Monday, September 30, 2019

Unappropriate Tv Shows for Children

Unappropriate Television Shows Abstract Children are being influenced by television shows on a daily basis. Some children are watching inappropriate television shows such as SpongeBob, Fish Hooks, Family Guy, South Park, Ed, Edd, Eddy, Scooby-Doo, Boondocks and etc. These shows can affect children as they grow up in many ways such as using profanity, violent and aggressive behavior, poor school performance and watch too much television may cause a slight obesity. There are many educational television shows that are best for child to watch such as Barney, Blue’s Clue, Dora the Explorer and etc.Parent should also limit the amount of time children spend watching television. Monkey see, Monkey do Has your child ever said something to you and you were thinking, where did they get that from? Have the television shows that he or she watches daily ever come to your mind? Your child could be watching a television show that models inappropriate behaviors. I have experienced my nephew be ing influenced by SpongeBob and Family Guy. Recently, he was watching an episode and SpongeBob was calling himself and everybody an â€Å"idiot boy†, so my nephew began to call his mother and himself an â€Å"idiot†.He also started hitting himself on the forehead and saying he is stupid, which he also got from watching SpongeBob Square Pants. Research shows that children of the age two through ten should be playing sports, interacting with their peers or doing more gross motor activities. There are many ways television can affect children as they grow up such as watching television and video game that may influence kids between the age of two through ten by using profanity, violent and aggressive behavior, poor school performance and watch too much television may cause a slight obesity.It’s not so much that kids have changed, but the world is changing around them. Every day, children are being influenced by the world around them, and television is taking a big p art in it. Television programming is teaching children to do the things the show is displaying. A known saying is â€Å"Monkey see monkey do. † Suppose a child was saying inappropriate things and they were thinking it was fine to say it, because they didn’t know the real meaning of it. They also think they can say it because SpongeBob can.Now, you are left with no reason to tell them why they should not say it. The television shows that children are watching are influencing them to do the things they do, say the things they are saying, and try to have the same image as them. There are many different sources that can influence and or teach kids inappropriate actions such as video games, music videos, hearing things from adults but mainly television shows. Some television shows that are not appropriate are SpongeBob, Fish Hooks, Family Guy, South Park, Ed, Edd, Eddy, Scooby-Doo, Boondocks and etc.Parents may think that SpongeBob can be the best television show to watch, but at times SpongeBob can be inappropriate in many ways such as calling everyone an idiot, doing a wrong action by hitting his forehead calling his self â€Å"stupid†, and blanking out profanity. Also, Scooby Doo sometimes may scare children by having scary creature and monsters. Some television characters often depict risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking, and reinforce gender roles and racial stereotypes (How TV Affect Your Child).Most of these shows are mainly for entertainment and not for education so while kids are watching television they are just laughing when they really should be running to tell someone what they have learned while watching the show. There are a lot of educational shows on television that teaches kids valuable skills, such as their alphabet, and also counting. Those shows include Dora the Explorer, The Wiggles, Barney, Blue’s Clues, Sesame Street, Go Diego Go are extremely helpful in many ways. Barney is a very great show to watch.It is a show that teaches kids to show respect to an adult and it also teaches you to have manners. Blue’s Clues is also a great source because they teach kids to identify patterns and the opposites from two objects. Television shows have a powerful impact on young viewers in our society. When does it all start? More than 98 percent of homes in America have at least one television, and 25 percent of all households purchase a new model each year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (Television can harm children literally).Some children were sat in front of the television to get their attention, sometime to fall asleep, to calm down or stop them from crying. Parents usually sit babies in front of the television so they can finish home chores. Parents may start having them watch television at the age of eight to ten months. Normally, there is not an affect or impact on babies. As they start to grow older and also smarter young children of one to three years of age start t o love to watch television show. Also, television starts to become a child’s daily routine and they start to have a favorite television show and character.As they get to be the age of five to seven and are enrolled in some schooling and they start to watch every television show and they start to want every item or merchandise with their favorite television show or characters. From the age of eight to ten, their television shows starts to become a lot more inappropriate and they no longer watch SpongeBob, Family Guy, or South Park. They may start to play video games which may also influence bad images and language. Our youth are also exposed to violent words, music, and images every day and it should be stopped. But how? How is there such a big impact on them just because of watching television?Television can affect learning and school performance if it interferes with the time kids need for activities crucial to healthy mental and physical development. Some shows (SpongeBob) teaches that it is fine to commit an inappropriate action because there will not be a punishment and kids feel that if they do the same thing as their favorite character from the program who committed the crime they will be a hero. Researchers have identified three potential responses to media violence in children: increase fear, desensitization to real life violence, and increase aggressive behavior.It may desensitve kids so much they think it is okay and no big deal for somebody to be hit or to hit someone in the head with a hammer. Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior, but also fear that the world is scary and that everyday something bad will happen. Scary-looking things like grotesque monsters especially frighten children aged two to seven. Telling them that the images aren’t real does not help because kids under age eight can’t always tell the difference between fantasy and reality (Television and Children).When watching a televis ion shows usually every episode has a bad situation or a lot of drama in it so kids will start to have that mind frame that things will happen to them just like on the show. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under two years old not watch any television and that those older than two watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality (How TV Affect Your Child). Children who watch too much television don’t get as much physical activity and do not explore new activity, according to Family Education Network.Television viewing has been linked to violent or aggressive behavior, sleep problems, substance abuse, poor school performance, and obesity (How TV Affect Your Child). Most children who watch the inappropriate shows are most likely to hit their playmates and argue. This issue of violent which media have the greatest impact on many people only on television many children today may be more influences by video games and computers games. There are many things parents can do for their child to help them do well in school and also not be addicted to television.Children that is too young to enroll into preschool yet spend a lot of time out of the day watching television, playing outside, or sleeping. While watching television, they should watch educational shows that may broaden their knowledge to be ready for preschool. Some educational television shows can be very helpful in many ways. Some programs combine entertainment and education to help children learn to identify characters, shapes, colors, sequence numbers, and phonics skills. Active parents should set limits, participate, monitor, analyze, and be good leaders.Parents can set many of limits in the child’s life but when watching television it is very good to set limits on how long they can watch television and what shows they can watch. Some parents do not always participate with their children. When a child is watching television, the parents should watch the show wi th them, sing alone, and interact with the show. Parents should always monitor what their child is watching. Before you allow your child to watch a show; the parent should watch a couple episode of the show and give it an approval. Every child looks up to their parents and to do or be just like them.Parents should always watch what they say or do because your child could be over listening to what you are saying and do or say that same thing that they heard their parents displaying. Parents should ask their children what are they watching and what the show is about. When your child is studying or having family meals and are not paying attention it is best to turn the television off. As much as possible encourage your kids to be involved in hobbies, sports, and peers with proper guidance, your child can learn to use television in a healthy and positive way.TV viewing is probably replacing activities in your child’s s life that you would rather have them do things such as playin g with friends, being physically active, getting fresh air, reading, playing imaginatively, doing homework, doing chores (Television and Children). Television is not always a negative influence to young viewers, there is strong evidence that children’s shows that were developed to teach educational and social skills which can help children learn well.Educational shows will expand a child knowledge but not only are they getting entertainment but they are learning their numbers, recognizing letters, and valuable skills. Sometime it is good to get some entertainment when watching television. What a child learns during his young years may affect his childhood and their older years. There are many ways such as watching television, video game, hearing what other adults may say that may influence kids bat the age of two through ten by television programming. Young children are easily influenced by the media.Children will soon find a favorite character then start to look up to them a s a hero or a role model. If that character is displaying an inappropriate behavior the child will soon imitate the character action. The goal is to keep young children active, in shape, and to have great school performance. Works Cited Anonymous. â€Å"An annotated bibliography: Television can harm children – Literally. † The Consumer’s Medical Journal Issue 94 (2006): 15. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. . The article give statics, give advice from Pediatricians on what parents should do when children love to always watch TV. Pediatricians at the at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas reviewed a year’s worth of emergency department cases of children who had been injured by TV sets toppling over, usually because of a climbing toddler or because someone accidentally knocked over the set.More than 98 percent of homes in America have at least one television, and 25 percent of all households purchase a new model e ach year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Adults need to be better educated about television’s potential harm, not just the content or programming but the physical danger of falling sets. Boyse, Kyla, and Brad Bushman. â€Å"Television and Children. † University of Michigan Health System. Regents of the University of Michigan, Aug. 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. .The article examines the effect of children when watching too much TV. It explains how it affects your child’s brain development, the aggressive and violent behavior. It also show how TV can scare children, affect they school performance, and affect their health. TV viewing is probably replacing activities in your child’s s life that you would rather have them do (things like playing with friends, being physically active, getting fresh air, reading, playing imaginatively, doing homework, doing chores. An average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and 16,000 murders on TV by age 18.Scary-looking things like grotesque monsters especially frighten children aged two to seven. Telling them that the images aren’t real does not help because kids under age eight can’t always tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Dowshen, Steven. â€Å"How TV Affect Your Child. † KidsHealth. The Nemour Foundation, Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. . The article discusses how you child is being influenced by television. This article gives parent advice on how parents should control who they view on TV and how long they should watch TV.Some TV shows a lot of violence, risky behavior, obesity, and the article also give some ways to practice good TV habits. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming. Fields-Meyers, T, et al. â€Å"Kids out of Control. † Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO, 2004. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. This article gives information on what different family how experience well raising a child who loves watching inappropriate television shows.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 13

Thirteen Breakfast Somehow, through the night, the residents of Pine Cove, especially those who had been withdrawing from antidepressants, found a satisfied calm had fallen over them. It wasn't that their anxiety was gone, but rather that it ran off their backs like warm rain off a naked toddler who has just dis-covered the splash and magic of mud. There was joy and sex and danger in the air – and a euphoric need to share. Morning found many of them herding at the local restaurants for breakfast. Gathering together like wildebeests in the presence of a pride of lions, knowing instinctively that only one of them is going to fall to the fang: the one that is caught alone. Jenny Masterson had been waiting tables at H.P.'s Cafe for twelve years, and she couldn't remember a day out of the tourist season when it had been so busy. She moved between her tables like a dancer, pouring coffee and decaf, taking orders and delivering food, catching the odd request for more butter or salsa, and snatching up a dirty plate or glass on her way back to the window. No movement wasted, no customer ignored. She was good – really good – and sometimes that bugged the hell out of her. Jenny was just forty, slender and fair-skinned with killer legs and long auburn hair that she wore pinned up when she worked. With her husband Robert, she owned Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines, but after three months of trying to work with the man she loved and after the birth of her daughter Amanda, who was five, she returned to waitressing to save her marriage and her sanity. Somewhere between college and today, she had become a bull moose waitress, and she never ceased to wonder how in the hell that had happened. How had she become the repository for local information bordering on gossip, and how had she become so damn good at picking up her customers' conversations, and following them as she moved around the restaurant? Today the restaurant was full of talk about Mikey Plotznik, who had disappeared along his paper route the day before. There was talk of the search and speculation on the kid's fate. At a few of her two-tops were seated couples who seemed intent on reliving their sexual adventures from the night before and – if the pawing and fawning were any indication – were going to resume again after breakfast. Jenny tried to tune them out. There was a table of her old-guy coffee drinkers, who were trading misinformation on politics and lawn care; at the counter a couple of construction workers intent on putting in a rare Saturday's work read the paper over bacon and eggs; and over in the corner, Val Riordan, the local shrink, was scribbling notes on a legal pad at a table all by herself. That was unusual. Dr. Val didn't normally make appearances in Pine Cove during the day. Stranger than that, Estelle Boyet, the seascape painter, was having her tea with a Black gentleman who looked as if he would jump out of his skin at the slightest touch. Jenny heard some commotion coming from the register and turned to see her busgirl arguing with Molly Michon, the Crazy Lady. Jenny made a beeline for the counter. â€Å"Molly, you're not supposed to be in here,† Jenny said calmly but firmly. Molly had been eighty-sixed for life after she had attacked H.P.'s espresso machine. â€Å"I just need to cash this check. I need to get some money to buy medicine for a sick friend.† The busgirl, a freshman at Pine Cove High, bolted into the kitchen, tossing â€Å"I told her† over her shoulder as she went. Jenny looked at the check. It was from the Social Security Administration and it was above the amount she was allowed to accept. â€Å"I'm sorry, Molly, I can't do it.† â€Å"I have photo ID.† Molly pulled a videotape out of her enormous handbag and plopped it on the counter. There was a picture of a half-naked woman tied between two stakes on the cover. The titles were in Italian. â€Å"That's not it, Molly. I'm not allowed to cash a check for that much. Look, I don't want any trouble, but if Howard sees you in here, he'll call the police.† â€Å"The police are here† came a man's voice. Jenny looked up to see Theophilus Crowe towering behind Molly. â€Å"Hi, Theo.† Jenny liked Theo. He reminded her of Robert before he had quit drinking – semitragic but good-natured. â€Å"Can I help here?† â€Å"I really need to get some money,† Molly said. â€Å"For medicine.† Jenny shot a look to the corner, where Val Riordan looked up from her notes with an expression of dread on her face. The psychiatrist obviously didn't want to be brought into this. Theo took the check gently from Molly and looked at it, then said to Jenny, â€Å"It's a government check, Jenny. I'm sure it's good. Just this once? Medicine.† He winked at Jenny from behind Molly's back. â€Å"Howard will kill me when he sees it. Every time he looks at the espresso machine, he mutters something about spawn of evil.† â€Å"I'll back you up. Tell him it was in the interest of public safety.† â€Å"Oh, okay. You're lucky we're busy today and I have the cash to spare.† Jenny handed Molly a pen. â€Å"Just endorse it.† Molly signed the check with a flourish and handed it over. Jenny counted out the bills on the counter. â€Å"Thanks,† Molly said. Then to Theo, â€Å"Thanks. Hey, you want a collector's edition of Warrior Babes?† She held the videotape out to him. â€Å"Uh, no thanks, Molly. I can't accept gratuities.† Jenny craned her neck to look at the cover of the tape. â€Å"It's in Italian, but you can figure it out,† Molly said. Theo shook his head and smiled. â€Å"Okay,† Molly said. â€Å"Gotta go.† She turned and walked out of the restaurant, leaving Theo staring at her back. â€Å"I guess she really was in movies,† Jenny said. â€Å"Did you see the picture on the cover?† â€Å"Nope,† Theo said. â€Å"Amazing. Did she look like that?† Theo shrugged. â€Å"Thanks for taking her check, Jenny. I'll find a seat. Just some coffee and an English muffin.† â€Å"Any luck finding the Plotznik kid?† Theo shook his head as he walked away. Gabe Skinner barked once to warn the Food Guy that he was about to collide with the crazy woman, but it came a little too late and, as usual, the dense but good-hearted Food Guy didn't get the message. Skinner had finally talked the Food Guy into stopping work and going to get something to eat. Catching rats and hiking around in the mud was fun, but eating was important. Gabe, covered with mud to the knees and burrs to the shoulder, was head down, digging in his backpack for his wallet as he approached H.P.'s Cafe. Coming out, Molly was counting her money, not looking at all where she was going. She heard Skinner bark just as they conked heads. â€Å"Ouch, excuse me,† Gabe said, rubbing his head. â€Å"I wasn't watching where I was going.† Skinner took the opportunity to sniff Molly's crotch. â€Å"Nice dog,† Molly said. â€Å"Did he produce B movies in his last life?† â€Å"Sorry.† Gabe grabbed Skinner by the collar and pulled him away. Molly folded her money and stuffed it into the waistband of her tights. â€Å"Hey, you're the biologist, huh?† â€Å"That's me.† â€Å"How many grams of protein in a sow bug?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"A sow bug. You know, roly-polies, pill bugs – gray, lotsa legs, designed to curl up and die?† â€Å"Yes, I know what a sow bug is.† â€Å"How many grams of protein in one?† â€Å"I have no idea.† â€Å"Could you find out?† â€Å"I suppose I could.† â€Å"Good,† Molly said. â€Å"I'll call you.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Bye.† Molly ruffled Skinner's ears as she walked off. Gabe stood there for a second, distracted from his research for the first time in thirty-six hours. â€Å"What the hell?† Skinner wagged his tail to say, â€Å"Let's eat.† Dr. Val Val Riordan watched the lanky constable coming through the restaurant toward her. She wasn't ready to be official, that's why she'd taken herself out to breakfast in the first place – that and she didn't want to face her as-sistant Chloe and her newfound nymphomania. She was months, no, years behind on her professional journals, and she'd packed a briefcase full of them in hope of skimming a few over coffee before her appointments began. She tried to hide behind a copy of Pusher: The American Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacological Practice, but the constable just kept coming. â€Å"Dr. Riordan, do you have a minute?† â€Å"I suppose.† She gestured to the chair across from her. Theo sat down and dove right in. â€Å"Are you sure that Bess Leander never said anything about problems with her marriage? Fights? Joseph coming home late? Anything?† â€Å"I told you before. I can't talk about it.† Theo took a dollar out of his pocket and slid it across the table. â€Å"Take this.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I want you to be my therapist. I want the same patient confidentiality that you're giving Bess Leander. Even though that privilege isn't supposed to extend beyond the grave. I'm hiring you as my therapist.† â€Å"For a dollar? I'm not a lawyer, Constable Crowe. I don't have to accept you as a patient. And payment has nothing to do with it.† Val was willing him to go away. She had tried to bend people to her will since she was a child. She'd spoken to her therapist about it during her residency. Go away. â€Å"Fine, take me as a patient. Please.† â€Å"I'm not taking any new patients.† â€Å"One session, thirty seconds long. I'm your patient. I promise you'll want to hear what I have to say in session.† â€Å"Theo, have you ever addressed, well, your substance abuse problem?† It was a snotty and unprofessional thing to say, but Crowe wasn't exactly being professional either. â€Å"Does that mean I'm your patient?† â€Å"Sure, okay, thirty seconds.† â€Å"Last night I saw Joseph Leander engaging in sexual relations with a young woman in the park.† Theo folded his hands and sat back. â€Å"Your thoughts?† Jenny couldn't believe she'd heard it right. She hadn't meant to, she was just delivering an English muffin when the gossip bomb hit her unprepared. Bess Leander, not even cold in the grave, and her straitlaced Presbyterian husband was doing it with some bimbo in the park? She paused as if checking her tables, waited for a second, then slid the muffin in front of Theo. â€Å"Can I bring you anything else?† â€Å"Not right now,† Theo said. Jenny looked at Val Riordan and decided that whatever she needed right now was not on the menu. Val was sitting there wide-eyed, as if someone had slapped her with a dead mackerel. Jenny backed away from the table. She couldn't wait for Betsy to come in to relieve her for the lunch shift. Betsy always waited on Joseph Leander when he came in the cafe and made comments about him being the only guy with two children who had never been laid. She'd be blown away. Betsy, of course, already knew. Gabe Gabe tied Skinner up outside and entered the cafe to find all the tables oc-cupied. He spotted Theophilus Crowe sitting at a four-top with a woman that he didn't know. Gabe debated inviting himself to their table, then de-cided it would be better to approach Theo under the pretense of a rat news update and hope for an invitation. Gabe pulled his laptop out of his shoulder bag as he approached the table. â€Å"Theo, you won't believe what I found out last night.† Theo looked up. â€Å"Hi, Gabe. Do you know Val Riordan? She's our local psychiatrist.† Gabe offered his hand to the woman and she took it without looking away from his muddy boots. â€Å"Sorry,† Gabe said. â€Å"I've been in the field all day. Nice to meet you.† â€Å"Gabe's a biologist. He has a lab up at the weather station.† Gabe was feeling uncomfortable now. The woman hadn't said a word. She was attractive in a made-up sort of way, but she seemed a little out of things, stunned perhaps. â€Å"I'm sorry to interrupt. We can talk later, Theo.† â€Å"No, sit down. You don't mind, do you, Val? We can finish our session later. I think I still have twenty seconds on the books.† â€Å"That's fine,† Val said, seeming to come out of her haze. â€Å"Maybe you'll be interested in this,† Gabe said. He slipped into an empty chair and pushed his laptop in front of Val. â€Å"Look at this.† Like many sci-entists, Gabe was oblivious to the fact that no one gave a rat's ass about research unless it could be expressed in terms of dollars. â€Å"Green dots?† Val said. â€Å"No, those are rats.† â€Å"Funny, they look like green dots.† â€Å"This is a topographical map of Pine Cove. These are my tagged rats. See the divergence? These ten that didn't move the other night when the others did?† Val looked to Theo for an explanation. â€Å"Gabe tracks rats with microchips in them,† Theo said. â€Å"It's only one of the things I do. Mostly, I count dead things on the beach.† â€Å"Fascinating work,† Val said with no attempt to hide her contempt. â€Å"Yeah, it's great,† Gabe said. Then to Theo, â€Å"Anyway, these ten rats didn't move with the others.† â€Å"Right, you told me this. You thought they might be dead.† â€Å"They weren't, at least the six of them that I found weren't. It wasn't death that stopped them, it was sex.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I live-trapped twenty of the group of rats that moved, but when I went to find the group that hadn't, I didn't have to trap them. There were three pairs, all engaged in coitus.† â€Å"So what made the others move?† â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"But the other ones were, uh, mating?† â€Å"I watched one pair for an hour. They did it a hundred and seventeen times.† â€Å"In an hour? Rats can do that?† â€Å"They can, but they don't.† â€Å"But you said they did.† â€Å"It's an anomaly. But all three pairs were doing it. One of the females had died and the male was still going at her when I found them.† Theo's face was becoming strained with the effort of trying to figure out what in the hell Gabe was trying to tell him, and why he was telling him in the first place. â€Å"What does that mean?† â€Å"I have no idea,† Gabe said. â€Å"I don't know why there was a mass evacuation of the large group, and I don't know why the smaller group stayed in one place copulating.† â€Å"Well, thanks for sharing.† â€Å"Food and sex,† Gabe said. â€Å"Maybe you should eat something, Gabe.† Theo signaled for the waitress. â€Å"What do you mean, food and sex?† Val asked. â€Å"All behavior is related to obtaining food and sex,† Gabe said. â€Å"How Freudian.† â€Å"No, Darwinian, actually.† Val leaned forward and Gabe caught a whiff of her perfume. She actually seemed interested now. â€Å"How can you say that? Behavior is much more complex than that.† â€Å"You think so?† â€Å"I know so. And whatever this is, this radio rat study of yours proves it.† She swiveled the screen of the laptop so they all could see it. â€Å"You have six rats that were engaged in sex, but if I have this straight, you have, well, a lot of rats that just took off for no reason at all. Right?† â€Å"There was a reason, I just don't know it yet.† â€Å"But it wasn't food and it obviously wasn't sex.† â€Å"I don't know yet. I suppose they could have been exposed to television violence.† Theo was sitting back and watching now, enjoying two people with three decades of education between them puffing up like schoolyard bullies. â€Å"I'm a psychiatrist, not a psychologist. Our discipline has moved more toward physiological causes for behavior over the last thirty years, or hadn't you heard?† Val Riordan was actually grinning now. â€Å"I'm aware of that. I'm having the brain chemistry worked up on animals from both groups to see if there's a neurochemical explanation.† â€Å"How do you do that again?† Theo asked. â€Å"You grind up their brains and analyze the chemicals,† Gabe said. â€Å"That's got to hurt,† Theo said. Val Riordan laughed. â€Å"I only wish I could diagnose my patients that way. Some of them anyway.† Val Val Riordan couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself, but she suspected it was when she'd attended the Neiman-Marcus sale in San Francisco two years ago. Food and sex indeed. This guy was so naive. But still, she hadn't seen anyone so passionate about pure research since med school, and it was nice to think about psychiatry in terms other than finan-cial. She found herself wondering how Gabe Fenton would look in a suit, after a shower and a shave, after he'd been boiled to kill the parasites. Not bad, she thought. Gabe said, â€Å"I can't seem to identify any outside stimulus for this behavior, but I have to eliminate the possibility that it's something chemical or envir-onmental. If it's affecting the rats, it might be affecting other species too. I've seen some evidence of that.† Val thought about the wave of horniness that seemed to have washed over all of her patients in the last two days. â€Å"Could it be in the water, do you think? Something that might affect us?† â€Å"Could be. If it's chemical, it would take longer to affect a mammal as large as a human. You two haven't seen anything unusual in the last few days, have you?† Theo nearly spit his coffee out. â€Å"This town's a bug-house.† â€Å"I'm not allowed to talk about my patients specifically,† Val said. She was shaken. Of course there was some weird behavior. She'd caused it, hadn't she, by taking fifteen hundred people off of their medication at once? She had to get out of here. â€Å"But in general, Theo is right.† â€Å"I am?† Theo said. â€Å"He is?† Gabe said. Jenny had returned to the table to fill their coffees. â€Å"Sorry I overheard, but I'd have to agree with Theo too.† They all looked at her, then at each other. Val checked her watch. â€Å"I've got to get to an appointment. Gabe, I'd like to hear the results of the brain chemistry test.† â€Å"You would?† â€Å"Yes.† Val put some money on the table and Theo picked it up and handed it back to her, along with the dollar he'd put there earlier for her fee. â€Å"I need to talk to you about that other matter, Val.† â€Å"Call me. I don't know if I can help though. Bye.† Val left the cafe actually looking forward to seeing her patients, if for no other reason than to imagine grinding up each of their brains. Anything to address the responsibility of driving an entire town crazy. But perhaps by driving them a little crazy, she could save some of them from self-destruction: not a bad reason for going to work. Gabe â€Å"I've got to go too,† Theo said, standing up. â€Å"Gabe, should I have the county test the water or something? I have to go into San Junipero to the county building today anyway.† â€Å"Not yet. I can do a general toxins and heavy metals test. I do them all the time for the frog population studies.† â€Å"You wanna walk out with me?† â€Å"I have to order something to go for Skinner.† â€Å"Didn't you say that you had ten rats that diverged from the pack?† â€Å"Yes, but I could only find six.† â€Å"What happened to the other four?† â€Å"I don't know. They just disappeared. Funny, these chips are nearly indestructible too. Even if the animals are dead, I should be able to pick them up with the satellites.† â€Å"Out of range maybe?† â€Å"Not a chance, the coverage is over two hundred miles. More if I look for them.† â€Å"Then where did they go?† â€Å"They last showed up down by the creek. Near the Fly Rod Trailer Court.† â€Å"You're kidding. That's where the Plotznik kid was last seen.† â€Å"You want to see the map?† â€Å"No, I believe you. I've got to go.† Theo turned to leave. Gabe caught him by the shoulder. â€Å"Theo, is, uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† â€Å"Is Val Riordan single?† â€Å"Divorced.† â€Å"Do you think she likes me?† Theo shook his head. â€Å"Gabe, I understand. I spend too much time alone too.† â€Å"What? I was just asking.† â€Å"I'll see you.† â€Å"Hey, Theo, you look, uh, well, more alert today.† â€Å"Not stoned, you mean?† â€Å"Sorry, I didn't mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's okay, Gabe. Thanks, I think.† â€Å"Hang tough.† Jenny As Jenny passed Estelle Boyet's table, she heard the old Black gentleman say, â€Å"We don't need to tell nobody nothin'. Been fifty years since I seen that thing. It probably done gone back to the sea.† â€Å"Still,† Estelle said, â€Å"there's a little boy missing. What if the two are connected?† â€Å"Ain't nobody ever called you a crazy nigger, did they?† â€Å"Not that I can remember.† â€Å"Well, they have me. For some twenty years after I talked about that thing the last time. I ain't sayin' nothin' to no one. It's our secret, girl.† â€Å"I like it when you call me girl,† Estelle said. Jenny went off to the kitchen, trying to put the morning together in her mind, pieces of conversations as surreal as a Dali jigsaw puzzle. There was definitely something going on in Pine Cove.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

PERSONAL STATEMENTS FOR TEACHER TRAINING APPLICATION Statement

STATEMENTS FOR TEACHER TRAINING APPLICATION - Personal Statement Example I was initially enthused to pursue teaching in my work experience at XXXX, after completing my A†levels. I was guided by an enthusing primary school teacher who totally included me in helping the children with their writing and reading skills along with Mathematics. Since November 2013, I have volunteered three days every week at YYYY, which has made me more experienced in classroom†based teaching. I usually work together with the class teacher in organizing the class for activities, listening while children read, along with supporting pupils of lower ability. This made me understand the significance of differentiation in planning a lesson and how it is should be run. I have taken part in coming up with Individual Educational Plans (IEP) for pupils encouraging them to learn and personally structuring their learning as per their explicit needs. Moreover, I am extending my various teaching methods like listening exercises, starters, poster making, games, debates, quizzes, and workbooks. To inspire pupils in their learning I have invented some games as well as assessment sheets together with preparing my individual lessons. This year I am overseeing a pupil with Aspergers syndrome during break and lunch times. This chance has been rewarding, helping me to attain a wider perspective on primary school experiences, provide additional support as well as learn new behaviour management techniques. I am through with a two†week experience at this school in June 2014 where I got experience in Key Stage 1 and 2 classroom for two weeks. This enabled me to interact with as well as support children in a diverse range of abilities, lessons, as well as activities and provide them with suitable feedback including targets and rewards. I feel that my degree in history would be appropriate. It is not just an academically hard subject but it assisted me to develop several transferable skills such as the ability to construe and clarify intricate information,

Friday, September 27, 2019

Film Noir Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Noir - Essay Example The term was initially coined by Nino Frank, who described a highly stylized form of movies that Hollywood began producing following the wars and the Great Depression. The movies primarily revolved around criminal investigations and had a very dark tone. Some examples of Film Noir include The Set up and the Big Sleeper. Among some contemporary examples are Twelve Monkeys and Seven. Before Film Noir transcended into a distinctive genre, such movies were largely referred to as ‘melodramas’. Film Noir is primarily characterized by dark visual that matches the theme and the plot of the movie. D.O.A is one of the best examples of a Film Noir as it embodies all characteristics and elements of one. The movie is about a man who is slow-poisoned by a group of unknown and has only a small amount in which he must find out why was he killed and the people who were behind it. The plot to kill him is unusual and it contains a thrilling investigation that eventually unravels the elabor ate intrigue that surrounds his death. The overall tone is quite dark and it shows some gaping flaws within in human beings, who are willing to kill anyone in order to conceal their own crimes. Even the characters and plot twists are somewhat cliched within the framework of this genre. For instance, the storyline is always centered on a criminal activity, mostly murder and its subsequent investigation that is carried out by cynical protagonist, usually a thick-skinned detective or a victim of circumstances, like the protagonist in D.O.A., who is forced to confront some of personal conflicts through the investigation of the case. The visual cues are adequate to classify D.O.A. as Film Noir; besides the color tone, the camera angles also play an integral part in building up the tension and to maximizing the suspense. The movie starts off with the camera following a man, who is walking into the police department. The man is the protagonist named Frank Bigelow trudging the police depart ment to report his own murder. This is a classic cinematic stunt employed by the filmmaker, there is suspense from the beginning and the unconventional plot twist is ostensible as the man is trying to report his own murder. The camera angle largely alternates between low angle and a Dutch tilt. The latter involves a titled camera shot, which shows the distress or the psychological turmoil of the characters, whereas the former shot is taken from below the eye line, which is meant to take a full-length shot of the character, while skillful concealing eye contact that enhances the mysterious persona of each character (Conard and Porfiro 135-137). Even the DOA includes many lower angle shots, whereby the mystery surrounding the character is amplified. These shots intensify the character’s emotions that are being projected to the audience; as mystery and suspense serve as the core cinematic elements, only camera shots that are known to obscure part of the character’s face a re incorporated by the filmmakers. As a matter of fact, Film Noir is vastly known for using unusual camera angles and special effects that underline the dark and gloomy tone of the story. The narrative structure of Film Noir has very distinct features, which sets it apart from other genres. The entire D.O.A. is told through Bigelow’s flashbacks, as he relates to the officers the perils he goes through in order to find his killers. It switches back and forth to provide the back-story of Bigelow and also showed the actual events that triggered the conflict of the story. Almost all noirs are popular for not following any chronological pattern in its narratives and the flow is often disrupted by the flash-backs and forwards, which is

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Positive and negative impact of international institutions on Essay

Positive and negative impact of international institutions on developing countries - Essay Example Therefore, the paper will focus on how these institutions have contributed to development and how their influence has had negative impacts on developing nations. An overview of operations of international institution in Developing Countries Since the advent of globalisation, international organisations have increased their operations in developing countries. International trade has spread all over the world at a faster rate than experienced before this phenomenon. In their quest for economic, as well as social progress in the last four to five decades, developing countries have embraced policies that promote international trade. Consequently, their share of exports has increased to one third from one fourth during the 1960’s. The World Bank and UNCTAD have taken part in trade activities in regions such as Central America, East Asia, and Africa. The formation of these institutions aimed at enhancing global trade. With development loans offered by these institutions, developing nations have managed to carry out development projects (Young, 2000). While taking part in development activities, in developing countries, international institutions contend that an enabling international environment is of paramount importance. They argue that such an environment enables developing countries and other economies under transition to have successful integration into the economy of the world. International trade also allows developing countries to develop reliable capabilities of supply, which will be in line with the market demands, improve networking, promote development and transfer of technology, as well as increase productivity. International institutions emphasize that developing nations should promote growth and development by instituting policies, which will encourage international trade. As such, governments of developing countries should provide adequate resources, improve the capacity of institutions, enhance technological capacity, and improve infrastructur e. Positive and negative impact of World Bank and UNCTAD on developing countries The World Bank came to being after the end of the Second World War; the political climate present during the time of its formation was different from the current political climate in the world of today. The institutional structures of this organization were incorporated in Bretton Woods, at an international conference held in New Hampshire. The initial purpose of forming the World Bank was to provide aid in terms of loans to developing nations. The main targets included the countries facing a crisis of balance of payment deficits and immense difficulties in settling debts (Wantchekon 2002, p. 59). Originally, the purpose and focus of World Bank aimed at lending money to European government of the West in order to assist them in rebuilding their countries as a result of the war. However, the attention of the World Bank later focussed on giving loans to developing countries for development purposes. UNCTA D came into being during the early years of 1960s. During the early 1960s, there grew concerns about the place of developing countries in international trade. This made most of these nations to advocate for the convening of a conference devoted to dealing with problems

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Community - Essay Example For example Target partnered with First Book in 2008 with the goal of donating new books to American schools in the lower income communities. Target also operated a REDcard program through which US$298 million dollars have been donated to US K-12 schools beginning in 1997. In addition, Target has partnered with Feeding America since 2001 under the auspices of its Meals for Minds program. Through this program Target has funded US2.3 million to Meals for Minds and another US$1.2 to food banks and a number of school food programs in the US. Target also donates both time and personnel to United Way’s charitable efforts and has donated up to US$13.8 million in 2009. In keeping with its mandate to aid in educating America, Target has made it possible for American families to explore the arts and craft landscape in the US. Through Target’s efforts and direct donations, American families can visit various Art Museums across the country at reduced admission rates or by virtue of free admission on designated days each week. Moreover, 2,2000 performances are available to American families either for free or reduced admission as a result of Target’s sponsorship.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Business Strategy - Collaborating to achieve Corporate Social Research Paper

Business Strategy - Collaborating to achieve Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability - Research Paper Example It is important that every sector of the society must co-operate with business to find solutions to such profound and complex challenges. Collaboration is the co-operation and co-ordination that is necessary between all business, government and non-government organisations to cope with all such challenges. It is a situation where people work towards attaining a wider goal beyond the boundaries of an organisation. Keeping in view the responsibility towards the economic development of the society, collaboration and partnership between different organisations seem to be more logical manner to maintain the flow of development. Collaboration can have the advantages of â€Å"improved access to resources, sharing of risk, increased efficiency, co-ordination and seamlessness† between different organisations and institutions (Murray et al 166). Collaboration is also imperative because it is not possible for a single organisation to deal with moral problems of the society like â€Å"po verty, crime and drug abuse†. Collaboration can take place between business organisations and governments or between governments and NGOs to address various social issues. Companies may often collaborate with governments and NGOs with the purpose of learning from their partners for their benefits and also for the benefits of the partnership. In the framing of the structure of the collaborations, the organizations should be careful in choosing a collaboration which would meet the objective of the CSR of the organization. In building the collaboration, special emphasis should be provided to maintain relationship between the units with which the business houses are collaborating. Various strategies also have been framed for the better utilization of the collaboration process (Murray et al 161-174). Every organization is responsible to the society and its

Monday, September 23, 2019

Home Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Home Network - Essay Example The visual technology with rich animated graphics helps the learners to understand better. Everyone can discuss the lectures and suggestions on forums making a virtual learning environment. Home users can participate online by uploading their suggestions on a particular topic and at the same time sharing the videos and suggestions with the peers. Evaluation of the students is also conducted by E learning, which is an added feature which is beneficial for the home users. Category 5 cables are used for the data transmission in a home network design. CAT-5 is in the form of twisted pairs. This cable consists of 4 copper wire pairs, connecting the network node with RJ 45 connectors.CAT-5 supports up to 100 to 1000 MHz speeds in a full duplex mode (Category 5 Cable. 2007). The length of the cable depends on the distance which needs measurement in the school premises. What are switches and why they are required for deploying a network? A good illustration is available on network dictionary states â€Å"A network switch is a device that joins multiple computers together at a low-level network protocol layer. Technically, network switches operate at layer two (Data Link Layer) of the OSI model† A simple definition is available on eFast Ethernet Cisco switches supporting VLAN functionality are implemented. As compared to the old 10 base-t, the 100 base-t provides 10 times more speed supporting the MAC and MTU. Almost all network adapters supports 100 base-t technology making it a cost saving and efficient choice for local area networks ("Fast Ethernet" 190-190). We will install and configure a 12 port switch, keeping in mind the expansion of the network will not affect by purchasing new network equipment. On the ground floor of the home there is only one switch that is operational and one is installed on the second floor and will be considere d for future expansion of the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Past, Present and Future Essay Example for Free

Past, Present and Future Essay As I was preparing to write this personal assessment paper, I cannot help but be reminded of an age-old adage which goes, â€Å"an unexamined life is not worth living† – a wisdom saying claimed to have been coined by the philosopher Socrates. Specifically in view of my stay here at the University of Phoenix, I have many good reasons to suppose that looking back at my personal and professional growth in this learning institution is indeed an aspect worth examining. Not only does it afford me of a chance to chart the progress of my learning journey, it also gives me a rare opportunity to reflect on how my life has significantly changed over the years. In many ways, I believe that what stands to be of paramount importance in examining one’s life lies in being able to learn from the experiences of the past. And I find this especially true for myself since I am coming from a kind of University experience that opened many windows for the acquisition of many learning skills, and the nurturance of lasting relationships as well. With these in mind, I shall reflect on study program that I took at the University of Phoenix with eyes fixed on charting my personal and professional growth relative to the whole study process. As required, this personal assessment paper shall be divided into three distinct but related parts: starting the program, undergoing the program, and the impact of the program on my future life. Recounting experiences at the start of University program Early on in life, I was already introduced to the idea that academic learning is exceedingly important not only because it can become a sure ticket for a rewarding professional life later on, but also because it is a noble endeavor in itself. My parents have constantly reminded me of this almost sacred teaching. Which is why, I consider learning to be an issue of no little importance in my personal growth and development. In ways more than one, this is the reason why I decided to pursue my studies at the University of Phoenix. Specifically, I was moved by a desire to finish my studies so as to later on pursue a greater life-defining goal – to land a career in the field of management. I have to admit that starting a University life is not as easy and sweet as many people would have thought it. At least for myself, I have had a fair amount of anxieties, biases, fears and hesitations that I had to firstly wrestle with before finding myself comfortably abreast with the whole school system. Even if I had the courage to pursue an inner belief on the importance of learning, I should say that my first steps at the University were indeed nerve-wracking, since I had to let go of my little comfort zones and expand my horizon for the sake of learning. But while these memorable days were an initially rocky path, I think that I fared relatively well in handling myself successfully, with a little push and support from my family, friends and peers. I started out my studies at the University as a student at the beginner’s level. In many ways, my problem solving and communication skills definitely needed some serious reinforcements. I knew I had the basic knowledge and skill to pull through though; but surely, they need to be further improved if only I could succeed in my University journey. I was able to pass academic requirements in a manner rather fair and prompt. But I must admit that I was able to accomplish many things not without difficulties. For instance, I discovered that doing analysis and assessments involving critical thinking were not that easy. I did also encounter difficulties in terms of information retrieval, inasmuch as I had to joggle up a number of subjects requiring memorizations, retentions, and practical ways of applying formulas and principles in many assignments and projects. And while I believe that my social and relational skills were aspects that have served me well in the past, my University studies was to even more teach me how to use these skills in a manner distinctly practical, so I can effectively collaborate with my co-students and professors. After years of pursuing an academic learning here in the University though, I honestly think that I have improved a lot in almost all these aspects; as I now possess, all things considered, a competence level of an intermediate student. Assessing personal growth during my University studies A multi-faceted learning approach is what in essence the University of Phoenix afforded me over the years. I have little doubts that the subjects which I took at the University contributed a lot to my growth. Specifically, I have to mention that I was helped enormously in my writing skills. I know right from the onset that I could not write well. And perhaps, this weakness shows even now. In fact, I have encountered difficulties in completing many assignments or projects that needed a fair amount of effective writing skills. It was, to say the least, difficult to get myself staying motivated in matters or subjects where I know I am are not adequately adept with. With much patience and practice though, I think that I was able to improve myself quite significantly in this area. My University studies have enabled me to gather vital insights that I can use in the future. In particular, I feel that certain general education courses may prove to be critical in view of my potential management career in the future. The first one concerns Human Motivation subject, as offered by Psychology 320 course. This is, I believe, chiefly important for any career in management, as it gives students necessary insights and skills to know what motivates people. The management profession entails a lot of handling human resources; i. e. , the people themselves. By studying Human Motivation, I am able to gain necessary knowledge that would not only make me know the factors that motivate people, but also learn appropriate approaches or methods to effectively motivate them. Second, I feel that ISCOM 476, otherwise known as the â€Å"Integrated Supply Chain Application†, is another important course as well. If only to explain, what this course did for me was to make me distinguish between the things that I have honestly learned and those that I have unfortunately missed. The subject was in many ways an eye opener for myself. It gave me insights into the areas that I need to brush up in relation to the previous courses that I have taken. Ultimately, though, I feel that I can use this course to help an organization become successful in what they are trying to achieve in the business. Besides, the course is chiefly about understanding logistics; and, in a career that oversees not only the proper handling of human resources but also key company transactions, the course shall definitely help me improve my management skills later on in my professional life. As for my personal recommendation, I would propose developing a more personal rapport between student and teachers. I do wish to imply that the University professors barely care for the individual performances of their students. Far from it. On the contrary, what I would suggest is to promote healthy student-teacher relations that could bring into the fore individual difficulties encountered by students, as they go about learning the subjects they are currently into. When properly assessed, students can surely address what needs to be done if there are some learning skills or subjects that they find difficult to put up with. I have personally encountered having to put up with the demands of a current subject while brushing up the knowledge I have learned from the previous courses. In many ways, this can be avoided. Developing an effective individual colloquium approach to learning shall, I believe, make students more adjusted into the demands of the current subjects that they are undertaking. Analyzing the impact of University learning on later life Completing a University bachelor’s program in many ways gives me an overwhelming feeling of contentment, pride, and most notably, joy. But perhaps, more than giving me a reason to be proud of myself, I feel that the finishing the University program of my choice has a role to fulfill in my life long learning later on. Finishing the program is surely not an end as it is more like another beginning for my life. It is an accepted knowledge that learning is a process that never stops; i. e. , for as long as a human person lives, he or she needs to learn until death. In many ways, this is how I view life as well. I feel that lifelong learning is something that one needs to achieve in life. And as such, it is something that should not stop. I take root from my personal experience here at the University of Phoenix. Honestly, I think that that I many reasons to quit from the program. The difficulties of having to put up with the intense learning processes of this school system are really one bulk of problem to solve, to say the least. But I did not allow discouraging results, nor pieces of advice of other people (against finishing the degree) get in the way of my desire to finish my studies. In life, this too applies. A person should not let no one stop him or her from finishing something that one truly takes interest in. Far more critical, I am of the firm believe that lifelong learning needs all the support one can get from people who care. Since learning has to be life long, and that it need not to stop after University schooling, I have set forth certain plans in view of acquiring further knowledge. In the years to come, I plan to reinforce the fundamental learning I received from the University by following it up though an array of available study learning programs. Firstly, I intend to attend logistics seminars in the next few months. Realizing that this is critical area for my prospective job, I feel that I need to reinforce my learning to further increase my competence in such a field. Moreover, I plan to further develop my communications and management skills. Communications skills, specifically writing (as I mentioned), were really a weakness that I was able to adequately address. But that does not mean I was able to achieve an expertise or mastery of it. I know that, at the end of the day, I need to improve this aspect more and more. Being a professional entails that one has achieved a certain level of competence in both what one knows, and how one effectively expresses what one knows. In my case, I am pretty aware I need to effectively express myself in both the oral and written manner of communication, in order to better convey and practice the management skills that I have acquired. As indeed, I am aware that I need to be very aware of any new approaches to management strategies as the years go by. What the University has afforded me is a fundamental knowledge about management; but surely, in the years to come, new innovations and challenges that the University studies were not able to address shall inevitably emerge. I know that when that time comes, I need to handle myself successfully as I did so during my student stint at the University. Thus, in order to keep with the pace of ever changing needs of the companies, I plan on improving my management skills by attending seminars and short courses as well. Right now though, I have neither pondered nor decided over the specific company or organization to join with. Suffice it to say that for the time being, I am contemplating on attending a master’s program on management. In this way, not only I am going to be able to address my specific learning needs, I shall also in the process further improve my competence level to that of an expert, ready to take on anything that life has to eventually offer.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Business Environment Essay Example for Free

Business Environment Essay In a highly competitive and ultra-dynamic business environment in order for Morden business to remain competitive and thrive, it is no longer good enough to compete and serve at a local scale, more and more business have seen the need and benefit of expanding their business on a global scale. Expanding the business internationally will allow a broader market which in turn will help the organisation stay competitive even gain a competitive edge, it will also result in increased profit margins and stakeholders larger return on investments. When expanding internationally there are several key issues that will need to be addressed such as the organisational context, the staffing context, recruitment and selection, international compensation and performance management and continued management and re-entry. The organisational context Whinch-it board of directors though lacking the necessary skills to expand globally have expressed interest in expanding to the Asian region to tape into the markets need for boats and boating equipment. When planning an overseas expansion they are several issues that should be considered, these include the change of size and structure of the organisation, the flow and volume of information, control mechanisms, and the host countries demands-Dowling et.al 2008. As the business expands it gets bigger in terms of size and therefore structure of the organisation has to change in order to accommodate the change in size. According to Lihua (2009) two key structural features of the organisation will change which are the hierarchal levels and the number of subunits. Due to more employees being needed they will need to be managers to manage the subunits therefore an increase in the levels of hierarchy in the organisation. Departments such as the export department structure will also be the i nitial stages to be affected and also attended to by manufacturing companies such as Winch-it. Whinch-it will require a foreign agent or a distributor who will have knowledge of the local market, in addition to a foreign agent an export manager is also needed to control the domestic based home office, this new positions will affect the structure and size of Winch-it. With an increasing size of the organisation and a longer hierarchical system the volume of information and control mechanism becomes harder to monitor. According to Arace et.al 1974 communication plays a vital role in the organisation’s control and coordination process and the organisational hierarchy plays a part in the work related communication flows, the more levels of hierarchy means the longer and delay the information might get to certain subunits and the relevancy and urgency of that information might have diminished by the time it gets to its final destination, Arace et.al 1974 also states the need of networking in the organisation as that will strengthen the communication links between individuals in the organisation. There are various organisational structures that Winch-it can adopt for its international expansion, the most effective one I recommend is the matrix structure. By adopting this structure Whinch-it is basically integrating its operations across more than one dimension Dowling et.al (2008). The advantages to this structural form are no issue is neglected as conflicts of interest are brought out in the open and priority is placed upon any problem that may arise in the organisation. Due to Whinch-it having multiple objectives in their plan to internationalize their business such as not just selling their products in the Asian regions but also moving some of the production overseas the matrix structure is an excellent choice as it fits the strategy of simultaneous pursuits and multiple business dimensions which in will also be given equal priority Dowling et.al (2008). According to Qiu et.al (2012) a number of multinational companies use the matrix system to implement high levels of dual strategies such as foreign product diversification and area diversification; this shows the matrix system fits the situation. This matrix structure is highly effective but is also expensive and will require careful implementation and management from the top management. The staffing context Whinch-it can pursue one of several approaches to international staffing, with each having its advantages and disadvantages. These staffing methods include ethnocentric staffing method which the strategic decisions are made at the headquarters and the foreign subsidiaries have limited autonomy. If Whinch-it feels there are no qualified personals in the host country then ethnocentric approach will prove to be the best one. Having a parent company national will also maintain the communication, coordination and control links to corporate headquarters. Disadvantages of this staffing model include reduced productivity and high turnover as a result of limited promotional opportunities to the host country nationals. Another staffing method that can be used is polycentric, this models allows each subsidiary to be managed by a host country national with some decision making autonomy, this will eliminate some of the problems that ethnocentric have while also eliminating adjustment periods, lan guage barriers and it gives continuity of management of foreign subsidiaries Dowling et.al 2008. Polycentric however has its disadvantages such as language barriers with parent company national and the loyalty to the PCN might be lower that the loyalty to the HCN’s nationality. Geocentric method of staffing takes no account of the nationality of the individuals but their ability to perform the task at hand, the advantages of this according to Dowling et.al (2008) is that it enables a development of an international team that will be ready for deployment throughout the global organisation, one of its disadvantages is the host government wanting a bigger percentage of the employees from the host country and it is very expansive due to increased training and relocation cost. Choosing the correct staffing model for Whinch-it, various factors such as the uncertainty of the foreign market and the rules and laws differing greatly from rules and regulation from the PCN and also the technology advancement being different according to Isidor et.al (2011) technology intensity will increase the likelihood of an ethnocentric staffing method, although this will be beneficial I recommend Winch-it to employ the Geocentric staffing model. This model although expensive will allow the organisation to have the best people for the job who are trained by the organisation and will allow for an easier communication and control throughout all the subsidiaries and the PCN headquarters. According to Gowan (2004) recruitment success results from the organisation understanding of relationship among person-job fit, person-organization fit and cultural differences and recruits accordingly. This will help the organisation in employing high potential employees. Recruitment and selection The goal of organisations is to employ people at the positions that there will be able to do their jobs effectively and efficiently, this aspect is extremely important to the organisation as the employees recruited and selected by the organisation will be vital the success of the organisation. Issues that will arise in the international selection and recruiting are the fact that the national government would want the locals to be hired as opposed to foreigners. The fact that they will be cultural difference in the host country the selection of employees will need to be able to adapt to the host country culture and develop the appropriate behaviours as according to host country. Winch-it should consider the factors the inability of expatriate to adjust to foreign culture as this is the main reason for expatriate fail, this may have resulted because of family concerns as the employee will be separated from family or the family will having difficulties adjusting to the foreign land which can put a lot of emotional strain on the expatriate and therefore may also affect their job. The length of the assignment will also prove to be a problem as the expatriate may require longer time to adjust before being effective but due to the lack of time they may be needed to be effective as soon as possible with no sufficient adjustment time. According to Dowling et.al 2008 the companies can offer the expatriate family friendly policies that will assist the families too in the adjustment and adapting to the foreign land. International compensation and performance management Pay is the most important factor as it as the biggest motivator when it comes to employees performing their task effectively and efficiently. A study taken by Chen et.al 2012 showed that groups that where offered a pay increase worked more cohesive and effective that the group that where offered just the base pay. When going international the parent company nationals will need to be compensated for the perceived risk they will be going by going to a foreign land therefor the expatriates should receive benefits that will offer them the incentive to go to their appointed positions and perform at a high level and avoid expatriate failure. Reference list Lihua, W 2009, Ownership, size, and the formal structure of organizations: evidence from US public and private firms, 1992-2002, Industrial Corporate Change, 18, 4, pp. 595-636, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 April 2013 arace, R, Pacanowsky, M 1974, Organizational Communication Role, Hierarchical Level, and Relative Status, Academy Of Management Proceedings (00650668), p. 62, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 April 2013. Qiu, J, Donaldson, L 2012, Stopford and Wells were Right! MNC Matrix Structures do fit a High-High Strategy, Management International Review (MIR), 52, 5, pp. 671-689, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 April 2013 Isidor, R, Schwens, C, Kabst, R 2011, Human resource management and early internationalization: is there a leap-frogging in international staffing?, International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 22, 10, pp. 2167-2184, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 April 2013 Gowan, MA 2004, Development of the Recruitment Value Proposition for Geocentric Staffing, Thunderbird International Business Review, 46, 6, pp. 687-708, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 April 2013. Sparrow, PR 2007, Globalization of HR at function level: four UK-based case studies of the international recruitment and selection process, International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 18, 5, pp. 845-867, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 April 2013. Chen, C, Williamson, M, Zhou, F 2012, Reward System Design and Group Creativity: An Experimental Investigation, Accounting Review, 87, 6, pp. 1885-1911, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 April 2013 Dowling, J Marion Festing, D 2008 â€Å"International human resource management†

Friday, September 20, 2019

Schistosoma Mansoni Tegument Proteins

Schistosoma Mansoni Tegument Proteins Tran, M., Pearson, Bethony, J., Smyth, D., Jones, M., Duke, M., Don, T., McManus, D., Correa-Oliveira, R. and Loukas, A. (2006) Tetraspanins on the surface of Schistosoma mansoni are protective antigens against schistosomiasis, Nature medicine., 12(7), pp. 835-40.    Braschi, S., Borges, W. and Wilson, R. (2007) Proteomic analysis of the schistosome tegument and its surface membranes, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz., 101, pp. 205-12. Tetraspanins are family found within the tegument that has shown to be accessible to host immunoglobulin by proteomic analysis (Braschi et al., 2006). The surface membrane of B cells has tetraspanins, it is also found on the suface of the schistosome tegument   Schulte et al. (2013). Function of both schistosome tetraspanins and mammalian tetraspanins   have similar function (Tran et al. (2013).   Tran et al (2006) suggested that expression and purification of the extracellular loop 2 of both TSP- 1 and TSP-2 of S.mansoni with E.coli thioredexin as soluble proteins. This was done by a mice been immunised three times   with rTSP-1 which is a recombinant. The count of the worm burdens, liver egg burdens and faecal egg was controlled and reduction was found in the counts. Due to the reduction of faecal egg count, a vaccine for schistosomiasis is achievable in which reduction of all the eggs in the environment is attained thereby reducing re-infection in the society. If the number of burden of faecal egg is reduced, it suggest that the symptoms linked with build up eggs in host is reduced. As seen using recombinant (rTSP-1) showed 34% reduction in worm burden through vaccination. Also r(TSP-2) showed 57% reduction of worm burden with vaccination. Due to screeni ng of of specific antibodies against the recombinant proteins in individual exposed to S. mansoni , levels of IgG3 and IgG1 with TSP-2 showed increased resistance in the individual in which IGe wasnt recognised. IgE is shown to come into effect when there is parasitic infection; Tan et al. (2006) said that   IgG3 and IgG1 with TSP-2 posseses protective characteistics which indicate that it could be an effective vaccine for scistosomiasis. Aquaporin is another molecule found on the surface of schistosomes and there is a lot of the Aquaporin protein within the tegument of S. mansoni ( Castro- Borges et al., 2011). SmAQP is found in both male and female worms whereby it enables nutrient transportation, drug uptake and osmoregulation (Faghiri et al., 2010). This led to scientist studying SmAQP whereby it has a chaacteristics of protecting the mice (Figueiredo et al. 2014). A chimeric form of SmAQP which is cSmAQP was made to conduct immunisation studies, whereby there was a control and mice injected with cSmAQP. This led to no worm burden been reduce and there was no reduction in parasite burden (Figueiredo et al., 2014). Figueiredo et al. (2014) suggested that when binding SmAQP to antibodies it doesnt stop the protein protein from functioning. The efficacy of S.mansori vaccine candidate Sm-p80 were measured using two methods. A prime boost vaccination strategy and a recombinant protein method. Both methods were carried out in the presence of a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN). ODN contains unmethylated CpG dinucleotides as an adjuvant. Firstly, C57BL/6 mice were immunised with a control prime-boost (100ug pcDNA3) and experimental prime boost (100 ug Sm-p80-pcDNA3).   Also, Experimental recombinant protein (25ug rSm-p80 mixed with 50ug ODN)   or the control recombinant protein (50ug ODN). The results showed a significant worm burden in both groups. Mice immunised with the prime boost strategy had a 57% reduction whilst mice immunised using the recombinant strategy combined with ODN had a 70% reduction. Ahmad et al discovered there was also a 71% reduction in egg production in mice immunised with the prime-boost strategy and 75% reduction in egg production in mice immunised with the recombinant protein and ODN strategy. Also,   cercarial radiation attenuated vaccines (RA) has high levels of protection and this has been set as the standard for inducing protein in animal models. Some parts of the S. mansori tegument have been found to induce partial protection against schistosome challenge in animal models. In a recent study conducted by Teixeira de Melo et al 2010, mice were immunised with the whole tegument of S. mantory, (Smteg). Freuds adjuvant was used to immunise C57BL/6 mice. The mice were challenged with cercariae thirsty days after the last injection. The results showed a significant reduction in the worm, liver egg and faecal egg burdens compared to the control group. Teixeira de Melo et al. (2010) collected worms from the immunised mice and concluded that the worms were physically impaired indicating that the teguments of schostosomes were damaged. Additionally, all the eggs collected from faeces were dead however, it is unclear as to which of the specific protein contributed towards this protective immunity characteristic. 3.2 In a study perfomed by Cao X. et al (2014), two independent group of BALB/c mice were immunised with recombinant SjPDI with Montanide ISA 206 VG adjuvant and challenged with cercariae. The protective efficacy was evaluated. The result found showed a reduction of 35.32% and 26.19% when compared with control groups. 33.17% and 31.7% decrease in egg counts were also noticed. The protein SjNPP-5 from the family of nucleotide phosphodiesterase family (NPPs) was studied as a vaccine target. This protein is responsible for various types of physiological processes. (Rofatto et all 2009). In further research, Zhang et al (2011) tested the efficiency of this protein as a vaccine target. This was achieved by immunising ten BALB/c mice with recombinant SjNPP-5. The mice were then challenged with cercariae. The result showed a reduction in worm of 29.9% and there was a 26.21% reduction of liver egg count. The test shows that the protein possesses good immunogenicity and an increased level of specific antibodies. Lv et al 2009 tested a calcium-binding protein from the tegument of S japonicum for its ability to protect mice against schistosomiasis infection. Eight mice were immunised with SJCa8 and was dissolved in PBS with Freuds adjuvant. The mice were also challenged with S.janonicum cercariae. Immunised mice were compared to controlled mice. The results showed a reduction of 50.39%. this results could signify that the calcium-binding protein SjCa8 may make a suitable vaccine for the minimization of the pathogenesis of schistosome infection. * Yan et al (2005) used sera from M.fortis to screen and adult japonicum cDNA library for the identification of antigens that evoke protective response in M. fortis. Some of the clones identified by cDNA library screening partially encoded a member of the serine proteinase inhibitor. A full-length sequence encoding this protein was extracted. The S japonicum serpin (Sj serpin) was used to immunise C57BL/6 mice. The mice were also challenged with cercariae 3 weeks after the last boosting. Reduction of 34-36% in worm burdens was noticed. Also, Egg counts had a 39-40% reduction compared to the controlled group. Overall, the test for Sj serpin was lower than 40% therefore is not considered an effective protein antigen. Furthermore, Hong et al 2015 analysed proteins recognised by susceptible (mice) and resistant (M.fortis) antibodies before and after schistosome infection using comparative immunoproteomics. Hong proposed that proteins recognised by the resistant M.fortis sera would be effective vaccines on the other hand, proteins recognized by both resistant and susceptible would be suitable for diagnostic purposes. a heat shock protein known as   DnaJ was recognized by sera from the M. Fortis (resistant). Hong et la 2015 conducted a vaccination of mice with the recombinant form of Dnaj derived from schistosome japonicum. The results showed a reduction in worm burdens 34.5% and reduction of liver egg count 48.9% in the immunised mice. This illustrates that this molecule induce partial protection against S.japonicum. overall, it can be concluded that SjDna is not an effective protein antigen. 3.3 Schistosoma haematobium tegument proteins Research into schistosomiasis haematobium vaccine generally has been inconclusive. Moreover, recently, a 23kDa antigen from the member of a tetraspanin family has been analysed for its potential vaccine target in S.haematobium (inal and Bickle 1995). Mice in this study were immunised with large hydrophilic domain of Sh23 as a fusion with glutathione S-transferase. The mice were challenged with cercariae. After 8 weeks, the mice were infused. Evidence of worm burden reduction was not seen. Golden Syrian hamsters were vaccinated with recombinant Sm-p80. When challenged with schistosomiasis haematobium carcariae, there was a reduction of 48% in worm burden and 66% in liver egg burden. 63% reductions in intestinal egg retention were also discovered. Karmakar et al 2014, concluded that this was not a suitable model for studying the pathogenesis of schistosomiasis haematobium. The reason provided was due to the fact that there were no eggs detected in the urinary bladder of the vaccinated or control group. Similarly, baboons were used for immunisation experiments. The baboons were also immunised with the same combination of Sm-p80. The baboons displayed no reduction in urinary bladder egg load. There was a 40% reduction of faecal egg and a 53% reduction of urine egg. This result may indicate that Sm-p80 could be effective against both urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis. Karmakar et al 2014 Tran, M., Pearson, Bethony, J., Smyth, D., Jones, M., Duke, M., Don, T., McManus, D., Correa-Oliveira, R. and Loukas, A. (2006) Tetraspanins on the surface of Schistosoma mansoni are protective antigens against schistosomiasis, Nature medicine., 12(7), pp. 835-40. Braschi, S., Borges, W. and Wilson, R. (2007) Proteomic analysis of the schistosome tegument and its surface membranes, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz., 101, pp. 205-12. Schulte L.  et al.  (2013) Tetraspanin-2 localisation in high pressure frozen and freeze-substituted Schistosoma mansoni adult males reveals its distribution in membranes of tegumentary vesicles, International Journal for Parasitology, 43(10), pp. 785-793. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2013.04.003. Castro-Borges, W., Simpson, D., Dowle, A., Curwen, R., Thomas-Oates, J., Beynon, R. and Wilson, R. (2011) Abundance of tegument surface proteins in the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni determined by QconCAT proteomics, Journal of proteomics., 74(9), pp. 1519-33. Faghiri, Z., Camargo, S.M.R., Huggel, K., Forster, I.C., Ndegwa, D., Verrey, F. and Skelly, P.J. (2010) The Tegument of the human parasitic worm Schistosoma mansoni as an excretory organ: The surface Aquaporin SmAQP is a lactate transporter, 5(5). Pinheiro, C.S., Ribeiro, A.P.D., Cardoso, F.C., Martins, V.P., Figueiredo, B.C.P., Assis, N.R.G., Morais, S.B., Caliari, M.V., Loukas, A. and Oliveira, S.C. (2014) A multivalent chimeric vaccine composed of Schistosoma mansoni SmTSP-2 and Sm29 was able to induce protection against infection in mice, Parasite Immunology, 36(7), pp. 303-312. doi: 10.1111/pim.12118. Ahmad, G., Zhang, W., Torben, W., Haskins, C., Diggs, S., Noor, Z., Le, L. and Siddiqui, A.A. (2009) Prime-boost and recombinant protein vaccination strategies using Sm-p80 protects against Schistosoma mansoni infection in the mouse model to levels previously attainable only by the irradiated cercarial vaccine, 105(6). TEIXEIRA de MELO, T., MICHEL de ARAUJO, J., Do VALLE DURÃÆ'ES, F., CALIARI, M.V., OLIVEIRA, S.C., COELHO, P.M.Z. and FONSECA, C.T. (2010) Immunization with newly transformed Schistosoma mansoni schistosomula tegument elicits tegument damage, reduction in egg and parasite burden, Parasite Immunology, 32(11-12), pp. 749-759. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2010.01244.x. Yan, Y., Liu, S., Song, G., Xu, Y. and Dissous, C. (2005) Characterization of a novel vaccine candidate and serine proteinase inhibitor from Schistosoma japonicum (Sj serpin), Veterinary parasitology., 131, pp. 53-60. Hong, Y., Han, Y., Fu, Z., Han, H., Qiu, C., Zhang, M., Yang, J., Shi, Y., Li, X. and Lin, J. (2013) CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPRESSION OF THE SCHISTOSOMA JAPONICUM THIOREDOXIN PEROXIDASE-2 GENE, The Journal of Parasitology, 99(1), pp. 68-76. doi: 10.2307/23355019. Hong et al., 2013 Hong . et. al. (2015) Screening diagnostic candidates for Schistosomiasis from Tegument proteins of adult Schistosoma japonicum using an Immunoproteomic approach, 9(2). Inal, J. and Bickle, Q. (1995) Sequence and immunogenicity of the 23-kDa transmembrane antigen of Schistosoma haematobium, Molecular and biochemical parasitology., 74(2), pp. 217-21. Karmakar, S., Zhang, W., Ahmad, G., Torben, W., Alam, M.U., Le, L., Damian, R.T., Wolf, R.F., White, G.L., Carey, D.W., Carter, D., Reed, S.G. and Siddiqui, A.A. (2014) Cross-species protection: Schistosoma mansoni Sm-p80 vaccine confers protection against Schistosoma haematobium in hamsters and baboons, 32(11).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

In Homer’s epic The Odyssey a powerful symbol is the dual role of food. Throughout the novel, food was apart of their culture but it also represents situations in which feasting was a form of temptation. There were many feast and celebrations because hospitality was very important in their culture. It ranged from feasting of wine, meat, and bread, and even cheese. Food becomes a test for the weak, and sick men who accompanies Odysseus along the journey. The temptation began when Odysseus men did not return home after the war. It was first shown by the Lotus Eaters. The Lotus Eaters are people who do nothing at all during the day and sit and fulfill their appetites on this appealing plant. In result of them eating the plant they tend to become very lazy and forget their intended task, which was to get back home to Ithaca. Due to them falling into temptation Odysseus had to pull them himself back to the ship. His men fall prey to this food, and you can conclude that Odysseus’ men lack self-control. Along the journey Odysseus’ men are constantly tempted by food but the gluttony come...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Link Between Job Satisfaction and Employee Productivity Essay

1) An Introduction Long gone are the days when Labor Relations or Manpower departments were all the HR that an organization needed for supplying its human resource management needs. As we have advanced from the Industrial Age to the Information Age and as the workplace and business scenario has become more complex and competitive, Human Resource Management has become a vital skill for any knowledge organization; one that, if used correctly, could become a key asset for an organization. One of the most crucial fields of study here, in the 20th century, has been the crucial link between job satisfaction and employee productivity. Job satisfaction essentially is a measure of how content an employee is with his current job. There are, broadly speaking, three major aspects to employee satisfaction at the workplace- 1. A degree of autonomy in decision making 2. Significantly challenging work that does not become monotonous 3. Link between job performance and advancement in organization Other intangible and tangible factors also come into play. For example, some organizations have amazing training programs for new hires that add significant market value to the candidate. Infosys, the Indian IT behemoth, has a rigorous training schedule of 6 months which is attested to by industry experts as being on of the best. Indeed, ex-Infy employees have always highlighted the importance of the training they had undergone at the famed Mysore campus near Bengaluru. Opportunities to be creative, flexible work arrangements, flexible benefits and job stability all contribute towards making an employee like his job and make that extra effort for the organization. 2) Studies and Theories Kick started by the Hawthorne studies (conduc... ...acebook-for-employee-satisfaction-for-the-first-time-in-four-years/. Last accessed 11th April 2012. 2. Jeffrey Pfeffer. (2009). Low Grades for Performance Reviews. Available: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_31/b4141080608077.htm. Last accessed 11th April 2012. 3. Davi Ngo. (2009). Job Descriptive Index. Available: http://www.humanresources.hrvinet.com/job-descriptive-index-jdi/. Last accessed 11th April 2012. 4. Mark A. Griffin, Neal Andrew,Mathew Neale. (2000). The Contribution of Task Performance and Contextual Performance to Effectiveness: Investigating the Role of Situational Constraints . Applied Psychology: An International Review. 49 (3), 517-533 5. Ankur Jain. (2009). HRM - Nature, Scope and Objectives. Available: http://expertscolumn.com/content/human-resource-management-nature-scope-objectives-and-function. Last accessed 11th April 2012

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Profile of Coca Cola Ghana Essay

The Coca Cola Bottling Company was first established in 1886 by Dr. John Styth Pemberton in the United States of America (Atlanta) and has since been enjoyed in over 200 countries worldwide including Ghana who started its operations in 1995. The company believes that to be successful in the changing world we need to continue to thrive as a business over the next twenty years and beyond, we must get ready for tomorrow today that’s what our 2020 vision is all about. Our Mission To refresh the world To inspire moments of optimism and happiness To create value and make a difference Our vision We serve as the frame work for our roadmap and guide every aspect of our business by describing what we need to accomplish in order to continue achieving sustainable, quality growth. People: be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be. Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people’s desires and needs. Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual and enduring values. Planet: be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities. Profit: Maximize long-term return to shareholders while being mindful of our overall responsibilities Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization. OBJECTIVES Increase sales by 100% by the end of 1st year. To be able to cover the whole country by the end of 2nd year. in non alcoholic beverage in future.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Organizational Objectives and Total Compensation in Different Markets Essay

Total compensation encompasses all of the resources available to employees such as money, benefits, and services that reward the employee for their services with the company (Virginia Tech). A total compensation package covers may aspects such as extrinsic and intrinsic compensation. Extrinsic compensation is more of the monetary or legal means behind paying employees. Intrinsic compensation is the quality of life at work such as job variety or management feedback. Companies can use their compensation packages to attract certain types of employees and also retain them for an extended period of time. However, the reward of total compensation to attack and retain employees has not always been the manner in which companies treated their staff. For more years in history than not, companies would work their employees incredibly hard resulting in employees putting forth much of their life’s to work and receiving very little in return. Laws and Regulations The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) had a significant impact in the manner in which employees are to be rewarded for their work. FLSA set a minimum wage for employees to be paid, it established an overtime premium of time and a half for hours beyond 40 in a seven day period, and it set guidelines for how much minors were able to be worked (DOL, 2015). Equal Pay act of 1963 said that employers were not allowed to segregate their wages based on employee’s gender. This act created an historic definition of equal work; requiring both sexes are to receive equal opportunity for compensation. Women have generally always been paid less than men for doing the same jobs and the Equal Pay Act has been enforced to remedy the issue. Furthermore, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 went on to make sure that no person was discriminated against for race, color, sex, national origin, or  religion. This would include areas such as the hiring process; employee reviews, working conditions, promotion opportunities (National Archives). This act was the forefront of dissimilating discrimination not only in the work place but also in all business and educational establishments whether an employee, customer, student, or teacher. Taking the HR Consultant Role There are many things to consider within each company when it comes to creating a total compensation plan. Hiring a federally contracted employee in the government technology requires a different approach than hiring cashiers at a locally owned shop. While work related laws are pertain to all working individuals not all business are required to function in the same manner. For example, all working individuals are protected from discrimination. They must also earn overtime when deemed necessary according to FLSA. However, not all employers are required to provide medical leave to their employees. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, only employers with 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius must provide this to employees (SHRM, 2010). The Davis-Bacon Act requires that federally contracted employees be paid a fair salary based on the current salary in the area. There are several varieties in total compensation available for employers to present a favorable plan to a perspective employee. These rules and regulations maintain some type of standardization from a governmental perspective. The laws and regulations mentioned about were implemented to provide a standard level fairness between employers and employees. They prevent individuals having to be put through high levels of extreme conditions from doing so without being properly rewarded for that tedious work. Without these laws and regulations companies would have complete control over their company and have the availability to to abuse their power. The establishment of such laws also created a competitive edge for companies when it comes to hiring and retaining employees. Much of today’s successful companies are top competitors because they are employee focused companies. They aim to please the employees because they are aware that if the employees are happy the customers are happy. Resources DOL. Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/ National Archives. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/ SHRM (2010). Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://www.shrm.org/legalissues/federalresources/federalstatutesregulationsandguidanc/ ages/familyandmedicalleaveactof1993.aspx Virginia Tech. Total Compensation. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://www.hr.vt.edu/compensation/total_compensation/index.html

Sunday, September 15, 2019

La Noche Boca Arriba Translation

L A NOCHE BOCA ARRIBA Halfway down the long hotel vestibule, he thought that probably hewas going to be late, and hurried on into the street to get out hismotorcycle from the corner where the next-door superintendent let himkeep it. On the jewelry store at the corner he read that it was ten to nine;he had time to spare. The sun filtered through the tall downtown buildings,and he–because for himself, for just going along thinking, he did not havea name-he swung onto the machine, savoring the idea of the ride. Themotor whirred between his legs, and a cool wind whipped his pantslegs.He let the ministries zip past (the pink, the white), and a series of stores on the main street, their windows flash ing. Now he was beginning the most pleasant part of the run, the real ride: a long street bordered withtrees, very little traffic, with spacious villas whose gardens rambled all theway down to the sidewalks, which were barely indi cated by low hedges. Abit inattentive perhaps, but tooli ng along on the right side of the street, heallowed himself to be carried away by the freshness, by the weightlesscontraction of this hardly begun day. This involuntary relaxa tion, possibly,kept him from preventing the accident.When he saw that the womanstanding on the corner had rushed into the crosswalk while he still had thegreen light, it was already somewhat too late for a simple solu tion. Hebraked hard with foot and hand, wrenching him self to the left; he heard thewoman scream, and at the collision his vision went. It was like falling asleep all at once. He came to abruptly. Four or five young men were get ting him out from under the cycle. He felt the taste of salt and blood, oneknee hurt, and when they hoisted him up he yelped, he couldn't bear the presssure on his right arm.Voices which did not seem to belong to thefaces hanging above him encouraged him cheerfully with jokes and assurances. His single solace was to hear someone else confirm that thelights indeed had been in his favor. He asked about the woman, trying tokeep down the nausea which was edging up into his throat. While they carried him face up to a nearby pharmacy, he learned that the cause of theaccident had gotten only a few scrapes on the legs. â€Å"Nah, you barely got her at all, but when ya hit, the impact made the machine jump and flop on its side . . . Opinions, recollections of other smashups, take it easy, work him in shoulders first, there, that's fine, and someone in a dust coat giving him a swallow of something soothing in the shadowy interior of the small local pharmacy. Within five minutes the police ambulance arrived, and they lifted himonto a cushioned stretcher. It was a relief for him to be able to lie out flat. Completely lucid, but real izing that he was suffering the effects of aterrible shock, he gave his information to the officer riding in the ambulance with him. The arm almost didn't hurt; blood dripped down from acut over the eyebrow all over his face.He lic ked his lips once or twice todrink it. He felt pretty good, it had been an accident, tough luck; stay quiet a few weeks, nothing worse. The guard said that the motorcycle didn't seem badly racked up. â€Å"Why should it,† he replied. â€Å"It all landed on top of me. † They both laughed, and when they got to the hospital, the guard shook his hand and wished him luck. Now the nausea was coming back little by little; meanwhile they were pushing him on a wheeled stretcher toward a pavilion further back, rolling along under trees full of birds, heshut his eyes and wished he were asleep or chloroformed.But they kept him for a good while in a room with that hospital smell, filling out a form,getting his clothes off, and dressing him in a stiff, greyish smock. They moved his arm carefully, it didn't hurt him. The nurses were constantly making wise cracks, and if it hadn't been for the stomach contractions hewould have felt fine, almost happy. They got him over to X-ray, and t wenty minutes later, with the still-damp negative lying on his chest like a black tombstone, they pushed himinto surgery. Someone tall and thin in white came over and began to look at the X rays.A woman's hands were arranging his head, he felt that they were moving him from one stretcher to another. The man in white cameover to him again, smiling, some thing gleamed in his right hand. He patted his cheek and made a sign to someone stationed behind. It was unusual as a dream because it was full of smells, and henever dreamt smells. First a marshy smell, there to the left of the trail theswamps began already, the quaking bogs from which no one ever returned. But the reek lifted, and instead there came a dark, freshcomposite fragrance, like the night under which he moved, in flight fromthe Aztecs.And it was all so natural, he had to run from the Aztecs who had set out on their manhunt, and his sole chance was to find a place tohide in the deepest part of the forest, taking care not to lose the narrow trail which only they, the Motecas, knew. What tormented him the most was the odor, as though,notwithstanding the absolute acceptance of the dream, there wassomething which resisted that which was not habitual, which until that point had not participated in the game. â€Å"It smells of war,† he thought, his hand going instinctively to the stone knife which was tucked at an angle into hisgirdle of woven wool.An unexpected sound made him crouch suddenly stock-still and shaking. To be afraid was nothing strange, there was plenty of fear in his dreams. He waited, covered by the branches of a shrub and the starless night. Far off, probably on the other side of the big lake, they'd be lighting the bivouac fires; that part of the sky had a reddish glare. Thesound was not repeated. It had been like a broken limb. Maybe an animal that, like himself, was escaping from the smell of war. He stood erect slowly, sniffing the air.Not a sound could be heard, but the fear was still following, as was the smell, that cloying incense of the war of the blossom. He had to press forward, to stay out of the bogs and get to the heart of theforest. Groping uncertainly through the dark, stoop ing every other moment to touch the packed earth of the trail, he took a few steps. He would haveliked to have broken into a run, but the gurgling fens lapped on either sideof him. On the path and in darkness, he took his bear ings. Then he caught a horrible blast of that foul smell he was most afraid of, and leaped forward desperately. You're going to fall off the bed,† said the patient next to him. â€Å"Stopbouncing around, old buddy. † He opened his eyes and it was afternoon,the sun al ready low in the oversized windows of the long ward. Whiletrying to smile at his neighbor, he detached himself almost physically fromthe final scene of the nightmare. His arm, in a plaster cast, hung suspended from an appa ratus with weights and pulleys. He felt thirsty, asthou gh he'd been running for miles, but they didn't want to give him muchwater, barely enough to moisten his lips and make a mouthful.The fever was winning slowly and he would have been able to sleep again, but hewas enjoying the pleasure of keeping awake, eyes half-closed, listening tothe other patients' conversation, answering a question from time to time. He saw a little white pushcart come up beside the bed, a blond nurserubbed the front of his thigh with alcohol and stuck him with a fat needleconnected to a tube which ran up to a bottle filled with a milky, opales cent liquid. A young intern arrived with some metal and leather apparatus whichhe adjusted to fit onto the good arm to check something or other.Night fell,and the fever went along dragging him down softly to a state in whichthings seemed embossed as through opera glasses, they were real and soft and, at the same time, vaguely distaste ful; like sitting in a boring movie and thinking that, well, still, it'd be worse out in the street, and staying. A cup of a marvelous golden broth came, smelling of leeks, celery and parsley. A small hunk of bread, more precious than a whole banquet,found itself crumbling lit tle by little. His arm hardly hurt him at all, and only in the eyebrow where they'd taken stitches a quick, hot pain siz zled occasionally.When the big windows across the way turned to smudges of dark blue, he thought it would not be difficult for him to sleep. Still on hisback so a little un comfortable, running his tongue out over his hot, too-dry lips, he tasted the broth still, and with a sigh of bliss, he let himself drift off. First there was a confusion, as of one drawing all his sensations, for that moment blunted or muddled, into himself. He realized that he wasrunning in pitch dark ness, although, above, the sky criss-crossed withtreetops was less black than the rest. The trail,† he thought, â€Å"I've gotten off the trail. † His feet sank into a bed of leaves and mud, and then he couldn't take a step that the branches of shrubs did not whiplash against his ribsand legs. Out of breath, knowing despite the darkness and silence that hewas surrounded, he crouched down to listen. Maybe the trail was very near, with the first daylight he would be able to see it again. Nothing now could help him to find it. The hand that had unconsciously gripped the haft of the dagger climbed like a fen scorpion up to his neck where the protecting amulet hung.Barely moving his lips, he mumbled thesupplication of the corn which brings about the beneficent moons, and the prayer to Her Very High ness, to the distributor of all Motecan possessions. At the same time he felt his ankles sinking deeper into the mud, and thewaiting in the darkness of the obscure grove of live oak grew intolerable tohim. The war of the blossom had started at the beginning of the moon and had been going on for three days and three nights now. If he man aged tohide in the depths of the forest, getting off the trail further up past the marsh country, perhaps the warriors wouldn't follow his track.He thought of the many prison ers they'd already taken. But the number didn't count,only the consecrated period. The hunt would continue until the priests gave the sign to return. Everything had its number and its limit, and it was within the sacred period, and he on the other side from the hunters. He heard the cries and leaped up, knife in hand. As if the sky wereaflame on the horizon, he saw torches mov ing among the branches, very near him. The smell of war was unbearable, and when the first enemy jumped him, leaped at his throat, he felt an almost-pleasure in sinking thestone blade flat to the haft into his chest.The lights were already around him, the happy cries. He managed to cut the air once or twice, then a ropesnared him from behind. â€Å"It's the fever,† the man in the next bed said. â€Å"The same thing happened to me when they operated on my duode num. Take some wa ter,you'll see, you'll sleep all right. † Laid next to the night from which he came back, the tepid shadow of the ward seemed delicious to him. A vio let lamp kept watch high on the far wall like a guardian eye. You could hear coughing, deep breathing, once ina while a conversation in whispers.Everything was pleas ant and secure,without the chase, no . . . But he didn't want to go on thinking about thenightmare. There were lots of things to amuse himself with. He began tolook at the cast on his arm, and the pulleys that held it so com fortably inthe air. They'd left a bottle of mineral water on the night table beside him. He put the neck of the bottle to his mouth and drank it like a preciousliqueur. He could now make out the different shapes in the ward, the thirty beds, the closets with glass doors. He guessed that his fever was down,his face felt cool.The cut over the eye brow barely hurt at all, like arecollection. He saw himself leaving the hotel again, wheeling out thecy cle. Who'd have thought that it would end like this? He tried to fix themoment of the accident exactly, and it got him very angry to notice that there was a void there, an emptiness he could not manage to fill. Betweenthe impact and the mo ment that they picked him up off the pavement, the pass ing out or what went on, there was nothing he could see. And at thesame time he had the feeling that this void, this nothingness, had lasted aneternity.No, not even time, more as if, in this void, he had passed acrosssome thing, or had run back immense distances. The shock, the brutal dashing against the pavement. Anyway, he had felt an immense relief incoming out of the black pit while the people were lifting him off the ground. With pain in the broken arm, blood from the split eyebrow, contusion on theknee; with all that, a relief in returning to daylight, to the day, and to feel sustained and attended. That was weird. Someday he'd ask the doctor at the office about that.Now sleep began to take over again, to pull himslowly down. The pillow was so soft, and the coolness of the mineral water in his fevered throat. The violet light of the lamp up there was beginning toget dimmer and dim mer. As he was sleeping on his back, the position in which he came to did not surprise him, but on the other hand the damp smell, the smell of oozing rock, blocked his throat and forced him to understand. Open the eyes and look in all directions, hopeless. He was surrounded by an absolutedarkness. Tried to get up and felt ropes pinning his wrists and ankles.Hewas staked to the ground on a floor of dank, icy stone slabs. The cold bit into his naked back, his legs. Dully, he tried to touch the amulet with hischin and found they had stripped him of it. Now he was lost, no prayer could save him from the final . . . From afar off, as though filtering throughthe rock of the dungeon, he heard the great kettledrums of the feast. They had carried him to the temple, he was in the underground cells of Teo calli itself, awaiting his turn. He heard a yell, a hoarse yell that rocked off the walls. Another yell,ending in a moan.It was he who was screaming in the darkness, he wasscreaming because he was alive, his whole body with that cry fended off what was coming, the inevitable end. He thought of his friends filling up theother dungeons, and of those already walk ing up the stairs of the sacrifice. He uttered another choked cry, he could barely open his mouth, his jawswere twisted back as if with a rope and a stick, and once in a while they would open slowly with an endless exertion, as if they were made of rubber. The creaking of the wooden latches jolted him like a whip. Rent,writhing, he fought to rid himself of the cords sinking into his flesh.His right arm, the strongest, strained until the pain became unbear able and he had to give up. He watched the double door open, and the smell of the torchesreached him before the light did. Barely girdled by the ceremonial loincloths , the priests' acolytes moved in his direction, looking at him withcontempt. Lights reflected off the sweaty torsos and off the black hair dressed with feathers. The cords went slack, and in their place thegrappling of hot hands, hard as bronze; he felt himself lifted, still face up,and jerked along by the four acolytes who carried him down the passageway.The torchbearers went ahead, indistinctly light ing up the corridor with its dripping walls and a ceiling so low that the acolytes had to duck their heads. Now they were taking him out, taking him out, it was the end. Face up, under a mile of living rock which, for a succession of moments,was lit up by a glimmer of torchlight. When the stars came out up thereinstead of the roof and the great terraced steps rose before him, on firewith cries and dances, it would be the end.The passage was never going to end, but now it was beginning to end, he would see sud denly the opensky full of stars, but not yet, they trundled him along endles sly in thereddish shadow, hauling him roughly along and he did not want that, but how to stop it if they had torn off the amulet, his real heart, the life center. In a single jump he came out into the hospital night, to the high,gentle, bare ceiling, to the soft shadow wrapping him round. He thought hemust have cried out, but his neighbors were peacefully snoring.The water in the bottle on the night table was somewhat bubbly, a translucent shapeagainst the dark azure shadow of the windows. He panted, looking for some relief for his lungs, oblivion for those images still glued to his eyelids. Each time he shut his eyes he saw them take shape instantly, and he sat up, completely wrung out, but savoring at the same time the surety that now he was awake, that the night nurse would answer if he rang, that soonit would be daybreak, with the good, deep sleep he usually had at that hour, no im ages, no nothing . . . It was difficult to keep his eyes open, thedrowsiness was more powerful tha n he.He made one last effort, hesketched a gesture toward the bottle of water with his good hand and did not manage to reach it, his fingers closed again on a black emptiness, and the passageway went on endlessly, rock after rock, with momentary ruddy flares, and face up he choked out a dull moan because the roof was about to end, it rose, was opening like a mouth of shadow, and the acolytesstraightened up, and from on high a waning moon fell on a face whoseeyes wanted not to see it, were closing and opening desperately, trying to pass to the other side, to find again the bare, protecting ceiling of the ward.And every time they opened, it was night and the moon, while they climbed the great terraced steps, his head hanging down backward now, and up at he top were the bonfires, red columns of perfumed smoke, and suddenly he saw the red stone, shiny with the blood dripping off it, and the spinning arcs cut by the feet of the victim whom they pulled off to throw him rolling down the no rth steps.With a last hope he shut his lids tightly, moaning towake up. For a second he thought he had gotten there, because oncemore he was immobile in the bed, except that his head was hanging downoff it, swinging. But he smelled death, and when he opened his eyes hesaw the blood-soaked fig ure of the executioner-priest coming toward himwith the stone knife in his hand.He managed to close his eyelids again,although he knew now he was not going to wake up, that he was awake,that the marvelous dream had been the other, absurd as all dreams are-adream in which he was going through the strange avenues of anastonishing city, with green and red lights that burned without fire or smoke, on an enormous metal insect that whirred away between his legs. In the infinite he of the dream, they had also picked him up off the ground,some one had approached him also with a knife in his hand, approached him who was lying face up, face up with his eyes closed between thebonfires on the steps.