brains and whether our intelligence is something that is fixed or something that can grow and change. â€Å"In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort.† A person having a fixed mindset also perceives effort and learning as something that isn’t required – if you have to work hard for something, this means it doesn’t come naturally. The less effort that is put in, the more setbacks you incur and, â€Å"those with a fixed mindset were more likely to say that they would feel dumb, would study less, and seriously consider cheating.† â€Å"In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point.† People with a growth mindset see challenges, obstacles, mistakes or failures as ways of becoming smarter as you learn from each and every one of them. The harder you work and the more effort you put forth, the more you grow. Specifically, when students face a setback in school, they would study more or maybe in a different style instead of giving up. Students with growth mindset see their education and life as something to conquer, that learning is something you have to work at and that you get what you put into it – education, and life, is not handed to you. I believe that anyone, including someone with a fixed mindset, can develop a growth mindset. All it takes is the right person with the right influence- whether it be a math teacher and an article he hands out on the first day of  class. Or maybe it’s a basketball coach who instills in a player that practice makes perfect and ensures him that success isn’t handed to anyone; even Michael Jordan had to work hard. I, myself, have a growth mindset. Over the last 3-4 years I have made major changes in my life, both spiritually and physically- including going back to school (not only to get a degree but to learn and soak up all the information). I believe having a growth mindset affects me in nothing but positive ways. I see failures and set backs as learning opportunities and remind myself that practice makes perfect. One of my favorite quotes that relate to the growth mindset, â€Å"I remind myself that Oak trees grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.†

Business Environment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Environment - Coursework Example There are several types of economic systems but this paper will only concentrate on theses three namely, planned economy, participatory economy, and barter economy. In planned economy such as state socialism where the economy behaves like a hands on economy in which people follow the state laws of economy. In participatory economy, people guide the production and distribution of goods through participating in the system. While in barter trade, traders exchange goods for other goods directly. These three economic systems attempt to allocate resources effectively by helping in making decisions regarding how, what, and for whom to produce (Gitman and McDaniel, 2008:101). For instance, in planned economic system, the state owns the scarce resources whereby it allocates them to the public by setting up production targets and rate of growth according to how it views the public’s wants. In this system, the overall income and distribution of wealth falls in the hands of the state auth orities. As such, the amount of resources an individual can access depends on his income and the resource depends on the value of market. Barter economic system entails of exchanging goods for other goods. In this case, these economic systems allocate resources effectively and accordingly depending on need and availability. Factors of production Factors of production contribute to scarcity of production in that, the more people produce, the more they are utilizing the available resources. Scarcity takes place following the inadequate availability of resources in spite of the fact that people require resources to produce. Factors of production include the natural resources such as land, water, air, and minerals among others. There is labor, which entails about the human effort used during production of goods whereby it involves marketing expertise and technical skills. There is also capital stock whereby these are human made goods or means of production in which people use them to produce other goods (Kurtz and Boone, 2009:52). With this sense, factors of production such as land contribute towards scarcity of resources since it is a natural resource and humans cannot control that by structuring another land upon using the first one. It is available, but has no alteration or effort on the part of humans. Out of the three econo mic systems listed above, I think the most appropriate one is the planned system of economy. This is because, planned system of economy bases on the process of accumulating capital. Simultaneously, it also seeks to direct or control the process of accumulating capital via corporative ownership or state ownership. By so doing, this economic system ensures stability and encourages equality among different people as well as expanding the power of decision-making (Kurtz and Boone, 2009:69). In addition, with planned system of an economy, the public, the state, and corporative all carry out production with view of attaining maximum profits. In this system, the market players are responsible for making decisions concerning investment and as such, they are able to assess which means of production are competent in the market. As a result, this system of economy is appropriate since it coordinates production directly to satisfy the economic

Existentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Existentialism - Essay Example Their work shows a world with no hope. It is also a world they have created through their imagination and it bears little to no resemblance to the world we live in. In essence, existentialism is more of a thought experiment than a living, breathing philosophy. Two of the most famous existentialist philosophers were Sartre and Camus. At the beginning they were friends, but soon they became enemies. Sartre was more theoretical and Camus more allegorical, but both promoted the same ideals of existentialism. The truth is that Sartre essentially made up his philosophy in his own mind. He didn’t look to evidence from the outside world to make his own ideas less abstract. In Being and Nothingness, he even said: â€Å"Life has no meaning a priori †¦ It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose.†1 Again, this is made clear when Sartre says elsewhere, â€Å"Nothingness haunts being.†2 One of the most famous quotations from Being and Nothingness is â€Å"Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.†3 The notion that an individual’s freedom is a negative quality—something which an individual is condemned to is an unusual notion. It is certainly not an idea which would have popularity in North Korea, where no one has any real freedom. Sartre’s idea is overly abstract. He is really saying that freedom is frightening and that it doesn’t mean what we think it does. But this is clearly just a random opinion and not one that is true in any real political sense. On occasions such as this, Sartre appears to be more of a charlatan than an actual philosopher. Lack of control over one’s own life can breed desperation. One element that is common in the work of existentialist philosophers is the glamourization of suicide. It is sometimes portrayed as an act of rebellion or freedom. It is suggested that this is one free choice a person could make. What

Health, Promoting Good Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Health, Promoting Good Practice - Essay Example She is currently on an acute mixed ward for older people; this is her 3rd day of hospital stay. Mrs Marie Brown lives alone in her own 4 bedroom detached house in the suburbs of the city. Her husband died 4 months ago from cancer. She had been married 58 years. She has one daughter who lives nearby called Claire. She works full time, but helps with shopping and housework(1). Mrs Brown keeps a large amount of cash in the house to pay bills rather than use the bank. Marie's nationality is French and English is not her first language. Marie has exhibited signs of short term memory problems since the death of her husband and has recently started to revert to her mother tongue of French. Mrs Marie Brown has osteoporosis and chronic obstructive airways disease. She uses a nebuliser 3 times a day to assist her breathing. She becomes short of breath on exertion. (Becomes short of breath when she moves around). Prior to admission Mrs Marie Brown could shuffle a short distance of 5-6 steps, whilst using her zimmer frame. She sleeps in one of her downstairs rooms, with a commode next to the bed and her armchair is within easy reach. At present she is unable to stand by herself and requires assistance of one person for toileting and personal care. A home carer attends twice a day, to assist with a.m. getting up, washed and dressed and making breakfast. They also attend in the evening to assist Mrs Brown to get undressed and into bed. The home carers hold keys to the house. Professionals Involved prior to admission A social worker (SW) for older people, from social services (SS) has assessed Mrs Brown following the death of her husband. The SW has arranged for the care package (Home Care and Meals on Wheels) to be in place. An Occupational Therapist, (Also from SS) has assessed Mrs Brown and has recommended and arranged for a commode, zimmer frame and bed and chair to be raised. The patient chosen for the purpose of this essay will be referred to as Mrs. Marie Brown. Mrs. Marie Brown is 78 year old women who suffer with rheumatoid arthritis. This also resulted in Brown having bilateral hip replacements. Brown is on steroid treatment, which leads to thinning of the skin and susceptibility to trauma (Mallet and Dougherty 2001). Brown lives with her husband and two grown up sons. Brown was refereed to the district nurse on her discharge from hospital following her second hip replacement. The initial referral was to check the surgical wound. However on arrival it was pointed out by Brown that she had a skin tear on her left shin that wasn't healing. The district nurse performed an assessment and concluded the wound was a venous leg ulcer as it had been present for 6 weeks. The district nurses used Sorbisan and Telfa to dress the wound. Twice weekly visits were carried out to Joe for a further 4 weeks, and it became obvious that the ulcer was not improving. The d istrict nurse had to make a decision on what care to provide. The decision was to try another dressing Aticoat which is impregnated with silver, and not to refer the

Why do we have to pay $3 for a gallon of gas Research Paper

Why do we have to pay $3 for a gallon of gas - Research Paper Example It is important to note that the oil prices are dependent on the six super major companies of oil and gas. These super majors are BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Total. Oil accumulates between various layers of the porous rocks or other subsurface. Thus, the main idea is to locate the right convergence necessary in creating the required oil pool. Geologists find possible oil locations to explore through aerial photographs. Initially, oil wells were drilled at random locations or around other established oil wells. However, now oil is located using a vibrator to cause vibrations that geologists listen to and process data using computers into seismic lines. Once a location is found, then the explorers now undertake the drilling process. After drilling the oil well, a measuring device is then lowered into this oil hole and the information about the earth properties are gathered (Research, 214). This information includes such aspects as the density, type of rock that is present and the fluid contained in the rocks. After finding this information, if the hole is promising, then the drilling process is continued. If this hole is not a good location requi red, then the hole is filled up and the entire process begins all over again. Main sources of oil drills The world gets its daily ration of over 85 million oil barrels from over 4000 fields. Most of these are small with less than 20000 barrels each day. However, there are major oil giants that produce over 100000bpd. Then there is the category of the mega fields that produce over 1000000 bpd. These are recognized as the most important sources of oil in the world. The top most of these mega oil giants is the Ghawar in Saudi Arabia. It accounts for over 100 billion oil barrels. It is 160 miles long and 16 miles in width. The secret to the reservoirs longetivity is its water injection. From the 1960s. Saudi Armco commenced injecting water underneath the

Monopolistic Competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Monopolistic Competition - Essay Example Figure 1 is illustrative for differentiating market structure and the chapters refer to the chapters in Mankiw (2007). Figure 1. Gregory Mankiw on four types of market structure Source: Mankiw (2007, p. 341) Mankiw (2007, p. 341) elaborated that there is no â€Å"magic number† that would allow us to determine what is â€Å"few† or â€Å"many† firms as reality is never as precise as theory. Samuelson and Nordhaus (2001, p. 168) had viewed monopolistic competition as â€Å"imperfect competition†. Further, they described the type of competition to be â€Å"very common† (Samuelson and Nordhaus 2001, p. 187). Earlier, Hunt (2000, p. 41) reported that the theory of monopolistic competition was developed by Edward Chamberlin in 1933 in which the latter complained that his theory was wrongly lumped with Joan Robinson’s theory of imperfect competition. In particular, Hunt (2000, p. ... In contrast, through product differentiation, a firm in a monopolistic competition has a portion of the market in which he has a monopoly. For instance, the pants industry has Levis and Wrangler, for example, and each brand has a set of customers loyal to the brand. For their respective loyal customers, each firm is a monopoly facing a specific demand curve. Varian (2005, p. 461) pointed out in a monopolistic competition, â€Å"each firm faces a downward-sloping demand curve for its product.† This is illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 2. Monopolistic Competition in the Short Run Source: Mankiw 2007, p. 369 A diagram similar to Figure 2 of the earlier page is in Depken (2006, p. 199) as well as in Taylor (2007, p. 293). In Figure 2 of the earlier page, it is clear that a monopolistic competitive firm maximizes profit where its marginal revenue equals marginal cost (Mankiw 2007, p. 369). However, as shown in Figure 2, this can lead to a loss or profit, depending on the costs curves confronting the firm (Mankiw 2007, p. 369). The left panel of Figure 2 in the immediately preceding page indicates a profit for the monopolistic competitive firm while the one on the right panel of Figure 2 indicates a loss. Meanwhile, it must be pointed out that a much earlier book, Eckert and Leftwich (1988, p. 212) had described a much more elastic demand curve for a monopolistic competition or a demand curve that is close to a horizontal straight line to reflect that demand can either significantly drop or increase with prices changes in a monopolistic competition. In other words, this means that the demand curve facing the competitively monopolistic firm in the short run is highly elastic. Subject to

Diversity in AT&T telecommunication company Essay

Diversity in AT&T telecommunication company - Essay Example The mission statement for AT & T is to link people with their globe, all over the place and do it better than any other company. The company is fulfilling the above vision by coming up with new solutions for businesses and consumers, and through driving modernism in the entertainment and communication industry. Reflecting on this perspective, this paper critically examines diversity in AT&T Telecommunication Company in the U.S from a broad point of view. Inclusively, the paper presents a SWOT analysis, recommendations, and appendices for the company. Diversity in AT&T Telecommunication Company in the U.S AT & T is a telecommunication company that has been in the telecom industry for several decades. Being part of the capital intensive business, AT & T’s domestic environment has been impressive in terms of stock and turnover. The victorious legal and regulatory outcome saw the ending of monopoly in American telephony in the year 1968. AT & T submitted various proposals includin g an application for low-cost educational television network (Campbell 28). This application was meant to show AT & T as the flexible company to public interests than any other firm in the industry. The FCC ruling on AT & T request took place on 14 August 1969 where AT & T was licensed to operate. It is imperative to state that the government regulation was not the reason as to why the company faced bankruptcy. Internal management was defective that saw the company faced with many financial scandals and the bankruptcy. The government regulation of 1968 was in favor of AT & T Communications and has been instrumental in shaping the domestic environment the company operates in for several years (Brooks 41). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established supportive laws, which saw AT & T use the opportunity to grow its market share and expand its customer base globally. With the intention of sustaining the growth, AT & T Corporation infused large capitals into its business. AT & T needed significant amounts of capital to finance its plans of increasing and maintaining its domestic market share (Borkowski 64). The company’s growth plan was a figure from $890 million in 1984 to $2.76 billion in 1987. To finance its forecasts, AT & T began by selling $481 million in common stock in 1984 the same way it had done in the past. The share price was $47 per share, and AT & T needed to capitalize on the high value at the time. From 1985 to 1989, AT & T sold convertible debentures. Another expectation of the company at the time was to achieve a market share of 20% by 1990. The company realized that to achieve this it required funding of between $890 million in 1984 to $2.76 billion by 1987. AT & T cash inflows at the time were insufficient to support its domestic environment plans. The company was to raise the finances through other means (Lawrence 15). This is where it opted to sell $481 million in equity in 1984, and afterward issued convertible debentures up until 1989 to match its expansion plans. Issuing those debentures allowed AT & T to convert them into stock giving AT & T a leverage to raise more debt. Reflecting on research, AT & T is experiencing a competitive global environment as new competitors are contending for market share in an investment concentrated business. With the increased

Gender and Sexual Studies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gender and Sexual Studies - Research Paper Example Honestly, sometimes it seems like sexuality is a very complex topic of study in the gender relations. However, married men, for example, are often bombarded on a day-to-day basis by conflicting messages and experiences such as you are handsome, you are not handsome (Beasley 123). Women, on the other hand, experience the same compliments like you are not sexy, and you are sexy. Additional conflicting sexuality messages and exceptions to the women include married couple have the worst sex, sex is for your husband, sex is for you and lastly married couples tend to have the best sex complement. Honestly, it is always good to leave women with a smile on their faces, dismay and confusion on their minds. This is embracing sexuality. In the business interactions, everyday stress and fatigue of the libido-suppressing effects, it becomes necessary for people to leave the whole of this â€Å"sexuality thing† for another day (Brownson 145). Embracing sexuality as an aspect of socializatio n is not bad though it should have some limits. When it comes to sexual pleasure, embracing sexuality encourages the best way possible for the married couple to experience sexual pleasure. Additionally, embracing sexuality in the marriage incidence ensures that the marriage partners cordially respect one another. Even though the embracement of sexuality to some degree seems stacked against every married couple personality, sexologists encourage people not to give up or let go of innately driven sex persuasion and intimacy in their marriages.

The Risks of Unprotected Sex among Australian Teenagers Essay

The Risks of Unprotected Sex among Australian Teenagers - Essay Example These contacts will be used as the source for statistics relating to incidence of HIV/AIDS, other STIs, and unplanned pregnancy among young people. Palliative Care Worker Add Details. A palliative care worker will be interviewed for more information about living and dying with HIV/AIDS. Anonymous An anonymous teenage source will be interviewed to get their opinion on subjects relevant to the articles, such as unprotected sex and thoughts on the consequences. AVERT This site is being used as the source of all factual information about the physical effects of HIV/AIDS and other STIs. AVERT This section of the AVERT web site contains real life stories from teenagers who have HIV/AIDS. Some have contracted the virus through having unprotected sex. Secondary Sources Health Insite - Contraception The Health Insite web pages are a collection of many different sources of information. It is included here to show the source of the various other page links. All direct links from this site have been reviewed by Health Insite's editorial team to ensure the quality of information is high. Health Insite - Safe Sex A collection of articles relating to safe sex in Australia. Teen Health Topics - Are you Ready for Sex This site provides advice for teenagers on safe sex and deciding if they are ready to have sex. This will be used to help readers decide these questions for themselves. Family Planning Association Fact Sheets These are a collection of pamphlets containing a... With unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) a very real risk of unprotected sex, my intent with this project is to provide the full facts to young people. I believe that many young people ignore contraception simply because they are unaware of the issues, or because they have not been presented with the issues in a way that makes them real. Teenagers especially always think "it won't happen to me". My intent is to show them that it does happen to people like you. I intend to interview and collect information from people and sources that clearly show the devastating effect unprotected sex can have on teenagers, from unwanted pregnancy to HIV/AIDS. The Health Insite web pages are a collection of many different sources of information. It is included here to show the source of the various other page links. All direct links from this site have been reviewed by Health Insite's editorial team to ensure the quality of information is high. This study shows a high correlation between sexual knowledge and sexual confidence.

Doctor Faustus as a Play Essay Example for Free

Doctor Faustus as a Play Essay 1. Characters The main characters are the Faustus, the protagonist, Mphistophilis, the villain. Apart from this we have Wagner, Good angel, evil angle, Lucifer as major characters. Chorus, Pope, The Emperor of Germany, Raymond king of Hungary, Duke of Saxony, Bruno, Duke of Vanholt, Duchess of Vanholt, Martino, Frederic, Benvolio, Valdes, Cornelius, Clown, Rogin, Dick, Vintner, Horse-course, Carter, Old Man, Scholar, Cardinals, Archbishop of Rheims, Bishops, Monks, Friars, Soldiers, Belzibub, The seven deadly sins, Devils, Spirits in the shapes of Alexander The great, of his Paramour, of Darius, and of Helen in the list of minor characters. 2. Dialogue The play was written well ahead 1830, so the colloquial prose is automatically eliminated. The dialogue in the play, Dr Faustus, is more of the thoughts of the characters instead of their actual words. For example, Faustus says, Faustus, begin thine incantations, And try if devils will obey thy hest, Seeing thou hast prayd and sacrificd to them. Here, he is alone on stage, and is talking to himself. Usually we dont see people talking to themselves while theyre alone. However, Marlowe uses this so time of solitude as a time to tell us what Faustus is doing, which keeps up informed. Those words seems to be less natural because they sound like Faustus thoughts instead of his actual dialogue. An example of stage direction within the dialogue is when Mephistophilis says, Faustus, thou shatl: then kneel down presently, Whilst on thy head I lay my hand, And charm thee with this magic wand. 3. Plot The play, Doctor Faustus, is all about Faustus, an erudite man in medicine and other knowledge known to man. However, disgruntled Faustus, not knowing where his life is heading, calls upon Lucifer and his accomplice, Mephistophilis, to instruct him the ways of magic. But they agree to be his mentors only if Faustus would sell his soul to Lucifer and be his after 24 years. Faustus agrees. He goes through trying times while he is unsure of his decision and considers repenting. But then hes persuaded over and over again to the magic powers of the devil that were far more satisfying than the powers of heaven. 4. Conflict The conflict in Doctor Faustus is within Faustus himself, who is personified in two angles good and evil each trying to pull Faustus in their opposite paths. Hence, we often see that Faustus repents following the good advice of the good angle. However, the evil angle again scores its victory by infusing fear into Faustuss heart. In the penultimate scene, Faustus is tested to give into the temptations of the seven deadly sins. We find him deceived by lust, one of the deadly sins, as he yields to the beauty of Helen, despite the advice of the old man. Even in the last scene, Faustus is spooked by the power of evil than the trust in God. His so called repentance is the mere voice of fear than a firm prayer to God. Thus we find the prevalence of free-will and willful submission to the fears of his mind. 5. Settings Doctor Faustus stand on the verge of two eras the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Some aspects of the setting are distinctly medieval. For example, the world of Doctor Faustus includes heaven and hell, as did the religious dramas of the medieval period. The play, is often, lined up with supernatural characters angels and demons, who might have stepped onstage right out of a cathedral. Like in the plays of Middle Ages, few of the background characters are in fiery pursuit of salvation. But, the setting of Doctor Faustus is also a Renaissance period the period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world that gave rise to a cultural rebirth through the 14th to the middle of the 17th centuries. The atmosphere of the play is speculative. People are often asking question never dreamed of in the Middle Ages. For example, people are asking, Is ther a hell? Faustus himself is seized by worldly ambitions. He is far more concerned about luxurious silk gowns and powerful war-machines than saving his soul. Was there a dividing line between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance ? The answer is there wasnt. Both old and new ways of thinking existed side by side as people lived through a long period of transition. Transition is the key to the setting of the play. 6. Stage Direction Most of the stage direction are written within the dialogue of the script. Only few stage directions in parenthetical are the entrances, exits. Damnd be his soul for ever for this deed! [Exeunt all except Faustus  and Mephistopheles Occasionally, especially during the scene involving the Pope, we find the occasional I pledge your grace. [Snatches the cup.]. and Nay, then, take that. [Strikes the POPE.] Each of these types of stage direction helps us to better understand of the action of the play. If the stage direction is in the direction, the audience not only hears what the action is about but they also get to see it. Likewise, if the stage direction is in parenthetical, then the director knows what Marlowe wants the scene to look like. 7. Scenes Allowances must be made for the shattered form in which Doctor Faustus survives. Originally, the play may have had the loose five-act structure suggested by the 1616 text. Or it may simply have been a collection of scenes or movements, as in the shorter version of 1604. In fact, the act divisions in Doctor Faustus are the additions of later editors. Scholars have made their own decisions about the plays probable cut-off points. Thats why no two editions of Doctor Faustus have identical act and scene numbers. 8. Theme A study in ambition, Dr. Faustus is someone who is an overreacher, a man who strives against human limitations. Faustus tries to do more than is humanly possible. He seeks to know, possess, and experience everything under the sun. There are two ways to read Doctor Faustus: First, the play glorifies ambition. Though Faustus is finally undone, his dreams emerge larger than the forces that defeat him. Second, the play criticizes ambition. Faustus falls to great depths from lofty heights. Whats more, his larger-than-life dreams are cut down to size by the pointed ironies of Mephistophilis. Thus we can say that Doctor Faustus is a great play of all the times.

Business Cycle Synchronization in Latin America

Business Cycle Synchronization in Latin America Business cycles synchronization in Latin America:  A TVTPMS Approach Introduction: Over the last decades, there has been a growing interest in the business cycle transmissions among countries and interdependencies. The design of regional co-operations and integrations, such as Mercosur or Latin America countries, has the purpose to reduce poverty, amplify society welfare and enhance macroeconomic stability. However, it is crucial to understand the influence of regional integration and the role of external factors on regional business cycle synchronization. Fiess (†¦..) find that a relatively low degree of business cycle synchronization within Central America as well as between Central America and the United States. Grigoli (2009) analyzed the causation relations among business activities of the Mercosur countries to determine which cycles are dependent on others, considering trade intensity, trade structure and the influences of the EU and US as well. He find some causation relations among the South-American countries; however, the EU and US do not play a relevant role in determining the fluctuations of their cycles. Gutierrez and Gomes (†¦..) use the Beveridge-Nelson-Stock-Watson multivariate trend-cycle decomposition model to estimate a common trend and common cycle. Aiolfi et al. (2010) identify a sizeable common component in the LA countries’ business cycles, suggesting the existence of a regional cycle Caporale and Girardi (2012) show that the LA region as a whole is largely dependent on external developments and the trade channel appears to be the most important source of business cycle co-movement. They report that the business cycle of the individual LA countries appears to be influenced by country-specific, regional and external shocks in a very heterogenous way. In order to investigate the degree of synchronization of the business cycles among the six major LA economies[1] (namely, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela) as a whole, we consider the presence of a regional cycle by estimating the common growth cycle with the aim of testing its effect on each country-specific cycle. Besides this introduction, this paper is organized as follows. Section 2 contains the model and describes the data. Section 3 presents the empirical results and finally, section 4 concludes. Data and Methodology : We use quarterly data of the real GDP growth rate of the LAC countries, extracted from Penn World Table , namely †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦, covering the period from the first quarter of †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ to the last quarter of †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. We focus on whether the economic activity in the LAC countries is driven by a joint business cycle. We first look at the engine of growth lies within the LA countries. We therefore firstly begin by studying the existence of a common cycle among the economies studied. Second, we attempt to find the influence of a common factor referred to as the LAC’s business cycle extracted from the estimation of a dynamic common factor model. We employ a measure of business cycles synchronization based on Hamilton’s (1989) original Markov-switching model and the time– varying Markov–switching model developed by Filardo (1994) and reconsidered recently by Kim et al. (2008) to investigate the regional common factor in dating the regional business cycles. This study analyzes whether the synchronization pattern of business cycles in a country has systematically changed with the expansion or recession phases of regional business cycle. In this context, we assumed business cycles in a particular country are driven by regional cycles proxied by the common dynamic factor in real GDP growth of the LA countries, thus we use a dynamic factor model to extract the regional cycle. The main interest of the analysis is that a latent dynamic factor drives the co-movement of a high-dimensional vector of time-series variables which is also affected by a vector of mean-zero idiosyncratic disturbances, ÃŽ µt (Stock, 2010) . The common factors are assumed to follow a first-order autoregressive process. This linear state-space model can be written as follows: (1) (2) where L1,t,†¦,Lk,t are common to all the series, ÃŽ µ and ÃŽ · are independent Gaussian white noise terms. The L matrix of factor loadings measures the instantaneous impact of the common factors on each series. There are two growth phases or regimes with a transition between them governed by a time-varying transition probability matrix. The advantage of such a model is that the regimes can be easily interpreted as regimes of recession and expansion. The estimated equation is the following[2]: , (3) where and The endogenous variable, yt (the real growth rate in a given country at time t) is assumed to visit the two states of a hidden variable, st, that follows a first-order Markov chain, over the T observations[3]. ÃŽ ¼st, ÏÆ', à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ are real coefficients to be estimated. Denoting zt the leading variable (the regional common factor at time t), we want to know whether zt causes yt+k, k= 1,2, †¦.Under the assumption that both y and z have ergodic distributions, we define the following transition probability functions: (4) where and are elements of the following transition probability matrix: (5) with Pij the probability of switching from regime j at time t − 1 to regime i at time t and i, j =1, 2 with for all i,j∈{1,2. k is a lag. In order to estimate the coefficients of equation (1), we need to maximize the log-likelihood of the unconditional density function of yt: (6) The unconditional density function is the product of the conditional density function and the unconditional probability of st. This is written as[4]: (7) Transition probabilities indicate that the states of expansion and recession are equally persistent, and this persistency is very strong. These probabilities aim to provide information about the likelihood of staying or switching from a given regime of k periods after a regime change in z. If the estimate of ÃŽ ¼1 is positive and ÃŽ ¼2 is negative, then regime 1 can be interpreted as one of expansion and regime 2 as one of contraction. Furthermore, assume that in eq. (†¦) ÃŽ ³1,2 is positive. This indicates that while any increase in leading indicator (z) increases P11, probability that y stays in regime 1, any decrease in z increases 1-P11, probability that y switches from regime 1 k periods later; that is, an expansion (recession) in z leads to an expansion (recession) in another country. Similarly, a negative ÃŽ ³1,2 means that an expansion in z leads to a recession in another country. Additionally, a negative ÃŽ ³2,2 means that any decrease (increase) in leading indicator in creases the probability of staying in regime 2 (switching from regime 2). If both ÃŽ ³1,2 and ÃŽ ³2,2 are insignificant, this would mean that there is no statistically meaningful impact of the occurrence of expansions or recessions in a leading market on the growth regime of the other markets[5]. Empirical Results Fig. 1 refers to the common factor, i.e. the regional growth cycle of the Latin America countries. As we can see, the common factor easily captures the well-known common features of the LA business cycle such as the 1994–95 Mexican crisis and the Tequila crisis. To test the hypothesis of a joint business cycle in the LA, we estimate the TVTPMS model given by Eqs. (1) and (2) with the variable z referring to the common factor (regional cycle). Fig. 1. Common factor in real GDP growth of the Latin America countries The estimation results for the regional cycle as leading variable are reported in Table 1. We find significantly positive ÃŽ ¼1 and negative ÃŽ ¼2 which correspond to a situation of distinct expansion and contraction regimes. Our main findings are based on the significance of the estimated coefficients ÃŽ ³1,2 and ÃŽ ³2,2. When looking at the significance of the coefficient ÃŽ ³1,2 , it is found that the common factor exerts direct effects on Mexico and Venezuela, implying that a high growth rate in regional cycle is informative of GDP expansion phases in these countries. That is, an expansion in common factor increases the probability that Mexico and Venezuela will continue to evolve in an expansion regime (i.e. P11). However, we see that ÃŽ ³2,2 is never significant for these countries. This suggests that the regional cycle can never be considered as a leading indicator of the future state of the cycle in Mexico and Venezuela when they are already in the contraction regime (i.e. P2 2 and P1-22). Conversely, our results show that regional cycle is sensitive to economic fluctuations in Colombia, Chile and Brazil because ÃŽ ³2,2 is significant, thereby implying that any change in regional factor does help predict whether these economies will stay into or escape from contractions. Table 1 Estimation results for the regional cycle as leading variable. The numbers in bold indicate that a high growth rate in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, and the Brail has an impact on the expansion and recession phases of the regional cycle. The evidence presented here indicates that Latin America countries’ increasing economic interdependence has strengthened both interregional business cycles synchronization. A regional cycle could provide significant informational content in predicting the future state of Mexico and Venezuela only when they are already into the expansionary state and the future state of Colombia, Chile and Mexico when they are already in the contraction regime. That is, the high level of integration reached within the region has enabled Mexico and Venezuela to emerge as a pole of economic growth where their business cycles are mutually reinforced during expansions. In other words, while this increasing economic interdependence tends to strengthen output co-movements when these countries are already in the expansionary state, the shift from contractions to recovery, opposed to Colombia, Chile and Mexico, do not depend on the recovery in other countries. For Argentina, both ÃŽ ³1,2 and ÃŽ ³2,2 is insignificant, implying any change in the regional cycle regional cycle is not sensitive to economic fluctuations in this country. Conclusion The papers other main finding is that a regional cycle could provide significant informational content in predicting the future state of the five of the largest Latin American economies—Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, and Mexico. However, the amplitude and duration of the business cycle are asymmetric, indicating that nonlinearities are important in the growth process. Thus, since the Latin America countries’ business cycles are well-tied together through a regional cycle, the costs of joining a monetary union would be reduced if a deeper regional economic cooperation, including intra-exchange rate stability and macroeconomic policy coordination, before turning on to a full-fledged monetary union. Since the Latin American economies have historically been highly dependent globalization process and demand from outside trading partners it would be interesting repeating a similar exercise with interest rates and cyclical output in advanced countries. References Hamilton, J.D., 1989. A new approach to the economic analysis of nonstationary time  series and the business cycle. Econometrica 57, 357–384. Filardo, A.J., 1994. Business cycle phases and their transitional dynamics. J. Bus. Econ. Stat.  12, 299–308. [1] These countries have accounted for some 70 percent of the region’s GDP over the past half century (Maddison, 2003, pp. 134–140) [2] The lag structure has been tested with standard AIC, HQ and SC criteria. [3] The occurrence of a regime is referred by a variable st that takes two values: 1 if the observed regime is 1 and 2 if it is regime 2 [4] The lags in the model are chosen using the Akaike information criterion. Moreover, we perform the Ljung–Box (LB) test to check that there is no residual autocorrelation [5] In this case, The TVPMS model converges to the Hamilton fixed probability model

Media Essays Magazines Men Women

Media Essays Magazines Men Women Magazines Men Women Literature Review Many scholars have argued the media play an increasingly central role within contemporary society, and the shaping of identities (Holmes, 2007; McRobbie, 2000). Kellner (1994, cited in Durham, 1995, p.2) argues the media provide individuals with the materials to forge their identity and sense of selfhood; including our notions of male and female and what it means to be good or bad. As a medium, magazines have not been studied in as much depth as newspapers, television and radio. However they are still an important cultural tool and a valuable medium to study, with a unique function ‘to bring high-value interpretative information to specifically defined, yet national audiences’ (Abrahamson, 1996, cited in Holmes, 2007, p.511). The analysis of images within magazines is a valid way of studying gender roles and relations according to Butler and Paisley (1980, p.49). They argue images formed from mediated precepts become part of a viewer’s conception of themselves. Vigorito and Curry (1998, p. 136) point out that popular culture is ‘increasingly visual’, and that magazine pictures ‘carry significant messages about cultural norms and values, including the norms of gender relations’. In a study of the pictorial images featured in Playboy and Cosmopolitan, Krassas et al (2001, p.752) argue that images within magazines ‘have a demonstrable effect on how we think about ourselves’, and that they ‘explicitly advise the reader about how to look and act’. The following study that is predominantly image-based analysis is therefore a legitimate and valid way of studying the sample material. Research into masculinity and male depiction within women’s magazines has been scarce according to many scholars (Holmes, 2007; Farvid and Braun, 2006; Vigorito and Curry, 1998), with most research focused on ‘the social construction of femininity’ (Vigorito and Curry, 1998, p.135). However, with an established theory that identifies gender as a social construct that defines masculinity as historically reactive to changing definitions of femininity (Kimmel, 1995, p.14), the study of the representation of men and their roles within women’s magazines has become increasingly significant. As Farvid and Braun (2006) explain: The focus on men is particularly relevant because, in a heteronormative world, male and female sexualities are constructed simultaneously. Therefore, although previous examination of femininity/female sexuality in magazines have been useful, they are only partially complete, as female (hetero)sexuality is also constructed through the magazines’ account of male (hetero)sexuality (p.298). The following study concerned with the sexual representation of men in contemporary women’s magazines is therefore pertinent to existing theory. As the majority of studies are also American and at least five years old, there is justification for a contemporary, English study on the sexual presentation of men in women’s magazines. In his observation of women’s magazines, Gauntlett (2002, p.51) notes that the changes in content coincide with societal changes in gender relations. The 1940s and 1950s saw the emphasis was centred on a domesticated ‘simpering housewife’, that saw education and careers as the masculinisation of women. The 1960s saw the sexual revolution that marked the seeds of change within society and women’s magazines. From this time the sexual longings of all women including the ‘respectable’ and the unmarried, could openly be acknowledged and discussed (Wouters 1998, p.188). In the 1970s and 1980s magazines continued to change, to account for women and their changing positions within society (Gauntlett 2002, p.52). Attwood (2004, p.15) argues since the 1990s popular media has depicted ‘new sexualities’, which break existing norms of feminine behaviour by addressing women as ‘knowing and lustful’. McNair (2002, p.88) has also noted that we increasingly live in a ‘striptease culture’ that is focused on ‘sexual confession and self-revelation’, that manifests itself within print media. On a broad level, the following study is concerned with how this emerging sexual discourse within the media and society is manifested within women’s magazines. Alongside changing societal values and morals, there are strong arguments suggesting the content of women’s magazines can be directly influenced by the interests of advertisers. In the relentless search for new markets by advertisers, erotic images of men are designed to appeal to both liberated women as well as the new male consumer (Rohlinger, 2002, p.61). In the 1990s, rumours circulated that women’s magazine Company, had found a sales formula relating to circulation figures with the number of times the word ‘sex’ appeared on the cover lines (Gough-Yates, 2003, p.139). Consumers that buy young women’s magazines also have the most desirable demographic to advertisers – young, single, employed, well educated and urban – and are the most likely to buy a magazine for it’s coverage of sex (Rohlinger, 2002, p.61). There is a general agreement that the content of women’s magazines has reached a sexual peak in today’s society. Sex ‘sets the tone, defines the pace, and shapes the whole environment’ of women’s magazines (McRobbie, 1996, p.177). There is currently a ‘lust revival, an acceleration in the emancipation of sexuality’ (Wouters, 1998, p.200). Winship (2000, p.43) argues sexual discourse, which was once a private dialogue, has been re-positioned in a public space, moving it from a private to a public discourse. Attwood (2004, p.15) supports this idea, arguing that ‘sexy images have become the currency of the day’. Not only has the sheer volume of sexual coverage increased dramatically, Scott (1985, p. 387) points out that there has also been a complete liberalisation of the treatment of sex within women’s magazines. Sexuality has replaced romance as the ideological focus – with a more pronounced emphasis on ‘strong, frank, and explicitly sexual representations’ (McRobbie, 1996, p.192). With sexuality replacing romance as the ideological focus of women’s magazines, Giddens (1992, p.1-2) argues sexuality has been released from the confines of a heterosexual, monogamous, procreative hegemony and has been replaced with ‘sexual pluralism’, a sexual identity defined and structured by individual choice. This individual choice and ‘sexual pluralism’ can be seen within the pages of women’s magazines as young women are actively encouraged to be ‘sexual actors, even predators’ in their search for sex (Gauntlett, 2002, p.206). Gauntlett (2002, p.97) supports Giddens arguments for a post-traditional society, referring to the increased levels of divorce and separation as individuals move from one relationship to another. Furthermore, Wouters (1998, p.208) argues there is now a ‘sexualisation of love and an eroticisation of sex’. With the liberalisation of women’s magazines in favour of a more sexually confident standpoint, debates surround the change in attitude and treatment towards men in favour of an objectified, sexist approach. Men, it has been argued, are no longer treated with respect ‘but could be seen as inadequate, or the butt of jokes’ (Gauntlett, 2002, p.53). As Wolf (1994) explains: Male sexuality, once cloaked in prohibitions that kept women from making comparisons, is under scrutiny, and the secrets of male virility are on display (p.24). After years of women complaining about the objectification of their bodies, the male body was ‘on display: cut up, close up and oh! so tastefully lit’ (Moore, 1988, p.45). As women’s magazines became more sexual, the availability of men’s bodies as sex objects became ‘central to this emergent discourse’ (Ticknell et al, 2003, p.54). Counter to the argument of women’s magazines as a stage for demeaning and objectifying men, is the admittance this it is something men’s magazines have been doing for decades, and since both sexes chooses to do so it probably doesn’t matter in sexism terms (Gauntlett, 2002, p.174). Women’s magazines also do not treat men as just bodies or ‘sex machines’ all the time; they are also presented as thoughtful, emotional beings (Gauntlett, 2002, p.188). Additionally, it could be argued that far from being an ‘emergent’ discourse, the male appearance has been available for the viewing pleasure of women for centuries. In the nineteenth century, a man’s physical appearance was taken as a sign of intelligence and morality, and women were invited to view men’s bodies as a sign of their superiority and harmony (Stern, 2003, p.220). Despite evidence to suggest it is not a valid criticism that women’s magazines objectify men; the viewing of men’s bodies in today’s society is done so in a mainstream context, using mechanisms historically associated purely with men and how they look at women, signalling that, for the first time, ‘erotic spectacles had crossed gender boundaries’ (Moore, 1988, p. 47). Laura Mulvey, in her essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ (1975), first introduced the idea of the ‘male gaze’; Mulvey argued that mainstream Hollywood cinema primarily sets out to satisfy the unconscious desires of men. She argued that male characters do most of the looking within films, making them the (active) subjects, and female characters are looked at, making them the (passive) objects. Male spectators identify with the male protagonist, and female spectators, Mulvey says, are also compelled to take the viewpoint of the central male character, denying women of their own perspective. A temporary masculinisation is the only way Mulvey can offer pleasure for the women viewer. And while the male hero in the film cannot be viewed as a sexual object, ‘according to the principles of the ruling ideology’, he can be admired by men narcissistically as an ideal version of the self (1975, p.14). Perhaps the biggest problem with Mulvey’s argument is the denial of a female gaze (Gauntlett, 2002, p.39). As Moore points out, To suggest that women actually look at men’s bodies is apparently to stumble into a theoretical minefield which holds sacred the idea that in the dominant media the look is always already structured as male. (Moore, 1988, p.45). Support for Mulvey’s masculinised female viewing is found in Krassas et al’s (2001) comparative study of gender roles in Cosmopolitan and Playboy. The study concluded that both magazines reflected the male gaze, regardless of audience, because both portrayed women as sex objects and the main concept within both was the idea of women attracting and sexually satisfying men. Additionally, if gaze behaviour is characterised by the viewing of a passive object, Schauer (2005, p.57) argues men are often pictured in traditional roles with power tools, hammers, army uniforms and so on, to show a engagement in an activity as a ‘strategy to offset the passivity of being looked at’. If this is the case, Mulvey’s framework of the gaze cannot be applied to women. However, since their earliest days, movies have included and celebrated attractive men whose sexual magnetism has no doubt drawn women into cinemas (Gauntlett, 2002, p.39). Since Mulvey’s argument, various writers have argued for the inclusion of the female spectator within the framework of the gaze and Gauntlett describes Mulvey’s argument as ‘untenable’ (2002, p.39). Van Zoonen (1994, p.97) argues Mulvey’s analysis of patriarchal cinema is ‘dark and suffocating’, which has lost ground to an alternative ‘more confident and empowering’ approach to female spectatorship that allows a ‘subversive’ way of viewing the texts. Moore (1988, p.59) also makes the case for a female gaze, arguing that it does not simply replicate a ‘monolithic and masculinised stare, but instead involves a whole variety of looks and glances – an interplay of possibilities.’ Attwood (2004, p.15) argues that in today’s society, objectification is a necessary precondiction for erotic gazing in a narcissistic culture ‘where the body is widely represented as an object for display’. In this climate, there is a ‘strong encouragement for a female gaze and the creation of a space for male narcissism’ (MacKinnon, 1997, p.190). Therefore, securing the gaze of others connotes ‘desirability and self-importance for both women and men’ (Attwood, 2004, p.15). It could be argued therefore, that women’s magazines may provide a stage for the objectification of men which in a ‘narcissistic culture’ is both inevitable and desirable. The following study is concerned with whether there is evidence of a female gaze within women’s magazines that fits within Mulvey’s framework of gaze. Thus, whether men are actively viewed by women as passive objects. Furthermore, Mulvey points out that the appearance of women are often coded for strong visual and erotic impact, so that they can be said to connote ‘to-be-looked-at-ness’ (1989, p.10). This element will be analysed in the examination of the images of men within the three chosen magazines to discover if men display the same visual codes and therefore imply they are receiving a female gaze. The growing preoccupation with sex and male bodies within women’s magazines has come under much debate by theorists, with one of the most passionately critical arguing they are morally reprehensible, offering ‘a depressing portrait of the modern British woman’ (Anderrson and Mosbacher, 1997, p.18). Women were described as dishonest and crude, with ‘no moral standard at all’ (p.56). Women can be, once corrupted, both more disgusting and degraded than men. As Shakespeare said, ‘Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds’. (Burrows in Anderrson and Mosbacher, 1997, p.57) Despite the passionate and dramatic way the report denounced the content of women’s magazines and their sexual content, the arguments put forward were branded as outdated and rigid, with the overwhelming consensus agreeing that the liberalisation and sexualisation of magazines were, although not perfect, a good and liberating thing nonetheless. Magazines borrow from feminist discourse, which imply to their readership a genuine commitment to the equality of men and women in their sexual worth (Tyler, 2004, p.96). The depictions of female sexuality are an empowered one, as there are representations of young women as sexually active and independent with the right to desire sex and receive sexual pleasure. The magazines can therefore be seen as sexually liberating and offering an image of sexual agency for women (Farvid and Braun, 2006, p.299). The main elements and issues covered by women’s magazines all figure ‘high in the feminist agenda’, and confirm that women’s magazines strive to provide an image of equality (McRobbie, 1999, p.57). Others argue however, that regardless of the emergent sexual discourse which implies women’s magazines provide a feminist message for readers; the obsession with men in the magazine’s reinforce an earlier notion that believes men are the route to happiness, and in reinforcing this attitude, they are legitimising and naturalising patriarchal domination (Farvid and Braun, 2006, p.296). The ideological underpinnings conform to rigid and traditional norms. These constructions position women as objects of male desire and underscore women’s subordinate position in contemporary society’ (Durham, 1995, p.18). Furthermore, it has been argued that women’s magazines use sex as a faà §ade to represent women as dangerous and daring through sex when in fact, the sexual acts represented are only ‘mildly transgressive’, and are actually based on traditional gender roles (Machin and Thornborrow, 2003, p.455). The theory of women’s magazines presenting traditional and stereotypical gender roles in the subtle undertones of the magazine’s, mirrors the opinion theorists felt about women’s magazine’s in the 1940s and 1950s; that they projected the image of a ‘simpering housewife’. Admittedly the appropriate roles for men and women were referred to more explicitly in those times, however it still implies that both present essentially the same message: that men are the route to happiness (Klassen et al, 1993). Goffman’s (1979) study into gender stereotypes within advertisements commented on how different poses portray messages about masculinity and femininity. He found that ‘women were often portrayed in very stereotypical ways, such as in submissive or family roles and in lower physical and social positions than men’ (Baker, 2005, p.14). A number of theorists adopted his methods for analysing magazine images, all of which supported his findings that gender is stereotyped within images; with women portrayed as submissive and passive, and men as dominant and superior (Kang, 1997; Klassen et al, 1993; Krassas et al, 2001; Vigorito and Curry, 1998). Similarly, Kim and Ward (2004, p.48-49) argue that women’s magazines skew the portrayal of males and females to their target audience so that editors, writers and advertisers can take advantage of gender myths and fears. In contrast to this traditional view of gender is McRobbie’s (1999, p.50) argument that it is wrongly assumed the ideology of the magazine’s will be absorbed in a direct way by readers. Hermes (1995, p.148) supports this argument suggesting that readers only connect with part of what a magazine is saying, and cultural studies makes the mistake of assuming that ‘texts are always significant’. Additionally Gauntlett (2002, p.207) points out that the encouragement of women to be active in their search for sex is a rejection ‘of passive femininity’, and ‘is feminist progress’. He adds that while women’s magazines may have a large proportion of content concerned with finding the right man, women are aggressively seeking out partners rather than waiting for a ‘nice husband to come along’ (p.191). He therefore rejects the idea of women being presented as passive, subservient beings which is a traditional notion of femininity. The presence of men as objects to be viewed by women is in itself also a way in which traditional gender ideologies is subverted within the magazines. This approach to men is traditionally only associated with the way men have treated women (Gauntlett, 1999, p.188). Though there are convincing arguments for both sides of the argument; that women’s magazines either present a feminist message, or a traditional ideological message, most scholars agree women’s magazines ‘do not construct a single mythic meaning of feminine identity, or present one ideological position for their readers. Instead, the discourses of women’s magazines are mixed, somewhat contradictory’ (Bignell, 1997, p.56-57). The oppositional arguments surrounding the extent to which gender is presented within women’s magazines leads McRobbie (1994, p.163) to believe there are ‘spaces for negotiation’ within women’s magazines, and that they bring ‘half a feminist message’ to women that would not otherwise receive it. In support of this, Hollows (2000, p.195) argues the feminist messages that are within women’s magazines produce spaces ‘where meanings can be contested, with results that might not be free of contradictions, but which do signify shifts in regimes of representation.’ Within the following study I wish to identify to what extent gender is portrayed as stereotypical and traditional, and how this is negotiated within the ‘emergent’ sexual discourse of the magazine’s, specifically in the objectification of men. Alongside this aim, I also wish to identify whether there is evidence of a female gaze in which men are presented in a way that implies they will receive an active sexual objectifying gaze.

Computers and Their Impact :: Technology Papers

Computers and Their Impact The extreme increase in the use of computers has drastically changed the lives of many people. Computers, as Sherry Turkle in "Who Am We" discussed, initially were used as simple calculators, but through the years they have come to be valued as more than simple machines (442). "The computer has gained new qualities, it is not only used as a calculator, but now it entails simulation, navigation, and interaction" (443). With the increase in computer usage, comes new software that attracts people's attention even more. Adults, adolescents and even children find themselves "losing track of time" when they sit down and play on the computer for half an hour and suddenly realize that thirty minutes has turned into a couple of hours. As changes occur in technology, we must also contemplate the effect these changes will have on individuals. We must realize that individuals are vulnerable to the virtual world and that they can get lost. "Our need for a practical philosophy of self-knowledge ha s never been greater as we struggle to make meaning from our lives on the screen" (456). The computer can serve many purposes, such as an aid for research, finishing homework and even as a means for keeping in touch with loved ones, but it can also cause an individual to get lost in the "virtual world." This topic sparked my interest when aclose friend of mine began to notice changes in her boyfriend's attitude. Her problems began when her boyfriend bought a laptop computer. He had never had a computer before, so this was something new and exciting for him. Within a couple of weeks my friend began to notice changes in his attitude. Suddenly, she noticed he spent hours a day in front of a computer screen. He was fascinated by the internet and the immense amount of resources it had to offer. His free time no longer consisted of spending quality time with his friends and significant other, rather he found browsing the web more fascinating and worthwhile. My friend suddenly found herself competing against a machine for her boyfriend's attention. My friend is not the only one who has experienced problems due to the amount of time her boyfriend spends on the computer. My cousin for example, can spend hours a day playing computer games and surfing the net. Interestingly enough, he denies spending so much time on the computer.

Nolan Ryan Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mid-Term   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For my Mid-Term, I have decided to write about one of the greatest pitchers of all times. His name is Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. most people know him as Nolan Ryan. He pitched in the Major League from 1967- 1993. He was born on January 31, 1947 in Refugio, Texas. He was the final child of six. He grew up on a street called Dezso Drive in Alvin, Texas. He delivered a paper called the â€Å"The Houston Post.† This route was 55 miles long, and so that he could finish, he had to wake up at one and start delivering these papers because his father wanted him to have some responsibility. This would take him four hours to complete.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When he went to High School, he played baseball and basketball. He attended Alvin High School. When he was a Sophomore, he pitched in front of Mets Scout Red Murff. Red said that Nolan had the best arm he had seen in his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1965, when Nolan was a Senor, he was voted â€Å"Most Handsome.† That same year he was drafted by the Mets in the eighth round. Can you believe that 294 people were taken over him. He started pitching in Marion, Virginia, which was the Appalachian Rookie League. The next year he played in Greenville, South Carolina. This league was the Single A Western Carolinas League. He then was promoted to William...

Retorhical Argument

Zoe Mojica Ryan Grandik English Comp. II February 27, 2013 Rhetorical Analysis (why violent video games are good for girls) Student Carmen Tieu, in her opinionated article, â€Å"Why Violent Video Games are good for Girls† expounds upon the idea that violent video games are good for girls. Tieu explains that violent video games boost confidence in women. She goes further on to say that it makes aware of the different socialization processes of men and women. Tieu begins by telling a short story about her gaming life. She is attempting to give you a peek into her mind about being a girl playing first person shooting games.She begins to reveal that men and women are socialized differently by using the aggressive chatting being done before the game begins. Tieu speaks to us in this manner to help us experience what it is like to be a girl and to be playing the violent first person shooting games. The way she is saying this makes it seem as though all males playing these games all act in such ways. The way that Tieu tells her story in the first paragraph gives us a more biased or more sympathetic affect to her cause. After Tieu finishes her first person perspective of the shooting games, she begins to say that girls are socialized into more docile activities.The language of the text that the writer is using is trying to make you more sympathetic towards her goal of this paper. Her word choice is meant not only for you to be sympathetic but to cause vexation. Tieu illustrates how society thinks that women shouldn’t and can’t play video games by saying they â€Å"objectify women† and the â€Å"violent† nature â€Å"repulses† girls. Tieu creates this tone by saying â€Å"Girls are socialized into activities that promote togetherness and talk, not high intensity competition involving fantasized shooting and killing. † Tieu continues to explain that women can play, and be just as good as men in violent video games.Carmen Tieu says that playing first person shooting games are empowering because it gives girls a chance to beat the boys at their own game. Her overall tone is meant to excite and make you want to play first person shooting games such as her quick and instinctual reactions using both joysticks. The author creates a very powerful environment when she explains how she gets an adrenaline rush beating testosterone driven men at something they are supposed to â€Å"excel† at. The writer creates a passionate diction when she uses the â€Å"savor† and â€Å"horror† and â€Å"completely destroys them†.The author furthers the goal of her paper by making her victory seem so empowering. Tieu proceeds in this paragraph by elaborating on how women can be made more confident in other aspects of life by playing violent video games. She says that when women play video games they are freed of the stereotype that women are meant to be soft and motherly figures. She claims that s he doesn’t reject these because she is a vegan and a tree hugger, but by saying she understands the opposing view makes it easier for the reader to stay on her side as to why video games are good for girls.She goes into further detail by saying it has psychologically helped her because she is aware that she can beat males at â€Å"their own game† claiming that it gives her more confidence in the male dominated academic field of math and science. Tieu says in this paragraph that playing video games has given her a different way of bonding with guys. She uses the example that a man gave her his respect for playing video games but goes on to say that he didn’t really respect women in general but we can’t really tell if he’s that kind of man just by one sentence.Showing the â€Å"lack of respect† he had towards women, she goes on to say since she started playing video games men have a different way of talking to her. Her way of saying â€Å"You get joy from perfecting your skills so that your high-angle grenade kills become a thing of beauty. † makes it seem as though it becomes a boost of confidence much like winning in a physical game. Tieu begins this paragraph by saying violent video games give girls an insight to a disturbing part of the male subculture. She uses words like â€Å"homophobic† and â€Å"misogynistic† to describe how the men react when they are playing such violent games.She describes them in a way that makes all men who play video games seem as though they downgrade any player who is below or even above them. She goes on to say that when she beats her male friends they are embarrassed by it which turns them into â€Å"testosterone driven macho men. † Tieu suggest that when men are around a female one on one a softer side of them comes out. She also over uses the word â€Å"macho† which creates a dual reality of how men can be a lot shallower when playing first person s hooting games. By her using the words to be a real man† she gives the claim that when men are around other men they have to pretend to be far more manly versions of themselves then what they really are. In contrast though, men are able to act like their true selves when they are one on one with women. When she uses those words to create the dual reality between a real man and a fake man she’s creating a tense environment and leaves us with an open question: Which man is the real man? In this opinionated article, â€Å"Why Violent Video Games are good for Girls†, Carmen Tieu argues how women should play violent video games.She uses diction and tone to help promote her argument. Throughout this article, she lets the reader know how much she has learned about the two natures that men display. Her words show how proud she is that she is able to recognize this difference in behavior and that she did not succumb to this, â€Å"ugly phenomenon†. The overall tone of the paper was persuasive and led you to be sympathetic to her cause. The type of language that the author uses helps to further enhance the argument. Through rhetoric devices Carmen Tieu solidifies that video games can boost confidence in women and that men and women are socialized differently.

The article talks about animal rights

The article talks about animal rights. The writer illustrates both argument, for and against, in his article. The writer starts by explaining the meaning of animal rights, which includes no experimenting, breeding, killing animals and no zoos or using animals for entertaining. The people for animal rights argue that both human beings and adult mammals have rights because they are both ‘subjects-of-a-life’. On the other hand, the people against animal rights argue that animals don’t think, not conscious. Also animals these people argue that animals were put on earth to serve human beings.This view comes originally from the Bible, but probably reflects a basic human attitude towards other species. Christian theologians developed this idea – St Augustine taught that â€Å"by a most just ordinance of the Creator, both their [animals'] life and their death are subject to our use. † They also argue that animals don’t have souls as Christian theologi ans used to teach that only being with souls deserved ethical consideration. In addition, animals don’t behave morally and are not the members of the ‘moral community’.The arguments goes, why should human beings have obligations towards animals, if animals don't have obligations to other animals or to human beings? I agree that animals should have rights. In my opinion, animals are also like humans, they should also be given certain among of rights and respect. However, I think that the rights should be limited, as animals are not like human. They lacking in the ability to judge right or wrong and may behave immorally. Therefore, if full rights are given to animals, it may be rather ironic; imagine punishing a dog for biting someone in the court.

Human Resource Development Essay

Involve them, trust them and treat them as resource or assets. 3- Fours on strengths of people and help them overcome their weakness. 4- Integrate individual’s needs & aspiration to organization Objectives of HRD:- 1- Develop high motivation level – To strengthen superior-subordinate relationship 3- To develop a sense of team spirit, team work & inter team collaboration. 4- To develop the original health, culture & climate. 5- To generate systematic info about HR 6- To increase the capabilities of an organization to recruit, select, retain and motivate talented employees. 7- To develop constructive mind in employees. 8- To generate info about HR for manpower planning, placement, successive planning and like. Author – Meera Sharma SCOPE: The field of HRD or Human Resource Development encompasses several aspects of enabling and empowering human resources in organization. Whereas earlier HRD was denoted as managing people in organizations with emphasis on payroll, training and other functions that were designed to keep employees happy, the current line of management thought focuses on empowering and enabling them to become employees capable of fulfilling their aspirations and actualizing their potential. This shift in the way human resources are treated has come about due to the prevailing notion that human resources are sources of competitive advantage and not merely employees fulfilling their job responsibilities. The point here is that the current paradigm in HRD treats employees as value creators and assets based on the RBV or the Resource Based View of the firm that has emerged in the SHRM (Strategic Human Resource Management) field. The field of HRD spans several functions across the organization starting with employee recruitment and training, appraisals and payroll and extending to the recreational and motivational aspects of employee development. The main functions of HRD are:- 1. Training and development Training and development is aimed at improving or changing the knowledge skills and attitudes of the employees. While training involves providing the knowledge and skills required for doing a particular job to the employees, developmental activities focus on preparing the employees for future job responsibilities by increasing the capabilities of an employee which also helps him perform his present job in a better way. These activities start when an employee joins an organization in the form of orientation and skills training. After the employee becomes proficient, the HR activities focus on the development of the employee through methods like coaching and counseling. 2 Organization development OD is the process of increasing the effectiveness of an organization along with the well being of its members with the help of planned interventions that use the concepts of behavioral science. Both micro and macro changes are implemented to achieve organization development. While the macro changes are intended to improve the overall effectiveness of the organization the micro changes are aimed at individuals of small groups. Employee involvement programmes requiring fundamental changes in work expectation, reporting, procedures and reward systems are aimed at improving the effectiveness of the organization. The human resource development professional involved in the organization development intervention acts as an agent of change. He often consults and advising the line manager in strategies that can be adopted to implement the required changes and sometimes becomes directly involve in implementing these strategies. 3. Career development It is a continuous process in which an individual progresses through different stages of career each having a relatively unique set of issues and tasks. Career development comprises of two distinct processes. Career Planning and career management. Whereas career planning involves activities to be performed by the employee, often with the help of counselor and others, to assess his capabilities and skills in order to frame realistic career plan. Career management involves the necessary steps that need to be taken to achieve that plan. Career management generally focus more on the steps that an organization that can take to foster the career development of the employees.

Dowry Problem in India Essay

Gandhi ji said:- ‘Any young man who takes dowry fo getting married , disrespects his education, country and womanhood.’ Our society is full of evil systems. One of those evil systems is dowry. Dowry is defined as the ‘price paid by parents to get their daughters married as well for getting them the place in the family which they deserve.’ Over the years cases of dowry harassment and cases of dowry deaths have multiplied. In Hindu marriage system, a system termed as ‘kanyaddan’ is performed in which the bride is given to the husband and in-laws along with huge sums of money, furniture, house, car, etc. or more precisely bride along with dowry. The dowry system has converted something as pure as marriage into a business transaction and the bride into a saleable commodity or a key to more money. Debts are taken so that the groom’s family can be provided with a large dowry. This creates a burden on the bride’s family. Girls begin to think of themselves as a burden on their families and accept spinsterhood as their fate or commit suicide. Dowry has also led to an increase in female feticide and female infanticide which has greatly affected the male-female ratio in the country. Heavy dowry is demanded for educated boys. This has ruined the lives of many brilliant girls. Brilliant, educated and economically independent girls cannot get married to so-called educated boys because their parents cannot provide their in-laws with a huge dowry demanded by them. Even after marriage such girls are tortured to bring in more money, and ultimately, they either commit suicide or lose their mental balance. People who believe in taking dowry say that dowry acts as a financial help to the newlyweds. They say that while marriage acts as a life insurance for girls, marriage acts as its premium. They also say that a girl who carries a respectable amount of dowry to her husband and in-laws feels confident while a girl who carries a less amount of dowry feels uncomfortable and apprehensive. In 1961, the government passed the Dowry Prohibition Act to abolish the dowry system. However, this act, instead of subsiding dowry, took its roots to a deeper level in the society. It is said that on an average one woman is being killed in every four hours n the issue of dowry in India. However, strong public rejection is being noticed on the issue of dowry among the youth. They are not ready to give or take dowry for getting married. They are really coming forward to abolish the evil. Our society  needs such responsible youth to abolish the evil system of dowry in India. There is finally a positive beam of light shown in utmost darkness, but to convert this positive beam of light into utmost lightness, we, the common people of India have to take effective remedial steps: – We should start a strong propaganda to abolish the evil. People should make demonstrations against those who take dowry. Strict laws should be passed to prohibit taking and giving dowry. Young girls should take serious action when their family is demanded with dowry. Proper education should be imparted to girls as well as they should be made economically independent to accelerate the process. Love marriages, inter-caste marriages as well as inter-provisional marriages may also help. Cases of â€Å"dowry free† marriages should be the news item on the bulletin. This will encourage the youth. Right now, in our society, a man who does not marry for love, learns to marry for possessions. We have to change the picture. â€Å"SAY NO TO DOWRY†