Challenges of ESL Students in American Universities Essay

Challenges of ESL Students in American Universities - Essay Example International students face more challenges than local students. Most of the ESL students, if not all, feel a sense of helplessness due to the lack of proficiency in the English language. Most ELS students come to the United States with some knowledge of the English language but not the culture or the college life. For international students that come to the United States after completing high school, it is especially difficult since the academic structure of colleges and universities is completely different than high school. ESL students are given strict deadlines and significantly higher standards compared to high school standards. Something must be done to accommodate international students if the assertion that the transfer learning is effective is to be considered true. â€Å"Classes for ELS students should be interactive with group discussions, role plays, and with problem-solving skills† (Sulliman 41). It is something that is not always seen in classes. The U.S history or Psychology are good examples of classes that are typically lectures followed by tests that are scheduled throughout the semester and a final paper. Crosson says that â€Å"collaborative effort is needed on the part of all staff members, teachers, and administrators to see to it that ELLs and ESL instructions are fully integrated components of the schools’ culture and curriculum† (Crosson 1). A good fit culture is very important for it to be a good fit between student and university, but ideally in a collaborative environment as discussed above.

Human Resources Management in the Navy and Marine Corps Term Paper

Human Resources Management in the Navy and Marine Corps - Term Paper Example Strategies like Sea Power 21 and Marine Corps Strategy 21 are being used to define the paths to meet future uncertainties emerging from the rapidly changing global environment. In order to overcome the emerging challenges the naval operations must be technologically armed through scientific and technological innovations. The army is required to improve its tracking mechanism in rightly identifying terrorist operations with considerable accuracy and thereby to act promptly. In turn the strategic levels concerning tactical, operational and strategic operations with the support services create further development of the army personnel. The naval personnel operating along the above lines are thereby required to exhibit higher amount of competencies, be much aware to the changing situations and to act accordingly. To sum up the modern naval force needs to speed up their activities, be flexible to the changing environment and must be accurate and sure in countering such. Hence, the process es built during the cold war era in the naval system are observed to have become outdated. Thus emerges the need for a newer process known as Naval 21. (England, 2003) The paper in this light aims to highlight the changes in human resource practices in United States Navy and Marine Corps on a wider plane. The Human Resource Management Operations in the United States Navy require sea changes in respect to some key areas. In regards to Workforce Structure it is observed that in the current system the structure is hierarchical. The model was developed to fit in all situations. However, the Naval 21 Model emphasizes in the creation of a flat organization. It states that the flat organization would help in empowering employees with increased responsibilities. Moreover, the technology used in the Human Resource Operations currently is observed to be fragmented. The deployment pattern of the fragmented technology is found to be slow in pace. Thus the Naval 21 Model

Analysis Of The Pepsi International Strategy

Analysis Of The Pepsi International Strategy PespiCo is facing price hike issue in Saudi Arabia; it is hurting its further expansion in soft drink industry. PepsiCo requested ministry of economy of UAE to approve a price hike for their products in the country. But ministry said Government will send it to the higher committee of consumer protection association for approval. Reasons For Expanding To Foreign Markets: Coca-Cola, the major competitor of Pepsi has been exiled from the desert kingdom. Because of this, Pepsi expanded into Arab Countries has an 80% share of the $1 billion Saudi soft-drink market. Saudi Arabia is the third largest foreign market of Pepsi, after Mexico and Canada. In 1993, about 7% of Pepsi-Cola Internationals sales came from Saudi Arabia. The environment in Saudi Arabia makes the country very favorable to soft-drink sales because alcohol is banned climate is very hot and dry. Mode of Expansion: Pepsi uses franchise system for international expansion. Sources of Competitive Advantage: PepsiCo has competitive advantage in terms of worldwide distribution the company is able to produce all its products in the country where they are consumed. Pepsi has a competitive advantage over Coke because of its brand image good word of mouth. Pepsi promotes itself as the number one choice of the Next Generation. Government Policies: Currently a 50 percent rise in Pepsi prices in Saudi has angered customers and provoked the kingdoms government to call on more than 30 soft drink companies to hold off on further price hikes. Pepsi increased the price of a can to 1.50 riyals $0.40 from 1 riyal.it. Saudi Consumer Protection Association investigated the sudden unjustified price hike, the Saudi Gazette reported that official permission should be granted to soft drink firms before they are allowed to increase prices and price rise should not be more than 10 percent. PEST Analysis Political Influences: Many PepsiCo products are subject to different federal laws due to their manufacturing, distribution use, such as the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act ad the Americans with Disabilities. The international ventures are subject to the Government stability and businesses are subjected to different taxation policies in each consumer country. Economic Influences: PepsiCo relies on trucks to move products so fuel is an important subject fuel prices matters. The economic impact of foreign exchange rates movements on them is complex because such changes are often linked to variability in real growth, inflation, interest rates, governmental actions, etc. PepsiCo is also subjected to other economical factors like money supply, energy availability, cost and business cycles. Socio-Cultural Influences: Pepsi is subject to the lifestyle changes, so it bases her advertising campaigns in people with special lifestyle. For that PepsiCo has to pay special attention on lifestyle changes. It has to be very careful with the possible problems with the governments and those which could rise from PepsiCo act with the people of KSA. Technological Influences: PepsiCo is exposed to new manufacturing techniques, for its three business units, snack food, juices and soft drinks. It has to pay attention while adopting flexible advanced distribution techniques. PORTER 5 FORCES Analysis 1. Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants in the industry is small yet substantial. This is because there are already four players in the market other then Pepsi itself. 2. Threat of Substitute Products: Currently, the threat of new viable competitors in the carbonated soft drink industry is not very substantial. Possible substitutes that continuously put pressure on Pepsi include tea, coffee, juices, milk, and hot chocolate. 3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The bargaining power of the suppliers tends to be low according to the recent analysis. PepsiCo needs to manage its relationships carefully with the bottling units in order to make changes in its way to market the local retailers. 4. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Here the concern is how to increase market share and retain its current customer because customer always try to optimize benefit. The buying power of consumers also poses a key threat in the industry. Moreover consumers can simply switch to other beverages with little cost or importance. 5. Rivalry Among Competitors: Pepsi has 48.9% share of market it is situated in an environment that is ever changing and dynamic because coca cola is holding 30.9% share Cadbury Schweppes 8%. The local brands are also in the market to compete Pepsi. These brands are Mecca cola holding 0.5% market share and 0.6% Zamzam cola. SWOT Analysis 1.Internal Attributes(Strengths Weaknesses) Pepsi has strong worldwide distribution system. But it is poorer in its fountain drink division. The ownership in fast food restaurants has always been challenging for Pepsi. The Coca Cola has been in the top position for fountain beverages because of their ownership in famous fast-food restaurants. 2.External Attributes(Opportunities Threats) External influences that are affect planning include the actions of competitors, and a series of social, legal, economic, and technological factors. An effective plan therefore needs to be designed to take account of the external environment threats. In addition to its large consumer base, Saudi Arabia has some of the regions biggest athletic clubs, most passionate sports fans, and has a growing population of athletes and active people. When PepsiCo started its own Pepsi Bottling Company, it allowed them to cut costs, reduce overhead, and coordinate their distribution to create a better synergy. Critical Issues or Barriers: Pepsi can serve the 90% market but problem is the bottling of the drink. War crisis between Palestine and Israel is bringing hate against Pepsi that why USA is not interest in resolving the issue As Pepsi is US product and these days US and foreign products are campaigned not to be used to show rage against non-Muslim acts. Due to recent oil prices increase, there is international factor of inflation and on the other hand Pepsi is cheaper in KSA compared to other countries, so Pepsi is facing problem to maintain the profits. Since employers in KSA are required to give their employees time to pray toward Mecca five times per day, as set forth in the Koran, break times caused additional operating cost. Health and stomach diseases due to over use. Obesity problem which is becoming common in Saudis. Rumors of Haram ingredients. The tough competition is carried out through packaging as well as price. Recommendations: Pepsi is being forced to re-examine their strategic models, based on carbonated soft drinks and move to new beverage categories. Heavy investmentment in risky innovations may be suggested in order to transfer resources from other brands. Pepsi spends 15% of overall budget on advertising and marketing to be no.1 in the consumer sight. Pepsi should use all media vehicles to attract consumers. Conclusion: Consumers want to buy soft drinks delivered at convenient locations with the right package. Pepsi have to make sure that the market keeps growing annually, and that company products are available everywhere. Pepsi has won the International Quality Award and Bottlers of the year Award, so the company feels quite optimistic. Although difficult challenges lay ahead, yet to exploit opportunities through the implementation of an effective and comprehensive marketing plan 2009. Appendix:

Jessica Rodriguez Essay -- English Literature

Moton and Paradise Historical Accuracy in Equiano’s Novel Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, has become a very important piece of literature. Equiano established a new type of literature with this novel. It was the first autobiography/slave narrative ever written. Many other slaves, such as Fredrick Douglass, followed his example in writing autobiographies or slave narratives. Equiano not only gives detailed descriptions of his homeland, of which we still know little about, he also gives a powerful account of the Middle Passage. Despite these captivating accounts, many critics have come to question the authenticity of Equiano’s history. Many do not believe that he was the man he claimed to be. Although there is some evidence to suggest this, there is not enough to discredit Equiano’s accounts. Equiano’s autobiography offers a powerful and truthful account of the author’s history, and his experiences with the slave trade and the Middle Passage. Despite the critics’ accusations, Equiano’s novel is historically accurate. Olaudah Equiano was born in the southern part of Nigeria known as Isseke (or Essaka) in the year 1745. Equiano provides much information on their customs and rituals. He explains in detail the dress, religion, dance, and customs of the Igbo people. One recurring topic is cleanliness. Equiano states â€Å". . . our cleanliness on all occasions is extreme. . .† (9). After his kidnapping, he is astonished at the lack of cleanliness he encounters. He also describes how important dance is in his culture. Equiano claims, â€Å"we are almost a nation of dancers, musicians, and poets. Thus e... ...e to witness the fruits of his hard labor, but he did not quit fighting for what he believed in until the very end. Olaudah Equiano is a historically accurate novel worthy of being treated as a viable piece of literature. Works Cited Carretta, Vincent. â€Å"Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa? New Light on an Eighteenth-century Question of Identity†, Slavery and Abolition, 20, 3 (December 1999), 96-105 Costanzo, Angelo. Surprising Narrative: Olaudah Equiano and the Beginnings of Black Biography. New York: Greenwood P, 1987. Equiano, Olaudah. Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself. New York. Modern Library. 1789. Slattery, Katherine. â€Å"The Igbo People – Origins and History.† November 1999. Queen’s University of Belfast. April 2005. http://www.qub.ac.uk/en/imperial/nigeria/origins.htm.

An Insight Look of Critical Employability Skills Essay

Introduction With a faster pace of everyday life, employability skills are becoming essential in modern society. The employability essential concepts and skill sets represent universal content. They contribute to outcomes that are valued for individuals and for society; bring benefits in a wide variety of contexts and apply to multiple areas of life; and are of use to all individuals, deemphasizing competencies of use only in a specific trade, occupation or walk of life. In this report, we look deeply into six critical employability skills including communicating skills, management skills, problem solving skills, personal knowledge, work experience and teamwork skills. Each of these skills was studied and analysed to show its importance. All of these employability skills are held to make a focus on an individual’s ability to gain initial employment, maintain employment, move between roles within the same organisation, obtain new employment if required and ideally secure suitable and sufficiently fulfilling work, in other words- their employability, more important than the simple state of being employed. (Hillage and Pollard, 1998) 1.1 Methodology Six critical employability skills were identified from sources of newspaper advertisings, TV advertisings and Internet advertisings. Each of these skills was studied according to their content and importance. Resources from Internet sites and books were used to study these skills. JCU’s graduate attributes were also introduced to compare with the employability skills to discuss the matter. Critical Employability Skills Six critical employability skills has been identified from a variety of sources, these include communicating skills, management skills, problem solving skills, personal knowledge, work experience and teamwork skills. In real world, different job roles require different employability skills. A table consist different job roles and skills were drawn according to job advertisement from variety of sources. (See Appendices) 2.1 Communication skills The definition of communication skills is â€Å"the ability to use language and express information.†(â€Å"Definition of Communication Skills,† n.d.) It is a way that uses the own language and body language to exchange information with others and understand others easily. It includes speaking, listening and writing. Hence, communication skill is a tool to run throughout business areas and it has significant impact on business. Communication skills may represent in many ways, for example, talking face to face with customers and colleagues, answering a phone call, reply E-mails and writing a report. These actions are required to be done in business workplace all day especially for Manager. As a result for Manager with good communication skills, it will not only increase the efficiency of staff, but also will create a harmonious workplace that makes everyone enjoys working. Communication skills are also critical when dealing with the customers. Good communication skills will lead to successful business, whereas poor communication will be meaningless even there is a good idea in mind. As Lee Iacocca, former president of Chrysler, once said, â€Å"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, they won’t get you anywhere† (Rzadkiewicz, 2009) 2.2 Management skills â€Å"Management is about taking the right decisions at the right time and getting them implemented by the right people.† (Oak, 2011) Three key factors identified in management skills are making the right decision, at the right time and to the right people. It is the ability of a manager to run a business or a team. For instance, a good manager requires excellent analytical and organizational skills in order to make a right decision to acquire the best returns. It is highly associated with problem solving skills. These decisions also need to be made at the right time. A doctor or a pilot needs to make life saving decisions quickly and at the right time when emergences are encountered. Time management skills are essential for good managers. With good management over stuffs, it can be sure that the decision can be delivered to the right person to process. Successful business consists of good organizational management and correct decision making. Hence, a manager position requires good management skills to help company obtain profit from business. In fact, communication and management are the two essential factors that would determine the success of a business. 2.3 Problem solving skills Problem solving skill is widely required in today’s employment market. In a business analyst job advertisement(Genesis IT&T, Seek.com.au), the employer requires â€Å"a genius at problem solving†. It is highly integrated with decision making in management skills. In commercial and industrial operations, we can easily meet tons of problems. It is very hard to predict every single movement in modern business market. Therefore it is an important skill to obtain while engage problems in work process. We shall always be prepared to encounter problems, so we can find solutions to solve these problems. Problem solving skills can be either solving problems for clients or for superiors. For example, as a legal advisor you shall solve problems for your clients. This is an example of how problem solving skill directly affects the outcome of work. Good problem solving skills simply means good work. A financial adviser could solve problems for the â€Å"superior† which is the boss. His problem solving skills will affect the decision made by his superior, which influence the prefermence of the whole firm. Problem solving skills is not only about solving the problem, but also doing it efficiently. It does require not only a good knowledge over relevant matter but also good time management skills. 2.4 Personal knowledge Problem solving often requires very broad knowledge. Personal knowledge is another major skills in work place. The definition of knowledge in professional field is â€Å"familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning†(Dictionary.reference.com). Knowledge is like the foundation of employability, the major resource of knowledge is from school and college study. Knowledge is the ability to understand the truth of a certain object. With knowledge, people can get a clear vision of what their roles are in the team, and the way to do their own job and cooperate with their colleagues. Like the job advertisement for architect(Bespoke, Seek.com.au), the employer need someone with landscape knowledge to take this job. Knowledge can be variables of forms and almost every occupation requires certain knowledge, engineer, pilot, truck driver or carpenter. The way to gain knowledge is through study, no matter from school studying or self-studying. From â€Å"The ability to understand and follow instructions as well as learn, maintain and apply skills and knowledge are all very important aspects of work†(Australian Govt, 2010), we can conclude that applying knowledge is the core of doing a job. And the knowledge you own determines your employability. Without knowledge, no one can even get a single job done because you will not understand the job goal and do not know the procedures to do the job. Such as a miner, who will need to have the knowledge of different kinds of ores, also he will need to own the knowledge to operate mining machines to gain efficiency. 2.5 Work experience Work experience can be seen as a form of knowledge, it is also an important employability skill required by both employers and employees in business organizations. The definition of work experience is a period of time working in business and has some knowledge or skills of the world of work. (What is work experience, n.d.) It is important because employers are looking for some candidates who have the knowledge over the working environment. Work experience also covers other different kinds of skills like team working, communication skills and problem-solving skills. A candidate who has work experience may find it easier than the other candidates to get a dream job because they had faced some of the events in job in other workplace before. More work experience will show more calm and confidence in handing things. Moreover, candidates with full knowledge and skills is choosing the dream work by own rather than being chose by employers. 2.6 Teamwork Skills Teamwork is a term that means a group of people, but each one do the individual part to perform a joint action and in order to achieve the same goal. (Teamwork in classroom, n.d.) Teamwork is one of the most important relationships in workplace. The best team number of a determine goal team is 6 ~ 10 people. The working steps are one team leader dividing the big job into different part of small work, each member choose one interested and suitable part to finish. After that, collect all the information from every member and compose to a final work to achieve the goal. Working in a team is more effective than working individually because different people possess different ideas and opinions, the information collected and researched will be more diversified. Teamwork is often required in large business organizations, it could express the character of team members and how they cooperate to produce the work instead of working individually. Modern corporations require job to be done more efficiently and effectively, this makes teams a great role to attempt big assignments, which makes teamwork skills essential. 2.7 Compare with JCU attributes By comparing the employability skills with the JCU attributes, we could possibly find a certain level of similarity between them. The definitions of two of the main characteristics of graduate skills such as literacy, self-reliance and interpersonal understand are equivalent to the meanings of employability skills. The definition of teamwork is not only similar to self-reliance and interpersonal understanding, but also connects with it. They are same as leading, managing and contributing effectively to team and working with another people in a group. However, the employability skill of work experience seems different with the JCU’s graduate attribute. Actually, work experience covers a large number of skills, such as information literacy, interpersonal understanding, critical thinking and problem solving. Work experience will display all knowledge and skills what a candidate has had before. Conclusion In this report, we have discussed six critical employability skills. We can see that these skills are highly integrated and associated with each other. One skill may often require other skills to achieve better result. These skills determine how good a person can perform not only at work but also in everyday life. In order to achieve a good job or even a good career, one shall try to gain these skills. By comparing these skills to JCU graduate attributes, we can easily see many similarities between these two. These skills are more comprehensive and necessary for student facing the real world. It can be seen as a general criterion for job candidates. References Australian Government, 8 September, 2010, Learning and Applying Knowledge, viewed in 18 May 2012, from http://jobaccess.gov.au/ADVICE/JOBREQUIREMENT/Pages/Learning_and_applying_kno.aspx Bespoke, 21 May 2012, All rounder Project Architect with Landscape knowledge, viewd 21 May2012 from http://www.seek.com.au/Job/great-opportunity-for-architect-with-landscape-knowledge/in/sydney-cbd-inner-west-eastern-suburbs/22340206 Definition Of Communication Skills. (n.d.). COMMUNICATION SKILLS, Retrieved 28 April, 2012 from http://www.communicationskills.co.in/definition-of-communication-skills.html Dictionary.reference.com, the Definition of Knowledge, viewed in 19 May 2012, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knowledge Genesis IT&T P/L, 18 May 2012, Business Analyst-Problem solving expert, Seek.com.au.What is work experience (n.d.) Business Link, Retrieved 22 May 2012, form http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1096811532&type=RESOURCES Hillage, J. and Pollard, E., 1998, Employability: Developing a framework for policy analysis, Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) Research report. no RR85 (London, DfEE), Accessed May 22, 2012 from http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pubs/summary.php?id=emplblty Oak, M. (2011). Basic Business Management Skills, Retrieved 30 April 2012 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/basic-business-management-skills.html Rzadkiewicz, C. (2009). Business Communication Skills, Retrieved 28 April 2012 from http://carol-rzadkiewicz.suite101.com/business-communication-skills-a158048 Teamwork in classroom (n.d.) NDT Resource Centre, Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Teamwork.html

Framing Carpentry

Have you ever built anything with your hands? Maybe a birdhouse? What about a model car or plane? We’ve all built a gingerbread house before; haven’t we? Well, no matter who we are, or where we come from, most of us have built, or helped to build, something with our bare hands. The satisfaction a person gets from completing something with their bare hands is an amazing feeling. Now, have you ever built a house before? Yes, I mean an entire house. Starting from what is basically a pile of sticks. Most people haven’t. Being a framing can give a person satisfaction that is not easily found. But this is not a job for the weak. Being a carpenter may be one of the hardest and most dangerous jobs a person can do on a daily basis. Framing is a job that anybody should be proud to do. Not only does is take a great amount of physical and mental strength, but it takes an artist’s touch as well. Whether you rent a home, or own your own, somebody put their blood, sweat, and/or tears into building the place you call home. Blood may not be as common as sweat, and tears even less so, but with the amount of physical energy that it takes to build a home, yours took at least one of them; more likely two. I’ve been working as a framing carpenter for a quarter of my life, so I hope you take my word when I say it can be flat out exhausting. An August day spent at the lake can drain a man. That same August day on top of a roof can reach 130+ degrees, and will push even the fittest men to their physical limits. People might say, â€Å"I hit the gym every night, I could handle it. † Okay, put on a tool belt and give it a shot. But remember, that tool belt weighs about ten pounds. Now factor in repeatedly, and I mean hundreds of times a day, lifting anywhere from two to one hundred and twenty pounds; and don’t forget the heat. I’ve personally seen this drain a man’s energy so much that in just one moment of exhaustion, he buried a saw (mind you a power saw) in his left thigh almost four inches deep. There was blood and tears, and for a moment I feared for his life. Of course this isn’t as common as a shooting yourself with a nail gun, slicing yourself on a strap, or stepping on a nail, but it happens. These lapses in judgment happen on some small scale everyday so you must always be mentally aware. There is so much more to building a house than being able to work hard. As much, and sometimes more energy can be spent on the mental process that takes place. I asked you earlier if you’d ever built a house from a pile of sticks. Essentially, that is what takes place. Imagine your house being sent out on the back of a truck. And it’s not like a Lego house that is ready to put together. Critical steps must be taken from the moment you set that first nail. A mistake in that took five seconds to make could take days to fix. I know a guy who built a 5,000 square foot building too tall. I know a guy who built every window in the house six inches to small. I know a guy that cut over 5,000 dollars worth of logs the wrong length. Sure these were stupid and costly mistakes, but if you can show me one person that hasn’t made a dumb mistake at work, I can show you a thousand who have. Being physically exhausted keeps your thought processes from working properly. Your body will take care of its physical needs first, and if you don’t have enough left it will shut down mentally. I believe this has happened to most of us at some point; studying perhaps? Keeping your mind fresh is most crucial when you get to the roof. Making four different roof lines come together harmoniously can be very difficult. Calculating multiple angles for each roof to blend perfectly can be a headache for even math majors. But when all is said and done, you can look back at your own little masterpiece with pride. Can you really consider framing a house†¦.. a masterpiece? Absolutely! Here in St George, UT we have an annual event known as the Parade of Homes. This is where local construction companies show of the skills of their trades, and what I believe you could call their artists touch. Many of us attend this annual event, and gawp at the beauty within these homes. We look at the intrinsic details of a fireplace or ceiling, but do not take much time to think about the work it took to build these. It once took me a day and a half to build fireplace; with a helper. The details were absurd. It was something that should have been built with foam, not wood. Six different radiuses, some of which had moon sliced openings with waves protruding on every surface, and a light bar that followed the last one. Now, did I feel like an artist upon completion? You better believe I did; I felt like Picasso. It wasn’t easy to build this with a power saw and nail gun from only a pile of sticks. But it is precisely these types of projects that leave me with an overwhelming sense of pride. After all of the houses I’ve built I still take pride in my work. It feels good to drive through a neighborhood, and to remember each house I’ve built. There are memories that come to mind with every house. I can picture the first house that I built as a grunt, as well as the first I built as a foreman. I remember how good my first house as a foreman felt, and how I sat in my truck when we were finished, and felt the pride of doing it my way. It’s always a good feeling to accomplish something that you take pride in, and everybody needs that feeling. Whether it was a million dollar home, or a track home that took three days, it’s always felt good to finish a home and admire it. It’s great to know that it was through my knowledge, skills, and strength that I took a pile of sticks, and built a house. This is why I think framing is a job to be proud of.

Power to the people - Emphasis

Power to the people Power to the people People power counts for a lot in writing. One in a hundred people is likely to produce a much bigger reaction from readers of your reports than one per cent, even though they obviously mean the same thing. Before you dismiss this as another example of general ignorance, you should know that experts are not immune to this effect. One study showed that it could trip up forensic psychiatrists, for example. They were twice as likely to refuse to release a patient if they were told that 20 out of 100 were likely to be violent after release than if they were told that there was a 20 per cent chance of this happening. One individuals story is likely to override even the most powerful numerical evidence at least if youre writing for the general public. And even if youre not, mentioning people (lawyers, for example) rather than groups (the legal profession) will give your writing much more impact. Charities know this when they use heart-rending case studies to get your support for their causes. And governments know this when they use the term collateral damage to play down accidental loss of life (by avoiding mentioning people at all). You can use people power to make your writing more effective. If you leave people out, you will almost certainly reduce its impact. Which do you want to do?

Prevention And Intervention Of Adolescence Alcohol Abuse Social Work Essay Essays

Prevention And Intervention Of Adolescence Alcohol Abuse Social Work Essay Essays Prevention And Intervention Of Adolescence Alcohol Abuse Social Work Essay Essay Prevention And Intervention Of Adolescence Alcohol Abuse Social Work Essay Essay Alcohol, drug, depression, sexual behaviour, these jobs are interact by each other which impose an highly negative influence on modern-day young person. Apparently, different states have their ain concrete state of affairs and typical phenomena. In the paper, I would wish to discourse some effectual and utile bar and intercession attacks depending on Hong Kong. There are different theoretical accounts of intoxicant intervention such as cognitive behaviour theoretical account, medical theoretical account, biopsychosocial attack and so on. Different intervention and intercession program has different focal point and characteristic. Just like instruction plan, a sort of prevalent attack which applied in bar phases, people hold different version. The instruction plan is uneffective and has non offered utile cognition and accomplishments to chair and cut down the intoxicant ingestion. ( Collins A ; Keene, 2000 ) . Collins and Keene stated that that while degrees of cognition can be increased, supplying information on intoxicant issues and jobs does non take to behavior alteration . ( 2000, p.97 ) On the other manus, some research workers think instruction plan is necessary especial in bar phase. Prevention phase are ever related with instruction , which provide utile information and cognition to alarm people remain off from drugs and assist them do a accurate determination when confronting intoxicant and drugs. ( Akers, 1992 ) Besides the instruction plan, cognitive behaviour viewed as an effectual and utile attack. Cognitive behaviour attack is the most appropriate attack for societal workers. Because in the attack, there are tonss of accomplishments and methods belong to the societal work s repertory and it stress the duty, value, authorization of clients. ( Collins A ; Keene, 2000 ) .Ray and Ksir ( 1999 ) stated that Some behavior-management attacks have accepted controlled imbibing as a desirable result and have attempted to learn methods that will copy intoxicant intake. ( P.257 ) . Ray and Ksir argued that behavioural attack can learn clients get bying accomplishments. Some behaviours are taught in bar plans, moreover, healers besides help clients to concentrate on high hazard state of affairs and learn them how to acquire through the hard times. ( 1999 ) . Gorgulho and Tamendarova figure out a new attack called societal norm selling.they stated that it is a comparatively effectual in diminishing utmost imbibing and it stress on equal norms and force per unit areas. Social norm selling apply assorted formal and informal manner to offer accurate information of imbibing forms to those immature people, which can extinguish misconceptions and cut down utmost drinking. ( 2008 ) . Besides, brief intercession and circle of alteration theoretical account are mentioned often in many governments. Brief intercessions are suited for immature intoxicant maltreaters because these immature extreme drinkers ever think the intoxicant ingestion is elementary and no necessary to seek aid. Brief intercession can be a critical first measure in intervention since it provides advice, appraisal and referral. ( Gorgulho A ; Tamendarova, 2008 ) . Cycle of alteration theoretical account is a practical measure to assist cut down drug maltreatment. It focus on seeking the trigger that lead to drug maltreatment, and understand the hazard state of affairs which can supply effectual backsliding bar schemes and offer self-talk. ( Dominelli,2009 ) . Prevention attack can assist underage adolescence stay manner drugs to some extent. Spruit stressed that traditional bar plan aimed at bettering pupils behaviour accomplishments such as learning them how to get by with peer force per unit area and do accurate determination. Secondary bar besides called injury decrease, which used by healthy attention sector and societal attention sector ; assist forestall wellness deteriorating in the hereafter. ( 1998 ) . Beside these effectual and professional theoretical accounts and attacks, societal workers should see the intervention environment and household environment of clients during the whole bar and intercession procedure. To the minor striplings who are alcohol abuser, most of them are vulnerable and down, so they seek solace from intoxicant. When confronting this sort of clients, a safe and trustworthy environment is critical. Muisener argued that when confronting to the clients who have been alcohol abuser or intoxicant victims, societal worker should supply a safe environment. ( as cited in Collins A ; Keene, 2000, P.103 ) . societal workers can smooth relationship -building, particularly in the formation of societal networkers that can give people a feeling of being valued, appreciated and belonging to a broad circle of people. ( Dominelli, 2009, p.121 ) Actually, non merely the intervention environment is of import to the adolescents, their household milieus besides influence their behaviour and emotions. Due to tonss of immature drinkers are influenced by household and equal group in school, so school-family plans seem utile and effectual. The plan aimed at bettering the household working to forestall imbibing jobs by household member and adolescence. ( Gorgulho A ; Tamendarova, 2008 ) The state of affairs in Hong Kong: Actually, the intoxicant maltreatment job among adolescents in Hong Kong has its ain features such as alone cultural background, public attending, the ground of household and equal influence and so on. All the clip, intoxicant imbibing is viewed as a prevailing amusement and single life style and has non being viewed as a serious societal job. From my point of position, the intoxicant cultural is playing an of import function in the whole societal activities. Peoples will hold a drink after work to alleviate force per unit area. Peoples besides will imbibe alcoholic drink when some happy events or jubilations go oning. Lou and Shek stated that in Chinese civilization, people ever drink when they meet friends or holding household assemblage. Because these societal -oriented grounds, tonss of adolescents begin to imbibing. ( 2006 ) . In Hong Kong, the adolescents intoxicant maltreatment is ever associated with five psychosocial factors. They are academic public presentation, temper, attitude, household attitude and organized condemnable groups engagement. Further, Lou and Shek suggested that intoxicant maltreatment brings about many negative effects to adolescents. The influence include behavioural job such as combat, sexual behaviour after rummy, take parting in offense organisations and so on ; healthy job such as liver or tummy hurting and household struggle. ( 2006 ) . Therefore, the intercession and bar program should be established from the five positions. My bar and intercession program: Harmonizing to the specific state of affairs in Hong Kong, I suggest the prevention/ intercession program pay more attending on adolescents psychological state of affairs, populating and analyzing environment. Because of both of them are the most important elements which influence the hereafter development of adolescence. At the beginning, although there are tonss of arguments about the effectivity of instruction plan, I still see instruction plan is a critical portion, particularly in the phase of bar. Actually, how to use instruction plan to better adolescents consciousness is important. The accomplishments, methods, techniques will find whether the plan is effectual or non. Prevention program: To those adolescence that neer drink intoxicant before, the bar program should concentrate on two parts: instruction and communicating acquisition. Education plan: Education plan can supply them current way and utile information. Adolescence is an of import period which imposes a important influence on a individual s whole life. During the period, kids ever full of wonder, and like seeking something disputing and experient alteration in both mental and physical development. At this clip, as a societal worker, we should give more advices and pay more attending in instance of them go astray. However, in the instruction plan, we should offer appropriate advice, if we emphasize do non imbibe to much, it will convey approximately negative effect. For illustration, most adolescents at this age are rebellious and they view imbibing intoxicant as a cryptic escapade and seek it in secret. Therefore, in the instruction plan, those sorts of deadening talks possibly uneffective, I suggest societal workers should utilize several vivid signifiers such as movies or existent experience to exemplify the negative consequence caused by intoxicant. Communicating A ; larning workshop Social workers can join forces with school instructors and staffs to form some activities to assist pupils understand and acknowledge the disadvantages of utmost imbibing. For illustration, ask foring school pupils visit several establishments which help bring around intoxicant maltreaters. After sing, societal workers can promote them hold a treatment or compose a contemplation to depict their ain feelings. By this method, adolescents can grok hazard of utmost imbibing and organize their ain sentiment instead than accomplish sermon passively. Intervention program: To the adolescence who is of all time alcohol user or current intoxicant user, the focal point of attack is different from bar program. Intervention program emphasize amending the behaviour and assist them retrieve every bit shortly as possible in both mental and physical wellness. Appraisal Those adolescents who are utmost imbibing in Hong Kong are ever associated with similar psychosocial correlativity. Some of them are influenced by equal group, some of them are lack of household support and corsets in an unsupervised state of affairs which lead them seek solace from intoxicant. Merely understanding the grounds and triggers behind, we can happen out sound schemes to assist them. The appraisal should include person s household background and state of affairs, person s drink form and their perceptual experiences about intoxicant. From the appraisal, societal workers can get person s accurate information which facilitates set uping following program. Family-school attack From the five psychosocial elements associated with adolescent intoxicant maltreatment in Hong Kong mentioned above, we can happen that Adolescents are easy influenced by their household members and peer schoolmates. From the position of household, societal worker should pass on with the client s parents on a regular basis and happen out the disadvantage of the household operation and parenting form. Then give them advice and inquire the parents to care about their kids more often. From the position of school, societal workers can corporate with instructors and staffs to place the triggers of intoxicant maltreatment like academic emphasis, hapless relationship with schoolmates and so on. And assist them acknowledge the bad state of affairs and effect. Bettering intervention environment Tonss of adolescents are less likely to seek professional aid to cut down their alcohol addiction. On the one manus, a portion of them view intoxicant is elementary, on the other manus, they ever feel vulnerable and incapacitated, they are fear to confront their psychological job. Therefore, societal worker should supply a trust and safety environment. At the beginning of the guidance plan, we can state clients we will maintain secretiveness of their basic information and give them more support and encouragement. Relaxation accomplishment preparation There must be some ground lead to people particularly adolescents addicted in intoxicant. And depression, anxiousness and emphasis these sorts of emotional reactions are frequently involved with the intoxicant maltreatment. During the intercession program, societal workers can use some relaxation accomplishments to assist adolescent quiet down. Helping them release and cut down emphasis and modify their temper. By the method, we can extinguish their tenseness and assist them remain off alcohol measure by measure.

Connotation (of Words) - Definition and Examples

Connotation (of Words) s Connotation refers to the emotional implications and associations that a word may carry, in contrast to its denotative (or literal) meanings. Verb: connote. Adjective: connotative. Also called intension or sense. The connotation of a word can be positive, negative, or neutral. It can also be either cultural or personal. Heres an example: To most people the word cruise connotessuggestsa delightful holiday; thus its cultural connotation is positive. If you get seasick, however, the word may connote only discomfort to you; your personal connotation is negative.(Vocabulary by Doing, 2001) In his book Patterns and Meanings (1998), Alan Partington observes that connotation is a problem area for learners of a language: [Because] it is an important mechanism for the expression of attitude, it is of paramount importance that learners be aware of it in order to grasp the illocutionary intent of messages. Etymology:  From the Latin, mark along with Examples and Observations In the East the wilderness has no evil connotation; it is thought of as an expression of the unity and harmony of the universe.(William O. Douglas)Exercise addiction.It sounds like an oxymoronexercise has a healthy connotation, while addiction sounds negative.But experts are seeing some people abuse a healthy lifestyleand for one Los Angeles woman, the addiction lasted nearly 20 years.(Jessica Ryen Doyle, Woman Battles Exercise Addiction for Nearly 20 Years. Fox News.com, October 17, 2012)In the real world, procrastination has a negative connotation.People who leave things to the last minute are often characterized as lazy, unprepared and inefficient.In professional sports, though, procrastination isn’t a label to be ashamed about. In fact, putting things off until the last possible moment might be the sign of a true champion.(Ian Mendes, Procrastinate Like a Champion. Ottawa Citizen, October 15, 2012)Debt is a four letter word. For many people it has the same connotation as m any other four letter words. However, not all debt is bad. . . . In general terms good debt is defined as debt that allows someone to invest in the future such as business loans, student loans, mortgages and real estate loans.(How to Know When Debt Is a Four Letter Word. MarketWatch, October 17, 2012) Stimulus is Washington talk, said Rahm Emanuel, the coming White House chief of staff with a sandpapered-fingertip sensitivity to the familiar connotation of words. Economic recovery is how the American people think of it.(William Safire, Recovery. The New York Times, Dec. 12, 2008)Synonyms and ConnotationsA group of synonyms cannot by definition be distinguished in terms of their denotation, but they usually display noticeable differences of connotation, as in the case of car, automobile, runabout, buggy, banger, bus, hot rod, jalopy, old crock, racer, and so on.(David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003)A Rose by Any Other Name- Mr. Powers: Jones. I dont like that name. Its going to handicap you, young man. Now wait a minute. Ive got some sort of a name here. Yes. Haverstock. Huntley Haverstock. Sounds a little more important, dont you think, Mr. Fisher?Mr. Fisher: Oh, yes, yes. Very dashing.Mr. Powers: . . . Well, speak up young man. You dont mind being Huntley Haverstock, do you?Johnny Jones: A rose by any name, sir.(Harry Davenport, George Sanders, and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent, 1940)- What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,Nor arm, nor face, nor any other partBelonging to a man. O! be some other name:What’s in a name? that which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet.(Juliet in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)- Lisa: A rose by any other name smells as sweet.Bart: Not if you call them Stench Blossoms.(The Simpsons) Light CigarettesAltria said it had used terms like light as well as packaging colors to connote different tastes, not safety. But study after studyincluding ones by the industry disclosed in tobacco lawsuitshas shown consumers believe the terms and colors connote a safer product.(Duff Wilson, Coded to Obey Law, Lights Become Marlboro Gold. The New York Times, Feb. 18, 2010)Pork Butt or Boston Roast?In an effort to boost sales going into the grilling season and make shopping at the meat counter a bit easier, the pork and beef industries are retooling more than 350 names of meat cuts to give them more sizzle and consumer appeal. . . .[By summer,] the pork chop will be gone. Instead, grocery retailers could be stocking stacks of porterhouse chops, ribeye chops and New York chops. The pork butt which actually comes from shoulder meatwill be called a Boston roast.(New Meat Names Mean Bye Bye, Pork Chop; Hello, Ribeye. Chicago Tribune, April 10, 2013)ReservationThe name reservation has a negative connotation among Native Americansan intern camp of sorts.(John Russell) TribeSince tribe has assumed a connotation of primitiveness or backwardness, it is suggested that the use of nation or people replace the term whenever possible in referring to Native American peoples.(R. B. Moore, Racism in the English Language, in The Production of Reality, ed. J. OBrien, 2005)Socialism and Capitalism[For many], socialism implies egalitarianism and that people are living for society, while capitalism has been given the connotation of materialism, greedy, selfish, self-serving, and so on.(Milton Friedman)Denotation and Connotation in a Poem by E.A. RobinsonIn the following poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of the words in italics.Richard Cory (1897)Whenever Richard Cory went down town,We people on the pavement looked at him:He was a gentleman from sole to crown,Clean favored, and imperially slim.And he was always quietly arrayed,And he was always human when he talked;But still he fluttered pulses when he sa id,Good-morning, and he glittered when he walked.And he was richyes, richer than a king,And admirably schooled in every grace:In fine, we thought that he was everythingTo make us wish that we were in his place.So on we worked, and waited for the light,And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,Went home and put a bullet through his head. Denotation and Connotation in a Poem by Henry David ThoreauIn the following poem we have italicized a number of key words whose connotative meaning directs our response to the images. Although the poem is mostly imagesthe overt commentary is confined to the first two linesthe poets attitude is anything but neutral.Pray to What Earth Does This Sweet Cold Belongby Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)Pray to what earth does this sweet cold belong,Which asks no duties and no conscience?The moon goes up by leaps, her cheerful pathIn some far summer stratum of the sky,While stars with their cold shine bedot her way.The fields gleam mildly back upon the sky,And far and near upon the leafless shrubsThe snow dust still emits a silver light.Under the hedge, where drift banks are their screen,The titmice now pursue their downy dreams,As often in the sweltering summer nightsThe bee doth drop asleep in the flower cup,When evening overtakes him with his load.By the brooksides, in the still, genial ni ght,The more adventurous wanderer may hearThe crystals shoot and form, and winter slowIncrease his rule by gentlest summer means.(David Bergman and Daniel Mark Epstein, The Heath Guide to Literature. D.C. Heath, 1984) The Lighter Side of Connotations: Purses and HandbagsWhy is it a handbag instead of a purse?The General simultaneously rolled her eyes and released a tired sigh. A purse is a cheap, plastic discount store thing. A handbag is what contemporary, fashion-conscious women carry. And thats what we sell. Expensive designer handbags. An assortment of the latest trends and must-have famous names. They are handbags and you need to refer to them that way. You can say bag for short, but never, ever, ever say the word purse Its an insult to the exclusive designers we carry. Got it?Got it.But I didnt really get it. The whole thing sounded kind of snooty and stupid.(Freeman Hall, Retail Hell: How I Sold My Soul to the Store. Adams Media, 2009)The Lighter Side of Connotations: PantiesTheres a certain light connotation attached to the word panties. Can we find another name for them?(Joseph N. Welch as Judge Weaver in Anatomy of a Murder, 1959) Pronunciation: kon-no-TAY-shun Also known as: affective meaning, intensional meaning Also see: Choosing the Best Words: Denotations and ConnotationsAssociative MeaningBertrand Russell on the Connotative Power of WordsConceptual MeaningCommonly Confused Words:  Connotation  and  DenotationCommonly Confused Words:  Connote  and  DenoteDysphemism  and  EuphemismGlittering GeneralitiesLoaded WordsOrthophemismParadiastolePejorative LanguagePhonaestheticsReflected MeaningSemanticsSemioticsSnarl Words Purr WordsSubtextSynonym  and  SynonymyUsage NoteWord ChoiceWriters on Writing: Ten Tips for Finding the Right Words

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Reform in the Military Research Paper

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Reform in the Military - Research Paper Example In the United States of America, the way gays are dealt with greatly impacts the way people perceive leaders. This paper will focus on the controversial issue that regards the military’s Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) Policy. Currently, there is a ban for the admission and maintenance of openly gay people in the military in the US, also known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). President Obama promised to scrap off this ban and as a result, there have been efforts made by his administration to change the law regarding to gay people in the military. These efforts were futile because the democrats did not manage to get enough votes in the senate to allow for this reform to be done. This means that there still exist a debate as to whether openly gay people should be allowed in the military or that the ban be maintained. This subject is controversial because a reform in this law has un-ignorable pros and cons. Pros associated with a reform on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act in the Military U nder the â€Å"Don't Tell† part of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act, any military person who discloses that they are in a homosexual relationship is terminated from the military (Jones 3). This is very unfair to them considering the large numbers of well known homosexuals in the country. What should be taken into consideration is how their declaration of their status has affected their service and discipline in the military and that of others as well. If no negative effect or disallowed behavior can be pointed out, then there is no good basis of removing such people from the military. This is because a declaration of their status may not necessarily mean that there will be a change in discipline or service among the gays (Belkin 278). Some of the research or studies conducted indicate that there is no incompatibility between open gay lifestyle with military service. Examples of such studies are that which was conducted by RAND Corporation under the commission of the department o f defense (DOD) and that conducted by the General Accounting Office. This means that a reform on the Don't Tell part of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act will be most advantageous to the military personnel. This is because it will end the victimization of these who have openly declared their sexual orientation without portraying any unwanted behaviors from then onwards. Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act protects gays from being denied a chance to join the military as along as they do not openly declare their engagement in gay activities (Levy 190). As a result of this, all people have had an equal chance to join the US military provided they meet all the specified requirements. This means that the right to employment among the gays has not been interfere in any way. This important because there is no substantial evidence that being a gay is affects the ability of an individual to execute their duties as expected. This means that a scrap of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act will serve to protect tho se who may declare their engagement in gay activities during the recruitment process. Cons associated with a reform on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act in the Military Ban on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Act could have great impacts on culture and discipline within the military (Belkin 280). This is because the Don’t Tell policy moderates public engagement among gay. An open declaration of gay orientation could make the behavior spread in

Discussion 1 Week 2 Apple's New Strategy Assignment

Discussion 1 Week 2 Apple's New Strategy - Assignment Example ed toward maintaining an edge in the industry is to venture outside of the iPhone product or explore potentials for changing the interface into something totally new. 2. Using Porters Five Forces Model located in Chapter 2 of your textbook, assess Apples strengths and weaknesses of each dimension of the model in comparison with those of Samsung, Apples strongest competitor. Justify your response by utilizing at least one (1) example based on customer focus. Risk of Entry: Apple’s iPhone had been identified to be a product that is imitated by other phone manufacturers. The risk of entry or imitation by competitors is strong; yet there are legal regulations that protect the product’s copyright. Rivalry Among Established Companies: Rivalry is still strong given the popularity of the iPhone. Recently, Samsung was noted to have averred that Apple was actually imitating Samsung’s Galaxy Note (Matyszczy, 2014). Power of Complement Providers: No power of complementors for Apple’s iPhone which expect all applications to be provided by Apple. Samsung has strong power of complementors where third party providers of applications add value to their products. As such, customers could prefer Samsung’s products due to the ability to access other applications in a more convenient manner. Matyszczy, C. (2014, September 13). Apples big iPhones are a big imitation, Samsung says subtly in new ad. Retrieved January 10, 2015, from c/net:

Analyze the impact of technology on a field of study of your choice Essay

Analyze the impact of technology on a field of study of your choice - Essay Example It is observed that today mobile devices proliferate in corporate environments as these devices can be easily connected to company networks. Although these devices have become an integral part of the modern life, they raise certain potential challenges to the cyber security. According to experts, it is relatively easy to hack mobile devices as compared to other computer devices. Hence, they are highly prone to data theft. In addition, today mobile devices are widely used for cyber crimes because this practice reduces the chances of being caught. Despite numerous advantages including high productivity and greater convenience, mobile devices raise severe threats to cyber security. According to a study conducted among IT professionals (as cited in Dimensional research, 2012), nearly 89% of the organizations connect mobile devices to their corporate networks. Roughly 65% participants responded that their employees used private mobile devices to access the corporate networks. The particip ants also indicated the major mobile platforms used to access corporate networks were Apple iOS (30%), BlackBerry (29%), and Android (21%). Majority of the participants (64%) argued that there has been an increase in mobile devices-related security risks to their organizations over the past two years (Dimensional research, 2012). ... For instance, it is often observed that employees connect their personal mobile devices to unprotected company networks like Wi-Fi in order to access internet. This practice increases the chances of malware attacks on the company networks and subsequently the malware-affected network may cause to lose the valuable business information stored in the company’s mobile devices. In addition, fraud employees can easily copy sensitive company information to their personal mobile devices within seconds and such issues can challenge the firm’s cyber security. Similarly, mobile devices are extremely prone to theft and loss due to their small size and high portability. If mobile devices reach the hands of third parties, they can access the data stored in it using highly advanced applications even though those devices are password-protected. Due to their small size, it is easy for external people to steal mobile devices. Evidently, data theft by individuals would more harmfully aff ect an organization than data loss due to malware attacks. In case of data theft, there might be a possibility of leaking the sensitive data to business competitors. This type of data loss or theft from mobile devices would extremely impact individuals too. Probably, people will store their family-related images and videos and other personal documents on their mobile devices. If such data are accessed by unauthorized people, this would cause great troubles to the users. Kuspriyanto and Noor (2012) point that the use of NFC (near field communication) in mobile payments systems make mobile platforms vulnerable to financially motivated cybercrimes. Evidently, such issues often cause users to suffer huge financial losses. Today,

Payments and Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Payments and Finance - Case Study Example by July 07, 2009 as per terms of contract between Alpha and Delta. This case is akin to the case of The Honorable Society of the Middle Temple v.Lloyds Bank Plc, and Another (1999) I All ER (Comm) 193, in which, the English agent of a foreign bank partook of a robbed crossed cheque and credited the proceeds into the account of a third party instead of the payee. This agent was held to have acted in negligence. The learned Court, distinguishing between the duties the agent owed to the third party vis-'-vis what it owed to its principal, especially when the agent was duty bound, under the ordinary course of business to take cognizance of its principals' instructions. Thus, under this case, the agent was held negligible for failing to take steps to protect the payee's interests. As the Court observed, "This was not so where the loss arose from the agent's negligence in the actual performance of the collecting bank's request." 1 Similarly, in this case too, Mega Bank could be held... The instructions from Royal Bank to Mega Bank were to credit Alpha's account with the advance money within a day and yet this was not done. The advance payment forms an integral part of the agreement between the seller and buyer, and the inability of the buyers to meet this clause, could, at the option of the seller, lead to cancellation of the contract. As a matter of fact, the entire contract hinges, at the initial stage of the contract, on the release of the advance payment of the contract down payment of '50,000 on the part of the buyers, and the inability on the part of the buyers to effectuate and confirm this payment by July 07, 2009 could, at the option of the seller, lead to nullification of the contract. The contract could be rendered void by seller due to non-receipt of the advance payment within stipulated time that is within July 07, 2009. In this case the contract does not stipulate when the buyer should pay in the money, but stipulates that it should be received by the seller within 7 days of the contract. In other words, it mandates the minimum time within which the payment has to be effected and before t he time, after which the contract may lapse. "The moment the agreed period of deferral came to an end, the requirement to pay arose." (Litigation letter, 2004, para.1). In the event the sellers, Alpha, cancels the contract, the buyers, Delta is at liberty to proceed against the bank that has committed the error, that is Mega bank. From the point of view of the Grande Bank in Paris they have acted according to instructions of the buyer client, Delta. They had debited the buyer's account and had, at the same time also sent a Payment Advice through SWIFT to its correspondent bank in UK, Royal Bank

Black Family Reunions in the Cincinnati Region Research Paper

Black Family Reunions in the Cincinnati Region - Research Paper Example Black Americans also use family reunions as venues to memorize their coming to America and their lives as slaves of America. Family reunions also provide avenues where certain individuals in the Black America communities can search for lost relatives and sometimes trace their roots. Family reunions among the Black community in America take place at varying periods of the year. Some family reunions in the views of Smith commences on Christmas day, while others happen on 4th of July (487). The Most important fact about family reunions is that they occur every year. According to Smith, the most historic family reunion in America was the 1986 National Family Reunion Celebrations held at the National Mall in Washington DC (486). The Black Family Reunion of 1986 focused on restoring the liveliness of Family Reunions in the US. The National Family Reunion of 1986 attracted various individuals among them government agencies, private and public institutions, corporations and families from different ethnic aspects. According to Vargus, reunions great celebrations, Black family reunions take place at an annual basis and takes two to three days of busy celebration. In the reports of Ebony, African American families institute regular meetings of 50 to 350 attendants usually tabled at hotels and tourism centers. Black family reunions are simply unity congregations intended to bring together sparse and related families. Black family reunions are occasions for consolation and reconciliation of fractured families that faced the broth of slavery in America. In addition, Black family reunions in Cincinnati are avenues for making and strengthening peace and friendship, which are the core components of unity.  

Comparison between Electoral Systems and Movement Organising Essay

Comparison between Electoral Systems and Movement Organising - Essay Example This essay discusses that  using people’s power has positive aspects such as the appeal of having the masses in support of the change they need. When the masses are in solidarity in demanding for a particular action from the government, there is much more international attention focussed on the situation that forces the concerned parties in authority to take appropriate actions to correct the situation. Moreover, when the people act in solidarity to demand change, they have much more strength and motivation to see it done.This paper declares that the negative aspects of peoples’ power are that it can lead to violence resulting in injuries or even loss of lives. In some cases, it leads to a prolonged instability in the region or country affected. An example of the case where the peoples’ power took control was in the Arab revolution in Egypt when the Egyptians rose against the then regime of President Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian protests mainly concerned politic al issues and legal issues that they claimed to treat them poorly. After they had succeeded to over through President Hosni, there were political reforms, even though instability remains a big challenge to date.  The number of registered voters who vote usually reduces under any normal circumstance. Movement building can be used to improve on the voter turnout more conveniently than the electoral system. Usually when the masses participate in demonstrations such as the peoples’ power, the struggling communities take a large part in the participation.

Black Family Reunions in the Cincinnati Region Research Paper

Black Family Reunions in the Cincinnati Region - Research Paper Example Black Americans also use family reunions as venues to memorize their coming to America and their lives as slaves of America. Family reunions also provide avenues where certain individuals in the Black America communities can search for lost relatives and sometimes trace their roots. Family reunions among the Black community in America take place at varying periods of the year. Some family reunions in the views of Smith commences on Christmas day, while others happen on 4th of July (487). The Most important fact about family reunions is that they occur every year. According to Smith, the most historic family reunion in America was the 1986 National Family Reunion Celebrations held at the National Mall in Washington DC (486). The Black Family Reunion of 1986 focused on restoring the liveliness of Family Reunions in the US. The National Family Reunion of 1986 attracted various individuals among them government agencies, private and public institutions, corporations and families from different ethnic aspects. According to Vargus, reunions great celebrations, Black family reunions take place at an annual basis and takes two to three days of busy celebration. In the reports of Ebony, African American families institute regular meetings of 50 to 350 attendants usually tabled at hotels and tourism centers. Black family reunions are simply unity congregations intended to bring together sparse and related families. Black family reunions are occasions for consolation and reconciliation of fractured families that faced the broth of slavery in America. In addition, Black family reunions in Cincinnati are avenues for making and strengthening peace and friendship, which are the core components of unity.  

Garden Report Essay Example for Free

Garden Report Essay The Garden Depot, a family-owned floral company, carries a larger variety of floral, gardening and lawn-care products with sales and profits growing. Janice bowman has 13 years of operational knowledge in the industry as office manager in the company. She is responsible for inventory management, computer system management and logistics. Derek Sinclair, the son-in-law of the Depot owner, is the landscaping manager with no experience in management. However, the operation is not smooth in the organization that faced several issues such as lobar force, communication and synchronization. They both have responsibility for the depot, and have to get rid of problems to benefit the company. The company did not have enough permanent skillful and reliable workforce, but only seasonal employees, therefore 50 landscaping jobs could be completed each year, which were fewer than what was demanded. Most of employees were part-time student workers lacking of experience. In addition, a family member who had poor and inappropriate leadership was appointed as landscaping manager. And his irresponsible attitude might have bad impact on moral of stuff. Furthermore, the job responsibilities were not defined, and there were no specialized department to solve the specific problems. The improper recruitment and lack of supervision cause the organization attained unstable and unreliable workforce. This demonstrates a lack of fit between organization process and people as police for recruiting and supervising employees. Moreover, Sinclair had low expertise knowledge on landscaping area, which resulted that he could not answer the customers’ specific question, and he had no qualification and business handling capabilities to solve complex issue. This follows EOPT theory because there is a lack of fit between people and tasks. Whereas having no job description and departmentalization in the organization resulted in the consequence that employees confused about their job. This applies to EOPT theory because there is a lack of fit between organization structure and people. The goal for the Garden Depot is to establish stable and reliable workforces to increase work proficiency. In long term, the organization should ensure job responsibilities defined in every level of the organization, and deploy individual departments to solve any problems to make customers happy. The first alternative is to reevaluate all the stuff and build a formal appraisal system to supervise employees performances, which can help the company to build a stable and reliable workforce. The second alternative will be training Sinclair be a competent manager. If the company wants to keep Sinclair as the landscaping manager, this action alternative is necessary. The last alternative course of action is to create a proper job description and deploy specific departments such as HR department, marketing department, customers departments and inventory departments in order to solve the related issues. The best alternative is to create a formal job description and divide specific departments. First, Sampson should divide the whole organization into four departments HR department, marketing department, inventory department and customer services department. Next, creating job description for every position should be done as soon as possible. Then department supervisors ought to reevaluate employees and put them in the right departments depending on their specialty. Finally, the department supervisor should hand in a process report to managers every month to show their work. If Departmentalization causes lack of communication among individual departments, general manager should have a meeting with all department supervisors once a week.

The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Case Law Law Essay

The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Case Law Law Essay From using theory of doctrine of judicial precedent, I can conclude that using case law as a source of law brings more advantages than advantages. There are many strengths and weaknesses which we can identify from it. Based on using judicial precedent principle, it can bring us uniformity which means everyone is treated equally due to the bound decision made by the judges previously in similar situation to the future cases. Since it is bound by the pervious case, and thus same decision will be made and equal punishment will be punished for those who loss the case bases on the past cases. Example like Balfour case  [1]  and Merrit case  [2]  , where the decision made in Merrit case is bound to the Balfour case. It can be used by lawyers as a reference to create certainty which allow them to advice their client for the probability of winning and losing a case by forecasting the predictable result of the case based on the binding result of the previous case. The predictable result and probability of losing a case allow the client to settle it with privately with peace. If the probability of winning a case is higher, it satisfy the client with higher confident. Example for Balfour case and Mer rit case, since there are similar case occurred in the past, the lawyer can actually based on the previous case advice Miss Merrit about the percentage of winning the case. Furthermore, using case law as a source of law enables the judgment of the case to be settling in short period because of the binding precedent which is much more efficient. Shorter period of settling a case will reduce the legal cost paid by the client. Example for Balfour case and Merrit case, since there are similar facts between both cases, therefore less time and cost needed for judging that case. Using binding precedent concept, it totally avoid discrimination whereby the The personality of judges will not influence the outcome of dispute in court as the decision made by the judges is bound to follow previous decisions. Whether they are discrimination between the judges towards the plaintiff or defendant, the judges still have to follow the binding decisions. Example for the Merrit case, if the judges know the plaintiff, the decision made will be still bound with the Balfour case. This can provide a fair judgment of case for either defendant or plaintiff. Moreover, if there are certain case with are unbinding, this can provide the opportunity for the judges to create and modified new rules. If the previous rules made canà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t meet the new circumstances and the changing need of society, new rules can be created or modified by appealing the cases to the Court of Appeal. Example of case Donoghue v Stevenson  [3]  which creating the new principle of neighbor to clarify the duty of care in more details compare to previous case Heaven v Pender  [4]  . By using judicial precedent concept, it can minimize the mistake made by the judges since they can use the similar case as guideline for them to judge the case. This can reduce the possibility of judges making mistake and contribute to the fair judgment of case. Last by not least the most important advantage is that the decision made are unusually practical and workable in nature because it is based on real problem, real people and real situation which is unlike the legislation created by the Parliament which not all the decision are practical and workable in nature. Everything must have their weaknesses behind of the strength. Judicial precedent is good but something it can be rigidity too which means not flexible. If there are similar case occurred in the past, we have to follow the first precedent although which may sometimes cause hardship. There is no flexibility to change the first precedent once it is created. Although the decision is bad, it is binding until it is overruled. Example of case Donoghue and Stevenson which the plaintiff unable to successfully sued the defendant if plaintiff did not make appeal to the House of Lord to overruled the decision. There are too many cases occurred in the past. It is bulky and complex for the lawyer to learn all the case law since there are too many cases occurred in the past. If similar case occurred, the lawyer has to analyze many factors that are different from the first precedent in order to overruled it and win in the case. The nature changes rapidly. We have understood that the judicial precedent is practical in nature. However, the rapid changes in the nature which are too difficult for the body of case law to grow quickly enough to meet the modern demands. If there are new points in case law and which have the potential to overrule the first precedent, the case must be brought to the court of appeal. There are a lot of procedures that have to be done before appealing and thus it cannot be change in the short term period. Example of case Donoghue v Stevenson, the procedure is too long for the plaintiff to make appeal to the Court of Appeal and even House of Lord, the defendant died within the period, and the case was closed. The judicial precedent system depends on the litigation and litigation tends to be slow and expensive since there are many procedures have to be done. Moreover, from the judicial precedent, we know that only the ration of case is binding in a case. However, the problems are that s ometimes it is difficult to check it out which it is the ration decidenti and which the obiter dictum of the case is since we know that obiter dictum is only comments from the cases and it is only for references purpose. Citation: Business Law lecture notes http://sixthformlaw.info/01_modules/mod2/2_1_1_precedent_mechanics/08_precedent_advantages_dis.htm

A New Ending for Romeo And Juliet Essay -- William Shakespeare

New Ending Act V, Scene III Verona. A churchyard; the monument of the Capulets. Enter Romeo and Paris. Paris This is that banished haughty Montague, That murdered my love’s cousin, with which grief It is supposed that fair creature died, And here is come to do some villainous shame To the dead bodies. I will apprehend him. Stop thy unhallowed toil vile Montague. Can vengance be pursued further than death? Condemned villian, I do apprehend thee. Obey and go with me, for thou must die. Romeo I must indeed, and therefor came I hither, Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man For thou nor any man shall prevent me from being with my love tonight, Put not another sin upon my head By urging me to fury. O be gone For I shall know not what I do but rather do what I must A madman’s mercy bid thee, run away. Paris I defy thee! For thou hast done my love great injustice. Romeo Her love is mine! Your love she shall never be! [they fight] [Paris is slain] Romeo Forgive me good sir For again, I know not what I do Inside the tomb of Capulet Romeo O Fair Juliet why must thou torture me so For even in death thy beauty is paralleled only by the stars in the sky. O Lord what great injustice hast thou done to thee For my love is gone And no greater crime against me can thou think of. Tis our familes’ to blame Not us. For they are blinded by tradition and driven by hatred. O but it matters not. Soon shall I be with thee and soon shall I once again be merry, For to live forth be n...

Ellen Foster Essay -- essays papers

Ellen Foster The majority of families were once considered perfect. The father went to work everyday, while the mother stayed at home and cared for her two children, â€Å"Henry† and â€Å"Sue†. The children never fought and the parents were involved in all the community events. Our society has grown to accept that there is no such thing as a perfect family. Eleven-year-old Ellen from the book Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons, grows up in a household where her father is an abusive alcoholic and her mother is too sick to complete everyday tasks. By using her positive assets, and learning from her negative assets, Ellen was able to overcome a lot of challenges throughout the book. One would think that six of the most important external assets fall under the category of support. Without support from one’s family and friends, he/she would have to be living in a state of depression. Ellen can claim to have only two of the support assets, which are to be in a caring school environment and to receive support from three or more nonparent adults. In school, her teachers worry about her, and want to know if she is OK: â€Å"The first day back at school my teacher noticed a bruise he put on my arm†¦ she asked me if I had somewhere to spend the night†¦the teacher says everything is OK and she will make the necessary arrangements†. Although Ellen found support from the school psychologist, she also found support from her best and only friend Starletta’s parents. Starletta’s parents told Ellen, â€Å"You come on back when you want to†¦ If he’s there when you get home you come on back here if you want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Starletta’s parents are very understanding and they even take Ellen downtown whenever she needs to, buy clothing or food. Even though Ellen found sup... ...family that she grew up in was such a negative environment. It is very possible that she will grow up to be an art teacher. One might think this because she looked up to her art teacher so much and admired her; Ellen’s mind is full of creativity and ideas. When Ellen’s school found out that her dad was abusive to her they put her up at her art teacher’s house. Ellen says â€Å"I came a long way to get here but when you think about it really hard you will see that old Starletta came even farther†¦ And all this time I thought I had the hardest row to hoe† Like Ellen did, it is important for everyone to look back into their life and see what they have learned. Doing so cannot change ones past but only add to their future. Ellen will always carry the horrors of her childhood with her but by using all of her assets that she gained throughout the book her future can be enriched.

Coyote Blue Chapter 3~5

CHAPTER 3 The Machines of Irony Bring Memory Santa Barbara After Sam's secretary gave him the address of his appointment he hung up the cellular phone and punched the address into the navigation system he'd had installed in the Mercedes so he would always know where he was. Wherever Sam was, he was in touch. In addition to the cellular phone he wore a satellite beeper that could reach him anywhere in the world. He had fax machines and computers in his office and his home, as well as a notebook-sized computer with a modem that linked him with data bases that could provide him with everything from demographic studies to news clippings about his clients. Three televisions with cable kept his home alive with news, weather, and sports and provided insipid entertainments to fill his idle hours and keep him abreast of what was hot and what was not, as well as any information he might need to construct a face to meet a face: to change his personality to dovetail with that of any prospective client. The by-gone salesman out riding on a shoeshine and a smile had been replaced by a shape-shifting shark stalking the sale, and Sam, having buried long ago who he really was, was an excellent salesman. Even as some of Sam's devices connected him to the world, others protected him from its harshness. Alarm systems in his car and condo kept criminals at bay, while climate control kept the air comfortable and compact discs soothed away distracting noise. A monstrous multi-armed black machine he kept in his spare bedroom simulated the motions of running, cross-country skiing, stair climbing, and swimming, while monitoring his blood pressure and heart rate and making simulated ocean sounds that stimulated alpha waves in the brain. And all this without the risk of the shin splints, broken legs, drowning, or confusion that he might have experienced by actually going somewhere and doing something. Air bags and belts protected him when he was in the car and condoms when he was in women. (And there were women, for the same protean guile that served him as a salesman served him also as a seducer.) When the women left, protesting that he was charming but something was missing, there was a numb er that he could call where someone would be nice to him for $4.95 a minute. Sometimes, while he was getting his hair cut, sitting in the chair with his protections and personalities down, the hairdresser would run her hands down his neck, and that small human contact sent a lonesome shudder rumbling through him like a heartbreak. â€Å"I'm here to see Mr. Cable,† he said to the secretary, an attractive woman in her forties. â€Å"Sam Hunter, Aaron Assurance Associates. I have an appointment.† â€Å"Jim's expecting you,† she said. Sam liked that she used her boss's first name; it confirmed the personality profile he had projected. Sam's machines had told him that James Cable was one of the two main partners who owned Motion Marine, Inc., an enormously successful company that manufactured helmets and equipment for industrial deep-sea diving. Cable had been an underwater welder on the rigs off Santa Barbara before he and his partner, an engineer named Frank Cochran, had invented a new fiberglass scuba helmet that allowed divers to stay in radio contact while regulating the high-pressure miasma of gases that they breathed. The two became millionaires within a year and now, ten years later, they were thinking of taking the company public. Cochran wanted to be sure that at least one of the partners could retain controlling interest in the company in the event that the other died. Sam was trying to write a multi-million-dollar policy that would provide buy-out capital for the remaining partner. It was a simple partnership deal, the sort that Sam had done a hundred times, and Cochran, the engineer, with his mathematical way of thinking, his need for precision and order, his need to have all the loose ends tied up, had been an easy sale. With an engineer Sam simply presented facts, carefully laid out in an equationlike manner that led to the desired answer, which was: â€Å"Where do I sign?† Engineers were predictable, consistent, and easy. But Cable, the diver, was going to be a pain in the ass. Cable was a risk taker, a gambler. Any man who had spent ten years of his life working hundreds of feet underwater, breathing helium and working with explosive gas, had to have come to terms with fear, and fear was what Sam traded in. In most cases the fear was easy to identify. It was not the fear of death that motivated Sam's clients to buy; it was the fear of dying unprepared. If he did his job right, the clients would feel that by turning down a policy they were somehow tempting fate to cause them to die untimely. (Sam had yet to hear of a death considered â€Å"timely.†) In their minds they created a new superstition, and like all superstitions it was based on the fear of irony. So, the only lottery ticket you lose will be the winning one, the one time you leave your driver's license at home is the time you will be stopped for speeding, and when someone offers you an insurance policy that only pays you if you're dead, you better damn well buy it. Irony. It was a tacit message, but one that Sam delivered with every sales pitch. He walked into Jim Cable's office with the unusual feeling of being totally unprepared. Maybe it was just the girl who had thrown him, or the Indian. Cable was standing behind a long desk that had been fashioned from an old dinghy. He was tall, with the thin, athletic build of a runner, and completely bald. He extended his hand to Sam. â€Å"Jim Cable. Frank told me you'd be coming, but I'm not sure I like this whole thing.† â€Å"Sam Hunter.† Sam released his hand. â€Å"May I sit? This shouldn't take long.† This was not a good start. Cable gestured for Sam to sit across from him and sat down. Sam remained standing. He didn't want the desk to act as a barrier between them; it was too easy for Cable to defend. â€Å"Do you mind if I move this chair over to your side of the desk? I have some materials I'd like you to see and I need to be beside you.† â€Å"You can just leave the materials, I'll look them over.† Technology had helped Sam over this barrier. â€Å"Well, actually it's not printed matter. I have it in my computer and I have to be on the same side of the screen as you.† â€Å"Okay, I guess that's fine, then.† Cable rolled his chair to the side to allow Sam room on the same side of the desk. That's one, Sam thought. He moved his chair, sat down beside Cable, and opened the notebook computer. â€Å"Well, Mr. Cable, it looks like we can set this whole thing up without any more than a physical for you and Frank.† â€Å"Whoa!† Cable brought his hands up in protest. â€Å"We haven't agreed on this yet.† â€Å"Oh,† Sam said. â€Å"Frank gave me the impression that the decision had been made – that this was just a meeting to confirm the tax status and pension benefits of the policy.† â€Å"I didn't know there were pension benefits.† â€Å"That's why I'm here,† Sam said. It wasn't why he was there at all. â€Å"To explain them to you.† â€Å"Well, Frank and I haven't gotten down to any specifics on this. I'm not sure it's a good idea at all.† Sam needed misdirection. He launched into the presentation like a pit bull/Willy Loman crossbreed. As he spoke, the computer screen supported his statements with charts, graphs, and projections. Every five seconds a message flashed across the screen faster than the eye could see, but not so fast that it could not nibble on the lobes of the subconscious like a teasing lover. The message was: BE SMART, BUY THIS. Sam had designed the program himself. The BE SMART part of the message could be modified for each client. The options were: BE SEXY, BE YOUNG, BE BEAUTIFUL, BE THIN, BE TALL, and Sam's personal favorite, BE GOD. He'd come up with the idea one night while watching a commercial in which six heavily muscled guys got to run around on the beach impressing beautiful women presumably because they drank light beer. BE A STUD, DRINK LIGHT. Sam finished his presentation and stopped talking abruptly, feeling that he had somehow forgotten something. He waited, letting the silence become uncomfortable, letting the conversation lay on the desk before them like a dead cat, letting the diver come to the correct conclusion. The first one to speak loses. Sam knew it. He sensed that Cable knew it. Finally, Jim Cable said, â€Å"This is a great little computer you have. Would you consider selling it?† Sam was thrown. â€Å"But what about the policy?† â€Å"I don't think it's a good idea,† Cable said. â€Å"But I really like this computer. I think it would be smart to buy it.† â€Å"Smart?† Sam said. â€Å"Yeah, I just think it would be a smart thing to do.† So much for subliminal advertising. Sam made a mental note to change his message to: BE SMART, BUY THE POLICY. â€Å"Look, Jim, you can get a computer like this in a dozen stores in town, but this partnership policy is set up for right now. You are never going to be younger, you'll never be in better health, the premium will never be lower or the tax advantage better.† â€Å"But I don't need it. My family is taken care of and I don't care who takes control of the company after I'm dead. If Frank wants to take a policy out on me I'll take the physical, but I'm not betting against myself on this.† There it was. Cable was not afraid and Sam knew no way to instill the fear he needed. He had read that Cable had survived several diving accidents and even a helicopter crash while being shuttled to one of the offshore rigs. If he hadn't glimpsed his mortality before, then nothing Sam could say would put the Reaper in his shaving mirror. It was time to walk away and salvage half of the deal with Cable's partner. Sam stood and closed the screen on the computer. â€Å"Well, Jim, I'll talk to Frank about the specifics of the policy and set up the appointment for the physical.† They shook hands and Sam left the office trying to analyze what had gone wrong. Again and again the fear factor came up. Why couldn't he find and touch that place in Jim Cable? Granted, his concentration had been shot by the morning's events. Really, he'd done a canned presentation to cover himself. But to cover what? This was a clean deal, cut and dried. When he climbed back into the Mercedes there was a red feather lying on the seat. He brushed it out onto the street and slammed the door. He drove back to his office with the air conditioner on high. Still, when he arrived ten minutes later, his shirt was soaked with sweat. CHAPTER 4 Moments Are Our Mentors Santa Barbara There are those days, those moments in life, when for no particular reason the senses are heightened and the commonplace becomes sublime. It was one of those days for Samuel Hunter. The appearance of the girl, the wanting she had awakened in him, had started it. Then the Indian's presence had so confused him that he was fumbling through the day marveling at things that before had never merited a second look. Walking back into his outer office he spied his secretary, Gabriella Snow, and was awed for a moment by just how tremendously, how incredibly, how child-frighteningly ugly she was. There are those who, deprived of physical beauty, develop a sincerity and beauty of spirit that seems to eclipse their appearance. They marry for love, stay married, and raise happy children who are quick to laugh and slow to judge. Gabriella was not one of those people. In fact, if not for her gruesome appearance, an unpleasant personality would have been her dominant feature. She was good on the phone, however, and Sam's clients were sometimes so relieved to be out of her office and into his that they bought policies out of gratitude, so he kept her on. He'd hired her three years ago from the resume she had mailed in. She was wildly overqualified for the position and Sam remembered wondering why she was applying for it in the first place. For three years Sam had breezed by her desk without really looking at her, but today, in his unbalanced state, her homeliness inspired him to poetry. But what rhymed with Gabriella? She said, â€Å"Mr. Aaron is very anxious to talk to you, Mr. Hunter. He requested that you go right into his office as soon as you arrived.† â€Å"Gabriella, you've been here three years. You can call me Sam.† Sam was still thinking about poetry. Salmonella? â€Å"Thank you, Mr. Hunter, but I prefer to keep things businesslike. Mr. Aaron was quite adamant about seeing you immediately.† Gabriella paused and checked a notepad on her desk, then read, â€Å"‘Tell him to get his ass in my office as soon as he hits the door or I'll have him rat-fucked with a tire iron. â€Å" â€Å"What does that mean?† Sam asked. â€Å"I would assume that he would like to see you right away, sir.† â€Å"I guessed that.† Sam said. â€Å"I'm a little vague on the rat-fucked part. What do you think, Gabriella?† Gabriella, Gabriella, As fair as salmonella. â€Å"I'm sure I don't know. You might ask him.† â€Å"Right,† Sam said. He walked down the hall to Aaron Aaron's outer office, composing the next line of his poem along the way. It wouldn't surprise me in the least If you were mistaken for a beast. Aaron Aaron wasn't Aaron's real name: he had changed it so his insurance firm would be the first listed in the yellow pages. Sam didn't know Aaron's real name and he had never asked. Who was he to judge? Samuel Hunter wasn't his real name either, and it was certainly less desirable alphabetically. Aaron's secretary, Julia, a willowy actress/model/dancer who typed, answered phones, and referred to hairdressers as geniuses, greeted Sam with a smile that evinced thousands in orthodontia and bonding. â€Å"Hi, Sam, he's really pissed. What did you do?† â€Å"Do?† â€Å"Yeah, on that Motion Marine deal. They called a few minutes ago and Aaron went off.† â€Å"I didn't do anything,† Sam said. He started into Aaron's office, then turned to Julia. â€Å"Julia, do you know what rat-fuck means?† â€Å"No, Aaron just said that he was going to do it to you for sucking the joy out of his new head.† â€Å"He got a new head? What's this one?† â€Å"A wild boar he shot last year. The taxidermist delivered it this morning.† â€Å"Thanks Julia, I'll be sure to notice it.† â€Å"Good luck.† Julia smiled, then held the smile while she checked herself in the makeup mirror on her desk. Walking into Aaron's office was like stepping into a nineteenth-century British hunt club: walnut paneling adorned with the stuffed heads of a score of game animals, numbered prints of ducks on the wing, leather wing-back chairs, a cherry-wood desk clear of anything that might indicate that a business was being conducted. Sam immediately spotted the boar's head. â€Å"Aaron, it's beautiful.† Sam stood in front of the head with his arms outstretched. â€Å"It's a masterpiece.† He considered genuflecting to appeal to the latent Irish Catholic in Aaron, but decided that the insincerity would be spotted. Aaron, short, fifty, balding, face shot with veins from drink, swiveled in his high-backed leather chair and put down the Vogue magazine he had been leafing through. Aaron had no interest in fashion; it was the models that interested him. Sam had spent many an afternoon listening to Aaron's forlorn daydreams of having a showpiece wife. â€Å"How was I to know that Katie would get fat and I would get successful? I was only twenty when we got married. I thought the idea of getting laid steadily was worth it. I need a woman that goes with my Jag. Not Katie. She's pure Rambler.† Here he would point to an ad in Vogue. â€Å"Now, if I could only have a woman like that on my arm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"She'd have you surgically removed,† Sam would say. â€Å"Sure, be that way, Sam. You don't know what it's like to think that getting a little strange could cost you half of what you own. You single guys have it all.† â€Å"Stop romanticizing, Aaron. Haven't you heard? Sex kills.† â€Å"Sure, suck the joy out of my fantasies. You know, I used to look forward to sex because it was fifteen minutes when I didn't have to think about death and taxes.† â€Å"If you do think about death and taxes it lasts half an hour.† â€Å"That's what I mean, I can't even get distracted with Katie anymore. Do you know what someone with my income has to pay in taxes?† The question came up in every one of their conversations. They had worked together for almost twenty years and Aaron always treated Sam as if he were still fifteen years old. â€Å"I know exactly what someone with your income is supposed to pay in taxes, about ten times what you actually pay.† â€Å"And you don't think that that weighs on me? The IRS could take all this.† Sam rather liked the vision of a team of IRS agents loading large dead animal heads into Aaron's Jag and driving off with antlers out every window while Katie stood by shouting, â€Å"Hey, half of those are mine!† No matter how much Aaron attained, he would never let go of his fear of losing it long enough to enjoy it. In his mind's eye, Sam imagined Aaron mournfully watching as they carried the wild boar head out by the tusks. â€Å"This thing is gorgeous,† Sam said. â€Å"I think I'm getting a woody just looking at it.† â€Å"I named it Gabriella,† Aaron said proudly, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be angry. Then he remembered. â€Å"What the fuck did you just pull over at Motion Marine? Frank Cochran is talking lawsuit.† â€Å"Over a little subliminal advertising? I don't think so.† â€Å"Subliminal advertising! Jim Cable fainted after that stunt you pulled. They don't even know what happened yet. It could be a heart attack. Are you out of your fucking mind? I could lose the agency over this.† Sam could see Aaron's blood pressure rising red on his scalp. â€Å"You thought it was a great idea last week when I showed it to you.† â€Å"Don't drag me into this, Sam, you're on your own with this one. I've pulled some shit in my time to push the fear factor, but I never had a client attacked by an Indian, for Christ's sake.† â€Å"Indian?† Sam almost choked. He lowered himself very gently into one of the leather wing-backs. â€Å"What Indian?† â€Å"Don't bullshit me, Sam. I taught you everything you know about bullshitting. Right after you left his office Jim Cable walked out of the Motion Marine building and was attacked by a guy dressed up as an Indian. With a tomahawk. If they catch the guy and he tells that you hired him, it's over for both of us.† Sam tried to speak but could find no breath to drive his voice. Aaron had been his teacher, and in a twisted, competitive way, Aaron was his friend and confidant, but he had never trusted Aaron with his fears. He had two: Indians and cops. Indians because he was one, and if anyone found out it it would lead to policemen, one of whom he had killed. Here they were, after twenty years, paralyzing him. Aaron came around the desk and took Sam by the shoulders. â€Å"You're smarter than this, kid,† he said, softening at Sam's obvious confusion. â€Å"I know this was a big deal, but you know better than to do something desperate like that. You can't let them see that you're hungry. That's the first rule I taught you, isn't it?† Sam didn't answer. He was looking at the mule deer head mounted over Aaron's desk, but he was seeing the Indian sitting in the cafe grinning at him. Aaron shook him. â€Å"Look, we're not totally screwed here. We can draw up an agreement signing all your interest in the agency over to me and backdate it to last week. Then you would be working as an independent contractor like the other guys. I could give you, say, thirty cents on the dollar for your shares under the table. You'd have enough to fight the good fight in court, and if they let you keep your license you'll always have a job to come back to. What do you say?† Sam stared at the deer head, hearing Aaron's voice only as a distant murmur. Sam was twenty-six years and twelve hundred miles away on a hill outside of Crow Agency, Montana. The voice he was hearing was that of his first teacher, his mentor, his father's brother, his clan uncle: a single-toothed, self-proclaimed shaman named Pokey Medicine Wing. CHAPTER 5 The Gift of a Dream Crow Country – 1967 Sam, then called Samson Hunts Alone, stood over the carcass of the mule deer he had just shot, cradling the heavy Winchester.30?C30 in his arms. â€Å"Did you thank the deer for giving its life up for you?† Pokey asked. As Samson's clan uncle, it was Pokey's job to teach the boy the ways of the Crow. â€Å"I thanked him, Pokey.† â€Å"You know it is the Crow way to give your first deer away. Do you know who you will give it to?† Pokey grinned around the Salem he held between his lips. â€Å"No, I didn't know. Who should I give it to?† â€Å"It is a good gift for a clan uncle who has said many prayers for your success in finding a spirit helper on your vision quest.† â€Å"I should give it to you, then?† â€Å"It is up to you, but a carton of cigarettes is a good gift too, if you have the money.† â€Å"I don't have any money. I will give you the deer.† Samson Hunts Alone sat down on the ground by the deer carcass and hung his head. He sniffed to fight back tears. Pokey kneeled beside him. â€Å"Are you sad for killing the deer?† â€Å"No, I don't see why I have to give it away. Why can't I take it home and let Grandma cook it for all of us?† Pokey took the rifle from the boy, levered a cartridge into the chamber, then let out a war whoop and fired it into the air. Samson stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. â€Å"You are a hunter now!† Pokey cried. â€Å"Samson Hunts Alone has killed his first deer!† he shouted to the sky. â€Å"Soon he will be a man!† Pokey crouched down to the boy again. â€Å"You should be happy to give the deer away. You are Crow and it is the Crow way.† Sam looked up, his golden eyes shot with red and brimming with tears. â€Å"One of the boys at school says that the Crow are no more than thieves and scavengers. He said that the Crow are cowards because we never fought the white man.† â€Å"This boy is Cheyenne?† Pokey said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Then he is jealous because he is not Crow. The Crow gave the Cheyenne and the Lakota and the Blackfoot a reason to get up in the morning. They outnumbered us ten to one and we held our land against them for two hundred years before the white man came. Tell this boy that his people should thank the Crow for being such good enemies. Then kick his ass.† â€Å"But he is bigger than me.† â€Å"If your medicine is strong you will beat him. When you go on your fast next week, pray for warrior medicine.† Samson didn't know what to say. He would go to the Wolf Mountains next week for his first vision quest. He would fast and pray and hope to find a spirit helper to give him medicine, but he wasn't sure he believed, and he didn't know how to tell Pokey. â€Å"Pokey,† the boy said finally, very quietly, his voice barely audible over the hot breeze whistling through the prairie grass, â€Å"a lot of people say that you don't have no medicine at all, that you are just a crazy drunk.† Pokey put his face so close to Samson's that the boy could smell the cigarette-and-liquor smell coming off him. Then, softly, in a gentle, musical rasp he said, â€Å"They're right, I am a crazy drunk. The others are afraid of me 'cause I'm so crazy. You know why?† Sam sniffed, â€Å"Nope.† Pokey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small buckskin bundle tied with a thong. He untied the thong and unfolded the buckskin on the ground before the boy. In it lay an array of sharp teeth, claws, a tuft of tan fur, some loose tobacco, sweet grass, and sage. The largest object was a wooden carving of a coyote about two inches tall. â€Å"Do you know what this is, Samson?† Pokey asked. â€Å"Looks like a medicine bundle. Ain't you supposed to sing a song when you open it?† â€Å"Don't have to with this one. Nobody ever had medicine like this. I ain't never showed it to anyone before.† â€Å"What are those teeth?† â€Å"Coyote teeth. Coyote claws, coyote fur. I don't tell people about it anymore because they all say I'm crazy, but my spirit helper is Old Man Coyote.† â€Å"He's just in stories,† Sam said. â€Å"There isn't any Old Man Coyote.† â€Å"That's what you think,† Pokey said. â€Å"He came to me on my first fast, when I was about your age. I didn't know it was him. I thought it would be a bear, or an otter, because I was praying for war medicine. But on the fourth day of my fast I looked up and there was this young brave standing there dressed in black buckskins with red woodpecker feathers down his leggings and sleeves. He was wearing a coyote skin as a headdress.† â€Å"How did you know it wasn't just somebody from the res?† â€Å"I didn't. I told him to go away and he said that he had been away long enough. He said that when he gave the Crows so many enemies he promised that he would always be with them so they could steal many horses and be fierce warriors. He said it was almost time to come back.† â€Å"But where is he?† Samson asked. â€Å"That was a long time ago and no one has seen him. If he was here they wouldn't say you were crazy.† â€Å"Old Man Coyote is the trickster. I think he gave me this medicine to make me crazy and make me want to drink. Pretty Eagle, who was a powerful medicine man then, told me how to make this bundle and he told me that if I was smart I would give it to someone else or throw it in the river, but I didn't do it.† â€Å"But if it is bad medicine, if he is your spirit helper and doesn't help you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Does the sun rise just for you, Samson Hunts Alone?† â€Å"No, it rises all over the world.† â€Å"But it passes you and makes you part of its circle, doesn't it?† â€Å"Yeah, I guess so.† â€Å"Well maybe this medicine is bigger than me. Maybe I am just part of the circle. If it makes me unhappy then at least I know why I am unhappy. Do you know why you are unhappy?† â€Å"My deer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"There will be other deer. You have your family, you are good in school, you have food to eat, you have water to drink. You can even speak Crow. When I was a boy they sent me off to a BIA school where they beat us if we spoke Crow. Next week, if your heart is pure, you will get a spirit helper and have strong medicine. You can be a great warrior, a chief.† â€Å"There aren't any chiefs anymore.† â€Å"It will be a long time before you are old enough to be a chief. You are too little to be unhappy about the future.† â€Å"But I am. I don't want to be Crow. I don't want to be like you.† â€Å"Then be like you.† Pokey turned away from the boy and lit another cigarette. â€Å"You make me angry. Give me your knife and I will show you how to dress this deer. We will throw the entrails in the river as a gift to the Earth and the water monsters.† Pokey looked at Samson, as if waiting for the boy to doubt him. â€Å"I'm sorry, Pokey.† The boy unsnapped the sheath on his belt and drew a wickedly curved skinning knife. He held it out to the man, who took the knife and began to field-dress the deer. As he drew the blade down the deer's stomach he said, â€Å"I am going to give you a dream, Samson.† Samson looked away from the deer into Pokey's face. There were always gifts among the Crow – gifts for names, Sun Dance ceremony gifts, powwow gifts at Crow Fair, naming ceremony gifts, gifts for medicine, gifts to clan uncles and aunts, gifts for prayers: tobacco and sweet grass and shirts and blankets, horses and trucks – so many gifts that no one could ever really be poor and no one ever really got rich. But the gift of a dream was very pure, very special, and could never be repaid. Samson had never heard anyone give a dream before. â€Å"I dreamed that Old Man Coyote came to me and he said, ‘Pokey, when everything is right with you, but you are so afraid that something might go wrong that it ruins your balance, then you are Coyote Blue. At these times I will bring you back into balance. This dream that I dreamed I give to you, Samson.† â€Å"What does that mean, Uncle Pokey?† â€Å"I don't know, but it is a very important dream.† Pokey wiped the knife on his pants and handed it to Samson, then hoisted the deer up on his shoulders. â€Å"Now, who are you going to give this deer to?†