Tourism Management

————————————————- Managing Adventure & Sports Tourism Environments COURSE MODULE: TRM341 BA. HONS STRATAGIC TOURISM MANAGEMENT Word Counts ————————————————- Managing Adventure & Sports Tourism Environments COURSE MODULE: TRM341 BA. HONS STRATAGIC TOURISM MANAGEMENT Word Counts Acknowledgement I would like to thank my lecturer Mr Li Yee for his guidance in this report. ContentsAcknowledgement1 Introduction3 Destination4 Implemented Strategies7 Effectiveness of Implemented Strategy10 Recommendations11 Conclusion18 References20 Introduction â€Å"Sports tourism can be defined as travels away from one’s primary residence to participate in sports activity for recreation or competition, travel to observe sport and grassroots or elite level. And travel to visit a sport attraction such as sports hall of fame or Water Park†. Gibson, Attle, Yiannakis, 1997) On the other hand adventure tourism can be simply defined as Recreational travel including variety of rugged activities for adventure. Adventures and sports tourism can benefit economies by providing a fast source of income for local government and community, supporting the sustaining improvement and protection for environment and encouraging culture exchange between the developed countries and the developing world.If the undeveloped tourism destination do not focus on their tourism, it will be really hard for them to improve their poor situation of economic, environment and culture. Adventure and sports tourists can be attract for a certain destination by looking at the facilities and environment of that place such as; hotels services, price of goods in the area, transport services, travel agencies, guides, airlines, social and cultural aspects of life and most important sustainable natural resources. Ralf Buckley, 2006) A tourism sports destination can be attractive for many reasons; different types sports activities in big city or some time big sports events in small cities, beautiful islands or beach, recreation activities, sports activities for family fun etc. most of all a unique atmosphere of sport and adventure. Destination In perspective of West Cambria sports and adventures tourism it provides to tourists; Attractions which related to sports such as sports theme park, hiking, bungee jumping etc.West Cambria tourism site has highest mountain such as scafell, including stunning coastline and wastwater, also resorts can be include with sports tourism activities. According to Cumbria tourism statistics, each year 35 million day trippers and 5 million overnight visitors spend their night; Cumbria is a place where tourists get a chance to attend all the sports events. As a developed and well established destination; the Ecological environment of sports and a dventures tourism is not only about green tourism but also deeply related with socio culture with Cambria tourism.Naturally sustainable environment of sports and adventures tourism in west Cambria also socio-culturally respectful and have a huge effect on both the natural environment and the human population including man made tourism destination. Sustainable environment of west Cambria tourism often involves locals of remote areas experience and interacting with foreigners. Multi-Sport Activities: it is physical outdoor activities. Rafting, mountain biking, climbing, surfing, diving, etc. all offered in the same package. West Cambria tourism provides these sports facilities.Sports included in west Cambria: Angling, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball & Softball, Basketball, Boccia, Bowls, Canoeing, Cricket, Cycling, Dance, Disability Sports, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Netball, Orienteering, Outdoor Activities, rounder, Rowing, Rugby, Running, S ailing & Windsurfing, Scuba & Snorkelling, Snow sports, Squash & Racket ball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Walking Water, Polo, Weight Lifting and Wheelchair Basketball. The relationship between sustainable tourism and othersAs a sports destination Sports destination West Cumbria tourism has all the potentiality to be sustainable. According to West Cumbria adventure and sports tourism, relationship between ecological and socio cultural can be compare through their essential facts for each other; Ecological factors relate to socio cultural environment 1. Air quality of the area, 2. Transportation, Parking facilities 3. Pollution discharge process, 4. Water quality for sports activities, 5. Waste management facilities; 6. Land and Coastal resources etc. Socio-cultural fact relates to Ecological environment . Balanced population of the area, 2. Health care facilities for local and tourists. 3. Population employment patterns, job market freedom and locals attit udes to work, 4. Social attitudes and Lifestyle and cross cultural understanding. 5. Roman Heritage 6. Locals cultural activities & interests on tourism 7. Financial services, investment 8. Resorts, hotel and camping services 9. Entertainment facility and tourist Information service provider. Adventure and sports tourism has brought people into contact with each other in west Cambria.As ecological tourism has an educational element it can foster understanding between people and cultures and provide socio-cultural exchange between hosts and tourists. This increases the chances for people to develop mutual sympathy and understanding and to reduce prejudices. A Socio cultural and ecological relationship has added more vitality of west Cambria communities in many ways. Such as; sports events and adventures activities of the local residents where they have been the primary participants and spectators. Often these are refreshed and developed in response to tourist interests.Implemented St rategies The West Cambria tourism is an award winning destination for tourism in 2011; it is also one of the most spectacular beaches in UK and an area that has been popular for many years. To develop Adventure and sports tourism Allerdale Borough Council and Carlisle Leisure limited on 1 April 2004 developed a sustainable tourism strategy. The aim was to balance the need to manage and stimulate sports tourism to the area with the need to avoid damaging the very natural assets on which the tourism industry depended. Interest in the idea of sustainable tourism is greatest in those countries where there is a high level of interest in sustainable development in general. † (John Swarbrooke, 1999) To ensure the strategy was tailored to the needs of the area, authorities engaged in a considerable amount of consultation prior to writing the document. This involved meetings with key stakeholders, National benchmarking survey of tourism authority; the result of this consultation was th at many valuable ideas generated via the process made it into the strategy and action plan.Following the secondary method of research; the implemented strategic objectives can be pointed out 1. More visitors from outside the region 2. More overnight visitors 3. More business and high-value leisure visitors 4. More private sector tourism investment. Enhancing the West Cumbria tourism for residents and visitors to create: 1. World-class cultural/sport/leisure facilities 2. High standards of quality 3. Avenues for learning, business support and careers 4. Jobs and economic benefit through sports and adventure tourism 5. Sustainable development (environmentally, socially, economically) 6.Local and regional pride. Some of the tourism vision can be explained as follows; Performance of tourism businesses 1. To encourage businesses to invest in the range and quality of their facilities where required 2. To encourage the entire sector to value customer service and to invest in staff skills. Marketing promotions/Events and festivals The strategy focuses on sports events and festivals, in particular those that have the potential to attract new visitors to the region, generate short breaks and which also positively add to the image and profile of the West Cumbria region.Where possible these major events and festivals should reinforce other market growth opportunities. The strategy also recognises that locally distinct events can enhance sense of place, sense of community and add value to the visitor experience. They create new opportunities for visitor spends particularly for shopping and for eating and drinking. Collectively they can strengthen the regional events and festivals profile. Hospitality Services The restaurant, hotels, bar etc. rowth opportunity as being about the quality of the eating experience; the presentation of the food, the ambience of the eating out experience including genuine customer service. It may also be about local produce and the provenance of food. Destination management Implemented strategy can be explained as; 1. Working with local businesses to drive up quality, encourage use of local produce and enhance the customer service 2. To invest in the presentation and marketing of farmers markets and food and drink events 3. To use food and drink as one ocus for destination marketing where it presents a strong and quality experience 4. To encourage all aspects of the food and drink sector that deal with consumers to value customer service and the skills of their staff and invest in them. West Cambria tourism implemented strategy can be summarised as; 1. provide all sports and adventures visitors a high quality, enjoyable and fulfilling experience 2. To ensure that tourism meets its potential as a driver of the local economy, bringing prosperity and jobs throughout the area 3. To ensure local communities are not adversely affected by tourism 4.To develop the appreciation of west Cambria distinctiveness as somewhere to live, work and visit 5. To encourage tourism enterprises, their suppliers and customers to reduce the impact of tourism on the environment. Implemented strategy can be summarised as; The objective is to retain the economic and social advantages of tourism development while reducing or mitigating any undesirable impacts on the natural, historic, cultural or social environment. Allerdale tourism council play an important role in ensuring the continued appeal of tourism in the tourist area. Effectiveness of Implemented StrategyBruce J. Dierenfield (2003:p,212) Found that although there are numerous negative influence of hosting sport tourism because of the expected benefit for the community and local business often cause potential host community to ignore any negative impact that may occur. These include: putting the country in global world, showing the destination, promoting political system, creating new business, attracting investment, creating job and urban renewal including housing, and infrastructure will contribute to the development of the country, and benefit citizens over a long period of time.Positive sides: sports adventure tourism development plan for west Cambria, mainly focused local benefits; Current strategy can helps raise funds for environmental protection, research and education through a variety of mechanisms, sports events entrance fees, hotel, airline and airport taxes and voluntary contributions. The local community also can be benefited. The jobs created by tourism can act as a very important motivation to reduce emigration.Local people can also increase their influence on tourism development, as well as improve their job, earnings prospects, through tourism-related professional training, development of business and organisational skills. Sports tourism can bring people into contact with each other and, as tourism has an educational element, it can foster understanding between peoples and cultures and provide cultural exchange between hosts and guests. Because of this, the chances increase for people to develop mutual sympathy and understanding and to reduce their prejudices.Negative Sides: Sports tourism development can creates additional demand for land and competition from the growing potential buyers. The demand for more hotels and tourist facilities brings sources of income to builders, real estate agent and landowners but the local residents are forced to pay more for their homes and larger tax duties increase in land values. In addition, increasing demands for basic services and goods from tourists will often cause price hikes that negatively affect local residents whose income does not increase proportionately.On the other hand, the development of tourism may cause inflation in prices of goods. The issue with seasonal workers is another negative aspect. They face job insecurity, due to the completion of projects. Thus, there will be lack of guarantee of employment from one season to another. Recommendations Develo ped transportation: Sport-tourism is a powerful force for development that encourage investment in infrastructure projects such as airport , roads that can be enjoyed by local people as well as tourist who came to use them. Joy Standeven, Paul de Knop, 1999, p 66) Travel service providers in the tourist destination area, such as airlines, railways, and bus service need to be sufficient and well developed to avoid all sort of hassle might impact for tourist or destination. To achieve greater competitive advantage; transport companies should have a sophisticated planning; the transportation sector is always a large and growing market in UK tourism. Security and personal safety: Security is a major issue for any tourism destination, for a large destination security sometime maybe it’s not enough to only depending on local police or community service.Private security services can be included, with modern camera technology, professionals to maintain successful tourism destination. The best course of action is to blend human security with technology. Managing adventure and sports safety remains an important topic to tourism industry. Perceived or real threats to sports person safety have immediate impacts on a destination's reputation and can dramatically affect visitation. If visitor health and safety is not well managed, adverse incidents can significantly impact on the profitability and sustainability of an individual business, community or destination.So it’s should be a compulsory objective for tourism organiser to have sufficient safety services. Developed infrastructure: Tourist development indicates that infrastructure accordingly developed. The provision of infrastructure- the construction of roads, and the system of electricity supply, water supply and sewages disposal, hospital, churches, schools and shop become necessary when an area is developed for the tourism. Indeed, in regions away from the main cities, a kind of micro-urbanization has to take place to attract tourists who assemble in such places to escape environmental monotony of their workday in cities.The tourists are prepared to live in the clusters of cottages but at the same time they demand most of the modern comforts to which they are accustomed with the possibility of a shopping centre, amusements and services to be made available at hand. Capacity of accommodating sports tourists: Carrying capacity for tourism is similar in some ways to ecological carrying capacity and different in others. Ultimately, physical resources limit both population and tourist levels. A dearth of land, shortage of food, or decline in water quality and availability will quickly put the brakes on both types of growth.But for tourism, cultural resources are also a concern. A well-developed tourism destination should provide an efficient accommodated service for their tourists. Technology applied to the provision of sports and adventure activities: The technological environment p lays a huge role and influence on the Sport-tourism through globalization due to the innovation of technological thought. For example the implication of restaurants and hotels has been joined by the technological strategy which connects the world through electronic business to exchange goods and services.Furthermore the internet has revolutionised the way executive and business partners operate and cash rings are replaced by credit and debit card payment system. This technological change will allow the use of electronic transfer fund to be more accurate on the information exchange and the target market (Weed et al, 2004: p, 33) Sport tourism may benefit from technological innovation such as currency exchange rate, details about accommodation, climate, culture, language, entertainment places, and requirement entry for visa.The technology infrastructure has opened a new way for Sport tourism to reach the outside world and enter to the competitive edge in the market share. (Devine et a l, 2009: p, 17). As the technology evolves and develops within the Sport tourism, stakeholders will find themselves with clear opportunities and one challenge emerging from this will be to streamline and simplify the transaction and consumption of products. This will require looking at global shift in consumer attitudes, tracking new motivations or opportunity in order to communicate and convince consumers (Knowles et al, 2004: p, 32).Technological developments are increasing rapidly. New recreation products, such as all-terrain vehicles and wind surfers, provide new ways for people to satisfy their recreational preferences. New production Technologies and materials offer recreation and tourism businesses ways to reduce costs and improve the quality of their products/services. Advances in telecommunications have and will continue to create new promotional opportunities. Technological innovations, in relation to jobs and the home, have resulted in increased leisure time for many peop le.Nowadays sports have become a part of our life. Sports have become one of the best interests of the people. Indoor sports activities for tourism is very popular fast growing. Sports are mainly related with the physical element of the body such like running, throwing, jumping, sliding, hitting, shooting, catching etc. , and at present time all those sports are depending on technological supports, as technology helps to give a fair result in any sports competition as well as sports person safety. Technology applied in modern gym helps to improve physical stamina through different level of exercise.For example, Technology applied Sport tourism includes rafting, Para gliding, bungee jump with crane, sky diving, and many more. Provision of diversified activities Diversified activities for tourism destination can create opportunity for more profits in local business. A tourism destination diversification can be point out as; Tourist Accommodation: Bed and breakfast hotel, resorts, camp ing facilities or caravan sites. Tourist recreation: Trekking holidays, heritage attractions, sports events and festivals, mountain biking/walking routes, clay pigeon shooting, archery, quad biking .Strategies can be including for Successful development: 1. Seasonal sports tourism offer 2. Marketing on Sports and adventures tourism activities 3. Ensuring each year sports tourism events got different attractions 4. Identifying major activities what can bring more tourists 5. Infrastructure investment targeting diversified activities More activities can be added as west Cambria has a suitable for sports and adventures tourism; 1. Horseback riding 2. Hang gliding, 3. Ballooning, 4. Parachuting Professionalism of service staff The professionalism in sports and adventures tourism is very vital.Becoming sports trainer or guide for tourism activities increased responsibility for the profession; Most of the time a destination future depends on their professional services. Professionalism ca n create demand for sports tourism, as a well-trained sports guide or trainer does mistake in rare occasion and that attracts sports tourists. Political stability Political stability can create significant impact on any tourism industry; an unstable political condition can spoil major sports events, same time it can ruin the economic development of Destination.A stable optical situation can creates; good economy, jobs, use of resources and growth of development. The government significantly by their activities may seriously influence the economic and non-economic opportunities essential in the creation of the conditions that conduct to the development of a business. Whether the Sport tourism development is encouraged or blocked, depends very much on the government policy and political view. (Tom Hinch, James Higham, 2011 p 206) Economic status of the destinationForeign Exchange Earnings: The spending of traveller brings income to the hosting country and possibly will stimulate a sig nificant investment to finance growth in other economic sectors. An important indicator of sports tourism development is it’s generate foreign exchange earnings The economic impact of tourism is massive. Tourism is generally regarded as labour-intensive. It generates direct full time employment in such formal sectors as hotels, restaurants, transport services, travel agencies, guides and foreign airlines, etc.Costs: In business, cost is usually a monetary valuation of (1) effort, (2) material, (3) resources, (4) time and utilities consumed, (5) risks incurred, and (6) opportunity forgone in production and delivery of a good or service. All expenses are costs, but not all costs (such as those incurred in acquisition of an income-generating asset) are expenses. A large number of deal and money will be costing the host destination of the event and local taxpayers for Sport tourism development. Developers will need the government to improve infrastructure which includes the airpo rt, roads and others which are costly activities for the government. ports and adventures tourism development costs can be divided in two parts, if the negative aspects of costs can be save than there will be benefit, on the other hand positive has always profitable for stake holders. Positive Costs | Negative Costs| 1. Tourist spending money returned to local economy as it is spent over and over again. | 1. Over tourism can effects social community; such as tourism can increase drug related activities. | 2. Diversify and stabilize the local economy. | 2. Illegal prostitution can be harmful for sports destination.As tourists has a weak side for sexual activities. | 3. Governments get a chance to add up extra tax through tourism. | 3. Overcrowding and congestion. | 4. Fosters conservation and preservation of natural, cultural and historical resources. | 4. Crime activities can be increased. | 5. Encourages the preservation and celebration of local sport events or festivals. | 5. Natu ral resources and historical sites can be damaged for overcrowding. | 6. Local charity can raise fund through regular tourism. | 6. Over development can be cost local government. | 7.Tourism money can be spending to create more technological development in activity area. | 7. Developers from outside the destination can take the profit away. | From an economic point of view of the above table showcasing the region and its natural beauty should enhance its reputation as an attractive tourist destination. Good organisation and infrastructure could be highlighted to further promote investment in sports destination. More convenient and modern venues are likely to attract higher number of spectators and perhaps host upcoming mega-events which will generate higher income to the destination.Conclusion Sport and adventure tourism development can benefit economies by providing a fast source of income for local government and community, supporting the sustaining improvement and protection for environment and encouraging culture exchange between the developed countries. In perspective of the west Cambria tourism, with major sports or adventure events can speed up the development and growth and these includes; Tourists’ arrivals: sports team or sports man, media, officials and fans arriving into the destination from across the country and across the world for the events.Destination revenues: money spent by visitors spending time in the destination over the period of the sports events. Investment in destination: money injected into the west Cambria destination for infrastructure development. Employment for locals: many of the locals will have the opportunity to get employed in during the sports events. Skills development: knowledge and skills transfer which result from sports events preparations which remain in the minds and lives. Popularity: By building of profile of the Cambria tourism as a host destination through media exposure of the event.The long-term benefit s of a sports destination far outweigh the short-term cost. Though creating a modern facilitate destination can destroy some part nature. In that case developers should focus without destroying the nature adopting Sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is considerably beneficial in the respect of environment. For developing tourism business, most developed destination provides financial support or material resource for the conservation of the local environment and natural resources.It can create balance between limits and usage of nature through monitoring and planning; to ensure that sustainable tourism can be managed besides developed sports tourism. Sustainable development of sports destination must include the interests of all stakeholders including local communities, visitors, related business industry and government. Suggestions for the future development of this sports destination†¦ References Books 1. Weed M, Bull, C, 2004. Sport tourism: Participants, policy and prov iders, 4th Edition. London UK: Elsevier’s Science and Technology. E-Books 2. Tim Knowles, Dimitrios Diamantis, Joudallah Bey El-Mourhabi, J. 2004.The Globalization of Tourism and Hospitality: A Strategic Perspective. 2nd Edition. London: Thomson Learning Available at: http://books. google. co. uk/books? id=uEi5NkHg0ZsC;printsec=frontcover;dq=The+Globalization+of+Tourism+and+Hospitality:+A+Strategic+Perspective;hl=en;ei=Y1HhTqinF9Do8QOmzPD_Aw;sa=X;oi=book_result;ct=result;resnum=1;ved=0CEMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage;q=The%20Globalization%20of%20Tourism%20and%20Hospitality%3A%20A%20Strategic%20Perspective;f=false Articles: 3. Devine, A, Boyle, E, Boyd, S, 2009. Towards a theory of collaborative advantage for the sport tourism policy arena. Available

Speech on Global Warming Essay

I would like to begin with a statement. Our earth is in trouble. Can anyone of you argue with that? I suppose you could argue. And why is that? Because you have never deeply researched the concepts of either global warming or climate change. So what can we learn from that? The first step of solving a problem is being aware of it. So you would ask â€Å"what is global warming?† Global warming is exactly what you hear. The warming of the globe. The earth’s climate gets hotter and hotter until icebergs start melting causing massive floods, forests are burning and whole areas are left without any water because it has vaporized. So global warming can affect the economy of the countries, the health of the people and the life expectancy of our planet. If that is not a major problem, I don’t know what it is. So, being aware. In a set of explanatory studies and mental model interviews that was conducted in 1994 responders regarded climate change as both bad and high likel y. So far so good. But the majority of them confused stratospheric ozone depletion with the greenhouse effect which are two completely different phenomena. Explanation of ozone destruction with the two lines, the cloud and the human activities (a cloud that protects us from harmful sun rays. But it’s just a cloud. The gases that came from human creations like sprays and cars started â€Å"attacking† to the cloud and that was so fragile that it opened allowing some harmful sun rays enter our atmosphere.) So the responders were answering that the reasons for global warming are the use of car, emissions from industrial processes and pollution. And of course most of the solutions that they were proposing were things like â€Å"we have to focus on controlling pollution†. I have news for you. The hole in the ozone layer is not the main cause of global warming. Global warming is linked mainly to the green house effect which is caused by the gathering of too much carbon dio xide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxides are in the green gasses emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. Those dioxides trap infrared radiation and do not let it leave the earth’s atmosphere, resulting in warmer low atmospheric layers than the upper ones. Think of it as a blanket, trapping heat and warming the planet. I believe you are all familiar with sprays. Sprays used to contain some particles called chlorofluorocarbons, CFCs in short. Those were the main reason for the hole in the ozone layer. In 1989 CFCs were banned by the Montreal Protocol. Then,  it was noticed that global warming slowed down. But like I said, the slowing down was not because the destruction of the ozone was mainly paused but because CFCs were 17,000 times more effective at trapping infrared radiation than carbon dioxides. So after managing being aware of the problem, one has to also recognize its existence in order to solve it. Despite the desperate attempts of scientists and the earth itself to tell us that there is a major issue that needs to be tackled immediately there is still a number of people denying the very existence of the issue. There is a â€Å"climate change denial† which is, â€Å"quote†, â€Å"a set of organized attempts to downplay, deny or dismiss the scientific consensus on the extent of global warming, its significance, and its connection to human behavior.† So those people are denying, not ignoring, denying, the scientific proofs of global warming and the relation with the human activities. Yeah, so the earth one day decided to start destroying itself. As for the significance of the problem, I will let the events speak for themselves: 1) 2000, studies claimed confidently that greenhouse gases had contributed to floods in Britain, 2) 2010, heat wave (a long period pf time when a region has an abnormally hot weather) struck Russia, killing 50,000, 3) 2011, Hurricane Irene slams into the United states killing 45 people and leaving $10 billion in damages 4) 2011 Texas and Oklahoma suffer from the worst one-year drought on record 5) July 2011 – June 2012, the hottest 12 months ever recorded, 6) January – June 2012 the hottest 6 months ever recorded. I could go on until tomorrow. So its like the earth is screaming â€Å"I’m burning here!† and some people are just answering â€Å"yeah right†, or not listen at all. So now I will leave the decision up to you. Will you decide to listen?

Self-Evaluation Learning and Action Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self-Evaluation Learning and Action Plan - Essay Example According to my last assessment action plan, I reside in Australia where I am an undergraduate student. I always dreamt of being a successful entrepreneur and helping the poor and needy by contributing towards their betterment. However, becoming successful in Australia for a novice like me was difficult, so after much research I found Indonesia to be the most suitable market for developing my business. With this aim in mind I had set a timeline of 10 years and developed an action plan for myself. I also chose the business of manufacturing and selling water bottles after conducting a research with an experienced businessman in Indonesia. My action plan starts from my market research in the market of Indonesia. Studying the market in Indonesia requires 6 months. In this time period I will be analyzing the external business environment of the country. The next step in the action plan that would be studied is the bottle industry of Indonesia. This would also take a time period of six mon ths. It would help in assessing the bottle makers in Indonesia and also help me to understand their strategies. Then a consumer analysis would be done, which would take another 2 months. This is to understand the preferences of the buyers. So almost a year is necessary for market research, which would include the above functions (Schreuder, 2006, p. 301). After a year of analysis, a plan has to be developed regarding the infrastructure for development of manufacturing plant, land or property requirement for the manufacturing plant. Another 22 months were assigned for this task, which is another 2 years. The recruitment process for the manufacturing plant and the office would take another 6 months. After recruitment of relevant staff, the business can be started. The basic functions of business can be conducted, such as manufacturing, marketing, selling and other related functions. After I establish the business and settle all the functions smoothly, opportunities for diversification can be searched. If suitable options are found, then further expansion or diversification would be conducted utilizing the available resources in the next 2–3 years. This is my action plans for future, which I developed in assessment 1. This is what I have set to achieve, but I haven’t achieved it yet because I am still an undergraduate student, as mentioned above. This does not mean that nothing has been achieved towards my way to success. The studies which I am doing in Australia would definitely be the initial step towards my climb to become a successful businessman in Indonesia. From the action plan developed by me in the last assessment, I realized certain significant facts that would help me to lead my way towards my developed action plan. It is easy to create frameworks and plans, but in order to develop and follow long-term visions, one has to realize what they want to be, who they want to be and how they want to be. The interval between now and the time of im plementing the action plan is the best time for developing entrepreneurial skills in me. The road for development of a successful business starts with gaining good knowledge about the industry, developing certain basic skills such as managerial qualities – leadership qualities which can be cultivated by taking part in events in the institute. Further, if I also go for completing my masters, then it would be an added advantage for me. Not only will I be able to understand the

Why are the division of labour and the factory so controversial Essay

Why are the division of labour and the factory so controversial - Essay Example Division of labour is an approach used in completion of tasks. This normally involves the breaking down of a complex task, into many simpler tasks, which are then handled by different workers. These workers work on the parts of the task, which they are specialized in; as these are the tasks, they are assigned. According to Sabel (1982), division of labour has both positive and negative influences on workers and factories. These effects are both social and economic in nature. The controversy surrounding division of labour in factories has however, been a historical issue. In this paper, I will focus on the works of different scholars, including Adam Smith, Frederick Taylor, Karl Marx, among many others, whose contributions to the concept of division of labour contributes to the controversial debate on the issue. I will compare and contrast their approaches used to address division of labour in factories, and its effects. Adam Smith first used the term division of labour, in his work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. He defined division of labor as the process in industries, where the process of manufacturing is divided into simpler and specific operations that are assigned to particular workers to handle. Smith supported the process of division of labour, citing that this process is capable of more productivity in a factory, compared to those factories that do not employ division of labour in their operations. He also attributes division of labour to the increase of judgment and skill level in workers (Smith 1976). Although Adam Smith was not responsible for coining the term division of labour, or the first to address the concept, his ideas and thinking on the effects of division of labour had an impact on the other thinkers that came after him, including Karl Marx (Hill 2004). Different thinkers show different perceptions toward division of labour, which are both positive and negative. Adam Smith was positive about division of lab our, but did not focus on the long-term effects of division of labour (Hill 2004). The contribution of Adam Smith to the effects of division of labour remains important today. He focused on the analysis of the benefits of this process, based on its approach of job specialization. Smith argued that division of labour was beneficiary to both factories and workers, as it boosted independence of workers (Hill 2004). Smith considered specialization detrimental to workers. Although this serves to reduce the quantity of work, Smith identified other negative effects of specialization. First, he argued that when a worker is restricted to only particular aspects of a job, this also restricts their natural inventiveness. Additionally, this impairs the worker’s physical capabilities (Smith 1976). This also limits their use of physical strength in performing different duties, since they are physically programmed to perform only specific duties. Smith also notes that, this turns workers in to automated machines, as like machines; they only have one line of duty to perform. Smith did not however, recommend any solutions. He believed that specialization was a natural process, which cannot be avoided by humans, but which humans can adapt to (Smith 1976: Hill 2004). Smith (1976) considered division of labour as responsible for propagating social inequality and exploitation of workers. When masters are in disputes with their workers, the workers are the losers. However, Smith believed that in specialization, workers had the opportunity to be their own bosses, therefore, also had the chance to leave work in the factories, and go

COMPARE CONTRAST THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA AND GOETHE'S FAUSTUS Research Paper

COMPARE CONTRAST THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA AND GOETHE'S FAUSTUS - Research Paper Example No contemporary song better illustrates the persistence of the â€Å"Devil as fiddler† than the 1979 country-rock hit â€Å"The Devil Went Down to Georgia† by the Charlie Daniels Band. The Devil encounters a young man â€Å"who plays the fiddle hot† and challenges him to a musical duel, the outcome of which is unexpected: After centuries of bargaining, humankind has finally produced a musician whose natural skills surpass the Devil’s. This paper analyzes the similarities and differences between Goethe’s Faust and Charlie Daniels’s The Devil Went Down to Georgia. It is the contention of this paper that the song has largely adapted the ‘devil wager’ theme while making its subject more straightforward than the complex Faust play. The tune is made up of two instrumental pauses ushered by Charlie Daniels himself on fiddle; every break symbolizes the performance of one of the competitors. The song of the devil has no actual, genuine tune, but an eerie melody that Daniels attained by overdubbing some parts of his own performance with the fiddle. Johnny performs a rendition of the old song called Fire on the Mountain. His melody is presented in the song through the below puzzling verses (Daniels 10): Charlie Daniels, in creating this song, was obviously inspired by folk stories about the demon taking part in fiddling competitions, which have been popular in the U.S. for more than a century. Charles M. Skinner documented such a story, narrated by a Black fiddler called Joost in New York, perhaps in the middle of the 19th century. Similar to numerous devil and ghost tales, in the story of Skinner the demon is chased off by the devotion of Joost in performing a hymn, and by the coming of dawn (Bendix & Hasan-Rokem 128). Nevertheless, in other renditions of the story, the demon is easily conquered by grander musicianship. Still in relation to The Devil Went Down to Georgia, consider, for instance, a rendition obtained by Herbert

Genre 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Genre 7 - Essay Example There are different types of biographies such as fictional bibliographies, authentic, bibliographies, autobiographies, picture book biographies, simplified biographies, compote biographies, partial biographies and collective biographies. The literally elements in the biographies are that they have written text patterns meaning they are written in chronological order, they are written as a story and biographies are written with predictable patterns. The main literacy concepts associated with biographies are factual, story, logical, aids and Authentic. One relevant award for this genre is the Robert F. Sibert Informational Medal, which is offered to the most distinguished informational book author. The award is relevant to this genre since it is aimed at rewarding authors that have written informational books, such as biographies, which are important in advancing the knowledge of children. The ward is in line the genre bibliography since it rewards the most distinguished authors who write books that have information about prominent and outstanding personalities in the society. The first advice to teachers when using the genre in a curriculum is that they should choose biographies that have a logical organization meaning bibliographies that have an interesting lifestyle that brings about curiosity to learners in the classroom, ones that have a clear and balanced view about the personality, use current and up-to-date bibliographies. Secondly, teachers use biographies in the curriculum by highlighting the main traits of successful people in the world with what learners can achieve. Teachers are cautioned against using books that have fictional characters to teach children about the genre bibliography. One of the books that fit the genre is a splash of Red, which explains the life, and art of Horace Pippin. The book provides a clear account of Horace Pippin’s life of art and

Social Contract Theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke Essay

Social Contract Theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke - Essay Example Thus, in a social contract to which they voluntarily consented, they created the state for the purpose of promoting and preserving their natural rights to life, liberty and property. It was John Locke who painted a picture of liberty of citizens and authority of government in tones which were far moderate than that of Thomas Hobbes. Men in a state of nature could make use of their perfect freedom for their own good, since they were reasonable men. To John Locke, men did not abuse their Liberty. They did not threaten the lives of their neighbors. He wrote: Though this is a state of liberty, yet it is not a state of license. The state of nature of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges everyone; and reason, which is that law that teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent; no one has a right to harm another in his life, health, liberty of possessions. 1 Locke's social contract favored men quitting the state of nature to form themselves into a civil society. In this society men instituted the state where a social contract or covenant was formulated between citizens and government, a trustee which they could dismiss if it did not maintain the freedom and equality that men originally knew and enjoyed. In other words, when government no longer served the citizens' interests and welfare, it might be resisted or overthrown. Why, because government had violated its obligations under the social contract to the extent that it had broken it. What were these obligations The government as trustee had to protect and preserve people's rights, especially natural rights as explained above. Otherwise, the contractual agreement which was the basis of government's existence would be without substance and meaning. Locke asserted that men should retain their natural rights in civil society and that political powers or sovereignty should not be assigned to the monarch, but to the people's representatives in parliament who should be supreme. In Locke's view, the legislative power could never be arbitrary, since under the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the people had the supreme power to change, through peaceful election or revolution, their representatives in the parliament whenever such representatives acted contrary to the trust reposed in them. Locke's social contract puts in perspective the parliamentary democracy of limited government that many states have today, which stresses the protection and promotion of individual rights to life, liberty and property. Locke's reason for favoring a civil government to impose upon man some restrictions of government authority was that men after all were not impartial judges of their friends' shortcomings. He admitted that human frailties could lead to abuse of power. 2 Popular sovereignty is supreme authority of the state which resides in the people. This authority means that the people are the ultimate source of power and so they possess coercive power to control government through which they allow themselves to be governed. It was said that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. This view is embodied in Locke's theory of popular sovereignty in which the citizens have the vested right and power to choose their representat

The IDEA Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The IDEA Project - Research Paper Example For GSS, the variable designation is SEX and RACE while for the WSV, the designations are v214 for column and v208 is control. There would be no significant differences among the race classification and between genders in their ranking of buying stolen goods. A larger percentage of women would consider buying stolen goods as never justified as compared to the men. The results show that a greater percentage of women strongly agrees that they receive respect at work for both races ( 43% as compared to 29% for men of the race=white and 45% as compared to 35% for the men of the race =black). However, when we consider the 'agree' column, we see that more men 'agree' that they receive respect. Taking the cumulative percentage for 'strongly agree' and 'agree', the percentage of male and female in the white race agreeing that they receive respect at work has a minimum difference (92% for men and 91.6% for women). The same is also true for the black race (93% for both sexes). It is also worthy to note that 3% of black women strongly disagrees as compared to 0% for men. Comparing the male response, one can see that a greater percentage of black men strongly agrees that they receive respect at work but then again a greater percentage of white men 'agrees' that they receive respect at work as compared to the black men. ... Results for GSS: Chart for RACE = 1(WHITE) Chart for RACE = 2(BLACK) Male Comparative Chart for Race(My Own Work): P Values: p This implies that the relationship is not statistically significant and the results cannot be generalized to the whole US population. The results show that a greater percentage of women strongly agrees that they receive respect at work for both races ( 43% as compared to 29% for men of the race=white and 45% as compared to 35% for the men of the race =black). However, when we consider the 'agree' column, we see that more men 'agree' that they receive respect. Taking the cumulative percentage for 'strongly agree' and 'agree', the percentage of male and female in the white race agreeing that they receive respect at work has a minimum difference (92% for men and 91.6% for women). The same is also true for the black race (93% for both sexes). It is also worthy to note that 3% of black women strongly disagrees as compared to 0% for men. Comparing the male response, one can see that a greater percentage of black men strongly agrees that they receive respect at work but then again a greater percentage of white men 'agrees' that they receive respect at work as compared to the black men. Taking it cumulatively, we see that there the difference is not significant (91% for white while 91.8% for black). Note also that 3% of white men strongly disagree that they receive respect at work. Results for WSV: Chart for Hispanic American Chart for Black American Chart for White American Chart for Asian American Chart for Indian American P Values p This implies that the relationship is not statistically significant and the results cannot be

Environmental Problems and Solutions Case Study

Environmental Problems and Solutions - Case Study Example Whenever more energy has been trapped than needed, it effect can increase the climate of the earth. There are certain reasons because of which these gases trap more energy than needed. Nature has kept the atmosphere in such a balance that any meddling in its route or cycle may harm the entire cycle. The present atmosphere of our planet is according to needs of human body. But time and again man has meddled with this cycle. The excessive use of explosives either during the war or on testing basis is the basic reason for the increase in global atmosphere. The explosives used in the wars carry dangerously poisonous and hot gases that mix with the greenhouse gases 2and result in the trap of more heat than needed. Similarly, the factories emit poisonous gases. Here the developed countries like USA and EU are the greater contributors, because they have more factories than the rest of the world. The underdeveloped countries are also adding to this global warming because the vehicles used are normally so deplorably in a bad condition that they emit many times more poisonous smoke than the normal order. These haphazard practices of human beings are resulting in certain damages to the natural cycle of life. The global temperature has been changed rapidly. ... The ecosystem of our planet is also getting becoming chaotic, because of the human folly. This folly creates a vicious circle, where each problem exacerbates other problems which feedbacks into each other. A recent research of population trends, climate change, increasing pollution and emerging diseases found that 40 percent of deaths in the world could be attributed to environmental factors. Actually the ecosystem3 has been set in such a way that every species depends on the other. If one gets disturbed or destroyed, the other will definitely suffer. Sometimes even the entire species are wiped out because of certain human irregularities and indiscipline. The ozone layer is also getting damaged day by day. The destruction of ozone layer is also increasing the UV-radiation, that combined with higher ocean temperature, cause the reduction in carbon dioxide trapping mechanism of the oceanic phytoplankton biomass ,which adds to global warming process. When the warming reaches a certain level, it releases huge amounts of greenhouse gasses trapped in the permafrost. This enhances the global warming, and the polar destruction of ozone, and so on. Global warming also results in the rise of sea level. The general scientific law that liquid expands on heating is quite applicable to the rise in sea level. When the seawater gets warm, its level rises 4resulting in irreparable loss and damage to the land. Many islands disappear completely. Millions dollars worth property and business is obliterated in a few seconds. History is witness to the fact that more people have died by the after effects of the natural catastrophe than the catastrophe itself. Floods and

Brock article 1 Essay Example for Free

Brock article 1 Essay (10) In understanding the idea presented by Brock as far as the idea of professional norms are voluntarily adopted, it is essential to point out the two elements that go together with it. The first one involves the creation of norms and values of a specific profession that is often imposed unto its members (Brock,). In this idea, the organization should also coordinate and collaborate with related agencies and institutions that specialize in such area. The second idea refers to the ability of each professional to directly adhere to the norms his/her organization provides (Brock,). It is through such entry that the individual takes on these facets accordingly. (11) The term conventional compromise provided by Brock in the article revolves around the question and issue of moral implications in the practice and facilitation of medicine. Under this facet, the term revolves around a â€Å"physician/pharmacist who has a serious moral objection providing a service/product to a patient/customer is not required to do so† (Brock, 2008, p. 194). At the same time, it is in here that there are several conditions that must also be looked into before saying that a particular case or issue has undergone a conventional compromise. These facets include (1) proper information so as to the facilitation of service/product, (2) proper referrals to other professionals who can provide, and (3) the second facet will not cause burden or difficulty for the patient (Brock, 2008). Under the first facet, there needs to be proper support and ground for the facilitation of a service or mechanism so as to fit the described example. It is in here that active communication about the practice must be given to any patient before declining its prescription or rendering of service (Brock, 2008). On the second facet, it requires the ability of any medical professional to have access to networks that have relatively opinions as theirs as far as the issue is concerned. This will then satisfy the condition that patients can seek for alternatives of providers of such device/service (Brock, 2008). Lastly, there must be careful consideration as far as its suitability and preference of patients are concerned. Since these ideas are prone to subjectivity, medical professionals must then establish these areas to connote the term conventional compromise (Brock, 2008) (12) In responding to the case of the pharmacist, Brock would probably argue against the notion set by the pharmacist. This is because this profession is part of an organization wherein the norms and objectives are stipulated accordingly (Brock, 2008). The action committed by the person is only a matter of moral conscience and does not solely revolve around the basic standpoint of the profession. Likewise, foregoing the facilitation of contraceptives as an option disregards the fact that the organization he/she is part of considers this as an option for practice (Brock, 2008). These are some tenets that is included when she agreed to be part of the institution and agency and collaborated with standards provided by concerned agencies (Brock, 2008). Seeing this disposition, Brock would then argue to the pharmacist that he/she practice a conventional compromise wherein she will actively provide and designate a professional who may think and view the issue differently from his/her perspective. This a way to protect both the opinion and value set of the pharmacist and ability of the patient to recognize the possible options available for him/her (Brock, 2008). By doing this, it can prevent conflict and questions surrounding the ability of such medical professional to provide numerous options for patients despite the differences in opinions and values. Reference Brock, D. W. (2008) Conscientious refusal by physicians and pharmacists: who is obligated and why? in Springer Science. Retrieved June 25, 2009. 187-200.

Attentional Bias In Alcohol Drinkers Psychology Essay

Attentional Bias In Alcohol Drinkers Psychology Essay Attentional Bias refers to the term not allowing one to examine all possible outcomes when judging about an association. Previous research stems from the famous â€Å"Stroop effect† that was discovered in 1930 by J.Ridley Stroop. This was an experimental effect in which he discovered that the individuals cognitive processing ability was very powerful. In other words ‘The Stroop effect (Stroop, 1935) is a prime example of the human failure to attend selectively to a particular aspect of a complex stimulus (Algom, D., Chajut, E., Lev, S. (2004). Since most researchers are interested in finding out things, the logical next step would be to develop further on and ask whether this actual delay in reaction time is due to moderate drinkers compared to light drinkers. In order to test the effectiveness of this Stroop effect, one uses the colour words example. By this, we mean words that are written using same coloured ink i.e. red written in red ink, and words written in differ ent coloured ink i.e. red written in blue. The participants are asked to read the words and not the colour. This sounds easier to do than it actually is. In this study the methodology and the affects of the Stroop test will be critically evaluated. To achieve this, previous research and literature will be drawn upon. A study of Duka and Townshend (2001) demonstrated attentional bias associated with alcohol cues: differences between heavy and occasional social drinkers, they used a dot probe (alcohol-related pictures and words) and questionnaires, and the aim was to examine whether non-dependent heavy drinkers would differ in their selective attention towards alcohol-related stimuli compared to social drinkers, the results showed attentional bias amongst the heavy drinkers in relation to alcohol-related stimuli, scores in factors such as sociability and sexuality shown to also be high, but low on personality and persistence. A further study of Duka and Townshend (2004) demonstrated the priming effect of alcohol pre-load on attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli; they used a dot probe and questionnaires, and the aim of this study was to examine whether attentional bias towards alcohol-related stimuli wound increase after priming with either one or two doses of alcohol/placebo, the results on mood ratings showed dose dependent increased in positive mood radar after alcohol pre-load, and in the dot probe task, all participants showed attentional bias towards the alcohol-related stimuli, and the neutral bias was only positive at low alcohol dosage. A study of Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) demonstrated selective attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli in problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers; they used a modified Stroop task (computerized), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in order to measure Anxiety, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to allow scoring (high or low), the participants were divided into three groups: local community alcohol service (CAS), student volunteers who were divided into two control groups, the aim of this study was to examine whether patient of problem drinkers selectively attend to alcohol-related stimuli compare to the two control groups of non-problem drinkers, the results indicate significance amongst the CAS group in longer reaction times in responding to colour of alcohol-related words compared to neutral words, with reduced interference for the high AUDIT group, therefore significant; in the low AUDIT group no significance was found. Additionally, no evidence is provi ded in the interference habituated amongst the three groups. A study of Stetter, Ackermann, Scherer, Schmid, Straube, and Mann (1994) demonstrated whether alcoholics develop an information processing bias towards disease-related stimuli, the results indicated an increase of error amongst alcoholics when presented with the disease-related stimuli compared to the neutral conditions, and controls. A further study Stetter, Ackemann, Bizer, Straube, and Mann (1995) by testing their hypothesis that alcoholics develop a disease-related attentional bias, with 40 male alcohol-dependent, and 40 male healthy, and used the Stroop colour-naming task, the results showed alcoholic inpatients performed significantly poorer than the control group under the critical experimental condition (colour-naming of disease-related words), as compared with the non-critical condition (colour-naming of neutral words; p = 0.03), no effects were found on the reaction times. A study of Johnsen, Laberg, Cox, Vaksdal, and Hugdahl, (1994) conducted in Norway demonstrated attentional bias in the processing of alcohol-related words on alcoholic subjects, using the Stroop colour and word test, the results indicate the alcoholics respond slowly on all categories, more so on alcohol-related words compared to the control group, and both groups responded slowly to colour interfering words than neutral words, the findings suggests that the alcoholic subjects allocated their attention to alcohol-related words, therefore allowing their cognitive processes take over making it impossible to ignore the alcohol-related words. Method Participants The participants were recruited the students at London South Bank University. There will be 170 participants in total, 34 males (17-moderate and 14-light drinkers) and 139 females (68 moderate and 71-light drinkers), and all the participants were adults aged 18years plus. Apparatus All participants were asked to complete the tasks on a computer (PC), and the same apparatus was used to store data, and later analyse the data collected. Design The Stroop task method is used and the two-way ANOVA test will be used to analyse data (2 X 2 Mixed subject design). There are two independent variables i) Group (light vs. moderate alcohol drinkers) ii) Word Type (neutral vs. alcohol-related words), and the dependent variable is the reaction time to identifying the colour the word is presented in. In order to verify differences that may occur, the between group and within group will be looked at in more depth. Procedure In this study, the following was explained. Each participant was asked to follow the instructions provided on the screen. Labels were placed on the buttons on the keyboard for each subject to make their responses. There are two set type of words (alcohol-related words and neutral words). The participants were required to complete a serious of trials in responding to the colour of the ink that the word is written in (BLUE, RED, YELLOW, and GREEN) and (VODKIA, J.DANIELS, GIN, and BEER) rather than word. Part of the instruction was that they must complete each trail as quickly and accurately as possible, as their reaction time would be recorded Results The results of the 2 x 2 ANOVA was used to analyse the data. The effects of word type (alcohol-related words and neutral words) f = (1,168) 140.16, p = (moderate drinkers and light drinkers) f = (1,168) 26.68, p = . Neutral Word Alcohol Word Main Effect of Drinking Type Light 840.00 mean score (34.28) sd 870.52 mean score (28.51) sd 855.26 mean score (31.66) sd Moderate 849.91 mean score (28.86) sd 892.67 mean score (21.26) sd 871.29 mean score (24.73) sd Main Effect of Word Type 845.01 mean score (31.95) sd 881.73 mean score (27.39) sd Discussion For this study the hypotheses do support, in other words significance was found. The literature of the prior studies using the Stroop paradigm with alcohol-related stimuli has a number of fundamental methodological problems. According to Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) the first problem identified is that the multitude of different variables that could potentially be manipulated giving a totally different set of results. It therefore becomes apparent that one needs to be very clear on exactly what the variables are and what exactly the researcher wants to achieve. Another problem identified is that of the actual format administered. Again, many issues may arise regarding the way in which the test is formatted. If the format is changed, will the result change along with it? As more development is completed in this area of study on alcohol addiction, the researcher no doubt will see that, the variables and the modes of administration discussed above will have a huge effect on the study. For example, one set of results could construct stronger effects than others, and that the other probable central variables make no difference at all to the outcome. The researcher should also take into account that however, a task is administered to the participants is bound to have both advantages and disadvantages, and can be improved upon. This does not mean that one way is better than the other. It just means that the researcher needs to be aware of this and choose a methodology that best works for them. Choosing the correct methodology in any study therefore can be just as important as the actual study itself. What becomes apparent is that there is no particular way of carrying out a study. Either way studies will carry certain advantages and disadvantages. One particular study related to our discussion was the single-word presentation of the Stroop stimuli. In this case, the stimuli were given in card format. One card had all the needed stimuli for alcohol -related words while the other had neutral words. The time taken by each subject to colour name the words on the first card compared to the second was recorded. In other words, recorded reaction time. This format, although used on many studies, comes with its limitations. Evidence obtained concludes that it is difficult to accurately measure the response time by the individuals and that the process evolved is very time consuming and involves a lot of calculations. In other words this type of format may be seen as being time consuming and tedious for the researcher to carry out. Its not all bad however, the card format can have an advantage in that it ‘produces stronger interference effects (e.g. McNally, Amir and Lipke, 1996; Williams et al., 1996), presumably because it provi des a semantic network of words in a given category (Sharma, et al 2001). In addition, the individuals words recorded in terms of its reaction time are not used with any presentation mode, as each participants reaction times to each category of stimuli are averaged prior to statistical analysis. Other objections to the use of card presented stimuli were that the total time measured included both correct and incorrect responses. Previous research shows that the amount of trials where errors occurred is in fact rare and equivalent for different categories of stimuli. Furthermore, studies by Stetter et al also seem to agree. His study shows that card format stimuli does not allow for the measurement of time-cause of alcohol attentional bias. For instance, with these card presentations one would not know if the strongest bias occurred for alcohol words presented earlier and then the bias attenuated. An attempt to rectify this issue was to assess participants habituation to the stimuli across time. This was achieved by observing how reaction times to the alcohol and neutral stimuli changed during the course of the experiment. In relation to Johnsen et al studies, it was criticized in many aspects such as, the word types not being matched on the frequency. Additionally being assured in using two words alcohol-related words, for example ‘liquor store; ‘red wine. (Sharma, et al 2001).However, Johnsen et al stated clearly that since the studies were carried out in Norway, the words were obviously translated in Norwegian ‘vinmonopol = liquor store, and ‘rodvin = red wine, and as you can see, when translated its single words. Further criticisms were put forward to why the participants were asked to press the key response button; and call out the name of the colour. Sharma et al study contained a number of problems. Firstly, the neutral words were long to a given category (environmental features), which affects the reaction times. Secondly, the number of neutral words being associated closely to the four ink colours (e.g. blue, red, brown, green), also how these colours were closely link ed to the words (e.g. blue sky, green grass). Also concerns were put forward on the manner of design (e.g. low, middle, and high) drinking groups. Lastly, problems occurred with the problem drinkers, who may have resolved their alcohol problems being placed amongst the heavier drinkers. To conclude, there are two opposing thoughts with the methodology used; one that the Stroop paradigm is highly objective, valid and reliable, and the other that some are not worthy of inclusion. Many researchers are continuing to offer theoretical explanations to account for the Stroop paradigm, and still trying to make sense on how it could be adapted to be more advanced in being improved. References Algom, D., Chajut, E., Lev, S. (2004). JourA Rational Look at the Emotional Stroop Phenomenon: A Generic Slowdown, Not a Stroop Effect. nal of Experimental Psychology General. 133 (3), 323-338. Duka, T., Townshend, J. M. (2004). The priming effect of alcohol pre-load on attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli. Psychopharmacology. 176 (3), 353. Johnsen, B. H., Laberg, J. C., Cox, W. M., Vaksdal, A. (1994). Alcoholic Subjects Attentional Bias in the Processing of Alcohol-Related Words. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors : Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors. 8 (2), 111. Sharma, D., Albery, I., Cook, C. (2001). Selective attentional bias to alcohol related stimuli in problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers. Addiction. 96 (2), 285-295. Sharma, D., Albery, I.P., Cook, C. (2001) .Selective attentional bias to alcohol- related stimuli in problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers, Addiction, 96, 1261-1265. Stetter F, Ackermann K, Scherer E, Schmid H, Straube ER, Mann K. (1994). Distraction resulting from disease related words in alcohol-dependent inpatients: a controlled dichotic listening study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. 244 (4), 223-5. Stetter F, Ackermann K, Bizer A, Straube ER, Mann K. (1995). Effects of disease-related cues in alcoholic inpatients: results of a controlled Alcohol Stroop study. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research. 19 (3), 593-9. Townshend, J. M., Duka, T. (2001). Attentional bias associated with alcohol cues: differences between heavy and occasional social drinkers. Psychopharmacology. 157 (1), 67.

The Characters of Tom and Daisy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: F. Scott Fitzgerald

The characters' search of their own identities and the struggle that ensues is the most suffusive theme throughout The Great Gatsby . The fact that we never really know the characters, and the corrupt immoral things they do, directly represent the 20's high society lifestyle. The characters continued to cheat on their spouses, let money become their obsession, and debated the American dream for the hopes of one day obtaining happiness. But the fact remains that they have no true morals or ideals of themselves as individuals. These are a group of people who --no matter how cocky and self- confident they seem-- have absolutely no idea of what they are doing (as many men and women of the 20's do not). Tom and Daisy are two examples. Â   Daisy is a hospitable character who had a love for parties and tended to lose herself in them and the drinking. Daisy once said, "What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon, and the day after that, and the next thirty years?" This quote not only means she lives for one day at a time never thinking of the future, but that she truly has no idea of what to do with herself. She is like loose change floating around wandering from party to party, man to man, friend to friend, in a big house in East Egg with no sense of purpose. She once attempted to plan something when she first reunited with Nick. She said, "What'll we plan? What do people plan?" meaning she has never had to make decisions nor has she had much responsibility. Not only does she have no purpose, she has no morals. She literally killed a woman and went home to eat cold chicken. What more, her lover was killed and she left on a trip missing his funeral. Show me a woman who has no morals or goals and I'll show you a woman who is searching for her own identity. Â   Tom Buchanan is a small man hiding in a big house with an equally large ego. In fact, he once remarked that women run around too much and meet the wrong kind of people. This statement is both arrogant and ironic because he runs around with the wrong people, and women run around with him- he being the wrong people. Also, when stating this he was most likely referring to his wife, and subtly putting her down for her relationship with Gatsby in a most conceited way.

Janet and Edies life Essay -- Character Analysis, Edie, Mrs. Peebles

In both short stories, â€Å"How I Met My Husband† in Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell Youand â€Å"The Moons of Jupiter† in My Best Stories, Munro uses the first person narrator to tell the story. As well as each story has a way of showing a relationship between their families and their distant, especially their relationship with men which lead to surprising and unexpected events.The story of â€Å"How I met my Husband† is about a woman, Edie, tells her story and life from a 15 years young girl perspective and tells how she meets withher husband. Although in â€Å"The moons of Jupiter† is narrated by Janet, a woman who tells her story about her family and how her father has been hospitalized and faces the possibility of dying during heart surgery, she also tells how her relationship with her father and daughters is distant. This essay will analyze the first person narrator’s life and relationship with their families and shows the distant between the characters. In both Munro’s stories, the main characters tell their past and how they lived. The short story of â€Å"How I Met My Husband† is told from the first-person point of view, the story layers the voice of the fifteen-year-old Edie. The story is told as a memory when Edie is old and a married woman. Edie tells her past life which she spent in the country, she is a hired girl for Peebles family that lives in the country, and this was her first job. She always compares country and city’s life, and how she lived. She compares the values of the country and city and how that is different from each other: Dessert was never to write home about, at their place. A dish or Jello or sliced bananas or fruit out of a tin. â€Å"Have a house without pie, be ashamed until you die,† my mother used to say, but M... ...on of her father. Theirs was not a warm relationship; both as a child and as an adult she felt either blamed or disapproved of by her father. Ironically, as a parent now herself, she has daughters who are emotionally distant and remind her of herself at their ages. There are tensions with Judith, and Nichola does not visit or even call during the time her mother is in Toronto. To conclude, both Munro’s stories have similarities and differenced between the main characters, Edie and Janet, in their relationships with others and their past life. From Munro’s stories we can see how the aspects of distant and relationship can occur in more than one family but in different ways. So the similarity of the both stories is that both characters, Edie and Janet tell the story by comparing their past and present life. And show the weak relationship between their families.

Bernard Shaw :: essays research papers

George Bernard Shaw is known by many as the most significant English playwright since the seventeenth century. He wrote fifty-seven plays in his lifetime, and a vast majority of them were revolutionary in their themes. On July 26, 1856, George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland. Shaw was the first son of his parents, George and Lucille, but had two sisters upon his arrival. Although they lived in Ireland, the Shaws were Protestants and George Bernard was baptized in the Church of England; however, he was never very religious and never enjoyed attending church. He also did not care much for his formal education, even though he attended many different schools. He started his schooling at the Wesleyan Connexional School and ended his fifteenth year at the Dublin English Scientific and Commercial Day School. Overall, Shaw’s childhood was an unhappy one. By the age of fifteen, his parents had split up. His mom deserted her husband and left for England to live with her two daughters. In order to support himself, Shaw left school and got a job working as a clerk and cashier for a firm of land agents for nearly found and a half years. During this time, George Bernard took it upon himself to read and visit the theatre as much as possible. At the age of nineteen, Shaw’s sister Agnes died from food poisoning. Saddened by her death, Shaw left London to live with his mother and sister Lucy in hope of becoming a musician or painter. Being the shy young man that he was, he could not find a place in the arts community there. At the age of twenty-four, Shaw decided to establish himself as a writer. When newspapers and magazines repeatedly rejected his articles, he then decided to become a novelist. Although all publishers rejected his first novel, Shaw continued to write and produced four more novels between 1880 and 1883; he found no publisher for any of them. Finally, in 1886, Shaw’s first novel, Cashel Byron’s Profession was published. This novel was very popular, but after publishing his second novel, An Unsocial Socialist, his novel writing career came to an end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shaw finally found his specialty around 1885 when William Archer suggested that he became a playwright. The play he is most well known for is Pygmalion. It is a classic play that comes from an ancient myth in which a statue is made of an ideal woman, and by prayer to the gods she is brought to life.

Pharmacology Case Essay

The research is about the herb, Salvia divinorum wherein there are debates whether it should be made illegal or not, and its possible use as a tool for pharmacological research. Salvia divinorum (SD) is known for its hallucinogenic effects, but unlike other abused substances, SD has lower potential for abuse. The research was conducted through the internet, wherein respondents fill out survey questionnaire forms. The qualitative information gathered from this research would then be used as a basis whether the substance should be controlled or not, and if so, how it would be controlled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The content of the research is sufficient, wherein it has detailed information of what Salvia dinorum is and what are its specific effects to the people. It also gave a detailed explanation on how it affects the people’s brain and why it is different from other hallucinogenic substances. It also showed the statistical results of the survey conducted, wherein the respondents gave their sides regarding the comparisons of SD to other commonly abused substances (Baggott & Erowid, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research material given is really useful in a sense that it could be used as a tool for pharmacological purposes. It could also be a basis for deciding on whether the substance should be made legal or be controlled for public consumption. Since it promotes altered perception of reality as a hallucinogenic compound, it is possible that it could result to uncontrolled actions which could harm the user or other people. As the research presented, the substance is not as addictive as that of other abused substances. Through more research, further understanding of the matter could be established.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The primary limitation of the research is that it was conducted through the internet, and the responses of the respondents could not be qualitatively taken into consideration, since they could just generate an imaginary response. The research is limited to the respondents who have access to the internet, and those who weren’t able to check the material online will not be able to answer. Another limitation is that the respondents were mostly males, so we don’t really know much about the side of the females. If it was to be under random sampling, then the males and females should be properly represented, unless only the males are using SD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The credibility of the author is quite convincing, since he’s a student of Neuroscience PhD program and already has authored several scientific articles and book chapters. Looking at his achievement, we are safe to assume that he is credible enough to give information about Salvia divinorum and the issues related to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The intended audiences of the research are those who are in the pharmacology field, as well as the people who are using Salvia divinorum. They are the ones who are directly involved with the substance that is why it is necessary for them to be informed of things concerning Salvia divinorum. For the pharmacologists, they could use SD as a tool to develop new drugs and learn more about the human brain and how it works. For the users, they have to understand that as a hallucinogen, SD still pose some threats in their lives as well as the people around them. They have to be responsible enough to know when and where to use it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The significant features of this research are that there is not much information yet available when it comes to utilizing Salvia divinorum for medical purposes. This means that this is a pioneering research aiming to establish an understanding about this mind-boggling herb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In our society, it is common knowledge that many substances are being abused because of their mind-altering hallucinogenic effects. A candidate for this is the Salvia divinorum, though researches show that it is not that addictive comparing to other substances. It has other uses, one of which is for medical purposes. We could harness this potential instead of treating it as something destructive. It is high time to use it to our advantage, and not our destruction. Reference: Baggott, M., & Erowid, E. F. (2004). A Survey of Salvia divinorum Users.  Ã‚   Retrieved February 24, 2008, from http://www.erowid.org/plants/salvia/salvia_survey1.shtml   

A Character Analysis of Kerima Tuvera’s The Virgin Essay

Introduction Through the use of theories based on psychology and personality, the characters in The Virgin will be analysed in this essay to show that there was development. To do this essay, I did extensive research on the types of theories that were floating about on the Internet such as the Psychoanalytic Theory of Freud. I also did in-depth research on the types of characters in literature to help with understanding who the characters were and what they brought to the story. A few examples would be figuring out who the protagonist or foil were in the story. Analysis Here, I am going to analyse the characters within the story with the main focus being on Miss Mijares and the Carpenter. Miss Mijares When Miss Mijares is introduced, we immediately see that she is the protagonist because the story is centred on her and the conflicts that she is faced with. We see this as the story is wholly in her point of view, although it is in the third person limited omniscient, and never in any of the other character’s point of views. However, how do we know that the story is in the third person limited omniscient? We know that the story is in the third person as the text refers to Miss Mijares as ‘she’, the Carpenter as ‘he’ and so forth but never ‘I said’. It is limited because it is only in Miss Mijares’ view on events. We see this throughout the entire story but an example of this would be in the second paragraph where it says, ‘Miss Mijares thought how she could easily have said, Please wait for me, or Will you wait for me? But years of working for the placement section had dulled the edges of her instinct for courtesy. (Polotan)’ Finally, it is omniscient because as we know information about Miss Mijares that the other characters do not. We can see this in paragraph 6 where we find out that whenever she watches movies; ‘her own fingers stole unconsciously to her unbruised lips (Polotan)’. That is a personal experience and so not many, if any, of the characters know about this but we do. Read more:  Essay About the Virgin by Kerima Polotan Tuvera When reading the story, you find that there is a lot of development from Miss Mijares. Usually you find that, within the confines of the Placement Office, she is very cold and impatient with the people who she interviews. We can see this in paragraph 3 where it says, ‘When she talked with the jobless across her desk, asking them the damning questions that completed their humiliation†¦she was filled with an impatience she could not understand (Polotan)’ as well as feeling slightly disgusted by them as she ‘would turn away to touch the delicate edge of the handkerchief she wore on her breast. (Polotan)’ We find that she has a rather Authoritarian Personality, which was proposed by Adorno and many others. This seems to rather fit her as people with this type of personality would be ‘hostile to those who are of inferior status’ (NcLeod), hence her coldness towards the lower class, upholding traditional values, such as her wanting to find love, as well as respect for authority figures, which we can see in Paragraph 46 ‘†Å"Your lives are our business here,† she shouted (Polotan)’. However, when she comes back from her lunch, she no longer sees him as some guy in the Placement Office. Miss Mijares starts to see small details about him such as his ‘big, strong wrists (Polotan)’ or the fact that she glorifies the bird in his hand to be a ‘dove’. On the flip side, when her subconscious realises this, she goes back to her Authoritarian Personality to put him back in his place by speaking in English. This personality, on the other hand, does not continue and seems to be some sort of defence against projecting what she truly feels as she persuades Ato to give the Carpenter an extra half peso instead of dropping the subject on pay. From Freud’s study on ego defences, there are several defence mechanisms that are available but the one that relates the most to Miss Mijares is Repression. ‘Repression is an unconscious mechanism, employed by the ego, to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from become conscious’ (McLeod, Defense Mechanisms). It becomes very apparent as the story progresses because she appears to take a liking to the Carpenter and once she finds out the damning news that ‘his son died (Polotan)’; the boundaries come back up again and resume her Authoritarian personality. However, this time, she starts to see the small details that do not make him  attractive such as ‘his two front teeth were widely set apart (Polotan)’ in paragraph 42. After the confrontation about his whereabouts she meets him outside but she is indifferent to him, unlike previously when he thanked her for the extra half peso. He takes the same jeepney as her and gets off at the same time but by the end, after he touches her, her defence falls back down again and she saw the man who was standing in her office asking for a job and presumably goes with him and ‘she turned to him; with ruffles wet and wilted, in the dark she turned to him. (Polotan)’ This all relates back to Freud’s idea about the psyche. At the beginning of the story, we are dealt with the introduction of Miss Mijares. We find out that Miss Mijares is a woman who has never been with a man-physically or emotionally. This is because we see that ‘there had been other things to do-college to finish, a niece to put through school, a mother to care for (Polotan)’. Through this, we can see that it turns back to The Superego. This means that there ‘is control of id’s (which we will come to later) impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). However, through having this Superego, there is the ‘ideal self’ and this ‘is an imaginary picture of how you ought to be, and represents career aspirations, how to treat other people, and how to behave as a member of society’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). We see this in many ways such as how she reacts to the poor such as when she would touch the handkerchief after dealing with the papers in paragraph 3. Another good example of this would be how she reacted to the Carpenter lying to her. She saw past her lust for the man and her superego made her feel guilt for being so lustful after a man she knew little about. This then goes onto The Ego. The Ego ‘is the decision making component of personality’ and ‘considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). We do not see much of this but an example of this would be in paragraph 11 where a bird paperweight had been put on her desk and she had to remind herself that she was surrounded by people as she laughed and even ‘told herself, who; get a  hold, a hold, a hold! (Polotan)’. However, the one that is the most significant is the id. It is the ‘impulsive part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts’ (McLeod, Id, Ego and Superego). We see this a lot in the story, such as in paragraph 6 where we have a taste of what Miss Mijares actually wants and sometimes even fantasises about. For example, ‘in the jeepneys she took to work when a man pressed down beside her and through her dress she felt the curve of his thigh’ or ‘her eyes straying, against her will to the bedroom door (Polotan)’. However, the main one that caught our attention was in the final few paragraphs. After years of denying herself and her id of what she really wanted, she gave in to the primal instincts of wanting a man as she ‘turned to him’ after he brushed against her. Therefore, we witness Miss Mijares unravel psychologically as she slowly starts to attain what she has wanted for a long time. We see her go from a very prim-proper woman to a woman who desires love and want so much that her walls break down and she no longer holds the image she shows to everyone else. She gives in to her primal instincts. The Carpenter The Carpenter is a character who is very much opposite to who Miss Mijares is. Physically, we can see there is an immediate difference between the two characters. The Carpenter is described as ‘a tall, big man (Polotan)’ that is in contrast to Miss Mijares who is described as ‘slight, almost bony’. In addition to this, he is everything that Miss Mijares seems to be against in her nature. Miss Mijares, in the story, puts people in their place when she sees fit as well as try and give people what they deserve, just like when she tried to give the Carpenter the extra peso as he was filling a four peso slot, while the Carpenter, although does not exactly lie, lies about his position in his life with family. There is the sense that he manipulated her to get what he wanted in the end, and that was her. This, therefore, makes the Carpenter a juxtaposition. He is the anti-hero and antagonist. He is the anti-hero because he holds moral values that are against what Miss Mijares is about-she is essentially the honest type of  person-while the Carpenter readily lied to try and get what he wanted. He is the antagonist because he is what blocks Miss Mijares from seeing straight; he is her obstacle to get past. Although he is not a villain, he is able to stop Miss Mijares from seeing straight and acting like she usually does. She acts out in a way that is not usual for her as she looked after her mother; she got through college and helped with her niece to put her through school. However, the Carpenter is not married to the mother of his son, a college graduate or saving up money to put his child through school. Hence, he is a juxtaposition. Conclusion In conclusion, psychology played a major role in how the characters were developed. By using Freud’s analysis and his take on psychology, as well as other theories based on it, we can see how the character has developed psychologically-especially with Miss Mijares. We see how her personality changes and walls drop as we progress through the story as she starts to lust after the Carpenter. Meanwhile, the Carpenter is heavily based on character types and how he affected Miss Mijares as that character. Therefore, we were able to see how the characters had developed in the short story. Works Cited McLeod, Saul. Defense Mechanisms. 2008. 29 January 2015 . —. Id, Ego and Superego. 2008. 23 January 2015 . NcLeod, Saul. Theories of Personality. 2014. 25 January 2015 . Polotan, Kerima. The Virgin (From The Likhaan Anthology of Philippine Literature in English). Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 2002.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Early Retirement

Constant pursuit of money, making the big time, flux, accomplishing social status but where is the time to enjoy those attainments? When are we to say ‘enough’? Current pace of life disables us to do so. Just work work and again. Is there any key? Maybe worth of consideration would be early retirement ; what are the advantages and disadvantages of previously mentioned action? Firstly, when we are talking about advantages. It is a new start, some kind of a new beginning. People can afford on more what they used to. There is much more time for themselves (when describing a couple) friends or family. On the other hand nimiety of free time makes human being feel redundant. It is the main cause of depression, slough, generalised anxiety disorder, loss of poise and many others. As the old dictum says ‘prevention is better than cure’. Secondly when one retires his post is within range of someone younger. It is a benefit for all the society- because early retirement is a mechanism for reducing unemployment which is widespread among young generation. Sad but true. Despite that fact it is said that ‘the older- the more experienced’ which factor is crucial for the employer. Some features of characteristics cannot be superceded, f. e. conscientiousness, diligence, reasonableness. As previously mentioned, filling someone's shoes it is not obvious as it may seem. As presented above; early retirement has both assets and drawbacks. It cannot be judged that one are more important than others, because it is simply individual point of view including encumbrances, personal assurances and many other aspects. ‘When you are young, you think that your path is longer than old colleague of yours. Is it so? ’ In my modest opinion that quotation is universal and definitely hits the point.

Storm Born Chapter Fourteen

I saw Kiyo a few times in the next week. One of those times I was out on a job, doing an exorcism that turned out to be a setup. The house I'd gone into had no spirit but rather an asag: a demonic creature that literally had a rocklike body. Kiyo had shown up in the midst of the fight, and while I'd thought I had things well in hand, his help sure expedited matters. He didn't use any weapons like I did; he was all body and physical force. Watching him move was almost hypnotic, like admiring a dancer. His other appearances were similar, showing up when needed and then retreating if I wanted. Once, I reluctantly agreed to lunch after a fight. He watched me with those hungry eyes the entire time, but everything else was friendly and easy between us. It was like when we'd met in the bar, all breezy banter and connection – underscored with simmering sexual tension. All the other times I saw him, he trailed me around as a fox. And, as much as I hated to admit it†¦he was right. He was pretty cute. Life was busy now. Whereas before I'd had maybe only one or two jobs a week, I now had at least one every day. Apparently the gentry and other creatures hoping to get a piece of me realized they no longer had to seek me out; I would come to them if they bothered the right human. It was annoying, to say the least – and exhausting. Of course, since these fights occurred through clients and contracted jobs, I got paid for them. It became a very rich few weeks, though I felt a little bad since my clients never would have needed to pay in the first place if not for me. I woke up a couple weeks before Beltane, aching and exhausted. I'd had two jobs and an â€Å"unscheduled† fight last night. Staring at my ceiling, at the way the late morning sun filtered into funny shapes through my blinds, I drowsily wondered if I was going to be able to keep this up. I'd lose to the Otherworld not through any one encounter, but simply via my own fatigue. I trudged to the kitchen and found no morning offering from Tim. He must have stayed the night with one of his groupies. Forced to make my own breakfast, I put two chocolate Pop-Tarts in the toaster and fixed coffee while they cooked. Glancing at the table, I saw that my cell phone displayed four missed calls. I'd taken to turning it off, because the calls were always from Lara, and I didn't feel like hearing them anymore. She'd either want to offer me a new job or tell me that Wil Delaney had left yet another message. I was halfway through my second Pop-Tart when my mom showed up. I hadn't seen her since the confrontation. For a moment, I considered not letting her in, but I promptly dismissed the thought. She was my mom, after all. She loved me. No matter what had happened, I couldn't let go of that intrinsic truth. She was the one who'd doused my scratches with antiseptic when I was little – and not so little – and tried unsuccessfully to interest me in shopping and makeup as a teenager. She'd tried to protect me from the ugly truths that everyone has to discover growing up. She'd tried to protect me from the path Roland had set me on. And now it seemed she'd tried to protect me from my own past. Looking back, I tried to piece together things she'd said on the rare occasions I could get her to acknowledge my biological father. You're better off without him. He wasn't the kind of man anyone could count on. We didn't have a healthy relationship when we were together. There was a lot of emotion, a lot of intensity†¦but it ending was for the best. He's gone – just accept he'll never be a part of your life. She'd never exactly lied, I realized, but I'd interpreted the story in a completely different way. I'd read it as a whirlwind affair, one in which her emotions blinded her. With all the bad things she'd implied about his character, I'd just figured he'd up and left one day, unable to handle the responsibilities involved with taking care of me. Little did I know he'd desperately wanted me back. I offered her a seat at the table, handing her a cup of coffee at the same time. She held it with both hands, lacing her fingers in a nervous gesture. Her hair was braided down her back today, and she wore a red blouse. â€Å"You look tired,† she said after a long stretch of silence. I smiled. It was such a mom thing to say. â€Å"Yeah. It's been a busy week.† â€Å"Are you sleeping enough?† â€Å"I'm sleeping. Sort of. I'm just too busy when I'm awake, that's the problem.† She looked up, nervously meeting my eyes as though afraid of what she might find. â€Å"Busy†¦because of†¦?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, knowing what she meant. She looked back down. â€Å"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about all of this.† I dunked a piece of Pop-Tart into my coffee. â€Å"It's not your fault. You didn't decide to go to the Otherworld.† â€Å"No†¦but you were right the other day. I was wrong to keep it from you.† â€Å"I was too harsh then.† â€Å"No.† Her eyes met mine, wide and sad. â€Å"I think I thought†¦that if I kept it from you, maybe I could make it go away. Like pretending enough would make it so that it had never happened. I could forget too.† I didn't like to see my mom sad. I don't think anyone does unless they're trying to take revenge for some traumatic childhood wrong. Maybe I had been wronged to a certain extent, but in reflection, it probably couldn't compare to what had happened to her. I knew she had been older when abducted, but in my mind's eye, I could see my mother looking like Jasmine, young and scared. Based on the stories I'd heard before the Storm King paternity news, I'd always envisioned my conception as the result of a torrid affair my scumbag father later walked out on. But that wasn't it at all. The truth was worse. I was a child of rape, born from violence and domination. â€Å"Every time you see me†¦do I remind you of him? Of what happened?† Compassion washed over her face. â€Å"Oh, baby, no. You're the best thing in my life. Don't think like that.† â€Å"Do I look like him at all? Everyone says I take after you.† She studied me as though seeking out the answer, but I knew she already had to know. â€Å"Your hair, a little. But mostly†¦in the eyes. You got those from him. His eyes were like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She had to clear her throat to go on. â€Å"They always changed. They ran every shade of blue and gray you can imagine, depending on his mood. Sky blue when he was happy. Midnight blue when troubled. Deep gray when he was angry and about to fight.† â€Å"And what about violet?† I asked. â€Å"Violet when he was feeling†¦amorous.† I'd never heard my mom use that word before. It might have been funny, but mostly it made me consider adding a shot of whiskey to my coffee. Jesus. I'd gotten the eye color my dad had when he was in the mood. So many people complimented me on my eyes, yet to her, they had to bring back memories that were anything but amorous, as far as she was concerned. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mom.† I reached out and held her hand, our first contact since I'd stormed from her house. â€Å"It must have been so awful†¦but were there – were there any moments, even a few, when you were happy at all? Or at least not so unhappy?† Surely†¦surely there had been one moment when it had not all been hatred and sorrow between my parents. Surely I could not have been conceived and born out of so much darkness. There had to have been something. Maybe he'd made her smile just once. Or maybe he'd brought her a gift†¦like a necklace recovered after some looting and pillaging. I didn't know. Just something. Anything. â€Å"No.† Her voice was hoarse. â€Å"I hated it all. Every second.† I swallowed back a thickness in my throat, and suddenly all I could think about was Jasmine. Jasmine. More than five years younger than my mom had been. Jasmine had been subjected to the same things. She had to have those moments of agony too. Maybe her misplaced affection for Aeson was the only way to cope. Maybe it was better than hurting all the time. I didn't know. I closed my eyes briefly. All I could see was my mom as Jasmine and Jasmine as my mom. I opened my eyes. â€Å"We didn't get Jasmine.† I realized I'd never told her that when I'd come over to talk to her. Briefly, I recounted the essential details. Her face blanched as I spoke, and her raw hurt clawed at something inside of me. Jasmine as my mom. My mom as Jasmine. â€Å"Oh God,† she whispered when I finished. â€Å"Yeah, I – â€Å" Cold flowed over me. The faintest electric tingle tugged at my flesh. â€Å"What's wrong?† my mom asked, seeing me stiffen. â€Å"Can't you feel that? The cold?† She looked puzzled. â€Å"No. Are you okay?† I stood up. She couldn't feel it because it wasn't actually a physical thing. It was something beyond normal human senses. On the counter sat my athames, gun, and wand. I didn't go anywhere in the house without them now, not even to the bathroom. I also didn't sleep in anything too delicate anymore. The tank top I wore was still lacy and flimsy, but my pajama pants were cotton with a sturdy elastic waistband. I draped my robe over a chair and considered my armament. I could tell it wasn't gentry. It was a spirit or demon. Silver, then, not iron. The Glock already had a silver cartridge in it but would have questionable effectiveness if the spirit had little substance. I carefully placed it under my waistband and then picked up the silver athame and wand. â€Å"Stay in here, Mom.† â€Å"Eugenie, what's – â€Å" â€Å"Just stay,† I commanded. â€Å"Get under the table.† She looked at my face and complied. I guess you couldn't be an Otherworld abductee and married to a shaman without knowing when to take these things seriously. I moved slowly and stealthily toward the living room because that was where the feeling centered. I heard no noise, but the silence screamed louder than any sound. I put my back to the wall, sliding along it to peer around the corner. Nothing. Whatever it was, it couldn't hurt me and stay invisible. It would have to turn substantial to do any real damage. The weird thing was, a spirit also couldn't get me pregnant, not like gentry or some of the monsters could. Spirits were dead, and that was that. One seeking me out seemed odd. I waited, back up against the edge of the doorway as I peered around the living room. Whatever was going to happen would happen here. It was like a vortex. Power flowed both in and out of this spot. Something cold brushed against my arm, and then a hand materialized, grabbing hold of me. My reflexes snapped to life, and I cut at the spirit's wrist with the athame in my other hand. The spirit had enough substance to feel the effects of the metal. Plus, the athame's power extended beyond tactile discomfort. The spirit – a gray, haglike thing – recoiled, but then I felt more cold hands behind me and gave a quick glance back. Five more spirits – more than I'd ever taken on at once. I spun around, but my initial attacker's position was better, giving it a solid hold on me. I didn't break free of its grip entirely, but I struggled like hell, accidentally hitting a small table with a ceramic pitcher on it. The pitcher hit the floor and splintered into sharp, aqua-colored fragments. The spirit pushed me up against the wall, its skeletal hands clutching at my throat while it stared at me with empty black eyes. It floated such that while it kept me pinned, it stayed out of reach of the athame. It wasn't out of the reach of the wand, however. Its ghostly companions drifted over, ringing us, as my oxygen began to dry up. Black stars sparkled in my vision, and I tried hard to focus on what I needed to do. â€Å"Be careful,† warned one of the observers, â€Å"or you will kill her.† Hecate, I prayed in my head, open the gates. On the edge of passing out, I felt the snake on my arm tingle. I used that power, letting the farthest limits of my mind brush the Otherworld. I became the gate, a conduit of passage running from my soul to the snake to the wand. The hands on my throat wouldn't let me speak, but the banishing words burned in my mind. It was good enough. The wand's power flared out at the spirit holding me. It realized too late what had happened and vanished with a piteous scream. One of its counterparts started to move toward me and got sucked away with the other. The other four kept their distance. Meanwhile, I had backed up as much as possible. I needed to open the gates again, but my body informed me I had to allow a moment's recovery time before going a second round. My throat hurt inside and out from where the spirit had choked me, and the room spun around as I staggered. I took deep, shaking breaths in an attempt to recover what I'd lost. Two more spirits bore down on me but hesitated a little this time, still keeping some space between us. They circled me, like dancers or boxers, each of us determining what the other would do. Just then, my mom came out of the kitchen holding my iron athame. Screaming, she drove it against one of the other spirit's backs, hacking away. Iron hurt gentry – not spirits. All her actions did was annoy it. It turned slightly, and with one oh-so-casual gesture, it backhanded her with enough force to throw her against the far wall. She hit the wall and slid down into an unmoving pile. I yelled my fury, charging the spirits around me. Strong emotion is better for physical attacks but not mental ones, and I lost whatever grip I'd momentarily had on the Otherworld. The athame caused some damage to one of the spirits, but the other dodged. It hit me hard, shoving me into my entertainment center. The sharp corners dug into my back, but the adrenaline pumping through me wouldn't let me feel it. Not yet. I muttered another incantation to Hecate and felt the power shoot up again. The spirit who had thrown me drifted forward. The gates swung open, and I banished it away. Moments later, its injured counterpart followed. That left two. One of them swooped in, reaching out for me. I ducked past it, hitting the floor, where I half-crawled and half-rolled out of its grasp. My connection to the Otherworld had slipped again; I needed it back. I kept ordering myself to focus, but then I saw my mom lying in the corner. I couldn't get past that. I went after the spirit again, and it hissed angrily as the athame dug into its upper body. I was sloppy, however, and gave one of its hands the opening to grab my wand hand and shove me against the wall. The wand fell to the floor. A moment later, the spirit's other hand twisted my other wrist until I dropped the athame as well. The last spirit floated up and added to the wall around me. Walls were really starting to piss me off lately. They had me now, trapped and defenseless and injured. I didn't know what exactly they could do, however. Earlier they'd worried about killing me, yet they could have no romantic interest in me. What could they – My patio door opened, and an elemental walked in. An elemental made of mud, of all things. Its body was very solid, very human, and very male. Oozing, brown-gray sludge dripped off it and onto my carpet. I renewed my futile efforts to break from the spirits. Volusian's words came back to haunt me. More organized attacks. The spirits couldn't have sex with me, but the elemental gentry could. It had sent its minions to subdue me first. Clever. â€Å"Where are the others?† asked the elemental, an almost comic look of astonishment on his face as he glanced around the room. â€Å"She banished them, master,† whispered one of the spirits. â€Å"You really are lethal, aren't you?† The elemental approached. â€Å"I hadn't believed the stories. I thought sending these six was overkill. Still. I guess even you have your limits.† I sneered at him. â€Å"Don't talk to me about limits. You can't even cross to this world in full form.† A look of displeasure crossed that dripping, muddy face. Power was a matter of pride among the gentry. His inability to cross over fully was probably a sore point. Raping me was undoubtedly a way of compensating for all sorts of deficiencies. â€Å"It won't matter,† he said. â€Å"Once I beget Storm King's heir, all gentry will pass into this world, smiting the race of humans.† â€Å"Okay, Mr. Old Testament. I can't honestly believe you just used ‘beget' and ‘smiting' in the same sentence.† â€Å"So brave and brash. Yet it won't – ow!† I couldn't free my upper body, but the elemental was close enough that I flipped my lower body upward and kicked him. I'd been aiming for the groin, just like with the Gray Man, but caught his thigh instead. The guarding spirit restrained my legs. The elemental narrowed his eyes. â€Å"You make things difficult. This would be far easier on you if you would submit.† â€Å"Don't hold your breath.† â€Å"She will submit, master,† intoned a spirit. â€Å"Her mother lies there on the floor.† I stiffened in the spirit's grip. â€Å"Don't touch her.† The elemental turned and walked toward where my mother had fallen. Almost gently, he leaned down and picked her up in his arms. â€Å"She's still alive.† â€Å"Leave her alone, you bastard!† I screamed. I strained so hard, it felt like my arms would tear from my shoulders. â€Å"Let her go,† ordered the elemental. â€Å"Master – â€Å" â€Å"Let her go. She will not do anything, because she knows if she so much as steps in this direction† – the muddy hand slid up to my mom's throat, leaving a dirty trail wherever he moved – â€Å"then I will snap her neck.† The spirits released me. I did not move. â€Å"I'm going to kill you,† I said. My voice was hoarse from the choking and screaming. â€Å"I'll tear you to pieces before I send you to hell.† â€Å"Unlikely. Not if you want this one to live. Come,† he said to one of his servants. â€Å"Take her.† There was a tradeoff, and now a spirit held my mother. â€Å"If Odile Dark Swan so much as looks threatening, kill this woman.† â€Å"Odile Dark Swan always looks threatening.† The spirit spoke in a deadpan, nonsarcastic voice. Apparently this elemental's minions had as good a sense of humor as my own. â€Å"You know what I mean,† snapped the elemental. He came closer to me, so only a few inches separated us. â€Å"Now. I will let you live. I will let your mother live. All you have to do is not fight me while I do what I've come here to do. When I am finished, we will depart in peace. Do you understand?† Anger and fury were raging in me, and I could feel tears burning at the edges of my vision. I wanted to reach out and claw his eyes. I wanted to kick between his legs until no one could tell if he was male anymore. I wanted to deliver him to Persephone in a pile of body parts. But I was scared. So scared that if I even blinked wrong, they'd break my mother. She already hung uselessly in the spirit's arms like a rag doll. For all I knew, she could have been dead, but something told me she wasn't. I couldn't gamble if she might be alive. So I nodded in acknowledgment to the elemental and felt one of the tears leak out of my eye as I did. â€Å"Good.† He exhaled, and I realized he was as scared of me as I was of him. â€Å"Now. Undress.† Bile rose in my throat. I couldn't get enough oxygen again; it was like the air was thick and heavy around me. Another tear stole from my eye, and I slowly pulled down the pajama pants, removing the gun I hadn't been able to use. It occurred to me briefly that I could probably manage to shoot the elemental right now, but I wouldn't be fast enough to save my mother. What did it matter? If he was telling the truth, I would still live if I could only endure this. I was on the pill. I probably wouldn't actually get pregnant. I'd only have to lay there passively while this big anthropomorphic pile of dirt had his way with me. Things could be worse. Probably. I looked at him, imagining those hands on me. The air grew thicker to me, making it still harder to breathe. The lighting seemed darker, as it had when the spirit choked me, and I wondered if I was going to faint. Maybe it'd be easier that way. Less to remember. â€Å"The rest,† he said impatiently. He too was breathing heavily. I moved my fingers to the edges of my underwear. I had dressed for comfort in plain, gray cotton bikini-cuts. They were nice but not sexy. They didn't match the pink top. Of course, it didn't matter to the elemental what I wore. Naked desire glowed on his face. I stared at the lumpy, misshapen body and worked hard not to whimper. I knew what I had to do, but I didn't want to. Oh, God. Oh, Selene. I didn't want him to touch me. I didn't want him pressed up against me. Nausea rolled up in my stomach, and I wondered desperately where Kiyo was. I knew he couldn't follow me 24/7, and I suddenly regretted my snide comments about his protection. I wished he were here now. I needed him. I'd never felt so defenseless in my life, not even in that long-lost memory. It was not a state of mind I liked. As I was about to pull the panties down, a slap of wood on glass made all of us jump. The elemental jerked his head around, and I followed his gaze. The patio door was open, and the wind had blown in, knocking over a picture frame on my coffee table. It was a strong wind, one that kept blowing, scattering papers and other objects around. Yet, outside, the sunshine and azure skies of late spring reflected no such disturbance. â€Å"What†¦?† began the elemental. That sharp sound had sort of snapped me out of my anger and fear, and I was suddenly able to notice details more sharply. I could see everything with a new clarity. The air really was thick, the lighting truly darker. I hadn't imagined those things. The angry wind rose and fell with my breathing. Brilliant light slashed the dimness, and we all cried out as it danced around from object to object. At the same time, a deafening roar of thunder filled the room, too big and too loud for the small space. I covered my ears and dropped to the floor. The elemental turned on me. â€Å"Make it stop.† â€Å"What†¦?† â€Å"It's yours! Stop, or you'll kill us all.† I looked around and realized he was right. I couldn't explain it, but I was connected to everything going on in there. The building moisture and humidity. The wind whipping around, scattering things. The electricity charging the air. I could feel it, but I didn't know what to do with it. You're mine, I tried telling it, but nothing happened. This was not like trying to control power with a wand or an athame. This was both within me and outside of me. I could no more stop it than I could stop myself from feeling joy or sorrow or hate. The wind increased, its fury building. A jagged piece of glass flew into my cheek. â€Å"I can't control it,† I whispered. â€Å"I can't.† The elemental looked panicked. So did the spirits. Whereas a moment ago I had felt weak and defenseless, their fear made mine go away. Their fear fed my anger, and I fed the building tempest. I couldn't actually control the storm, but it was expanding out from me. Something else hit me in the shoulder, and moments later, I barely dodged a book flying toward my head. I couldn't control this. I didn't know how. I didn't know anything except that I wanted to live and I wanted my mother to live too. Darkness swirled around us all as great billowing clouds filled the room. More lightning danced around, oblivious to where it traveled. The elemental was right. I would kill one of – Lightning shot out at the spirit holding my mother, forcing her to fall to the ground. He screamed and screamed. It was the most horrible sound I'd ever heard. It was more than a death knell, more than a tortured cry. I covered my ears again, watching as he glowed blindingly bright, then went black, then was nothing. The elemental backed away from me, fear palpably rolling off of him. A tingle along my skin told me what he was going to do. He was so scared, he was going to try to cross back to the Otherworld. Right here, right now, with no crossroads. Doing so had nearly ripped me apart. There was no way he could do it, not when he couldn't even transition to this world in his natural form. He didn't seem to care, however, and suddenly I panicked. What if he could? What if by some miracle he escaped? I couldn't let him get away, not after what he'd done here, not after what he'd tried to do. My need, my anxiety†¦both grew, but I had no way to focus them. I had no idea what had happened to my weapons in this madness. A bolt of lighting blew apart a speaker beside me, and the sound made that ear go deaf. More lightning flared, so strongly and rapidly that I couldn't tell what was real and what was an afterimage. Somewhere, over the thunder, I heard the elemental screaming, although I could no longer see him. It wasn't as horrible as the spirit's cries had been, but it still made my skin crawl. Lightning hit something else beside me, and sharp pieces of whatever it was flew into my arm. I was going to die, I realized. With the spirit. With the elemental. With my mother. Who would have thought the spirits I'd just banished to the Otherworld would be the lucky ones? I buried my face in my hands, trying to block out what I'd created. It didn't help. It was almost like the lightning and clouds existed in my mind as much as in the room. I squeezed my eyes tighter, so much so that they hurt. But nothing changed. The wind roared against me, the thunder shook my house. Dominating it all was the darkness – and the light – as the thunder and lightning came and went. Darkness, light. Darkness, light. Darkness.