Monday, September 30, 2019

Challenges Faced by Malaysia in Its Journey Towards a High Income Nation at 2020

1. Introduction The prime minister Najib Tun Razak, on 2 may 2010, announced his new program named as New Economic Model (NEM) to make Malaysia a â€Å"developed† and â€Å"high income† country at 2020. To be more specific the main target is to increase the per capita income to 17,700 USD from 7558 UDS by 2020. But what are the problems for the Malaysia in this way to become a developed and high-income nation? 1- The Economic Transformation And Need For New Institutions: In the past years, Malaysia has used a growth model to become a middle-income country. Now, it has decided to become a high-income country. So, they growth model has to be changed to another model to guarantee the goal of becoming a high-income country. In this way, Malaysia has to perform its economic transformation plan, develop, and engender the organizations and institutions needed for this transformation. 2- Unity and Coalition of the Nation and Government: Malaysia as it is known for being the truly Asia, its population is comprised of various ethnics, with various cultures, religions and wants. One group wants to have a pragmatic perspective to the economic and politic issues, another want to have an ideological perspective. More than 50% of the population is Muslim with Islamic views and having the government power. On the other hand, about 30% of the population is Chinese with an economic power and having a strong presence in the market, which most of them are Christians or Buddhists. But we know that to reach to big goals a unity between this ethnics and coalition in the politics and economy, in addition stability in the policies and regulations, and the perspective of the nation and government toward the economy, policy and international issues is very vital and important. In fact, the Malaysia people need to rally together as a nation to embrace change, be adaptive to today’s environment and increasingly globalized and rapidly changing world. 3- Politics and Opposition Groups: Today, it seems that opposition groups raised from inside of Muslim population have an increasing presence in the policy. However, they do not have the control of government but they are planning to do that. They are pretty popular in the society and also they have taken the majority of benches of Parliament in some of states. The transformation of power between the current politicians and the oppositions is not problematic itself, but the problems are due to that the oppositions groups, and specifically their leader Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim are not agree with New Economic Model (NEM) introduced by the prime minister Najib Tun Razak. They criticize the NEM and do not believe on it. So if in the future the opposition groups become more powerful and take the government there can make significant changes in the policy and economic plans. The instability in the policy and economic planning could be perilous for the Malaysia Vision 2020. 4- Malaysia, an Open and Small Economy: Malaysia is country with an open and small economy. However, it had been prosperous to obtain its goals in the past, but it also needs to consider its limitations, as it is considered wisely by the decision makers. The population is not very large with only 28 million people; the natural resources are not very rich in all of cases and the country in not a very vast country like USA, China or Russia. Therefore, it is very important for Malaysia to concentrate on its advantages and opportunities. I believe Malaysia has to develop competitive niches integrated into global value chain. This means being really good at what it produces. Malaysia needs to emphasize more on the specific niches and and at the same time be a part of a bigger value chain. 5- Development of Malaysia’s Intangible Assets: Both the NEM and 10 MP (10th Malaysia plan), emphasize on the development of intangible assets. The Schumpeterian economic model that Malaysia has targeted on to transform from a middle-income to high-income nation rests on the quality of intangible assets. Quality of human capitals, innovation and creativity, institutions and the social capitals are important for quality of intangible assets. 6- Value Added Economic Activities Instead of Labour-intensive Industries: A higher-income nation means higher wages for workers. And higher wages for workers means less competiveness in attracting foreign investors. Based on the central bank annual report for the 2010 â€Å"the emergence of lower-cost competitors in the region, notably China, Indonesia and Vietnam, has affected Malaysia’s competitive advantage in labour-intensive industries, in this regard foreign investment received in recent years have shifted towards higher value-added economic activities†. So, it seems that the only way for the Malaysia is to do more efforts to empower the industries with higher value added. On the other hand because higher value added industries must have more research activities, more high quality of human capitals. Innovation and creativity extremely is based on the research and quality of human capital. And the human capital and research are products of high quality universities. in my opinion malaysia in on the right track to develop research universities which are more envolved in the creative and innovative research activities, but on the other hand there some problems in the composition of students in the malaysian universities. that is discussed in the next point. 7- First Class Universities to Reduce Brain Drain and Keep the Researchers (Specifically, Natives) After Graduation in the Country: However, it seems that Malaysia is very serious in developing the research universities, but today Malaysia is a destination for students of other developing countries, specifically Muslim countries. Though a large number of students in the high quality universities are foreigners and specifically in the graduate and postgraduate levels. However, presence of international student specially has some financial benefits for these universities and in addition can boost the research activities and research project defined under educational programs, but it have some disadvantages too. To clarify more, when these international student finish their programs most of them are reluctant to stay more in Malaysia, so they go back to their home countries or transfer to some western or other developed countries. It means that Malaysia still is nurturing researcher to send them to developed countries (the same problem is in other developing countries). While, usually fresh researcher and graduates must be employed in the innovative and creative companies that produce high value-added products. However, developed countries always have their attractiveness for the highly educated people, but generally the native graduates are less willing to leave their home country (if they can educate in first class universities with a high salary base after graduation) than international student which come to Malaysia to transfer to another country or go back to their home countries. Therefore, it is a key factor to develop the Malaysian universities to the first class universities to reduce the brain drain phenomena in the Malaysia and provide the creative and innovative industries with rich resources of high-quality human capitals. In fact, the human capital is the backbone for each creative and innovative firm and without that, they can do nothing. We can deduce Malaysian universities’ performance has a significant effect to reach the 2020 vision. 8- Sustainability through Branding by Domestic Investors: Today Malaysia is a destination of foreign investments. While mostly foreign investors are international companies that look for a cheap work force, they choose the low-cost countries to establish their factories. On the the other hand they usually transfer their factories, and keep their innovative centers, research centers and design offices in the home countries, which are mostly developed countries. Therefor they have the ability and authority to easily transfer their factories to each other country that suggests them more advantages than the current country (Malaysia). It means that however, have had precious and substantial developments in the past years, but these development could not be considered as sustainable developments. If fact economic growth, low unemployment rate and foreign investement and labour-intensive industries are in contradiction with the vision of 2020, outwardly. That is why the Malaysian government knows that it has to emphasize more on the niche industries, with higher value-added and a bigger value chain. In addition, because international companies keep their design offices on their homelands they do not help the research activities to grow in the Malaysia. Though, the brain drain problems still remain due to underdevelopment of universities and research institutions. But, by introducing and developing domestic brands with an international market and international famousness, we can be hopeful that they can reduce the brain drain, empower research institutions and gift the Malaysia a sustainable growth and development. Another reason that can be mentioned for developing original Malaysian brand is that however, the Malaysia it going going further than its regional competitors to a high-income nation, there is a probability that these competitors implement some similar plans in their countries. And because at that time they have to implement similar policies like emphasizing the high value-added or creative and innovative industries, so they can be a potential threat to the future competitiveness of the Malaysia in attracting foreign investors in these kinds of industries. 9- Domestic Private Investment instead of Foreign Investement However, foreign investment had a significant effect on the economic growth of every country; usually the domestic investments provide a more sustainable development for the country. Certainly, foreign investment has its advantages for every economy (for the Malaysia, too), but too much dependence on the foreign investment has its disadvantages, too. I believe that the Malaysia has to emphasize on the domestic private investement, beside foreign investement. Domestic investors have religion, historical, national, and patriotic loyalty to their home country. While foreign investors are very sensitive and spiky. They will leave the country soon after than they find a better place for investment. In addition, international political issues can affect foreign investement. Universal superpowers can enact some sanctions formally, or informally to affect and hit Malaysia’s economy (like the Iran) if the Malaysia want to insist on its national interests or beliefs which are in conflict with those superpowers interests. 10- Global Economic Conditions and Crises: As we know in the past decade, the global economy has experienced numerous crises. 1998 Southeast Asia, 2002 dot-com bubble burst, 2008 financial crisis, and now European financial crisis, while still we can see the 2008 crisis is not finished. In addition that there are not good signs for these two last crises to finish soon. Some economists believe that USA will have a recession and depreciation economy at least in next few years, something like the Japan’s lost decade. Developing strong bonds with global economy can benefit the Malaysia’s economy when the economy is in good condition. But if the global economy or regional economies that the Malaysia has common interest with them experience bad conditions, the Malaysia will be affected badly, too. May be the only problem that the Malaysia cannot find an effective solution for that is the global economic condition and crisis. Bibliography Central Bank Malaysia. (2010). Annual Report. Kuala Lumpur. Ministry of Eduation. (2011). Economic Transformation Programme: A Roadmap for Malaysia. Kuala Lupmur. Oxford Business Group. (2011). The Report: Malaysia 2011. London: Oxford Business Group publication. World Bank. (2011). Malaysia Economic Monitor: Brain Drain. Bangkok: World Bank. YAKCOP, T. S. (2011, July 26). MALAYSIA’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGES: CHARTING POLICY RESPONSE TOWARDS A HIGH INCOME ECONOMY. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Article Rebutal Essay

The flu shot. Should you or shouldn’t you get one? That is a very common question to ask as flu season quickly approaches. The Mayo Clinic offers an article on their website stating that the best way to avoid the flu is primarily by means of vaccination. Does this mean one cannot avoid the flu if they don’t receive the immunization? What happens to the people who cannot afford the shot, or those who cannot access the places to receive one? Is one to be plagued by sickness if they were to go against injecting the inoculation? While the Mayo clinic itself is a reputable hospital and research facility, the article, â€Å"Flu shot: Your best bet for avoiding influenza† (Mayo 2012) offered no evidence or support for the claim. There was support for avoiding getting the flu, but no proof that the shot itself would offer such protection. After further investigation, there were numerous studies repudiating the claims that are made regarding the efficacy of the flu shot. One such study (which was actually pro-vaccination) stated that the shot only provided moderate protection and was lacking in evidence in the 65 and up age range (Lancet). In another finding, namely the leaflet that comes inside the drugs packaging, the insert for FLULAVAL states â€Å"there have been no controlled trials adequately demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination with FLULAVAL†. Then why take it? While the side effects of the flu shot can be mild such as soreness at the injection site or aching muscles, they can also be as severe as an allergic reaction causing, guess what, flu like symptoms. Who wants that? Plus there is the chance that the vaccines don’t match the viruses circulating (Mayo). Now wait a minute, somebody is predicting the upcoming viruses and then making the immunization? How does that work? Are these same people consulting a crystal ball or palm reading the other doctors and scientists by any chance? While it may be medically necessary for a person to receive an influenza vaccination while in a hospital setting or nursing home, the bottom line is sick people get sick while healthy people do not. To avoid the flu this season, eat well, exercise regularly, manage stress and take some vitamins. Keep your hands clean by washing them regularly and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth whenever possible but especially if the hands are not clean. Prevention is still the best medicine and as Thomas Edison so fabulously quantified, â€Å"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease†. References (Sept. 2012) Mayo Clinic Staff. Flu shot: Your best bet for avoiding influenza retrieved online from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flu-shots/ID00017 (Jan 2012). The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 12, Issue 1, Pgs 36 – 44, retrieved online from: http://www.naturalnews.com/033998_influenza_vaccines_effectiveness.html (Oct 2011). Adams, M. Natural News, retrieved online from: http://www.naturalnews.com/033998_influenza_vaccines_effectiveness.html

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Les Miserables Essay

Les Miserables (the title is the same in French and English) is the most well-known of Victor Hugo’s novels. It describes the miserable life of French workers, and especially their children. Hugo calls for social action to improve the unfortunate poor’s lives. This excerpt describes the character Marius, and how he has worked very hard to succeed in life. Excerpt from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1802-1885) Misery is the same with anything else. As time passes, it gradually becomes bearable. Marius had emerged from the narrow passage of his life; now the path widened out a bit. Through sheer hard work, courage, and a strong will, he had managed to earn around seven hundred francs a year. He had learned English and German. Thanks to Courfeyrac, the man who introduced him to his publisher friend, Marius held a position in the literary department of the publishing house, where he filled the useful role of utility. He wrote prospectuses, translated articles from journals, annotated publications, compiled biographies, and so on. His net gain, year in, year out, was seven hundred francs. He was able to survive on this income. How? Not badly. Here is how he lived. For a yearly rent of thirty francs, Marius lived in a miserable little room without a fireplace in the Gorbeau tenement. There was only a bare minimum of furniture which belonged to him. He paid the old woman who took care of the building a sum three francs a month to sweep his room, and bring him some warm water, a fresh egg, and a small loaf of bread every morning. This egg and bread cost him between two and four cents, because eggs varied in price. At six o’clock in the evening, he went downstairs to eat dinner at Rousseau’s in the Rue Saint Jacques. He had no soup, but he ate a plate of meat for six pennies, half a plate of vegetables for three pennies, and a dessert for the same price. As for bread, he could eat as much as he liked for three pennies, but instead of wine, he drank water. Then he paid at the counter, where Madame Rousseau sat majestically, a large woman with a pleasant face. She would smile as Marius handed the waiter a one penny tip. Then he left the restaurant. For a total of sixteen cents, he got a dinner and a smile. †¦.. Marius had two complete suits, one of them old, that he wore for everyday use, and the other one new, which he wore on special occasions. Both suits were black. He owned only three shirts: the one he had on, another one that was in the bureau drawer, and the third one that was at the laundry woman’s. When they wore out, he replaced them with new ones, but generally, his shirts were ragged, so he buttoned his coat up to his chin. To reach this stage of prosperity, it had taken Marius many hard, difficult years: years of barely getting by, and years of trudging along. He had never once given up. He had struggled and done without, he had been through every hardship, except going into debt. Instead of borrowing money, he went without food. There had been many days of fasting. During all his hard times, he actually felt encouraged, and sometimes he even felt a certain inner strength. In addition to the memory of his father, Marius carried the memory of Thà ©nardier in his heart. He envisioned the man surrounded by a halo, the brave sergeant Thà ©nardier who had saved his father, a colonel, when he found him among the cannon fire and bullets at Waterloo. Marius always kept the memory of this man together with the memory of his father, and he felt great admiration for them both. It was a bit like a form of worship in two steps. The high altar was reserved for his father the colonel, and the low one for Thà ©nardier. His feelings of gratitude for the man were strengthened by the knowledge that Thà ©nardier had suffered a horrible misfortune. Marius found out that as an unlucky innkeeper, Thà ©nardier had gone bankrupt. After learning this, Marius made countless efforts to track down the miserable Thà ©nardier, who had disappeared. Marius blamed and hated himself for not being able to locate him. He felt that the only debt his father had left him was to succeed in finding Thà ©nardier. Marius felt it was his duty to pay him that tribute. â€Å"After all,† he thought, â€Å"when my father lay dying on the battlefield, it was Thà ©nardier who was able to find him through the smoke, and carry him away on his shoulders. Yet he owed Thà ©nardier nothing, whereas I, who owe so much to Thà ©nardier, cannot get to him in his time of darkness and suffering. I cannot, in my turn, restore him to life. Oh! I will find him!†

Friday, September 27, 2019

Questions - Program Evaluation Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Questions - Program Evaluation Method - Essay Example (Julian, 1997) 1. Objectives, activities, outcome measures of the logic model maybe unclear or missing. This is because logic models contain lists of each of the elements of a logic model without specifying which item on one list is related to which item on another list. This can easily lead to confusion regarding the relationship among elements or result in accidental omission of an item on a list of elements. 2. Too much (or too little) information maybe provided on the logic model. The logic model should include only the primary elements related to program/project design and operation. As a general rule, it should provide the "big picture" of the program/project and avoid providing very specific details related to how, for example, interventions will occur, or a list of all the agencies that will serve to improve collaboration efforts. 3. Objectives maybe confused with activities. The project evaluator must make surethat items listed as objectives are in fact objectives rather than activities. Anything related to program implementation or a task that is being carried out in order to accomplish something is an activity rather than an objective. For example, hire 10 staff members is an activity that is being carried out in order to accomplish an objective such as improve response time for incoming phone calls. Even though it leaves out information, a good model represents those aspects of an initiative that, in the view of the stakeholders, are most important for understanding how the effort works. The developers will go through several drafts before producing at a version that the stakeholders agree accurately reflects their story. If the information will become overly complex, it will be possible to create a family of related models, or nested models, each capturing a different level of detail. One model could sketch out the broad

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Don Martins Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Don Martins Company - Case Study Example According to the paper Martin’s has competitors in: furniture, electronic household appliances, branded big-ticket items. Martin’s advantage is the big parking lot right behind his store. This is a competitive advantage that must be explored, because parking is a problem in the area. It works to Martin’s advantage if his customers can park right next to the store, because that would make it easy to cart away and load the big-ticket items onto the customers’ vehicles. This is one major incentive for customers to choose to purchase repeatedly from Martin’s store. From this study it is clear that the firm has just begun to feel the effects of declining financial sustainability, with the incurrences of losses in its operations for the last fiscal year. This is not to say that the Martin’s business is already in dire financial condition. The business is still financially viable at present and maybe for a few more years, but the flat revenue growth and the downtrend in earnings should be arrested if the company will continue to be viable in the long term. Martin’s business, despite the most expansion, has not realized the additional revenues which were expected. This means that the firm has not maximized its marketing potential in order to take full advantage of the expansion. The company has resorted to costly advertising which has not brought increased sales. It should rethink this strategy and resort to promotion that directly impacts upon its customers’ needs. It is assumed that the company also has e-marketing capability, as most firms, even small ones, are equipped with online capacity.

The Duality of Human Nature in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Research Paper

The Duality of Human Nature in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Research Paper Example Just like any other man, Dr. Jekyll had also thoughts and utterances of evil and the character was afraid of acting it out because of the prevailing social norms. Dr. Jekyll was situated during the Victorian era where propriety and social demeanor are highly stressed. The difference between Dr. Jekyll and a regular person who have the same tendency is that Dr. Jekyll went as far as using his intellect and profession by creating a drug that would unleash the evil in him without the control and restraint of his good conscious self. The drug created Mr. Edward Hyde who is a representative of pure and adulterated evil which contains Dr. Jekyll’s evil side. Mr. Hyde is amoral and this was manifested in his physique that he looked despicable, grotesque and deformed (Singh and Chakrabarti 221). Dr. Jekyll thought that he could experience the pleasure of his both good and evil side with the creation of Mr. Hyde. He thought that Mr. Hyde would consummate his evil desires that longed to be release. Mr. Hyde indeed acted out Dr. Jekyll’s evil side only that Mr. Hyde evoked feeling of disdain among Dr. Jekyll’s friends who asked him earnestly to severe his relationship with Mr. Hyde. It is obvious in the novel that Dr. Jekyll did not give up Mr. Hyde or his evil side. This resulted to the growing power of Mr. Hyde that eventually overpowered Dr. Jekyll leading to a series of murders and grotesque events. The novel is more than the transformation of Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde which has a grotesque and despicable appearance. It is in fact an analysis of the duality of the self against the social backdrop of Victorian setting which highlighted the personal, physical and social ambivalence of man and his surroundings that shaped him. The novel discussed the anxiety of the self as it relates to the world that produced a variety of stimuli that is often externalized in

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

If It's Legal, It's Ethical; and Besides, Everyone Does It Essay

If It's Legal, It's Ethical; and Besides, Everyone Does It - Essay Example Group hedge-fund, Raj Rajaratnam obtained inside information through supporting the graduation parties of several young executives in major companies such as Intel. Arthur Anderson and Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation (CSFB) shredded documents that would be crucial in pending Enron investigations. The outcomes of such behaviours were costly legal suits by the SEC, loss of investor confidence in the industry (Jennings, 2012). Other executives were sentenced for long terms in jail. There are no disadvantages competitively if companies do not engage in the same behaviours as those of the industry. Companies that behave ethically will attain higher reputation and trust from clients thus gaining a competitive edge in the market. If firms do not follow the unethical industry behaviours, they will avoid costly suits by the SEC and gain market reputation (Jennings, 2012). Some of the negative consequences for companies that adopted industry practices include costly suits by the SEC, loss of investor confidence and bankruptcy. Such companies distorted the market prices and led to decline in the market capitalization since some investors sold their stocks below the issue prices in order to avoid further losses. If everyone in the industry is behaving unethically, it will not be difficult for one to be caught. The Securities and Exchange Commission constantly monitors the transactions of each financial identity after complaints of insider trading thus facilitating the identification of criminal and unethical behaviours. On the other hand, the SEC requires the suspected individuals to voluntarily assist in the investigation in order to qualify for leniency in the exchange of the insider trading and market manipulation testimony (Jennings,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Artical Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Artical - Assignment Example Another notable characteristic of Eisner is that he emulates dictatorial leadership style. For example, he consolidated his power by isolating board members in order to weaken them (James 88). Similarly, Eisner embarks on stripping the directors of their functions once they seem to ask question regarding his leadership techniques. Based on the high compensation that Eisner is exposed to and conflict of interest within the board of directors, the CEO seems not to provide good leadership strategies that may jeopardize the operations of Disney. Walt Disney Company financial position is negatively affected by the management practices adopted by Michael Eisner. Instead on paying the shareholders significant dividends, the CEO only increases his compensation at the expense of shareholders. As a result, Walt Disney is viewed as a company that does not engage all the stakeholders in its activities despite the quality products it produces. In terms of internal business processes, the CEO seems to interfere not only with the business activities but also with the management. By not allowing directors to undertake their duties freely, the CEO hinder business processes thus affecting the profitability of the company. As indicated by a balanced score card, a key perspective is learning and growth. This covers the way a company innovates, creates value and improves its performance. Even though the company has adopted modern designs in its premises, through the support of Robert Stern, one of the directors, Walt Disney does not provide ample opportunity that would allow the directors to come up with new products. In addition, the company shares seem to perform poorly since Eisner took the office as the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Strategic Analysis for Cathay Pacific Airways Dissertation

Strategic Analysis for Cathay Pacific Airways - Dissertation Example Cathay Pacific, during the global financial crisis in late 2008 and 2009, has incurred a record high of $ 7 billion loss (Cathay Pacific 2010). This is the first time that the company has ever experienced such a huge loss. However, by 2010, the company has reached an all time high of $14 billion profit (Cathay Pacific 2010). Although this turnaround is attributed to the continued growth and strong performance of the China’s economy, what Cathay Pacific shows is astonishing since the airline business, fundamentally, involves heavy investments, but relatively slow return on investments. Yet, Cathay Pacific has gained monumental profit during difficult economic times. In this sense, by looking into Cathay Pacific’s approach and strategy as the company surmounts the hurdle of the global financial crisis with excellent profit, one can learn from their experience as it provides a paradigm that can be used by most companies who are still reeling from the impact of the recent g lobal financial crisis. In this regard, Cathay Pacific strategic management offers alternative frames that can be useful for companies as they address the challenges and impact of the first global economic crisis of the 21st century. 1.1. Background of the Study The airline industry is one of the most dynamic and robust business sectors in the world (Meersman, Van de Voorde & Vanelslander 2008). Its business cycle is consists of ups and downs that continues to modify and restructure the demands and framework of the airline industry market (Uncles & Goh 2002). In this regard, it is significant to understand the important factors contributing to the robust nature of the airline industry. In addition, by looking into the elements modifying the structure of the industry, the approaches develop by the companies not only becomes contextualise, but it also affords the chance to apprehend what is the basic condition of the airline industry. One of the most important factors affecting not only the airline industry but all businesses and countries around the world is globalisation. Globalisation is the removal of trade barriers existing among nations. With this economic policy adopted by most countries around the world th e movement of goods, capital, services, products, culture and people has become freer flowing, thus allowing for exchanges to happen (Coatsworth 2004; Fougner 2006; Munck 2008). In effect, eco0nomic policies of governments have shifted from

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Investigating Bubble Wrap as an Insulator Essay Example for Free

Investigating Bubble Wrap as an Insulator Essay Apparatus   Kettle Water   Small Plastic Bag What are we going to do? We are going to experiment for which bubble wrap or bag is the best insulator. We are doing this experiment because to prove my research in the hypothesis. We will test the big bubble wrap, small bubble wrap, a plastic bag and just the steel can. To extend the experiment we will test the bubbles facing inwards and outwards of the steel can. This will be used for the big bubble wrap and small bubble wrap. 1. First we will boil up some water in a kettle. 2. Then, we will measure the 140ml in a measuring cylinder. This is because we wont to know how easily heat energy can escape through the can. 3. We shall pour the 140ml of hot water on the steel can. 4. We will put a plastic lid on top of the can. A thermometer will be put through a pierced hole into the middle of the plastic lid. 5. Later we will measure the temperature. 6. As soon as the temperature falls to 84 degree, we will start the timing. 7. We will record the temperature every minute for 10 minutes. After ten minutes the experiment will be done. 8. We will repeat the experiment to find an average temperature for every minute. 9. Finally we well repeat this experiment for the big bubble wrap facing in and out of the can, the small bubble wrap facing in and out of the can and the plastic bag around the steel can. We have chosen to start every experiment at 84 degrees because we think the water may not reach temperatures as high as 90 degrees. For a fair test we will measure the temperature at every minute to make equal spacing of time between each reading of time. ANALYSIS Apparatus Small Plastic Bag Method In my experiment I kept many of the things I was going to do, the same. But after finding a couple of difficulties in the experiment I had to alter a couple of things. They were:    The process of measuring the hot water. I found out that the temperature of the water decreased rapidly so I could not start the experiment at 84 degrees. So I changed the process of measuring the water. Instead of measuring the water after boiling it up, I measured the water before boiling it up. This meant that I had to put 5ml of extra water in the kettle because a tiny bit of the water would have been evaporated.   Inserting more water into the steel can. I found out that the steel can was not being filled to the top. This meant that the air between the lid and water had been transferring heat energy by convection. I stopped this by adding 10 extra millilitres of water into the steel can. Conclusion In my results table I have observed that the big bubble wrap was the best insulator. The small bubble wrap was a worse insulator than the big bubble wrap and although the plastic bag was the worst insulator, it was the best insulator. The results of the experiment with no covering on the steel can did not fit the graph. This is because the graph showed that the experiment with no covering on the steel can was a good insulator. I would have thought that no covering on the steel can would have helped the heat energy escape. The only explanation for why the graph showed that the experiment was a good insulator is that a big, thick object would have been near the steel can preventing from escaping so easily. In my prediction, I said that the big bubble wrap would be the best insulator. This is because there is a lot gas in each bubble preventing heat energy from escaping so easily. The atoms in a gas are little and very spread out which makes the vibration of one atom to another very hard. I also said that the plastic bag was a good conductor because the heat energy only had go through the steel can and plastic bag. There was not much gas between the steel can and plastic bag together because the plastic bag was close to the steel can. Heat energy can go through a solid easily by conduction because the atoms are close together making the vibrating of each atom easy. This theory has been proved by my results and graph. I decided to record the temperature at every minute in each the experiment, because then I would have a wide range of results of the temperature decreasing. EVALUATION There were some things that were not fair which made the experiment go wrong a little. They were:- 1. The reading of the temperature. Sometimes I would not reading the temperature because the marks on the thermometer were squashed together so I could not read the numbers so easily. If I had a high-tech piece of equipment (e. g. a computer) then I could connect a thermometer to the computer and just read the temperature off the computer. 2. The reading of the temperature APPROXIMATELY every minute. Most of the time I could not read the temperature exactly every minute. Sometimes I was reading the temperature before the minute and sometimes after the minute. This effected my results because some results read the same and some had a big decrease (like the point at the orange circle). I could get solve this problem by also using a computer and connecting a stopwatch to it so the temperature could be given at exactly every minute. 3. The rounding off of a number after being read. Many of the numbers that I read were not whole numbers. So I had to result to rounding the number off. This effected my results because again some results read the same and some had a big decrease. If the thermometer had smaller marks telling you the numbers then I could have precise results. We could result to using a computer. I was not happy with my results with my results for no covering at 1 minute (marked orange circle) because of all the reasons above. These reasons are why my graph a bit out of shape. Although my graph was not accurate, my results were reliable to prove my prediction. My results clearly show that the big bubble wrap was the best insulator (and a bad conductor) and the experiment with the bag was the worst insulator (and a good conductor). I could make my results better by repeating the whole experiment again but this time using all the suggested I have given. If I were to do this then I would get the accurate results and prove that the experiment without covering would be the worst insulator. I would do the experiment three or four times to get a better and more reliable average. My results are not sufficient to prove my conclusion. I think I would have to do the experiment with no covering again to at least make my conclusion right.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Causes and Solutions for Hurricanes

Causes and Solutions for Hurricanes In the south Pacific they are called cyclones. In the northern Pacific Ocean they are called typhoons. In the Atlantic Ocean areas they are called hurricanes. One thing is for certain in regard to these phenomenon, they can all be extremely dangerous. The only major difference between all of them is the locations in which they occur. For the purposes of this paper we will refer to the phenomena as hurricanes. The seasons for tropical cyclones vary depending on their location on Earth. Most tropical cyclones form between May to October but in the pacific there have been storms form as early as January. Hurricanes are some of the most powerful weather events on the planet. They can cause millions of dollars in property damage and have the potential to cause the loss of human life on a large scale. These monstrosities, especially in the Atlantic Ocean, can grow to enormous proportions and cover many square miles. These storms usually forms in the tropical regions of an ocean hence the name tropical cyclone. They are fast rotating systems that arecharacterized by low pressure centers, strong winds, and a spiral storms that produce heavy rains. They can produce winds in excess of 155 miles per hour and have been recorded gusting as high as 210 mph. Hurricanes require large bodies of warm water in order to form. There are seven different categories for â€Å"hurricanes.† The first category is a tropical depression in which winds are less than 40 miles per hour and there is no formed â€Å"eye† of the storm. They also usually lack the spiral shape of stronger storms, howeve r, they are still low pressure systems at this point. The next category is a tropical storm in which winds range from 40 mph to 73 mph. It is at this point when the storm begins to form its spiral shape and winds begin to move in a cyclonic motion. In a few instances the storm has actually formed an eye, although it is usually not very pronounced or developed. The next category is the first stage where a tropical cyclone officially becomes a hurricane or full tropical cyclone. The Saffir-Simpson scale is what is used to determine which one of the following categories a full hurricane falls into. The first is known as a category 1 storm where winds range from 74 mph to 95 mph and the winds can cause slight damage to well built homes and will likely cause power outages due to branches falling on power lines. Category 2 hurricanes have sustained wind speeds from 96 mph to 110 mph. In this category even well-built structures will sustained heavy roof damage as well as possible structura l damage. Power loss is almost certain to happen and stay out for days. Category 3 storms are the beginning of what are considered major hurricanes, meaning cyclones that are capable of causing massive damage and high loss of life. They have sustained winds from 111 mph to 129 mph. This is when many trees begin to snap and have the potential to turn into flying debris which can cause a large amount of damage to many of the buildings and windows. A category 4 storm has winds from 130 mph to 156 mph and will cause major damage such as total destruction of a building’s roof and possible full structural collapse. Large loss of life is expected during a storm as powerful as this. The final and most powerful classification of tropical cyclone is a category 5. These monstrosities have winds 157 mph and stronger. Damage should be expected to be widespread and utterly catastrophic. Power lines and other utilities are usually knocked out for weeks on end. This makes many rural areas un inhabitable for a decent amount of time. One of the most powerful storms ever recorded at landfall was Typhoon Haiyan which topped out at over 195 mph. This storm occurred in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines. The loss of life was enormous killing almost 6300 people in the Philippines alone and as of 2014 they are still finding bodies. Another very powerful category 5 hurricane was Hurricane Andrew which made landfall in Florida as a category 5 and caused over 26 billion dollars in damage. One thing is for sure and that is that a tropical cyclone no matter what the category has the potential to cause major damage and can also cause loss of life. Many people do not heed the warnings when a â€Å"smaller† storm is approaching and they get caught in the path and ultimately lose their lives because of it. This is unfortunate, however, actions can be taken to prevent such things from happening. In recent years research has shown that with the warming of the earth tropical cyclones have started to produce more rainfall. In the past 100 years it has been determined that the warmer climate will produce an increase of 8% more water vapor for every 1 degree Celsius the temperature increases. More rainfall means a higher potential for flash flooding once the cyclone makes landfall which means more property damage as well as higher risk for loss of life Cyclone Ita is the most powerful storm to form in the southern Pacific Ocean in three years. The storm began around the Solomon Islands as a tropical depression on April 1st. It finally reached cyclone strength four days later. On the 10th it quickly gained strength to a category 5. It made landfall in the Cooktown/ Cape Flattery area in Queensland Australia on April 12th at 2200 (local time) as a category 4 storm. Upon Ita’s landfall the storm weakened very fast down to a category 1 storm. There was over $1 billion dollars in damage. One building was destroyed and 4 buildings were severely damaged in Cooktown. The damage also included large tracts of sugar cane and a banana plantation was completely destroyed. Cyclone Ita then began to move southeast maintaining gale-force winds the storm accelerated, eventually moving back to the ocean just north of a town called Mackay which is also in Queensland on April 13th. After it moved off of the land and back to the waters off the c oast it began to gain strength again as it combined with a low pressure system near New Zealand. It made landfall in New Zealand on the 17th of April and the inner eye wall collapsed which helped to dissipate the storm. The storm brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to the coast before finally destabilizing. The mitigation efforts taken by each area affected have their similarities as well as some differences. As the storm approached the Solomon Islands the authorities issued severe flood warnings along with cyclone watches. Many facilities in the area prepared for the worst by having backup plans in the event they were required to evacuate. The national hospital actually had to move over 500 patients to other areas due to the flooding that occurred. In Papua New Guinea, the National Weather Service issued tropical cyclone warnings for all island communities. It was decided that all schools and businesses were to remain closed for several days in Milne Bay and many of the residents were encouraged to stay safe indoors. Flooding did occur in this area as well and there was a bridge that was washed away. If the authorities had not issued the warnings to stay indoors and off the roads there may have been many more casualties. In Australia, the authorities issued cyclone warnings to all affe cted areas in an effort to minimize casualties since the storm was expected to be very strong at landfall. Due to the effectiveness of the pre-mitigation efforts there was minimal casualties. In the aftermath of this and other tropical cyclone events the best way to deal with all of the issues that arise is to have a well-known plan for emergency services as well as power companies. Hospitals should be prepared to receive many casualties like in the event mentioned earlier in the Solomon Islands. Emergency workers such as fire fighters and medical personnel must be available to Works Cited Hurricanes, Typhoons, Cyclones | UCAR University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Hurricanes, Typhoons, Cyclones | UCAR University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014. Keegan, Bianca. Douglas and Cairns Shires on Tropical Cyclone Ita Alert as Storm Deluge Looms. CairnsPost. N.p., 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 08 May 2014. National Weather Service. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office. Andrew. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014. National Weather Service. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014. Queensland Surveys Cyclone Ita Harm. BBC News. N.p., 12 Apr. 2014. Web. 08 May 2014. Tropical Cyclone Ita. Weather Forecast Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). U.S. Agency for International Development. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Struggle for Equality: Native-Americans and Asian-Americans

The Struggle for Equality: Native-Americans and Asian-Americans The struggle for equality has been going on since the first European settlers immigrated to the United States. Globalization and Imperialism forced the indigenous peoples of the United States, and also immigrants from other countries, to endure extreme cultural changes. Both the experiences of the Native Americans and the Asian Americans are similar in the attempts by the dominant white culture to affect a total cultural transformation of their way of life. Both groups were considered inferior, dealt with segregation, discrimination, and the rationalization of economic and social exploitations. Native Americans and Asian Americans both suffered restriction of education that was intended to change and control their beliefs and behaviors, in addition to forced internment and relocation. Both groups struggled to preserve their cultures and languages, to be accepted and to receive the liberties that are the right of citizens of the United States. The liberties Americans expect, freedom f rom discrimination, citizenship, the right to sit on a jury, the right to vote, to receive an equal education were for many years denied them. In both cases, fear and greed were the prevailing attitudes that guided those policies of intolerance. From the onset, both the Native Americans and Asian Americans were viewed as inferior to whites and uncivilized. The 1700s classification of Native Americans by Congress as domestic foreigners (Spring, 2010) denied citizenship based upon the Bering Strait Theory that they had crossed over from Asia on the land bridge, and therefore were not white . This was the justification for the classification that all people of Asiatic decent, called collectively by European Americans Mongolians, were not to be considered white and was the basis for the Naturalization Act of 1790 which denied both Native Americans and Asian Americans citizenship. The general view of the Native Americans was a filthy (in the moral sense) savage who not only did not avoid personal pleasure, they enjoyed sex, allowed their women power, were lazy and did not discipline their children. Asian Americans fared no better. Spring (2010) states that in the 1870s in California the Asians were considered an inferior race, barbarians, and any mixing of the races would be the lowest, most vile degraded of our race, and the result of that amalgamation would be a hybrid of the most despicable, a mongrel of the most detestable that has ever afflicted the earth (p. 72) he went on to say that California Representative Romualdo Pacheco maintained, Chinaman [is] a lithe, sinewy creature, with muscles like iron, and almost devoid of nerves and sensibilities. His ancestors have also bequested to him the most hideous immoralities. They are as natural to him as the yellow hue of his skin and are so shocking and horrible that their character cannot even be hinted (p.73). The mind-set of non-European cultures not being white and needing to be civilized, was part of the belief system that the English colonists brought with them that held they were culturally and racially superior. This was used as the validation for taking over the lands of the Native Americans and the forced relocation of the various tribes. Ostensibly, for their own good, the reality was that the land was desired by settlers. This is similar to the Japanese Americans losing their homes and possessions during their internment in concentration camps during World War II. Additionally it was this same not white argument that was used in the 1920s to deny Asian Indians citizenship, and was combined with restrictive court rulings to deny owning land. It was over 160 years after the Naturalization Act that the United States Government acknowledged that naturalized citizenship should not be restricted to whites with the passing of the McCarran-Walter Act in 1952. The political system headed by European-Americans believed that to preserve the survival of the country it was necessary that other groups repudiate their native religions and ways of life, and accept middle class America with its accompanying customs. The hope was to accomplish this by total deculturalization and assimilation through education. It was during the latter part of the nineteenth century that the major policy of the United States Government became one of destroying the customs of the Indians, replacing their languages with English and instilling in them an allegiance to the U.S. Government. The Japanese faced these same tribulations in Hawaii in 1914. Wanting to preserve their culture and language, the local Japanese communities had opened private schools for their children to attend after public school. Spring (2010) explains, they were criticized by local white leaders for hindering the Americanization of Japanese American children and a Territorial Government report f rom that time states, All Americans must be taught to read and write and think in one language; this is a primary condition to the growth which all nations expect of us and which we demand of ourselves (as sited in Hawkins, 1995, p.35). The idea of cultural assimilation combined with the restriction of education was meant to keep other cultures and ethnic groups in line. Both Native Americans and Asian Americans were experiencing segregation or being denied an adequate education. It was not until the civil rights movement that strides were made to redress the deficiencies in schooling, have the schools provide positive images, and reverse the efforts by federal and state governments to destroy the language and cultures of different ethnic groups. The Japanese were, at this time, at a great disadvantage as they were still reeling from the effects of anti-Japanese movies made during World War II and had been villainized by all other cultural groups as a result. The outcome of that polarization of popular opinion was that the Chinese Americans were able to overcome the image of the Chinese opium den deviant which had energized discrimination and segregation. The American Indians wish to be in charge of their own educat ion and re-establish their cultural heritage and languages was made difficult by the attempts in the 1940s and 1950s to end the official status of the tribes. This was not in line with the Indians desires as it would mean dispersal into the general population (Spring, 2010). Banding together into the Pan-Indian movement the tribes in the 1960s led demonstrations to call attention to the plight of the Native Americans and garner political support. At this time, the image of Asian Americans had evolved to the point where they were considered the model minority(Spring, 2010). Regarded by the European Americans as model students who worked hard and got good grades, they were used as poster children to hold up against the African Americans and Hispanics for not working towards the model minority image. Despite strides made by both groups discrimination in education has continued. With a new inflow of immigrants to the United States, multicultural education ranging from bilingual education to instruction in a variety of cultures was proposed. All ethnic groups were expected to benefit from these policies. Unfortunately, the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act which mandated standardized tests to measure achievement, tied to school funding, put an end to that hope. If instructors hoped to ensure the students would be prepared for the high stakes tests that had became mandated than the material needed to be standardized. Sadly, these government created tests create uniformity in knowledge and make a single culture the norm of schooling. (Spring, 2010, p.133)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Graduation 2001 :: essays research papers

First of all I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight for the 2001 Palo Verde graduation. I am honored to be speaking in front of the class of 2001. I congratulate all the graduates on a job well done. Sitting here shows a great deal of work and dedication. Graduation is a time to remember the last four years at Palo Verde. Some of us have great memories that we will hold close to us and others may think about the struggles and hardships that we went through. But the point is that it’s over now right. Not really cause now we are going on our own. Their is not going to be that teacher that reminds that the paper is do tomorrow and that grades are coming out pretty soon so we need to get our grades up. We now need to look at what the future has in store for us. Its a serious time, a time to look at what path our lives are going to take once the caps and gowns are taken off. High school was an important step in our lives but it was only a step. So we must strive to educate ourselves and work to our best abilities to become strong individuals. But these struggles that we wen through will help us to be able to handle things in the real world. We all went through struggles and hardships but we all got to remember that someone went thro ugh more struggles than we did. I remember this friend that walked to school at 6:45 in the morning so that he could make it to Yearbook O period; while it was still dark outside. Then his junior year he got a job and to be able to make to work on time he would have to run from school to the mile away bus stop so that he would be able to get a car. And after saving his paychecks for four months he was able to get a car. I was proud of him for going through hardships and his family was proud too. On graduation night we all must remember the friendships that we had through the times. Even if they were bad or good we all can learn something from them. We can remember those friends that we’ve had since freshmen year and those friends that we just met but have become our best of friends. Graduation 2001 :: essays research papers First of all I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight for the 2001 Palo Verde graduation. I am honored to be speaking in front of the class of 2001. I congratulate all the graduates on a job well done. Sitting here shows a great deal of work and dedication. Graduation is a time to remember the last four years at Palo Verde. Some of us have great memories that we will hold close to us and others may think about the struggles and hardships that we went through. But the point is that it’s over now right. Not really cause now we are going on our own. Their is not going to be that teacher that reminds that the paper is do tomorrow and that grades are coming out pretty soon so we need to get our grades up. We now need to look at what the future has in store for us. Its a serious time, a time to look at what path our lives are going to take once the caps and gowns are taken off. High school was an important step in our lives but it was only a step. So we must strive to educate ourselves and work to our best abilities to become strong individuals. But these struggles that we wen through will help us to be able to handle things in the real world. We all went through struggles and hardships but we all got to remember that someone went thro ugh more struggles than we did. I remember this friend that walked to school at 6:45 in the morning so that he could make it to Yearbook O period; while it was still dark outside. Then his junior year he got a job and to be able to make to work on time he would have to run from school to the mile away bus stop so that he would be able to get a car. And after saving his paychecks for four months he was able to get a car. I was proud of him for going through hardships and his family was proud too. On graduation night we all must remember the friendships that we had through the times. Even if they were bad or good we all can learn something from them. We can remember those friends that we’ve had since freshmen year and those friends that we just met but have become our best of friends.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Women of Shirley Jackson :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Women of Shirley Jackson      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout her life, Shirley Jackson refused to fit into society's limited concept of a woman's role.   Her works feature female protagonists who are punished for seeking a more substantial existence than that of the traditional wife or mother.   In most cases, these characters are condemned as witches, ostracized by society, and even killed for their refusal to conform.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From her youth, Jackson was an outsider.   Always self-conscious about her obesity and plain appearance, she preferred spending time alone in her room writing poetry to socializing with other children (Oppenheimer 16).   As an adult, she struggled to fulfill her role as a mother without sacrificing her career as a writer.   Kathleen Warnock writes:    [Jackson] served as chauffeur for her children and hostess for her husband's university colleagues at Bennington College [where he was a professor]. . . .   But she also set aside time each day for her writing.   "There was always the sound of typing," her children wrote, "pounding away into the night (10)."      Jackson's husband, writer and literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, felt threatened by her talent and tried to discourage her by preoccupying her with housework.   This, however, only made Jackson more determined.   Her writing became a form of rebellion against her husband (who was allegedly unfaithful) and, ultimately, against a male-dominated society.      Ã‚  Ã‚   This element of rebellion in Jackson's works led to its poor reception by contemporary critics and readers alike.   According to mythologian Barbara G. Walker, "Any unusual ability in a woman instantly raise[s] a charge of witchcraft" (1078).   In the flood of mail that followed the publication of "The Lottery," Jackson was labeled "un-American, perverted, and modern" (Sullivan 71).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rumors of supernatural events concerning Jackson began to circulate.   According to David Gates, Jackson was "widely believed to have broken the leg of publisher Alfred Knopf by sticking pins into a voodoo doll" (67).   Bennington College student Elizabeth Frank recalls "a rumor that. . . [Jackson] had turned a certain male faculty member into a pumpkin" (6).   Jackson's extensive library of witchcraft as well as the mystique that arose from her agoraphobic tendencies added to this characterization.   Her house became a cave, her small social circle a coven, and her many cats "familiars."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the words of Jack Sullivan, "Jackson's real witchcraft is her fiction" (71).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Love Song of J.Alfrrd Prufrock Notes

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock â€Å"A reader’s response to a text is influenced by that responder’s social, cultural and historical context† Choosing one of T. S Eliot’s poems set for study, consider to what extent your personal response to your chosen poem has been shaped by the enduring power of its intellectual and artistic qualities. (Quote) â€Å"There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;† Good morning /Afternoon Ms and fellow classmates. A reader’s personal response to a text is shaped by the enduring power of its intellectual and artistic qualities.Their response is influenced by that responder’s social, cultural and historical context which is why texts including ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ can be interpreted in various ways by various people. ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock‘, was composed by poet T. S Eliot. Born in St Louis Missouri U SA, he attended Harvard University in 1906 and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ was the earliest of T. S Eliot’s major works and was completed between 1910 and 1911.It is an examination of the tortured mind of the prototypical modern man – eloquent, neurotic and emotionally stilted. The ideas and themes explored and their relevance to us today: In ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ there are various themes, symbols and ideas explored. The damaged mind of humanity and the changing nature of gender roles are two of the main themes explored in the poem. Like many modernist writers, Eliot wanted to capture the transformed world which he perceived as fractured and denigrated and also wanted his poetry to express the fragile psychological state of humanity in the twentieth century.In the poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ Prufrock, the poems persona, is constantly quest ioning the romantic ideal of society; wondering whether he should make a radical change, or if he has the fortitude to continue living demonstrating a sense of indecisive paralysis in the persona. This is seen when Prufrock, unable to make decisions, watches women wander in and out of a room, â€Å"talking of Michelangelo. † Humanity’s collectively damaged psyche prevented people from communicating with one another, an idea that is clearly evident in Eliot’s poem.This also reflects the theme of the changing nature of gender roles, over the course of Eliot’s life, gender roles and sexuality became increasingly flexible, and Eliot reflected those changes in his work, including ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’. Prufrock is unable to talk to women and fears rejection, this conveys the feeling of emasculation experienced by many men as they returned home from World War 1, which was during Eliot’s time, to find women empowered by their new role as wage earners. These themes evident throughout ‘The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock’ are relevant in today’s contemporary society. Women constantly faced oppression which was seen as conventional in society in the twentieth century, men were the bread winners while women left school early to stay at home and raise children. Throughout history, especially in Eliot’s time, society transformed and women fought back against this inequality, discrimination and injustice in all its forms which led to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopting the convention of the equal rights of men and women.This period of revolution is why today, in most parts of the world, women’s rights and freedoms are supported by law and they are no longer ignored or suppressed. The unusual independence from men shown in the women in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ is what cause a shift in society and history and is also why today women have th e right to vote, attend school, earn the same wage as men, and even lead a nation. Your response to the poem as compared to Eliot’s time: My own personal response to ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ was, at first, complete confusion as I was unable to understand what it was that Eliot was trying to convey.I soon realised that Prufrock, the poems persona, was psyche Your time and place, reflecting upon the ways in which context has shaped your response to the text: Prufrock, the poems persona, seems to be addressing a potential lover, with whom he would like to â€Å"force the moment to its crisis† by consummating their relationship. But Prufrock knows too much of life to â€Å"dare† and approach the woman: in his mind he hears the comments others make about his inadequacies. The poem moves from a series of fairly concrete physical settings – a cityscape with several interiors- to a series of vague ocean images onveying Prufrock emotional distance from the world as he comes to recognise his second-rate status. â€Å"Prufrock† is powerful for its range of intellectual reference and also vividness of character achieved. The modernist movement and the new perception of the world at the time along with the desire to create something new was one of the main influences in Eliot’s work. Modernist texts emerged in the early 20th century and were influenced by developments in psychoanalysis and anthropology , by social reforms and by the growing industrialisation and mechanisation of society.Modernist texts such as Eliot’s are more interested in representing the inner life of characters. For modernists the process of artistic creation exposed the alienation and displacement that individuals often experience in modern, industrial society. Other influences on Eliot’s work were the changes in religion, evident in Journey of the Magi, his questioning of traditional political paradigms and the way soci ety worked and how it was structured. It is evident that there is use of dramatic monologue throughout Eliot’s piece which helps to express a condition of instability.The epigraph to this poem is from Dante’s Inferno and describes Prufrock’s ideal listener; one who is as lost as the speaker and will not betray to the world the content of Prufrock’s present confessions. In the world Prufrock describes, though, no such sympathetic figure exists, and he must, therefore, be content with silent reflection. Using fictional personalities such as J. Alfred Prufrock to express a state of inner turmoil or a multiplicity of selves contained within one person. J.Alfred Prufrock is not just the speaker of one of Eliot’s poems, he is the representative man of early modernism. Shy, cultivated and oversensitive, the speakers of his poems are trapped inside their own excessive alertiveness. The general fragmentation of the poem is obvious and notorious. The poem se ems a perfect example of what Terry Eagleton calls â€Å"the modern transition from metaphor to metonym ; unable any longer to totalise his experience in some heroic figure, the bourgeois is forced to let trickle away into objects related to him by sheer contiguity. Eliot was interested in the divide between high and low culture â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is, as the title, implies a song, with various lines repeated as refrains. That poem ends with the song of mermaids luring humans to their deaths by drowning—a scene that echoes Odysseus’s interactions with the Sirens in the Odyssey. Music thus becomes another way in which Eliot collages and references books from past literary traditions. Eliot chooses to make Prufrock an unacknowledged poet

Monday, September 16, 2019

CASA Ethical Business Considerations

Abstract This paper explores the mission and goals of CASE, a nonprofit organization which provides advocacy for children in court proceedings. CASES mission and goals will be explained and ethical considerations with regard to a nonprofits fundraising strategy will be discussed. An overview of the benefits received from technological advancements will be discussed and applied to CASES fundraising strategy.CASE' nonprofit status and Internal Revenue Code section 501 (sys applicability to COCA'S financial and budgetary operations will be addressed and analyzed. An evaluation of COCA'S budget process and revenue sources will be discussed, along with internal factors which may impact its successful strategic financial planning. COCA'S use of cost-benefit analysis will be discussed and the analysis will conclude with an overview of COCA'S cash management and investment strategies, and an assessment of COCA'S present overall condition.Keywords: CASE, mission statement, goals, ethical stan dards for nonprofits, fundraising, technological improvements, IRS section 501 (c) nonprofit status, annual Form 990 filing requirements, budget, revenue, strategic uncial planning, cost-benefit analysis, cash management, Investment strategies, financial assessment CASE for Children Mission and Goals of CASE CASE is a nationwide nonprofit organization that advocates in state and local courts for the best interests of abused and neglected children through the services of specially selected and trained community volunteers.These volunteers come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The mission of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (NCSA), together with its chartered state and local members, is to support and promote court appointed voluntary advocacy so hat every abused and neglected child can be safe, establish permanence and have the opportunity to thrive (Keeping our promise: National COCA'S strategic objectives). Every court In the united States reco gnizes that a CASE volunteer Is essential for a successful outcome for children . And [e]very child can thrive In the safe embrace of a loving family. † (Ibid. ). CASE trains and supports court approved volunteers to advocate for children who need representation in court proceedings in order to ensure that the best interest of these children are met quickly and efficiently. The ultimate goal of CASE is to make sure children affected by the court system secure a safe and permanent home.Ethical Considerations Related to Finance & Budgeting Within CASE COCA'S receives funding through a variety of sources including grants, local governments, fundraising events, and corporate and private donations. Sometimes 0 good intentions get the best of even the best-intentioned, and all the assumptions about goodness make for some easy marks, In terms of fraud (Jennings, M. , 2012, p. 559). â€Å"There's tremendous pressure on Charles today to Increase their revenues to meet expenses and gro wing public needs.Unfortunately, this can Influence some organizations to take financial risks because of potential rewards. † (Bennett M Bureaus, Ibid. ). Successful fundraising by regional CASE programs sponsored by the national organization is the primary source of its financial resources. Funding sources want assurance that they are being asked to support a carefully researched and well planned program that fills researched local community needs. Often with nonprofits, the problem is not fraud by the organization; it is fraud or misconduct or missteps within the organization Innings, 2012, p. 5). Whether because of inexperience, the need for flexibility in management, or, Just as with companies, the drive for success and results, there have been some ethical issues that have proven costly for nonprofit organizations (Ibid. ). Competition is stiff in raising funds for children's programs like CASE and founders want to know that they are not throwing money away on a program that will fail because of poor planning, lack of coordination or duplication of the efforts of other human service organizations. Technological Considerations for Improving the Efficiency & EffectivenessCASE can provide efficient and effective services to children involved in the court system through improved technological fundraising and outreach processes which will increase the sustain the viability of its finance and budgeting systems. â€Å"Cloud computing, also known as the cloud,' refers to applications, services, or software offered over the internet instead of requiring direct connections to a server. † (Boles, 2013, p. 70). Cloud technologies reduce the costs of services and the time it takes to communicate information among staff members, volunteers and donors via email and collaborative software (Ibid. The useful purpose of social media such as Faceable, Twitter, Linked, and Pinsetters will allow CASE to connect and interact with staffers, volunteers, donors, as w ell as affected children and their guardians (Ibid. ). Social media networks are increasingly important tools for nonprofits like CASE to raise awareness, conduct outreach and raise funds (Ibid. , up. 70, 71). Innovations such as cloud computing systems, social media and mobile technologies should be incorporated into COCA'S fundraising efforts in order to improve its quality of services and work processes. Applicable Laws, Regulations,Policies Impacting COCA'S Financial & Budget Operations All state and local CASE organizations formed under the national CASE association must file for exemption status under section 501 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) in order to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions and Form 990 annual tax returns of income and expenses even though they are exempt from income taxation under the Code (Internal Revenue Service, â€Å"Requirements for Exemption,† â€Å"Application for recognition of exemption,† â€Å"Exempt Organization s – Required Filings,† â€Å"Form 990 Resources,† and â€Å"Tools for Exempt Organizations†).Expected changes in auditing standards and Form 990 reporting for nonprofit organizations may require increased data gathering and raise the cost of audits. These changes are expected to have an impact on some CASE programs [and] National CASE recommends that member programs contact a tax professional or auditor for more information (whom. IRS. Org). Among these changes is the new Suite of Risk Assessment Audit Standards, CPA Statement on Auditing Standards Nose.National CASE regularly seeks ways to reduce costs for local chapters so that they can increase the number of children they serve and one of the areas CASE focuses n is insurance (NCSA). Pursuant to CASE standards, it is extremely important to have a well thought out risk management plan, including adequate insurance coverage to protect CASE staff, agency and the board (Ibid. ). Annual financial reviews are required of CASE programs with budgets of $50,000 or greater and annual audits are required for programs with budgets of over $200,000 (Ibid. . Searching for and purchasing cost-saving insurance coverage is an ongoing practice the CASE uses to keep expenses within its organization's budget. COCA'S policy in contractual practices stresses that unwritten contracts must be in rating. â€Å"Putting an agreement in writing serves several goals. First a written contract provides an indisputable, although not necessarily unambiguous, record of the agreement. The law gives great weight to written, signed documents †¦Second, the process of committing an agreement to writing forces both parties to be [clear] about the [terms] of the agreement. † (NCSA). Key elements for CASE service contracts terms should include scope of work, deadlines and duration, money, record keeping and reporting, rights to work products, liability protections, dispute resolution, legal implicate and contr acting process (Ibid. ). COCA'S internal policy covering essential terms to be included in written contracts it enters into saves the organization costs that would otherwise be expended to enforce service agreements.Evaluation of COCA'S Budget Process & Revenue Sources One of the great challenges facing CASE is to obtain the money required to launch the program and maintain its operations (NCSA). Who is going to pay for the CASE program implemented and used by the courts and the community leaders? (Ibid. ). COCA'S guidelines are found in its Manual, Section 1 – Planning a Quality Program, Chapter 6: Funding the Program, and includes how to develop the first budget, develop the right approach to fundraising, locating possible funding sources, locating federal funding, and locating National CASE resource development protocols (Ibid. . The first hurdle is to develop an expense budget by comparing what the actual costs of goods and services presently is for similar nonprofit orga nizations within in the chosen community the CASE chapter is to be located (Ibid). Budget expenses include personnel, equipment, volunteer support, facility, supplies, travel, telephone ND Internet service, administrative costs, staff training, and dues and publications (Ibid). After the type and amount of budget expenses are identified and estimated, an approach to fundraising must be established.Funding sources want assurance that they are being asked to support a carefully researched and well planned program that fits the community's needs (NCSA). Keys to successful fundraising are to â€Å"know who you are asking, know what you are asking for, and ask and ask again. † (Ibid. ) Common funding sources are â€Å"in-kind contributions† in the form of support such as he court, community service organizations, state bar associations, and law firms (Ibid. ).Examples of federal funding are available in the form of grants authorized by Congress specifically for the expansio n of CASE advocacy for abused and neglected children such as the National CASE Association of Grants Program, the Children's Act (Ibid. ). As with all nonprofit organizations, CASE strives to obtain and sustain an optimal funding mix of public and private support to secure its future (Ibid. ). In today's fragile economic climate, there is intense competition for both public and riveter funding support because of increased costs of doing business combined with recent curtailments in government funds.Therefore, to enhance its fundraising efforts, CASE uses several data collection surveys and evaluations to document and justify its performance. Internal Factors Impacting COCA'S Successful Strategic Financial Planning CASE has developed and implemented several internally generated data collection and evaluations of the quantity and quality of its services provided to children in order to assess its efforts and to ultimately improve its services (NCSA).COCA'S racketing and communications department collects, analyzes and publishes surveys such as yearly Recent Local Program Survey Reports, Performance Measurement, State Organization Survey Reports, and additional surveys such as Caliber Evaluation of CASE Representation Report, and Judges and Attorney Survey of Volunteer CASE/ GALS (Ibid. ). Another internal tool used by CASE is its CASE Effectiveness Manual (Manual) (Ibid. . The purpose of the Manual is to provide CASE programs with an easy to use system for tracking information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of its state and local chapters' programs (Ibid. â€Å"Emphasis is placed on how to write and measure goals related to child-outcomes. The Manual includes easy to follow definitions, instructions, tracking forms and sample surveys. † (Ibid. ).CASE utilizes a system of fund accounting which measures accountability instead of profitability with the purpose of stewardship of financial resources received and expended in compliance with certain leg al requirements (NCSA). Financial reporting by CASE is directed at the public instead of investors and funds are established in order to ensure accountability and expenditure for designated purposes: restricted et assets versus unrestricted net assets (Ibid. ).Restricted assets can be classified as either temporary or permanently restricted assets (Ibid. ). A temporarily restricted net asset's use is restricted by the donor until a future event occurs (for example, CASE may have received a grant which terms are restricted to hiring a new volunteer supervisor), while a permanently restricted net asset includes assets that are controlled by outside parties as opposed to COCA'S control over the asset (for example, property donated to CASE as long as it is used in accordance with COCA'S mission and goals (Ibid. . Unrestricted net assets are funds whose assets have no external restriction as to use or purpose and can be expended for any purpose as long as they are spent in accordance wit h COCA'S mission and goals (Ibid. ). These internal tools assist CASE in its fundraising success by Justifying its costs in return for its effective performance of children's advocacy services.COCA'S Use of Cost-Benefit Analysis The National CASE Association surveys both the state organization and local programs to get an accurate reflection of the structure and operation of children advocacy programs across the country and, in 2013, the CASE network consisted of 51 organizations and local programs (The National CASE Association, 2013, p. 4). â€Å"The findings illustrated by these survey results are critically important to track the funding from diverse sources, and help The National CASE Association to better serve state and local organizations. (Ibid. ). Overview of COCA'S Cash Management and Investment Strategies As of December 31, 2013, COCA'S median total revenue was $134,790 and its median total expenses were $136,570 (â€Å"Annual Local Program Survey Report†, 2013, p. 11). The Annual Local Program Survey Report does not address COCA'S short and long term investment strategies. In total, CASE programs nationwide reported more than $300 million in revenue, more than half of which were received from public sources (Ibid. ).The median revenue and expenses of CASE tended to be fairly equal for the year ending 2013, with the median cost per volunteer being $3,170 and the median cost per child being $1 ,090 (Ibid. ). COCA'S expenses did not vary significantly from 2012 depending on the area served or the age of the program (Ibid. ). In 2013, over 80 percent of COCA'S programs reported a change in revenue with changes being fairly consistent across programs serving urban, rural and suburban mixed areas (Ibid. 13). Compared to COCA'S 2012 revenue, 34 percent of its programs reported a decrease in revenue, 49 percent reported an increase in revenue, and 17 percent of its programs reported no change in revenue (Ibid. P. 13). CASE experienced an increase of children served from 234,098 in 2012 to 238,527 in 2013, while at the same time seeing its number of volunteers fall below 2011 and 2012 levels, from over 77,000 to less than 75,000 (Ibid. ).The decrease in COCA'S volunteer staff is problematic in that CASE can anticipate not being able to provide the quantity and quality of services in order to accomplish its mission and goals. Assessment of COCA'S Overall Financial Condition Despite a 34 percent decrease in program revenues in 2013, CASE remains to have short term cash liquidity from the 49 percent reported increase in other programs' revenue, and a status quo of 17 percent of its programs who reported no change in revenue.CASE also appears to have the capacity to generate adequate revenues over sass's fiscal year budgetary period in order to satisfy expenditures without incurring a deficit. COCA'S service level has declined to a capacity that does not provide the laity and quantity of services rendered in years ending 2011 and 2012 due to the decrease in the number of its volunteers by 2,000. COCA'S Annual Local Program Survey Report 2013 does not address its short and long term investment strategy or outcome for the year ending 2013.The decrease in COCA'S volunteer staff is resulting adversely on the quantity and quality of its mission and goals. CASE should reallocate its short term fundraising resources into its long term efforts toward volunteer recruiting and training programs. This adjustment in short term goal funding will promote and advance the umber of volunteers required to sustain the longevity of the service provided by CASE 2011 and 2012. References Boles, B. (2013). Technology role in the nonprofit sector: increasing organizational effectiveness and efficiency through technology innovations.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Motivation & Leadership Journal Assignment

Journal Assignment What kind of work do you do? Subject is part owner to a computer T1/T2 provider. How long have you been doing it? Subject has being working there for 17 years. Can you describe a typical work day? Subject states that she is on the board and that she overlooks board’s requirements, check incoming and outgoing contracts, mediator, and she sets up all the rules and regulations for the cooperation. Why did you end up doing this work? What kind of person often does this sort of work? (And would they consider themselves typical? Subject stated that she wanted to do this because she wanted to start her own business so that they could help financially stabilize friends, family members, and partners. The sort of person who often does this sort of work is an A typical person who is controlling and strives to have more out of life than what is typical. What do you like about this work? Subject states that she likes the diversity which is incorporated through dealing wi th other companies and also the staff at the company. What is difficult about this work?The difficulty is how people bond to easily which brings their personal life into their work life and how they are not able to separate friendship and work relationship. This open doors to issues like sexual harassment, misconduct, and theft. How do (customers, others in the company†¦ ) treat you? What do they think about the job you do? [Adapt this question to fit your particular interview–try to get at how they think they are treated based on their work. ] Subject states that others are afraid of her and extremely intimidated. Subject states that they do not want the job that she does but they enjoy working for the company.How does being a (fill in the blank with a salient cultural category: man, older person, African-American, 20-something, etc. ) play into the work you do? Subject states that initially there were barrier because of the stuffy suits that could not with having a wom an in charge. There was open defiance, rudeness, and vulgarity. Subject states that she fired member’s board due to their insubordination. Has this work changed the way you think about yourself, about the world? Subject states that she has the ability to separate her work life and personal life.Subject states that she is now a cold, calculating, malicious, and deviant individual due to the desire to have more money and more business for the company as whole. Subject states that personally she is a caring, loving individual but as far as the world goes she believes that there are too many lazy individuals that don’t want to take responsibility for ensuring that task are completed. Subject feels that everyone wants a handout and does not want to earn their livelihood. What are some cultural values that are important to you (can be family, work, or interpersonal)?Do you think these are similar to or different from mainstream American culture? Please explain your ideas. Su bject states that the business world is so much more complicated and unsympathetic to race, religion, politics, and sexuality. Subject states that they really don’t care about cultural values as long as you can perform your job. She also stated that in the business world they are aesthetic creatures who use whatever means necessary to get to the next level. She believes that this is very different from mainstream American culture, almost to the point of being anti-social.What do you like best about American culture? What do you like least? (Even if the person is American, they will have an opinion about this question that gives you some insight about how they view things from their perspective. ) Subjects like the fact that the American culture has a huge melting pot of candidates who are brilliant and talented in the profession that they choose. Due to this fact when the company is in need of candidates with a specific talent it is easier to find a candidate who fits the mol d for that position. AnalysisThink about your interview, the person, and their work. Please consider these questions as you write your journal assignment: What aspects of this person's work determine or indicate their status relative to others? The subjects work environment is one which a wealth of knowledge is extremely necessary in order to be successful. The subject is in the process of completing 4 doctorate degrees. Due to the fact that she is head of the board of directors she is looked up to by her subordinates and is expected to be knowledgeable in all areas of the company.She is a bit anti-social yet still remains professional and approachable to the lowest ranking individual at the company. What are some of the connections between this person's work experience and gender, race, age, and /or ethnicity (etc. )? The actual subject was of Cherokee Indian heritage and this heritage seemed to be at the center of how the subject intertwines her work and still remains true to her culture and tribe. Most of the subject’s knowledge is in large part of how she was raised on the reservation coupled with her age which helps to emphasize the important of maturity when making sound decisions.What kinds of attitudes, values, and behaviors does this person's work culture encourage? The attitudes, values, and behaviors that are displayed at their work culture is that of an air of self-motivation. The individual employee is held accountable for their own success or failure. Excuses are unacceptable. Their also seems to be a nonchalant attitude about their employees values. From what I gleaned from the interview what you believe in does not matter to the employee as long as you are doing your job to the best of your ability.What attitudes and values, held by this person, were similar to your own, and which were different? The attitudes and values of the subject were much in line with mine. The subject believes in receiving reward for hard work done and if you do not do the work you do not receive compensation. I did not like the fact that the subject refused to consider the cultural needs of the employee. I believe this may cause problems for them later on down the line. From this interview, what can give us insight into communicating across cultures or across work cultures?In my opinion communicating across cultures or work cultures takes a combined effort. Everyone in the company has to be open to the idea of using their talents which may have manifested due to elements from that individuals culture. Communication is not a one-sided instrument. In order for it to be effective the employer has to take steps to ensure that there are open lines of communication no matter what an employee’s background may be. In the end I believe that organizations only conform to the idea of culture because they are forced to.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 1

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Acknowledgements The author gratefully acknowledges those people who helped in the research and writing of Bloodsucking Fiends: Mark Joseph and Mark Anderson for help with research in the Bay Area. Rachelle Stambal, Jean Brody, Liz Ziemska, and Dee Dee Leichtfuss for their careful reads and thoughtful suggestions. My editors, Michael Korda and Chuck Adams, for their clean hands and composure. And my agent, Nick Ellison, for his patience, guidance, friendship, and hard work. In memory of my father: Jack Davis Moore Part I Fledgling Chapter 1 Death Sundown painted purple across the great Pyramid while the Emperor enjoyed a steaming whiz against a dumpster in the alley below. A low fog worked its way up from the bay, snaked around columns and over concrete lions to wash against the towers where the West's money was moved. The financial district: an hour ago it ran with rivers of men in gray wool and women in heels; now the streets, built on sunken ships and gold-rush garbage, were deserted – quiet except for a foghorn that lowed across the bay like a lonesome cow. The Emperor shook his scepter to clear the last few drops, shivered, then zipped up and turned to the royal hounds who waited at his heels. â€Å"The foghorn sounds especially sad this evening, don't you think?† The smaller of the dogs, a Boston terrier, dipped his head and licked his chops. â€Å"Bummer, you are so simple. My city is decaying before your eyes. The air is thick with poison, the children are shooting each other in the street, and now this plague, this horrible plague is killing my people by the thousands, and all you think about is food.† The Emperor nodded to the larger dog, a golden retriever. â€Å"Lazarus knows the weight of our responsibility. Does one have to die to find dignity? I wonder.† Lazarus lowered his ears and growled. â€Å"Have I offended you, my friend?† Bummer began growling and backing away from the dumpster. The Emperor turned to see the lid of the dumpster being slowly lifted by a pale hand. Bummer barked a warning. A figure stood up in the dumpster, his hair dark and wild and speckled with trash, skin white as bone. He vaulted out of the dumpster and hissed at the little dog, showing long white fangs. Bummer yelped and cowered behind the Emperor's leg. â€Å"That will be quite enough of that,† the Emperor commanded, puffing himself up and tucking his thumbs under the lapels of his worn overcoat. The vampire brushed a bit of rotted lettuce from his black shirt and grinned. â€Å"I'll let you live,† he said, his voice like a file on ancient rusted metal. â€Å"That's your punishment.† The Emperor's eyes went wide with terror, but he held his ground. The vampire laughed, then turned and walked away. The Emperor felt a chill run up his neck as the vampire disappeared into the fog. He hung his head and thought, Not this. My city is dying of poison and plague and now this – this creature – stalks the streets. The responsibility is suffocating. Emperor or not, I am only a man. I am weak as water: an entire empire to save and right now I would sell my soul for a bucket of the Colonel's crispy-fried chicken. Ah, but I must be strong for the troops. It could be worse, I suppose. I could be the Emperor of Oakland. â€Å"Chins up, boys,† the Emperor said to his hounds. â€Å"If we are to battle this monster, we will need our strength. There is a bakery in North Beach that will presently be dumping the day-old. Let's be off.† He shuffled away thinking, Nero fiddled while his empire went to ashes; I shall eat leathery pastries. As the Emperor trudged up California Street, trying to balance the impotence of power with the promise of a powdered-sugar doughnut, Jody was leaving the Pyramid. She was twenty-six and pretty in a way that made men want to tuck her into flannel sheets and kiss her on the forehead before leaving the room; cute but not beautiful. As she passed under the Pyramid's massive concrete buttresses she caught herself limping from a panty-hose injury. It didn't hurt, exactly, the run that striped the back of her leg from heel to knee, the result of a surly metal file drawer (Claims, X-Y-Z) that had leaped out and snagged her ankle; but she was limping nonetheless, from the psychological damage. She thought, My closet is starting to look like an ostrich hatchery. I've either got to start throwing out L'eggs eggs or get a tan on my legs and quit wearing nylons. She'd never had a tan, couldn't get one, really. She was a milk-white, green-eyed redhead who burned and freckled with sun. When she was half a block from her bus stop, the wind-driven fog won and Jody experienced total hair-spray failure. Neat waist-length waves frizzed to a wild red cape of curl and tangle. Great, she thought, once again I'll get home looking like Death eating a cracker. Kurt will be so pleased. She pulled her jacket closer around her shoulders against the chill, tucked her briefcase under her breasts like a schoolgirl carrying books, and limped on. Ahead of her on the sidewalk she saw someone standing by the glass door of a brokerage office. Green light from the CRTs inside silhouetted him in the fog. She thought about crossing the street to avoid him, but she'd have to cross back again in a few feet to catch her bus. She thought, I'm done working late. It's not worth it. No eye contact, that's the plan. As she passed the man, she looked down at her running shoes (her heels were in her briefcase). That's it. Just a couple more steps†¦ A hand caught in her hair and jerked her off her feet, her briefcase went skittering across the sidewalk and she started to scream. Another hand clamped over her mouth and she was dragged off the street into an alley. She kicked and flailed, but he was too strong, immovable. The smell of rotten meat filled her nostrils and she gagged even while trying to scream. Her attacker spun her around and yanked on her hair, pulling her head back until she thought her neck would snap. Then she felt a sharp pain on the side of her throat and the strength to fight seemed to evaporate. Across the alley she could see a soda can and an old Wall Street Journal, a wad of bubble gum stuck to the bricks, a â€Å"No Parking† sign: details, strangely slowed down and significant. Her vision began to tunnel dark, like an iris closing, and she thought, These will be the last things I see. The voice in her head was calm, resolved. As everything went dark, her attacker slapped her across the face and she opened her eyes and saw the thin white face before her. He was speaking to her. â€Å"Drink,† he said. Something warm and wet was shoved into her mouth. She tasted warm iron and salt and gagged again. It's his arm. He's shoved his arm in my mouth and my teeth have broken. I'm tasting blood. â€Å"Drink!† A hand clamped over her nose. She struggled, tried to breathe, tried to pull his arm out of her mouth to get air, sucked for air and nearly choked on blood. Suddenly she found herself sucking, drinking hungrily. When he tried to pull his arm away she clutched at it. He tore it from her mouth, twisted her around and bit her throat again. After a moment, she felt herself fall. The attacker was tearing at her clothes, but she had nothing left to fight with. She felt a roughness against the skin of her breasts and belly, then he was off her. â€Å"You'll need that,† he said, and his voice echoed in her head as if he had shouted down a canyon. â€Å"Now you can die.† Jody felt a remote sense of gratitude. With his permission, she gave up. Her heart slowed, lugged, and stopped.