Dilemma in business communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dilemma in business communication - Essay Example The new employment opportunity could improve the issue that the employee has and at the same time challenge him to be the best. If I tell the truth about the employee’s drinking problem, the employer will be able to know what kind of employee they are taking in and will be in a position to curtail him to live up to the standards of the organization. However, this would diminish the employees chances of being employed. My rationale behind hiding the truth from the employer will be based on the fact that by searching for a new employment opportunity, the employee has changed positively and realized that sticking to a company’s policies and values is a requisite. My choice will also give the employee a new chance to grow career wise (Snoeyenbos, Almeder & Humber, 2001). Although it is in the best interest of companies to hire efficient employees, people with ethical issues should also be given chances to improve. This can be done through training, formulation of company policies which encourages ethical values at the workplace and having the managers in the forefront in the elimination of unethical

The Most Recent Reforms to the Child Maintenance System are Good News Essay

The Most Recent Reforms to the Child Maintenance System are Good News for Fathers but not Mothers - Essay Example 100 to be paid by the applicant. A total application charge for parents on benefits in the range of ?50 with ?20 of this paid upfront and the remainder paid in installments. The installments for the application only become payable where maintenance is in payment. Therefore a parent on benefit who applies will never pay more than the upfront charge if no maintenance is received from the application. A charge of ?20-25 for the calculation only service to be paid by the applicant. A collection surcharge (on top of maintenance to be paid) of between 15% and 20% to be paid by the non-resident parent. A collection deduction charge (retained from maintenance collected for the parent with care) of between 7% and 12%. A charge on the non-resident parent when enforcement measures (e.g. an order of sale for property) need to be used because of non-compliance. An application charge for the calculation only service.7 This reform is criticized by many because its impact is to be primarily on mothe rs,8 In most of the cases, it would be the women who apply for a maintenance as they would be the care-giving parent.9 1011It is so because â€Å"fathers on the whole do not negotiate full-time work with daily responsibility for child care, especially very young children, either during or after marriage.†12 A study by Atkinson and Mckay concluded that non-resident parents had no wish to share parental responsibility.13 The DWP Equality Impact Assessment for the Green Paper has observed â€Å"that 95% of parents with care are women, and a similar proportion of non-resident parents are men...†14 It is officially calculated,†the full cost of an application is likely to be around ?200. 15 The women in Britain mostly work in â€Å"part-time, low paid, (and) insecure jobs...†16 17 The single mothers have to schedule their working hours so as to undertake child care also.18 19 Mostly, this is why â€Å" women poverty begins with divorce...†20 The new refor ms are sure to put more financial burden on such women, who are already under-privileged. Here, it is important also to note that there is a proven connection â€Å"between poverty and single parenthood.†21 Power equations and maintenance Under the new provisions, if both the parents agree upon a maintenance amount under family agreement, they need not go to the government service provider.22 The power to take such a decision rests equally with the â€Å"parent with care† and the â€Å"non-resident parent.†23 If a non-resident parent decides to â€Å"pay by maintenance direct†, that is, not through government agency, then he/she can do so.24 The non-resident parent most often being the father, this might be a convenient decision for him, as he could avoid government action on non-payment. A Relationship Separation and Child Support Study carried out by a group of researchers showed that it was mainly the non-resident pa

Symptoms Of Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Diseases Health And Social Care Essay

Symptoms Of Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Diseases Health And Social Care Essay Inflammation is a type of defence mechanism that the body exhibits in response to damage to part or all of its tissues. Depending on the severity of the insult and consequent damage to cells, the inflammatory response involves recruitment of varying proportions of neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes (both T and B cells), natural killer cells and cells of the monocyte macrophage lineage. Inflammation normally seeks to eliminate the cause of the insult and repair the damage caused. However, if the damage persists, persistent recruitment of inflammatory cells to the injured area will lead to further damage leading to chronic inflammation. [9] The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a hollow muscular tube running from the mouth to the anus. It is about 7 to 9 meters long in adult. The enormous mucosal surface, which is the innermost layer of the gastrointestinal tract, is constantly exposed to a plethora of antigenic, mitogenic, mutagenic, and toxic stimuli thus clearly making th e gastrointestinal tract vulnerable to such inflammatory responses. [10] Gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases Inflammation can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammatory Bowel Disease The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract. IBD encompasses two forms of intestinal inflammation, namely ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease. Crohns Disease may affect all parts of the gastrointestinal tract, but more commonly it involves the distal part of the small intestine and the colon. On the other hand, ulcerative colitis results in colonic inflammation which can affect only the rectum, or can progress proximally to involve the colon, either partly or entirely [11]. Currently, the etiology of IBD is unknown, but recent investigations have identified contribution of genetic, environmental as well as immunological factors underlying the disease [12]. Susceptibility to disease is thereby determined by genes encoding immune responses which are triggered by environmental stimuli [13]. Figure 1.1 shows a combination of genetic and environmental culprits triggering activation of intestinal immune and non-immune syste ms which culminate in inflammation and tissue damage. [14] Figure 1.1: Etiology and pathogenesis of IBD. Current medical therapy of IBD consists of salicylates, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and immunomodulators. However, their use is associated with severe side effects and complications, such as an increased rate of malignancies or infectious diseases. [15] Gastritis (Inflammation of stomach lining) Gastritis represents a group of disorders characterized by gastric epithelial cell injury and regeneration together with the induction of inflammatory changes in the gastric mucosa [16]. Inflammation of the gastric mucosa occurs as a result of an imbalance between mucosal defensive and aggressive factors. It is now well established that H. pylori infection is the cause of the most common form of chronic gastritis [17]. Studies have established that H.pylori directly contributes to abundant inflammatory response and cause injury to gastric epithelial cells through elaboration of cytotoxic factors and it may also make gastric epithelial cells more susceptible to carcinogenic conversion [18]. There is also evidence that drugs and alcohol may cause gastritis. Iron therapy has also been implicated as a cause of gastritis. Iron-pill gastritis involves mucosal erosion which is accompanied by acute and chronic inflammation and marked regenerative epithelial changes [19]. Autoimmune and hype rsensitivity reactions may also be culprits in gastritis. [20] Esophagitis (Inflammation of the oesophagus) Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory condition whereby presence of dense eosinophilic inflammation of esophageal mucosa contributes to esophageal dysfunction. Eosinophilic esophagitis is a newly acknowledged disease whose incidence and prevalence is rapidly increasing in developed and developing countries [21]. The disease is a major cause of gastrointestinal morbidity among children and adults. It is thought to be immune mediated, whereby food or environmental antigens trigger a T-helper (Th)-2 inflammatory response. [22] Pancreatitis Chronic pancreatitis is well-known as a persistent inflammatory disorder of the pancreas, characterized by destruction of the pancreatic parenchyma, maldigestion, chronic pain and diabetes mellitus. Susceptibility to chronic pancreatitis is inherited in a complex manner, involving mutations in several genes conferring various degrees of risk. [23] Although the exact etiology of acute and chronic pancreatitis is unknown, studies have revealed that they are most frequently caused by a high consumption of alcohol and tobacco [24]. Other common causes include gallstones, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperparathyroidism, trauma, pancreatic tumors, and intra-abdominal and non-abdominal surgery. Drugs constitute a relatively infrequent cause of acute pancreatitis and account for 1.4 to 2% of the cases in the general population. [25] Gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, involving the stomach and intestines. Acute gastroenteritis is a common disease occurring worldwide, which affects all age groups and leading to an estimated three million deaths annually. In many patients the causal agent cannot be identified, but research has implicated bacteria and parasites as well as viruses such as rotavirus, adenovirus, and caliciviruses as major culprits in causing gastroenteritis. [26] Symptoms of gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases Table 1.1: Symptoms of GI inflammation Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Disease Symptoms Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Diarrhoea Blood in stools Gastrointestinal bleeding Abdominal pain Fistulas (usually around the rectal area, may cause draining of pus, mucus, or stools) Constipation Weight loss [11] Gastritis Nausea Vomiting (possibly with blood) Abdominal pain and bloating Indigestion Loss of appetite Blood in the stools. [27] Esophagitis Food impactions Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) Nausea Vomiting Heartburn chest pain or abdominal pain [28] Pancreatitis Abdominal pain Nausea Vomiting Weight loss Mild yellowing of skin (jaundice) Fatty stools [29] Gastroenteritis Abdominal pain Nausea and vomiting Diarrhoea Joint stiffness or muscle pain Poor feeding and weight loss [30] Biomarkers of Gastrointestinal inflammation Inflammatory activities occurring within the gastrointestinal tract can be assessed using a variety of techniques. Presently, the most reliable means to assess intestinal inflammation is endoscopy with mucosal biopsy. However, this technique is expensive, invasive, time-consuming and is not popular with patients [31]. Moreover, this technique requires a skilled operator and an uncomfortable preparatory regimen. Other techniques constitute measurement of conventional non-invasive acute-phase inflammatory markers in plasma and faeces. [32] Blood inflammatory biomarkers Serological biomarkers are principally produced when the intestine is exposed to the normal commensal bacteria and their increased levels might be indicative of an impaired or wrongly regulated inflammatory response. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are well-established indicators of inflammatory conditions within the intestine. [33] C-reactive protein (CRP) CRP is one of the vital acute phase proteins in humans, which is normally produced in low quantities by hepatocytes (/= 30 kg/m2. However, this method has been subjected to criticism because it does not distinguish fat from fat-free mass such as muscle and bone [76]. In addition, it has also been observed that for the same value of BMI, women are, on average, fatter than men, and Asians are, on average, fatter than Caucasians [77]. Distribution of body fat is highly important in evaluating obesity-related health risks. It has been well-established that accumulation of intra-abdominal fat, that is central obesity, shows stronger correlation with disease states in comparison with total body fat [78]. According to a recent study, waist circumference, and not BMI, explains obesity-related health risk. [79] Obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation. The inflammatory process originates and resides mainly in adipose tissue, as it is responsible for production and secretion of various proteins involved in development of obesity related adverse health effects [80] . Through this mechanism, increasing obesity leads to reduction of adiponectin levels, which has anti-inflammatory properties, and to elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and results in systemic inflammation, including gastrointestinal inflammations. Intestinal inflammation is a key feature in severe obesity [81]. A study has established diet-induced intestinal inflammation as an early biomarker and mediator of obesity [82]. Findings in adult humans and in animals have suggested that the inflammatory status at mucosal surfaces of various organs including the adipose tissue, ooesophagus, pancreas, colon, which are associated with the increase of fat mass, may be involved in the pathogenetic pathways of obesity compli cations [81]. In addition, animal studies showed that obese mice display enhanced intestinal permeability [83]. Recent epidemiological studies have demonstrated that obesity is associated functional bowel disorders, which may have resulted from a low-grade inflammation [81]. Furthermore, obesity has been found to increase the severity of acute pancreatitis through amplification of the immune response to injury [84]. Obesity, especially abdominal obesity, was also found to be a significant risk factor for erosive esophagitis [85]. Very recently, an association of obesity with endoscopic gastritis was demonstrated. [86] Results of a recent study pointed that circulating neutrophils are greatly activated in severely obese subjects, thereby indicating the association between obesity and activation of the innate immune response. In addition, elevated levels of faecal calprotectin, which is a non-invasive biomarker of intestinal inflammation, have been reported in individuals with high BMI [87]. Another study demonstrated a strong correlation between circulating calprotectin levels with abdominal adiposity in Japanese men, and also showed that weight loss in the subjects led to decreased circulating calprotectin. [88] Genetics Gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases may also be influenced by genetic components. Family studies have revealed strong familial association and high sibling risk ratio in etiology of eosinophilic esophagitis. [89] Genetic factors also play a role in pancreatitis. [90] In addition, increased familial risk has also revealed a genetic basis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease [91], and an increased faecal calprotectin concentration has also been demonstrated in asymptomatic first-degree relatives of IBD patients, thus indicating a high prevalence of subclinical intestinal inflammation in them. [92] Gender Gender may play a role in gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases. Animal studies in mice have demonstrated  that females  develop more severe intestinal inflammation than do males [93]. On the other hand, a study has shown that bile reflux gastritis was more frequent to male gender [94]. Another study found a positive correlation between the male sex and pancreatitis [95]. Additional studies found that there is a slight preponderance of colitis ulcerosa in men and of Crohns disease in women [96]. Lifestyle factors Smoking Cigarette smoking affects ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease (CD) in very different ways. According to recent studies, smoking cigarettes has a negative effect on the course of CD, and that smoking cigarettes may have a protective effect in some patients with UC [97]. Conversely, smoking cessation aggravates ulcerative colitis and improves CD [98]. Furthermore, studies showed that smoking conferred a strong, independent and dose-dependent risk of pancreatitis that may be additive or multiplicative when combined with alcohol. [99]. Alcohol Most cases of chronic pancreatitis are alcohol-related. [100] However, a recent study showed that faecal calprotectin concentrations in active-drinking alcoholics were not significantly different from the healthy controls thereby indicating the absence of a subclinical intestinal inflammation involving activation of neutrophils in the alcoholics. [101] Diet Pro- or prebiotics will directly influence the microbial flora, while immunonutrition, including omega-3 fatty acids and certain polyphenols, including green tea polyphenols, may reduce the symptoms of gut inflammation [102]. Studies have shown that lycopene, an antioxidant which is abundantly found in foods that have a natural red color such as tomato and watermelon, may play a role in attenuating the inflammatory process [103]. A study showed that intestinal bacteria and high fat diet interact to promote proinflammatory changes in the small intestine [104]. Certain studies suggested that refined sugar consumption might be a risk factor for Crohns Disease, but not Ulcerative Colitis. Fat intake is reportedly positively associated with ulcerative colitis [105], whereas vegetables and fiber consumption seem to decrease GI inflammatory process as shown by decreased faecal calprotectin [106]. Stress Psychological stress reportedly increases disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease by both direct and indirect mechanisms as shown below. [107] Figure 1.2: Direct and indirect ways by which stress can aggravate Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Socioeconomic status Epidemiological studies have demonstrated Inflammatory Bowel Diseases to be more prevalent among people of high socioeconomic status. Such an occurrence was explained by the hyegiene hypothesis, according to which individuals with higher standards of living may be living in cleaner environments and thus are more protected from childhood infections, but however exposure to infectious agents later in life makes them more vulnerable to chronic intestinal inflammation in adulthood [108]. A study in China demonstrated that levels of faecal calprotectin were significantly increased in the rural infants as compared to urban ones. [5] Gastric surgery Partial gastrectomy increases the risk for chronic pancreatitis in male alcoholics [109]. Appendectomy has possibly protective effects in ulcerative colitis but it is suggested as a risk factor in Crohns disease. Tonsillectomy is a risk factor for developing Crohns disease. [110]

The Truth About Serial and Mass Murders Essay -- different police prof

A murderer is a murderer. There is no doubt about it, a person like that deserves to be punished for the crime they committed. However, not every killer is the same; there are some who are mass murderers who go on killing rampages for reasons of their own, and then there are the serial killers that love to kill people because it makes them feel some sort of emotion. People often mistake these killers as one and the same, but in reality they are completely different in the ways they are profiled by the police, how they commit their murders and the effect they have on the community and the nation. Granted mass and serial murders are both killers, the police profile them differently. Even though they each have a different style of killing, both serial killers and mass murderers follow patterns. In an article written by R.M and S.T. Holmes they say that â€Å"the mass murderer is perceived as a demented, mentally ill person†. As the quote in the book says Prendergast was obviously mentally ill as are most other mass murderers. In the book, The Devil in the White City, Larson says that â€Å"Holmes was warm and charming and talkative, he touched the women with a familiarity that while perhaps back at home would have been offensive, now seemed quite alright in the new city of Chicago† (Larson, 245). R.M and S.T. Holmes observe that â€Å"serial killers give themselves no discernible traits form the other people in society; they walk into the lives of many, invited then fatally dispatched with little concern.† Just like Larson said Holmes invited himself into t he lives of many, and while he may have stood out in the way he touched them, I'm sure it wasn’t a big factor because this was the beginning of a new era and younger people were behaving with mo... ...is committed, it is tragic, no matter the type of killer, but it is important to know the difference between a mass and serial murderer. Figuring out their patterns can possibly help the law enforcers catch them before things get out of hand. It can also help police understand what makes the murderers the way they are, so the police can possibly stop the things that trigger tem to become the killers that they are. These murderers are different because of the way they the police see them, the way they kill their victims and the way they scare they community and the nation. â€Æ' Works Cited Holmes, R. M., and S. T. Holmes. (n.d.): n. pag. Rpt. in Federal Probation. 1st ed. Vol. 56. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 9-53. Ebsco Host. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. New York: Crown, 2003. Print.

Personal Statement: Graduate school program in teaching at the secondary level Essay

I believe I am more than qualified to be admitted to the secondary education program of the Graduate school as I possess the needed knowledge, talents, skills, and most of all, attitude that would help me become successful in my profession. I firmly believe that teaching is the right career for me because I find joy in seeing people, particularly the youth, grow using the lessons and values I have taught them. For me, one of the greatest pleasures in life is to see my students transform into intellectual, highly-versatile, and law-abiding citizens who would make an impact on their respective careers and who would contribute greatly to society in general. Moreover, I am the type of person who adapts very well to pressure and difficulties. It is a well-known fact that secondary level students are very challenging to educate as they are very diverse in terms of attitude, emotions, and intellect, among others. I am more than willing and capable to meet those challenges and insurmountable obstacles that would come along my way just as long as I am able to teach my students and help them reach their dreams, what ever they may be. Most of all, I basically find enthusiasm in teaching. I believe that the knowledge, skills, and information I have acquired over the years would be useless unless I share them with others. In this regard, I realize that the best way to share what I know is through teaching which is why I am pursuing a post-graduate degree because I want to be a highly-effective teacher to my students. In short, my capabilities, my various skills, and most of all, my attitude and passion towards teaching would no doubt allow me to make an impact on my students and to equip them with all the tools and lessons they need to survive in the real world. Once accepted, I will work hard and do my best to become a well-rounded and highly adept educator who would provide students with the quality education they deserve.

How effectively has Steinbeck created tension during the incident with Candy’s dog? Essay

The killing of Candy’s dog in Steinbeck’s novel â€Å"Of mice and men† is a very important incident. The author makes this scene very tense using different techniques. Everything starts because Slim considers the dog is useless and has a bad smell. â€Å"He ain’t no good† (p70). And as he just got five puppies he believes Candy could make good use of one of those. Candy, very nervous and doubtful, finally accepts that killing his dog, which has been with him for a very long time, will be the best to do. Even though he knows that he will miss him. Carlson, described as â€Å"thick bodied† (p70), goes out of the ranch and kills the dog. These moments in the ranch are of absolute silence, and nobody is able to break this silence. â€Å"Silence fell† (p75). Time seems to pass very slowly; every sound scares everyone, until we can finally hear a shot from outside. The poor old dog was killed, we knew he should die, but didn’t want it to happen. After this death, everything came back to normality in the ranch, or the men were at least talking to each other again. In these pages, Steinbeck uses different techniques to achieve tension and time passing slowly. Time passing slowly can be shown when he starts sentences with a conjunction. â€Å"And slim †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p74). â€Å"And the silence †¦ † (p75). This creates a long pause between one sentence and the other, giving a sense of conclusion. Steinbeck uses time in a very special way to increase tension. The more slowly the time passes, the tension increases greatly, â€Å"A minute passed and another minute† (p75). The author is really emphasised in time, we can almost listen the tic-tac of the clock, which makes us feel nervous, not really about what is going to happen, but whatever it is; we want it to happen immediately. Steinbeck also uses a series of short sentences in page 75, just before the smelly dog is going to be killed. â€Å"It was silence outside. Carlson’s footsteps died away. The silence came into the room. And the silence lasted.† (p75) This short sentences makes the reader pause a lot, it suggests that something dramatic is about to happen. It makes everything be very tense, you could just cut the tension with a scissor. In pages 75 and 76 there is a lot of repetition of the word silence. Steinbeck uses this word seven times through the passage. He really wants us to know about the atmosphere in the room, in complete silence. George won’t even break himself the stillness by shuffling the cards, but everybody is grateful for things that break the silence. â€Å"A little gnawing sound †¦ all the man looked toward it gratefully.† (p75). This silence is personified by Steinbeck â€Å"The silence came into the room† (p75). It seems as if the silence is another character in the scene, invading the room, making everybody feel nervous. It really increases a lot the tension. Steinbeck seems to have divided the characters, Candy: the one being hurt, Carlson; acting as the antagonist, the rest of the man; just avoiding the situation, and Slim acting as a sort of judge. Candy is suffering and is very uncomfortable as we can see in these pages. He might even be desperate. â€Å"Candy looked from help from face to face† (p72). This shows Candy’s loneliness, he is alone while his dog is about to die. Carlson clearly is the antagonist; he is waiting anxiously to kill the dog, to shoot the back of his skull. He does not care about the bond between Candy and his dog; he doesn’t feel any emotion at all. This is seen through the following quotation â€Å"I’d put the gun right there† (p72). George, Whit and the other men are evading the situation. They dislike the dog too, but prefer to stay in absolute silence and play cards instead of helping his good old friend. Slim is acting as a sort of judge, because he is trying to please Carlson and at the same time convince Candy about the situation. It is night in this scene and very dark. â€Å"Darker’n hell in here† (p70). It shows that something bad is about to happen, and when it is about to happen, or when it gets near, the darker it gets. â€Å"Out into the darkness† (p75). The dark sky is invading everything, everyone. Death is near. They can fell it in this atmosphere, were nobody can see clearly. Steinbeck also uses a comparison; at the beginning he compares George and Lennie to Candy and his dog. They are live partners; one of them takes care of the other. They are both friends who love each other and would do everything for his partner. Until now, that Candy accepted to kill his dog believing it would be the best thing to do. He didn’t even say good-bye. This might tell us that George will do the same with Lennie, maybe make a new friend, who knows.

Intact is One Word

Intact is One Word Intact is One Word Intact is One Word By Maeve Maddox Ive seen too many examples of intact written as two words to go on assuming that they are typographical errors. Photo caption: A couch that was left in tact after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Question on medical forum: Is chest muscle left in tact after MastX? Question on aviation site: Why are there only 2 Stukas left in tact today? The adjective intact is written as one word. It means whole, entire, not affected by anything that injures. Ex. An animal that has not been spayed or neutered is said to be intact. The literal meaning of intact is untouched. The in prefix means not. The tact comes from a verb meaning to touch. The noun tact has the same origin. An obsolete use is sense of touch. Now the words main use is figurative: tact ready and delicate sense of what is fitting and proper in dealing with others, so as to avoid giving offence, or win good will; skill or judgement in dealing with men or negotiating difficult or delicate situations; the faculty of saying or doing the right thing at the right time. (OED) As for intact, lets keep it, well, intact. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†One Fell Swoop10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

Free Essays on The Watsons Go To Birmingham

The Watsons go to Birmingham is a novel about a family named the Watsons living a very cold life in Flint, Michigan. The mom in dad have two boys Byron,14 and Kenny,10 they also have a daughter named Joetta(they call her Joey for short) . The dad is a Flint native and the mom is from Birmingham,Alabama. Whenever something bad having to do the cold happens the mom would go on about how she should have listened to her mom and got married with Moses â€Å"Ham bone† Henderson . The dad would then start talking about him by telling his kids about how he got his name Ham bone. He would say that was the shape of his head, a ham bone. He would tell his kids that they were lucky that they’re mom didn’t marry Ham bone Henderson because they would be little hambonnets. Everyone laughed at the dad jokes but Byron. He was almost 15 and felt he should be more mature and should act like an adult instead of a kid. A really funny part of the book was at the beginning of the story when the dad asked the kids to go out and scrape the car windows. Byron and Kenny went and did it. The car which the family calls the brown bomber had a bar in the middle which separated the car into halves and they used that to separate the sides so they boys would have the same amount they would have to scrape. Kenny was scraping his side but Byron wasn’t doing his share of the scraping. Kenny thought that Byron was going to try to get his way out of doing his share of the car. Kenny kept telling him he was only going to do his side of the car and go inside the house. Byron was just ignoring his brother and started saying things to himself like don’t know how a woman and a man so ugly would have a child as beautiful as me. When Kenny was about halfway through finishing his side of the car Byron started lightly saying Kenny’s name over and over again. Kenny just ignored him because he thought that this would just be another plan of Byron’s to tr... Free Essays on The Watsons Go To Birmingham Free Essays on The Watsons Go To Birmingham The Watsons go to Birmingham is a novel about a family named the Watsons living a very cold life in Flint, Michigan. The mom in dad have two boys Byron,14 and Kenny,10 they also have a daughter named Joetta(they call her Joey for short) . The dad is a Flint native and the mom is from Birmingham,Alabama. Whenever something bad having to do the cold happens the mom would go on about how she should have listened to her mom and got married with Moses â€Å"Ham bone† Henderson . The dad would then start talking about him by telling his kids about how he got his name Ham bone. He would say that was the shape of his head, a ham bone. He would tell his kids that they were lucky that they’re mom didn’t marry Ham bone Henderson because they would be little hambonnets. Everyone laughed at the dad jokes but Byron. He was almost 15 and felt he should be more mature and should act like an adult instead of a kid. A really funny part of the book was at the beginning of the story when the dad asked the kids to go out and scrape the car windows. Byron and Kenny went and did it. The car which the family calls the brown bomber had a bar in the middle which separated the car into halves and they used that to separate the sides so they boys would have the same amount they would have to scrape. Kenny was scraping his side but Byron wasn’t doing his share of the scraping. Kenny thought that Byron was going to try to get his way out of doing his share of the car. Kenny kept telling him he was only going to do his side of the car and go inside the house. Byron was just ignoring his brother and started saying things to himself like don’t know how a woman and a man so ugly would have a child as beautiful as me. When Kenny was about halfway through finishing his side of the car Byron started lightly saying Kenny’s name over and over again. Kenny just ignored him because he thought that this would just be another plan of Byron’s to tr...

Business Plan and Implementation.

A business plan is perceived to be a paramount tool in any business organization.   Apple Inc. is an American based company that manufactures and market mobile communication devices, portable music players. This company is the largest information technology provider in the world. The aim of this report is to create business focus, develop and prepare a plan of activities to be used as a guide to Apple Inc. in achieving its set objectives and goals. For companies to thrive, there must be established policies in conducting its operations aiming at increasing their profit margins hence continued business life.   Increasing productivity of the firm’s products, the management may employ strategies like use of new technology in their operation, review of the existing setup and implement continuous improvement approach during the process. One of the primary goals of Apple Inc. firm is to increase the productivity of information technology products. Therefore, this translates to high sales volume hence high-profit margins are achieved in the long run. The company can attain this through creating brand awareness about its products to the customers (Csiszar, 2017). Brand awareness can be accomplished through the internet (web leverage, the creation of social media presence) and sponsoring public events such as open games and golf tournaments. In the event, the products are displayed to the potential customers with disposable inc ome to purchase the product. In every business to remain active in the market, there is a need for established plan of activities declaring a day to day activities. In particular, the plan is used to map the future, to support the growth of the firm, to develop and communicate the course of action to the people and to support exit strategic management processes. Apple Inc. products remain to uphold the original company’s promises to its customers during its inception. The company operates in California and targets global markets. The company uses strategies such as Apple brand personality (focuses on emotions about how the customer feels after using the company product), Apple customer experience (all the goods must conform to Apple brands) and Apple brand halo effect. The company goal in employing such strategies is to maintain a brand promise to its potential customers (Marketing-Minds, 2016). It is much vital for any business to have proper market review requirement processes during their operations. Apple Inc. The company employs tools such as Steeple analysis technique, Scenario planning technique, critical success factor analysis (CSFA) and the five forces technique.   Also, the top management reviews market performance and the desired direction, operational matters pertaining the business and workers organization for proper performance analysis of the firm. The company operates in US based markets and other international markets across the world. Determining resource requirement is one of major goal before business operation commences. The primary purpose of the analyst in business is to give out aspects that can reduce overall costs in operation. Apple Inc. employs mechanisms such as conducting of survey cycle, scheduling brainstorming meeting and interviewing key stakeholders as some of the major processes in identifying resource required. The company is ended by the CEO being assisted by the managers (Rowland, 2017). Consultations with Stakeholders Apple Inc. needs to form both internal and external stakeholders in its operation. Internal stakeholders include the employees and company owners.   On the other hand, external stakeholders include the investors or those funding the business project (Denton, 2017). The firm consultation with stakeholders aim is to yield benefits like an evaluation of firm’s action, identification, and tracking of firm’s needs and the establishment of brand values. Through the consultation process, information flow to and from the stakeholders become much efficient. Therefore, a devised process is much vital in the organization. Developed channel to achieve this can take the form below  Ã‚   Apple Inc. needs to develop performance goal and actions techniques like a balanced scorecard. Management can include new strategies with the aim of achieving a breakthrough in operation. This mode translates strategic business objectives into performance measures. The following schematic chart gives activities flow in performance measures in Apple Inc  (Rousseau, 2015). Report on the main aspect performance measure   at different stages Apple Inc.   Incorporate scorecard technique in evaluating performance action in the management in achieving its set objectives. Executive management focuses on measurement. In all the four categories in the plan and appropriate be drafted. In particular, Apple Inc.   Being scheduled to be a PCs company, consumer loyalty measurements are merely being acquainted in arranging representatives toward turning into a client-driven organization. The company needs to build its free studies with a specific end goal to track its key market fragments in far and broad perspective. At this phase of performance measure implementation, key aspects need to addressed for the easy actualization of the company set objectives (Rousseau, 2015). In innovation and learning perspective, the development and learning goals are proposed to drive change in monetary, client, and interior process execution. At Apple Inc., such upgrades originated from an item and administration advancement that would make new wellsprings of income and market development, and also from a nonstop change in inner work forms. The primary target was measured by percent revenue from new administrations. A staff disposition study and a metric for the quantity of representative, recommendations measured regardless of whether such an atmosphere was being made. At long last, income per worker measured the results of representative duty and preparing programs. Similarly, the financial point of view included three measures of significance to the shareholder. Return-on-capital-utilized and income reflected inclinations, while consistent estimate quality flagged the corporate parent's craving to diminish the chronicled vulnerability brought about by unforeseen varieties in execution. Apple Inc. administration included two monetary measures. Extend benefit gave concentrate on the venture as the fundamental unit for arranging and control.   To create measures of inner procedures, Apple Inc. administrators characterized the life cycle of investment from dispatch to culmination. The new concentration underscored actions that incorporated key business forms. Inner reviews had uncovered that the circuitous expenses from a mishap could be 5 to 50 times the immediate costs. The scorecard included a security file, got from an extensive wellbeing estimation framework that could recognize and order every single undesired occasion with the potential for damage to individuals, property, and process (Rousseau, 2015). The firm has been able to achieve the set goals and objectives, in survey conducted indicates that there is an increase in net sales, increased revenue and minimal complaints from the potential customers. The key performance indicators used by Apple Inc. can be customer feedbacks and quality levels of the products this clearly indicate that the primary set business objectives are set by the firm. Also,   the company has devised other production strategies like patenting with the aim of venturing into wider global markets (NASDAQ, 2017). For this matter, the firm will have wide access to the customers hence enjoying benefits of economies of scale. Since the inception of business operations, Apple Inc. has shown underperformance of around 7% over the period which is an important aspect to market capitalization. Underperformance in any production firm seems to be a major challenge which ought to addressed with immediate effect. This can lead business shut down if the status becomes severe.   In recent years approximately 4.4% drop in revenue has been encountered in the firm as a result of a decrease in iPhone sales over the period (NASDAQ, 2017). To incorporate a change in the organization, bottom-up communication becomes vital goal to be pursued by the management. As a matter of fact, new skills are imparted to the workers hence improve in quality and reduced production cycles. An excellent training model must have five steps namely; first understanding the areas underperforming, planning and preparation, execution and lastly assessing to gauge its functionality. This plan seems to restate Apple Inc. to uplift its underperformed areas (Denton, 2017). Apple's Product Development Process might be a standout amongst the best outline handle at any point actualized. The step is to design layout at the forefront; design teams are separated from the large company, reviewing and lastly packaging of the product ready to the ready (IDF, 2012). Plan goals and objectives need to be communicated to the recipients through the right channel like print or online at the start of the operation. The staff ought to be up to the tasks infirm. In developing performance reports, the message needs to be precise mainly for the recipients to understand quickly.Graphic rating scale method was employed in tracking the performance. More important, production variances were identified through revenue checks. Lastly, recommendations of more improved models become paramount to Apple Inc. Csiszar, J. (2017). How to Increase Brand Awareness for a Product. Retrieved from Chron: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/increase-brand-awareness-product-41158.html Denton, P. (2017). Report to UN Environment Major Groups and Stakeholders, Region of North America. IDF. (2012). Apple’s Product Development Process – Inside the World’s Greatest Design Organization. Retrieved from Interaction Design: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/apple-s-product-development-process-inside-the-world-s-greatest-design-organization Marketing-Minds. (2016). Apple's Branding Strategy. Retrieved from Marketing minds: https://www.marketingminds.com.au/apple_branding_strategy.html NASDAQ. (2017, Feb 21). Apple Inc. (AAPL) Company Financials. Retrieved from Nasdaq: https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/aapl/financials?query=income-statement Rousseau, M. B. (2015). Organizational Narcissism: Scale development and firm outcomes. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communication, and Conflict, 19(1), 159. Rowland, C. (2017). Company Analysis: Business Potential & Performance. Retrieved from Panmore: https://panmore.com/apple-inc-operations-management-10-decisions-areas-productivity

Evaluation essay of movie home alone Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluation of movie home alone - Essay Example The Christmas mood begins with background music that reflects Christmas songs. Viewers therefore get a belief that that is where most focus of the movie will lie. However, a great suspense develops early in the movie when Kevin’s parents leave for Paris without him. More characters appear in the film when the parents of Kevin leave for Paris. Close ups are used to introduce the characters while mid shots are employed during conversations. A selection of natural dress code shows a normal family image, for instance the appearance of the mother of Kevin in a long dress shows that she is an elderly mother. The suburb Chicago shows that Kevin is from a rich family and the lighting further emphasizes the festive season. The acting was well done. The main actors are Macaulay Culkin, who plays the role of eight-year boy called Kevin and two burglars, Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci. In addition, the actors mind their language. This has made the suitable for all family viewing. The movie commences with Kevin’s family giving an impression of them as the main characters with Kevin as the protagonist because he is an only child. Even so, the story develops quickly with Kevin as the main character and more characters appear. Culkin had many scenes to play, which he did well. His high level of confidence and self-esteem is also a contributing factor to success of the story. The woman playing the role of Kevin’s mother uses little makeup. For that reason, she appears more mature with a motherly figure. This is further emphasized by her dressing code. The story line of the movie is just amazing. There is a striking balance between religion, family life and just some stupid ideas that bring out the comic feel of the movie. The family life is clear at the beginning of the movie when Kevin and the parents chat happily. Towards the end of the movie, there is an expression of socialization. This happens when

Tourism Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tourism Marketing - Essay Example This pressure on the industry has been further compounded on by the operational environment on the supply side that has to keep pace with influencing factors such as the rapid globalization and technological advancements (Kozak and Baloglu 2011). This paper seeks to identify the various components of marketing in the tourism industry marketing with special emphasis on strategy formulation and implementation. As a reference, the choice destination that has been identified is the Turkish tourism sector. First, it is important to review the chosen destination. Overview of Turkey as a Tourist Destination Turkey has an estimated population of over 73 million people; the country is known to be one of the most populous states with a higher number of Muslims that is a member of the European Union. It has also been cited as one of the nations that is a cradle for human civilization. On the tourism segment, the country is a world-beater for destination marketing. This can be illustrated by the impressive performance of its resorts and destinations in comparison with other European destinations (Andreu et al 2005). Moreover, statistics indicate that the country has 16 international standard airports, over a million combined bed capacity, 9000 licensed tourists’ guides, 568 travel agencies and 258 beaches (Goturkey 2012). Evaluating the market niche based on tourists’ attraction sites, Turkey offers some of the best tourist destinations in the world. From the minaret filled skyline of the famous Istanbul to the Roman ruins found along south west Coasts, the country boasts of a variety of fascinating and memorable attractions that compares with the world’s top destinations (Turopia 2010). Also of importance are the attractive beaches of the Antalye and the seaside resorts found along the mountains of the eastern side of the Black sea. The major tourist destinations commonly liked by most tourists locally and internationally include Aspendos Theatre, whi ch was built around 155 AD during the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius with a capacity to host between 15000 to 20000 people. Next there is the famous Patara beach, a historical scenic beauty as it is considered the cradle of the endangered Loggerhead turtle (Turopia 2010). It is also said to be the birthplace of the 4th century Byzantine bishop St. Nicholas who became the legend Santa Claus. It has massive stretches of sand, which overlaps to about 9 miles, by coverage. It is also supported by ancient Lycian and Roman ruins and swooping dunes with no visible building a part from a small cafe. The mentioned attraction sites are just but a few among the numerous destinations scattered in different regions across the Turkish nation. This calls for a sound marketing research, analysis and evaluation so that an appropriate strategy is arrived at. This will be discussed in the following section. Marketing and the Different Sectors The tourism industry has unrivalled contributio n to many economies as compared to other industries (Tsiotsou and Goldsmith 2012). However, for this potential to be tapped at higher levels in Turkey and elsewhere in the world, it is important that there is an appropriate marketing plan and strategy that has been put in place. The tourism industry is divided in different sectors that require different marketing approaches. The Turkish tourism has been broadly divided into four main categories that include natural attractions,

Huey P. Newton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Huey P. Newton - Essay Example In 1971, he announced that the Black Panther Party had stopped to use violent methods of fight and switched onto tackling the burning social issues of America’s black community (education, employment, shelter, food and water, medical care, and others). Newton was often accused of violent crimes – mostly murders, so in 1971 he had to run away to Cuba so that to avoid the lifelong imprisonment. However even from Cuba he continued to lead the Black Panthers Party, and living in this country made him even surer that socialism was an ideal political system. In 1974, on return from Cuba, Newton went to jail where he was studying philosophy and history, and in 1980 he obtained a PhD having written a thesis about the Black Panthers. In 1989, Newton was killed by a drug-dealer Tyron Robinson in Oakland. The reasons for his murder are not obvious – some think that the Black Panthers took revenge on their leader who â€Å"betrayed† them; others claim that the reasons for the murder of Huey were connected with drugs (cocaine). The regular fights between the white policemen and the Afro-American citizens in the 1960s resulted in emergence of one of the most extremists organizations in American history - Black Panther Party. One of the founders of the party was Huey P. Newton. Being an active opponent of the black people discrimination, he demanded from the write government to treat the Afro-American citizens with respect and care: eliminate unemployment, provide them with medical insurance, etc. In his actions, Newton was guided by the philosophy and political goals of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong – just as these two ideologists, he only wished for all people of the USA to be happy. Consequently, the main enemies of the â€Å"Panthers† were empowered white racists who were proclaiming the ideas of slavery and genocide of the Afro-American people. While the members of the organizations could turn into real monsters performing acts of

DISSERTATION--what motivation methods are used in the hotels in Essay

DISSERTATION--what motivation methods are used in the hotels in Sheffield to motivate part time university students who work in the frontline - Essay Example The insinuation of this add to is further indestructible as international students, when spoken as a amount of the total number of students enrolled in hospitality course universities in Sheffield, rose from5.5 percent in 1991 to 9.6 percent in 1997 (Ballard, B. and J. Clanchy 1997). Throughout this period so, universities in Australia, Canada, USA, UK experienced an internationalisation of their action; together in terms of the number of worldwide students studying intercontinental higher education programmes, and an add to in the width of international students, with around one in ten of the total enrolment make overseas. Frequently, the prevalence of international students that study for an Australia, Canada, USA, UK requirement start from Asia. Dobson et al. state that: Moreover, for part time university students studying human resource management (HRM) as a core subject, chapter will serve as a textbook at higher levels of undergraduate study and postgraduate/Masters study. For business management students studying HRM as a core subject or an option, this text will serve as secondary/further reading for motivation methods. As a sectoral source it builds upon introductions in organizational behaviour, people management or employee relations, and will be useful at higher undergraduate and post-graduate/Masters/Masters in Business Administration (MBA) levels. Social science students may also be interested in the research, as industrial relations and the employment relationship of part time students with motivation are very important dimensions of the sociology of work. For them this text will represent a rich source of information on contemporary characteristics of service sector work that can exemplify theoretical sociological perspectives, such as fragmentation and feminization of labour, and inform debates on labour process theory. Here the chapter will provide secondary/ further reading on optional courses (Barron, P. and C.

Wal-Mart is the Low-Price Leader Research Paper - 1

Wal-Mart is the Low-Price Leader - Research Paper Example According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011), the average unemployment rate across the United States remained steady for February and March 2011 at an estimated 8.8%. Thus, while working for a company like Wal-Mart may not be ideal, it may be one of the few forms of employment that many Americans are able to secure under the current economic circumstances facing the country today (Glasmeier, 2006). Unfortunately, the retailer is taking obvious advantage of the desperation of customers and employees. In remaining a major force in the retail industry, gaining power through the economic crisis on multiple levels, the actual costs behind its low prices are definitely not a part of the organization’s publicized marketing strategy (MSNBC, 2005). However, there has been a great deal of research presenting information suggesting the low prices come at very high costs, not only to the employees but by extension the customers, through poor customer service and an overall negative shopping experience (Glasmeier, 2006). Unless changes are made to the way employees are treated, and protections are allowed—even if they do not come in the form of unions—these employees will only continue to grow more and more disgruntled to the point where customers are turned off by the overall experience and even those who may not be able to afford it, will go elsewhere. These customers do not need to be made to feel bad about their shopping experience, Wal-Mart has an opportunity that they are failing to realize. At this point, they have a massive market share, which will most likely return to what it was prior to the 2008 economic collapse, in the next couple of years when the economy bounces back from its brief devastation; based on historical data (Microsoft, 2011). However, without implementing a training program that drives customer loyalty through employee satisfaction, Wal-Mart has the potential to lose their significant gain, to competitors like Target, when unemployment rates are down and the economy is booming once again (Microsoft, 2011).     

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP - Assignment Example However major problem with ethical leadership is that it is difficult to define that what is right. Ethical leadership is based on two components, first is that ethical leaders must act and make decisions that are considered to be ethical and second is that they should lead the people based on the ethical standards (Anon., 2014). Leaders know that what exactly they value. They are aware of the importance of ethical behavior. The successful leaders are known for exhibiting both their ethics as well as their values in their leadership actions and style. The leadership ethics and values should be visible in the leader’s actions every single day (Anon., 2014). Lack of trust is considered to be a major problem in many work places. If the leaders are unable to identify the value and ethics required at workplace the mistrust can be understandable. People are not exactly aware of what they can exactly expect. Workplace ethics may take the same route if the leaders of the organization have ethical expectations and code of conduct, however it may become a joke for the organization if the leaders may fail to live up to the codes published by the organization (Heathfield, 2014). One of the effective examples of ethical leadership that can be extracted from the fashion industry is of H&M, which is the global fashion leaders and is enforcing its effort to fulfill its corporate social responsibility in recent years. The mission of H&M is to offer fashion as well as quality at its best price. Quality as defined by H&M is to manufacture its product in a way that is environmentally and socially sustainable. This is why the company works in close collaboration with its stakeholders and suppliers to effectively fulfill its long term goals achieve sustainable environmental and social standards in the factories that are manufacturing their products and also in the operation of their other business partners. The code of conduct of H&M specifies

Wal-Mart is the Low-Price Leader Research Paper - 1

Wal-Mart is the Low-Price Leader - Research Paper Example According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011), the average unemployment rate across the United States remained steady for February and March 2011 at an estimated 8.8%. Thus, while working for a company like Wal-Mart may not be ideal, it may be one of the few forms of employment that many Americans are able to secure under the current economic circumstances facing the country today (Glasmeier, 2006). Unfortunately, the retailer is taking obvious advantage of the desperation of customers and employees. In remaining a major force in the retail industry, gaining power through the economic crisis on multiple levels, the actual costs behind its low prices are definitely not a part of the organization’s publicized marketing strategy (MSNBC, 2005). However, there has been a great deal of research presenting information suggesting the low prices come at very high costs, not only to the employees but by extension the customers, through poor customer service and an overall negative shopping experience (Glasmeier, 2006). Unless changes are made to the way employees are treated, and protections are allowed—even if they do not come in the form of unions—these employees will only continue to grow more and more disgruntled to the point where customers are turned off by the overall experience and even those who may not be able to afford it, will go elsewhere. These customers do not need to be made to feel bad about their shopping experience, Wal-Mart has an opportunity that they are failing to realize. At this point, they have a massive market share, which will most likely return to what it was prior to the 2008 economic collapse, in the next couple of years when the economy bounces back from its brief devastation; based on historical data (Microsoft, 2011). However, without implementing a training program that drives customer loyalty through employee satisfaction, Wal-Mart has the potential to lose their significant gain, to competitors like Target, when unemployment rates are down and the economy is booming once again (Microsoft, 2011).     

Strategy to overcome loneliness Essay Example for Free

Strategy to overcome loneliness Essay Though Mrs. Kennedy is indeed a lonely woman, the ritual of having to visit the park each Saturday usually helps her to cope with her boredom and loneliness. It is patent how much this old lady enjoys from the simple activities. The Saturday outing provides a prospect for Miss. Kennedy to be in the presence of other people as she leaves her little boring room which she has lived for the last seventy five years. She has employed the tactics and the techniques of listening keenly and watching in order to passively feel happy and complete in the ongoing activities of the crowd at the park. She is a major expert at eavesdropping to other people’s conversation. This habit of listening and pretending she is not interested has helped her a lot as it makes her feel included too and part of the group. Being an avid watcher, Mrs. Kennedy pays immense attention to all those who are around her. Through the same care that she places in noticing and appreciating the presence of other people, she usually hopes deep inside that somebody among the group would obviously notice incase she was not there. This thought helps her to have a sense of communion and happiness in the midst of strangers on Saturdays. Miss. Kennedy’s seizes each opportunity she get to imagine herself as being connected with individuals that she observes in attempt to have some sense of belonging. She usually likens herself to being a part and parcel of the ‘family’ that the band in the park plays. In effect, the Saturday outing offers her a means to escape from the isolation that is felt and has always been felt in her solitary existence since her husband died through engaging herself in all the happenings of the public park. However, as she listens and observes, she usually prefers to view her entire world through her set of colored glasses in order to confront the truth that she is indeed a lonely woman.

State of Nature in the Modern Society

State of Nature in the Modern Society INTRODUCTION According to John Stuart Mill The state of nature that precedes civilization is where originality resides [1] and the society leaves its individuals to their own devices as long as they do not harm others. [2] But what really is the state of nature? Moreover, why this idea as it was presented by the theorists never played its real role in practice? Was the state of nature that chaotic that people choose to have a superior, rather than being free from any obstacles? Were people afraid of their fellow human beings as Hobbes insinuates? I am working on the topic of the state of nature in the modern society, because I want to find out if there is still a state of nature in the 21st century, for example in the indigenous societies, or that is some kind of social contract or anarchy. I am doing this in order to understand how people today live and if the basic human rights, as are the right of life, the right to liberty and security, the right of freedom etc., respected in those societies. In this paper, I will try to analyze why despite the overall technical and technological progress, the cultural development, the democratic values that we stand for and the globalization of the countries in the world, yet in some parts of Planet Earth we can meet the remnants of what Rousseau, Hobbes and Locke call the state of nature. These societies living in the state of nature are trying to tell us that not always rule of law is needed; not always people need government to live proper and in peace. The world never was, and never will be without number of people living in that state, the state of nature. If we only look at the examples of many Indigenous people round the Globe, we can see that people can live without legally established government, without constitution and without laws, and still respect each other and live in peace. This is contrary to Hobbess claims that people in the state of nature cannot live just because homo homini lupus est. [3] So the need for social cont ract is not really a need. We can observe that sometimes the human nature is egoistic, wolfish and greedy: what is mine is mine, and what is yours I want to be mine. That is a result of population growth, the limitation of the resources, the enrichment of certain class of people and the innovations and development of the world. Contrary to this, that is not the situation in many undeveloped African tribes, as I will show later in the paper. In the first chapter of this paper, I will expose the main ideas of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau and their picture of the state of nature. Following, in the second and last chapter, I will try to find out if there is a state of nature in the 21st century. As an example, I will be taking the Indigenous peoples and their structure of society and their development. Furthermore, I will discuss the significance of the human rights that these people have and the way they manage to exercise them in the world they live in. There is a lot to say on this topic and there are a lot more examples on this subject, but due to limited time and resources, I will keep my research and my analysis short and within these frames. My research is contained mostly from research of the main theories or Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, relevant articles concerning the state of nature, articles concerning the life and the society of the indigenous peoples (primary and secondary sources). 1. WHAT IS STATE OF NATURE? There are many definitions on what is state of nature. According to Hobbes: The state of nature is a state of incessant mutual exploitation, all individuals seeking to dominate one another and to acquire honor and profit (fame and fortune). [4] Many encyclopedias consider the state of nature as uncivilized and uncultured condition, [5] a wild primitive state untouched by civilization. [6] State of nature is described also as a condition before the introduction of the rule of law, and as a state where there are no rights but only freedoms. In such a world where there are no laws, government, power, the people are in a natural condition of humankind. Nevertheless, the state of nature in its true form [7] never existed in human society. Perhaps as a state of nature we can take the examples of the emergence of human society when man was savage and lived in hordes. The human at that point of development was not aware of anything, except livelihood and survival. People acted free from all restrictions and pressures. They showed their true existence and the desire to own fulfillment. As creatures of that kind, all people were and are equal by their nature. At that stage, all people without restriction tend to insure and optimize their own fulfillment, then this unlimited competition lead to a state of complete uncertainty and danger. [8] Moreover, they consider themselves indispensable for the elimination of this tendency to establish a state of security and peace by entering in a civil society. [9] Many of the Enlightenment theorists claim that the state of nature existed in the human society, but man came out of that state because h e was afraid of the other humans, [10] considering that in the state of nature dominates social chaos and in order to protect himself the human was obliged to conclude the social contract. With this contract individuals freedom of self-fulfillment was restricted, so that individual freedom of all can exist together. Everyone gives up their unlimited right, accepts limitations and with that accept the security and the peace in coexistence. [11] Everyone has the natural right of personal fulfillment. This right of personal fulfillment cannot be abolished because it would mean the destruction of livelihood. [12] However, it may be restricted and in that way can exist in parallel with the other inalienable rights of all people. The restrictions are codified in legislations. Following, these restrictions were the basis of the doctrines of the Enlightenment thinkers Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume. [13] They created the laicism of governing and new political legitimacy of any fair ruling to be extracted from the social relations and based on respect of humans rights. [14] 1.1. State of nature according to Thomas Hobbes Hobbes believed that human beings in the state of nature would behave badly towards one another. [15] He believed that such a condition would lead to a war of every man against every man [16] and make life solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. [17] He was strictly against the state of nature because as he said, there can be nothing worse than a life without the protection of the State, [18] especially since in this state there is no justice because there is no law. Hobbes argued that there are no human rights in the state of nature. [19] People have natural right to do anything to preserve their own liberty or safety, and by this implies they act savagely to each other by trying to preserve their own life. This is very arguable nowadays. Every human simply by just being human is entitled with rights when born, despite on what level of development he is in, or if he is aware of the existence of human rights. For Hobbes, natural right is the human freedom to manage himself in relation to issues of his own self preservation. The man, in this capacity has an inalienable dignity, because he is a goal for himself and a kind of absolute value (man as imago dei). [20] This term has its roots in Genesis 1:27, wherein God created man in his own image. . ., [21] which does not mean that God is in human form, but rather, that humans are in images of God in their moral, spiritual, and intellectual nature. [22] The moral implications of the doctrine of imag o dei are apparent in the fact that if humans are to love God, then humans must love other humans, as each is an expression of God. [23] This means that people are obligated to respect one another, but according to Hobbes at the end the wolfish nature of humans [24] dominates. Hobbes develops the way out of the state of nature into civil government by mutual social contracts. Only by concluding the social contract man can save himself and become just (in this State there is no room for the unjust). He says that only the fear of death can lead to the creation of a State. [25] This saying in the modern world was a reason for many wars. Many rulers, dictators, tyrants, for example as Hitler did with Germany in the Second World War, were guided by Hobbess ideas that the man is obedient of the State and should delegate his rights to the Sovereign because the Sovereign is sinless and just, thus has the unlimited powers of rule and punishment. [26] The rulers will define good and evil for his subjects. The ruler can do no wrong, because lawful and unlawful, good and evil, are expression of the will of the ruler. [27] Hobbes gives authorization to the ruler to kill everyone who disobeys this will. In other words, the ruler is always right, because he has god given rights and is messenger of God, so if someone does any wrong (which will mean opposite to the rulers wishes) he will lose his life. This contradicts with one of the basic human rights [28] the right to life. It is not that there should be no State rules and regulations and that people should live in total anarchy, but rules that are in line with peoples rights, wishes and desires, for example regulations brought due referendum, which is a true expression of peoples will and democracy. Therefore, Hobbes, despite the pretty picture he has in mind of people being safe by concluding the social contract, is neglecting the basic human rights. [29] Moreover, Hobbess social contract was in favor of the ruler, not the people. 1.2. State of nature according to John Locke Locke holds different position compared to Hobbes. He believes that people could live in a state of nature, and life would be possible even without the legally established government. The state of nature for him is pre political, but not pre moral. [30] Furthermore, this state of nature for him is a state of complete freedom where all people are equal and only bond by the law of nature. [31] He worries that an absolute sovereign, with absolute power, would be even more of a danger to us than life in the state of nature. This is positive in Lockes thought because is better to live in a state of nature where you live in complete freedom without limitations of the personal rights and liberties. On the other hand, giving the absolute power to a sovereign means that people have to obey the wishes and the demands of the ruler, rather than following their own needs and desires, and disobeying those demands leads to penalization. Why would someone want to have limited human rights? Why wou ld someone want someone else to pressure him in doing something that is against his opinion and his beliefs? It is not the case of not having rules at all but rather that the rules should be made from the people and for the people. The people should not feel oppressed if they do something that is against ones will and feel scared of punishment if they do not meet those requirements. This is against the commonly accepted notion of democracy in which the individual is free in expressing his own will and making statements. Locke argued that although we do need a sovereign to settle disputes and administer justice, we must also set constitutional limits to the sovereigns rule. [32] We have a right to rebel if the sovereign abuses our trust. [33] Assuming that we were all honorable in all our dealings with each other, then the need for sovereign would not existed and we could have remain forever in the state of nature. [34] Is this asking for too much? On one hand it might be, because with no rules at all, people might have tendency to become more violent and even greedier towards others who have more than them (wealthier people). On the other hand, it might not be too much asking for. People behave decent when there is not big gap in equality and people do cooperate with each other in order to survive. Later in this paper, I will show examples of people living in a state of nature with no government, no legislative, and still managing to live in peace with each other and with the rest of the world. Another thing with which Locke differs from Hobbes is his view of the human rights. For Locke, human rights are rights that every human holds and they belong to all humans, and are inalienable, that is they are not transferable to anyone else. [35] If someone tries to restrict one mans human rights for Locke that is equal to slavery. [36] He set forth the view that the State exists to preserve the natural rights of its citizens. [37] Moreover, if the State (government) fails to retain the natural rights of its citizens, than they are allowed to stand up to it and protest against. The same is today in most of the democratic countries, where people if not satisfied with the measures and regulations that the government lays down raise their voice and oppose them. Following this further, Locke does not see the state of nature as something bad as Hobbes does, and therefore, he claims that is better for the people to reject the particular government and to return to the state of nature, [3 8] than to live in an oppressed regimes. Nevertheless, despite the free man that Locke stands for, he still points out that people should engage in a social contract. He says that we should partially give up some of our rights, but not the right of life, liberty and property, [39] for impartial justice. Furthermore, the social contract cannot be concluded without the explicit consent of the people. Property is the linchpin of Lockes argument for the social contract and civil government because it is the protection of peoples property, including their property in their own bodies, that men seek when they decide to abandon the State of Nature. [40] Lockes property is pre- state institute determined by natural law and the property is a result of individuals labor. [41] For him the right of property is a right to life, freedom and estate. [42] He connects the humans/one persons rights with having property; the one who does not own property does not have rights. [43] 1.3. State of nature according to Jean Jacques Rousseau What distinguishes Rousseau from the other two theorists is his statement that in the state of nature man would act like savage, [44] whose actions are primarily determined by immediate needs food, sexual satisfaction, sleep and fears only hunger and pain. [45] However, the thing that distinguishes the savage from the animal is the free will and capacity of self-improvement. [46] For Rousseau is an exaggeration to say that the state of nature leads to war of all against all, as Hobbes said. According to him, the state of nature is peaceful and free of vice. On the other hand, he agrees with Hobbes and Locke that in the state of nature mans main drive is towards self preservation. [47] Rousseau gives a general picture how would the life be in the state of nature, which resembles in a good way with the life that some African tribes have today. He says that the human in the state of nature acts similar to animal satisfying his basic needs. Furthermore, Rousseau gives a critique of the modern man vs. the natural man. He says that the situation of the natural man is better than the one of the modern man because the natural man is free of social norms, morals, obligations, and duties. [48] Having no moral relationship or duties to other men and no subjugated inequality, natural man is better for himself and society. [49] His actions are neither good nor evil [50] because he is not bounded by social rules, which dictate how people should act and think towards each other and the world as a whole. [51] According to that, man should not care much about others opinion of him or his actions. [52] Certainly, according to Rousseau, people are neither good nor bad. [53] People are restrained in harming others by the compassion they have for their fellow humans and have aversion to pain and suffering. [54] In addition, Rousseau claims that men knew neither vice nor virtue since they had almost no dealings with each other. [55] Moreover, in his view their bad habits are the products of civilization, the conditions of nature forced people to establish the civil society. [56] According to this, if man leaves the state of nature than he becomes corrupted and unjust. The modern world and the development of it are responsible for peoples depravation because the wish for self improvement brought misfortune to people. Then why at all should human beings leave this state? On this, Rousseau says that despite the corruptive potential, the life in the society can bring the possibility of a higher form of human existence, [57] like cultural or technological development of the human itself a nd the society he lives in. When talking about the peoples/humans rights, Rousseau points out that that the people have rights in the civil state that are sacred. Therefore, people agree to live in a civil society because that society will protect their rights. But is this a real reflection on what the reality looks like? If taken for example the dictatorship regimes, lets say in Sudan, or as it was in Romania when Ceausescu was on power, the people were in a fictional social contract with the country, and the state did not meet its main duty: the protection of the individual that is not able to protect himself! Different from Locke, who stands on the position that the human has rights even without the existence of the state, [58] Rousseau does not says that the human can exist and just be in that kind of state. For Rousseau, the people only have human rights when engaged in a contract with the state. Here he contradicts himself. First, he says that the civil society corrupts the people, and then notes that hum an rights exist only when people engage in social contract with the state. Rousseaus second point about the requirement of the people to conclude the contract in order to be safe and in a possession of human rights is questionable. The second chapter of my paper will show that people that are not part of a civil society still have human rights and are free. 1.4. Analysis Do we get any general picture of what the state of nature is from the perceptions of these theorists? Hobbes is the opponent of the state of nature. His opinion is that man could not survive in the state of nature therefore there is the need of creating a State, by people engaging in social contract and the necessity of people giving up their rights to the Sovereign. On the other hand, Locke is more liberal when talking about the state of nature. For him people can indeed, live in this state in peace with each other. He does not support the State that limits the rights of humans and the absolute power of the Sovereign (as Hobbes does). Rousseau is in between with his approach. According to him, the state is the only one that can protect the human and his rights. Contrary, he says that the civil society corrupts the person; the development of the society makes man more greedy and unjust. How is this possible? We should enter the social contract for the main purpose of protecting ourselves from others and be able to exercise human rights, but not to become corrupted by the same society. Is not this statement too contradictory and illogical? !!!Finally, summing up all the ideas from these theorists, we can define the state of nature as freedom. A freedom of man to do whatever is his own will, but not damaging and delimiting other peoples rights and personality; freedom from restraints, restrictions and oppressions. In the following chapter, we can see that it is possible for people to live in this kind of state and not being threat to one another. 2. IS THERE A STATE OF NATURE IN THE 21st CENTURY? Looking further than our own surroundings, we will find examples of people that live in a condition that is completely different from the democratic, modern and technologically developed world. Those people live in harmony with nature. Although, the number of those people is very small due to the colonization period and the constant force of assimilation, the ones that succeed in keeping their culture and traditional way of life, help us understand that people can indeed live without rule of law and without engaging into social contract(s). Today, many of the Indigenous people in the world are under the law of the ones that colonized their land, for example the Aborigines in Australia, when colonized by the British were put under the British legal system, [59] but as Australia gained independence from the Crown, the Aborigines are under the Australian law. [60] Other examples where people still managed to keep their natural state are some African tribes that are not subject to the la w of the State, like the Bushmen in South Africa who live in bands. [61] Following in this paper, I will elaborate more on these people and their way of life. 2.1. Indigenous peoples 2.1.1. Definitions on Indigenous Defining Indigenous peoples can be very difficult. Whom do we put under the term Indigenous? There are many definitions. According to the special reporter on discrimination against Indigenous population from the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Population, Mr. Jose Martinez Cobo Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of the peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world, overcame them, by conquest, settlement or other means, reduced them to a non-dominant or colonial condition; who today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they now form part, under a state structure which incorporates mainly national, social and cultural characteristics of other segments of the population which are predominant. [62] This definition was considered to be with flaws. Therefore, the UN Working Group on Indigenous Population decided to enlarge the definition by adding more criteria in defining the term Indigenous. In the first place, they added that as Indigenous people would be considered the ones who are the descendants of groups, which were in the territory at the time when other groups of different cultures or ethnic origin arrived there. [63] In addition, Indigenous are the ones who because of their isolation from other segments of the countrys population have almost preserved intact the customs and traditions of their ancestors which are similar to those characterized as indigenous. [64] Finally, in this group belong people who are, even if only formally, placed under a state structure which incorporates national, social and cultural characteristics alien to their own. [65] In 1986 one more criteria was added, and that was any individual who identified himself or herself as indigenous and was a ccepted by the group or the community as one of its members was to be regarded as an indigenous person. [66] Another definition is provided by the International Labor Organization in the 1989 Convention on Indigenous and Tribal peoples, defines Indigenous peoples as those who are regarded as such on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonization or the establishment of present state boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions. [67] We can give lots more definitions on who and what Indigenous people are, but in the end, summarizing all this definitions, we reach a single conclusion that the Indigenous people are people that only differ by their origin and culture. In other words, Indigenous people enjoy human rights as all the other people do. Furthermore, this people, despite the stage of their development, and by development I mean mostly technical and technological development, generally stand for the common values of freedom and peace. Moreover, Indigenous people, although often distinguishable by virtue of their race, language or religion, are a discrete group. [68] To explain this in more precise way, I will be taking as an example two groups of Indigenous people, one is the Australian Aborigines and the other one is the Bushmen from South Africa. Although, both of these groups of people are considered as Indigenous, they are different in a way of their social structure, the way of life, their customs, law s etc. Later, I will point out that one of these groups is living in a kind of state of nature, with total equality among its members, while the other one was assimilated by the State that overruled them and obligated by the States legal system, notwithstanding that Indigenous peoples are constantly exempt from laws, which may interfere with their tradition. [69] 2.1.2 Examples of Indigenous peoples: Australian Aborigines and the Bushmen of South Africa I decided to take these two groups of Indigenous peoples as an example because there is diversity between them in many ways, but still both belong to what goes under the term indigenous. Since the European invasion of Australia in 1788, the Aboriginal people have been oppressed into a world unnatural to their existence for thousands of years. [70] The British Monarchy invaded the Australian Aborigines during the colonization period; hence, they were put under the British legal system. After Australias independence changes were imposed, the Aboriginal people started the request for self-determination, because the government at the time tried to assimilate these people, and destroyed their land, with that their way of life and culture. Prior to the arrival of the colonists and the destruction of the homeland of the natives, the Aborigines lived in a state of nature. The Aboriginal lifestyle was based on total kinship with the natural environment, everything they needed for normal and h ealthy life was already provided. [71] They lived in tribes or clans and were obligated by their own customs and inter clan contract. [72] No one had authority over anyone else in the sense of ruling them, but this is not to say that there were not leaders. [73] The leaders were people who had personal qualities that others admire, and were considered as smart men, but there were no elected leaders in Aboriginal society. [74] Today, the Aboriginal still live under their customs, but are also obligated to respect the States legal system, which limits some of their human rights, for example like the right to education and using of their mother tongue. [75] Therefore, the colonization brought disturbance of the peace of this people. Armed conflicts and lack of understanding from the modern men resulted in killing of dozens of Aboriginal people and forcing them on different way of life. [76] The Aboriginal people lost most of their tradition and culture, and today most of them are living in the developed and modern world. Only few of the Aboriginal tribes can be found living in a state similar to the state of nature, though obliged by rule of law by the State in one way or another. On the other hand, we have the Bushmen of South Africa that still live in conditions mostly similar to those before the white men invade their land. Along with the arrival of the European settlers great disadvantages started. [77] In this period number of Bushmen was reduced, because they fought to death trying to survive due to limited resources (limited and abused by the settlers), or were captured and forced to slavery and eventually die of extortion. [78] Today, as it was in the past, the Bushmen population lives into groups that are called bands. [79] No leader or superior exists as a figure in the Bushmen band. That makes all of the members of the band equal, both male and female. [80] Thus, they are all equal in the making decisions, [81] and govern themselves by group consensus. [82] If a dispute arises and there is some kind of misunderstanding between the band members, they are resolved through discussions where all involved take part with argumentations until some agreemen t is reached. [83] However, the governments of many African states are trying to exile the Bushmen from their homelands and to assimilate them. For example, In Botswana the government has intensified its campaign to drive the Gana and Gwi Bushmen off their ancestral homeland in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve by cutting off all water supplies. [84] Clearly, we can see that the modern nations and the modern men forced this Indigenous people in leaving the state of nature they used to live in. The colonialism destroyed this peoples way of life. It was not that people abandoned the state of nature because they started to feel intimidated by the others. On the contrary, these Indigenous peoples lived together in peace and in equality, with little resources available that were enough for them to survive. Today, the Indigenous people living in a state of nature are a slowly dying race [85] because of all of this; nevertheless, the fact that they are still trying to maintain their existence is a proof of how perfectly their way of life is adopted to their natural surroundings. [86] 2.2. Do indigenous peoples today enjoy the human rights like most people do? According to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples in Article 1: Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental fr

Westerns :: essays research papers

Westerns The settlement of the west has prompted storys which have captivated the public throughout this century. More than any other historic event it has been written about in books, magazines and comic books. Screen writers are no exception, it has been the most popular subject of motion pictures from their inception. It's nearness in history is one of the most important reasons for it's success. Soon after the west's settlement, motion pictures became popular. Parents and grandparents were telling stories that were made even more real by the events seen on the big screen. A person could much more easily imagine events occuring within the past 50 years or so as compared to 150 years with the revolution. This nearness in history gave stories of the west a realistic appeal for the masses. With the turn of the century came the industrial revolution. At this time the average person's life changed radically. People now became "factory workers," clocking in and leaving their brains at the door. The glamour offered by these stories gave the majority of people a short escape from the everyday "grind." People were able to ride off into the sunset for a few hours becoming a rugged individual who makes a difference as opposed to the faceless body that may turn one screw hour after hour. Storylines variety was endless for the west's story tellers. Any story could be written and placed as a western. The love interest, hated villian and old enemy all fit in a western. If a writer did not want to take the time to develop an enemy, one was readily available in the native americans. The wests stories can be varied by switching points of view as

Jane Eyre is one of the earliest English novels with a strong, female E

Jane Eyre is one of the earliest English novels with a strong, female central character. Do you think she sells out by marrying Rochester, thus enabling a conventional, romantic ending to the novel? "He stretched his hand out to be led." (Jane) Form start to finish, this novel has had one strong, female central character - Jane Eyre. We see her fight for independence as a female from her childhood right up until her marriage. These ardent, passionate beliefs do not leave her once married, if anything; they get stronger. Jane does not 'sell out' by marrying Rochester for now she is the more powerful half of the relationship. Jane is her husband's eyes and "He (Rochester) saw nature...books through me." She has everything she wished for and is dependent upon no one just as she had dreamed. "I resisted all the way- a new thing for me" Here Jane declares her independence for the first time in the novel after an argument with her cousin, John Reed. It was to be a turning point in her early life as now she did not take anything lying down, "(She) was a discord at Gateshead Hall." The next time we see Jane express her passionate nature is in her outburst with Mrs Reed. Here Jane realises she has made a mistake but excuses herself, "Something spoke out of me over which I had no control I was now in for it." Jane's lack of submission seems to be a recurring theme throughout the novel as she displays it once again in her meeting with future principal, Mr Brocklehurst. When Jane is quizzed by him, she tells the truth to the shock of Brocklehurst. "And the psalms, I hope you like them?" "No, sir" She also displays a huge amount of wit when asked by Brocklehurst what she must do to stay out of hell... ...nding. We have established that Jane is unquestionably a strong, female, central character. As you have read she displays her emotive and controversial views on more than one occasion and finds courage when she needs it the most. These are all factors which contribute to my argument that Jane does not 'sell out'. However, in my opinion, the most important argument is; how could she have 'sold out' if she is happier than she has ever been in her life? I can understand where critic, Sally Mitchell was coming from in 1983 when she said that, "their subsequent marriage not only ends the many conflicts involved, but also fulfils every woman's wish of achieving both independence and love." The overwhelming bliss combined with the strong feeling of self-reliance can assure us that Jane has sold out on nothing apart from the misery with which her life began.

None of The Above Voting Essay

None of The Above or â€Å"against all† vote is designed in order to allow the voter to indicate his/her disapproval of all the candidates in the voting system. Election is all about choosing the right candidate, not voting against or showing dissatisfaction over a particular party. Points in Favor-  · Gives true meaning to democracy  · People will be able to express what they actually want  · Political parties can project right and clear candidates  · Promotes spirit of democracy The right purpose of democracy is to choose a leader who is fit to run the constituency. A leader has to be selected if he/she is the right candidate, the decision should not be biased. Here, NOTA is a good option because this choice is always better than no voting. At least the political parties can know what people are looking for and right candidates can be presented. It would foster purity and vibrancy of elections, and more and more people will come to vote in order to express whether they are satisfied with the candidates, the political parties represent. Points against NOTA-  · Lack of proper mechanism  · May lead to wastage of time and money  · Can also lead to re-election Even if 90% of the voters choose NOTA, the majority of the remaining 10% will be the winner.so there will be no point for the voters to choose NOTA. Apart from this, it can be wastage of time. Suppose all the voters choose the NOTA option, then what is point of election? India is a democratic country where leaders are chosen on the basis of votes and if none of the candidates are selected then the whole election is a waste of time. Also it can lead to wastage of money because if no party wins or gets the majority of votes, re-election will be held, requiring a lot of spending.

Luncheon Analysis

â€Å"The Luncheon† Jeffrey Archer She waved at me across a crowded room at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. I waved back, realizing I knew the face but unable to place it. She squeezed past waiters and guests and had reached me before I had the chance to ask anyone who she was. I racked that section of my brain that is meant to store people, but it transmitted no reply. I realized I would have to resort to the old party trick of carefully worded questions until her answers jogged my memory. â€Å"How are you, darling? she cried, and threw her arms around me, an opening that didn’t help, since we were at a Literary Guild cocktail party, and anyone will throw their arms around you on such occasions, even the directors of the Book-of-the-Month Club. From her accent she was clearly American, and she looked to be approaching forty but thanks to the genius of modern make-up may even have overtaken it. She wore a long white cocktail dress and her blonde hair was done up in o ne of those buns that looks like a brioche. The overall effect made her appear somewhat like a chess queen.Not that the cottage loaf helped, because she might have had dark hair flowing to her shoulders when we last met. I do wish women would realize that when they change their hairstyle they often achieve exactly what they set out to do: look completely different to any unsuspecting male. â€Å"I’m well, thank you,† I said to the white queen. â€Å"And you? † I inquired as my opening gambit. â€Å"I’m just fine, darling,† she replied, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. â€Å"And how’s the family,† I asked, not sure if she even had one. â€Å"They’re all well,† she replied.No help there. â€Å"And how is Louise? † she inquired. â€Å"Blooming,† I said. So she knew my wife. But then, not necessarily, I thought. Most American women are experts at remembering men’s wives. They have to be , when on the New York circuit they change so often it becomes a greater challenge than the Times crossword. â€Å"Have you been to London lately? † I roared above the babble. A brave question, as she may never have been to Europe. â€Å"Only once since we had lunch together. † She looked at me quizzically. â€Å"You don’t remember who I am, do you? she asked as she devoured a cocktail sausage. I smiled. â€Å"Don’t be silly, Susan,† I said. â€Å"How could I ever forget? † She smiled. I confess that I remembered the white queen’s name in the nick of time. Although I still only had vague recollections of the lady, I certainly would never forget the lunch. I had just had my first book published, and the critics on both sides of the Atlantic had been complimentary, even if the checks from my publishers were less so. My agent had told me on several occasions that I shouldn’t write if I wanted to make money.This created a dilemma, because I couldn’t see how to make money if I didn’t write. It was around this time that the lady who was now facing me and chattering on, oblivious to my silence, telephoned from New York to heap lavish praise on my novel. There is no writer who does enjoy receiving such calls, although I confess to having been less captivated by an eleven-year-old girl who called me collect from California to say she had found a spelling mistake on page 47 and warned that she would call again if she found another.However, this particular lady might have ended her transatlantic congratulations with nothing more than good-bye if she had not dropped her own name. It was one of those names that can, on the spur of the moment, always book a table at a chic restaurant or a seat at the opera, which mere mortals like myself would have found impossible to attain given a months notice. To be fair, it was her husband’s name that had achieved the reputation, as one of the world’s most distinguished film producers. â€Å"When I’m next in London you must have lunch with me,† came crackling down the phone. No,† said I gallantly, â€Å"you must have lunch with me. † â€Å"How perfectly charming you English always are,† she said. I have often wondered how much American women get away with when they say those few words to an Englishman. Nevertheless, the wife of an Oscar-winning producer does not phone one everyday. â€Å"I promise to call you when I’m next in London,† she said. And indeed she did, for almost six months to the day she telephoned again, this time from the Connaught Hotel, to declare how much she was looking forward to our meeting. Where would you like to have lunch? † I said, realizing a second too late, when she replied with the name of one of the most exclusive restaurants in town, that I should have made sure it was I who chose the venue. I was glad she couldn’t see my forlorn face as she added airly, â€Å"Monday, one o’clock. Leave the booking to me—I’m known there. † On the day in question I donned my one respectable suit, a new shirt I had been saving for a special occasion since Christmas, and the only tie that looked as if it hadn’t been previously used to hold up my trousers.I then strolled over to my bank and asked for statement of my current account. The teller handed me a long piece of paper unworthy of its amount. I studied the figure as one who has to make a major financial decision. The bottom stating in black lettering that I was in credit to the sum of thirty-seven pounds and sixty-three pence. I wrote out a check for thirty-seven pounds. I feel that the gentleman should always leave his account in credit, and I might add it was a belief my bank manager shared with me. I then walked up to Mayfair for my luncheon date.As I entered the restaurant I noticed too many waiters and plush seats for my liking. You can†™t eat either, but you can be charged for them. At a corner table sat for two sat a woman who, although not young, was elegant. She wore a blouse of powder blue crepe-de-chine, and her blond hair was rolled away from her face in style that reminded me of the war years and had once again become fashionable. It was clearly my transatlantic admirer, and she greeted me in the same â€Å"I’ve known you all my life† as she was to do at the Literary Guild cocktail party years later.Although she had a drink in front of her, I didn’t order an aperitif, explaining that I never drank before lunch—and I would have liked to add, â€Å"but as soon as your husband makes a film of my novel, I will. † She launched immediately into the latest Hollywood gossip, not so much dropping names as reciting them, while I ate my way through the potato chips from the bowl in front of me. A few minutes later a waiter materialized by the table and presented us with two large e mbossed leather menus, considerably better bound than my novel.The place positively reeked of unnecessary expense. I opened the menu and studied the first chapter with horror; it was eminently put-downable. I had no idea that simple food obtained from Covent Garden could cost quite so much by merely being transported to Mayfair. I could have bought her the same dishes for a quarter of the price at my favorite bistro, a mere one hundred yards away, and to add to my discomfort I observed that it was one of those restaurants where the guest menu made no mention of the prices.I settled down to study the long list of French dishes, which only served to remind me that I hadn’t eaten well for more than a month, a state of affairs that was about to be prolonged by a further day. I remembered my bank balance morosely reflected that I would probably have to wait until my agent sold the Icelandic rights of my novel before I could afford a square meal again. â€Å"What would you like? à ¢â‚¬  I said gallantly. â€Å"I always enjoy a light lunch,† she volunteered. I sighed with premature relief, only to find that â€Å"light† did not necessarily mean inexpensive.She smiled sweetly up at the waiter, who looked as though he wouldn’t be wondering where his next meal might be coming from, and ordered just a sliver of smoked salmon, followed by two tiny tender lamb cutlets. Then she hesitated, but only for a moment, before adding â€Å"and a side salad. † I studied the menu with some caution, running my finger down the prices, not the dishes. â€Å"I also eat light lunch,† I said mendaciously. â€Å"The chef’s salad will be quite enough for me. † The waiter was obviously affronted but left peaceably. She chatted of Coppola and Preminger, of Pacino and Redford, and of Garbo as if she saw her all the time.She was kind enough to stop for a moment and ask what I was working on at present. I would have liked to have replied, à ¢â‚¬Å"On how I’m going to explain to my wife that I have only sixty-three pence left in the bank,† but I actually discussed my ideas for another novel. She seemed impressed but still made no reference to her husband. Should I mention him? No. Mustn’t sound pushy, or as though I needed the money. The food arrived, or that is to say her smoked salmon did, and I sat silently watching her eat my bank account while I nibbled on a roll. I looked up only to discover a wine waiter by my side. Would you care for some wine? † said I, recklessly. â€Å"No, I don’t think so,† she said. I smiled a little too soon: â€Å"Well, perhaps a little something white and dry. † The wine waiter handed down a second leather-bound book, this time with golden grapes embossed on the cover. I searched down the pages for half-bottles, explaining to my guest that I never drank at lunch. I chose the cheapest. The wine waiter appeared a moment later with a large silve r bucket full of ice in which the half bottle looked drowned, and, like me, completely out of its depth.A junior waiter cleared away the empty plate while another wheeled a large trolley to the side of our table and served the lamb cutlets and the chef’s salad. At the same time a third waiter made up an exquisite side salad for my guest that ended up bigger than my complete order. I didn’t feel I could ask her to swap. To be fair, the chef’s salad was superb—although I confess it was hard to appreciate such food fully while trying to work out a plot that would be convincing if I found the bill to over thirty-seven pounds. How silly of me to ask for white wine with lamb,† she said, having nearly finished the half bottle. I ordered a half bottle of the house red without calling for the wine list. She finished the white wine and then launched into the theater, music, and other authors. All those who were still alive she seemed to know, and those who we re dead she hadn’t read. I might have enjoyed the performance if it hadn’t been for the fear of wondering if I would be able to afford it when the curtain came down.When the waiter cleared away the empty dishes he asked my guest if she would care for anything else. â€Å"No, thank you,† she said—I nearly applauded. â€Å"Unless you have one of your famous apple surprises. † â€Å"I fear the last one may have gone, madam, but I’ll go and see. † â€Å"Don’t hurry,† I wanted to say, but instead I just smiled as the rope tightened around my neck. A few minutes later the waiter strode back in triumph, weaving between the tables holding the apple surprise in the palm of his hand, high above his head.I prayed to Newton that the apple would obey his law. It didn’t. â€Å"The last one, madam† â€Å"Oh, what luck,† she declared. â€Å"Oh, what luck,† I repeated, unable to face the menu and discover the price. I was now attempting some mental arithmetic as I realized it was going to be a close-run thing. â€Å"Anything else, madam? † the ingratiating waiter inquired. I took a deep breath. â€Å"Just coffee,† she said. â€Å"And for you, sir? † â€Å"No, no, not for me. † He left us. I couldn’t think of an explanation for why I didn’t drink coffee.Then she produced the large Gucci bag by her side and a copy of my novel, which I signed with a flourish, hoping the head waiter would see, and feel I was the sort of man who should be allowed to sign the bill as well, but he resolutely remained at the far end of the room while I wrote the words â€Å"An unforgettable meeting† and appended my signature. While the dear lady was drinking her coffee I picked at another roll and called for the bill, not because I was in any particular hurry, but like a guilty defendant at the Old Bailey, I preferred to wait no longer than the judge’s sent ence.A man in a smart green uniform whom I had never seen before appeared carrying a silver tray with a folded piece of paper on it, looking not unlike my bank statement. I pushed back the edge of the bill slowly and read the figure: thirty-six pounds and forty pence. I casually put my hand into my inside pocket and withdrew my life’s possessions, then placed the crisp new notes on the silver tray. They were whisked away. The man in the green uniform appeared a few minutes later with my sixty pence change, which I pocketed, since it was the only way I was going to get a bus home.The waiter gave me a look that would have undoubtedly won him a character part in any film produced by the lady’s distinguished husband. My guest rose and walked across the restaurant, waving at, and occasionally kissing, people I had previously seen only in glossy magazines. When she reached the door she stopped to receive her coat, a mink. I helped her on with the fur, again failing to leave a tip. As we stood on the Curzon Street sidewalk, a dark blue Rolls-Royce drew up beside us and a liveried chauffeur leaped out and opened the door.She climbed in. â€Å"Goodbye, darling,† she said as the electric window slid down. â€Å"Thank you for such a lovely lunch. † â€Å"Goodbye,† I said and, summoning up my courage, added: â€Å"I do hope when you are next in town I shall have the opportunity of meeting your distinguished husband. † â€Å"Oh, darling, didn’t you know? † she said. â€Å"Know what? † â€Å"We were divorced ages ago. † â€Å"Divorced? † said I. â€Å"Oh, yes,† she said gaily, â€Å"I haven’t spoken to him for years. † I just stood there looking helpless. â€Å"Oh, don’t worry yourself on my account,† she said. â€Å"He’s no loss.In any case, I recently married again† –another film producer, I prayed—â€Å"in fact, I quite expected to bump into my husband today—you see, he owns the restaurant. † Without another word the electric window purred up and the Rolls-Royce glided effortlessly out of sight, leaving me to walk to the nearest bus stop. As I stood surrounded by Literary Guild guests, staring at the white queen with the Brioche bun, I could still see her drifting away in that blue Rolls-Royce. I tried to concentrate on her words. â€Å"I knew you wouldn’t forget me, darling,† she was saying. â€Å"After all, I did take you to lunch, didn’t I? †