Auditory and Visual Essay

If a variety of people are put through numerous trials of visual memory tests and auditory tests, then the people with better auditory memory will outnumber the people with better visual memory. Introduction Visual and auditory memory play vital roles in learning and development. They are both skills required to have throughout life. By definition, auditory memory is the ability to process information presented orally, analyze it, and store it to be recalled later. Visual memory by definition is the ability to process information presented visually, analyze it mentally, and remember it for a later time. Both of these skills are step-by-step developmental processes. They continue to grow when a person is growing themselves. Auditory memory is the ability to process information that is presented orally, analyze it mentally and store it to be remembered later. To be an auditory learner is to have a strong capacity for auditory memory. Auditory memory is also the ability to learn from instructions that were presented orally; it is an important skill that will help in life. Auditory memory has to be one of the most important skills in learning. Some children who show a delayed grasp of language have weak auditory learning skills, they also have difficulty understanding words. Parents can test their child’s auditory memory by saying a sequence of numbers and asking the child to repeat the numbers back to them. Through exercises auditory memory skills can be developed. Children as well as adults can sharpen their auditory memory skills. Visual memory is the ability to psychologically recall visual images in the form of objects, events, or words. Students with disabilities have a serious deficiency with visual memory. Storing and retrieving previously experienced visual sensations and perceptions when stimuli that were evoked originally are no longer present are involved in visual memory. Many researchers have stated that 80% of learning takes place through the eye with visual memory. Visual memory is crucial in the aspect of learning. If a person cannot adequately reproduce a sequence of stimuli, then they may not have developed their visual memory skills. People who have difficulty with visual memory have trouble overall remembering the visual appearance of words, a letter sequence of words, and spelling. When people have trouble with visual memory can often remember the letters in a word but not the sequence. Some people with serious writing and spelling difficulties have trouble with their visual memory skills. The differences are that auditory memory works with the ears auditorally and visual memory works with the eyes visually. To be an auditory learner is to have a strong capacity for auditory memory. Visual memory is the ability to psychologically recall visual images in the form of objects, events, or words. Auditory memory has to be one of the most important skills in learning. Visual memory is crucial in the aspect of learning. When people have trouble with visual memory can often remember the letters in a word but not the sequence. Auditory memory is also the ability to learn from instructions that were presented orally. Parents can test their child’s auditory memory. Caffeine can affect memorization by increasing it. The ability to remember is a basic but important function that is critical to survival today. Memory is especially important for students who live their lives learning. Age can also affect memorization ability. Studies have shown that staying active can help stabilize memory change when it comes to aging. There are a few ways to positively affect memory change; they include physical activity, mental activity and a healthy diet. The primary factor affecting a person’s memorization change is a medical condition. There are a few medical factors that can negatively affect memory change; medical disorders, diseases, emotional problems, medication, medical changes, and a poor diet. Crossword puzzles can help positively affect memorization. Hormonal changes can affect memorization. Adults are twice as likely to lose mental capacity. Many body parts are involved in auditory and visual memory. The posterior parietal cortex is a portion of the parietal lobe in the brain. Activity in the posterior parietal cortex is extremely correlated with the information that can be stored in visual memory. This suggests that the posterior parietal cortex is vital in our visual representation of the world. It acts as a limited storage area for everything we see. Another important body part involved in visual memory are the occipital lobes. They are located at the back of the brain. They receive and process information. The lobes tend to process colors and shapes. They are responsible for identifying colors while visually memorizing objects. Body parts involved in auditory memory are slightly different. Auditory sensory memory tends to be stored in the primary auditory cortex closer to the ear of presentation. However, auditory memory involves many different brain parts. The majority of brain regions involved in auditory memory are located in the prefrontal cortex. This is where the executive control is located, and is responsible for attention control. Brain areas are actually a major factor in understanding why some ways of memorizing things work better than other ways. Visual memory tends to be the most readily available to us. When your brain receives information, it begins to decide what it and isn’t important. It also begins to store it as long-term. Neural connections become more powerful as the information is received and is connected to emotions. Neurons are nerve cells, and a pattern of connections between them forms a memory. Seeing something familiar tends to have a greater impact on the mind than hearing something familiar. The brain can form new neural pathways and alter existing connections. It is very easy to improve visual and auditory memory. If one organizes and structures the information they are trying to memorize, it will help immensely. It is important to visualize concepts to improve memory. Charts, graphs, and photos are all great things to look upon when memorizing. Numerous research studies have been done on visual and auditory memory. Much effort has been dedicated to investigating the capacity limits of memory in the brain. Steven J. Luck and Edward K. Vogel are two men from the University of Iowa who are known for their research on this topic. They sorted memory into two categories- long term and short term. These findings are foundation for all different types of memory. Experimental Procedure 1. In this experiment, number sequences will be needed for the test subjects to remember. Each number sequence should be composed of the numbers 0–9 and be seven digits long. This random number generator can be used to figure out the number sequences. http://www. random. org/nform. html 2. The experimenter should fill out the form on the generator so it has 7 integers, 1 as the smallest value, 9 as the largest value, and a format in 7 columns. Then the experimenter should hit â€Å"Get Numbers† and a new page will appear with 7 listed numbers at the top. To get new numbers, it is not necessary to fill out the form again, so simply click the refresh button on the browser window and a new set of random numbers appears: 3. The experimenter should write one number sequence on each index card, until the deck of cards consists of about 50 different random sequences. This deck will be used for the experiment. 4. The experimenter should find 25 random research participants, and ask each test subject to take two memory tests. Then give them the two following tests: A: To test one’s visual memory, show the subject a card for 30 seconds and time with a timer. Take back the card and have the subject recite the alphabet. Then ask the subject to say what the numbers were. Write down how many numbers the subject got right. This will be the subject’s score. Record the score. B: To test one’s auditory memory, read the sequence of numbers on a different card three times slowly. After the numbers have been read, have the test subject recite the alphabet. Then ask the subject to say what the numbers were. Write down how many numbers the subject got right. This will be the subject’s score. Record the score. 5. Calculate the percentage of people who received each score. Do this by first adding the total number of participants for each test, then divide the number of people receiving the score by the total number of participants in the study. Multiply the answer by 100 to get the percentage. 6. Analyze the data by making a histogram. On the left side of the graph (Y-axis), write a scale for the percentage of people from 0 to 100%. On the bottom of the graph, write a scale for the number of correct responses from 0 to 7.

A Study on the Barriers of Women in IT and Banking in the UK, And Their Perceptions on Glass Ceiling

The following is an exploratory research based on the issue of women facing barriers to promotion and growth in the information technology and the banking sectors of the UK economy. The research highlights the various issues faced by women managers and employees in these segments and how the concept of discrimination still exist despite anti discriminatory laws for the workplace.Moreover the concept of the glass ceiling is also observed, as to how it limits the growth of women in the information technology, banking and financial sectors in the region of United Kingdom. While the research is comprehensive in nature, it is limited in terms of its results only to the United Kingdom.Literature Review â€Å"While, statistically, figures show an increase in women's representation in the Science, Engineering and Technology domain, academic research is yet to explore in greater depth both the reasons for women's continuing under-representation at senior levels and their work experiences.â⠂¬  (Wilson-Kovacs, Ryan & Haslam, 2006) Equality between women and men in the workplace is a hot topic all around the world.However UK has been facing issues operating to glass ceiling and women’s barriers in the workplace more than their counterparts in America. Glass ceiling is the term used to describe a scenario where equally qualified and participating men are seen to be promoted and receiving a higher salary and benefits than their female counter parts at the same position.The glass ceiling is based on the attitude bias of the community and the people employed in the workplace that creates barriers for women and minority groups to achieve positions of leadership.â€Å"In August 2006 Forbes reported that 70% of women and 57% of men believe an invisible barrier — a glass ceiling — prevents women from getting ahead in business, according to a study of 1,200 executives in eight countries, including the U.S., Australia, Austria and the Philippines were the f indings of a study conducted by Accenture.† (‘Women Still Face Glass Ceiling’, 2008)With the changing times and melding cultures, women of all ethnicities and diverse regions that are present in the UK are seeking positions of employment in professional services. This combined with the fact that they have gained extensive education in specializing fields has enabled them to enter the labor market as highly skilled professionals.However despite the investment in their careers the women are not able to achieve positions that their counterparts are achieving in a specific time frame along with the same qualifications and experience. Specific to the legal, financial and baking related firms, the transition of a female employee into a partner is sex biases, undertaken mostly under pressure or durance on part of the board.The females as a result are also plagued by problems pertaining to maintaining a falsified image and living up to expectation of the men. â€Å"the p resence of a self-managed career advancement process necessitating a proactive approach to demonstrating individual contribution; and the need to ‘fit’ a prevailing model of success within the firm which is a masculine model and is more problematic for women.† (Kumra, & Vinnicombe, 2008)Aside from this the discrepancies for jobs and the barriers into employment in the UK are more prominent for ethnic women as compared to the white women. This is mostly because of the fact that the employers have a higher degree of discrimination for the way the ethnic women dress in the workplace.Moreover while asking an applicant about their plans for establishing a life, getting married and having children are considered discriminatory by the British Law, these questions are still persistently an repeatedly been asked off black, and Asian women seeking employment in the UK.â€Å"Research by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has revealed that Pakistani and Bangladeshi wom en aged under 35 are between three and four times more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts, while black Caribbean females are twice as likely to be out of work.† (‘Ethnic minority women face employment barriers’, 2005)

Proliferation of Interest Groups

ThÐ µ concÐ µrn about spÐ µcial intÐ µrÐ µsts is not a nÐ µw onÐ µ, as thÐ µ framÐ µrs of thÐ µ Constitution wÐ µrÐ µ worriÐ µd about it too. ThÐ µy fÐ µarÐ µd thÐ µ powÐ µr that could bÐ µ wiÐ µldÐ µd by organizÐ µd intÐ µrÐ µsts, yÐ µt thÐ µy undÐ µrstood that thÐ µ right to organizÐ µ was basic to thÐ µ notion of frÐ µÃ µdom. This dilÐ µmma of frÐ µÃ µdom vÐ µrsus powÐ µr was a tough onÐ µ for thÐ µm. ThÐ µy knÐ µw that if thÐ µ govÐ µrnmÐ µnt was given power to restrain organized interests it would be the same as the power to suppress freedom. This essay tries to answer whether proliferation of interest groups in recent decades a sign that the pluralist view of interest group representation is increasingly accurate or not. Interest group scholars began to note the proliferation of â€Å"outsider† groups at about the same time policy scholars began to question the utility of subgovernment theory. By the mid-1980s, it was widely acknowledged that the number of interest groups in the United States especially public interest groups–had exploded during the 1960s and 1970s (Walker, 1983). Pluralists had addressed the question of group mobilization years before the â€Å"advocacy explosion. † For example, in his The Governmental Process, David Truman argued that interest groups arise from two interrelated processes. First, societal change precipitates the emergence of new interests. Second, disturbances–political or economic upheavals disrupt stable patterns of interaction between individuals. In short, Truman argued that individuals with shared interests (reacting to social change and/or disturbances) band together (to stabilize relations among themselves, and between themselves and other societal interests) when these interests are threatened. By the late-1960s, Truman's â€Å"disturbance theory† had fallen into disrepute. Interest group scholars, spurred by Olson and drawing heavily upon Clark and Wilson's study of organizational incentives, began to examine how groups overcome the substantial barriers to mobilization. (Dine) While Olson emphasized material benefits, subsequent studies showed that solidary benefits (those derived from association in group activities) and purposive benefits (rewards associated with ideological or issue-oriented goals) also motivate group membership (Cook). Salisbury's exchange theory (which rests upon Olson's cost-benefit framework) is now the dominant paradigm for explaining group development (Cigler). Yet the basic â€Å"exchange theory† framework has a critical flaw: It underestimates the role of external patrons in group studies of group formation suggest that many groups –especially public interest groups –rely heavily upon patron â€Å"seed money. † For example, Walker found that 89% of (sample) public interest groups received â€Å"seed money† from foundations, large donors, the federal government, or corporations. He also found that many public interest groups rely heavily upon patrons for maintenance income. In general, public interest group proliferation has contributed mightily to the dissolution of subgovernments. There are number of factors that may help to explain both the proliferation of public interest groups and where public interest group activity is most likely. For example, pluralists argue that societal change and disturbances create conditions that foster group mobilization. In contrast, â€Å"exchange theorists† suggest that we examine group incentive structures and entrepreneurial activity to explain interest mobilization. In order to better understand the interest groups representation, one must understand the way the American government runs. There are many different systems of government structure and organization: representative democracy, pluralist democracy, elitist system, hyper pluralist, and anarchy. The United States is organized much like a typical representative democracy, but in operation, with all factors considered, it is in reality much more of a hyper pluralist society. A state in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain an autonomous participation in and development of their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization is pluralistic. When those special interests form large substantial voting blocks, the pluralistic nature of the government becomes more focused on fewer interests, but represented in many areas by larger numbers of individuals. The other question you need to ask is what do mean when you say big or special interest, who and what are you referring to specifically, industries, such as oil or pharmaceutical, ethnic groups such as Hispanic or African-American, social groups such as the elderly or woman, political groups such as Democrats or Republicans or different religious groups. All of these are special interests, they just might not seem like a special interest group if you are part of them. (Ceaser) Probably the largest big interest group to consider is the political parties themselves. Political parties are the foundation of a representative democracy, acting as a â€Å"crucial link between what citizens want and what government does†. The party is supposed to represent the needs of its members and use the party platform to express these opinions. Through public elections, voters elect those people they feel will best represent them. The Democratic Party and the Republican are the two main parties in the US though other smaller parties emerge occasionally to better represent those who do not feel that they are accurately represented by either of the major parties, usually because of special interests that they have such as environmental or other issues. This structure is typical of a representative democracy in which people are represented by parties and vote for leaders that they feel will work towards their best interests. (Miroff) In reality, the party system is not fully representative or fully functional. On one hand, part of the democratic process allows for the emergence of new parties to represent the people. On the other hand, if the existing parties accurately represented the people then other parties would not be needed. People however do not believe completely in the process, which is evidenced by poor voter turnout and voter apathy. The United States has an extremely low average voter turnout of only 55%. The Constitution guarantees one vote to each citizen over the age of 18, male or female, black or white, etc. This is indicative of a representative democracy in which each adult citizen has an equal say in how the government should be run. If voters do not vote, then the level of representation becomes skewed and the system is not fully representational. (Dine) People associate with not the candidate but with groups that represent their thinking and a special interest. A perfect example of this would be the NRA. Voters might not have a lot of opinions but they might have one on gun control. Instead of voting for the person who best reflects his ideas, he votes for the one that the NRA endorses, which in turn makes the NRA and extremely powerful interest group, and can influence congressional votes. In elections, political parties frequently send out mailers to voters that show which candidates running for office, or which of the Senate and House members receive financial support from the NRA. This suddenly reduces the value of every member of Congress to whether or not they have accepted money from the National Rifle Association. This is in turn translated into an assumed meaning on their stand on gun control, while all other issues and stands that they have on those issues are suddenly made unimportant. Their total worth relates to their assumed position on guns. The government in this case is reflecting the will of the big interest even though it's a single issue. A politician who might reflect very little of his communities values, can be elected by that community by receiving the support of a single-issue influence group. (Berman, Murphy) So the question becomes is this single issue the interest of a big group or the common goal of the majority? Who is pressing the issue and which way is the government going. If large oil companies are â€Å"buying† officials with large contributions to campaigns, are they actually influencing the government or merely a handful of officials and do they actually dictate policy or just have a louder voice in the debates that effect their companies. Misinformation seems to be the guideline of all campaigns now so it becomes almost impossible to figure out just what the goal is of the candidate that you are voting for. Because of that, the elected officials sometimes don't have a true feeling on what the voters wanted him to do. The power then slides back to the inner circle, which includes advisors who have their own individual desires, and those who paid for his campaign and therefore have vast influence. (Muller) Special interest groups appear to have a great deal of influence in campaigns and in political activities. Campaigns are extremely expensive: in 1992, the average winner of a House election spent $550,000 on his/her campaign; the average Senator who won a race spent more than $4 million. Dine) Presidential campaigns run into the hundreds of millions. Eight years later those numbers are significantly higher. Major contributors to election campaigns are corporations and interest groups. While some people believe certain industries or interest groups â€Å"buy† candidates through election contributions, it is not that simple. Those candidates heavily funded by the Sierra Club or gro ups that are concerned with environmental protection, will vote in support of environmental conservation – they will vote to reduce logging and not to save the jobs of the individual loggers who did not vote. This is a sort of paradox because the elected leaders are representing those who voted for them and helped them into office, but this group is a large group of special interests rather than the individual citizens who probably did not contribute and did not even vote. When viewed in this way, the US electoral system does not seem to be fully representative of the people and is again reflective of a more hyper pluralist society. A system of government labeled as hyper pluralist, means that there is a rapid proliferation of interest groups, all competing for influence over policy. The interest groups tend to overshadow the interest of individuals. The interest groups are powerful and influential, but there are also interest groups for both sides of most issues. In their battle to win the political coups they each seek, there develops a competition in which the interest groups try to influence politicians to vote for their side. The result is that there are a number of politicians supporting each side of an issue, there are overlapping concerns that related to other interest groups, and the outcome is political gridlock. Usually at this point, for anything to happen, concessions must be made with the end result that if any law is passed, it has little real effect one way or the other. The other possibility is that neither side will make concessions or give up any power in which case there is still nothing accomplished. This is very much the system that we have today. Again, gun control laws are a very good example. Congress goes back and forth arguing the pros and cons of gun control. The NRA is a very powerful interest group that does not want any form of gun control. There are many other interest groups that fight to ban assault weapons, others that want a total ban on guns of all types, some only want handguns banned. The feuding between the different groups is played out through the politicians and very little has been accomplished. Even when a bill is passed, it is oven later overturned. All special interest groups find this ying and yang to the system. There is no large interest that doesn't have a competing self-interest. Abortion has choice. Industry has the Sierra Club and other environmental groups. The NRA has anti-gun groups. Most of all, Republicans have Democrats. There might be the illusion that the government has been taken over by the special interests and that they control everything, but as we have looked into it we see that the basis of the questions revolves around who exactly is the special interests. It seems to me that they are us. (Peters) And thus we come to the contradictory conclusion that pluralist view of interest group representation is not increasingly accurate. While the public's perception might be that special interest groups are robbing them of their rights, and in a narrow sense, when it comes to a particular interest that effects them, they may be justified, what the public doesn't usually understand is that the activity of interest groups is in fact acting out in the interest of them or their fellow citizens. The public further misconceives that special interests influence government, overlooking the fact that special interests are formed, as often as not, as a response to government and not in anticipation of it.

Technological Singularity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technological Singularity - Essay Example Futuristic writings from the genre of science fiction actually paved the vista to comprehend the predicament the human race might need to face in the race of development and technological advancement. One such futuristic writer is Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil wrote a book in 2005, entitled ‘The Singularity is Near’ where he recorded his thoughts regarding the pros and cons of the future technology. In 2009, the American filmmaker Barry Ptolemy made a documentary entitled Transcendent Man based on the thoughts and life of the futurist author Ray Kurzweil where the concept of technological singularity is made the loci. Moreover, the life and his vision are discussed at length, and Ray is followed by Ptolemy around the world. Thesis Statement This essay intends to discuss the concepts of technological singularity envisaged by the futurist writer Ray Kurzweil as portrayed by the documentary Transcendent Man along with a vivid discussion on the way the philosophy of the technologic al advancement and glitch is being portrayed in the film. ... m was released across the United States in February, 2011, the viewers were well aware of the fact that this 83 minutes running documentary not only captivates scientific melodrama but also has a strong philosophical discourse which can provide a good food for thought at any time to any thoughtful soul. Kurzweil was noted by Ptolemy not only for his futuristic bent of mind but also for the unique theory which he propounded entitled, ‘Technological Singularity’. Technological Singularity is a concept that overlaps itself within the field of genetics, nanotechnology and robotics together. Kurweil predicted that somewhere in future in the 21st century a threatening creation to the entire human race shall appear in the shape and face of a human-machine civilization. The documentary shows Ptolemy following Kurzweil around the world throwing light on the concepts of the inventor and the futuristic author. Kurzweil refuses the concept of physical death and does not claim it to be the inevitable one. He pronounced an innovative law entitled ‘Law of Accelerating Returns’. This law exposes a point where the technological advancement will be able to merge into the genetics of human race resulting into a singularity and production of human machine through which biological death of the humans can be transcended. A concept which the world has seen in the fictional film long before the release , of the Transcendent Man bearing the title, Bicentennial Man directed by Chris Columbus and starring Robin Williams. The film might portray a robot or a human machine turning into a man as acknowledged by the President of World Congress in the future year of 2205 but the film ends with the death of Andrew, the very moment his humanity is accepted and his marriage with Portia, a human

Courtroom proceedings Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Courtroom proceedings - Research Paper Example County courts essentially handle legal issues on a county level. They are also known as people’s courts since people within a county are inclined to take up legal issues first in a county court (Baum, 2012). County-level courts could handle various criminal and civil issues. This type of courts mainly focus on issues which are minor as higher courts handle major issues for instance felonies along with major civil matters. County-level courts handle cases such as family law, probate, traffic violations, violations of village or city laws, and juvenile matters whenever no separate juvenile court system exists. Court sessions are usually overseen by a judge, and judges must be citizens of the counties wherein they work. The County-Level court has the jurisdiction to hear specific types of appeals for instance appeals from some decisions made by local authority (Cross, 2007). District Courts: District Courts in the United States are the trial courts of the federal court system. Th e District courts, within boundaries established by the United States Constitution and the United States Congress, have jurisdiction to hear virtually every category of federal cases, along with both criminal and civil issues. ... There are 2 special trial courts with national jurisdiction over particular cases: the first one is the Court of International Trade (CIT) which will address cases that involve international trade and customs matters. Second is the United States Court of Federal Claims (USCFC) which essentially has the jurisdiction over the majority of claims for money damages against the U.S. In a district court, the process of appeal begins by filing an appeal notice with the district court clerk within the duration provided by the law following the entry of the ruling sought to be reviewed. The appeal notice will specify the party who is taking the appeal, designate the judgment, or part thereof, appealed from and the date of its entry. It will also specify the statute(s) under which the appeal is being taken (U.S. Courts, 2013). Courts of Appeal: The United States Courts of Appeals are the intermediate federal appellate courts. They essentially alleviate the United States Supreme Court the burden of having to handle every appeal from cases decided by district courts. The Courts of Appeal have the jurisdiction of reviewing every final decision and some interlocutory decisions of the district courts. The Courts of Appeal also review and enforce order of many federal administrative agencies (Baum, 2012). A characteristic appeal from a district courtroom decision will comprise the district court record, oral arguments, as well as supporting arguments. A decision reached by any Court of Appeal is final unless the case is accepted for review by the Supreme Court of the United States. In essence, the 94 judicial districts in the United States are organized into twelve regional

Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Political science - Essay Example In this essay, some major changes that have occurred in international relations since 1900 shall be reviewed. In the era of 1914s, there arose a phenomenon that came to be known as the Problem of Sovereignty and Great Power System. Sheehan (2006) explains that sovereignty concerns its self with the ideology that â€Å"political power is distinct from other organizations in the community—religious, familial, economic.† Further on, â€Å"sovereignty asserts that this public authority is preeminent and autonomous, that is, superior to institutions within the community and independent from those outside† (Sheehan, 2006). Before the 1914s, various nations of the world who were supposedly known as the world’s super-powers ventured into what came to be known as colonization. Colonization involved talking political dominion over another nation. However in the periods of 1914s, most nations who were colonized began fighting for common course of freedom to attain sovereignty and power over their own system of governance. The actors involved here were colonial masters and t heir colonized countries. Most colonial masters did not welcome the quest for sovereignty in good faith and there were reports of wars in most parts of the world. However as the demands began pressing, foreign treaties were signed to grant freedom to the pressing countries. The Problem of Sovereignty and the Great Power System was therefore a period of hostility among international relationships between colonies and colonial masters. The eventual sovereignties that were granted led to economic crises in most parts of the world as the colonial masters were no longer getting supply of free trade and payment of tax from their colonies. Economic retardation was therefore the global challenge that characterized the Problem of Sovereignty and the Great Power System. The middle of the twentieth century saw a new trend in international relation that

Collaboration and Peer Reviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Collaboration and Peer Reviews - Essay Example There are disadvantages, however, such as sometimes having one’s ideas rejected or significantly altered before they are put on paper, and having to accommodate other people’s schedules and life. One of the major advantages to collaborating on a project is that one gets a different set of expertise that can inform the work being done. Specialization is key in w wide variety of fields, because the amount of knowledge and experience in the world is exploding at a much greater rate than someone can actually keep up with it. Thus collaborating allows someone to access knowledge and expertise they may not otherwise have, which can provide different points of view, subtlety to an argument, or even correct errors that are made in the original judgement. Another benefits of collaborating on projects is having another person to bounce ideas off of, that can be more critical than one usually is to one’s self. Sometimes other people can see errors in thinking that another p erson cannot, and this help protect anyone collaborating on a project from accidentally publishing things that might not be accurate when viewed critically. It is very, very difficult to be thoroughly critical about one’s own ideas, so having another person who can do that can be incredibly helpful on a variety of levels. While collaboration has a number of advantages, it also has some disadvantages. Collaborating necessarily means compromise. Sometimes people will differ on where to put emphasis, or perhaps on even more major issues such as whether or not something is an argument that they should be making. Collaborating means that sometimes each person’s ideas will be heavily edited before they get out, which can lead to somewhat less creative or outside the box thinking. Furthermore, collaborating takes a lot more time than working on something alone can – one has to accommodate their collaborator’s schedule, life and so on, so instead of just working when and how one wants, one has to sometimes wait for feedback, go over things several times and so forth. Collaboration does have some disadvantages that detract from its overall advantages. One of the things I learned through reviewing my peers work is how much easier it is to see negative things in another person’s work than one’s own. After reviewing a peer’s work, I went back and looked for those same issues in my own, and many of them were present. Furthermore, I learned that it is much easier to see what is done improperly (bad grammar, structure errors and so on) than to appreciate what is done well. One of the major advantages of having a peer review my paper was catching errors in logic or communication that I would not see. Obviously I created the ideas and arguments I use when writing a paper, so when I read it back to myself it always makes perfect sense – I know what I’m talking about. Another person, however, can only glean what your argument means from the writing you put on the page, so it can really highlight things that you have not communicated well enough, or that do not make sense without added detail. One of the disadvantages to having a peer review my work before I submit it is that sometimes having someone else review my work can

Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction Assignment

Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction - Assignment Example This research will begin with The Profiles Interviewed Employees. The selected employees for the interview are Frank and Janet (these are not their real names for purposes of concealing their identity). Frank is a chief accountant to Nestle at the headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. Frank has joined Nestle six years ago, by then as the cost accountant. Three years later, the management promoted him to the position of the chief accountant. Frank, therefore, has an experience of six years as the accountant of the company and three years as a chief accountant. Janet is the overall marketing manager of Nestle. Initially, Janet was the production unit supervisor for four years after joining the company, but because of her remarkable performance, the management promoted her to the general marketing manager and posted her at the headquarters in Switzerland. Janet has five years experience as a marketing manager. Start of the Interview Interviewer: Particularly concerning the number of years you have worked for this company, why have you not left this company to work for a different organization?   Interviewee: The main reason for my extended stay in this company is the motivation that I get from my employer. I have my own intrinsic motivation; that is, the internal desires to produce the best. The company has enabled me to develop positive attitudes towards my work through the extrinsic motivation it offers through bonuses, rewards, recognition, and promotions. Interviewee: Have you ever encountered any problem of receiving your benefits because of your race or gender? Interviewer: No, I think the company has very strict policies to counteract any form of discrimination among the workers. Interviewer: Do you believe that your working in this organization has a meaning? Interviewee: Yes, I do. Working for this company promises a bright future for me and my family. I am fully satisfied with working here because my job tallies with my profession. I am contented with what I receive from here, and I am ready to work here until my retirement age. Interviewer: Does Nestle provide you with opportunities to grow and develop as a professional and as a person? Interviewee: The company is excellent is providing the best opportunities for professional and personal development. The company has a program for allowing employees study leaves and grants financial support for employees who want to advance their careers. There is a pension scheme program where every employee is deducted a certain proportion of income and paid to them upon retirement. Interviewer: Are there any feedbacks you would expect to receive from your company in relation to your performance that you are not receiving? Interviewee: I think I receive

Request for proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Request for proposal - Essay Example There are diverse set of foods provided by Chipotle from which various customers would choose. The brand will be appealing to different travellers at FLL Airport Clients at the airport demand quick services, an aspect that Chipotle promises to deliver. Its four-step plan is a robust package to reduce delays. The company runs nearly 350 transactions per hour at its fastest restaurants to ensure fast service to its clients. The company has employed expediters, personnel to coordinate rolling of the burrito and coordination of the order by getting drinks to the customer. Part of the staff, linebackers, patrols the countertops to ensure seamless service provision to the customers. The â€Å"Mise en place† policy ensures zero tolerance to absolutely nothing in place for the customer during peak hours. At Chipotle, the â€Å"Aces in their places† policy is effective and functional. The policy ensures that only top serves operate during peak hours (Ferdman 1). In essence, at Chipotle, a burrito can be prepared and ready to serve in less than 2 minutes (mikem301s12 1). Chipotle regards consumers’ health as a vital factor and part of its service delivery considerations. Its fast foods are health-conscious and conform to set standards set main regulatory institutions and bodies. Chipotle will uphold regular inspection of its fast foods to ensure compliance with required levels of value and accreditation standards. Furthermore, the personnel at Chipotle are qualified to provide the services required by diverse consumers of fast food and travellers at the airport (Bhasin 1). Bhasin, Kim. How Chipotles Assembly Line Makes Your Burrito So Ridiculously Fast. Business Insider. April 23, 2012. Web. Web. April 19, 2015. http://www.businessinsider.com/how-chipotles-service-line-is-so-fast-2012-4 Ferdman, Roberto. How Chipotle is going to serve burritos faster, and faster, and faster. Quatz. February 1, 2014. Web. April 19, 2015.

External Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

External Environment of Business - Essay Example As the paper stresses many non governmental organizations that include many trade organizations and multi lateral forums, have recognized the need for a comprehensive vision on globalization. This has happened in other forums also that could represent the people of the world. World Trade Organization has its own view of the Globalization. While the other experts and researchers have their very own thought process on the issue of global village and globalization. According to the report findings World Trade Organization promotes global trade; ethical global trade. With the increasing technological and political closeness of the countries the national boundaries are merging to produce one single working economy. The fall of the Berlin wall brought about an integration of Germany, as much as the Euro that brought about unified trading partnership between the European Countries. WTO heralds the coming together of all these practices that would include sub groups like the G8, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), and a number of multilateral forum primarily to work out consensus on the issues that plague the global trade. WTO works on the global trade sine globalization is more pronounced and felt in trade than on any other walks of life, let it be culture or sports exchanges. By bringing together a standard practice of trading code, the WTO aims at presenting a comprehensive Globalization that would bring in equality of all participants and fairn ess of trade for all stake holders of the planet. Globalization brings in multiple dimensions to the stake holders in terms of unfair dumping of products in specific areas, free market economies on one end and controlled or regulated markets at the other. Either of them cause problems to specific groups of people and could kill the lives of millions of people like what it did to the textile industry of India during the eighteenth century when Britain dumped its goods there. WTO wants to ensure that global trade that is at the heart of globalization to be free and fair to all concerned. Laissez faire is what WTO wants to promote. Free movement of goods and services across the boundaries of nations brought in through common governance. The economic globalization is the engine that is driving the process of globalization and the organizations like WTO. WTO wants to ensure that all the parties should be fairly treated and a long term vision of the planet is maintained. This is needed since for the current day gain, it is very often found that the long term vision is lost in many nations. In Indonesia, the smoke that masks the sun during summer has become a common place incident. The world has started ignoring the happening three years after the first time it occurred. Indiscriminate cutting of forests and land clearing are the major cause for the happening. WTO aims at bringing in wood control by ensuring that for every tree that is cut at one end of the forest there is another tree planted elsewhere and the cycle of cutting and planting should be continuous and not destructive. It is not a question of moving over to the next forest but rebuilding and harvesting the same forest area. Social forestry has become the watch word of many a forest departments the

Answer the math problem Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the math problem - Speech or Presentation Example (A) Perform a t-test testing whether CDC and Brinks have the same average collections per day for the area that they were responsible for (ie, not 1-A). Show your work, either via calculations or providing a log of your stata session (or other program) or the formulas you used in excel. Can you use the result to create an estimate of the total amount stolen from June 1979-April 1980 (10 months)? If you can, do so. If not, explain why. From the results, note that the p-value is 0.0001, for the absolute difference in the means. This implies that the mean of average collections between the two companies is statistically different at a significant level of 5%. The t test shows the statistical difference between either two variables or a variable and a constant but cannot be used for estimation. Therefore determining, the total amount stolen requires an estimation method, different from t-test such as regression. (B) Create a 95% confidence interval for the average amount stolen per month based solely on the difference between CDC and Brinks time periods (ie, use the same data as (A). Again, show your work, either via calculations or providing a log of your STATA session (or other program) or the formulas you used in excel. (D) Create a new variable called â€Å"winter† that is equal to 1 from November – February, and 0 otherwise. Create a second new variable called â€Å"summer† that is equal to 1 from June-August. Summarize these variables; what are their means and standard deviations? You are trying to decide whether to use T-Mobile, AT&T or Verizon as your cell phone carrier. You have data on average costs each month over a series of years for an individual who has similar phone habits (for data, texting and voice). The only difference is that this person travels internationally in the summer, and so has a higher bill then. (A) Load the data into your statistical program and create a variable that takes

Literature review Essay Example for Free

Literature review Essay Abstract: Supply chain Management has assumed a significant role in firms performance and has attracted serious research attention over the last few years. A literature review reveals a considerable spurt in research in theory and practice of SCM. Combining and informing on features of Supply Management and distribution Management. This integration has resulted in the concept of extended enterprise and the supply chain is now manifest as the collaborative supply chain across intercompany borders to maximize the value across the entire supply chain. A large number of research papers have been published in various journals in last two decades. In this paper an attempt is made to review the status of literature on Supply Chain Management. A literature classification scheme is proposed. A total of 588 articles from 13 refereed academic journals are classified into articles in five methodologies i.e. Exploratory, Normative, Methodology, Literature Review and Hypothesis testing. This literature review finds that exploratory type of research is mostly preferred it is expected that with the maturity of SCM the hypothesis testing method will pick up. The articles are further categorized in fifteen categories on the basis of content analysis. Based on this review, some possible research issues are identified. Keywords: SCM, Supply Chain strategy, Literature Review. those with average performance. 1. INTRODUCTION Traditionally, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has been a melting pot of various aspects, with influences from logistics and transportation, operations management and materials anddistribution management, marketing, as well as purchasing and information technology (IT). Ideally, the allencompassing philosophy of SCM embraces each of these functions to produce an overall supply chain strategy that ultimately enhances firm performance (Croom et al. 2000; Wisner and Tan 2000). In actuality, the literature is still very fragmented and although several studies purport to discuss supply chain issues, most of the existing research only examines one link of the chain, or most importantly only focuses on one ingredient in the supply chain performance mix. Six major movements can be observed in the evolution of supply chain management studies. Creation, Integration, Globalization, Specialization Phases One and Two, and SCM 2.0 These phases are given in Table 1. In the current competitive scenario supply chain management assumes a significant importance and calls for serious research attention, as companies are challenged with finding ways to meet ever-rising customer expectations at a manageable cost. To do so, businesses must search out which parts of their supply-chain process are not competitive, understand which customer needs are not being met, establish improvement goals, and rapidly implement necessary improvements. Previously manufacturers were the drivers of the supply chain managing the pace at which products were manufactured and distributed. Today, customers are calling the shots, and manufacturers are scrambling to meet customer demands for options/styles/ features, quick order fulfillment, and fast delivery. Manufacturing quality a long-time competitive differentiator is approaching parity across the board, so meeting customer’s specific demands for product delivery has emerged as the next critical opportunity for co mpetitive advantage. Companies that learn how to improve management of their supply chain will become the new success stories in the global market place. Study on Benchmarking shows significant cost differences between organizations that exhibit best-in-class performance and Copyright  © 2010 HyperSciences_Publisher. All rights reserved The six stage evolutionary era depicts that in a particular era which strategy was emphasized. For instance in the sixth era information Technology was given priority and IT enabled supply chain was the burning issue. In the 1990s industries began to focus on â€Å"core competencies† and adopted a specialization model. Companies abandoned vertical integration, sold off non-core operations, and outsourced those functions to other companies. Web 2. 0 is defined as a trend in the use of the World Wide Web that is meant to increase creativity, information sharing, and collaboration among users. The term supply chain management was first coined by an American industry consultant in the early 1980s. However the concept of supply chain in management, was of great importance long before in the early 20th century, especially by the creation of the assembly line. This era of supply chain management studies was highlighted with the development of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems in the 1960s and developed through the 1990s by the introduction of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This era is characterized by the globalization of supply chain management in organizations with the goal of increasing competitive advantage, creating more value-added, and reducing costs through global sourcing Specialization within the supply chain began in the 1980s with the inception of transportation brokerages, warehouse management, and non asset based carriers and has matured beyond transportation and logistics into aspects of supply planning, collaboration, execution and performance management. presents various connotations given by various researchers; then a literature classification scheme is explained and a research agenda is suggested after identifying the gaps between theory and practice of SCM. SCM research has included a number of literature reviews and historical studies published in the top scholarly journals in the fields of logistics, logistic   management, purchasing and SCM (Croom et al. 2000; Carter and Ellram 2003; Rungtusanatham et al. 2003). SCM literature reviews have also been done in the past. However, for the most part these reviews have been descriptive (offering basic frequencies for topics covered etc.) or normative. Given the increasing focus on SCM in both academic and practitioner literature streams, a review of the concepts, topics, analysis methods and levels of analysis across thirteen academic journals was undertaken. This research investigates the history of the SCM literature looking at the various trends and developments in the field

Samurais Values In The Tale Of Genji English Literature Essay

Samurais Values In The Tale Of Genji English Literature Essay The Tale of Genji is one of the greatest works in Japanese and world literature. It was created at the turn of X-XI centuries, in the era of rapid formation and flowering of Japanese culture.  Its author was a lady, known as Murasaki Shikibu. This books tells about the life of that period in Japan, having some historical incidents, including the life and traditions of samurai. It tells about the life of  Genji, a son of the  Japanese emperor, also known as Hikaru Genji. The tale concentrates on his romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time. Genjis was a well known man, respected and honorable, and also a good looking. His most important personality trait is the loyalty, the trait he shows to all the women in his life. Once Genji found a house on Gojo, over the roof of which he saw a green vine, with beautiful white flowers called yugao the twilight beauty. Soon Genji got acquainted with the lady of the house, they fell in love with each other, and he visited her every night. However, their happiness did not last long, as an evil spirit possessed Yugao and she suddenly died. Genji was so upset, he blamed himself for the death of his love. There is no telling how depressed and disappointed he was!. ( Puette, William J, 78) At the same time he kept everything in a secret, not to let anybody know what had happened, as it was a question of his reputation. With the help of Koremitsu, his confident, Yugaos funeral was held secretly, but with all due respect. One evening, one of Yugaos servant ladies Ukon told Genji who her mistress really was. Although she had blue blood in her veins, Yugao lost her parents when she was little. So shy and humble was Yugao that she would hide everything behind her sorrowful smiles. But her memories would never perish from Genjis heart. It is important to point out, that the main character was a samurai, so he had certain values. An outlook of Samurai Bushido is the unwritten code of conduct of Samurai in the society, it is a set of rules and norms of the true ideal of a warrior. Bushido means the way of the samurai, the warrior, in addition the word is also translated as duty, morality. Thus, bushido is samurai morality, virtue, moral and ethical code. Bushido is a practical morality, samurai believed it is method of improving mental and physical health.   Bushido was designed to teach proper life in feudal Japanese society.  It combined  a theory of existence and the study of the human psyche, and solved issues related to the notion of the essence of the individual, its role in the world,   meaning of life, good and evil, moral values and moral ideal. Samurai was keenly aware  of their moral duty, in particular their personal responsibilities in relation to overlord, had to assess their own actions and deeds,  morally condemn themselves if misconduct, breach of duty.( Puette, William J, 145) The main value of samurai, first of all, was loyalty to overlord, expressed in service to overlord, to be of service is to put another above yourself. Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person or cause. It relied the provisions of loyalty, drawn from Shinto, Buddhist belief in impermanence of all earthly things, which strengthened from a samurai spirit of sacrifice and do not fear death, and philosophy of Confucianism, which made loyalty of the first virtue. Near loyalty was the principle of duty. (Shirane, 45) One of the key value of Samurai was personal courage, unbending courage. True courage is to live, when lawfully to live, and die when lawfully to die. Samurai should go to the death with a clear consciousness of what to do and that is not worth his dignity. The sense of honor is also very important. The consciousness of self-esteem is brought up in Samurai from childhood.  Warriors strictly guarded their good name, a sense of shame was for the samurai hardest.  We can see at in the book, while Genji always behaved with sense of honor, he said : I should weigh every word and always ask myself, is it true that Im going to say. Also Genji was polite with women, he showed his good attitude and manners to all the women in his life, as he never abandoned any of them.  He had  the true goodness of the mind and spirit, the unbiased kindness to do good. Honor and glory valued higher than life for samurai, . In all his actions samurai was supposed to come from considerations of the higher justice and fairness. A true samurai had only one judge of his honor himself, as you cannot hide from yourself. It is important to point out such value as the Wisdom of Honesty, as honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully, related to truth as a value, and Genji tried to be honest, and first of all with himself. So The Tale of Genji is one of the greatest works in Japanese literature, as it truly depicts life and traditions of samurai in that time. The tale of Genji shows socio-philosophical traditions of the society, it is devoted to samurai tradition, existed for thousands of years.  Those looking fierce and tough warriors, ready at any time to resort to his sharp shiny swords, were stern and ascetic life, full of inner discipline and poetry. Their whole life comes down to, to die with dignity, while maintaining their honor. Their world is based on honor, generosity, service, courage, sacrifice and a highly developed culture. Love theme is reflected very touching in the book, and sad heartfelt poetry with oriental motifs emphasizes the dramatic, romantic atmosphere and a samurai love theme of the book. Feel the deep meaning, a philosophy, and enjoy the overall beauty of the book, and also learn a lot from the eastern people patience, generosity, diligence, discipline, ability to appreciate every moment of life lived Work cited: Puette, William J.  Guide to the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Rutland, (1983) Shirane, Haruo.  Envisioning the Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, and Cultural Production. New York: Columbia University Press(2008) Morris, Ivan.  The World of the Shining Prince. New York, 1994. Mostow, Joshua S. Picturing   The Tale of Genji.  The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese.  April 1999. (1-25)

The Disadvantages Of Vulnerable People In Society Social Work Essay

The Disadvantages Of Vulnerable People In Society Social Work Essay All Professional occupations are guided by ethical codes and underpinned by Values (Bishman, 2004) and from the very beginning of Social Work, the profession has been seen as firmly rooted in values (Reamer, 2001) (Cited by Bishman, 2004) Every person has a set of beliefs which influence actions, values relate to what we think others should do and what we ought to do, they are personal to us. (Parrot, 2010:13) Although society may been seen as having shared values we are all brought up with different personal values bases, this is an important point to consider when working with others, because our values can influence the way we behave. It would therefore be seen as foolish to underestimate the significance of values within the Social Work Profession. (Thompson, 2005: 109) Our Personal Values can change over time, and our behaviour can alter as a result of the situation we are in. From a young age one of the most important values instilled in me by my parents was to have respect for others, this should be carried throughout life as we should treat others the way in which we would expect to be treated. The importance of having a value base for Social Work is to guide Social Workers and protect the interest of Services Users. (Parrot, 2010:17) As a practising Social Worker it is important to recognise personal values and to be able to understand, situations will present themselves were personal and professional values can conflict. It was only when we had the speakers in that I began to question my own values. NISCC outlines a code of Practice for Social Workers to adhere to, from listening to the speakers in class one issue that was highlighted was that of partnership. Partnership is now a very evident part of everyday language of people involved in the process of providing care. (Tait and Genders 2002) However it is not always put into practice. Mr Y referred to being kept in the dark about his illness, he was eventually given a diagnosis, but it was never explained to him what the meaning of this diagnosis was or how it would affect his life. Social Workers have to exercise professional discretion, due to the nature of their work; judgements have to be made which involve values and consequences that make the worker accountable for their actions. (Thompson 2009) Partnership working is very important for people with a disability, I was able to recognise a conflict with my personal values when one of the Mr X spoke about a visit to the GP, where the GP was asking the carer how the Service User was feeling rather that asking them, from listening to this I was able to recognise that this is something that I have done in the past and possible infantilises the individual with comments such as referring to them as we dote or wee pet and I never thought that there was anything wrong with using these statements, however from the experience gained I can recognise that my personal values and the professional values are in conflict at this point. It is a way of oppressing this individual, and failure to promote their rights as an person. When viewing this in conjunction with the NISCC Code Of Practice, it was clear that there was a conflicting of values. NISCC states that as a Social Care worker we must protect the rights and promote the interests of service users and carers as the Disabled Movement states Nothing about us, without us. We need to consider the Service User perspective, one of the speakers stated effective partnership working should include the professionals and the Service user. Partnership is a key value in the professional value base underpinning Community Care. Braye and Preston-Shoot 200343) Partnership should be promoted in several ways such as keeping an open dialogue between professionals and Service Users, setting aims, being honest about the differences of opinion and how the power differences can affect them and providing the Service User with information that helps to promote their understanding. (Braye and Preston-Shoot 2003) In the case if the speaker who was not given a diagnosis for a long time and was just put out of the consultants office this key areas did not apply. Another issue that was striking was that of independence, initially my personal view was not of someone with a disability being independent, my personal experience in the past had led me to believe that people with a disability required a lot of help and were dependant on a carer to provide that help, I didnt view them as being in employment. Some of these values were quite dormant until I began working in the Social Care Field. The Speakers that we had in from Willow bank explained that they all have jobs and aim to be as independent as possible. This highlighted the conflict between my personal and professional values which I need to be aware of. The NISCC code of practice states a Social Worker should promote the independence of Service Users, this is one conflict that I can acknowledge with my personal values, I need to look at the bigger picture an view the service users as individual people with unique traits and interests it is important that they are not labelled due to their disability, It is viewed that it is society which disables physically impaired people, disability is something imposed on top of impairments by the way we are unnecessarily isolated and excluded from full participation in society. (Oliver 1996) My Personal view was that I believe that we should aim to do things for people with disabilities, I have often found myself carrying out tasks for them that I know they are able to perform themselves, when the speaker from sixth sense spoke about how she had been spoon fed and pushed around the playground as a child had gave her a sense of learned helplessness, it made me acknowledge my own actions. Again this is another area where my personal values conflict with the professional values. Respect for persons in an extremely important values, although I believe I was brought up to show respect for others by creating dependency in a way is disrespectful to the individual. The promotion of independence is important, it is crucial to see those with a disability as individual people. The NISCC code of practice highlights As a social care worker, you must respect the rights of service users while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people. Keeping in line with the NISCC Code of Practice I need to actively challenge my own prejudices in order to ensure that I am promoting anti-oppressive practice. Being able to understand the value conflicts in practice can prove to be very beneficial. It can help us acknowledge the differences in the power structure, which can oppress the service user. Social Workers aim to empower the Service User, to help them help themselves. It is important that Professional values are always at the forefront to promote anti-oppressive practice. Social Work Practice is underpinned by laws, policies and procedures. It is important to always be aware of the Service Users perspectives, this will help ensure more effective and efficient practice. Both our personal and professional values need to be acknowledged for effective and efficient practice. It is of little use if Social Workers have a professional value base which doesnt inform or influence their practice, Social Work ethics can be understood as Values put into actions. (Banks, 2006)

I Want to Become an Educator Essay -- College Admissions Teaching Phil

I Want to Become an Educator Why is education such an essential part of our culture? We, as a society, are extremely materialistic and view education as a ladder to a higher socio-economic plateau, which consists of better job opportunities and a better lifestyle. Education is at the core every career imaginable and, regardless of technological advances, there will always be a need for teachers. Teachers touch lives every day. I am becoming an educator because I feel that I can positively influence the lives of others. I am confident in my ability to interact with others as I look forward to improving students’ lives through education. I feel that in order for students to prosper they must be comfortable with their learning environment. I plan to have an well-organized classroom with various bulletin boards highlighting current chapters of study, as well as announcements and assignments. I also believe that you must keep students both interested and involved to achieve successful learning. Desks in my classroom will be organized in one large â€Å"U† formation facing my desk in the front to create a feeling of unity and coherence. To further promote this goal I will assign a seating chart (possibly alphabetically) to aid in the diffusion of cliques and to avoid exclusion of these who may have the tendency to be isolated. Individual and group projects will be incorporated into my curriculum to provide students the opportunity to work both independently, as well as a team member. My teaching style, although eclectic, will be predominantly pragmatic. The class (with my discretion) will establish our classroom rules and penalties in a democratic fashion. I will be teaching vario... ...aming. This issue is of particular relevance to me because my 6 year-old nephew was recently diagnosed with mild autism. Mainstreaming is a very difficult subject that teachers must face. Placing students that are physically, socially or mentally challenged into a fast-paced learning environment is extremely adverse for the student, as well as the teacher. In conclusion, the ideas presented here are an overview of my personal beliefs regarding education. I expect that experience may cause me to add to, delete or otherwise alter some of these views. It is my desire to continue to learn from my instructors, peers and ultimately my students so that I may become a well-rounded and effective educator. Someday soon, I would like to be able to describe my classroom as community of learners, having produced good citizens as well as educated individuals.

Unions :: essays research papers

The union movement of the late 19th century by Eli Hatch During 1870 through 1900 workers joined together; responding to the power of their employers caused by the growth of industrialization. The worker did not always have the luxury of leaving after eight hours of work, the right to representation, or the even the right to work in a safe environment. The working people of nineteenth century America had to unite in struggle to achieve the gains that are often taken selfishly and taken for granted today. There were many successes and failures in organized labor; the successes were often obtained through the loss of the worker, often through lost wages, jobs, or even death. The organization structure of the union during 1870 through 1900 went through different cycles and strategies to achieve what they wanted. One of the first effective regional organized unions was the Knights of Labor formed in 1869. The knights took in not only skilled workers but also any worker that could be trul y classified as a producer. The knights took their peek in 1885 when strikes against Union Pacific, Southwest System, and Wabash railroads attracted public sympathy and succeeded in preventing a reduction in wages, at this time they boasted a membership of 700,000. 1886 was a troubled year for labor relations. There were nearly 1,600 strikes involving 600,000 workers, with the eight-hour day being the important item for all of the strikes. Failure of some of the strikes and internal conflicts between the skilled workers and the unskilled led to a decline in the Knights popularity and influence. Another organization called the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions created a constitution that other unions could adhere to. This constitution met in Pittsburgh on Nov. 15 1881 and was created by representatives of the cigar makers, the printers, the merchant seamen, steel workers, carpenters and local units of the Knights of Labor. One of the most important items in the constitu tion created by the FOTLU recommended that the legal eight-hour work day be an objective for every union to achieve. The FOTLU thus accelerated a strong national push for a shorter work week. The AFL grew from 140,000 in 1886 to nearly on million by 1900. With these strengths in numbers they often preferred striking over political action. The struggle for workers rights, wage increases and protests against wage cuts were often unsuccessful resulting in violence and death.

Othello – Power of Words

Othello Words of Power December 12, 2011 The famous saying, â€Å"The pen is mightier than the sword† means that with words and brains, it can become a greater weapon than a sword. If such a person was to have this power with words, then one shall lead to great things, if the person wishes to do so. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago uses his skills with persuasion and words to captivate the minds around him in reaching desired outcomes. Iago definitely demonstrates his powers with his words in the play on many occasions. He firstly captivates Roderigo in doing whatever he chose him to do. The simple minded Roderigo was not the only one, as Cassio is set up into Iago's traps next. Lastly the great Othello is wrapped up by Iago's tongue and is tossed around as Iago's will. To catch a fish, bait and a hook is required, in the drama Iago plots, Cassio is the bait. Cassio is the man who provokes Othello and unknowingly kills Othello. Iago's intentions were to take Cassio's position in the ranks, because Othello gave the position to Cassio instead of him. Iago does this by exploiting Cassio's biggest flaw, his lack of drinking. Iago uses his fancy speech and talents in song, â€Å"King Stephen was a worthy peer†¦ ith that he called the tailor lown. † (II. iii 89-92) ,to encourage Cassio to drink multiple doses. This causes Cassio to get in a fight which results in Othello removing his position. â€Å"Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. † (II. iii 262-265) After being de-ranked by Othello, Cassio is haunted by the fact that he lost his reputation, but Iago convinces him reputation is worth nothing. Later on however, he tells Othello that reputation to him is everything. This is just another example of Iago's way of manipulating people's thoughts of him. Post being de-ranked by Othello, Iago convinces Cassio to talk to Desdemona about getting his rank back. Iago tells Cassio, if he can get Desdemona to sweet talk to Othello about you, then you will get your position back for sure. Cassio agrees with Iago having no clue this is just to make Othello jealous. Iago chooses Cassio to be used as bait because Othello already thinks Cassio is more suitable than himself for Desdemona. Cassio fails to recognize any of the jealousy by Othello so he continues to try and get on the good side of Desdemona, which just leads to more jealousy by Othello. Iago trapped Othello and Cassio in a predicament that they cannot escape. Roderigo, a simple man with a simple mind, a man who lets himself trust others more than his own judgment at times, is completely clouded by Iago's words. From the first pages of the play, Roderigo is seen doing what Iago chooses and obeying willingly. â€Å"Were I the Moor I would not be Iago. In following him I follow but myself†¦ For daws to peck at. I am not what I am. † (I. i. 57–65) Here Iago clearly states his motives and expresses that he is not who he appears to be. He is letting everyone know the nice, kind Iago is not the true self. Despite all this, Roderigo is still wrapped up in Iago's lies and continues to do as Iago wishes. Roderigo spends all his money on Iago to hope that Iago can work his â€Å"magic† and make Desdemona his. Iago is constantly letting Roderigo know that Desdemona will soon be his, he tells Roderigo Desdemona will soon come to her senses and run to him: â€Å"It is merely lust of the blood†¦ and go without her. † (Shakespeare, I. iii. 377-404). Even when Roderigo was on the verge of killing Iago because the promises are not coming true, he is still convinced by Iago to do one more task. This ultimately leads Roderigo to his death, because Roderigo never stopped to think everything through. When Roderigo fails to accomplish what Iago planned for him, Iago backstabs him and kills him. The dramatist Iago, is willing to do anything to keep things running smoothly for him. Iago uses Roderigo to set off his drama show, and Roderigo is played by Iago wonderfully. The general of Cyprus, the man who has won countless wars, and the hero of the city, Othello. Despite all these winning characteristics, he still lost to the twisted words of Iago. Othello, an honest black man who falls in love with Desdemona, and she him. At the beginning of the play, Othello had full trust in Desdemona and was happily married to her. As Iago steps in however, that all changes. â€Å"I'll have our Michael Cassio on the hip,  abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb. For I fear Cassio with my night-cap too. Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me. â€Å"(II. i. 305-308) Iago says his plans to gain Othello's trust, just to betray him in the end. Othello treats Iago like a brother, and is constantly calling him â€Å"Honest Iago†. Iago's plan to destroy Othello is to destroy his love with Desdemona. He does this by making Othello think Desdemona is unfaithful. Iago acts very smoothly, directing the actions of others without them knowing his true intentions. Iago would often be reluctant to speak, seeming innocent. When he does this to Othello, it gets Othello's curiosity to set off. â€Å"I prithee, speak to me as to thy thinkings, as thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts, the worst of words. † (III. iii. 131-133) Othello begs for Iago to speak here, because he cannot bare not knowing what Iago knows. With the speaking abilities of Iago, he is able to lie with such perfection that Othello has no choice but worry about his words, worry if Desdemona is really being unfaithful. Even when Othello would put this idea in the back of his mind, Iago would constantly remind him of it. The cleverness of Iago is demonstrated when he would look like he is helping a person, but the truth is otherwise. â€Å"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss. â€Å"(III. iii. 165-167) Iago seems like he is trying to warn Othello about jealousy, but by saying this he is actually getting Othello more jealous. Othello is unaware the entire time of Iago's plot to get what he wants. As Iago's lies dig deeper into Othello's mind, Othello is forced into an incurable sense of hopelessness about Desdemona, and Othello makes the grave mistake of killing her. Othello's trust in Iago left him listening to no one else, even when he's wife pleaded she is telling the truth. This is the effectiveness of Iago's way with words, and how he uses that to set up his drama, plotting everyone against each other to his benefits. Language, the human's way of communication, a necessity amongst the population, a tool and occasionally, a weapon. Iago's way of speech gives him the advantage over others. In the book Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago uses his way of words to create situations that will lead to a result that favours himself. He manipulates Othello, Cassio, and Roderigo in ways that destroy each other but benefiting him at the same time. Iago expresses this characteristic throughout the play and he turns what would be a fairy tale ending story, into a drama with a tragic ending. Work Cited: Shakespeare, William, and Roma Gill. Othello. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1993. Print.

Examining the Use of Social Media Essay

Access the Toolwire ® Learnscape: Examining the Use of Social Media link located on the student website. Complete the Learnscape Activities. Complete the Toolwire ® Learnscape Assessment Part A and Part B. Write a 700- to 1,050–word paper answering the following questions: What are the advantages and disadvantages of easily obtainable information? What are the advantages and disadvantages of social media? How might knowing these advantages and disadvantages alter how a person might use social media? What credibility issues can arise from information found on the Internet? Support your findings with specific examples. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Option 2: Social Media Paper Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper answering the following questions: What are the advantages and disadvantages of easily obtainable information? What are the advantages and disadvantages of social media? How might knowing these advantages and disadvantages alter how a person might use social media? What credibility issues can arise from information found on the Internet? Support your findings with specific examples. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Boston Consulting SWOT Analysis Essay

Boston Consulting Group has clearly defined that their biggest asset is their people. The group offers an extensive training and summer internship program to prepare the interested, highly experience and motivated future consultant of Boston Consulting. The group offers services in 43 countries and their experienced and trained pool of consultants come from a diversity of experiences and culture. Boston consulting also assures their clients that a collaborative work team is the one priority. Strategic Planning Boston Consulting Group believes in strategic planning as a whole, meaning with their client involved. The group strives on strategic planning and is their biggest driven agenda with entering a new client. The group does not operate on policies of templates and redundant reorganizing of the company. They welcome ideas and creative suggestions for an effective strategic planning. Every client is different in culture and operations. In every client the group searches for new ideas and works with the collaborative approach to its client for strategic success. The group believes that working day to day and side by side with the client allows a higher output of productivity and achieving company goals. This approach also gives us the consulting group a greater experience of their industry and allows for venturing in other market growths for the client and fosters other learning experiences for our consultants. The firm creates a five-year plan for its clients and assists in every step to implement the plan through operational planning. Stakeholders As presented in the SWOT analysis one of our external stakeholders include outside businesses and the general business population. The group also provides pro bono work for many non-profit agencies and provides consulting advice such as in the high technology area and also advice to implementation assistance. The firm also specializes in the turn around approach that  implements the operational and strategic planning. This will allow for a quicker response for companies that need immediate assistance and assist with company growing pains. Once the strategic plans are identified and agreed upon an operational plan is put in place to roll out and go live on implementing the plan for company successes, quick results, and goals completed. Company and clients successes greatly impact the internal stakeholders as well. Other ideas and experiences are obtained throughout the reorganization of a company or even its restructure. All parties involved leave the completion with gained knowledg e and a sense of satisfaction once an operational plan is completed. Conclusion Once voids in a company has been identified and focused on it allow for the firm to recommend other ideas for the company for continued future success and even other joint ventures if any. In conclusion, Boston consulting group was #8 on the Fortune 100 list of best companies to work for and # 3 in 2014. Employees have identified the company’s culture as busy, flexible and ever changing. A place for new and extensive ever-moving assignments all over the world. The company has worked in China and focused on the studies in operations and strategy, to overcome challenges in the China operations. Benchmarks and global strategies were discussed in this study. It is the second of four in a series of special reports on China by The Boston Consulting Group and Knowledge@Wharton. Listed below is an image of their SWOT analysis. Part of the weaknesses of the SWOT analysis is the tough competitors, which in Boston consulting groups case is McKinsey and Bain. Strengths Weaknesses BCG focuses on assisting companies with and efficient and effective business strategy and planning BCG has been unsuccessful to international markets  1st company to be awarded as the â€Å"Best place to work for† Tough competition from other consulting groups means market share is limited Employees have a diverse experience for the robust skill set for the job Opportunities Threats Getting into international business and evolving new concept there rather than sticking only strategy Stiff competition from existing consulting industry players Their green initiatives can create a new opportunity of consultation for them Companies are not setting up their own knowledge and training centers in house. Also larger companies are setting up their own training and knowledge center in house to avoid high consulting fees. However the training and experience will never compare to the actual employees that have years of hands on past experiences or and extensive education background. Boston consulting group continues to strive for the best and grow in more countries and work with a larger diversity in its near future. As #3 in the list of Fortune 500 companies for 2014, BCG will continue to excel in all areas of corporate America and its ever-changing business industry and current challenges. The company and its leaders also provide many business publications for their clients and the general public. Clients and employees alike have found great relationships, learning experiences and continued healthy relationships with Boston consulting group. Reference http://www.bcg.com/about_bcg/default.aspx. (2014). Boston Consulting Group. Retrieved from http://www.bcg.com/about_bcg/default.aspx The Boston Consulting Group SWOT Analysis, (2014). Boston Consulting Group SWOT Analysis, 1-7

Contact Information Essay

Charlotte, NC (January 1, 2013) – Johnson C. Smith University is having a Whitney Houston tribute on February 20, 2013. The school choir along with President Carter is organizing a beautiful tribute on campus. The tribute will be held in Biddle auditorium on that Wednesday. President Carter emailed students to find out who wanted to volunteer for the event and receive community service hours. Johnson C. Smith University will be selling tickets as well. The prices are 2$ for JCSU students, and 5$ for everyone else. Special guests will be Mariah Carey, Brand, and Chris Brown. The event has been posted in local charlotte area newspapers and it will also be discussed on the local news. President Carter said â€Å"This event is a must see, I think myself and everyone who helped did an awesome job. I suggest everyone come out and see this tribute†. After the event Johnson C. Smith University will have food sponsored by FDY food services. The food is free after admission and drinks are free as well. There will also be an autograph signing from the special guests after the event. Special guest Mariah Carey says â€Å"It’s always a pleasure doing events like this. Anytime I can help, and give back, I’m always willing to†.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 1

This wasn't the first time I'd worn a foil dress. It was, however, the first time I'd done so in a family-friendly setting. â€Å"Vixen!† Santa's voice rang out above the mall crowd, and I hurried away from where I'd been corralling a group of Burberryclad kids. It wasn't actually Santa Claus calling me, of course. The man sitting in the holly-and-light-bedecked gazebo was named Walter something-or-other, but he asked that those of us working as his â€Å"elves† refer to him as Santa at all times. Conversely, he had christened all of us with either reindeer or Seven Dwarves names. He took this job very seriously and said the names helped him stay in character. If we questioned that, he'd start regaling us with tales of his extensive career as a Shakespearean actor, one that he claimed had come to an end because of his age. We elves had our own ideas about what might have cut his career short. â€Å"Santa needs another drink,† he told me in a stage whisper, once I reached his side. â€Å"Grumpy won't get me one.† He inclined his head toward another woman dressed in a green foil dress. She was holding back a squirming boy while Santa and I conducted our conversation. I met her pained expression and then glanced down at my watch. â€Å"Well, Santa,† I said, â€Å"that's because it's only been an hour since the last one. You know the deal: one shot in your coffee every three hours.† â€Å"We made that deal a week ago!† he hissed. â€Å"Before the crowds picked up. You have no idea what Santa endures.† I didn't know if it was part of his acting method or just a personality quirk, but he also referred to himself in the third person a lot. â€Å"A girl just asked for SAT scores good enough to get her into Yale. I think she was nine.† I spared him a moment's sympathy. The mall where we were earning holiday pay was in one of Seattle's more affluent suburbs, and the requests he got sometimes went beyond footballs and ponies. The kids also tended to be better dressed than me (when I wasn't in elf-wear), which was no small feat. â€Å"Sorry,† I said. Tradition or not, I sometimes thought putting children on an old guy's lap was already creepy enough. We didn't need to mix alcohol into it. â€Å"The deal stands.† â€Å"Santa can't take much more of this!† â€Å"Santa's got four hours left of his shift,† I pointed out. â€Å"I wish Comet was still here,† he said petulantly. â€Å"She was much more lenient with the drinks.† â€Å"Yes. And I'm sure she's drinking alone right now, seeing as she's unemployed.† Comet, a former elf, had been generous with Santa's shots and also partaken of them herself. Since she was half his weight, though, she hadn't held her liquor as well and had lost her job when mall officials caught her taking off her clothes in The Sharper Image. I gave a curt nod to Grumpy. â€Å"Go ahead.† The little boy hurried forward and climbed onto Santa's lap. To his credit, Santa switched into character and didn't pester me (or the boy) further about a drink. â€Å"Ho ho ho! What would you like for this nondenominational winter holiday season?† He even affected a slight British accent, which wasn't really necessary for the role but certainly made him seem more authoritative. The boy regarded Santa solemnly. â€Å"I want my dad to move back home.† â€Å"Is that your father?† asked Santa, looking toward a couple standing near Grumpy. The woman was pretty and blond, with the look of someone in her thirties who'd been preemptively hitting the Botox. If the guy she was plastered all over was old enough to be out of college, I would have been very surprised. â€Å"No,† said the boy. â€Å"That's my mom and her friend Roger.† Santa was silent for a few moments. â€Å"Is there anything else you'd like?† I left them to it and returned to my post near the line's start. Evening was wearing on, increasing the number of families turning out. Unlike Santa's, my shift ended in less than an hour. I could get in a little shopping time and miss the worst of the commuting traffic. As an official mall employee, I got a considerable discount, which made drunken Santas and foil dresses that much easier to bear. One of the greatest things about the happiest time of the year was that all the department stores had extensive cosmetics and fragrance gift sets out right now, gift sets that desperately needed a home in my bathroom. â€Å"Georgina?† My dreams of sugarplums and Christian Dior were interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice. I turned and felt my heart sink as I met the eyes of a pretty middle-aged woman with cropped hair. â€Å"Janice, hey. How's it going?† My former co-worker returned my stiff smile with a puzzled one. â€Å"Fine. I . . . I didn't expect to see you here.† I also hadn't expected to be seen here. It was one of the reasons I'd chosen to work outside the city, to specifically avoid anyone from my old job. â€Å"Likewise. Don't you live in Northgate?† I tried not to make it sound like an accusation. She nodded and rested her hand on the shoulder of a small, dark-haired girl. â€Å"We do, but my sister lives over here, and we thought we'd visit her after Alicia talks to Santa.† â€Å"I see,† I said, feeling mortified. Wonderful. Janice was going to go back to Emerald City Books and Cafe and tell everyone that she'd spotted me dressed as an elf. Not that that could make things worse, I supposed. Everyone there already thought I was the Whore of Babylon. It was why I'd quit a few weeks ago. What was an elf dress on top of that? â€Å"Is this Santa any good?† asked Alicia impatiently. â€Å"The one I saw last year didn't get me what I wanted.† Over the buzzing of the crowd, I just barely heard Santa saying, â€Å"Well, Jessica, there's not much Santa can do about interest rates.† I turned back to Alicia. â€Å"It kind of depends on what you want,† I said. â€Å"How did you end up here?† asked Janice, with a small frown. She actually sounded concerned, which I supposed was better than her gloating. I had a feeling there were a number of people at the bookstore who would have loved the idea of me suffering – not that this job was so bad. â€Å"Well, this is just temporary, obviously,† I explained. â€Å"It gives me something to do while I interview for others, and I get a mall discount. And really, it's just another form of customer service.† I was trying hard not to sound defensive or desperate, but with each word, the intensity of how much I missed my old job hit me more and more. â€Å"Oh, good,† she said, looking slightly relieved. â€Å"I'm sure you'll find something soon. Looks like the line's moving.† â€Å"Wait, Janice?† I caught hold of her arm before she could walk away. â€Å"How . . . how's Doug?† I'd left behind a lot of things at Emerald City: a position of power, a warm atmosphere, unlimited books and coffee . . . But as much as I missed all of those things, I didn't miss them as much as I missed a single person: my friend Doug Sato. He, more than anything, was what had spurred me to leave. I hadn't been able to handle working with him anymore. It had been terrible, seeing someone I care about so much regard me with such contempt and disappointment. I'd had to get away from that and felt I'd made the right choice, but it was still hard losing someone who'd been a part of my life for the last five years. Janice's smile returned. Doug had that effect on people. â€Å"Oh, you know. He's Doug. The same, wacky Doug. Band's going strong. And I think he might get your job. Er, your old job. They're interviewing for it.† Her smile faded, as though she suddenly realized that might cause me discomfort. It didn't. Not much. â€Å"That's great,† I said. â€Å"I'm happy for him.† She nodded and told me good-bye before hurrying forward in line. Behind her, a family of four paused in their frantic texting on identical cell phones to glare at me for the holdup. A moment later, they hunched back down again, no doubt telling all their Twitter friends about every inane detail of their holiday mall experience. I put on a cheery smile that didn't reflect what I felt inside and continued helping with the line until Sneezy, my replacement, showed up. I got him up to speed on Santa's drinking schedule and then abandoned the holiday nexus for the mall's back offices. Once inside a bathroom, I shape-shifted out of the foil dress, trading it for a much more tasteful sweater and jeans combo. I even made the sweater blue so that there would be no confusion. I was off the holiday clock. Of course, as I walked back through the mall, I couldn't help but notice I was never off the clock for my main job: being a succubus in the illustrious service of Hell. Centuries of corruption and seduction of souls had given me a sixth sense for spotting those most vulnerable to my charms. The holidays, while ostensibly being a time of cheer, also tended to bring out the worst in people. I could spot the desperation everywhere – those hoping to frantically find the perfect gifts to win over the ones they loved, those dissatisfied with their ability to provide for their loved ones, those dragged along on shopping trips to create a â€Å"perfect† holiday experience they had no interest in. . . . Yes, it was everywhere if you knew how to look for it: that sorrow and frustration tucked in amongst the joy. Those were exactly the kinds of souls that were ripe for the taking. I could have picked off any number of guys if I wanted to tonight and taken care of my quota for the week. My brief exchange with Janice had left me feeling strange, however, and I couldn't muster the energy to go strike up a conversation with some discontent suburban businessman. Instead, I consoled myself with impulse purchases for myself and even found a couple of much-needed gifts for others, proving that I wasn't totally and completely selfish. By the time I left, I felt confident traffic had died down and would give me an easy drive back to the city. As I walked past the center of the mall, I heard Santa ho-ho-ho-ing loudly while waving his arms energetically around, much to the terror of a small child on his lap. My guess was that someone had cracked and broken the drinking rule. On the way home, I noticed I had three voice mail messages, all from my friend Peter. Before I could even attempt to listen to them, the phone rang. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Where are you?† Peter's frantic voice filled up the small space of my Passat. â€Å"In my car. Where are you?† â€Å"At my apartment. Where else? Everyone's here!† â€Å"Everyone? What are you talking about?† â€Å"Did you forget? Damn it, Georgina. You were a lot more punctual when you were unhappy and single.† I ignored the jab and scanned through my mental calendar. Peter was one of my best friends. He was also a neurotic, obsessive compulsive vampire who loved hosting dinners and parties. He usually managed to throw something together at least once a week, never for the same reason, so it was easy to lose track. â€Å"It's fondue night,† I said at last, proud of myself for remembering. â€Å"Yes! And the cheese is getting cold. I'm not made of Sterno, you know.† â€Å"Why didn't you just start eating?† â€Å"Because we're civilized.† â€Å"Debatable.† I pondered whether I wanted to go or not. Part of me really just wanted to get home and snuggle with Seth, but I had a feeling he'd be working. I likely couldn't expect snuggling for a while, whereas I could appease Peter right now. â€Å"Fine. Start without me, and I'll be there soon. I'm just getting off the bridge now.† Wistfully, I drove past Seth's exit and instead set my sights on the one that would take me to Peter's place. â€Å"Did you remember to bring wine?† he asked. â€Å"Peter, until a minute ago, I didn't even remember I was supposed to be at your place. Do you really need wine?† I'd seen Peter's wine cabinet. On any given day, he had a dozen each of reds and whites, both domestic and international. â€Å"I don't want to run out of the good stuff,† he said. â€Å"I seriously doubt you're going to – wait. Is Carter there?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Okay. I'll pick up some wine.† I showed up at his apartment ten minutes later. His roommate and apprentice, Cody, opened the door and gave me a broad, fang-filled smile. Light, music, and the scent of fondue and potpourri washed over me. Their home put Santa's gazebo to shame and had decorations filling every square inch. And not just Christmas ones. â€Å"Since when do you guys have a menorah?† I asked Cody. â€Å"Neither of you are Jewish.† â€Å"Well, we're not Christian either,† he pointed out, leading me toward the dining room. â€Å"Peter wanted to take a multicultural slant this year. The guestroom is all done in Kwanza decorations, if you know someone looking for a truly tacky overnight experience.† â€Å"It is not tacky!† Peter stood up from a table where our other immortal friends sat around two tubs of melted cheese. â€Å"I can't believe you're so insensitive to other people's religious views. Jesus Christ! Is that boxed wine?† â€Å"You said you wanted wine,† I reminded him. â€Å"I wanted good wine. Please tell me it's not blush.† â€Å"Of course it's blush. And you didn't tell me to bring good wine. You said you were worried Carter would drink all your good wine. So I brought this for him instead. Your wine is safe.† At the mention of his name, the only heavenly creature in the room looked up. â€Å"Sweet,† he said, accepting the box from me. â€Å"Santa's little helper delivers.† He opened up the box's dispenser and looked at Peter expectantly. â€Å"Do you have a straw?† I sat in an empty seat beside my boss, Jerome, who was contentedly dipping a piece of bread in molten cheddar. He was the archdemon of all of Seattle and chose to walk the earth looking like a circa 1990 John Cusack, which made it easy to forget his true nature sometimes. Fortunately, his brimstone personality always came out the instant he opened his mouth. â€Å"You're here less than a minute, Georgie, and already you've made this get-together fifty percent less classy.† â€Å"You guys are eating fondue on a Tuesday night,† I retorted. â€Å"You were well on your way without me.† Peter had settled himself back down and was trying to appear calm. â€Å"Fondue is very classy. It's all in the presentation. Hey! Where'd you get that?† Carter had set the wine box on his lap, dispenser on top, and was now drinking from it with an enormous straw that I suspected had been literally conjured from thin air. â€Å"At least he's not doing that with a bottle of Pinot Noir,† I told Peter good-naturedly. I helped myself to a fondue fork and speared a piece of apple. On the other side of Jerome, Hugh busily typed away on his phone's keyboard, reminding me of the family at the mall. â€Å"Telling the world about this lowbrow party?† I teased. Hugh was an imp, a type of hellish administrative assistant, so he could have actually been buying or selling souls via his phone for all I knew. â€Å"Of course,† said Hugh, not looking up. â€Å"I'm updating Facebook. Do you know why Roman won't answer my friend request?† â€Å"No clue,† I said. â€Å"I've barely spoken to him in days.† â€Å"When I talked to him earlier, he said he had to work tonight,† Peter explained, â€Å"but that we should go ahead and draw for him.† â€Å"Draw?† I asked uneasily. â€Å"Oh Lord. Tell me it's not Pictionary night too.† Peter sighed wearily. â€Å"Draw for Secret Santas. Do you even read the e-mails I send?† â€Å"Secret Santas? Seems like we just did that,† I said. â€Å"Yeah, a year ago,† said Peter. â€Å"Just like we do every Christmas.† I glanced over at Carter who was quietly drinking his wine. â€Å"Did you lose my hat? You look like you could use one.† The angel's chin-length, blond hair was even more unkempt than usual. â€Å"Tell us what you really think, Georgina,† he replied. He ran a hand over his hair, but it somehow only made things worse. â€Å"I'm saving it for a special occasion.† â€Å"If I get your name again, I'll buy you two hats so you don't have to ration yourself.† â€Å"I wouldn't want you to go to the trouble.† â€Å"No trouble at all. I get a discount at the mall.† Jerome sighed and set down his fork. â€Å"Are you still doing that, Georgie? Don't I suffer enough without having to endure the humiliation of a succubus who moonlights as a Christmas elf?† â€Å"You always said I should quit the bookstore and find something else to do,† I reminded him. â€Å"Yes, but that was because I thought you'd go on to do something respectable. Like become a stripper or the mayor's mistress.† â€Å"This is just temporary.† I handed Carter the elegant crystal wineglass that had been sitting by my plate. He filled it with wine from the box and gave it back. Peter groaned and muttered something about despoiling Tiffany's. â€Å"Georgina doesn't need material things anymore,† teased Cody. â€Å"She's paid in love now.† Jerome fixed the young vampire with a cold stare. â€Å"Do not ever say anything that saccharine again.† â€Å"You're one to talk,† I said to Cody, unable to hide my smile. â€Å"I'm surprised you could drag yourself away from Gabrielle tonight.† His face immediately grew dreamy at the mention of his ladylove. â€Å"That makes two of us,† observed Peter. He shook his head bitterly. â€Å"You guys and your perfect love lives.† â€Å"Hardly perfect,† I said at the same time Cody said, â€Å"It is perfect.† All eyes fell on me. Hugh even looked up from his phone. â€Å"Trouble in paradise?† â€Å"Why do you always assume that? And no, of course not,† I scoffed, hating myself for the slip. â€Å"Things are fantastic with Seth.† And they were. Just speaking his name sent a flood of joy through me. Seth. Seth was what made everything worthwhile. My relationship with him was what had caused the rift between me and my former co-workers at the bookstore. They saw me as the reason for his breakup with Doug's sister. Which, I suppose, I was. But no matter how much I'd loved that job, giving it up was a small price to pay to be with Seth. I could endure being an elf. I could endure the quotas he and I put on our sex life, to ensure my succubus powers didn't suck him dry. With him, I could handle anything. Even a future of damnation. There were just a couple of teeny-tiny things about my relationship with Seth that gave me pause. One had been eating at me for a while, one I kept trying to ignore. But now, suddenly, with my immortal friends watching me, I finally drummed up the courage to address it. â€Å"It's just . . . I don't suppose any of you told Seth my name, did you?† Seeing Peter open his mouth in confusion, I immediately amended, â€Å"My real name.† â€Å"Why would that ever come up?† asked Hugh dismissively, returning to his texting. â€Å"I don't even know your real name,† said Cody. â€Å"Are you saying it's not Georgina?† I regretted the words already. It was a stupid thing for me to worry about, and their reactions were just proving that point. â€Å"Do you not want him to know your name?† asked Hugh. â€Å"No . . . it's fine. I just, well. It's just weird. A month or so ago, when he was half-asleep, he called me by it. Letha,† I added, for Cody's benefit. I managed to say the name without tripping over it. It wasn't a name I welcomed. I'd shed it centuries ago, when I became a succubus, and had been taking assumed names ever since. In banishing that name, I'd banished that former life. I'd wanted to erase it so badly that I'd sold my soul in exchange for everyone I'd known forgetting I existed. That was why the conversation with Seth had totally blindsided me. There was no way he could've known that name. You are the world, Letha . . . he had told me drowsily. He hadn't even remembered saying it, let alone where he'd heard it. Don't know, he'd told me, when I questioned him about it later. Greek myths, I guess. The River Lethe, where the dead go to wash away the memories from their souls . . . to forget the past. . . . â€Å"That's a pretty name,† said Cody. I shrugged noncommittally. â€Å"The point is, I never told it to Seth. But somehow, he knew it. He couldn't remember anything about it, though. Where he heard it.† â€Å"He must have heard it from you,† said Hugh, ever practical. â€Å"I never told him. I'd remember if I had.† â€Å"Well, with all the other immortals traipsing through here, I'm sure it came up from one of them. He probably overheard it.† Peter frowned. â€Å"Don't you have an award with your name on it? Maybe he saw that.† â€Å"I don't really leave my ‘Best Succubus' award lying around,† I pointed out. â€Å"Well, you should,† said Hugh. I eyed Carter carefully. â€Å"You're being awfully quiet.† He paused in drinking from the wine box. â€Å"I'm busy.† â€Å"Did you tell Seth my name? You've called me it before.† Carter, despite being an angel, seemed to have a genuine affection for us damned souls. And like an elementary school boy, he often thought the best way of showing that affection was by picking on us. Calling me Letha – when he knew I hated it – and other pet names was one such tactic he used. Carter shook his head. â€Å"Sorry to disappoint you, Daughter of Lilith, but I never told him. You know me: model of discretion.† There was a slurping sound as he neared the wine's end. â€Å"Then how did Seth find out?† I demanded. â€Å"How'd he know the name? Someone must have told him.† Jerome sighed loudly. â€Å"Georgie, this conversation is even more ridiculous than the one about your job. You already got your answer: either you or someone else slipped up and doesn't remember. Why does everything have to be so dramatic for you? Are you just looking for something to be unhappy about?† He had a point. And honestly, I didn't know why this had bugged me so much for so long. Everyone was right. There was no mystery here, nothing earth-shattering. Seth had overheard my name somewhere, end of story. There was no reason for me to overreact or assume the worst – only a tiny, nagging voice in my head that refused to forget about that night. â€Å"It's just weird,† I said lamely. Jerome rolled his eyes. â€Å"If you want something to worry about, then I'll give you something.† All thoughts of Seth and names flew out of my head. Everyone at the table (except Carter, who was still slurping) froze and stared at Jerome. When my boss said he had something for you to worry about, there was a strong possibility it meant something fiery and terrifying. Hugh looked startled by this proclamation too, which was a bad sign. He usually knew about hellish mandates before Jerome did. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked. â€Å"I had a drink with Nanette the other night,† he growled. Nanette was Portland's archdemoness. â€Å"Bad enough she still won't let me forget the summoning. She was also going off on some bullshit about how her people were more competent than mine.† I glanced briefly at my friends. We weren't exactly model employees of Hell, so there was a very good chance that Nanette was right. Not that any of us would tell Jerome that. â€Å"So,† he continued, â€Å"when I denied it, she demanded we step up and prove what superior Hellish minions we are.† â€Å"How?† asked Hugh, looking mildly interested. â€Å"With a soul pledge drive?† â€Å"Don't be ridiculous,† said Jerome. â€Å"Then with what?† I asked. Jerome gave us a tight-lipped smile. â€Å"With bowling.†