The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 41

â€Å"Stefan!† Elena screamed and knew that she sounded like a madwoman when she screamed it. There was no answer. She was running. Following the light. â€Å"Stefan! Stefan!† An empty cell. A yellowed mummy. A pyramid of dust. Somehow, subconsciously, she suspected one of these things. And any one would have caused her to run out to fight Bloddeuwedd with her bare hands. Instead, when she reached the right cell, she saw a weary young man, whose face showed that he had given up all hope. He lifted a stick-thin arm, rejecting her utterly. â€Å"They told me the truth. You were exported for aiding a prisoner. I'm not susceptible to dreams anymore.† â€Å"Stefan!† She fell to her knees. â€Å"Do we have to go through this every single time?† â€Å"Do you know how often they re-create you, bitch?† Elena was shocked. More than shocked. But the next moment the hatred had faded from his face. â€Å"At least I get to look at you. I had†¦I had a picture. But they took that, of course. They cut it up, very slowly, making me watch. Sometimes they made me cut it. If I didn't cut it, they would – â€Å" â€Å"Oh, darling! Stefan, darling! Look at me. Listen to the prison. Bloddeuwedd is destroying it. Because I've stolen the other half of your key from her nest, Stefan, and I am not a dream. Do you see this? Did they ever show you this?† She held out the hand with the double fox ring on it. â€Å"Now – now – where do I put it?† â€Å"You are warm. The bars are cold,† Stefan said, clutching her hand and speaking as if reciting out of a children's book. â€Å"Here!† Elena cried triumphantly. She didn't need to take the ring off. Stefan was holding her other hand, and this lock worked like a seal ring. She placed it straight into a circular depression in the wall. Then, when nothing happened, she turned it right. Nothing. Left. The cell bars slowly began to lift into the ceiling. Elena couldn't believe it and for an instant thought she was hallucinating. Then when she turned sharply to look at the ground she saw that the bars were already at least a foot above it. Then she looked at Stefan, who was standing again. Both of them fell back to their knees. They would have both gotten down and wriggled like snakes if necessary, the need to touch was so great. The horizontal struts on the bars made it impossible for them to hold hands as the bars lifted. Then the bars were over the top of Elena's head and she was holding Stefan – she was holding Stefan in her arms! – appalled to feel bones under her hands, but holding him, and no one could tell her he was a hallucination or a dream, and if she and Stefan had to die together, then they would die together. Nothing mattered but that they not be separated again. She covered the unfamiliar, bony face with kisses. Strange, no half-grown, gone-to-the-wild beard, but vampires didn't grow beards unless they had them when they became vampires. And then there were other people in the cell. Good people. People laughing and crying and helping her create a makeshift litter out of stinking blankets and Stefan's pallet and no one screamed when lice jumped on them because everyone knew that Elena would have turned and ripped their throat out like Saber. Or rather, like Saber, but as Ms. Courtland had always said, with feeling. To Saber it was just a job. Then somehow – things had begun to become disconnected – Elena was watching Stefan's beloved face and gripping his litter, and running – he didn't weigh anything – up a different corridor than the one she'd fought and shouldered and pushed and floundered in on her way in. Apparently all the Shi no Shi's salmon had chosen the other corridor to swim up. Undoubtedly there was a safe place for them at the end on that side. And even as Elena wondered how a face could be so pure, and handsome, and perfect, even when it looked almost like a skull, she was thinking, I can run and stoop. And she bent over Stefan and her hair made a shield around them, so that it was just the two of them inside it. The entire outside world was shut out, and they were alone, and she said in his ear: â€Å"Please, we need you to be strong. Please – for me. Please – for Bonnie. Please – for Damon. Plea – â€Å" She would have gone on naming all of them, and probably some over and over, but it was too much already. After his long deprivation, Stefan was in no mood to be contrary. His head darted up and Elena felt more than the usual pain because he was at the wrong angle, and Elena was glad because Stefan had struck a vein down its length and blood was flowing into his mouth in a steady stream. They had to go a little more slowly now, or Elena would have tripped and colored Stefan's face maroon like a demon's, but they were still jogging. Someone else was guiding them. Then, very suddenly they stopped. Elena, eyes shut, mind locked on to Stefan's, would not have looked up for the world. But in a moment they were moving again, and there was a feeling of spaciousness all around Elena and she realized that they were in the lobby and she had to make sure everyone knew. It's on the left side of us now, she sent to Damon. It's close to the front. It's a door with all sorts of symbols above. I believe I'm familiar with the species, Damon sent back dryly, but even he couldn't hide two things from her. One was that he was glad, actually glad to feel Elena's elation, and to know that it was he, in the main part, that had brought it about. The other was simple. That if there was a choice between the life of himself and the life of his brother, he would give his own life. For Elena's sake, for his own pride. For Stefan. Elena didn't dwell on these secret things she had no right to know. She simply embraced them, let Stefan feel them in all their raw vibrancy, and made sure there was no feedback to tell Damon that Stefan knew. Angels were singing in heaven for her. Black Magic rose petals were scattering around her body. There was a release of doves and she felt their wings. She was happy. But she was not safe. She only learned it as she entered the lobby, but they were very lucky that the Dimensional Door was on the side it was. Bloddeuwedd had methodically destroyed the other side until it had collapsed into a mound that was nothing but splintered wood. Elena and Bloddeuwedd's feud might have started out as a quarrel between a hostess who thought her guest had broken the house rules and a guest who just wanted to run away, but it had become a war to the death. And given the way vampires, werewolves, demons, and other folk down here in the Dark Dimension reacted, it had created a sensation. The Guardians had their hands full keeping people out of the building. Dead bodies lay strewn on the street. Oh, God, the people! The poor people! Elena thought, as this at last came into her field of view. As for the Guardians, who were keeping this place clear and fighting Bloddeuwedd on her behalf – God bless you for that, Elena thought, envisioning a standing-room-only lobby as they tried to race with Stefan across the floor. As it was, they were alone. â€Å"Now we need your key again, Elena,† Damon's voice, just above her, said. Elena gently pried Stefan off her throat. â€Å"Just for a moment, my darling. Just for a moment.† Looking at the door, Elena was confounded for several moments. There was a hole, but nothing happened when she put the ring in it and pushed, jammed, or twisted left or right. Out of the corner of her eye she saw some dark shadow above her, dismissed it as irrelevant, and then had it come screaming at her like a dive-bomber, steel talons reaching for her. There was no roof. Bloddeuwedd's talons had methodically ripped it away. Elena knew it. Because somehow Elena suddenly saw the whole of the situation, not just her part in it, but as if she were someone outside her body, who understood many more things than puny little Elena Gilbert did. The Guardians were here to prevent collateral damage. They could or would not stop Bloddeuwedd. Elena knew that, too. All the people running down the other corridor had been doing what an owl's prey normally does. They had been dashing for the bottom of their burrow. There was an enormous safe room there. Somehow, Elena knew it. But now, blurrily but definitely, Bloddeuwedd saw the ones she had been after in the first place, the nest robbers, the ones who had forever put out one of her huge round orange far-seeing eyes, and cut her so deeply that the other eye was filling with blood. Elena could feel it. Bloddeuwedd could see they were the ones who had caused her to smash her beak. The criminals, the savages, the ones she would tear to pieces slowly, slowly, a limb at a time, switching from one to another as she clutched five or six in one set of claws, or as she watched them, unable to run from lack of limbs, writhing beneath her. Elena could sense it. Beneath her. Right now†¦they were directly beneath Bloddeuwedd. Bloddeuwedd dove. â€Å"Saber! Talon!† shouted Sage, but Elena knew that there would be no distraction now. There would be nothing but killing and tearing, slowly, and screams echoing off the single lobby wall. Elena could picture it. â€Å"It won't open, damn it,† shouted Damon. He was manipulating Elena's wrist to move the key in the hole. But no matter how he pulled or pushed, nothing happened. Bloddeuwedd was almost upon them. She accelerated, throwing telepathic images before her. Sinew stretching, joints cracking, bone splintering†¦ Elena knew – NOOOOO! Elena's cup of rage ran over. Suddenly she saw everything she needed to know in one great sweeping epiphany. But it was too late to get Stefan inside the door, so the first thing she shouted was â€Å"Wings of Protection!† Bloddeuwedd, barely six feet away, slammed into a barrier that a nuclear missile could not have harmed. She slammed into it at the speed of a racing car and with the mass of a medium-sized airplane. Horror exploded beak first against Elena's wings. They were clear green at the top, dotted with flashing emeralds, and shading into a dawn pink covered with crystals at the bottom. The wings enwrapped all six humans and two animals – and they did not move by one millimeter when Bloddeuwedd smashed into them. Bloddeuwedd had made herself roadkill. Shutting her eyes, and trying not to think of the maiden who had been made of flowers (and who had killed her husband! Elena told herself desperately) with dry lips, and wetness trickling down her cheeks, Elena turned back to the door. Put the ring in. Made sure it was flush. And said, â€Å"Fell's Church, Virginia, USA, Earth. Near the boardinghouse, please.† It was well after midnight. Matt was sleeping on the bunker's cot, while Mrs. Flowers slept on the couch, when they were suddenly wakened by a thump. â€Å"What on earth?† Mrs. Flowers got up and stared out the window, which should have been dark. â€Å"Be careful, ma'am,† Matt said automatically, but couldn't help adding, â€Å"What is it?† – as always, expecting the worst and making sure the revolver with the blessed bullets was ready. â€Å"It's†¦light,† Mrs. Flowers said helplessly. â€Å"I don't know what else to say about it. It's light.† Matt could see the light, throwing shadows on their bunker floor. There was no sound of thunder, and hadn't been since he woke up. Hastily he ran to join Mrs. Flowers at the window. â€Å"Did you ever†¦?† exclaimed Mrs. Flowers, lifting her hands and dropping them again. â€Å"Whatever could it mean?† â€Å"I don't know, but I remember everybody talking about ley lines. Lines of Power in the ground.† â€Å"Yes, but those run along the surface of the earth. They don't point upward, like – like a fountain!† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"But I heard that wherever three ley lines come together – I think Damon said – they can form a Gate. A Gate to where they were going.† â€Å"Dear me,† said Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"You mean you think one of those Gateway things is out there? Maybe it's them, coming back.† â€Å"It couldn't be.† The time Matt had spent with this particular old woman had made him not only respect her, but love her. â€Å"But I don't think we should go outside, anyway.† â€Å"Dear Matt. You are such a comfort to me,† Mrs. Flowers murmured. Matt didn't really see how. It was all her stored food and water they were using. Even the fold-up cot was hers. If he had been on his own he might have investigated this†¦extraordinary thing. Three spotlights shining out of the ground at an angle so that they met just about at the height of a human being. Bright lights. And getting brighter every minute. Matt sucked in his breath. Three ley lines, huh? God, it was probably an invasion of monsters. He didn't even dare to hope. Elena didn't know if she had needed to say USA or Earth, or even if the door could take her to Fell's Church, or if Damon would have to give her the name of some gate that was close to it. But†¦surely†¦with all those ley lines†¦ The door opened, revealing a small room like an elevator. Sage said quietly, â€Å"Can you four carry him if you have to fight, too?† And – after a second to unravel what this meant – three shrieks of protest, in three different feminine tones, came. â€Å"No! Oh, please, no! Oh don't leave us!!† – Bonnie, begging. â€Å"You're not coming home with us?† – Meredith, straight-from-the-shoulder. â€Å"I order you to get in – and make it quick!† – Elena. â€Å"Such a dominant woman,† murmured Sage. â€Å"Ah, well, it seems the Great Pendulum has swung again. I am only a man. I obey.† â€Å"What? Does that mean you're coming?† Bonnie cried. â€Å"It means I am coming, yes.† Gently, Sage took Stefan's wasted body in his arms and stepped into the little cubicle inside the door. Unlike the first keys Elena had used today, this one seemed to work more like a voice-activated elevator†¦she hoped. After all, Shinichi and Misao had each only needed one key for themselves. Here, a number of people might want to go to the same place at once. She hoped. Sage back-kicked Stefan's old bedding away. Something rattled on the ground. â€Å"Oh – † Stefan reached helplessly for it. â€Å"It's my Elena diamond. I found it on the floor after†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Plenty more where that came from,† Meredith said. â€Å"It's important to him,† Damon, who was already inside, said. Instead of crowding farther into the elevator, the little room that might disappear at any second, that might be gone for Fell's Church before he could turn back, he walked out into the lobby, looked closely at the floor, and knelt. Then, quickly, he reached down and then got up and hurried into the little room again. â€Å"Do you want to hold it or shall I?† â€Å"You hold it†¦for me. Take care of it.† Anyone who knew of Damon's track record, especially with regards to Elena or even an old diamond that had belonged to Elena, would have said Stefan had to be a madman. But Stefan wasn't mad. He clasped his hand over his brother's that held the diamond. â€Å"And I'll hold on to you,† he said with a faint, wry smile. â€Å"I don't know if anyone is interested,† Meredith said, â€Å"but there is a single button on the inside of this contraption.† â€Å"Push it!† cried Sage and Bonnie, but Elena cried more loudly, â€Å"No – wait!† She'd spotted something. Across the lobby, the Guardians had been unable to stop a single, apparently unarmed citizen from entering the room and crossing the floor at a high-paced graceful glide. He must have been over six feet tall, wearing an entirely white tunic and breeches, which matched his long white hair, alert foxlike ears, and the long flowing silky tail that waved behind him. â€Å"Shut the door!† bellowed Sage. â€Å"Oh, my!† breathed Bonnie. â€Å"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?† snarled Damon. â€Å"Don't worry. It's only a fellow prisoner. A silent fellow. Hey, you got out, too!† Stefan was smiling and that was enough for Elena. And the intruder was holding out something to him that – well, it couldn't be what it looked like – but it was getting quite close now and it looked like a bouquet of flowers. â€Å"That is a kitsune, is it not?† Meredith asked, as if the world had gone mad around her. â€Å"A prisoner – † said Stefan. â€Å"A THIEF!† shouted Sage. â€Å"Hush!† said Elena. â€Å"He can probably hear even if he can't speak.† By then the kitsune was upon them. He met Stefan's eye, glanced at the others and held out the bouquet, which was heavily sealed in plastic wrap and some kind of long stickers with magical-looking inscriptions on them. â€Å"This is for Stefan,† he said. Everyone, including Stefan, gasped. â€Å"Now I must deal with some tiresome Guardians.† He sighed. â€Å"And you must press the button to make the room go, Beauty,† he said to Elena. Elena, who had momentarily been fascinated by the whisking of a fluffy tail around silken breeches suddenly blushed scarlet. She was remembering certain things. Certain things that had seemed very different†¦in a lonely dungeon†¦in the dark of artificially formed night†¦. Oh, well. Best to put a brave face on it. â€Å"Thank you,† she said, and pushed the button. The doors began to close. â€Å"Thank you again!† she added, bowing slightly to the kitsune. â€Å"I'm Elena.† â€Å"Yoroshiku. I am – â€Å" The door shut between them. â€Å"Is it that you have gone crazy?† Sage cried. â€Å"Taking a bouquet from a fox!† â€Å"You're the one who seems to know him, Monsieur Sage,† Meredith said. â€Å"What's his name?† â€Å"I do not know his name! I do know he stole three-fifths of the Seine Cloister Treasure from me! I know that he is expert, but expert at cheating at the cards! Ahh!† The last was not a cry of rage but an exclamation of alarm, for the little room was moving sideways, plunging downward, almost stopping, before it resumed its former steady motion. â€Å"Will it really take us to Fell's Church?† Bonnie asked timidly, and Damon put an arm around her. â€Å"It'll take us somewhere,† he promised. â€Å"And then we'll see. We're a pretty able set of survivalists.† â€Å"Which reminds me,† Meredith said. â€Å"I think Stefan looks better.† Elena, who had been helping to buffer him from the dimensional elevator's motion, glanced up at her quickly. â€Å"Do you really? Or is it just the light? I think he should be feeding,† she said anxiously. Stefan flushed, and Elena pressed fingers to her lips to stop them trembling. Don't, darling, she said voicelessly. Every one of these people have been willing to give their life for you – or for me – for us. I'm healthy. I'm still bleeding. Please don't waste it. Stefan murmured, â€Å"I'll stop the bleeding.† But when she bent to him, as she had known he would, he drank.

Internal and External Factors

Internal and External factors of an organization are effected everyday in many ways that could either make or break a company. The four functions of management are also a critical part of a business especially when talking about a well known company known as Verizon Wireless. The four functions of management include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Like Verizon Wireless and any other organization in such measurable size of production, it is important for any company to analyze and implement it’s own management concept. Management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals (Bateman & Snell, 2011). Verizon Wireless has managed to establish the four functions of management very well and includes them within their internal and external functions of everyday productivity. Considering that Verizon Wireless has effectively used the four functions of management to their advantage the company currently employs 85,000 employees, is the largest mobile operator in the United States, and has announced earnings of well over 30. billion in revenue over the end of Q4 in 2012 (â€Å"Vzw Finance†, 2013). The effective strategies the company has enhanced over its competitors continues to make them the number 1 carrier and largest retailer for consumers and businesses. Verizon Wireless has incorporated the use of internal and external factors that involve globalization, technology, innovation, and ethics. These key factors are what make the core of the company establi sh it’s rules and regulations to maintain productivity at an all time high while continuing to meet its policies and procedures. Globalization has affected Verizon Wireless since the branching of Air Touch cellular in 1999, which increasingly established their network and customer base up to 450,000 customers. With certain mergers taken place around that time with approvals pending with the FCC for the carrier to merge and grow in size much of the four functions of management were taken into consideration within every step of it’s purchase of networks to insure the company was able to maintain it’s financial stability to enhance it’s network and move it’s way up to being the largest carrier out there. Unlike its competitor AT&T, Verizon Wireless has not found the need presently to sell any of it’s markets to make up for the lack of economic depression within the company’s finances. Presently Verizon Wireless’s effective use of its Globalization within the four functions of management has made the company’s success stories a reality. I believe it’s effective use of planning and leading have insured the companies success in being the number 1 seeked carrier by consumers and business’s today. Technology has evolved around Verizon Wireless’s success to help not only the regular consumer, but to help business’s stay productive and effective with its products and services. â€Å"Machine to Machine† products, which have also become the company’s core value have helped companies become more effective with the use of tablets, Apple, Android, and mobile internet devices and introduce them to any business’s tools. These devices insure that companies have point of sale products and are able to stay in business while keeping them simple to use and productive. Much planning and leading has been required by Verizon Wireless to align with other companies to introduce these certain products. According to â€Å"Machine To Machine† (2012), † No matter the industry, an M2M solution can make a big impact in your business. † Verizon Wireless has proved to do so with its increasing amount of business productivity. Verizon Wireless currently plans to innovate new ideas to help consumer’s everyday to insure them the best and fastest data networks. The launch of its 4G products or 4th generation products insures that every customer in a major city has access to this type of network. Much innovation and planning has leaded the company to effectively continue to launch its new markets within 4G and insure that every major city has this available to them. This new market has been readily available in major cities such as Los Angeles and in New York. This has lead the company to increase it’s productivity in ensuring each and every customer has a 4G smartphone device and download songs in seconds and videos within minutes. Last, but not least ethic’s is an important aspect to Verizon Wireless’s core values. Careful planning to ensure employees do not leak information to keep from effectively ensuring its products and services is within the company credo. Without these ethical values the company cannot protect it’s assets. Internal and External Factors Internal and External Factors Paper XXXXXXXXXXXX MGT/230 xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx Internal and External Factors Paper The purpose of this paper is to explain how internal and external factors affect the four functions of management in the Wal-Mart Corporation. For any organization to survive, irrespective of its size, it must develop and implement its own management concept. Management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals (Bateman & Snell, 2011).The four traditional functions of management include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The Wal-Mart Corporation has managed to use the internal and external factors of these functions to their advantage. With their strategic goal of seriously and rapidly expanding, the company currently employs over 2. 2 million associates, owns 8,500 stores, and serves 200 million customers weekly(â€Å"www. corporate. walmart. com†, 2012). Their strategies have minimized competitors making thi s company the world’s largest retailer.The following paper will describe how the Wal-Mart Corporation has found a successful way to use the functions with internal and external factors influencing globalization, technology, innovation, ethics, and diversity in business. The globalization of Wal-Mart began in 1991 in Mexico. The economy was starting to affect Wal-Mart’s business and they had to figure out a way to bring the profit up before business was lost. They decided to branch out and open a store in Mexico and Wal-Mart currently has stores in eleven countries (Vijay Govindarajan and Anil K.Gupta 2002). By 1999, Wal-Mart had more than 130,000 employees working in 729 facilities outside the United States (Vijay Govindarajan and Anil K. Gupta 2002). There were many factors that played into Wal-Marts decision to globalize. The first being that it had already saturated most of the domestic markets, and the United States only accounts for just over four percent of the w orld’s population. Emerging markets with their lower levels of disposable income offered huge platforms for growth in discount retail (Vijay Govindarajan and Anil K.Gupta 2002). Since the globalization of this corporation, Wal-Mart currently ranks among the top five global retailers (Matthew Boyle 2009). Although there were bad results in some countries, there are now 3,805 stores operating under 53 distinct banners in 15 markets (Matthew Boyle 2009). Wal-Marts strategic decision to globalize has allowed a continual rise in sales and profits, and has allowed the corporation to remain successful. Wal-Mart has used the four functions of management to grow and maintain a successful company through innovation, as well.For example, as the largest retailer, Wal-Mart decided to go green and make the entire operation recyclable and reusable. In 2005, CEO Lee Scott announced the company would create zero waste and use renewable energy and products that sustain the environment. Wal-Mar t proposed that the stores and clubs would use greener light bulbs, alternative energy, and better store designs to reduce waste, and reusable bags to start what is called a supply chain.The company announced the sustainability initiative which was used to track the life cycle of every product it sells by measuring the water usage, greenhouse gas emissions and fair labor practices (â€Å"Www. todaro. posterous. com†, 2010). Wal-Mart is currently hosting industry by industry meetings to debate how this customer label appears. Wal-Mart can only continue to grow their company by coming up with a plan and using the management from the top to the frontline managers to make changes to their company and enforce new ideas and innovations.Similarly, technology is another factor that Wal-Mart seems to excel at and stay on top of concerning planning and implementing the four functions of management. The company continues to improve their electronic commerce site Walmart. com and has com e up with a search engine to help customers find the products they are looking for more quickly and with more ease. The new tool uses machine learning and text mining techniques that assist the customer. If they are searching for something in particular it can bring up products that are similar even if those particular words were not searched (Leber, 2012).This has caused eBay and Google to scramble to improve their e-commerce search results. The weakness for Wal-Mart is getting customers to start at their website as opposed to others like Amazon. The planning portion of Wal-Mart is particularly strong and is always coming up with new ways of competing and staying on top of what consumers want and need. Next, ethics is defined as the action of identifying the rules that should govern people’s behaviors and the â€Å"goods† that are worth seeking. With Business Ethics, corporations strive to uphold moral principles and standards that guide behavior in the business world (Bateman, 164).Many organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the complexity of ethical issues hitting businesses today. As a large importer/exporter of foreign goods, Wal-Mart found itself dealing with an increasing issue of bad supplier ethics. From foreign owned to the United States outsourced companies, they needed to create a plan for setting up a standard for products that were received for sale in their stores. In 1992, Wal-Mart started their Ethical Standards Program (originally called Standards for Suppliers Program).The Ethical Standards Program was established and exists to verify suppliers’ compliance with global standards, to strengthen the implementation of positive labor and environmental practices in factories producing merchandise for sale by Wal-Mart, and to bring opportunities for a better life in the countries where merchandise for Wal-Mart is sourced. The program’s vision was redefined in 2002 to meet public image issues, be coming the statement â€Å"sourcing ethically through a socially responsible program† (â€Å"Ethical Standards Program†, 2006).The program works to train perspective suppliers in environmental, health, safety, and labor requirements to meet audit standards. Factories and companies on Wal-Mart’s supplier list are subject to unannounced audits to ensure they are meeting the standards set by the Ethic Committee. Through these organization and control measures, Wal-Mart has made great strides in correcting some of the worst conditions in many of the Asian countries they use as their suppliers. According to the â€Å"Ethical Standards Program† (2006) website the company also began the Factory Five Program in 2006.The program serves as a forum in which factory management (from five factories per region in China) regularly meet with suppliers and the Ethical Standards team. Time is spent identifying and resolving complex issues of noncompliance identified by aud its. They hope to share knowledge and changes that come out of this forum with others in the industry. Wal-Mart is working hard to show leadership in the ethics market and to pass knowledge and training onto others to encourage ethical practices in all heir stakeholder’s corporations. The ultimate company goal is to fully integrate labor compliance and social responsibility into all purchasing decisions done by Wal-Mart buyers. Finally, diversity is an equally tricky concept that comes into play in businesses today. As corporations expand to cover more global territory it is becoming increasingly important to have a strong diverse workforce and management team to work in this environment.In 2002, Wal-Mart was struggling heavily under a bad public image as a corporation engaged in unsatisfactory and unfair work policies, resisting diversity practices, demonstrated social irresponsibility, and eroded economic opportunities for small local business. By 2004, management had hired a PR firm to manage the onslaught of bad press, and later restructured the company and made key management changes (Alleyne, 2012). Wal-Mart formed a number of internal affiliate groups for women, African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community as part of its diversity practices.According to Alleyne (2012), in recent years, Wal-Mart has been named among the BLACK ENTERPRISE 40 Best Companies for Diversity. By integrating a plan that showed support for diverse groups within their workforce, The company is making great progress in gaining new customer support and increasing consumer confidence in its corporation, people, and products through managers like, Rosalind Brewer, â€Å"Black Enterprise† 2012 Corporate Executive of the Year and the first African American woman chief executive officer (CEO) at Wal-Mart.As Alleyene (2012) says, Brewer is holding one of the most powerful positions in corporate America and making big changes i n the leadership of the Wal-Mart Corporation. In conclusion, this corporation has effectively used the four functions of management and the effects of globalization, technology, innovation, ethics, and diversity on these functions. Through adversity the top-level management has shown their ability to plan strategically and overcome obstacles.Wal-Mart’s key strategy is to dominate the retail market and with the proper implementation of these functions this organization continues to be one of the largest retailers in the world. References Alleyne, S. (2012, September). Second Act. Black Enterprise, 43(2), 82-88. Bateman, T. S. & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World (9th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw- Hill Irwin. Boyle,M. Bloomberg Business Week. 2009. www. businessweek. com/managing/content/ovt2009/ca20091 Ethical Standards Program. (2006). Retrieved from http://walmartfacts. om/reports/2006/ethical_standards/building. html Leber, J. (20 12, October). Wal-Mart dives into search technology. Retrieved from www. technologyreviews. com Salter, C. (2012, July). #9 Wal-Mart. www. fastcompany. com, (). Vijay Govindarajan and Anil K. Gupta. Strategy + Business. Global Perspective. 2002. Fourth Quarter 1999. Issue 17. www. strategy-business. com/article/13866? gko=e19cb www. corporate. walmart. com. (2012). Retrieved from http://corporate. walmart. com/our-story/our-stores www. todaro. posterous. com. (2010). Retrieved from http://http. //todaro. posterous. com

The Friendship Between Huckleberry Finn and Jim

A Special Friendship Racial equality has been an issue throughout the history of the United States. The problem stems from the legalization of slavery. From then on, people of all the different races have advocated for the rights of minorities. One of those such people, who strove to break the barriers, was Mark Twain. In his novel, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, A young white boy named Huck sets out in adventure with a black slave named Jim. Throughout it, Hucks relationship grows from one of acquaintance to one of friendship, teaching Huck to go against society. Twain makes a social statement that a color should not define a person.In the beginning of the novel, Huck’s relationship with Jim is one of only acquaintance. He has had minimal contact with Jim and sees him as merely just slave. Huck doesn’t fully acknowledge the fact that he has feelings. He even allows Tom to play a trick on Jim, â€Å"Tom said he slipped Jim’s hat off and Hung it on the treeà ¢â‚¬ (Twain 6). Although he did try to stop Tom from doing, Huck doesn’t think much about it , as he doesn’t really care about Jim since he is just a slave. After the incident Jim comes to believe that witches rode him all over the world and that the hat was left on the tree. Huck never tells him the truth.By the time Jim and Huck have set out in the raft, they’ve developed a special bond. Huck doesn’t fully understand this until he plays a mean joke on Jim that leaves Jim deeply hurt,† when I got all wore out wid work, en wid calling you, en went to sleep my heart was mos broke bekause you woz los, (†¦ ) , en all you could think of how you make a fool uv ole jim, (Twain 55) After the incident, Huck comes to the realization that Jim isn’t just a slave but a person. Huck knows he has feeling and from this point on he begins to question the morality of slavery. Huck’s relationship with Jim eventually grows into friendship.They both care about each other and look out for one another. In many instances Huck saves Jim from being captured, â€Å"But lawsly, How you did fool em, Huck dat was the smartes dodge! (Twain 96). † Huck goes out on a limb to save Jim from being captured by slave hunters. This demonstrates how their relationship has completely changed. There is now trust and commitment in their friendship. Jim also looks out for Huck. Jim is almost like a father figure to Huck because he takes care of him in a way that only fathers do, â€Å" He often does that, he gets up and doesn’t wake me† (pg 155). Jim sacrifices his sleep so the Huck gets a good night rest.Jim is putting Huck first instead of himself, just like a father would do. One of the most important aspects of Huck’s and Jim’s friendship is that Huck learns to go against society. He begins to start thinking for himself and comes to the conclusion that Jim shouldn’t be a slave. Although he struggles with this idea throughout the novel, he eventually makes the final decision to break away from society. This is seen when Huck decides to help jim escape when he is caught, â€Å" All right then, I’ll go to hell†(pg, 214). Huck makes a moral decision to go to hell by helping Jim escape.He knows that society tell him it is wrong put does it anyway. After this, Huck sees Jim as his equal. He says â€Å" I knowed that he was white inside† (276). He comes to the conclusion that Jim is just the same as he is in the inside. The color of Jim skin does not define who he is in the inside. By showing how Huck’s and Jim’s relationship grows from one of acquaintance to friendship, Twain demonstrates how a color should not define a person. Twain himself goes against society to show this powerful message. His massage has had a lasting impact in society. He was able to do this by simply standing up for what he believed in.

Education and Organizational change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Education and Organizational change - Essay Example The current demands in the labor market require a decisive approach. The changes in the labor market necessitate proportional alternations in the education systems and curriculum1. The process of measuring the educational disparities must take into consideration the socio-economic implications and the needs of the labor market. Productive employment calls for investment in human resources and the requisite competences. This calls for educational system change. This can be attributed the central role that education plays in social equity and economic productivity. Increasing the number of schooling years is perceived to be one of the strategies of ensuring that education grows to meet the changing demands of the labor markets. The education system has been blamed for being discriminatory. Children from poor background have minimal access to education. This makes the labor market a preserve of the wealthy in the society. The inequalities in the education system have had a negative impa ct on the poor in the developed and developing countries. Access to training skills and improving access to early childhood have a profound effect of the learning in the schools and job market2. This has also led to the evolution of wage gaps and stratification of the society based on the economic well being. The labor market is keen to have qualified personnel while to education system is ready to offer quality education at expensive fees. The current labor market is segmented along low and high education levels. This has also created an exclusive club of the highly paid with multiple benefits against the lowly paid with minimal benefits. Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Labor market and human capital Addressing education is a complex affair. It must address the various levels of education and the necessary changes at each level. There is an insufficiency in terms of supply for the qualified or specialized personnel. Most of the trained young workers tend to lack the competencies t hat accompany their workplace job prescriptions. Employers blame the education systems from producing half-baked graduates. There is an urgent need to drastically change the education system of the public sector in order to improve quality. This can inject a level of equality into the education system and introduce the expected changes into the labor market. Organizations believe that productivity is closely related to the quality of employees and competencies3. The needs and the standards of the labor market have been growing and evolving over the decades. This has been attributed to the emerging wave of globalization and technological turbulence over the years. However, the education system has remained unchanged and unresponsive to the changing demands of the labor market. The tertiary education and post-secondary systems have need been customized to meet the expectation of the labor markets4. This has affected organizational performance and the national productivity in many econ omies. Universities are basing education on commercial rather that competence ideologies5. This has caused a reduction of

American Labor Unions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Labor Unions - Essay Example Firstly, with respect to the overall effectiveness of American labor unions, it must be stated that historically this effectiveness has been rather high. Ultimately, working conditions, pay, fairness, and issues concerning equality have all been able to be maximized as a direct result of union organization over the past decades. However, one of the major issues that is facing unions, and subsequently contributing to a massive loss in union membership is the fact that individuals no longer feel that the benefits of union membership outweigh the costs. For instance, even a brief overview of existing news stories reveals the fact that many companies are moving from union friendly states to non-union friendly states. Moreover, the recent flood of jobs that have migrated overseas has caused many individuals to believe that the â€Å"greediness† of the unions have contributed to the industrial decay that the United States has experienced since the 1960s (Zhu, 2006). Moreover, the ab ility of foreign manufacturers, such as foreign automobile makers, to benefit from nonunion factories within the United States and dominantly compete with domestic automobile manufacturers has underscored the fact that the unionization of cities such as Detroit can no longer be seen as a mutual benefit to domestic industry and/or the success of American business over foreign production (Fiorito & Jarley, 2012). Finally, with respect to the issue of whether or not a nonunion group of individuals within a particular company should be allowed to engage in collective bargaining and choose to become part of a union, it is the belief of this particular author that this action is a fundamental right that should not be infringed. Whereas it is true that there are many drawbacks and weaknesses to an alliance or agreement with a particular union, the self determinism of an individual group of workers is something that should not be infringed upon and ultimately represents a level of

Strategic performance management systems have beneficial impact on Essay

Strategic performance management systems have beneficial impact on performance, critically discuss - Essay Example A properly formulated performance management process empowers a manager to come up with effective and efficient strategic plans, set ambitious goals and follows closely the activities that work towards achieving his set goals, this leads to value creation that can be sustained for a long time. This paper will therefore aim at critically analysing the process of strategic performance management and how it impacts positively on the performance of the organisation. The Strategic Management Process The process of strategic management involves several steps, they include, first is understanding the strategic context that a business operates in, this involves both external and internal environment. In the internal environment, the first activity that a business does is the identification of the core purpose of the business, values and goal which it intends to achieve (Bisbe & Melaquero, 2012 p304). These then helps the management to come up with an overall vision of the organisations and t he direction it will take. ... The visionary goals of the organisation is the outlook of the company in future, that is how the company will be in the future and includes the achievements it hopes to have achieved by that time, these goals are set on a period of 3 to 10 years (Slack, 2006, p99). In the external environment, the company surveys the market for its products and the rivals in the market, here the business seeks to understand who the main stakeholders in the industry are and why it is necessary for the business to centre its operations on them, this activity is known as the stakeholder value proposition (Smith,2007, P 86). In order to carry out this activity, a business can use several tools that have been created that include Porter’s five forces framework. In the internal environment analysis, a business analyses its strengths and weaknesses where it evaluates its internal performance and the resources that it uses in the discharge of its responsibilities. This process enables an organisation to understand the effectiveness of its production process, how productive and skilled the employees are and how these can impact on the performance of the business (Penger & Tekavc?Ic?, 2009, p12). Model of the business is the next stage that a company undertakes, in this step the business organisation puts together all the key elements of the business strategy and visualises it. Using the Kaplan and Norton’s method, the result of this step will be strategy map while using the Marr’s methodology then the result will be value creation map and value creation narrative (Macmillan & Tampoe,2000, p105). Both of these methods used in this stage produce almost the same results

The Pentateuch Torah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pentateuch Torah - Essay Example Why was Abraham chosen It does not reflect on the reason. Yet such a choice shows that either god did not know what he was doing or that what he has befriended is just a manner of showing how priviledged a person could be to be a messenger of god for no reason apparent but that god 'feels' like choosing him. Also, if Abraham was the father of all prophets and has his descendants to be kings and prophets and the chosen people among humans who will carry out the love and message of god to all his creations, then why bestow it on his children Why wasn't the choosing of a prophet something relying on intellect from people who have exhibited understanding of the universe by sole understanding through and by themselves which makes them deserve such choice Why is it that children who were only lucky to be children of prophetic parents and messengers of god get the priviledge of being prophets in return without having to seek it at all in their life Is it because god sees that they will be raised a good raise and that they will be directed to the right path since their childhood and that they will never have to exert effort to make people like or fight for their purpose after paining efforts to convince them but that god will do that for them What is the reason of such priviledge Also, why is it that Moses believes that his brother aaron could be more of an orator to the pharaoh other than himself whom he fears might complicate things and not deliver the message properly because he has killed someone against their fight with an Israelite Isn't he a child of god And why does he face a stained reputation as a killer of someone who is not Israelite when god could have given him the reputation worthy of kings without having to kill someone to face the pharaoh in such as the manner indicated in the torah(the fear of confrontation and of being killed) Also, why is it that such a person has to live away from his family and friends when he has to become a prophet Why does a prophet seek seclusion to meet god and talk to him Why couldn't he do it in public Why leave out all the other people Why would god want this Why would he want people to believe in his presence without seeing him and for prophets such as Moses to see him to confirm to them that what they are delivering from messages of god to ordinary people is not a hoax to them What is the purpose The Pentateuch has some difficulties to be confronted throughout reading it, one of the major difficulties are understanding the linguistics and vocabulary of the language which has been evolving throughout the ages of its writing and exposure to changes of social and understanding of the world and universe when explaining the world to people who know nothing beyond what is in the papers of the book, the Pentateuch The torah has problems such as understanding what the word of god is and how extremely important it is. Giving the followers of Moses the privilidge of talking to people and saying that they are the chosen children of god, why are they massacred throughout history and hated so much Is it because of the ancestors' misunderstanding of the torah and of Moses and his teachings when he returned back from the mountain after having spoken to god about the teachings which must be ruling the earth Why haven't they accepted it Why has god chosen a people

The French revolution collapse of the feudal systems and monarchies of Essay

The French revolution collapse of the feudal systems and monarchies of 18th century Europe - Essay Example The French Revolution which took place between 1789 to 1794, â€Å"marked the advent of modern society†1, both bourgeois and capitalist, in the history of France. The revolution brought about the national unity of the country through destruction of the privileged feudal orders considered as remnants of the Middle Ages. It is historically significant because the revolution successfully established a liberal democracy. Due to these double outcomes, in the perspective of world history, it can be considered as a classical model of a bourgeois revolution. However, the history of the French revolution is an integral part of European history. Earlier revolutions in other European countries such as Holland in the 16th century, and two revolutions in England in the 17th century, as well as the 18th century revolution in America paved the way for the French revolution. In all the European countries, the evolution ultimately resulted in the formation of modern society. With the different revolutions opposing the old economic and social system with its feudalism, the bourgeoise could benefit to varying degrees. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for the French Revolution and the collapse of the ancient monarchies and feudal systems of eighteenth century Europe. The Revolution began an era of change from the nineteenth century onwards, with the evolution of a democratic and equitable modern society. The Bourgeoisie Uprising: Cause of the French Revolution Lefebvre2 was a lifelong socialist, under the increasing influence of Marxism which assigns the bourgeoisie with the key role of representatives and beneficiaries of capitalism. According to this scholar, the rise of the bourgeoisie was the main cause of the French Revolution. After several centuries of increasing in numbers and wealth, the bourgeoisie class took control of power in France in 1789. Medieval society had been ruled over by a landed aristocracy, because the only f orm of wealth was land. However, by the eighteenth century, â€Å"economic power, personal abilities and confidence in the future had passed largely to the bourgeoisie†3 who were supported by a new form of wealth and a new ideology that was clearly defined. In 1789, the bourgeoisie overthrew the remaining aristocratic, feudal lords who had retained their dominance despite their economic decline. It was possible for the bourgeoisie to overthrow the aristocracy because the monarchy’s political authority had collapsed due to the lack of adequate funds. The reason for their inability to pay was that the aristocracy or privileged classes of nobility and clergy clung to their age-old privileges and immunity from paying. Moreover, they used their political power to prevent the king fom undertaking necessary reforms4. Following their ousting, the bourgeoisie established a regime based on the new distribution of economic power. Significantly, Lefebvre5 refers to four revolution ary movements in France between 1787 to 1789. First came the revolt of the aristocracy, which destroyed the monarchy. It was the culmination of an aristocratic resurgence which took place for over a century, in which the nobility had struggled to regain their pre-eminence in the social order, which Louis XIV had removed. In order to carrry out their revolution, the nobility had sought the support of the bourgeoisie; however the successful implementation of the movement provided the bourgeoisie with ideas to resolve their own problems. In the September of 1788, the parliament of Paris which formed the driving force behind the aristocratic reaction, required that the Estates-General promised by the government for 1789 should be constituted as they had been in 1614 at their last meeting. For the bourgeoisie this was not acceptable, since the forms of 1614 underscored aristocratic predominance. Under these circumstances the revolution of the bourgeoisie

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

Analyze a - Case Study Example IMPORTANT FACTS SURROUNDING THE CASE Multitouch technology is probably more flexible as compared to single-touch technology. The technology allows users to perform exceptional gestures using one or more fingers. The technology facilitates users to interact with objects on the smartphone or computer screen without using mouse, clicking buttons or striking keys. In other words, it overcomes the difficulties of using mouse or keyboards and thus enables the users to access and interact with objects on the screen, who are physically unable to grasp mouse (New To The Touch, â€Å"Interactive Session: Technology†). Accordingly, the key advantage of multitouch technology is that users can perform various actions on the screen using their fingers to interrelate with these objects on the screen instead of merely depending on mouse or keyboard. The multitouch technology allows users to browse and navigate internet, zoom in and out images and web pages on the computer screen or smartphone as well as it enables users to shuffle and organize applications on the screen. Another important advantage of mutitouch technology is that students at elementary level are offered with ‘easy- to- use’ computer. Moreover, multitouch technology also provides significant opportunities for commercial sectors. Notably, business consumers can interact and place orders with retailers and make virtual video calls simply with the use of their fingers (New To The Touch, â€Å"Interactive Session: Technology†). KEY ISSUES There are various issues related to people, organization and technology that must be addressed if any business considers systems and computers with multitouch. It is vital to address employees who are not technology savvy as well as those employees who are impervious to change. The cost of implementing and maintaining multitouch interface is also quite high (New To The Touch, â€Å"Interactive Session: Technology†). ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION I t is also crucial to address the organization’s adaption towards technology, its goals and information technology (IT) expertise within the organization. As far as the technology is concerned, it is imperative to address cost associated with implementation and maintenance. Additionally, another course of action should include the fact that employees should be provided with adequate training to handle the intricacies associated with mutitouch interface. Correspondingly, addressing all these components effectively will facilitate the business to avail the opportunities provided by multitouch technology in the best possible manner (New to the Touch, â€Å"Interactive Session: Technology†). Effective leadership is essential for successful implementation of multitouch screen within the organization (New To The Touch, â€Å"Interactive Session: Technology†). EVALUATING EACH COURSES OF ACTION Addressing the issues effectively will enable the companies to avail the sign ificant advantages arising from the use of multitouch interfaces. Multitouch technology implemented within the IT infrastructure of the organizations will enable the management to conduct its business transaction smoothly. In this regard, it can be said that rendering proper training regarding the technology will also allow employees within the organizations to perform their various activities smoothly that would in turn immensely benefit the organization. Moreover, the multitouch interf

Habits of mind Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Habits of mind - Assignment Example Translation of such approach into an amicable enhanced strategy entails use of past knowledge related to the given English concept in establishing the most relevant interpretation. Enhancement of the strategy is critical in enabling a more viable restrictive approach within the study. Moreover, an enhancement strategy domineers in realization of the most dominant approach towards the given study. Consequently, enhanced creativity assists in a more visionary thinking and attainment of the most relevant analysis. Consequently, effective application of critical thinking and creativity dominates in proper potential restriction of the most imperative concepts within a specific study. It is domineering to enhance such self-articulated strategies using previously acquired knowledge for more amicable understanding. Essentially, such previously gained knowledge is authoritative in augmenting an existing idea that is crucial in a given poetic analysis. Moreover, a vivid understanding the specified concepts assists in augmenting analysis and improvement of the desired potential approach. Therefore, engagement of the most relevant and amicable potentially restrictive approach assists in essential understanding. My habits of mind reacted to the poem with questioning, thought, listening, empathy and striving to attain accuracy. Foremost, I struggled to reconnect the essay with my past experiences relating to interpretation of a poem and its accurate analysis. Above all, I was forecasted to manage any potential risks that might associate with interpretation and analysis of the poem. Through extensive listening and association of previous experiences involving poem interpretation, I evaluated the poem’s theme and deduced its intended meaning (Walcott 1). The habit of mind relating to intelligence listening and questioning enabled me to link the

The Siete Partidas in regards to the Jewish people in Iberia Term Paper - 1

The Siete Partidas in regards to the Jewish people in Iberia - Term Paper Example They also introduced Islam and new ideologies. The end result was constant conflict and stratification. The Muslim Spain (al-Andalus) had to tighten their political and military system so as to ensure an intensive and effective regime that would gain control of the earlier occupants, with minimum opposition, attacks and revolts. Having gained dominion over the peninsula, the al-Andalus sought to introduce the political and administrative systems and structures that they were conversant with those that were already established in the East. For instance, they destroyed the monarchy that characterized the Visigothic system and substituted it with emirate system3. Under this system, the al-Andalus was to form an administrative unit, with an Arab military ruler from amongst the Muslims in Muslim Spain. Technically, this administrative unit would be said to be a sub unit under Damascus at first, as the ruler pledged loyalty to the Umayyad caliph (the overall ruler) in Damascus. However, a few years later, this emirate gained its independence when `Abbasids took over leadership, killed members of the Ummayad family and defied the traditional requirement of pledging loyalty to the Caliph in Damascus. However, some Muslims, in theory continued to recognize the caliphate of Baghdad. The emirate was divided into provi nces, each headed with its functionaries. Under Emirate system, the overall political head that would be in charge of the entire Muslim Spain was called the amir. The final administrative authority was also vested in the amir. As administrative and political head, Amir made all the political; and administrative decisions that pertained to the provinces. He was also in charge of appointing all the functionaries. He also decided on issues pertaining to taxation, like the quantity of tax to be levied at particular place and

Byzantine Art Essay Example for Free

Byzantine Art Essay Early Christian art was highly influenced by religious, political, and cultural changes. In contrast to the classical, idealistic portrayal of man, Early Christian art took a much more stylized approach to the depiction of man, with a neglected attention to human anatomy. The subject matter of much of the art turned from secular to religious; Christianity to be more specific. Constantine was the last emperor of the Roman Empire to hold undivided power. Under his rule, Constantine created the Edict of Milan, granting religious tolerance to all religions. This was of particular importance to Christians, who had been previously persecuted due to their spiritual beliefs. Because of the Edict of Milan, many Christian buildings were erected in addition to the many secular buildings that were transformed into Christian buildings. These buildings housed countless numbers of priceless religious artworks. One such example is the Transfiguration of Christ mosaic located in Saint Catherines Monastery in Sinai, Egypt. When Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), the Empire separated. Upon the division of the Roman Empire, Justinian, The Last Roman Emperor, held power over the Eastern Roman Empire from 527 to 565. Justinian was both a political and religious leader. Under his reign, many Christian buildings were constructed. Justinian often associated himself with Jesus Christ in the Byzantine artworks that these Christian buildings housed as a form of propaganda. The Orthodox Church now recognizes Justinian as a saint. Byzantine is a term used to describe eastern Mediterranean art from 330 to 1453, when the Turks conquered Constantinople (Strickland, 1992, p. 24). Mosaics were one of the most common forms of art during this period. They were intended to publicize the Christian creed through their religious subject matter (Strickland, 1992, p. 25). Byzantine mosaics are composed of small, colorful glass or stone squares and rectangles, called tesserae, embedded in wet cement or plaster. These tesserae were arranged in a manner through which they formed images. Typically, Byzantine mosaics are located on the walls and ceilings within a church apse and dome (Strickland, 1992, p. 25). The artists of these mosaics left the tesserae with jagged surfaces to create the sparkling, illuminated effect that distinguishes these mosaics  from those of other periods and places (Strickland, 1992, p. 25). The exteriors of Byzantine Christian structures were very plain in contrast to the elaborately decorated interiors. The awe-inspiring mosaics and icons brought the focus of the buildings to the interiors. Perhaps this was a method to spread the word of God by attracting people to come inside the buildings. Byzantine Emperor, Justinian, ordered the construction of he Monastery of the Transfiguration, more commonly known as Saint Catherines Monastery because the relics of Saint Catherine of Alexandria are said to have been inexplicably transported there, at the foot of Mount Moses (Wikipedia, 2006). The monastery houses the Chapel of the Burning Bush, which was ordered built by Constantines mother, Helena (Wikipedia, 2006). The Chapel of the Burning Bush is located at the site where Moses purportedly saw the burning bush (Wikipedia, 2006). Saint Catherines Monastery is now one of the oldest active monasteries in existence. The monastery survived Islamic dominance over the region due to a document that Mohammed supposedly signed himself, granting his protection over the monastery (Wikipedia, 2006). Saint Catherines Monastery allegedly gave Mohammed political asylum from his enemies (Wikipedia, 2006). In addition, a Fatimid mosque was built within the fortifications of Saint Catherines Monastery, thus creating further protection of the monastery from Islamic invasion (Wikipedia, 2006). Without the protection of Mohammed and the mosque, Saint Catherines Monastery would have been destroyed, and all of the irreplaceable artworks within its walls would have been lost. Byzantine mosaics contain many characteristics that distinguish them from the rest. The typical gold background of a Byzantine mosaic creates a sense of weightlessness within the figures, as if they are floating. Byzantine artists depicted sacred figures with halos, separating them from the other figures. With nude images having been forbidden, one can hardly make out the anatomy of the fully clothed figures. Though it is evident that symmetry was greatly appreciated, it is also evident that the mosaics lack perspective.  The figures depicted in the mosaics are flat and frontal facing with linear details. They are often slim with almond shaped faces and large eyes. The images depict little to no movement, creating a sense of stillness. These highly stylized Byzantine mosaics show disregard for Greco-Roman ideals. On an expedition set out by the University of Michigan in search of sites to excavate in the Near East, the staff spent five days at Saint Catherines Monastery (Forsyth, 1997). They discovered that the mosaics within the monastery had undergone little restoration since the time of Justinian (Forsyth, 1997). As a result, most of the works were in bad condition and on the verge of collapsing (Forsyth, 1997). Mosaic restorers came in to save the mosaics, which could have been lost forever (Forsyth, 1997). After they secured the mosaics, the restorers cleaned them (Forsyth, 1997). The mosaics now appear in their original state (Forsyth, 1997). One of the most known mosaics restored was the Transfiguration of Christ (Forsyth, 1997). The Transfiguration of Christ is located in the main church, Katholikon, in the apse over the high altar. The subject of this mosaic was an appropriate selection to portray in Saint Catherines Monastery because of its location at the foot of Mount Moses (Watson, 1999). In Christianity, the story claims that Jesus led three of his apostles, Peter, John, and James, to pray atop a mountain. It was here that Jesus transfigured, with his face shining like the sun and wearing bright white clothing. On both sides of Christ, Moses and Elijah appeared. Overhead, a brilliant cloud appeared, and Gods voice emerged from the cloud proclaiming, This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him. It was then that Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah about his upcoming death. The artist of this mosaic is unknown because artists went unrecognized until much later. This mosaic is in the form of a triumphal arch, bordered by medallions occupying the busts of the twelve apostles, fifteen prophets, Longinus the Abbot, John the Deacon, two angels, and a Greek cross in the top, center (Watson, 1999). Jesus Christ is depicted in the center of the mosaic with black hair and beard. He was placed in an oval mandorla with a cross and a bright yellow circle depicting his illumination behind his head.  Rays of light are shown coming from Christs body. In addition to the mandorla depicting Christs holiness, this was done to make Christ the emphasis of the mosaic as well as to distinguish him from the other figures. Elijah is shown on one side of Christ, while Moses is shown on the other. Beneath Christ, Peter, John, and James are portrayed with awe (Watson, 1999). The Transfiguration of Christ contains all the elements of Byzantine mosaics. It has a bright gold background. The figures are dematerialized and one cannot tell which figures were intended to be floating and which are not. One can hardly make out the figures beneath the clothing and the only skin shown is on the figures faces, hands, and feet. All the figures were placed symmetrically around Christ, making him the focus of the mosaic. The halo and mandorla around Christ show his holiness. Only slight movement is shown through the figures poses. The figures are very flat, despite the attempts of the artist to show shadow and overlapping. All of the figures are slender with almond shaped heads and large eyes. One can hardly see perspective when observing this mosaic. In conclusion, religion, politics, and culture had a significant influence on The Transfiguration of Christ, and all Early Christian art for that matter. With the Edict of Milan legalizing Christianity, the focus of art turned from secular to religious, changing the course of art forever. The Edict of Milan made it possible for Christians to practice their spiritual beliefs openly, leading to Early Christian art. Early Christian art can be credited with the spread of Christianity. One might wonder if Christianity would be as prominent as it is today had it not been for these artworks, or would it have died off a long time ago. Without Early Christian art, one might wonder when or how todays modern day art would have evolved.

Critically review the practice of post-development monitoring in eia

Critically review the practice of post-development monitoring in eia Introduction Since the 1960s, there has been a growing concern in the environment and the unfavorable impact that society has on the global environment (United Nations, 1990). Over the years, there has been a steady introduction of environmental legislation, in an attempt to regulate impacts on the environment. However, other environmental management means have also been developed. These include environmental auditing, environmental accounting, environmental reporting, life-cycle assessment, environmental management systems, risk assessment and environmental impact assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has become a widely used means for making out the possible impacts of new developments (Glasson et al, 1999). It is proposed to provide decision-makers with an understanding of the possible environmental consequences of a proposed project and thereby facilitate the making of more environmentally sound decisions (Bailey and Hobbs 1990). EIA is now being used in many countries worldwide ( Glasson et al 1999). In the 1990s, a worldwide study on the usefulness of environmental assessment was carried out, which highlighted several areas were improvements needed to be made; areas such as scoping, evaluating significance, review of environmental statements and post-decision monitoring and auditing mostly termed as follow-up (Sadler 1996). Lack of follow-up is undeniably the weakest point in many systems and this is resulting to questions over whether EIA is being used effectively. Effective EIA should lessen the environmental impacts of developments; however, without follow-up being completed it is only the envisaged impacts on the environment and not the existent impacts that are regarded. Furthermore, the EIA process can be divided into two stages based around the approval for a development proposal: pre-decision and post-decision (Marshall, 2004). Follow-up, which includes post-decision monitoring and auditing, refers to actions that occurs all through the post-decision stages of the EIA p rocess to monitor, evaluate, manage and communicate the environmental results that in reality happen (Arts et al 2001). Current practice has focused on the pre-decision stages of the process, which means that little or no attention is paid to whether the actual impacts of the development match up to those that were predicted. There is much debate as to the effectiveness of EIA practice without follow-up; it has not been thoroughly required or properly implemented within current practice (United Nations, 1990). This review will first discuss the definition of follow-up, and then highlights the various types of follow-up. Following this, the role and value of follow-up in EIA is discussed; the basic principles are stated; legislative requirement for follow-up with reference to different countries is examined; an overview of required bodies for follow-up practice is also looked into and then an overview of the global perspective of follow-up practice is discussed. EIA Follow-up In its role as an environmental management means, EIA must put into practice processes for verifying the existence of predicted effects and controlling the damaging effects of those that in reality happen (United Nations, 1990). Thus, impact studies should take into consideration the need for and requirements of follow-up (Wood, 2003). EIA follow-up is important to the entire assessment process because it provides information about the outcomes of an activity and ensures that development and management requirements have been met (Arts et al., 2001). Guidance for good practice EIA follow-up, however, has not been efficient and has been addressed on very few occasions (Marshall, 2004). Follow-up has been used as a general term for various EIA activities including: monitoring; auditing; ex postevaluation; post-decision analysis; and post-decision management. While there is no single definition for follow-up, it is generally related to activities in the post-decision phase of a project (Arts et al, 2001). Follow-up includes the gathering of data, the arrangement and investigation of this data and the review of the acquired information about the impacts of a project that has been subject to EIA. It also involves decision-making on remedial procedures and communication of the results of this process (Wood, 2003). Thus, follow-up is comprised of four key activities; see figure 1 below for further illustration. Role and Value of EIA follow-up EIA is intended to provide decision makers with information concerning the environmental impacts of development on the environment. For this information to be reliable, it must be verified (Arts et al, 2001). Moreover, the responsible parties, that is the proponent or the competent bodies have a starting point for employing mitigation procedures and precautionary procedures for the negative impacts. The response acquired from follow-up programs is important for the improvement of EIA which currently can best be described as weak and not realized to its full potential (United Nations, 1990). Follow-up is an essential part of any EIA system in that follow-up ensures that EIA actually works to protect the environment and achieve its intended objectives (Marshall, 2004). The United Nations (1990), for example, observed that follow-up examinations are useful in making certain or assisting the execution of development activity in accordance with the terms put in place by the environmental assessment process. It involves monitoring project outcomes, evaluating results and integrating mitigation procedures from the initial process of the project. EIA should be applied as early as possible and follow-up, as a system of checks and balances, should commence as the assessment unfolds to generate data and ensure the results of assessment are integrated into the project design and management (Marshall, 2004). Furthermore, examination of environmental impacts serves as an indicator to practitioners on which impacts need mitigation. Hence, follow-up creates opportunity for practitioners to look back at the impacts foreseen and the mitigation procedures recommended to determine accuracy and effectiveness so that suitable action can be taken (Arts et al 2001). Follow-up, identified as environmental auditing and monitoring programs in some literature, is important to verify that the environmental predictions and assumptions are valid and to monitor the actual environmental performance of projects (Abaza, 2000). Follow-up ensures impacts are mitigated before breaching established criteria, to capture growing environmental impacts, and to guarantee that mitigation procedures are properly and timely implemented (United Nations, 1990). Hence, the follow-up process should naturally be integrated in every EIA and at all stages of the project life cycle; that is follow-up should analyze the entire cycle of a proposed project. In this way, EIA is a cyclical activity, with feedback and interaction between various steps being critical for improving EIA practice (Wood, 2003). Principles of EIA Follow-up EIA follow-up principles have been stated by various authors; however this review provides a summary of these various views. Follow-up principles are divided into Guiding Principles and Operating Principles as put forward by Morrison-Saunders et al (2007); see figure 2 below. Legislative Framework for Follow-up Monitoring The regulatory and institutional arrangements include the legal requirements and administrative framework for conducting EIA follow-up. In different countries around the world, there are different legislative requirements for follow-up practice; see figure 3 below. Practices vary from voluntary commitments for monitoring and reporting on EIA outcomes through to specific command and control approaches, some of which provide for specialist independent follow-up review bodies. Generally systems with a long history of EIA tend to be more advanced in their requirements for follow-up (Morrison-Saunders et al 2007). Country Status Legislative Requirement United Kingdom Developed Discretionary Australia Developed Discretionary Canada Developed Mandatory Netherlands Developed Mandatory New Zealand Developed Mandatory California Developed Mandatory Egypt Developing Non Existent Turkey Developing Non Existent Tunisia Developing Non Existent Required Bodies for Follow-up Monitoring EIA follow-up can take many forms, ranging from proponent-driven self-regulation to requirements put in place by EIA regulators or initiatives motivated by community involvement (Arts et al, 2001). Monitoring and evaluation may be conducted by proponents and regulators alike depending on the level of application. Continuing management decisions may be made by both proponents e.g., responding to unforeseen impacts and EIA regulators e.g., reviewing consent conditions and management requirements. Also, both proponents and EIA regulators may engage in communication programs. Some follow-up programs go far beyond mere communication to specifically include stakeholder participation in the monitoring, evaluation and management proceedings (Marshall, 2004). According to Morrison-Saunders et al (2007), there are three major groups of stakeholders involved in EIA follow-up whether as initiator, conductor or participant. Follow-up programs driven by proponents i.e. the first party follow-up, may also include voluntary, self-regulatory or industry-led initiatives such as environmental management systems. Follow-up carried out by regulators, the second party follow-up, typically focuses on making sure that proponents conform to EIA approval conditions as well as learning from experience to improve EIA processes in the future. Follow-up activities carried out or initiated by the community i.e. third party follow-up may range from formal committees or agencies (NGOs) established to manage or conduct follow-up activities through to independent action by community members concerned about environmental impacts. Global Perspective of EIA Follow-up Practice EIA is far from perfect; based on various reviews; it is widely believed that follow-up practice is the weakest area in the EIA process globally. As Sadler (1996) found out in his review of the effectiveness of various EIA systems globally, that there was a poor performance of follow-up activities. Also, Wood (2003) carried out a review on EIA systems in developed countries like UK, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, USA, Netherlands and South Africa and found out that follow-up practices are not widespread. As in the developed world, follow-up monitoring has been a missing step in EIA in developing countries. For example, George (2000b) identified the lack of attention and commitment to follow up as a serious shortcoming in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia. Despite the widely recognized importance of EIA, follow-up has not been satisfactorily implemented in EIA practice (Austin, 2000) and has yet to be recognized as an essential part of the EIA process (Marshall, 2004). The extent to which follow-up monitoring is required by the EIA processvaries greatly between countries, although mandatory requirements appear to be the exception rather than the rule. The EU Directive 97/11/EC as amended, does not specifically require follow-up monitoring (Wood, 2003), and this is reflected by a similar lack of legislative provision in most Member States. In Canada, EIA is enforced by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency; although there has been some measure of progress achieved in EIA, there are also several shortcomings. Follow-up processes have been hampered by weaknesses in laws (CEAA, 2004). Also, developers may be legally required to carry out follow-up monitoring under other legislation if specified in, for example, planning consent con ditions, emission consents or legal agreements as in the case of UK. But these methods are limited and do not represent a systematic approach to monitoring (Glasson, 1994). Follow-up monitoring has been poorly implemented also in Sri Lanka with the problem of inadequate staff, space allocation, funds, and equipment (Morrison-Saunders et al, 2007). In the United States, NEPA does not provide detailed information on the subject of follow-up monitoring; it states that monitoring and enforcement program shall be implemented where applicable for any mitigation. The emphasis in EIA has all too frequently been on the pre-decision stages and on preparation of the EIS, using EIA purely to achieve development consent rather than as a tool for sound environmental management and protection. As Sadler (1996) states, the inconsistency of EIA is that very little attention is paid to the environmental effects which actually result from the development. There is very little emphasis on follow-up, on comparing what was predicted with what really happened, and on feeding the results of such exercises back into the EIA process. Without follow-up and feedback, EIA remains as a none-moving, infrequent routine rather than becoming an active and recurring process (Glasson, 1994). This lack of mandatory follow-up requirement, combined with a lack of enforcement, means that, from the developers point of view, it really does not matter if predictions are inaccurate. Conclusion If the performance of EIA in accurately predicting impacts and enabling sound environmental protection and management is to improve, lessons must be learnt from past experience and applied to future developments. Follow-up provides a means of achieving this and delivering numerous benefits. Despite this, follow-up monitoring is rarely carried out in practice. Having assessed follow-up practices in both developed and developing countries, it is evident that the existence of a legislative framework is not sufficient to make the system effective. Although some countries legislative requirements are mandatory yet problems arise due to the limited scope of legal measures and administrative support (Mitchell, 1997). Other weaknesses reside in the procedures for the design and implementation of follow-up and control mechanisms; also, the attention has largely focused on the pre-decision stages of impact assessment with follow-up monitoring receiving less attention (Arts et al., 2001). Wloda rczyk (2000) notes that understanding among practitioners of what EIA follow-up is and what it entails has not been made clear. Some have interpreted follow-up strictly as the application of mitigation measures suggested in the EIA report. The result is that prediction accuracy is not being confirmed nor is the effectiveness of improvement measures being determined. Finally, there is a need to overcome the various setbacks associated with follow-up practices; as (Marshall, 2004) states that EIA follow-up is a feedback mechanism to reflect the pitfall or success of projects. Countries around the world need to improve on the image of follow-up monitoring to highlight its benefits; the possibility of developing mandatory requirements or a central guidance for EIA follow-up needs further exploration; continuous follow-up monitoring needs to be undertaken, and the results publicized and circulated to EIA practitioners. An opportunity to improve EIA practice and procedures is being missed with every development for which an EIS is submitted with no follow-up analysis carried out (Glasson, 1994). Reference Abaza, H (2000) Strengthening Future Environmental Assessment Practice: An International Perspective, in Lee, N and George, C (Eds) Environmental Assessment in Developing and Transitional Countries, Chichester, John Wiley and Sons. Ahmad, B and Wood, C. M (2002) Environmental Impact Assessment in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia, Environmental Impact Assessment Review,Volume 22, pp. 213-234. Arts, J., Caldwell, P., and Morrison-Saunders, A (2001) Environmental Impact Assessment Follow-up: Good Practice and Future Directions Findings from a Workshop at IAIA 2000 Conference, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal,Volume 19(3), pp. 175-185. Bailey, J.M and Hobbs, V (1990) A Proposed Framework and Database for EIA Auditing, Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 31, pp. 163-72. Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (2004) Strengthening Environmental Assessment in Canada: Amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, Available at http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/013/001/0003/index_e.htm, Accessed on Friday January 29th, 2010. George, C (2000b) Environmental Impact Prediction and Evaluation, in Lee, N and George, C (Eds.)Environmental Assessment in Developing and Transitional Countries, Chichester, John Wiley and Sons. Glasson, J (1994) Life after the Decision: The Importance of Monitoring in EA, Built Environment, 20, pp. 309-320. Glasson, J., Therivel, R., and Chadwick, A (1999) Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, UCL Press. Marshall, R (2004) Can Industry Benefit from Participation in EIA-follow up? The Scottish Power Experience, in Morrison-Saunders, A and Arts, J (Eds), Assessing Impact: Handbook of EIA and SEA Follow-up, Earthscan James James, London, Chapter 6. Mitchell, B (1997) Resource and Environmental Management, Waterloo, Addison Wesley Longman Limited. Morrison-Saunders, A., Marshall, R and Arts, J (2007) EIA Follow-Up International Best Practice Principles, International Association for Impact Assessment, Special Publication Series No. 6, Fargo, USA. Sadler, B (1996) Environmental Assessment in a Changing World: Evaluating Practice to Improve Performance, Final Report, International Study of the Effectiveness of Environment Assessment, Ottawa, Canadian Environmental Agency. United Nations (1990) Post-project Analysis in Environmental Impact Assessment, Report Prepared by the Task Force on Environmental Impact Assessment Auditing with Canada as Lead Country, New York. Wlodarczyk, T. L (2000) Improving Monitoring and Follow up in Canadian Environmental Assessments, Paper Presented at the IAIA Conference June 2000, Hong Kong. Wood, C (2003) Environmental Impact Assessment, A Comparative Review, Second Edition Prentice Hall, Harlow.

Alas, Babylon :: essays research papers

Alas, Babylon Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book Alas, Babylon, the author, Pat Frank, discusses the condition of the human race. Mainly, his view differs from others because rather than write about the countries in a nuclear war, he writes about people living in the countries that are involved in that war. His discusses these peoples’ progress, both technological and moral, as well as their use of power. These topics make the book as intriguing as it is to read.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frank, rather than talk about all mankind’s technological advances, talks about how they have hindered man. He says that we have become dependant on these discoveries. He shows this when Dan Gunn and Mark take turns telling Randy all these things that he has, such as a nice car and a refrigerator, are useless when nuclear fallout occurs. It seems that man cannot function for even one minute without using things that were not even available fifty or one hundred years ago. Frank is warning us that there may be a time when we will need to retain the lifestyle of the nineteenth century, and only the people who have the knowledge of this way of life will be fine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frank has an interesting view on the way man has progressed morally. I think that he says that we don’t really know our morals until we have them truly questioned. In this he implies that the people who have strong morals, not only will stay true to them, but will survive. An example of this is Randy Bragg. Randy, on the day of nuclear fallout, stopped on the side of the road to help a woman. This shows that he has respect for the human race as a whole. The opposite of this was Edgar Quisenbury. Edgar valued nothing but money. In the end, the absence of money caused Edgar to become an example of Darwin’s â€Å"Only the strong† theory as he shot himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power is addressed in the book as something that Americans do not take seriously. The use of this power is not shown so much as who is in power. I will use three examples of this. Bubbah Offenhouse was in charge of making everyone aware of what to do in case of fallout. However, he chose not to even hand out information on this because he didn’t want to think about it.

Salem Witch Trials Essay -- Witchcraft Salem Witch Trials History Essa

Salem Witch Trials Throughout history millions of people have been scorned, accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial and, persecuted as witches. One would think that by the time the United States was colonized, these injustices on humanity would have come to an end, but that was not so. In 1692 a major tragedy occurred in America, the Salem witch trials. It all began when a group of girls accused others, generally older women, of consorting with the devil. The witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts resulted from the strict Puritan code which aroused the girls interest in superstition and magic and caused strange behavior. The Salem witch trials were based on the Puritans and their God versus Satan and his followers and their strict codes. Puritans had always thought that they were the new chosen people, abandoning a land of sin and oppression to establish the Promised Land (New England). Puritans beliefs were rooted in contrasts. (1) They believed that if there was something good there was something bad to contradict it, for instance since there was a God, there must be a devil. Since there was good, there must be evil, and since there were saints chosen to do God’s work on earth, there must be witches who were instruments of the Devil. (2) So if someone did not believe in witches it was considered heresy in Salem. A witch was regarded as a person who had made an actual, deliberate, formal pact with Satan and would do all in her in power to aid him in his rebellion against God. (3) The Puritans believed that they were living in a world of chaos and crime, and directed their efforts to constantly guard against sin. (4) Life in Salem Village was not easy at the best of times. Gaiety and merrymaking were regarded as irreligious, and the people of the village were somber and severe. Their lives were spent in hard work and religious observance. Even their relaxation was associated with the meeting house. On the Sabbath there was a long service in the morning and another in the afternoon. Village residents who came from outlying farms were not able to get home before the services, and it gradually became a regular practice for the time before the services to be spent in visiting and conversation. This was the time when gossip and news were spread from one to another. (5) Children would accompany their parent... ...irley, The Witchcraft of Salem Village, Random House, New York, 1956,p.5. 8.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD.,1992, p13. 9.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.12. 10.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.86. 11.Jackson, Shirley, The Witchcraft of Salem Village, Random House, New York, 1956,p.17-18. 12.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.86. 13.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD.,1992, p.81. 14.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD.,1992, p110. 15.Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. â€Å"Witchcraft.† 1996 16.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD., 1992, p.80. 17.Robinson, Enders, A. Salem Witchcraft and Hawthrone’s House, Heritage Books, Browie, MD, 1992, p.206.

Urban Legend of Glenn Dale Hospital :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends

Glenn Dale Hospital Background Over the recent break, I mentioned to a friend that I needed to write about a ghost-related urban legend. He offered to tell me about Glenn Dale Hospital, which is supposedly a famous ghost legend in Maryland. Since I am a lifelong Maryland resident and did not know about the hospital, I was eager to hear the story. The story was told in the living room of a house by a 19 year old white male native to southern Maryland. He is from a middle class family and his father and mother are a construction worker and a homemaker, respectively. He heard the story from another friend who claims to have visited Glenn Dale Hospital. The Story So, in the 30s and 40s they used to send tuberculosis patients to the [Glenn Dale] hospital for treatment. [normal relaxed tone] Eventually it was converted into an insane asylum and it became notorious for its treatment of patients. The staff experimented on the patients and locked them up all day. One day, all the patients revolted and the doctors ran out of the hospital and boarded up all the doors and windows. [talking faster] The patients were left inside to die and the hospital was abandoned. The insane still wander the halls. Today, if you sneak in the hospital you will be chased by the ghosts of the patients and catch tuberculosis. My friend went there and swears he saw a ghost watching him from the shadows, and he won’t go near that place anymore [gestures with hand in horizontal motion]. The cops arrest anyone they catch trespassing, but they say the cops won’t go in the hospital after you if you need help.† Context There is evidence to support some of this story. According to a Washington Post article from December 10, 2006, Glenn Dale Hospital does exist on over 200 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In fact, it did house tuberculosis patients starting in the mid-thirties. However, that is essentially all the truth in the story. The article states, â€Å"It [Glen Dale Hospital] was never an insane asylum, as urban explorers and paranormal researchers suggest on the internet.† Since it was never an asylum, the idea of a revolt and the insane wandering the halls must not be true. Since tuberculosis does not last for decades without human hosts, it is impossible to catch the disease just by exploring the hospital.

Renaissance quizz

Renaissance What was one of the chief aims of Italian Renaissance art? Realistic portrayal of individual persons, especially the human nude What was considered to be most important in education of â€Å"Christian Ladies†? Domesticity or asceticism What is a fresco? Method of painting water-based pigments on freshly applied plaster, usually on wall surfaces. What was the purpose of liberal education? Liberal studies were viewed as the key to freedom, which allowed humans to achieve heir goals and reach their full potential. What was the aim off humanist education?Humanist education was thought as being an important factor to the preparation of life. Its main goal was to improve the lives of citizens and help their communities. What did Donated do in Rome? With Michelson he produced a series of works, including the tomb of Pope John XIII in the Baptistery, Florence, and the tomb of Cardinal Britannica in S. Angelo a Nil, Naples. What was Renaissance art influenced by? Humanism W hat did Renaissance artists seek to imitate? They tried to imitate nature and real life in their work.In politics, the Renaissance contributed the development of the conventions of diplomacy, and in science an increased reliance on observation. Historians often argue this intellectual transformation was a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern era. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic placements and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo dad Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the term â€Å"Renaissance man†.As a cultural movement, it encompassed innovative flowering of Latin and vernacular literatures, beginning with the 14th-century resurgence of learning based on classical sources, which contemporaries credited to Patriarch, the development of linear perspective and other techniques of rendering a more natural reality in painting, and grad ual but widespread educational reform. Renaissance quiz By legislation

Bylli All’s Five Year Career Development Plan Essay

As I am shortly the chair and CEO of J-R Equipment, my c atomic number 18er is where I always thought it would be. I was chosen by my female p arnt to head this 50 year-old family bloodline. My sole finisheavor is to im break it tarry for an other(a) 50 years. More specifically, everywhere the next five years my demolition and base objective forget be to rebuild J-R Equipment Rental into an efficient, consistently lucrative organization which m any(prenominal) families atomic number 18 support with its growth. Heinz Weihrich (2007) writes, life throws are built on un definitety the future raft non be predicted with accuracy. Consequently, misfortune programmes based on alternative sets of assumptions should be prepared. My individual(prenominal) plan testament be an ongoing proactive plan with yearbook reassessments periodically (Wagner, 2010). My objective is to incorporate spick-and-span technology and old fashi whizd have it off how to instal ours the best term of a contract federation in the area.Goals and ObjectivesJ-R Equipment pass on remain in our family for generations to come with proper management and growth. The sign objective in any strain is to be profitable. familys ago this participation was run by a to a greater extent than larger staff, therefore giving the fortune of clip to oversee things properly. This is my face-to-face goal. When this plan is successfully put into practice, a sentience of pride and accomplishment knowing that my mother made the correct choice leave behind be satisfaction enough. I do not foresee my compensation or benefits software program changing during or aft(prenominal) this time. The followers current specific goals and objectives are vital to the plan to be a success. This describe cannot consider unknown or unforeseen actions. 1. Conduct a staring(a) job analysis on separately area at heart the company.2. Construct a thorough job description for all(prenominal) job analysis. 3. Work to organize the jobs break up to be do so that employees are making good use of their talents to break serve the companys goals. 4. jib up on pass on scales and update if warranted, this should be done annually. 5. follow-up article benefits package, e.g. Health indemnity, IRA, Life Insurance 6. Annually update the Employee Handbook and revolutionary hire package. 7. Streamline the rental do by so that customers can shorten the time they are involved to spend in the office on paper plump. 8. Educate employees who will utilize the computer systems available gumshoes. 9. Work to make the equipment store more reliable in monetary value of contracts and status of equipment. 10. Update processes and protocols within the company.11. Review our service call procedures and update as requiremented. Job Satisfaction and Attributes in that location is a great deal of satisfaction in a job well-done. Knowing that my efforts are useful and usable is more than up to(predicate) to me. The typical attributes of job satisfaction is want and productivity. When an employee is satisfied with his or her job the employee will more or less naturally be disturbed and motivated, thus increasing productivity. I am no exception to this rule.Compensation and Benefits currently my compensation and benefits are as noble gear as they can be for the company. In the near future I plan to include a key psyche living indemnity plan to my list of benefits. This life insurance plan would reconcile the company as the beneficiary to showtime costs pertaining to hiring and promoting individuals in the event of my death. to the highest degree organizations have at least one employee who is fundamental to the continued success of the job. It could be the owner, manager, or someone with a high level of follow up, the loss or death of that person certainly would cause an override both productively and financially to the company. This insurance benefit co uld be used to deliver off debt, recruit new-fangled personnel, or any other useful tool needed to grow the business.CompetenciesFor any business today and later its managers to remain competitive, certain technologies must be utilized so that employees, management, and customers can communicate and conduct business in a simple that proficient manner. Our computer system was upgraded vindicatory last year so I would believe that this system could easily lead us through this plan with fixity updates. There are add-ons to the system that could be divulge utilized. In addition, certain competencies are required to fulfill the position of president and CEO in an effective manner. competency defined is a gathering of functionality, involving skills, knowledge, and personal attributes, which, combined, establish successful achievement of exertion (Adomaitien, Zubrickien, 2010). Adomaitiene and Zubrickiene also write that competencies and job experiences capture a condition of pe rsonal clarity.The following competencies are required to grow as a manager/owner and thus have the company grow as well. An effective CEO must have the ability to understand, empathize, and assist in apiece area or department within the company to recognize its connection to other departments. I. Every employee has a role to pushover in the efficient function of the company, the ken of each person and their role is a key component in success. II. A operative knowledge of the companys front office or rental software and its capabilities are vital to quotidian operations. III. A working knowledge of the gumption office systems and their functionality will prove inherent for financial recommendations.Job ExperiencesFortunately, my current experience level with each department is such that I feel as though I am a smell ahead already in my plan. These experiences relinquish me the confidence to discuss any changes that whitethorn be initiated to improve the company. Continued rag to the departments and their functions will help to keep my competencies up to date.Training and EducationTraining and teaching method are an indispensable part of any plans success. The educational range I have will be sufficient to begin this process all the same the complete plan will require additional education and a personal in-depth assessment of my own personal strengths, weaknesses, and a thorough knowledge of what items will need adjustment are the first needful step. My education with University of Phoenix and continued work experience help to complete my consciousness of the business process and the functionality of this knowledge.J-R Equipments placeJ-R Equipments responsibility is simply to coincide with the recommendations made. The department managers will prove inherent in the process. Open forms of communication are crucial to the success of our plan and subsequently our company. Regular meetings will be held to sexual conquest the successful processi on of the plan.Plan Timeline course of study One1.All job analyses and descriptions are complete. 2.Begin working with other managers to mull ideas for streamlining. 3.Set schedules for employee grooming on the computer system.4.Update Employee Handbook.5.Begin instrument analysis with equipment not available for rental. Year Two1.Reorganize employees to better suit their skills and talents. 2.Review pay scales of all employees to make certain current state commandment is upheld.3.Begin surveil of benefits packages.4.Continue gathering ideas for streamlining.5.Revise/implement training schedules.6.Update Employee Handbook.7.Continue inventory analysis with spot check inventory reconciliation.Year Three1.Complete review of benefits packages.2.Update Employee Handbook and new hire package.3.Continue inventory analysis.4.Begin to put into effect ideas for streamlining the rental process.5.Review pay scales of all employeesYear Four1.Update/review streamlining processes.2.Update Em ployee Handbook and new hire package3.Continue ongoing inventory analysis.4.Review pay scalesYear Five1.All processes should be completed2.Review new processes for functionality3.Review needs for additional training.4.Review pay scales and benefits packages5.Update Employee handbook.6.Formulate a Mentoring ProgramMentoringA mentoring program can be testicle or wanton. The informal plans offer much more than the formal plans. Informal programs are more determined simply because both parties are motivated, and the race would be more relaxed and without boundaries (Chao, 2009). Formal programs are certainly more rigid, more structured, and more visible. Currently there is no formatted mentoring program in place even though I was mentored without even knowing it. I do however intend to formulate a program by the end of the five year period. This is largely helpless on employee and family growth within the business. There are several candidates currently that will be given the oppor tunity for existential growth to a higher level of responsibility. The program itself will need to extension the ever-changing working world and its part in an individuals life (Patton, McIlveen, 2008).ConclusionA career development plan has been difficult to prepare. My career has almost always been J-R Equipment. I have been embossed here and groomed for this business and am thankful for that education. I and my siblings were raised in this business, my children were raised in this business, and now my grandchildren are being raised here. I could not be more proud or motivated for our continued success.ReferencesAdomaitien, J., & Zubrickien, I. (2010). Career Competences and greatness of Their Development in Planning of Career Perspective. Bridges / Tiltai, 53(4), 87-99. Chao, G. T. (2009). Formal mentoring Lessons learned from past(a) practice. Professional Psychology Research And form, 40(3), 314-320. inside10.1037/a0012658 Morgan, M. (2011). Building Personal Equity. Strate gic Finance, 93(6), 16-61. Patton, W. (2009). Practice and Research in Career instruction and Development 2008. Career Development Quarterly, 58(2), 118.The cheer of Key-Person Life Insurance. Retrieved from