Shadow Kiss Chapter 12

TWELVE IF YOU'D ASKED ME six months ago, I would have said there was no way I'd be happy to run into Mia Rinaldi at the Royal Court. She was a year younger than me and had held a grudge against Lissa since freshman year – a grudge so big that Mia had gone to great extremes to make life miserable for us. She'd done a good job. Jesse and Ralf's rumors about me had been a result of her efforts. But then Mia had gone with us to Spokane and been captured by the Strigoi. And, just like for Christian and Eddie, that had changed everything. She'd seen the same horrors the rest of us had. In fact, she was the only one of my friends who had witnessed Mason's death and me killing Strigoi. She had even saved my life then by using her water magic to temporarily drown one of the Strigoi. In the great Moroi argument about whether or not they should learn to fight with the guardians, she was firmly on the fighting side. I hadn't seen Mia in almost a month, ever since Mason's funeral. In studying her, I felt like it'd been a year. I had always thought Mia looked like a doll. She was short compared to most Moroi and had young, round-cheeked features. The fact that she'd always curled her hair in perfect ringlets had sort of reinforced that image. But today, she hadn't gone to nearly that much trouble. Her golden blond hair was pulled into a ponytail, its only curl coming from a slight, natural waviness. She wore no makeup, and her face showed signs of having been outdoors a lot. Her skin looked chapped from the wind, and she had a very, very faint tan – almost unheard of for Moroi, with their aversion to sunlight. For the first time ever, she actually looked her age. She laughed at my shock. â€Å"Come on, it hasn't been that long. You look like you don't even recognize me.† â€Å"I almost don't.† We hugged, and again, it was hard to believe that she'd once plotted ways to ruin my life. Or that I'd broken her nose. â€Å"What are you doing here?† She beckoned us out the door. â€Å"We were just about to leave. I'll explain everything.† We went to a neighboring building. It wasn't like a mall or anything, but it did have a few businesses that the Moroi who worked and visited here needed – a handful of restaurants, some small stores, and offices that offered all sorts of services. There was also a coffee shop, and that was where Mia led us. A coffee shop seems like an ordinary thing, but I rarely got to go to them. Sitting in a public place (or semi-public) with friends, not worrying about school†¦ it was great. It reminded me of when Lissa and I had been on our own, when our entire lives hadn't been contained within a school and its rules. â€Å"My dad works here now,† she told us. â€Å"And so now I live here.† Moroi children rarely lived with their parents. They were sent off to places like St. Vladimir's, where they could grow up safely. â€Å"What about school?† I asked. â€Å"There aren't many kids here, but there are some. Most of them are rich and have personal tutors. My dad pulled some strings and set it up so that I can go to them for different subjects. So I'm still studying the same things, just in a different way. It's actually pretty cool. Less teacher time – but more homework.† â€Å"You've been doing more than that,† said Eddie. â€Å"Unless your classes are outside.† He'd noticed the same things I had, and in looking at her hands as they held her latte, I could now see calluses. She wiggled her fingers. â€Å"I made friends with some of the guardians here. They've been showing me a few things.† â€Å"That's risky,† said Christian, though he sounded like he approved. â€Å"Since there's still a debate about Moroi fighting.† â€Å"You mean about Moroi fighting with magic,† she corrected. â€Å"That's what's controversial. No one's really talking about Moroi fighting hand-to-hand.† â€Å"Well, they are,† I said. â€Å"It's just been overshadowed by the magic controversy.† â€Å"It's not illegal,† she said primly. â€Å"And until it is, I'm going to keep doing it. You think with all the events and meetings that go on around here that anyone even notices what someone like me does?† Mia's family, in addition to being non-royal, was also pretty lower class – not that there was anything wrong with that, but she had to feel the effects of that around here. Still, I found her whole situation cheering. Mia seemed happier and more open than she had during the entire time I'd known her. She seemed †¦ free. Christian spoke my thoughts before I could. â€Å"You've changed,† he said. â€Å"We've all changed,† she corrected. â€Å"Especially you, Rose. I can't quite explain it.† â€Å"I don't think there's any way the five of us couldn't have changed,† Christian pointed out. A moment later he corrected himself. â€Å"Four of us.† We all fell silent, thoughts of Mason weighing us down. Being with Christian, Eddie, and Mia stirred up that grief I always tried to hide, and I could see from their faces that they continually fought the same battle. Conversation eventually turned toward all of us catching up on what had happened here and at the Academy. Yet I kept thinking about how Mia had said that I had changed more than the others. All I could think about was how out of control I'd felt lately, how half the time my actions and feelings didn't seem like my own. Sitting there, it almost seemed like Mia was controlled by all of her positive traits now – and I was controlled by my negative ones. Conversations with Adrian replayed through my head, reminding me about how I supposedly had such a dark, dark aura. Maybe thinking about him summoned him, but he and Lissa eventually joined us. Their bar was probably in the same building, I realized. I'd been blocking her out and not paying much attention. Adrian hadn't completely gotten her drunk, thankfully, but she'd agreed to two drinks. I could feel a slight buzz through the bond and had to carefully shield it out. She was as surprised as we'd been to see Mia but gave her a warm welcome and wanted to catch up. I'd heard most of this already, so I just listened and drank my chai. No coffee for me. Most guardians drank it the way Moroi drank blood, but I wouldn't touch the stuff. â€Å"How'd your thing with the queen go?† Christian asked Lissa at one point. â€Å"Not so bad,† she said. â€Å"I mean, not great either. But she didn't yell at me or humiliate me, so that's a start.† â€Å"Stop being modest,† said Adrian, putting his arm around her. â€Å"Princess Dragomir totally stood her ground. You should have seen it.† Lissa laughed. â€Å"I don't suppose she mentioned why she decided to let us come to the trial?† Christian asked stiffly. He didn't look very happy about the bonding that was taking place here – or about Adrian's arm. Lissa's laughter faded, but she was still smiling. â€Å"Adrian did it.† â€Å"What?† Christian and I asked together. Adrian, looking very pleased with himself, stayed quiet for a change and let Lissa do the talking. â€Å"He convinced her that we needed to be here. He apparently harassed her until she gave in.† â€Å"It's called ‘persuasion,' not ‘harassment,'† Adrian said. Lissa laughed again. My own words about the queen came back to haunt me. Who's she? Just another Ivashkov. There are a ton of them. There were indeed. I eyed Adrian. â€Å"How closely are you guys related?† The answer popped into my head from Lissa's. â€Å"She's your aunt.† â€Å"Great-aunt. And I'm her favorite great nephew. Well, I'm her only great nephew, but that's not important. I'd still be her favorite,† he said. â€Å"Unbelievable,† said Christian. â€Å"I'll second that,† I said. â€Å"None of you appreciate me. Why is it so hard to believe that I could make a real contribution in these dark times?† Adrian stood up. He was trying to sound outraged, but the smirk on his face indicated that he still found all of this pretty funny. â€Å"My cigarettes and I are going outside. At least they show me respect.† As soon as he left, Christian asked Lissa, â€Å"Were you getting drunk with him?† â€Å"I'm not drunk. I only had two drinks,† she said. â€Å"Since when did you get all conservative?† â€Å"Since Adrian became a bad influence.† â€Å"Come on! He helped us get here. No one else was able to do it. He didn't have to, but he did. And you and Rose are sitting there, still acting like he's the most evil person on the planet.† That wasn't exactly true. I was mostly sitting there like I had been hit in the head, still too dumbstruck to react. â€Å"Yeah, and I'm sure he did it out of the kindness of his heart,† muttered Christian. â€Å"Why else would he do it?† â€Å"Oh, gee, I wonder.† Lissa's eyes widened. â€Å"You think he did it for me? You think there's something going on with us?† â€Å"You guys drink together, practice magic together, and go to elitist events together. What would you think?† Mia and Eddie looked like they wanted to be somewhere else. I was starting to share the feeling. Anger burned through Lissa, hitting me like a wave of heat. She was utterly outraged. Her fury didn't even have that much to do with Adrian, really. She was more upset at the thought of Christian not trusting her. And as for him, I needed no psychic powers to understand how he was feeling. He wasn't jealous simply because she was hanging out with Adrian. Christian was still jealous that Adrian had the kind of influence to pull this off for her. It was just like what Jesse and Ralf had described, about how the right connections could open the right doors – connections that Christian didn't have. I kneed Christian's leg, hoping he'd get the hint that he really should stop talking before things got worse. Lissa's anger was intensifying, muddled with embarrassment as she began to doubt herself and wonder if she had been getting too close to Adrian. The whole thing was ridiculous. â€Å"Christian, for the love of God. If Adrian did this for anyone, it was because of me and his crazy obsession. He bragged awhile ago that he could do it, and I didn't believe it.† I turned to Lissa. I needed to get her calm and diffuse those dark feelings that could cause so much trouble for her when they ran out of control. â€Å"Liss, you might not be wasted exactly, but you need to chill out for an hour before having this conversation. You're going to say something as stupid as Christian, and I'll be the one who has to deal with the mess – like always.† I'd gotten worked up and expected someone to tell me how bitchy I sounded. Instead, Lissa relaxed and offered Christian a smile. â€Å"Yeah, we should definitely talk about this later. A lot's kind of happened today.† He hesitated, then nodded. â€Å"Yeah. Sorry I jumped all over you.† He returned her smile, fight patched up. â€Å"So,† Lissa asked Mia, â€Å"who have you met here?† I stared at them in amazement, but no one seemed to notice. I'd fixed their fight, and there'd been no acknowledgment. No Thank you, Rose, for pointing out how idiotic we're being. It was bad enough I had to endure their romance day after day, with no consideration for how I felt. Now I was salvaging their relationship, and they didn't even realize it. â€Å"I'll be right back,† I said, interrupting Mia's description of some of the other teenagers here. I was afraid if I sat there, I was going to say something I'd regret or maybe break a chair. Where had this rage come from? I went outside, hoping a gulp of cold air would calm me down. Instead, I got a face full of clove smoke. â€Å"Don't start in about the smoking,† warned Adrian. He was leaning against the building's brick wall. â€Å"You didn't have to come outside. You knew I was here.† â€Å"That's actually why I'm here. Well, that, and I felt like I was going to go crazy if I stayed inside another minute.† He tilted his head to look at my face. His eyebrows shot up. â€Å"You aren't kidding, are you? What happened? You were fine a few minutes ago.† I paced across the ground in front of him. â€Å"I don't know. I was fine. Then Christian and Lissa started having this stupid argument over you. It was weird. They were the ones who were mad – and then I ended up madder than both of them.† â€Å"Wait. They were arguing over me?† â€Å"Yes. I just said that. Weren't you paying attention?† â€Å"Hey, don't snap at me. I haven't done anything to you.† I crossed my arms over my chest. â€Å"Christian's jealous because you hang around Lissa so much.† â€Å"We're studying spirit,† said Adrian. â€Å"He's welcome to join in.† â€Å"Yeah, well, no one ever said love was reasonable. Seeing you come back together kind of set him off. And then he got upset because you pulled rank with the queen for Lissa.† â€Å"I didn't do it for her. I did it for all of you – but, well, you especially.† I came to a halt in front of him. â€Å"I didn't believe you. That you could do it.† He grinned. â€Å"Guess you should have listened to my family history in that dream after all.† â€Å"I guess. I just thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn't finish. I'd thought Dimitri would be the one who came through for me, the one who – despite what he said – could make almost anything happen. But he hadn't. â€Å"Thought what?† Adrian prompted. â€Å"Nothing.† With much effort, I managed to utter the next words. â€Å"Thank you for helping us.† â€Å"Oh my God,† he said. â€Å"A kind word from Rose Hathaway. I can die a happy man.† â€Å"What are you saying? That I'm normally an ungrateful bitch?† He just looked at me. â€Å"Hey! Not cool.† â€Å"Maybe you could redeem yourself with a hug.† I glared. â€Å"A small one?† he begged. With a sigh, I walked over and put one arm around Adrian, leaning my head lightly against his arm. â€Å"Thanks, Adrian.† We stood like that for a heartbeat. I felt none of the crazy electricity or connection I did with Dimitri, but I had to admit that Lissa had been right about something. Adrian was annoying and arrogant at times, but he really wasn't the bastard I often made him out to be. The doors opened, and Lissa and the others stepped outside. They understandably looked surprised, but I didn't care just then. Besides, they probably all thought I was pregnant with Adrian's love child, so what did it matter? I backed away. â€Å"Heading out?† I asked. â€Å"Yeah, Mia's got more important things to do than hang out with us,† joked Christian. â€Å"Hey, I just told my dad I'd meet him. I'll see you guys before I leave.† She started to walk away, then abruptly turned around. â€Å"God, I'm so out of it.† She reached into her coat pocket and handed me a folded piece of paper. â€Å"This is half the reason I found you guys. One of the court clerks wanted me to give this to you.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said, puzzled. She headed off to see her dad while the rest of us strolled back to our accommodations. I slowed my pace as I opened the note, wondering who in the world here would want to contact me. Rose, I was so happy to hear about your arrival. I'm sure it'll make tomorrow's proceedings that much more entertaining. I've been curious for quite some time about how Vasilisa is doing, and your romantic escapades are always an amusing diversion. I can't wait to share them in the courtroom tomorrow. Best, V.D. â€Å"Who's it from?† asked Eddie, coming up beside me. I hastily folded it up and shoved it into my pocket. â€Å"No one,† I replied. No one indeed. V. D. Victor Dashkov.

Samuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilization Review

Samuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilizations can be summarized as a snapshot of the current state of political affairs of the world through the lens of western civilization. Throughout the paper the author had made numerous hypotheses that stated while nation states will remain a powerful and formidable force in the foreseeable future, it is the non-visible boundaries of civilizations that will shape the future of conflicts and forge allies as well as adversaries. The author has drawn from history in creating his assumption that current and future conflicts will be founded on the basis of civilizations as opposed to kingdoms and emperors.Huntington had stated that with the rise of governments â€Å"for the people† that â€Å"†¦the  wars of the peoples had begun† signaling a major change in why mankind has waged warfare. As such, populations of each respective culture will more than likely form alliances with populations from their own civiliz ations and forge enemies with those they have no common ground with. The author doesn’t take the time to explain the â€Å"why† this phenomena is occurring but chooses to merely gloss over any underlying reasons it may be happing and instead reiterate that it is in fact occurring.Many assumptions are made throughout the paper by evidence of a lack of adequate sources for many hypotheses which would leave the reader to assume that what is said is merely â€Å"common knowledge†. The author glazes over major historical events which had demonstrated peoples from different cultures and civilizations working together towards economic benefit such as the Silk Road.1Persuasion of the TheoristSamuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilizations is persuasive in historical anecdotes and real world current events. Most of Huntington’s essay need not say anything more then what is already repeated on major media outlets around the world. The essay states what has long been opposed by the far left; namely, that people choose to interact, trade and form alliances with â€Å"like peoples†. It then, shouldn’t come as a surprise that the author needs to say little in order to sway an audience to his hypothesis by simply relating real world events such as rising nationalism in Russia2, Greece3 and France.One only has to look at the Anglo sphere of alliances in areas of conflict in the Middle East to find that Huntington’s persuasive argument is a narrative of real world events4. Non-Western nations that hope to transition into modern nations form alliances with Western nations but such alliances only serve to further destroy the credibility of the elites within those non-western countries. The elites are viewed simply as â€Å"puppets† of foreign interest.The rise of extremist organizations such as Hezbollah that have successfully achieved legitimacy through the democratic process of their respective nation st ates further proves that the will of the people in non-western countries is not to be â€Å"let into the club† so to speak, but to form their indepedent civilizations identity while modernizing their economies and infrastructure. Huntington’s essay was able to be persuasive due to how it presented historical  information in light of real world events but failed to mention historical periods that saw massive growth in economic trade and cross pollination of civilizations such as the silk road 6, Incense Road7 or even the lesser known Tea Horse Road 8.Threats, Challenges, and OpportunitiesSamuel P. Huntington’s essay can alternatively be summed up as a threat brief and the challenges it bears provide little opportunity for western nations to exploit economic ventures in developing nations. However, Huntington’s essay does provide a ray of light by illuminating the opportunities Western nations have to form and cultivate defense, economic and intellectual relationships within their own civilizations9. Hunting has shown that civilizations that are similar generally avoid conflicts in national security and economic trade while the reverse seems to only exacerbate the two.This presents a unique opportunity for western nations to carefully examine who they consider as allies and coalition partners while also providing incentives for rethinking our security strategy of disarmament while simultaneously attempting to dissuade developing nations from increasing their arsenals. When one begins to look at current events and policies through the lens of civilizations it becomes apparent that many of our previous alliances with those different from us had been doomed from the start as evidence by the low participation rates of countries from East Asia who only sent token forces for operations in OIF and OEF.One could easily support Hunting’s warning of working together with unlike civilizations by simply looking at the debacle of the Sout h Korea armed forces in Afghanistan and its failure to support US operations while despite US forces that had shed blood on their soil in order in conflicts past10.Analysis of the Future Operational EnvironmentIn reviewing Samuel P. Huntington’s essay on the Clash of Civilizations it is painfully obvious that our previous alliances had been formed on convenience rather than an introspective look into who â€Å"we† as Americans are and how our supposed allies view our relationships. Do our current noticeable dearth of allies view themselves as western nations, are they simply trying to â€Å"join the club† or are they simply biding their time until  they can switch alliances to a group that resembles their civilization and values more than we do?It is my opinion based upon token efforts from allies during wartime, combined with an eager willingness to negotiate with terrorist and non-state actors that our current slew of â€Å"allies† are a bigger threat than some of our enemies. If present conflicts dictate what future areas of concern will be, we should form stronger alliances with like minded civilizations that have already proven their dedication to our shared values such as Poland11, Georgia and former East Bloc countries that have taken similar stances against terrorism by deeds and not words.Based upon the technological advantage and intellectual innovation I would argue that the â€Å"where† US forces might deploy is irrelevant compared to â€Å"who† we might deploy with. Potential enemies to western interest will remain non-western countries for the foreseeable future and despite Russia’s growing nationalism and desire to increase its military strength it will remain an economic defunct nation susceptible to the effects of brain drain12 and disenfranchisement of its middle class.The issues and concerns of redefining our allies along the thread of a common civilization will greatly increase the complexi ty of logistics in military operations due to our geographic locations as compared to those of our advesaries. For example, due to past examples of cowardice; such as negotiating with terrorist, if the US would remove South Korea as an ally it would have increased logistical challenges in dealing with North Korea and China should tensions continue to escalate.One would be safe to assume that South Korea would naturally befriend China, a country with a history and civilization similar to its own, which would rule out the possibility of using such a former â€Å"friend† as a logistic hub for staging operations. However such friends have only proven to be costly relationships in the long lung which seldom paid dividends for services rendered unto them in their time of need. The Western way of warfare has been one of discipline and the leveraging of technology in order to gain tactical superiority over our enemies.As such, we should look to cultivate advanced technologies with na tions that share our civilizations culture and use the inherent technological innovations of these cultures to develop weapons systems that will give us the necessary edge to engage and destroy our enemies. By doing  so, western civilization such as the United States of America would not have to get into bed with nation states of civilizations much different than our own whose motives remain unclear and questionable.

Case summary and examination of Obstetrics Posting

Case summary and examination of Obstetrics Posting Madam NTR is a 34 years old Malay lady with gravida 4 and parity 3, currently at 37 weeks of gestations. She was admitted on 21st Nov 2010 at gestational age of 30 weeks and 1 day, due to referral from Health Clinic Sendayan in view of placenta previa based on ultrasound findings during a routine antenatal visit. Her estimated date of delivery was on 20th Jan 2011. She was asymptomatic with no complaints of per vaginal bleeding, contraction pain, leaking liquor or show. Fetal movements were felt and were not reduced. She has no history of placenta previa in her previous pregnancies. The first day of her last normal menstrual period was on 15th Apr 2010. This was an unexpected pregnancy but both her and her husband wanted it. She suspected she was pregnant when she missed her menses for 4 weeks. She confirmed her pregnancy after urine pregnancy test done in a private clinic yielded positive result. Booking was done in Maternal and Child Health Clinic Gadong at 16 weeks of gestation a nd the dating scan at 16 weeks revealed parameters corresponding to date. However, placenta was noted to be low lying during that scan. Throughout her routine antenatal visits, she was normotensive, not anaemic and did not have diabetes mellitus. HIV and VDRL test were negative. Her blood group type is O Rh DÂ  positive. This is her fourth pregnancy. Her third pregnancy was in the year of 2007. She delivered a full term baby boy with birth weight of 2.6 kg via caesarean delivery due to breech presentation in Hospital Tuanku Jaafar Seremban. She delivered her first two children who are both males in the year of 2004 and 2005 via spontaneous vaginal delivery, with birth weight of 4.26kg and 2.6kg respectively. There was no history of shoulder dystocia. All her children were born alive and well. Antenatal, natal and postnatal for all previous pregnancies were uneventful. She attained menarche at the age of 12. It is regular at 28 to 30 days cycle with duration of 5 to 7 days. There wa s neither dysmenorrhea nor menorrhagia. She practised coitus interuptus as contraceptive measure. She never had any PAP smear done previously. Past surgical, medical and drug history were unremarkable. Family history was unremarkable. She and her husband are married for 7 years. They are staying together with their three children in Gadong Jaya Village. She is a housewife. She neither smokes nor drinks alcohol. On the other hand, her husband works as a construction worker. He is a smoker but not alcoholic. Family income is approximately RM2000 per month which is barely adequate for their living. Physical examination: Madam NTR was alert, conscious and communicative. She was not in pain or respiratory distress. Her height and weight are 165cm and 76kg respectively. Her blood pressure was 110/80 mmHg; pulse rate was 86 beats per minute of regular rhythm and strong volume; temperature was 37Â ° C; respiratory rate was 19 breaths per minute. All vital signs were within normal range. Up on general examination, there was no conjunctival pallor, sclera jaundice, palmar erythema or peripheral cyanosis. Thyroid glands were not palpable and breast examination was unremarkable. There was bilateral pedal edema up to mid-shin. Cardiopulmonary examination was unremarkable.

Systems Requirements Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Systems Requirements Engineering - Essay Example It is the phase that encompasses those tasks that go into determining the needs to meet the goals, taking account of the possible conflicts and specifying the overall risks. A sub-phase of the requirements specifications which deems high importance is Software Requirements Specification (SRS). SRS is a description of a behavioral aspects of the system which includes all the interactions that the users will have with the product (Stellman & Greene, 2005). Modeling is a central part of all activities that lead up to the deployment of a good software (Booch et al, 2005). Modeling is exactly the role that Unified Modeling Language plays in requirements specifications. The role of Unified Modeling Language is to model interactive systems, whose behaviors emerge from the interaction of their components with each other and with the environment (Goldin et al., 2001). In traditional computation, algorithmic models were sufficient for description of requirements. However, todays interactive systems which are capable of self reconfiguring and adapting to their environment, algorithm tools do not suffice. Unlike traditional procedural languages, UML provides support for the inherently open-ended preliminary steps of systems analysis and specification, which are becoming increasingly complex (Wegner, 1997). UML is used to visualize, specify, construct and document the artifacts of the software-intensive system. A software of any nature or propor tion will have multiple methods, functions, interface and external and internal accesses. To support such a broad mix of entities, UML provides different views to analyze this software. Analysis of each of this views gives the software designer a set of requirements which can be consequently forward engineered. The prominent views provided by UML are Use Case View, Component View, Deployment View, Concurrency View and Logical View (Eriksson & Penker, 1998). Use Case View: Requirements capture has two objectives: to find the true requirements and to represent them n a suitable way for the users, customers and developers (Jacobson et al., 1999). True requirements are the end user functionalities desired by the user of the system. These functionalities must be presented in a way such that users spend minimum amount of time understanding it. Use Cases can be applied to capture the intended behavior of the system being developed, without having to specify how that behavior is implemented (Booch et al., 2005). UML provides Use Case diagrams to model the Use Case View. Logical View: The purpose of logical view is to specify the functional requirements of the system. This means that the logical view shows both the static and dynamic views of the system. The logical view concentrates on getting the best logical grouping of functionality into objects (fincher, 2007). The main artifact of logical view is the design model which gives a concrete description of the functional behavior of the system. UML provides Class diagrams and Object diagrams to model

Response paper regard of two article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response paper regard of two article - Essay Example She is a bold woman that confronts challenging situations but is unable to avoid them. The snow on her path is a major impediment to her journey. However, she does not give it a chance to limit her efforts. In addition, he confronts hilly landscapes, thorny bushes, the creek, the cornfield, as well as the scarecrow. This reveals her as a resilient and persistent woman. She does not easily lose focus of where she is ended despite having many destructors. The author tries to paint an image of Jackson as a concerned but elderly and weary grandmother. She is passionate about getting the remedy (drugs) that will foresee her grandson get well. She goes all the way despite facing circumstances that could discourage her on the way. She is careful when crossing the creek among the rest of the obstacles. However, her image as depicted by the author reveals her as an elderly and sickly individual who commits herself to having the grandson continue to take the medications. â€Å"A Rose for family† by William Faulkner the aspect of tradition heavily features in the short story. The character Emily Grierson has been used to depict the implications of lack of conformity with change. The author has highlighted the struggles that are associated with the need to conserve. The character Jefferson finds themselves on the crossroads on whether they will have to adopt modernization or rely on the traditional view. Despite various changes in the community, Emily opts to remain the same. The reliance on the past presents both positives as well as negatives. Emily acts as a good representative of the historic aspect that pleases people. Due to this aspect, she is able to command much respect from the honor from the people. Despite Emily being a positive influence, she is neglected and cut off from the society and nobody seems to understand her. She is not conversant with reality having the threats of

Understand the nature of the national environment in which businesses Essay

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Policy on Social and Affordable Housing in Ireland

Policy on Social and Affordable Housing in Ireland 1.0 What is Social and Affordable Housing? 1.1 Social Housing: Definition According to the Irish Council for Social Housing (2010), Social Housing can be broadly defined as accommodation provided by a local authority or approved non-profit housing body for persons who are unable to provide accommodation form their own resources. (www.icsh.ie) 1.2 Affordable Housing: Definition As defined by Dublin City Council (2010), Affordable Housing is a scheme whereby new homes are sold at a reduced price to people who cannot afford to buy a property on their own. (www.dublincity.ie) 1.3 History of Social Housing According to Redmond and Norris (2005), the first instances of social and affordable housing can be tracked back to the mid 1800s. During this time, Europe was witnessing widespread concern about housing conditions of the low income population. This unrest led to state subsidized rental housing to the disadvantaged and low income groups. This form of housing is now known as social housing. Social housing in Ireland has traditionally been provided through two means, these are: Local Authorities and Approved Voluntary Housing Associations. 1.3.1 Local Authority Social Housing In Ireland the Housing of the Working Classes Act (1890), was the first such Act to introduce the concept of the provision for social housing by the local authorities. This act introduced little change to the housing situation at the time. It was not until 1919 when a new housing Act was introduced. This Act was The Housing Act 1919. This Act obliged the local authorities to build and to provide subsidies in areas where there was a need for housing. From the time of introduction of this Act, Ireland saw a substantial period of social housing programmes and completions. This period continued well up until the 1950s. In 1966 a new Act was introduced to modernise the countries outdated legal framework in relation to housing. This Act was The 1966 Housing Act. To date Ireland has benefited from the introduction of 330,000 homes provided by local authorities under social housing initiatives. Currently local authorities manage 108,000 homes under the bracket of social housing. 1.3.2 Approved Voluntary Housing Association Social Housing As defined by the Irish Council for Social Housing (2010), Voluntary housing associations are non-profit organisations formed for the purpose of relieving housing need and the provision and management of housing. The largest of the voluntary housing associations in Ireland at present is the Iveagh Trust. The Iveagh Trust was set up in 1890 by Sir Edward Cecil Guinness, Earl of Iveagh. The purpose of this trust was to provide housing and other amenities to the working classes in Dublin. This was one of the first schemes of its kind to provide such assistance. The introduction of The Capital Assistance Scheme (1984) has provided much needed assistance to these housing associations. Due to the assistance provided by this scheme voluntary housing associations have been able to grow and provide effective assistance in the role of providing housing to those unable to provide housing for themselves. During the mid to late 1990s voluntary housing associations struggled to provide housing due to the increasing land and building costs. According to the National Economic and Social Council (2004), during the 1990s voluntary housing associations produced their lowest output of 285 units. At this time the numbers of people in need of housing was rapidly increasing. The Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr Robert Molloy T.D., was then prompted to update and improve the schemes available to the voluntary housing agencies. This allowed them to again function effectively in their role to the communities. In 2003 the voluntary housing sector has a managed stock of over 16,000 dwellings. The National Economic Social Council (2004). The Irish Council for Social Housing has recognised the role that the voluntary housing agencies provide in Ireland and has ensured that they have been included in the following current government policy documents: National Development Plan 2007 2013 and Towards 2016. Icsh (2010). 1.4 History of Affordable Housing Affordable housing is a relatively recent initiative in Ireland with the Housing Act 1992 providing the first policies for affordable housing. This Act facilitated access to full ownership in two or more stages to those who cannot afford ownership by their own means. Under this Act the purchaser must initially purchase 40% of the property. The Affordable Housing Scheme 1999 brought forward proposals by the social partnership to provide additional affordable housing on land that is already in the possession of the State and local authorities. As defined by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (2009), the Affordable Housing Scheme 1999 comprises developments built on local authority land and in some cases purchased turnkey developments. It was not until the introduction of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 that affordable housing could be considered an effective form of providing housing to those who cannot afford to buy a property on their own. This Act provided an obligation for developers to transfer up to a maximum of 20% of land, units, sites, an equivalent financial contribution or other land or units off site to the local authority for the use to provide social and affordable housing. According to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (2009), in 2007 the provision set out in Part V for affordable housing, accounted for 60% of the country wide provision of affordable housing. Today it is through the three measures above that affordable housing is primarily being provided by the local authorities. Sustaining Progress 2003 2005 introduced the Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI). This initiative was responsible for providing 10,000 affordable homes on local authority and State lands. This target has been increased in the current social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, to 17,000 affordable homes. In 2005 the Irish Government decided to establish the Affordable Homes Partnership (AHP). The role of the AHP was to coordinate the delivery of affordable housing by the local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area. The role of AHP in 2007 was extended in to coordinate affordable housing at a national level. During the period of 2006 2008 the AHP actually provided affordable housing direct to the applicant. The AHP when it was created was to take the responsibility of the sites under the AHI. The AHP used this land to deliver affordable housing through land exchanges. According to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government 2009, only two land exchanges have taken place to date through the AHP. REFERENCES: Social Partnership (2006), Towards 2016. Dublin, Social Partnership Agreement, The Stationary Office. Ireland, Planning and Development Act 2000, Part V. Dublin: Stationary Office Buckley, J. (11 May 2009). Water Services and Affordable Housing Delivery Report. Dublin, Comptroller and Auditor General Special Report, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Social Partnership (2003), Sustaining Progress 2003 2005. Dublin, Social Partnership Agreement, The Stationary Office. The Economic Social Council (2004) Housing in Ireland: Performance and Policy. Dublin, The National and Economic Council. The Irish Council for Social Housing (2010), Development of the Voluntary Housing Sector [online], available: http://www.icsh.ie/eng/housing_in_ireland/development_of_the_voluntary_housing_sec, [accessed 2 January 2010]. Redmond, D. and Norris, M.(2005)Setting the Scene: Recent transformations in Irish housinginHousing Contemporary Ireland: policy, society and shelter,ed(s)., Dublin,Institute of Public Administration. Irish Council for Social Housing (2010), History of Hosing Policy [online], available: http://www.icsh.ie/eng/housing_in_ireland/government_policy, [accessed 2 January 2010]. 2.0 Government Policy and Legislation 2.1 Introduction According to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (2009), the aim of the Irish Housing Policy is to enable every household to have available an affordable dwelling of good quality, suited to its needs, in a good environment and as far as possible at the tenure of its choice. The following review provides information on the legislative background of the social and affordable housing in Ireland. It examines the acts, initiatives and reports in relation to social and affordable housing and details the circumstances that gave rise to the implementation of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. It also examines the government policies that affect housing affordability and analyses Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the amendments made in 2002. 2.2 Government Policies that Influence Home Ownership and Prices During the last two decades house prices have been increasing largely due to the demand by the young growing population that were looking to get into the property market. During this period interest rates on property and tax rates on property were particularly suited to home ownership. April 1997 saw the abolishment of the taxation of residential property. After April 1997 stamp duty was the sole tax that one had to pay when dealing with the sale or purchase of a residential property. The Government introduced mortgage interest relief as an incentive to encourage home ownership. Mortgage interest relief is available from the lender to the purchaser, once the owner can prove that the money has been solely applied for the purpose to purchase a property. The reduction in mortgage repayments is catered for by the reduction of tax that the applicant is entitled to. 2.4 Circumstances That Gave Rise to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 The following sections of this dissertation are a review of the contributing factors that gave rise to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The following sections include a review of the Bacon Reports and other important factors. 2.4.1 Bacon Report 1: An Economic Assessment of Recent House Price Developments During the lead up to the publishing of the first Bacon report, Ireland was experiencing rapid increase in house prices. During this period investors began to flex their muscles in the property market. As a result the first time buyers suffered and began to find it increasingly difficult to enter the housing market. Traditionally first time buyers bought properties towards the lower end of the property ladder. It was these properties that the investors were driven to secure with the aim to rent. The demand for these rental properties was fuelled by the increase in numbers of immigrants entering the country that were not looking to buy properties but to rent properties. This increase in demand for property led to a number of housing agencies to issue warnings that demand for housing would continue to increase and continue to inflate housing prices in the market in Ireland. The first Bacon report proposed interventions by the government to help first time buyers who were at this stage, struggling to get into the inflated property market. The report recommended that the government should strive for a more acceptable rate of house price development and suggested four main areas to focus on for a policy response. These areas are as follows; Achieve better balance between demand and supply in the short term, improve the potential supply of the housing, engage in infrastructure developments and to improve medium and long term planning of the development of the east region. The Bacon report goes on to suggest a rebalancing of existing incentives in favour of the provision of housing at the lower end of the property market. The report highlights that the revenue has overlooked the provision of incentives for providing affordable housing. The report suggests revenue incentives, as a method to increase availability and choice to first time buyers who were struggling to enter the property market. The removal of what was defined as Section 23 incentives for investors and the removal of mortgage interest relief against properties were suggested. A reduction of stamp duty on second hand homes was proposed to increase the scope of available affordable homes in the second hand market. The report suggested a review of residential densities and investment in infrastructure as necessary to help maximise housing supply. The report went on to suggest the idea of introducing an administrative control on housing prices. This idea was later discarded as it was thought that the control of house prices would have the potential to distort the property market. 2.4.2 Government Response to Bacon 1 The government responded to Bacon 1 by decreasing stamp duty rates on second hand houses and also by investing in the improvement of the infrastructure to help realise the potential of development land. The government imposed stamp duty on new houses bought by non owner occupiers. Tax relief for property investors on Section 23 properties was reviewed and the suitability of each property for relief is to be individually assessed subject to the Local Area Plan. Deductibility of interest on borrowings undertaken for investment in property was removed after April 23rd 1998. Action was also taken in the effort to bring down income limits for the shared ownership scheme to a level that was more relevant to the incomes at the time. 2.4.3 Bacon Report 2: The Housing Market, an Economic Review and Assessment The Bacon Report 2 was published after the Government responded to the first Bacon report. This report centres largely on the period directly after the first Bacon Report and observes the impact of the report by assessing the property market during this time. The Report finds that house inflation had slowed since the Governments actions following the first Bacon Report. This slow down was particularly apparent in the market for new housing. Following the first report, the Government removed the deductibility of interest on borrowings for investors while promoting liquidity in the second hand market by changing the structure of the stamp duty system. This Report found that the reduction in interest rates at the time and the easing house price inflation should have made housing more affordable, but in fact affordability remained a serious problem. The Report did warn that a reduction in housing prices may solve the issue of affordability but negative equity would be serious bye-product. The Report made it clear to the Government that they had to centre on filling the void between the price of new houses and the price that was affordable for those who could not afford to buy a new house at the normal asking price. The Report suggested again as it did in the first Bacon Report, that the issue of housing densities should be reviewed, with the possible integration of terraced housing in new developments as a method of providing housing at a lower cost to the developer. The Report did raise the issue of social isolation due to this form of housing. The Bacon Report 2 introduced a concept to develop a scheme for the provision of affordable housing by local authorities and developers. This was the first instance that laid the foundations of the affordable homes scheme. The need to strengthen the existing Planning Acts was highlighted with the objective of modernising the Governments housing policy. The concept of making housing more affordable and improving accessibility to mortgage funding would further increase demand for housing and therefore increase housing prices. As a result the Report suggested to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government to invite proposals from agencies within the voluntary sector as how they could be helped to develop and also how their resources could be applied in a more effective manner with the aim of providing extra housing for the sectors of the community most in need. 2.4.4 Government Response to Bacon 2 On the 9th of March 1999 issued a report titled, Action on the Housing Market. This report contained the Governments response to the 2nd Bacon Report. This report contained initiatives which aimed to maximise and expedite housing supply, secure house price stabilisation, address affordability issues and ensure balanced growth of the property market in the future, (Action on the Housing Market, 1999). Their actions included placing temporary sewerage facilities on land in Dublin to enable the early release of 16000 housing sites. Arrangements were made to identify infrastructural constraints in areas of growth which would reduce delay in housing provision. Draft guidelines for new housing densities were published. These included action on increasing the mix of affordable housing in new developments. An affordable housing scheme was launched shortly before the release of the government response. Through this scheme Local Authorities would provide additional new houses on land available to them which would help lower income households to purchase their own homes. It was stated that the Department of the Environment and Local Government would invite proposals from the voluntary housing sector as to how to expand on the voluntary housing programme. 2.4.5 Bacon Report 3: The Housing Market in Ireland: An Economic Evaluation of Trends Prospects The third Bacon Report was released on the 6th of June 2000. The first point of Bacon 3s executive summary stated that the rate of increase in housing prices, since the release of the first Bacon Report in 1998 had slowed down significantly. The strengthening economy at the time was blamed for the increased difficulty in securing stability in the housing market. House price completions had increased in each successive quarter in 1999. The average price of new houses was still beyond the reach of many average workers. The rate of economic growth at the time meant potential demand for additional 8.000 to 10,000 residential units per annum. The requirement for increased supply in Dublin and the Middle East regions was stressed as increasingly important to control house prices due to the predicted increase in demand in that area. 2.4.6 Government Response to Bacon3 The Government released a report detailing measures which it would take to address housing needs and requirements, as outlined in the third Bacon Report. With regard to Social and Affordable housing, the Government stated that they would increase output of local authority housing that would start at 1,000 units per annum between 2001 and 2006. The Government also proposed measures that would aim to facilitate Local Authorities and Voluntary Bodies to acquire sufficient land that they could provide social and affordable housing. 2.5 Demands for Irish Housing According to Norris and Redmond (2005), there have been significant increases in the demand for housing in Ireland during the economic boom, caused by a combination of economic, demographic and social factors. As mentioned in 2.4.1, the Governments taxation policy was favourable to property investors, particularly during the period following the 1986 Urban Renewal Act which initiated Section 23 Tax Relief. The annual housing inflation rate in 1998 was at 22.5%. At the time this rate of inflation showed no signs of slowing down. The First Bacon Report summarised in 2.4.1, estimated high levels of future demand for Irish housing. The Second Bacon Report pointed to rising rents in the private rented sector. Social rented housing output was not increasing and in 1999 the local authority assessment of housing need showed that 39,716 households were registered on local authority waiting lists, this was an increase of 43% on the previous assessment of housing need which was complied in 1996 , Brooke (2006). The first affordable housing scheme was introduced in March 1999. This scheme provided only 40 affordable houses that year. Part V of the Planning and Development Bill 1999 was structured to address these issues. The Minister for the Environment, Mr Noel Dempsey stated that Part V addressed two major issues in the Irish Housing Policy that allowed people to purchase their own homes and also of the provision of social rented housing. According Mr Noel Dempsey (2000), Part V of the Bill, introduces a major new dimension to planning legislation and contains the most radical and probably the most contentious provisions of the Bill. 2.6 Most Notable Legislation in Relation to Irish Housing Provision The following is an account of some of the Legislation that is considered most important in relation to Social and Affordable Housing. 2.6.1 Housing Act 1966 This Act modernised the legal framework for social housing in Ireland. Is also included the provision for the tenant purchase scheme which allowed local authority tenants to purchase their houses form the local authority. Section 55 of this act relates to a house building programme which each local authority must adhere to in relation to the provision of housing. 2.6.2 Housing Act 1988 This act defined how homelessness would be interpreted in relation to the provision of housing. It allowed the provision of a subsidy to eligible persons against the loans which they had obtained for the purchase or construction of their house. It required local authorities to make an estimation of housing requirements within their functional area both at the present time and over a designated period of time. 2.6.3 Housing Act 1992 This act introduced the Shared Ownership Scheme which allowed a housing authority to grant a shared ownership lease for a term of more than 20 years but not less than 100 years. 2.6.4 The Planning and Development Bill 1999 According to the House of the Oireachtas, the Planning and Development Bill 1999 is to revise and consolidate the law relating to planning and development by repealing and re-enacting with amendments the local government (planning and development) acts, 1963 to 1999; to provide, in the interests of the common good, for proper planning and sustainable development including the provision of housing. 2.6.5 Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 dealt with housing supply and it came into effect on 1 November 2000. The primary objective behind the introduction of Part V was to obtain land for housing purposes, however the legislation also aimed to improve integration between different social groups by introducing social and affordable housing into private housing estates. The legislation has been the subject of controversy since its inception. Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 was resisted by the Construction Industry Federation and the Home Builders Association. These two groups were the primary objectors of the legislation and claimed that Part V would result in a reduction in supply of new private housing, that will increase second hand prices and the buyers of new houses will subsidise the affordable and social housing being expropriated from the industry Norris, M (1999). Part V of the Act did have supporters that described the Act as a landmark step that woul d modernise the planning system in Ireland, improve housing delivery and help reduce undue social segregation in new housing developments. It represents a community and planning gain or return against the windfall profits arising from the development of land Brooke (2006). Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 requires that housing strategies be drawn up by planning authorities and integrated into their development plans. Each housing strategy should have regard to the proper planning and sustainable development of an area and should be concerned with the overall supply of housing within the planning authority. In addition, the Act makes communities needs for social and affordable housing a material planning consideration which must be taken account of in formulating development plan policies, preparing a housing strategy and deciding on planning applications or appeals. The Act places a statutory obligation on planning authorities to ensure that sufficient land is zoned for housing in their development plans to meet the projected housing requirements over the plan period and to ensure that an undue shortage will not arise, The Planning and Development Act (2000 p.1.). Most importantly the Act empowers a local authority to attach a condition on a planning permission on land zoned as residential, a requirement for developers to supply up to 20% of the land for social and affordable housing. This requirement was set down in the act with the objective to create all new residential developments that will have a proportion of social and affordable housing contained in within it. The provision of social and affordable housing under Part V only applied to developments that were over 0.1 Hectares in size and contained more than 5 units. Part V only applied to planning applications for permission on land zoned as residential use. This requirement was considered a major flaw as it allowed developers to avail of a loop hole of which they could use to avoid the social and affordable housing requirements set out in Part V. This was particularly apparent on Co. Leithrim, where the town of Carrick-On-Shannon was the only area in the county where zoning provisions where present. Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 was commenced on the 1st of November 2000. By the 31st of July 2001 all of the local authorities had amended their development plans and had completed new housing strategies that allowed for the new requirements contained in the Act. 2.6.6 The Planning and Development Amendment Act 2002 This Act allowed developers a greater choice with the provision of social and affordable housing. The Act enabled developers to provide land, sites or housing as an alternative to providing social and affordable housing in each development. The alternatives did however have to be contained within the remit of that planning authority. The developer was allowed another alternative to this requirement under the Act, the developer is allowed to pay the local authority a sum of money equivalent in value to the transfer of the land. This amendment of the Planning and Development Act 2000 is considered by many as a weakening or a cop out to the developers. One of the primary aims of the original Act was to counteract social segregation but now this responsibility is effectively left in the hands of the developer. 2.7 Government Intervention in Irish Housing Provision The following are the most important examples of Government interventions in relation to the Irish housing market. 2.7.1 Local Authority House Building Scheme The 1966 Housing Act places an obligation on local authorities to provide housing for those who cannot afford appropriate housing for themselves. Redmond, D. and Norris, M.(2005)state that 300,000 housing units have been provided to date, since the introduction of the Local Authority House Building Scheme. 2.7.2 House Purchase Loan Scheme The House Purchase Loan Scheme was introduced for those who have had an unsuccessful loan application with a building society, bank or any other lending institution to build or to buy a residential property. This scheme gave a person an alternative option as to avail of a local authority loan. To receive this loan the applicant must not exceed an income of  £40,000 as a single income household or  £100,000 as a dual income household and must have been refused a loan by a bank or building society. 2.7.3 Tenant Purchase Scheme The Tenant Purchase Scheme was introduced under Section 90 of the 1966 Housing Act. Section 90 allowed a local authority to sell on a social house to the tenant. The Act also allowed a local authority to sell a vacant house to whomever they deemed suitable, once the prospective purchaser is in need of housing. 2.7.4 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme The affordable housing scheme was introduce in March 1999. Under this scheme a person can purchase a house from a local authority at a reduced rate to the normal market price. The price of the house is subsidised by the Department of the Environment at  £50,000 per house in the Dublin local authorities and all city councils and at  £31800 for all other local authorities. 2.7.5 Affordable Housing Provided Under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 As summarised in detail above in section 2.6.5, Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 empowers a local authority to obtain up to 20% of land zoned for residential use at a reduced rate from a developer to provide social and affordable housing. 2.7.6 Capital Assistance Scheme According to the Department of the Environment (2010), the Capital Assistance Scheme enables voluntary housing bodies to provide accommodation to meet housing needs in special areas, such as of people with disabilities, elderly, homelessness, emigrants or small families. 2.7.7 Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme The Capital Loan and Subsidy Schemes enable voluntary bodies with the means to provide rental housing for low income families. 2.8 Conclusion Government policy has led to both a high owner occupier rate of housing in Ireland and also high house prices. The aims of the Irish Housing Policy has been greatly affected by government polices. Housing had become less affordable due to previous incentives which encouraged investment and speculation in the market. It was not until the 1990s when the issue of housing affordability arose. This led to the commission of the Bacon Reports on housing in Ireland. The issue of Social and Affordable housing provision in Ireland became more important during the property boom due to rising prices. This looked to have been on its way to rectification in the Planning and Development Act 2000 which brought about a sense of coordination in housing provision. However the potential of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as a mechanism for ensuring sustainable provision of Social and Affordable Housing without social segregation was greatly depleted with the introduction of the Amendment Act in 2002, which provided too many options for compliance by developers. In the current market downturn, affordable housing in its current guise has arguably lost importance in comparison to social housing due to values of all property falling. Therefore updated legislation in relation to Part V is necessary to rectify the current weakening housing policy. REFERENCES: Norris, M. (1999) Mixed-Tenure Housing Estates: Development, Design, Management and Outcomes. Dublin, The Housing Unit. Dempsey, N. (2000) Planning and Development Bill 2000, second stage, 2nd February, Dà ¡il Éireann, available: http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0513/D.0513.200002020018.html [accessed 23 February 2010]. Brooke, S. (2006) Building for inclusion? : Housing output and part V of the Irish Planning and Development system. Dublin. Focus Ireland. Bacon, P and Mac Cabe, F. (1998) Bacon Report 1: An Economic Assessment of Recent House Price Developments. Dublin, Stationary Office, Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal. Bacon, P and Mac Cabe, F. (1999) Bacon Report 2: The Housing Market an Economic Review and Assessment. Dublin, Stationary Office, Minister fo

Sylvia Plaths Words for a Nursery Essays -- Sylvia Plath Words Nurser

Sylvia Plath's Words for a Nursery Sylvia Plath’s â€Å"Words for a Nursery† depicts the embodiment of life through the symbolism of a human hand. Referring to the hand many times throughout various works(â€Å"Mirrors†, â€Å"Tulips†, â€Å"Lady Lazarus†, etc), Plath continually portrays this feature as a bodily tool around which life functions. After becoming pregnant with her first child, Plath’s analysis of the progression of life from birth to death can be seen within such a poem. Like most of her poetry, â€Å"Words for a Nursery† escalates in a positive manner until the end where death is expressed, and a sense of pessimism is briefly felt. As she suggests, life begins with the opening of the hand, the first action which will lead to eventual awareness of the world. Through her analysis of the detailed elements of the hand, and her emphasis on its ability to learn its role, Plath examines the phases of life by expressing a new stage within each stanza. From birth, through life, and finally to old age and death, Plath draws upon a series of images to metaphorically describe human existence in life’s endless cycle. Throughout â€Å"Words for a Nursery†, Plath uses various stylistic devices to relate the human hand to the progression of life. With the whole poem existing as an extended metaphor, the author encourages a reader to interpret and search for meaning. As Plath opens with â€Å"Rosebud, knot of worms†, the beginning of human life is seen. The baby’s crunched fist is a â€Å"rosebud†, it’s fingers a â€Å"knot of worms†. Continuing, we read â€Å"Heir of the first five / Sharpers; I open†. Here, readers infer that with the opening of the child’s five fingers, life begins. Although Plath does not directly state this meaning, her creativ... ...eased comprehension of life and its cycle. Since Plath uses the first person point of view to describe life as an experience, her accepted wisdom creates a natural style. She understands life to be a cycle, where even in death, life of another (in this case the â€Å"thin crows†) continues. Although pessimism toward death is evident, Plath regards life as a progression. The hand opens to allow life to begin, learns its function, and remains active until it reaches old age, where it then becomes weak and eventually dies. Through such a beautifully written metaphor, a reader learns that life is a continual development up to the time of death. From the origin to decease of individual life, the hand, just like the human, experiences growth. From thistle to silk, and rosebud to rose, life is a road of unforeseen events, all paths leading to the progression of existence.

Lord of the Flies :: Free Essay Writer

Lord of the Flies Man must have rules in order to control his savage side. William Golding brings out this theme in the novel Lord of the Flies. When you first read Lord of the Flies you may think it is merely a simple adventure story of boys on a deserted island. But if you take a deeper look into it and consider the statement above you will see that this book is also an attempt to trace the defects of civilization back to the defects of human nature. There are many characters in the story that help prove how man must have rules in order to control his savage side. Ralph is the chief and he represents civilization and its parliaments. Piggy is Ralph’s brain trust and an intellectual. Both Ralph and Piggy represent the struggle for order and democracy. Jack is the spark of wildness that burns hot and close to the surface, which later conflicts with Ralph. From the very beginning Jack seems to harbor emotions of anger and savagery. Simon has them most positive outlook out of all of the characters and is a â€Å"Christ figure.† He is good and pure and insists that they will be rescued. Roger represents pure evil and wrongness. He gets pleasure in torturing pigs and was the first one to intentionally kill another boy when he smashed Piggy with a boulder. Sam and Eric are the twins that do everything together. They represent unity and reliance. Later in the story they reveal Ralph’s hiding place to Jack because the loss of civilization led them to lose any real sense of loyalty to others. These characters assist in showing how the theme is brought out. There are also many symbols in the novel. The conch represents rules, civilization, democracy and order. Piggy’s glasses represent clear-sightedness and intelligence. The state of the glasses represents the status of social order. When they break it marks the progressive decay of rational influence. The island represents the world. The â€Å"scar† represents man’s destruction. The Lord of the Flies represents the Devil and the great danger or evil. The killing of the sow and the hunting of pigs are accomplished in terms of sexual intercourse. The beast that the â€Å"littleuns† are afraid of is created by the emotions that all of the boys on the island are experiencing. The beast represents the evil residing within everyone and the dark side of human nature. Lord of the Flies :: Free Essay Writer Lord of the Flies Man must have rules in order to control his savage side. William Golding brings out this theme in the novel Lord of the Flies. When you first read Lord of the Flies you may think it is merely a simple adventure story of boys on a deserted island. But if you take a deeper look into it and consider the statement above you will see that this book is also an attempt to trace the defects of civilization back to the defects of human nature. There are many characters in the story that help prove how man must have rules in order to control his savage side. Ralph is the chief and he represents civilization and its parliaments. Piggy is Ralph’s brain trust and an intellectual. Both Ralph and Piggy represent the struggle for order and democracy. Jack is the spark of wildness that burns hot and close to the surface, which later conflicts with Ralph. From the very beginning Jack seems to harbor emotions of anger and savagery. Simon has them most positive outlook out of all of the characters and is a â€Å"Christ figure.† He is good and pure and insists that they will be rescued. Roger represents pure evil and wrongness. He gets pleasure in torturing pigs and was the first one to intentionally kill another boy when he smashed Piggy with a boulder. Sam and Eric are the twins that do everything together. They represent unity and reliance. Later in the story they reveal Ralph’s hiding place to Jack because the loss of civilization led them to lose any real sense of loyalty to others. These characters assist in showing how the theme is brought out. There are also many symbols in the novel. The conch represents rules, civilization, democracy and order. Piggy’s glasses represent clear-sightedness and intelligence. The state of the glasses represents the status of social order. When they break it marks the progressive decay of rational influence. The island represents the world. The â€Å"scar† represents man’s destruction. The Lord of the Flies represents the Devil and the great danger or evil. The killing of the sow and the hunting of pigs are accomplished in terms of sexual intercourse. The beast that the â€Å"littleuns† are afraid of is created by the emotions that all of the boys on the island are experiencing. The beast represents the evil residing within everyone and the dark side of human nature.

Racism in the Criminal Justice System Essay -- Police Corruption 2014

Racism in police treatment of minorities has created great disparities in incarceration amongst the races. Blatant cases of racist law enforcement that are covered in the  news are a testament to the fact that racism within police departments exists from coast to coast. However, these are only the cases that people find out about; there are countless other cases of police racism and brutality that are not reported. A series of reports that have been published in the last few years have shown that young black men are being incarcerated at a rate far greater than their number in the overall population. In the fall of 1995, Vincent Schiraldi, executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice in San Francisco, released a study that found that nationally 33% of the black men in their 20~s were under the control of the criminal justice system in some way, shape or form. This shows an increase from 1991, when 25% of the black men nationwide ages 20 to 29 were incarcerated, on probation, or on parole (Butterfield 1996). Schiraldi, attributed the higher incarceration rates for black men to tougher punishment for the use of crack cocaine than for other drugs; harsh new sentencing laws; the prison construction boom; and poverty, lack of good jobs and poor education in inner cities. We will address how tougher punishments have resulted in worse treatment for minorities in the criminal justice system. The tougher punishment for the use of crack cocaine, which is prevalent in minority neighborhoods, and the harsh new sentencing laws are a result of a new, stringent brand of law enforcement in which officers are trying to arrest as many people as possible. Unfortunately, as a result of this new brand of law enforcement, minoriti... ...ws. 12 August 2012., late ed.: Al. Butterfield, Fox. "Study finds a disparity injustice for blacks."  NewYork Times. 13 Feb. 2013, late ed.: A8. Fazlolloh, Mark. "From Prison, Ex-Cops Call Offenses Routine.  Philadelphia Inquirer. 12 May 2012, late ed.: Al. "Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual."  American Civil Liberties Union  Online. 9 May May 2014. Orseno, Brian. "The DWB Phenomenon."  American Civil Liberties Union. News Updates. 23 April 2013. Online. 7 May May 2014. Rose, Veronica. "The ACLU Fights Back Against Police Profiling On A National Level."  The ACLU Northern California. 14 January 2013. Online. 8 May May 2014. Slobodzian, Joseph A. "City Officers Indicted on Corruption Charges." Philadelphia Inquirer. 1 Mar. 2011, late ed.: Al. "Victims of Mandatory Minimums." Families Against Mandatory Minimums. Online. 17 May May 2014.

Ignou Mba

ASSIGNMENT Course Code :MS-7 Course Title : Information Systems for Managers Assignment Code : MS-07/TMA/SEM-I/2013 Coverage :All Blocks Note : Attempt all the questions and submit this assignment on or before 30th April, 2013 to the coordinator of your study center. 1. (a) Is Information Technology as vital to modern global business as money? Why or why not? Discuss some trends in IT development. (b) Write a note on input and output devices. Distinguish between human data input devices and source data capture devices. 2. a) Discuss the objectives and process of computer aided decision support system. (b) Describe the decision making process of acquiring application software. 3. (a) Define MIS. Describe the functions that MIS supports in an organization. (b) What are the various ways of assessing the value of information? Explain each method briefly. 4. (a) Is outsourcing information systems a better proposition in most of the situations? Discuss some advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing. (b) Discuss the three major areas of feasibility, which are addressed in system analysis? . Write short notes on any four of the following: a) Open Source Software b) Stealth and Polymorphic Viruses c) MRP II d) Information System and TQM e) Genetic Algorithms ———————– Management Programme ASSIGNMENT FIRST SEMESTER 2013 MS – 07: Information Systems for Managers [pic] School of Management Studies INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY MAIDAN GARHI, NEW DELHI – 110 068 MS-55: LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT [pic] School of Management Studies INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY MAIDAN GARHI, NEW DELHI – 110 068 MS-07

Kindred: A neo-slave narrative Essay

Often, man resorts to story-telling as a way of reconciling with a formidable incident in the past. By re-telling the story to another party, he comes to accept that this is a reality to be faced. He realizes that acceptance, rather than denial, is the best way of going about this trouble. Aside from the rehabilitating ability of story-telling with its contributory effect in dealing with a painful memory, others simply do this as a way of remembering. Concretizing the past as a piece of literature would ensure that the incident would not just be buried in the recesses of the memory; that it would be kept alive and the pains and suffering would not be without significance. In this light, it would come clear for readers how and why the proliferation and the presence of slave narratives came about. One may think that with the end of the painful era of slavery, all dialogues and discussion about the subject would also desist. For the African-American slaves and their descendants, this was not the case. The words of Robert Crossley of the University of Massachusetts rerated the thought: â€Å"First-person American slave narratives should have ceased being written when the last American citizen born into institutionalized slavery died. But the literary form has persisted, just as the legacy of slavery has persisted, into the present. † To be more specific, the birth and popularization of the slave narratives started in the nineteenth century. James Olney stated that each narrative â€Å"a unique production† as an autobiography, and â€Å"is not every autobiography the unique tale, uniquely told, of a unique life? † (148). Therefore, the uniqueness of each narrative from the others is a trait of this genre, as it narrates the experiences of the writers which are unique to another’s. However, certain characteristics are evidently similar in the work to be considered a part of the genre. For one thing, it has to tell the story of a black slave’s struggle for literacy and freedom, while testifying against the â€Å"peculiar institution/’ which in practice meant human bondage and humiliation (Gates, â€Å"Introduction† ix). By the second half of the twentieth century, a sub-genre of the slave narrative has arisen; called the â€Å"neo-slave narrative,† it is a fictional mutation of the slave narratives of nineteenth-century Americans (Crossley). This sub-set of the slave narrative genre is very similar with its umbrella genre in the sense that it presents personal accounts of slavery. However, the difference lies in the choice of the author to fictionalize existing accounts, and not his own personal experiences. The authors base the structure of their fictional work on the oral histories and existing slave narratives to make sure that the story would still echo true events in the historical sense. The birth of this sub-set of the slave narrative genre may be attributed to the void that it fills, or attempts to fill. Anita Wholuba in her paper said that the chasm which is attempted to be explored and filled is the ironic presence of silence in slave narratives, despite of the voice earned by the slave narrative writers. Wholuba said that â€Å"while a significant number of scholars have established that certain silences exist in the traditional narrative of history, neo-slave narrative authors have committed themselves to the task of identifying and sounding those silences where the representation of the American slavery era is concerned. † A novel titled Kindred, penned by Octavia Butler, is among the body of neo-slave narratives published in the last century. It was published in the year 1979, and speaks of an African-American woman’s sojourns to the past. The character Dana, lives in contemporary California, but is transported back in time to the antebellum South. In her involuntary travels to the past, she understands how difficult the situation for people before her ancestors actually was. As I was reading Kindred, I had the initial impression that it was just to be appreciated for its science fiction values. Although the science element in this novel was not so much as it was felt in other novels from the same genre, her meshing of science fiction and history was an innovation that should be noted and lauded. In any case, what caught my attention more was the similarity Kindred has with other novels we have read subsequently in the class, which were the Narrative of the Life of Frederic Douglass, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Up from Slavery. Evidently, there were characteristics of a slave narrative in the novel Kindred. However, the text didn’t meet the five criteria for it to be called a slave narrative, the genre which the other works fell under. As Kindred is a work of fiction, it would naturally be categorized as a neo slave narrative, a concept I came to be familiar with after research. Kindred as a neo-slave narrative With the plot and simple and direct language employed by Butler, Kindred could not be missed as a neo-slave narrative. Characters that are actual African-American slaves and Caucasian American masters and violence inflicted on slaves are presented in the novel. On a deeper sense, on the other hand, the novel follows the same pattern present in other slave narratives. Wholuba in the same paper added that although the text refers to other slave narratives such as the work written by Douglass’, in an effort to explore existing themes, the novel still manages to introduce new themes. The new themes that this novel presented, according to Wholuba still, include a more blunt â€Å"analysis and depiction of the slave’s struggle for sexual autonomy, the experience of middle passage, and the concept of memory. † As was mentioned, the novel Kindred follows the typical pattern for a slave narrative, and this will be the thesis of the paper. It will attempt to discuss and prove the characteristics of a slave narrative present in Butler’s popular piece of art. Another writer mentioned some of the other patterns commonly found in neo-slave narratives. Lysik mentioned in her essay that neo-slave narratives portrayed the â€Å"vital slave culture† in a positive light as it could serve as a means of surviving the brutal reality they are subjected to (Lysik). What this implicates is that the writers of the neo-slave narratives provide a new perspective in terms of viewing the arduous tasks and obligations slaves have to fulfill. Most authors show how slaves then turn this otherwise appalling condition to something that they could actually seek refuge in. First and foremost, the novel carried a prefatory statement by a person from Caucasian American race attesting to the authenticity of the author. The second criterion which has to be satisfied is the movement from slavery to freedom. Kindred has been classified under slave narratives by critics as leans toward the freedom narrative category. This concept will be further discussed in the following paragraphs. Aside from this, the most obvious criterion which the novel has to satisfy is that the story should portray the physical, emotional, and spiritual deprivation of slavery. Kindred, undeniably, does not fall short on this end. As the journey through time and space allows Dana to witness the events during the period of slavery firsthand, the novel is rich with narration regarding the struggles of the African-American slaves. Through Dana’s experiences, the tales of the different forms of deprivation and coercion were regaled to the readers. James and his contemporaries talked of this in a paper, saying that many forms of violence and intimidation were observed to be used to maintain white dominance in the slave economy through the eyes of the character of Dana. These â€Å"preservation† measures, so to speak, included the sexual violence against black women that was common during slavery, the assault on black families, the difficult choices that black people were compelled to make in acts of love, survival, and resistance, and the outcomes of internalized oppression (James, et. al). A specific scene in the novel would be that time when Dana personally witnessed the beating of a slave. The slave was hunted by white patrollers because of a crime that would seem absurd for people of the modern times: the slave was found spending time with his wife in their own bedroom without the slave master’s permission.

The Mirage Hotel and Casino

The Mirage Hotel and Casino (The Hotel Industry) By Gregory D. Tucker The word â€Å"hotel† didn’t appear until the 18th century. It came from the French hotel, large house, and originated in the Latin roots hospitium or hospes. Hospitality, hostile and hotels are all related words. The difficulty of identifying early travelers as friends or foes probably accounts for the conflict in meaning Friendly travelers found security and accommodations through the hospitality of their hosts. As the numbers of travelers increased, personal courtesy gave way to commercial enterprise. The hotel was born carrying with it a culture of hospitality.The hotel industry grew and flourished through the centuries by adapting to the changing social, business, and economic environment that marked human progress. During the modern times, these stages have been labeled for easy reference. The 18th century was the agricultural age; the 19th century, the industrial age. The 20th century has been the age of service. The sale of services, such as medicine, banking, education and hotelkeeping, has outpaced the manufacture and distribution of goods. The 21st century has opened with that same service culture even as it launces what is likely to be the age of technology.The Mirage was built by developer Steve Wynn and designed by Joel Bergman. It opened in November 1989 and was the first resort that was built with the money of Wall Street through the use of junk bonds. It was built on the site, formerly occupied by the Castaways and previous to that, the Red Rooster Nite Club. The Mirage was the most expensive hotel-casino in history, with a construction cost of US $630 million. The hotel's distinctive gold windows get their color from actual gold dust used in the tinting process. Hotels employ a many people with a variety of skills.Hotels have plumbers, accountants, bartenders, cooks, grounds managers, telecommunications experts, and computer trouble shooters. Depending on the s ize of the hotel will determine how many different specialists are required to work there. Managing all of the different types of people requires a organizational structure. The general manager is the person responsible for everything that happens at the hotel. Because hotels never close and are open 24 hours a day, some hotels use a rotating management schedule to cover the night, weekend and holiday periods.The general manager supervises and controls all of the departments in the hotel. The Food and Beverage Manager works with the Front Office in close coordination. They deal with the production and service of food and beverage. Food production is headed by a Chef, or Executive Chef. Services range from in room service, restaurant, the bar, and banquet and convention services. Every department that services guests falls within the responsibility of the hotel manager. The hotel manager deals with every service except for Food and Beverage. The hotel manager reports to the General M anager.Some of the most important areas of the hotel manager’s responsibility are the uniformed services, the concierge, telephone, and other departments. Hotel manager oversees the Uniformed Services department. This has included traditional jobs such as baggage porters, transportation clerks, elevator operators, bellpersons and door attendants. In recent years however, this area of the hotel industry that is on decline. Several reasons include the fact that guests travel lighter todaythan before, suitcases have wheels, and fewer pieces of luggage means fewer trips from the car to the hotel room, meaning less demand for uniformed services.In addition, because of minimum wage laws, these non-essential services are being cut. The Concierge is another department that the Hotel Manager oversees. The concierge is position that is mandated by an organization called The International Union of Concierges, in Paris, France. In Canada, this organization is called Les Clefs d’or Canada. Members wear the Golden Keys as their symbol of professionalism. Before hotels started using electronic key cards the concierge was the person responsible for guarding the hotel’s keys. Today the role of the concierge includes many duties.The Front Office is an easily identifiable area of the lobby. Functionally it is the heart of the hotel. Through the front desk flows communications with every department of the hotel. The primary purpose of the hotel is to sell rooms. For large hotels room sales account for half of the hotel’s revenue. For smaller hotels, room sales account for almost all of the hotel’s revenue. Hotel guests relate with the front desk. They go to the front desk to have all of their concerns and needs met. It is the primary guest-service centre. Structure of the Front Office and Working Hours: The front office is located in the hotel lobby.Front-desk computers have greatly reduced the amount of space the front office occupies. This has allowed for new lobby designs. A well designed lobby functions like a town centre. Modern lobbies are ideal for networking, they offer small furniture that allows for privacy for cell-phone use, as well as intimacy for cocktail gatherings. Regardless, the lobby design must provide easy access to the front office. Modern front desk design allows for impressing the guest. Factors such lighting, form, materials, and architecture are used to enhance the guest’s experience.Some front desks are nudged into lobby corners while others are lobby’s focal point. Whichever design is used, the front desk needs to provide security to the employees and to the guests. Security is enhanced when the front office employees have an unobstructed view of the lobby, all entry doors, and elevators. Hotels never close, so structure is very important. Work schedules in hotels must provide around the clock staffing, especially at the front desk. There are three main shifts in most hotels, the D ay Shift, the Swing Shift, and the Graveyard Shift.Most employees work an eight hour shift, five days a week, with two days off per week. Most employees prefer the Day Shift, which runs from 7:30am to 3:30pm. It allows for the usual workweek. Bellpersons prefer to work the swing shift, which runs from 3:30pm to 11:30pm. During this shift is when arrivals and tips are the heaviest. The graveyard shift runs from 11:30pm to 7:30am. This shift has the least guest activity, but it is important because it is when the night audit is completed. Building structure is also very important. If a hotel isn’t feasible to the eyes it will be passed up.Hotels in North America have changed considerably in recent years. Typically, these changes have been seen since the 1950’s. Changes in room sizes, amenities, and bed sizes. Another interesting feature about building structure are the cultural differences found in room and floor numbering. The Mirage isn’t like any other hotel, b ut in the same light it is. The attractions, the famous Volcano, the rooms, the restaurants and the staff are all different from other hotels/casinos and resorts, but the structure of this modern hotel is almost identical to any other hotel.Besides its construction, it is also considered noteworthy because it had set a new standard for Vegas resorts, and is also considered the father of today’s Las Vegas. The Mirage was the first hotel casino to use security cameras full time. Prior to the Mirage’s arrival the city was experiencing a decline in tourism that began in the 70’s. The Mirage is an organization that visualized dealing with customers in terms of a cycle of service, a repeatable sequence of events in which various people try to meet the customer needs and expectations at each point.When a customer considers the services that they required complete, it begins anew when he or she decides to come back for more. Works Cited James A. Bardi, Ed. D. , CHA, CHE â€Å"Hotel Front Office Management† John Wiley ; Sons Inc. 2007 Gary K. Vallen, Jerome J. Vallen â€Å" Check-In Check-Out: Managing Hotel Operation, March 2008 MGM Resorts International â€Å"The Mirage. com† 2013 Arnold M. Knightly â€Å"Blink and You’ll Miss Him† Las Vegas Review-Journal February 2007 Norm Clarke â€Å"Mystere† June 2003