Domestic Animal Abuse Essay

Domestic animal abuse is a difficult topic to separate from the agendas of those who would prevent it. The reports are certainly horrible enough on their own: a husband and wife are arrested for shipping 182 animals—mostly collies–in a tractor-trailer truck, a house is found filled with filthy, dying cats, dogs, and birds; hundreds of dogs die annually from being left unattended in the cars during the summer heat. Of course, animals do not need to die en masse for abuse to take place. Every day, family pets are forced to suffer abuse that would be otherwise aimed at human family members, they are tied outside without food and water, or they are simply ignored to death. Combating animal abuse can be difficult, however. In addition to the agendas shaping any efforts against it, no single legal definition exists for what constitutes domestic animal abuse. Because of this lack of a single definition, there can be no single form of prosecution. Yet, the significance of animal abuse goes far beyond that of the obvious cruelty to animals. It can be used as a predictor for people who develop sociopathy and has been connected with the occurrence of domestic abuse in the home. This paper will be used to discuss some of the difficulties that are associated with defining and legislating domestic animal abuse. It will also offer some discussion of the effects of this pervasive problem. Defining Domestic Animal Abuse Despite all of the annual occurrences of domestic animal abuse, there is no single definition for what constitutes such abuse. Animal rights extremist organizations, such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), the Humane Society for the United States (HSUS), and the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) all believe that any use of animals constitute animal abuse. Ultimately, according to these organizations, any â€Å"use† of domestic animals constitutes abuse; even merely keeping a pet in one’s home is an abusive act. Using this reason any animal husbandry, from raising chickens for eggs, to keeping cows for milk, or any participation in the meat or fur industry constitutes abuse. Medical science represents the worst of these abuses, since it â€Å"takes away the rights† of an animal by sacrificing its health or life in favor of preserving human health or lives (Goodwin and Morrison). Legal definitions of domestic animal abuse, or animal cruelty, are much broader than this very narrow stance. Many state laws define animals as being â€Å"vertebrate animals† that are not human beings, although some states also include birds such as parrots or sparrows, as well. Other states do not refer to what defines an animal at all. In addition, some states do not permit fish or shellfish to be included in the discussion. If the laws concerning the definition of â€Å"animal,† â€Å"pet† or â€Å"companion animal† are so variable, then it should come as no surprise that laws defining abuse itself are varied, as well. However, it is common to break cruelty to animals down into two broad categories: passive (acts of omission) and active (acts of commission). Although there are no clearly defined categories for these acts or inactions, there are certain â€Å"patterns of behavior† that occur under the overall umbrella of â€Å"animal cruelty† or abuse (â€Å"Animal Cruelty,† n. d. , par. 1). Passive acts of cruelty are sometimes called â€Å"animal neglect. † These kinds of cruelty usually involve withholding something from the animal, such as food or water. In addition, passive acts might include failure to act if a pet becomes infested with any kind of parasite or if a collar becomes embedded into a pet’s skin due to the growth of the pet (Pet-Abuse. com pars. 4-5). In general, neglect is treated as a minor offense if only one animal, or a small number of animals, is involved. The severity of the crime increases, however, with and increasingly large number of animals involved. Neglect cases may also be divided between unintentional neglect, caused by ignorance, and intentional or â€Å"willful† neglect, caused by knowingly mistreating an animal (Lockwood, 2006, p. 19). Active acts of cruelty include violence against animals, often referred to as â€Å"torture,† â€Å"malicious intent,† or â€Å"non-accidental injury† (â€Å"Animal Cruelty,† n. d. , par. 6). Such abuse is of greater concern than is passive animal abuse. Some forms of violent active animal abuse is associated with other crimes, such as domestic abuse or child abuse. These abuses can also be used as a predictor of other crimes. Both of these observations will be expanded upon in a later section of this paper. Animal hoarding, organized â€Å"sporting† abuse, ritualistic abuse, and the use of animals for sexual gratification are all forms of active animal abuse (Lockwood, 2006, pp. 20-23). All of these forms of animal abuse are serious issues, causing both concern and expense for the community as a whole. Even animal hording, which is sometimes caricatured in movies–perhaps with an elderly female character with a house full of skinny, yowling cats–should be a matter of concern for society. Due to the hidden concerns of this form of abuse somewhat more discussion will be given to this form of abuse than the other three mentioned. Animal hoarding is a familiar to many of us; however, it is not always recognized for the problem that it is. It seems to be increasingly common to hear about a raid on a home that contains dozens, if not hundreds, of malnourished and half-wild animals, even if it is only reported as a â€Å"human interest† story or in the late-night television comedian’s monologue. However, according to Patronek, Loar, and Nathanson (2006) animal hoarding: is an important, misunderstood, and under-recognized community problem that affects both human and animal welfare. It is responsible for substantial animal suffering and property damage. Often associated with adult self-neglect, animal hoarding can also place children, elders, and dependent adults at serious risk and can be an economic burden to taxpayers. (p. 1) Although not always recognized as a problem, animal hoarding is relatively easy to identify. It is characterized by four factors: 1) the lack of the minimum physical care needed by the animals, 2) the abuser’s inability to recognize the abuse, 3) the obsession to continue collecting animals even when the number of animals housed exceed the ability to provide ideal living conditions, and 4) the abuser’s denial that the declining conditions exist (Patronek, Loar, & Nathanson, 2006, p. 1). Despite these common factors, however, animal hoarding is not a simple problem to contain. Several different kinds of animal hoarding exist, from the fairly benign â€Å"overwhelmed caregiver† to the person who acquires animals only to exploit them. Because of the variability of situations in which a person might begin hoarding animals, these classifications are fluid and characteristics might overlap. Sporting abuse is, fortunately, not as widespread as it was even 100 years ago. However, although most people think automatically of dog fighting and chicken fighting when animal â€Å"blood sports† are mentioned, others also exist. Despite their cultural acceptance, blood sports such as bullfighting in Spain and pit sports, such as fighting dogs and wild hogs in the Southeastern United States, might still be considered animal abuse. Ritualistic abuse is considered above and beyond the ability to sacrifice animals in the practice of a religion. While religious animal sacrifice is not included in most animal abuse statutes, it is often carefully defined and controlled by the law. Other forms of ritual animal killing is considered abuse and may be an indication that person committing the act has other serious psychological issues at work. This kind of abuse is incites communities to an emotional furor, due to the association that it has with allegedly satanic rituals and other â€Å"hot button† issues. For this reason, this kind of abuse is particularly disruptive to the community. Finally, some people find sexual gratification in congress with animal â€Å"partners,† known as â€Å"bestiality. † In truth, there is no â€Å"partnership† between the human abuser and the animal being abused in such a manner. Animals cannot voluntarily decide to take a human being as a mate or not. Therefore, they must be forced to act against their instinctive drives in order to comply with their human â€Å"partner’s† desires. This act of force is a violation of animal abuse laws in many nations (Lockwood, 2006). However, it should be noted that stimulation of an animal to collect sperm for frozen or cold storage for the purposes of artificial insemination is not considered bestiality. Other Laws Concerning Animal Abuse Not all nations agree on what constitutes animal abuse. While tail docking and ear cropping is currently legal in the United States, it is considered a form of animal mutilation in the United Kingdom. The Animal Welfare Act, signed by Elizabeth II in 2006, extends animal abuse laws to include invertebrates and gives municipalities to include animals in their â€Å"foetal or embryonic form,† should they choose to do so (p. 1). However, they may only do so as long as â€Å"the appropriate national authority is satisfied, on the basis of scientific evidence, that animals of the kind concerned are capable of experiencing pain or suffering† (Animal Welfare Act, 2006, p. 1). This act also clearly defines the terms â€Å"protected animals† and â€Å"unnecessary suffering† for the purposes of the law, as well as the manner by which individuals can be held responsible for that suffering (Animal Welfare Act, 2006, p. 2). It is interesting to note that only domestic animals are defined as â€Å"protected† animals; no matter what the behavior perpetrated upon them, wild animals, by definition, cannot be abused. Germany, like the rest of the European Union, attaches a moral stance to the protection of animals through their laws. This stance is in contrast to that of the United States, which protect animals in terms of property laws. Although the European perspective may appear to be superior to some, both positions have some advantages. Moral stances are not always objective ones; however, objective stances sometimes reduce decisions to a quantifiable decision-making process, which does not always allow for human needs and opinions to enter into the equation. In addition to laws concerning the abuse and husbandry of all domestic animals, the German law also defines limits for those individuals who wish to breed domestic animals. However, with all of these limitations, The German law does not specifically cover the hoarding of animals. The Significance of Animal Abuse Animal abuse is not only significant because it brings harm to sentient beings that humans should have an obligation to protect, it is also significant because of its relationship to other problems that plague society. These issues are not limited to any one race, ethnic group, religion, age, or income level. According to Lockwood (2006) juveniles perpetrate approximately one third of all animal abuse crimes (p. 33). In such cases, animal abuse might be indicative of abuse being perpetrated within the home, either against the juvenile or another family member, or it may indicate mental disease on the part of the juvenile him or herself (Lockwood, 2006). Lockwood identifies 15 major factors in determining the danger that the animal abuser presents to society. This list includes the vulnerability and the number of the animal victims, the severity and the repetition or number of forms of abuse on the victim(s), any threats that the animal abuse might have been meant to reinforce, and the manner of recording, if any, of the abuse (p. 35). Research reported in the Juvenile Justice Bulletin (JJB) (2001) indicates a link between conduct disorder in children and animal abuse. â€Å"Conduct disorder† as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMIV) is â€Å"a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated† (par. 1). In addition, the child must conform to at least three of 15 other indicators for the disorder. One of these 15 indicators is animal abuse, which may range in intensity from mild teasing to torture and killing beginning at the age of approximately 6. 5 years of age (Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 2001, par. 2). Children with Operational Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD) often go on to become serious offenders as adults. Children with CD often go on to be described as sociopaths later in life, as well. According to the JJB, the differences between children who abuse animals and non-abusive children are significantly different when tracked for adult arrests for violent crimes, property crimes, drug offenses, and public order offenses. The JBB concludes that â€Å"these results make it clear that animal abusers are not only dangerous to their animal victims but also may jeopardize human welfare† (par. 7). This research is backed up by â€Å"Understanding the Links,† a pamphlet put out by the British National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which states that: If a child is cruel to animals this may be an indicator that serious neglect and abuse have been inflicted on the child. While recent research in the UK suggests that animal abuse by children is quite widespread, in a minority of more extreme cases it appears to be associated with abuse of the child, or subsequent abusive behavior by the child. (Understanding the Links, n. d. p. 5). In addition to the issue of conduct disorder, there is a definitive link between animal abuse and other forms of domestic abuse. Animal abuse is at times part of the â€Å"constellation of family violence,† although by no means is it definite that an adult who harms animals will also harm their domestic partners or their children (p. 5). Although this observation is indeed true, it is also true that animal abuse is sometimes used as a form of coercion in abusive relationships. Regardless, it appears that: o Serious animal abuse in a household may indicate the occurrence of other domestic violence o Animal abuse might be done for coercion and intimidation of family members to keep them from leaving or speaking about an abusive domestic situation. o Sexualized or aggressive behavior toward animals on the part of a child may indicate the possibility of later animal abuse when that child matures (Understanding the Links, n. d. , p. 5). Conclusion Animal abuse is a difficult crime to describe and to define. Many different forms of abuse occur under the single umbrella term. Abuse can be passive or active. Passive abuse takes place when people withhold care from animals and can range from simple ignorant (and therefore correctible) acts to malicious neglect. Active abuse, however, does not typically occur out of ignorance. Due to its effects on the human psyche, particularly in terms of young children, animal abuse is not a stand-alone issue. When domestic violence is found in a home, animal abuse is often found as well. When animal abuse occurs, it may also indicate other, serious problems in

International Marketing Vifon to Japan

Japan is still the 2nd biggest retail market in the world with 127 million consumers that appreciate high quality and excellent service. China may have more factories these days, but how many people there can really afford western goods? When it comes to measure market size, Japan still accounts for more than 55% of the whole Asian retail market. Japan is also the nation with the highest demand for foods imports as it has the lowest self-sufficiency rate (39% only), 61% of all foods consumed in Japan is imported (United Nations, 2008).In 2011 the Japanese retail market had to cope with the March 11, 2011 shock and then compensate for the various after effects. Initially consumption spiked with the mass purchases of emergency items such as bottled water and batteries, followed by corresponding declines in purchases like party items and non-essential goods. The economy shifted from a rocky footing onto a more stable pathway by summer and consumer behaviour normalized.Japanese consumer adapted to new preferences in reaction to the events, changing retail market demands significantly. First, Japanese consumers began eating out less, while having meals at home more. This has led to an increase in the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) sector, as well as the frozen food sector. Second, Japanese consumers are more attentive to products with longer shelf life, in case of future emergency situations. The Japanese retail market is dominated by two demographics: Young career seeking individuals in single person households B.Market breakdown Total retail sales including food, beverages, general merchandise, fabrics, apparel, and accessories in Japan amounted to $832. 6 billion in 2011. Of this fgure the total food and beverage retail sales amount was $527. billion. Total retail sales have increased each year since 2008. In 2007, there were total retail sales of $614. 6 billion and food & beverages sales of $370. 6 billion. Below are the total sales fgures: C. Food sales 2011 The Japanese retail food industry in 2011 experienced growth across all three categories of large and conventional supermarkets, department stores, and convenience stores.As stated previously the resilience of the industry and its ability to quickly adapt to the market changes along with economic growth in the latter half 2009 to 2011 for the three retail categories D. Food and Beverage Sales Japan While food sales grew across all segments, overall sales growth was observed in most regions of Japan as many households spent more time and money purchasing food items to consume at home rather than spending money at restaurants in 2011. Restaurant spending did increase in 2011, but food purchases for home consumption were the larger portion of spending.Japanese real economic growth rate for 2011 was estimated at minus 0. 4% by the Bank of Japan. The negative growth rate was expected due to the hardships that had to be overcome, but it is important to keep in ind that even in an environment of stagnant sales; geographic markets in Japan are quite sizable – often exceeding that of entire countries. E. Establishment Trends In 2011, supermarkets and convenience stores continued to be the primary distribution channel for food in Japan.The market has been relatively stable over the last 3 years with the only notable trend that department stores are losing ground slightly, but this corresponds with the decline of department store sales in general. F. Large Scale and Conventional Supermarkets Japan Supermarkets in Japan represent the largest provider of food and within the upermarket sector the top 5 companies (AEON, Ito Yokado, Uny, Daiei, and Life Corp. ) represent 65% of all sales. 1. Target Market As the Japanese market continues to mature, supermarket giants have strengthened their networks to reach single adults and Generation M.The older generation especially has wealth to spend they are targeting this group by changing store hours. In addition to opening early, supermarkets have special promotions related to these early bird specials – resulting in more foot traffic especially among the elderly population. 2. Price Competition Price competition has become more intense and is a major feature of the upermarket business in Japan. Supermarkets are reducing costs and improving their infrastructures through restructuring and closing unprofitable stores in an effort to improve efficiency.The companies which have succeeded to reduce management cost and to prevent losses have regained their profit. Speciality supermarkets are important for export products because these stores carry products with higher prices. Their focus is own branded import foods and beverages, there is about 900 speciality supermarkets within the top 10 chains, plus about 200 POS as 3. Company Highlights The following table highlights the Japanese supermarket industry food sales, and the percentage component those sales represent.The general trend has been greater food sales in 2011. G. Convenience Stores (CVS) Japan There is a total number of about 48,000 convenience stores in Japan. In 2011 convenience stores were proactive and were one of the first retailers to move into the Northeast Japan area. The mobility of convenience store operations, smaller size, and less SKUs allowed convenience stores to play a vital role in supplying the region. One way convenience stores helped after the disaster was by releasing â€Å"Mobile Convenience Stores†.These are small 3 ton trucks which can hold up to 300 items of â€Å"bento boxes†, rice balls, drinks, and snacks. These trucks were used in areas where stores were destroyed or where evacuees had trouble accessing food. Convenience stores in 2011 continued strategies to develop and maintain efficient networks. Convenience stores for the top 7 operators in 2010 numbered 41,663 and in 2011 the total number of convenience stores in Japan increased by 13. 4% to 48,139 according to the Nikkei fisc al 2011 convenience store survey.This expansion and competitive trend will continue in 2012 as the top 5 convenience stores plan on opening over ,700 new stores. Food sales grew again in 2011 by an additional $8 billion and three of the top 4 convenience store chains broke their records for operating profit. Profits were boosted by female and elderly customers buying fresh food, desserts, and ready to eat meals in the aftermath of the quake. Seven & Eleven became the first Japanese retailer to achieve more than trillion ($37. 1 billion) in annual sales.With the earnings in 2011, convenience stores are set to once again expand outlets and network capabilities in 2012. H. Department Stores Japan Since the 1980s Japanese department stores have faced steeper competition from he growth of supermarkets, malls, and convenience stores. Department stores generally have a variety of shops and services, with the basement level having a grocery or eatery shops. ln 2011 department store food sal es amounted to $23. 9 billion, representing 12. 3% of the Retail Food market in Japan.Over the last decade total department store sales of non-food products have declined. However, food sales at department stores have grown because of premium products, location, and the use of the depachika. Depachika means the basement floor of the department store where fresh food halls are traditionally located. Traditionally, depachika was a quiet retail food location. This changed when shops introduced high-quality HMR, creating a new niche food market in Japan. In addition, famous restaurants became tenants and lent their brand names to popularize depachika.The depachika phenomenon customers to department stores. Department stores are often attached to large train stations (such as the newly opened Shibuya Hikarie owned and operated by Tokyu Corp). Because of the proximity to the stations, pedestrians can easily access depachika eateries; Tokyu Corp's Hikarie location is estimated to attract 1 4 million isitors a year, with 200 shops, and many of the eateries staying open until 4am on weekends. Pricing, Quality and Premium Department stores usually carry imported branded products, but they are typically in low quantities.Many of the items are packaged as take-and-go products due to the proximity to stations and the premium nature of the products for use as gifts. l. Consumer Preferences Japan Japanese consumers have some general historic preferences that one should consider. Japan is a nation that prefers convenience, quality, and single-serving sizes. Returning to the latter item, an estimated 3. 3 million people commute into Tokyo every day according to Tokyo Metropolitan government. The commute is mostly done via train and then on foot. Therefore convenience and accessibility are highly valued by Japanese consumers. J.Recent Retail Trends in Japan There are recent trends of burgeoning growth for Private Brands, Healthy Foods, Eco- friendly or Energy saving foods (typic ally as frozen foods), market consolidation for greater efficiency, and new retail ideas to meet new demands. Energy efficient foods (frozen foods – bento dashi), prepared foods (Home Meal Replacements – HMR), and esserts have all seen a strong market growth. Healthy or Functional foods continue to be important. WHOLESALE MIDDLEMEN IN JAPAN Wholesalers are middlemen who purchase only to resell, and whose customers are often not final demanders but instead retailers or other wholesalers.Any sensible analysis of wholesaling needs to begin by recognizing that middlemen of all sorts lower the costs of trading rather than adding to them; otherwise they could not charge prices that their customers willingly pay and that cover their own costs. The costs of middlemen are transactions costs by definition; they are costs of activities hat are either essential to trade or that facilitate trade. These include the costs of assuring ownership rights, detecting the quality of traded goods, discovering valuable trading opportunities, negotiating mutually agreeable terms, and so on.Those who can perform these services at costs that are lower than the middleman;s spread (difference between bid price and asking price) to the lowest level that Just covers their own costs. In all these respects, wholesaling in Japan surely resembles wholesaling in other nations; but there is one thing about wholesaling in Japan that stands out. The peculiar thing about wholesaling in Japan is the often large number of separate wholesalers through whose hands goods pass before reaching their ultimate destinations on the shelves of retail stores.One indication of this fact is the large percentage of merchant wholesalers' sales that are to other wholesalers: 41. 9% for Japan versus 24. 8% for the US and 16. 2% for West Germany. A more precise indication of the numbers of wholesale steps in Japan can be constructed from data on the gross markup of retailers' prices over manufacturers' pr ices and from the average price spreads of all wholesalers. Dividing the total price markup in a wholesale chain by the average price spread of all wholesalers gives an estimate of the number of wholesalers in the chain.The average total price markup in wholesale chains is in fact less in Japan than in the US, but the average price markup of each wholesaler is also less in Japan than in the US, so we infer that on the average Japanese marketing channels have a greater number of wholesale steps. The typical or average marketing channels in Japan includes two wholesalers in sequence while that in the US includes only one. The common held view that wholesale marketing hannels are longer or have more steps in Japan than in the US is thus supported.Japan's multiplicity of wholesale steps reflects its proliferation of retail outlets. Retail business like food, liquor, and toiletries that have vastly more outlets person in Japan than in the US also tend to have more wholesale steps in Japa n. One further fact about wholesale marketing channels in Japan is worth iterating. Marketing channels that have particularly many wholesale steps in the US. For instance, fresh fish, meat, and vegetables all have more wholesale steps than most other kinds of business in both nations. Shoes and apparel have relatively few wholesale steps in both countries.Common forces appear to be operative in the economies of both Japan and America. Marketing channels in Japan and elsewhere reflect the calculated attempts of profit-seeking entrepreneurs to economize on transport costs, to avert spoilage, and to collect and act on information about the local demands for goods. The same is true of other aspects of Japanese marketing channels, including that which we next address, the contractual arragements among channel members. MEDIA According to the latest survey on the time-usage of the Japanese (Kokumin Seikatsu-Jikan Chosa) done in October 1995 by NHK Oapan Governmental Broadcasting Corporatio n), the average Japanese watches television for three hours and twenty- eight minutes a day. This nation-wide survey has been conducted every five years, and the time spent watching TV in 1995 was longer than that of 1990 by more than TV broadcasting began in Japan in 1953. The same survey reports that the average Japanese reads a newspaper for twenty one minutes a day, which is so short compared to the time spent watching TV. In addition the time spent reading newspapers has not changed so much for the past twenty five years (19 min. 1970, 20 in. 975, 21 min. 1980, 20 min. 1985, 20 min. 1990). Another survey reports that already in 1962 more than a half of the Japanese got news information mainly not from newspaper but from television, and this trend is by far more evident than ever at present. Thus the role of the TV in the Japanese everyday life is so big, but as we will see later we cannot always say that the social position of it is high in the social information environment of Japan. And this is also the case of other developed countries like the I-JK, about seventy percent of whose people got news information not from newspapers but from television in 1993.

Causes and Consequences of Hitler becoming Fuhrer Essay

The inauguration of Hitler as Fuhrer in 1934 sparked a change in the German state as Hitler was able to put his ideals into action, bringing tragedy and destruction to the world once again. A springboard for Hitler’s rise to power was created by the Weakness of the Weimar Government, coupled with the conditions created by the Great Depression and Hitler’s own steps to power. Hitler’s ascension to sole leader of the Third Reich is rooted in the experiences of the German people. The implementation of key Nazi foreign and racial policy effectively sucked the world into the cataclysmic vortex of War for a second time. The experiences of the Weimar Republic during the ‘democratic experiment’ built a strong foundation for Hitler’s rise to power. The events that took place under the reign of the Social Democrats caused the German people to be isolated from their leaders. When the Social Democrats took power in 1918 they were greeted with hostility as they didn’t look like the idealist militaristic leaders. With the ‘dolchdoss’ legend and ‘November Criminals’ brand having been placed on their heads, the Social Democrats weren’t trusted to begin with. However, the fatal ï ¬â€šaw of the Republic lay in the Constitution itself. Article 48(4) allowed the President to take full control in an emergency. This was a terrible mistake as it forever left the door ajar for a return to Monarchy. Mistrust intensiï ¬ ed as the Government was left incapable to deal with extremism, resulting in the people feeling unsafe. The Ruhr Crisis further alienated t he people from their leaders. War bonds paid by individuals were repaid with inï ¬â€šated currency and was effectively useless. The resulting hyperinï ¬â€šation caused a myriad of negative social effects. As a result, the social situation was created where people came to search for alternatives. Some found their alternative in Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party. However, it wasn’t until the Great Depression that this mistrust of leaders came to the fore as the opulence in Germany during the ‘golden twenties’ only acted to delay the inevitable. Germany was in fact â€Å"dancing on a volcano.† (Stresemann) The loan based prosperity of the golden twenties magniï ¬ ed the depression in Germany as the United States called in all war loans resulting in total economic collapse. The Great Depression therefore, is a crucial contributing factor towards Hitler’s ascent to power as the widespread homelessness and starvation further elevated the attractiveness of alternative forms of leadership. During this time, the Social Democrats didn’t help themselves, or their country for that matter. Instead of banding together in a time of crisis, the Reichstag ran amuck with bickering. To try and help the ï ¬â€šailing economy the Government opted to increase taxes and implement wage cuts which arguably worsened the Depression in Germany and further entrenched their status in German society. A concise link between the unemployment ï ¬ gures and increasing Nazi voters can be made as the Party gained the most amount of seats they would ever gain, 230 in July 1932. Hitler himself stated: à ¢â‚¬Å"Never in my life have I been so well disposed and inwardly contented in these days. For hard reality has opened the eyes of millions of Germans.† The rapid increase in Nazi popularity allowed Hitler to put pressure on the Government for a high ranking position in the Reichstag. This pressure worked wonders as a seemingly senile Hindenburg awarded Hitler with the position of Chancellor in 1933. Hitler’s own steps to power were geared towards the signing of the Enabling Act. After the ‘accidental’ Reichstag ï ¬ re, Hitler was able to create a communist scare. He then used this scare as justiï ¬ cation to force through the Enabling Act. This is a signiï ¬ cant cause as it enabled Hitler to arrest 4000 of his political opponents and disband the unions, clearing the way for a Nazi majority. However, the 1933 polls did not show this and Hitler had to enlist the support of the Centre Party to ensure victory. Now Hitler had everything, bar the support of the Army. In order to obtain their support Hitler brokered a deal guaranteeing them sole bearers of arms in Germany, if they supported his bid for Presidency . In order to do this Hitler had to divest himself rid of his loyal S.A during the ‘Night of the  Long Knives’. In 1934, Hindenburg died. The position of President was merged with Chancellor and Hitler became the sole Fuhrer of Germany. A direct consequence of Hitler becoming Fuhrer was the rapid Naziï ¬ cation of the German state. Through the excellent work of his puppet Goebells, Hitler was able to saturate the German people, namely in the categories of family, religion and education. During Nazi rule, Goebells effectively put German culture in a ‘Nazi straightjacket’ as the press, literature publications, art and music became domain of the Government. Revolving around the Fuhrerprincep, Hitler’s word was law and while it was easy to indoctrinate the younger and more impressionable generations in Germany, the adults were a different story as they were not as easily persuaded by the spoonful of lies they were being fed. Even at the Nazi Party’s height of popularity, over 50% of people still opposed them. When it came to the adults, a tactic of intimidation was pursued. This tactic was lead by Himmler, who was the ï ¬ gurehead of justice and the police. He had the SS and Gestapo under his command. During the Nazi reign, suspicion was prevalent, while spying was encouraged. Another direct result of Hitler becoming Fuhrer was the implementation of his key racial beliefs into action. Hitlers belief of a far superior ‘Aryan Race’ came from a warped sense of social darwinism. Because of the myths of ‘dolchdoss’- (stating that the Communists and Jews were responsible for the end of WW1) and the Jewish Conspiracy (his belief that the Jews and Slavs were trying to dilute the superhuman aryan blood through intermarriage) Hitler had a deep- set hatred for the Jews and other interior races. Hitlers ï ¬ rst step to ridding Germany of ‘impurities’ came in 1933 with the sterilization law which forced all those physically or mentally handicapped to be ‘ï ¬ xed’ to ensure the discontinuation of their blood line. In the same year, the purchase of Jewish goods and the practicing of Jewish professionals were banned. In 1935, the Star of David was a symbol that  those of Jewish lineage were forced to wear, as the N uremburg Laws took effect. Later in the piece, in 1938 on Crystal Night, thousands of Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed, which forecasted the start of the Holoucost. Finally, during World War Two; Jews, Slavs, Roma, disabled, homosexuals and those of different religion were forced to encounter hell as they were sent to concentration camps, which resulted in the slaughtering of an estimated 21 million people, including 6 million Jews. Hitler taking power had negative consequences on the whole world, due to his changes in foreign policy. Hitler’s changes to foreign policy were geared towards destroying the ‘diktat’ Treaty of Versailles. He achieved this by re-occupying the Rhineland, re-arming and achieving Anchluss with Germany’s traditional ally- Austria in 1938. His changes also revolved around the concept of â€Å"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer† which encompasses the idea of one people, one nation and one leader. Hitler used this concept as justiï ¬ cation to take be handed the Sudetenland at the Munich Agreement as the Sudetenland Germans were part of the collective ‘one people’. Appeasement set the ball rolling for Hitler as he quickly took over the rest of Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland in 1939, signifying to the Allied powers, the start of WW2. Hitler’s rise to power in 1934 was the result of a perfect storm in Germany. The weakness of the Weimar Government and the conditions created by the depression constructed a springboard for Hitlers rise to power. With his own steps taken to indoctrinate the German people and implement key Nazi foreign and racial policy, Hitler started a snowball effect, leading the allied powers to declare war on Germany, eventually resulting in a global conï ¬â€šict with devastating consequences.

Globalization and the Decline of the State Essay

Globalization and the Decline of the State - Essay Example In practice, then again, the assurance of nearby businesses may demonstrate to be favorable just to a little minority of the populace, and it could be disadvantageous to the rest. Since the mid-twentieth century, countries have progressively lessened tax boundaries and coin confinements on global trade. Different boundaries, notwithstanding, that may be just as successful in ruining trade incorporate import standards, expenses, and differing method for financing local commercial ventures. (Editors; Brittanica, 2014) Most economists consider Free Trade to lead to a growth in the economy through a better allocation of local resources. Any restrictions on Imports generally create a bias that is not favorable to Exports either. This happens due to rise in the price of imported goods relative to the exported goods. (Aggio & Tussie, n,d p. 91). If this is corrected, it will result in resources being shifted from the manufacturing of the substitutes that could be imported to the manufacturing of goods that can be exported. (Aggio & Tussie, n,d). It shall lead o growth in the near future as the State will alter its allocation of domestic resources more efficiently and competitively. However, this process is not easy, nor is it cheap. This process will create adjustment costs which may outweigh the comparative advantages in the short to medium term. (Aggio & Tussie, n,d) i. Increase in production: Free trade lets countries concentrate in manufacturing goods in which they have an advantage. With these advantages of specialization, production is more efficient and hence larger with economies of scale. It also leads to lower Average and Marginal Costs due to the markets now available to a producer has increased internationally, with more supply and a cut in costs, he is expected to supply (Produce) more, and his business becomes more profitable as

Religion, Feminism, and Environmentalism Research Paper - 2

Religion, Feminism, and Environmentalism - Research Paper Example Buddhism holds two concepts for feminism. In the first concept it, says that it’s better for women to take another life to be born as a man. Whereas the other concept says that genders do not matter, it is spirituality that is considered important in Buddhism. Hinduism, on the other hand, deals with ecofeminism as a scared concept. They say that the power of a goddess resides within women, and this gives them an authority over everything. Perhaps this is because there is a connection between nature and feminism that gives them the authority over nature. Christianity too treats women as sacred entities and believes in the fact that there are some similarities between nature and women. Women and nature both are considered to possess the quality of reproduction in all the religions. Ecological feminism can be defined as a concept which unites or merges the movement of nature with the movements of feminism. Eco feminists have tried to portray the importance of feminism to environmentalism (Cheney 179)2. The term ecofeminism was first used by a French writer, Francoise d’Eaubonne in 1984. She used this term for the first time in her bookâ€Å"Le Feminismeou la mort†. Ecological feminism can also be defined as a concept which connects environmentalism with feminism. It can further be elaborated as the ability of the women power to work towards the achievement of balance in the ecological processes. Ecofeminist philosophy finds, analyzes and studies the connection between the behavior that dominate the women and the behavior that can be considered detrimental for the society or the environment. Ortner was the first anthropologist to raise the question of similarities between women and nature. He said that as woman is to man, similarly nature is to culture. He said that there are many similarities between women and nature. The first one, he elaborated was the reproductive function played by both. He further added that as women

Discuss several (at least 3) recent methods of appraising employees Research Paper

Discuss several (at least 3) recent methods of appraising employees used at specific companies and organizations. Comment on the pros and cons of each - Research Paper Example The abilities, capabilities, talents and skills differ from one employee to the other. There is constantly some difference between the quality and quantity in the same work done by two different individuals. Performance appraisal has been defined as the process of recognizing, evaluating and increasing the work performance of employees in the organization, in order to efficiently achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. Performance appraisal is needed to appraise the performance of employees along with the organization to verify the development towards its preferred objectives and goals.   â€Å"It is a vital component in recruiting and hiring employees where it is used to validate selection procedures† (Grote pg 8). Performance appraisal is considered highly crucial both by educational as well as practicing managers, as it is one of the most important human resource tools. Performance appraisal is a helpful tool in determining the provision of rewards such as higher wage or promotion, to the employees on the basis of their performance. It is a type of feedback given to the employees by the employer. Following are some of the methods of performance appraisal adopted by different companies. In this method, performance of an employee is compared with that of others, who are doing the same type of job. Performances are evaluated graphically and the employees are ranked in the range of top to worst for every performance. â€Å"It may also be done by ranking a person on his job performance against another member of the competitive group† (Performance Appraisal Tools and Techniques para 1). This method is considered to be beneficial for selecting the best performer among the top performers. For example, companies such as Microsoft in US use a ranking method, so that some employees, no matter what the circumstances, must be rated in the bottom 10%. Ford and

James Rachels The Challenge of Cultural Relativism Article

James Rachels The Challenge of Cultural Relativism - Article Example The cultural outcomes can be argued using facts about a particular culture, creating an argument that has an end result. But the argument itself is relative because it focuses on each culture has its own moral code which is not objective because opinions are formed based on experience and opinions are in themselves subjective and subject to different cultures. Rachels argues that cultural relativism has three unacceptable consequences. What are they? Rachels argues that cultural relativism has three unacceptable consequences and they are that we can’t feel superior to a different culture, we can question the moral conduct of our culture upfront by asking whether one thing is right, or wrong and then stick to that response and risked being looked down upon and finally, we begin to doubt whether progress is possible, necessary, and even important through venues such as social reform.1. What does Kant mean by saying that a good will is the only thing that is good without qualification? He means that a good will is the only thing that can’t be measured by how much one does or does not do. Intelligence, talent, courage, and diligence are all good things but are useless unless you have good character or will. If you have a positive desire to do and use your talents, they what you produce will be out of good, and not used incorrectl y. We are all given power, and this power can be put to good use or bad use but it is still power. A goodwill allows the power to be put essentially to good use. When does an action have moral worth? An action has moral worth when it is done for the sake of duty and not for the sake of conforming to duty. This means that if we do something, we should do it for the sake of duty or right.not for the sake of sympathy.

Question answer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Question answer - Assignment Example mains, and for instance a mathematician can prove the conjecture that bundles of order two are commutative, from the axioms of the group theory, hence an accountant might develop axioms that define how the company grows and functions. These axioms eventually prove that employees health decrease with age. This example and several other tasks can be done by the ATP system, provided there is a suitable formulation of the problem in these three ways; conjecture, axioms and hypotheses. David Wheeler, born in 1927, is widely acknowledged as a significant pioneer in computing having invented the relational database model. According to Hey & PaÃŒ pay 2014, David Wheeler is a British computing pioneer, who made a significant contribution in the construction and programming of the EDSAC computer.   The relational model designed for database management is a model that is founded on the initial order predicate logic, and it is originally developed and presented by David Wheeler. In this model for the database, every data is displayed in the form of tuples, bundled into relations. A database developed in the form of the relational model is the relational database, and the purpose of the relational model is contrived to offer a declarative system for specifying the data and questions. In retrospect, the users directly declare what information the database has and the information they need from the database management system. Subsequently, the software takes care of defi ning the data structures of storing the information and retrieval system for answering the questions. Currently, a number of relational database use the SQL data description and question language, and these systems employ the engineering approximation that is the relational model. Henderson 2009, asserts that Ole-Johan Dahl and Kristen Nyagarard are pioneers in computing and are widely acknowledged for the ideas in object oriented programming through their development of the programming languages Simula 1 and

The Importance of Training and Developing Employees at Wal-Mart Research Paper

The Importance of Training and Developing Employees at Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example Out of all these divisions, one important division is Training and Development. â€Å"Training and Development is a subsystem of an organization. It ensures that randomness is reduced; learning or behavioral change takes place in structured format† (Training and Development 2007, par. 4). Most of the organizations did not concentrating in Training before. They believed that managers are born not made; also they thought that training program is very costly affair and not worth. But there has been a change in this kind of traditional approach. Different from traditional thinking, now Organizations are considering training and development as a retention tool than just a cost. The main objective of this department is to create a skillful, willing workforce for any organization. â€Å"The training and development strategy needs to recognize that there should be continual process of core competence development for all staffs† (Cartwright 2003, 53). The objectives can be divid ed into four sections such as individual, organizational, societal and functional. An individual objective mainly helps to attain the personal goals of the employees which indirectly enhance the individual contribution towards the organization. Organizational objectives  help the organization with its primary objectives to bring effectiveness of individuals. Societal objectives mean the corporate social responsibility of any organization, i.e. to make sure that the particular organization is socially and ethically responsible for the needs of the society. Functional objectives ensure the department’s contribution to the organization’s goals. 1st Issue: Orientation Program for New Associates as a Part to Reduce Employee Turnover: â€Å"Companies need to look for ways of incorporating job enrichment, lateral assignments, rotation programs and other activities that can improve employee retention† (Career Development at Walmart 2010). For reducing employee turnove r and retaining employees, Wal-Mart has implemented some attracting training tools to assist its employees. One of the major practices done by Wal-Mart is its orientation program. To help in understanding the newcomers all about their job positions, Wal-Mart additionally teaches the people about the organizational structure within the company, while recruiting. Employees are welcomed with great honor at the same way how the customers’  receives. â€Å"The simulation exercise helps associates to understand customer expectations and what they can do to meet and exceed those expectations† (Stores Training and Development n.d.). Maintain the uniqueness in the retail industry is a big issue faced by Wal-Mart like any other market leader. For that in the next phase of the orientation program, associates explain the company’s history and culture, store work expectation and environment, the impact on customers, communities and associates. Last part of the orientation program is the Audio store Discovery Tour. â€Å"In this exercise, new associates listen to the voices of customers and associates through a headset and audio-playing device† (Stores Training and Development n.d.). â€Å"All these initiatives are aimed at making employees stay within the organization more favorable. This empowers the employees and gives them the incentive to remain within the company† (Career Development at Walmart 2010). Issue 2: Training and Development for New Associates: â€Å"Training and development is not one-time occurrence at Wal-Mart.

Informative on Hybrid Cars Essay Example for Free

Informative on Hybrid Cars Essay Introduction I. A hybrid car is a vehicle with more than one power source such as a small internal combustion engine and an electric motor. II. Most hybrids only use gasoline when needed. The electric motor, powered by a stack of rechargeable batteries, is the primary workhorse for propulsion under low-speed driving. III. When you think of a hybrid vehicle, you may find yourself thinking Toyota Prius. 1. Toyota Prius was the first mass produced hybrid vehicle. IV. According to Toyota Motor Corp. a hybrid system combines different power sources to maximize each one’s strengths, while compensating the others’ short comings. IV. Today I am going to inform you on the history about hybrid vehicle and explain the different hybrid platforms and how they work. Body I. The first hybrid vehicle was not the Toyota Prius, nor was it invented in the 2000s or even the 1990s. Although the many reasons that brought the hybrid vehicle into existence are similar to those living in the 21st century; ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) equipped vehicles were too noisy and produce too much toxic emission. 1. The first Hybrid Vehicle was brought forth by Viennese coach builder named Jacob Lohner. Lohner turned to a young Austrian engineer by the name of Ferdinand Porsche. Lohner asked Porsche to incorporate his patent electric wheel-hub design into a Coach that belonged to Lohner. The result was the Lohner-Porsche Elektromobil in 1896. 2. Toyota launched the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, in Japan known at the Toyota Prius. A. over 37,000 sold in Japan before the vehicle was introduced to the U. S. Market in 2000. 3. Honda and Toyota both release their hybrid vehicles available to the U. S. Market. A. Honda released the 2000 Honda Insight in 1999. B. Toyota released their 2001 Toyota Prius in 2000. II. There are two common types of Hybrid vehicle platforms, Mild-Parallel hybrid and Series hybrid. 1. A Mild-Parallel hybrid vehicle has an internal combustion engine that is equipped with an electric motor, both in parallel configuration, meaning they both provide propulsion to move the vehicle forward. This configuration allows the gasoline engine to be shut off while coasting, braking or being at a complete stop yet will restart with minimal delay. A. Some mild hybrids will also be equipped with regenerative braking that will essentially charge the battery packs under braking. B. Mild hybrids are not capable of exclusively operating on the Electric motor. 2. A Series hybrid platform, sometimes referred to as range-extending electric vehicles (REEV) incorporate a configuration by design to be operated mostly by the battery, but will have an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) to recharge the battery when enduring a long drive. B. Series hybrid’s only have electric motors to provide propulsion while maintaining an exceptionally high power to weight ratio providing enough torque over a broad range of speeds. C. The gasoline engine drives an electric generator which charges the battery bank at which point the electric motor use the power from the battery bank to drive the vehicle. Conclusion In conclusion today I have informed you all about the first existence of the hybrid vehicle which was created by Ferdinand Porsche, known as the Elektromobil. The common types of configurations that are available, which include Mild-Parallel hybrid and Series hybrid vehicles. I hope you have found this information useful Prius a possible hybrid purchase in the future and an Insight to hybrid vehicles. Works Cited Nice, Karim, and Julia Layton. How Hybrid Cars Work 20, July 2000. http://auto. howstuffworks. com/hybrid-car. htm FuelEconomy. gov http://auto. howstuffworks. com/hybrid-car11. htm Eng, Paul. â€Å"How do Hybrid Cars Work? † 1, October 2010. http://abcnews. go. com/Technology/Hybrid/story? id=97518page=1#. UVPJ9Fe1vpA www. Toyota. com â€Å"Prius 2013† 2012. http://www. toyota. com/prius/#! /features Lampton, Christopher. What is the history of hybrid cars? 09 April 2009 http://auto. howstuffworks. com/fuel-efficiency/hybrid-technology/history-of-hybrid-cars. html Green, Hank. â€Å"The Rise of the REEV† January, 01 2008. http://www. ecogeek. org/content/view/1298/

Historical Films: Perceptions Of The Past

Historical Films: Perceptions Of The Past The first films were made in the first half of the twentieth century and along with this the first historical films were made. These include The Passion of Joan of Arc in 1924, The King of Kings in 1927 and The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse in 1921. Even since the first historical films were made, this genre has become one of the most popular out of all types of film. Due to this, millions of people watch these films every year and therefore get their perception of History mostly from film. This poses a problem for the historian. Robert Rosenstone clearly states this, Lets be blunt and admit it: historical films trouble and disturb professional historians and have troubled and disturbed professional historians for a long time (Rosenstone R, 1995, p.45). Furthermore, William Guynn provides evidence of this, In cinema, history empties out its significance and leaves us with the cold artifice of representation (Guynn W, 2006, p.6). On the other hand, Guynn admits, For some Historians, the cinema is not entirely lost; indeed, it can be salvaged if we acknowledge that historical film is the most fictional of genres and abandon the idea of film as a vehicle of historical representation (Guynn W, 2006, p.6). What this means is that although film cannot be an instrument for representing the past, it can bear witness to the historical period in which it is produced. Most people do not study history or have only briefly studied it at a younger age; therefore film has become the primary source of knowledge for them about the past. Therefore historians are forced to accept these historical films despite their historical inaccuracy. Even if a film cannot offer the critical elements and analysis insisted on in scholarly text and even if it bends history to match the characters or the plot line and completely misses out the finer details of historical accuracy, film can stimulate the imagination and create curiosity and interest into the lives of past generations. Important ly, it can cause an interest into history which can later lead to the choice of studying it or a topic of research and enjoyment. Therefore there are a number of negatives and positives to historians from film. However one thing is clear, it is not possible for a film to be historically accurate. There are a number of reasons for this. The obvious one is that how can a film be historically accurate if no one, not even historians, have an accurate picture of a historical period. Furthermore, most historical film makes dont care whether the film is accurate of not, they prioritise making a popular film with a good story line. It is not important if a film is inaccurate, it is only important for a historian who is frustrated with the wrong facts being given out to millions of people. The reasons are many and these will be explored in detail. It is clear that a film cannot be historically accurate however a historical film has so many benefits that it doesnt need to be. History is not a pure science, it is not just open to historians alone to study therefore historians do not have a monopoly on reading, studying and conveying history. Most films are not made for historical accuracy therefore is not open to criticism from historians. Guynn believes, Historians resist approaching film because history and film are based in different sign systems that refer to the world in a radically different way (Guynn W, 2006, p.8). However historical truth on a whole is elusive and subjective just like a film set in a historical period. What is important is that no work or historical piece of writing is capable of achieving the appreciation of, for example, medieval warfare. Historical films like Braveheart however can accomplish this in minutes. This by no means claims that Braveheart is historically accurate, in fact it is incredibly inaccurate; how could William Wallace have an affair with Isabella of France when she didnt even arrive in England until three year s after his execution? Despite this however, it is clear that film can powerfully convey the foundations of historical information to millions of people. Furthermore, can a document, sculpture and eyewitness account present the excitement and chaos of chariot racing which was accomplished in Ben Hur? Similarly, in no other way can the power and magnitude of the Roman coliseum be portrayed than in the film Gladiator. In these ways, film is an incredibly valuable tool in creating history as a vision which is engaging, vibrant and real, in the sense that we can hear and see it. Guynn supports this, From this perspective, films are like any other artefacts dropped on the road of history. They bare unconscious witness to their own period, as do private letters, diaries, and accounts that were never intended to be read from the historians perspective. They provide a body of data to be analyzed and interpreted in terms of the mentality of a period, or they can, unwittingly, speak about una cknowledged realities (Guynn W, 2006, p.12). Furthermore, one can argue that there are times when film can achieve greater levels of appreciation than those possible in the written world. Rosenstone provides evidence of this, Film shows history as a process. The world on the screen brings together things that, for analytical or structural purposes, written history often has to split apart (Rosenstone R, 1995, p.57). Therefore this provides evidence that despite the fact that a film may not be historically accurate, it is incredibly effective at displaying the foundations of History in a way no other works of history can. Bringing history alive in a way which people can hear and see is arguably more effective than a historians writing. The historical story line may not be accurate however the general foundations of the period probably are and this is very important in providing people with the awareness of history in an enjoyable way. R.J Raack provides evidence to support this view, Traditional written history is too linear and too narrow in focus to render the fullness of the complex, multi-dimensional world in which humans live. Only film, with its ability to juxtapose images and sounds, with its quick cuts to new sequences, dissolves, fades, speed-ups and slow motion, can ever hope to approximate real life, the daily experience of ideas, words, images, preoccupations, distractions, sensory deceptions, conscious and unconscious motives and emotions. Only film can provide an adequate empathetic reconstruction to convey how historical people witnessed, understood, and lived their lives. Only film can recover all the pasts liveliness (Raack R, 1983, p.417). As stated previously, there is no doubt that written history and film history possess different strengths and weaknesses. What is important however is that written history and history in film are experienced in different ways. Rosenstone states, The most serious problems the historian has with the past on the screen arise out of the nature and demands of the visual medium itself (Rosenstone R, 1988, p.1173). Furthermore Rosenstone believes, The historical film must be seen not in terms of how it compares to written history but as a way of recounting the past with its own rules of representation (Rosenstone R, 1995, p.3). Critics point to the lack of essential historical information in films and the finer details of history. What historians are basically referring to is the lack of footnotes. However these historian critics are attempting to judge these historical films by inappropriate standards. It is not realistic analysis of how viewers watch films. They dont care about finer deta ils missing, they probably dont notice. Furthermore, the director does not put first these finer historical details but instead a good story line which an audience will want to watch. Historians may not like the view audiences create for themselves of a historical period however they should think positively and believe that the viewer is being informed of the foundations of a historical period and becoming aware of it. If anything, the fact that the film misses out the finer details creates lose ends which the viewer can then explore further. This can create an interest in history and cause a future study or interest in it. Critics of film history also repeatedly state that the films over personalise however this is from the experience of a historian. The filmmaker over personalises to create a story however this makes the film historically inaccurate. It is almost impossible to make a good film with a good story line historically accurate as films are focused on particular people p ersonally and their feelings of love, hate, anger etc. However history focuses on people personally only to the extent to which their personalities or actions are portrayed by another person and this is not a reliable viewpoint to get an accurate picture of an individual as opinions of a figure can differ from person to person. Therefore as films are deeply personal, this overwhelms the senses and the viewer becomes personally attached. This in itself is a strength and a weakness depending on who is watching it. Clearly a historian, who is aware of all the facts of the person or time period, wouldnt believe it as the historian has their own perspective on the person taken from a document and writings. However the viewer of the film will have a different view. There is no way of knowing in detail what, for example, Elizabeth I was like personally however Shekhar Kapur portrays his view in the film Elizabeth. Therefore this is evidence to prove that no one knows personally what histor ical figures are like therefore films are beneficial to providing viewers with a visual representation and this is the directors view on the figure. Rosenstone provides a balanced view on why historians distrust a historical film, The overt answer: Films are inaccurate. They distort the past. They fictionalize, trivialize, and romanticize people, events, and movements; they falsify history (Rosenstone R, 1995, p.46). However Rosenstone goes on to state, The covert answers: Film is out of the control of historians. Film shows that we do not own the past. Film creates a historical world with which books cannot compete, at least for popularity. Film is a disturbing symbol of a post literate world in which people can read but wont (Rosenstone R, 1995, p.46). This is further evidence to prove that despite inaccuracy of historical films, they are very beneficial to raising awareness for a historical period. Similarly to Rosenstone, Marc Ferro provides a balanced viewpoint on historians vi ew of historical film. Marc Ferro is the most influential French historian in the neglected field of history and film and Guynn states, Ferros approach is well articulated and worth following in some detail (Guynn W, 2006, p.8). Ferros argument begins with a negative thesis, It is easy to think that film is not suited to represent past reality and at best its testimony is valuable only for the present; or that, aside from documents and newsreels, the reality it offers is no more real than the novels (Ferro M, 1988, p.47). However Ferros principal thesis on the viewpoint is very positive. He argues that film can become a rich resource of information on the period in which it was made. Ferro believes that historians have neglected film almost entirely, film does not enter the historians mental universe (Ferro M, 1988, p.47). Therefore this is evidence to prove that not all historians believe that historical film is completely useless and that it can be very useful to the study of hist ory as it brings it to life. Despite the fact that historical films are never completely historically accurate, they can be incredibly useful in teaching. This includes primary school, secondary school and even university teaching of history. A class discussion of the accuracies and inaccuracies in a film can be quite valuable. For example, for all the criticism which Braveheart faced from historians, it does include some realistic parts on medieval warfare and tactics. Furthermore, the vast battle scenes and accurate medieval executions bring this historical period to life. Therefore for a class which is learning about thirteenth century England or Scotland, the watching of Braveheart can be useful, especially in a discussion on the accuracies and inaccuracies. Furthermore, despite the fact that Gladiator is centred on a romanticized plot that is not real, it displays rich glimpses of the Roman period. Several of the characters are portrayed realistically, and while not all historians would agree with the archi tectural specifics of the reconstruction of the great city of Rome, the resulting grandeur is certainly effective at illustrating how superior the city was compared to the rest of the world in the period. Another fine example is the film The 13th warrior, this film has a number of historically accurate scenes which are taken from historical manuscripts. The face washing of the Vikings and the ship burials are taken directly from the tenth century works of Ibn Fadlan. Furthermore, The 13th warrior includes references to Beowulf. Therefore a discussion on the films relationship with Beowulf and the way in which modern people perceive the Vikings is useful and could possibly lead students towards the interest of medieval literature and history. Elements of historical accuracy can be found in many historical films and the appreciation of these accuracies in class discussion can be very rewarding. Can a film be entirely historically accurate? The answer to this question is no. However there is no doubt that a film can contain elements of historical accuracy therefore be extremely beneficial to the study of history. It is also clear though that a student of history can never rely on films alone. It is certainly obvious that the library is not about to be cleared out of the way by video or cinema. Evidence of this is that film history only started in the twentieth century however the study of history has been going on for hundreds of years prior to this. Therefore only in the twentieth and twenty first centuries have films become a possible primary source for the past therefore this is evidence to prove that it is not necessarily necessary. The real question to ask is what can historians potentially learn from film, as a secondary source, that written works cannot tell them? Film brings alive a historical period, it is easy to learn something when you can see it or imagine it cl early. Film can be classified as a historical resource and historians should be making the most out of every resource. There is no doubt also that the combination of historical films and written history could be a highly stimulating way of learning and teaching history. It can teach important skills which are essential to history for example, becoming more critical in the analysis of sources of historical information. Therefore is it clear to sometimes set aside the written world and allow the drama of film to stimulate students of history and to view it as a dynamic medium which can be appreciated for it complexity and its application to the present. Historical film, as a production which portrays the past during the present can be an enjoyable and informative way of participating in history despite the fact that films are not entirely accurate. Ron Briley makes an important case on appreciating historical film, Whether educators approve or not, young people are going to attain a g reat deal of historical information through film. Accordingly, it behoves teachers to provide their students with the intellectual tools and media literacy to deconstruct and interpret film (Briley R, 2006, p.5). Therefore it is clear that historical films should not be ignored or dismissed in the teaching of history as they can beneficial. Historical film adds a spice to history; it is good to sometimes change from reading through books, documents and manuscripts but instead to visualise and hear history. Therefore despite the fact that a film cant be entirely historically accurate in the view of historians, it can be accurate in the sense that it can be extremely beneficial to the study of history as well as creating a new enjoyment and interest in it.

Impact Of Workplace Stress On Organizational Performance Psychology Essay

Impact Of Workplace Stress On Organizational Performance Psychology Essay Stress in the workplace is a new phenomenon in modern life and has become an increasingly one of the most discussed topic over the past decade. Workplace stress can be defined as the change in ones physical or mental state in response to workplaces that pose an appraised challenge or threat to that employee (Thomas W. Colligan, 2005). It is already established that the stress in the workplace represents threat not only for physical health of one worker, but also for the health of all labour collective. As a result, it does not only affect the employees performance, reduces their work efficiency but also may have huge impact to an organisations performance and can lower an organisations profit (Ton, Huckman, 2008). Statistical figures indicate stress is a bigger problem than people give it credit (Ornelas and Kleiner, 2003). According to survey which was conducted by Health and Safety Executive in 2006, one in six working people in the UK believed that their job was very or extremely stressful (Bupas health information team, 2010). There are many factors that can cause stress in the working place. Most known factors are work overload; job insecurity; long working hours; insufficient training; poor work organisation and etc. Workplace stress has been proved to lower productivity, increase absenteeism, and create pervasive patterns of dysfunction in the workplace (Anderson Puluch, 2001; Levin-Epstein, 2002). Finally, in modern day most of the organisations understand very well that one of the main reason of unwanted expenses of the organisation are the costs caused by stress according to the Health Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK, work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounted for an estimated 13.5 million lost working days in Britain in 2007/08. This makes stress an extremely expensive loss for businesses: the HSE estimates that British industry loses  £370 million a year due to stress (UK HSE stress statistics). Although, most organisations spend a lot of time, money and efforts to prevent or control the stress, unfortunately in most cases these efforts are not effective. Therefore organisations need to develop new ways to deal with increasing stress in working place. Scope of study This paper aims to explain an aspect of organizational performance that has not been extensively examined the impact of stress on organizational performance. The paper attempts to make an emphasis on how impact of stress in organizations can be perceived and understood, and it also argues that the stress is an important element in the theory and practice of organizational performance. Research will be carried out using both secondary data and primary data in the forms of interviews and questionnaires with organisations. Specific Research Questions Do the organisations really take the impact of stress seriously and how they intend to deal with it? Hypothesis H 1: In spite of rising expenses, organisations will still ignore impact of stress as useless knowledge. H 2: Having realized the impact of stress organisations will develop new mechanism in minimising and controlling stress. Objectives O 1: To identify main factors behind workplace stress O 2: To evaluate the costs which are caused by stress at a workplace and how they impact on the organizational performance? O 3: To establish workable stress management techniques for managing the workplace stress. Literature review This chapter will critically analyse the stress development process and its impact to organisational performance. The literature review is structured into two sections. The first section the theory of organizational stress examines the theory of stress development and the main factors of the organizational stress. The second part reviews the impact of stress to an organisational performance and suggests ways how to manage it. Theory of organizational stress According to Cote S. Morgan LM (2002), stress is basically a form of unpleasant emotion and has got the potential to increase employee turnover. But other authors such as Hart and Cooper (2001) point out that the scientific community still has not reached an agreed position on the meaning and definition of occupational stress. In the past three decades, a lot of studies have been carried out in order to explore the main factors of organisational stress and to find out link between employee job stress and organizational performance. The studies have been conducted in a various organisations. The early studies indicate deadline pressures, job dissatisfaction, job insecurity and repetitive work (Kasl, 1973) as the main factors of organisational stress. More recent studies have explored some others factors such as inadequate feedback regarding performance, lack of training and lack of control (Doby Caplan, 1995). The lack of opportunity of interaction with other workers or in other words isolation is another important factor in increasing workplace stress (Wachtel, 1989). The feeling of isolation does not only involve machinery or assembly line jobs, it may also take place in boring or repetitive jobs such as computer data entry which tend to increase employee stress levels (Karasek Theorell, 1990). Impact of stress to an organisational performance and how to manage it Stress at workplaces is on rise which in its own turn results higher rate of sickness (absenteeism) among employees, reduced productivity and overall, having negative impact on the efficiency of organisational performance. Managing stress and its attendant health and productivity consequences may be one of the biggest challenges facing organizations in the 1990s (Murphy, 1995). In the article, Management: Principles and Practices written by Holt D. H. (1990), the author suggests that in order to manage job stress effectively, two conditions should be met. First, the individual worker must be able to recognize causes of stress and realize their consequences and second, organizations must develop stress prevention and stress reduction techniques. The book Managing workplace stress written by Susan Cartwright, Cary L. Cooper (1997) can be considered one of the best book in the field of organisational stress. The book on the one hand provides detailed information about the source of stress at a workplace, examines the cause of the rise in work-related stress; on the other hand, it proves clearly the important role of organisational culture in stress managing process. According to Nelson Quick (1996) excess stress has direct impact in lowered individual and organizational performance, as a result both production and quality suffering. In other words, stress is a main factor that causes organizational inefficiency, absenteeism because of sickness, increased costs of health care and decreased job satisfaction (AbuAlRub, 2004). Meantime, both field and laboratory studies are always carried out to find out the best ways to reduce work-related stress. Some findings have been proved very effective. One of them is involvement of employee in decision making process that significantly lowers job-related stress (Landy, Quick and Kasl, 1994). Another finding is the measures developed by authors like Khanka (2000) and Cole (2002) which can be adopted to reduce workplace stress. The measures require the organisations to set up clear objectives that will assist to minimize job and role ambiguity; to maximize employees job fit through careful screening and selection. Specific questions to focus on in the study This study seeks to answer the following research questions: Objective 1: Identify what stress is and main factors behind stress at a workplace? Is there a relationship between impact of stress and organisational performance? What is role of stress in organisational productivity? What are the roles of the modern technologies in rising workplace stress? Does stress have always negative impact or can it have positive impact to organisational performance as well? Objective 2: Why is it important to manage causes of work-related stress? Apart from financial cost, what affects have stress on organisational performance? What is best strategies and techniques for preventing job stress What is role of organisational culture/climate in reducing stress? Methodology The section will assess all available research methods and choose most suitable methods in order to accomplish the proposed tasks. Main aim of the section is to find out how seriously is taken the impact of stress by organisations. 5.1 Approaches to research For all objective of this study the author will be using a scientific approach. The author intends to use statistical data throughout the research to support the analysis. 5.2 Research Design Multiple method of data collection will be used for this study. The reason for this is that using mixing modes will maximise responses as the author plans to take interview from some respondents face-to-face, from others by mail. In addition, a structured questionnaire will be used to collect data from the respondents on the variables of the study. 5.3 Sampling Sampling is a fundamental method of inferring information about an entire population without going into any trouble or expense of measuring every member of the population (White, Wilson Pfoutz, 2006). As this study will be carrying out survey, random sampling technique will be used in the sample selection. Sampling will be conducted in both interview and questionnaire forms. 5.4 Data collection Though, the study includes both primary and secondary data, the author will mainly use primary data for this study. Face-to-face interviews will be carried out with representatives of a number of organisations. Because of time and physical constraints, questionnaires will be sent via e-mail. Secondary data will be gathered from different online libraries and databases. 5.5 Evaluation of primary research methods for this specific study Surveys and questionnaire will be used in the study in order to gather primary data. Main purpose of surveys are to assess the distribution of some variables such as proportion of the population of different age groups, sex, religion, castes and languages, knowledge, attitude and adaption of practices about particular issues, and other information of similar nature about the population (Commonwealth of Learning, 2000). 5.6   Ã‚  Possible Conclusion to research objective From this study, it can be concluded that stress can have both negative and positive impact on organisational performance. Organisations can encourage productive stress by assisting employees to build challenge into their work, can organise stress-reduction workshops and also can change element of stress by redesigning jobs to reduce role conflict and role ambiguity.

Wetlands Essay -- Nature Wildlife Essays

Wetlands A clear and widely accepted definition of a wetland has yet to be established. Wetlands are of various types and function, and occur in diverse locations, and climates which in part make them difficult to define. Many definitions of a wetland have been posed by different groups and individuals, some of the definitions include: â€Å"An area of land that has hydric soil and hydrophytic vegetation, typically flooded for part of the year, and forming a transition zone between aquatic and terrestrial systems (Brady and Weil, 1999).† A wetland is an ecosystem that depends on constant or recurrent, shallow inundation or saturation at or near the surface of the substrate (soil). The minimum essential characteristics of a wetland are recurrent, sustained inundation or saturation at or near the surface and the presence of physical, chemical, and biological features reflective of recurrent, sustained inundation or saturation. (National Research Council, 1995).† In g eneral Mitsh and Gosselink (1993) define wetlands as areas that have characteristics of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, but are neither. Wetland classification systems are not used consistently by all groups of people, consequently wetland classification differences occur regionally. Wetlands classifications include; bogs, fens, swamps and flood plain forests, marshes, and wet meadows. In North Carolina Wetlands are classified by the source of moisture and include; wetlands sustained by rainfall, wetlands sustained by ground water discharge, wetlands sustained by ground water and surface water, wetlands on rivers and lakes, and wetlands on the ocean. This classification system has subcategories under each type of wetland (Vepra... ...npoint pollution. J. Soil & Water Conserv. 40:87-97. Mitsch, W.J. 1993. Landscape design and the role of created, restored, and natural riparian wetlands in controlling nonpoint source pollution. Pages 43-70. In: Created and Natural Wetlands for Controlling Nonpoint Source Pollution, R.K. Olson (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Richards,C.J. (Ed.) 1981. Pocosin Wetlands, Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company. Van der Valk, A. and R. Jolly. 1993. Recommendations for research to develop guidelines for the use of wetlands to control rural nonpoint source pollution. Pages 167- 190. In: Created and Natural Wetlands for Controlling Nonpoint Source Pollution, R.K. Olson (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. P.E. Greeson, J.R. Clark, and J.E. Clark (Eds.) 1978 Wetland Functions and values: The state of our understanding. Am. Water Resources Assoc., Minneapolis.

An Analysis of Baldwins, Sonnys Blues :: Sonnys Blues Essays

An Analysis of Baldwin's, Sonny's Blues Sipiora identifies the critcal issues in Sonny's Blues with the character giving his self-reflections. Sipiora also says that literary characters sometimes perceive or not perceive the relationships or circumstances. We also have to judge characters in how they react to other characters whether they acted in good faith or not in good faith. We have to ask ourselves when we read literature if the character is being objective looking for personal qualities in a character when they come in contact with another character or is the character looking at another character in a judgemental, stereotypical, or preconceived way of thinking. Also is the character allowed the opportunity to share the similar things that are in common with another character or characters in the story. The main thing in reading literature in an Ethical Criticism is to take note on how a character interacts with another character or characters in a story. Also, take note on relationships of one character with anothe r character. In Sonny's Blues, the narrator is self-reflecting his experiences with various family members such as his mother and his younger brother, Sonny. Sonny and the narrator are brothers with a 7 year difference between them. The narrator was disappointed with Sonny at first due to his interest in becoming a musician. He thought it was a phase he was Sonny was going through and maybe it would pass. The older brother patronized Sonny with his insincere interest in music at first until it angered Sonny and he told his brother "don't do me no favors"(82). The narrator had a judgemental, stereotype, predetermined way of thinking when it came to his past. The narrator's thoughts and feelings were cruel and hard for the drug addict childhood friend of Sonny's when he told him he did not want to hear his "sad story"(81). Yet, he realized they both have something in common. The narrator has Sonny's drug addiction and the friend has his own addiction to deal with. The narrator realized that everyone has a sad story. When Sonny was trying to express how he felt on the inside and reveal his drug abuse, the narrator did not want to accept his younger brother's drug abuse and he 'kept putting them away. I told myself that Sonny was wild, but he wasn't crazy"(79). Just as Sonny felt alone and helpless, he could not talk about it to anyone.

Iron Crowned Chapter 19

It took awhile before Kiyo, Jasmine, and I could return to Tucson. We had to go to the Thorn Land, of course, where Shaya and the others asked me all sorts of questions about what had happened and what I wanted to do. Kiyo and even Jasmine provided most of the answers for me because honestly, I wasn't sure what I wanted now. The only thing I had the real sense to do was demand Jasmine's key and unlock her chains. She stared at her freed hands wonderingly, stroking her wrists. I nearly left the chains and key in the castle but soon reconsidered and took them with me to the human world. She'd never seen my house before and regarded it with approval as we entered. All was quiet, and the empty driveway made me confident I wouldn't find Tim and Lara holed up in his bedroom again. Evidence of their â€Å"love,† however, was still obvious. â€Å"Damn them,† I said, gingerly picking a red lace bra off of the couch and tossing it down the hall toward Tim's room. â€Å"I'm going to have to sanitize this thing. Probably every other piece of furniture too.† â€Å"You have Pop-Tarts!† Jasmine hadn't made it to the living room. She'd stopped in the kitchen, opening every drawer and cupboard she could find. â€Å"And Apple Jacks! Peanut butter, ranch dressing, saltines †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was surprised that last one excited her so much, but after a couple years eating gentry food, even the most mundane human cuisine was probably exciting. â€Å"Oh!† she exclaimed. â€Å"Can I have one of your Milky Ways?† â€Å"Sure. Have whatever you want.† Her eyes were wide as she tore into the package, and both Kiyo and I watched her with smiles on our faces, like proud parents on Christmas morning. Although they didn't sound good to me right now, Milky Ways were normally my candy bar of choice. From the way she was consuming hers, Jasmine appeared to share that family trait. She completed her sugar rush with a can of Coke and then made herself at home on the couch. Watching her reach eagerly for the remote control, I decided it was best not to mention the amorous activities that had likely occurred where she sat. She flipped through the channels in continued amazement. It was evening – prime time entertainment – and the emotions on her face were transparent as she stumbled across old and new shows alike. â€Å"You want me to see if I can find anything that fits you?† I asked. She might have slipped back easily to human behaviors, but she still wore a long, flowing gentry-style gown. â€Å"Sure,† she said, not looking up from the screen. Kiyo followed me into my bedroom. â€Å"You think she's safe out there?† he asked. â€Å"Alone?† â€Å"Yeah, I do actually.† Jasmine and I weren't the same size, but I found some drawstring shorts that would likely fit. â€Å"I don't know why †¦ but I feel like I can trust her.† â€Å"Be careful,† he warned, sitting on the bed's edge. â€Å"For all we know, she was happy to be captured and have Cassius throw himself at her.† â€Å"He didn't do anything.† I found the smallest T-shirt I could; her frame was more slender than mine. â€Å"So she says.† I sighed and faced him. â€Å"Kiyo, you've got to trust me. I can't explain it, but she's telling the truth. Is she going to turn into a normal teen and forget about her plans to have Storm King's heir? Unlikely. But for now, she's in shock and not dangerous.† â€Å"If you think so. Just be careful, Eug. You've been tricked by people you've trusted before.† â€Å"Surprise, surprise. A slam on Dorian.† I crossed my arms, holding the clothes to my chest. â€Å"Soon to be followed by a lecture on seizing the Rowan Land.† I'd been bracing myself since it all happened, but during the ensuing damage control, he'd held back. I appreciated that but still dreaded the inevitable. â€Å"Actually,† he said, â€Å"no.† â€Å"No?† I'd started to take a step toward the doorway and froze. He laughed, though there wasn't much humor in it. â€Å"No.† â€Å"But I just thought †¦ well, after last time †¦ You weren't very happy about the Thorn Land †¦Ã¢â‚¬  That small smile faded. â€Å"No. And it's not like I'm happy about this. But the truth is, you did find a – relatively – bloodless way to end all of this. When we were out there, you asked me what other solution could fix things. I didn't have an answer. You did. It's not great †¦ but it didn't kill Katrice or those other people. It didn't get you captured.† He shrugged. â€Å"Not ideal, no, but better than the alternatives.† I leaned back against the wall, still shocked at his reaction. â€Å"If it makes you feel better, it's not like I wanted this either. I wanted to sneak in and out and get Jasmine.† He nodded, but there was a sharp look in his eyes. â€Å"And yet, you brought the crown.† I hadn't mentioned that to him when we first set out to the Rowan Land. â€Å"Her note said she didn't believe I had it! I was hoping waving it around might do something to help us.† He stayed quiet. â€Å"Don't look at me like that! You can't believe I planned to use it.† â€Å"I do believe you.† He approached me and rested his hands on my shoulders. â€Å"And I'll help you in any way you need.† Something inside my chest released, and I leaned into him, taking comfort in his warmth and the security he offered. â€Å"Thank you. I'm definitely going to need you.† Kiyo pressed a kiss to my forehead. â€Å"I'm here.† I felt a small smile pull at my lips, though as with his earlier laughter, I didn't really find the situation funny. â€Å"I suppose if there is a silver lining here, maybe I can do a better job ruling the Rowan Land than she did. Some sort of greater good.† To my surprise, his hold on me stiffened, and he stepped back. The smile he offered me looked tight. â€Å"Maybe.† We went back out to Jasmine, who was still riveted to the TV. The only acknowledgment we got was when I handed her the clothes, and she examined them. â€Å"What's ‘The Clash' mean?† I ignored the blasphemy – and Kiyo's obvious amusement at my pain. â€Å"If you want to shower, everything you'll need is in the bathroom. Towels, shampoo.† That too got her attention. â€Å"A shower †¦ oh, man. I've missed showers.† â€Å"Will you two be okay?† asked Kiyo, all signs of his earlier discomfort gone. â€Å"I need to take care of a few things.† I nodded. â€Å"We're fine. Will you be back soon?† â€Å"As soon as I can.† He kissed me again, this time on my lips. I must have worn another pained expression because he cupped my chin, his brown eyes full of love and compassion. â€Å"It's going to be okay, Eugenie. Everything will be okay.† I nodded once more and watched wistfully as he left. I wanted his arms around me again, to hold me and let me escape this mess. A small part of me wouldn't have minded Dorian's arms either. I sat beside Jasmine, whose attention was back on some reality show. â€Å"He's running off to Maiwenn, you know.† Her gaze didn't move. â€Å"Off to report on what happened.† My ire started to rise at her accusation, except †¦ I had a feeling she was right. Even if there was no more romance between them, he was still devoted to her. The recent developments were going to rock the Otherworld, and she'd want the story straight from him. I wondered how she'd take it; she'd always feared my becoming like my father. â€Å"Probably,† I admitted. I rubbed my eyes. â€Å"God, I'm so exhausted. I feel like I could fall over.† This time Jasmine turned to me. There wasn't exactly sympathy in her face, but something surprisingly close. â€Å"No shit. You just stole a kingdom and took it over.† â€Å"It sounds so ugly when you phrase it that way.† She shrugged and looked back at the TV. â€Å"You'll probably do a better job.† Her words echoed my earlier comment to Kiyo. â€Å"You know,† she added conversationally, â€Å"everyone acts like our dad was such a bastard, like he just wanted more power. I mean, he did, but you know what Aeson told me? He said that Storm King was always talking about how he could do a better job too, that the other monarchs weren't as good. He said he was doing the people a favor.† I froze, unable to respond. That was why Kiyo had reacted the way he did earlier. He'd heard that about Storm King's â€Å"good intentions,† I realized. I'd expressed exactly the same sentiment as my father. Jasmine didn't notice the effect of her words and instead jumped subjects in that easy, short-attention-span way of hers. â€Å"Hey, do you think you could get Wil to come over? I want to see him.† â€Å"Sure,† I murmured automatically. My mind was still lost in her earlier words. â€Å"Sure.† Wil was surprised to hear from me the next morning, more surprised still when I told him the reason I was calling. He said he'd be over in five minutes. Jasmine had asked that he come alone after I'd mentioned he now had a girlfriend. Still, she'd been curious. â€Å"Seriously? What's she like?† I thought back to my one meeting with Wil's ladylove. Once I'd banished the monsters living in their house, she hadn't shut up about conspiracy theories and assorted coverups. â€Å"Exactly like him,† I'd replied to Jasmine. The reunion between brother and sister was strange. They stood there awkwardly, both staring at each other and assessing all the ways they'd changed. Then, with no communication, they hugged each other. Jasmine's face was filled with legitimate emotion, and for once, Wil didn't seem like the crazy, paranoid guy he usually was. â€Å"Are you okay?† he asked her, voice trembling. â€Å"I've missed you so much.† Jasmine swallowed, and I was pretty sure there were tears in her eyes. â€Å"I †¦ I missed you too.† And it was the truth. She'd told me once she didn't care about this world – or about the half brother who'd raised her. But she did. This whole time, despite her Otherworldly plans for domination, she'd always loved him. Things grew increasingly bizarre when it became obvious the two weren't quite sure what to do with each other. Wil didn't chastise her for her absence, and at last, she simply asked if he wanted to hang out and watch TV. I think that was partly because it provided a concrete activity and partly because she'd become obsessed with making up for lost TV time. I kept my distance but couldn't help a small, envious feeling as they sat on the couch. Jasmine leaned her head against her big brother's shoulder, and I became acutely aware of the emptiness in my own family life. I hadn't heard from my mom or Roland since getting the referral to Enrique. The closest I had to any familial connection was those goddamn kingdoms I ruled. Just as the Thorn Land had always called to me, the Rowan Land now did too, leaving such an ache within me that I practically felt nauseous. Rurik had been right. I wouldn't be able to stay away. But first things first. Thinking of Enrique reminded me I was due for an update. Retreating to my bedroom, I dialed his number and hoped he was up this early. â€Å"Miss Markham,† he said after just one ring. Caller ID left no surprises anymore. â€Å"Always a delight.† â€Å"I'm sure. What are you doing with the case right now?† â€Å"Nothing.† â€Å"Nothing?† I exclaimed. Irritation rose within me. I wasn't paying him to sit around, especially after he'd gotten so close. â€Å"Nope,† he said cheerfully. â€Å"It's out of my hands. I found what I needed, proved that Deanna Jones didn't buy the gun. From what I hear, the police are searching Cal Jones's house right now and questioning him. Far be it from me to get in the way of the fine men in blue.† Finally, some good news †¦ well, at least as the case's progress went. It wouldn't be easy on Deanna to learn the truth about her husband. â€Å"And women,† I said. â€Å"There are probably women in blue there too.† â€Å"If you say so.† â€Å"Thanks, Enrique. I really appreciate it. I honestly didn't think it could be done.† â€Å"Don't get all emotional,† he said in that brisk way of his. â€Å"At least not until you see the bill.† We disconnected. Attitude or no, Enrique had been a good call on Roland's part †¦ which once again brought about the sadness over the turn in my parental relationship. Well. Nothing to do for it at the moment, not with all my other problems. And anyway, I had a loose end that could now be wrapped up. Taking out my wand, I closed my eyes and cast a minor summoning spell, calling to Deanna. I had no control over her but she'd responded to my call before – particularly since she was always on edge listening for it. After several minutes and no results, I gave up and sadly suspected she wasn't coming because she already knew the truth. As eager as she'd been to get answers, it wouldn't have surprised me if she'd been following Enrique around while he worked. She might have discovered for herself what her husband had done. If so, I hoped she'd now move on to the Underworld and seek peace, rather than staying restless and sad in this world. There was enough suffering here already. I tried as hard as I could the next couple days to stay away from the Otherworld. Wil visited off and on, and Jasmine and I began doing mundane yet enjoyable activities, like seeing movies and shopping for clothes for her. Tim and Lara often appeared, still in the throes of their love, and Kiyo returned with reports about the Otherworld, reassuring me that my kingdom's control of the Rowan Land was progressing smoothly. And at night, he came to my bed, and I found the return of our fierce sex life went a long way toward taking my mind off my laundry list of problems. But finally, I had to give in. The call to my lands was too strong, and even Kiyo admitted that with my new and fragile hold on the Rowan Land, I needed to visit and connect with it to reinforce our bond. By that point, I needed no urging. My own body was telling me as much. I still felt weak and drained, my dreams haunted by cacti and cherry trees. I took Jasmine with me. Our relationship wasn't quite sound enough yet for me to leave her alone. She drew the line at going to the Rowan Land, however, insisting she would stay in the Thorn Land until my return. I had no problem with that, knowing she was secure there. Kiyo was still going with me, and Shaya caught us before we could leave. â€Å"There's a few things you should probably know,† she said uneasily. Her nervousness was likely due to the fact that I hated being troubled with the day-to-day running of a kingdom – in this case, kingdoms. Something about the fear in her eyes told me she also knew I wouldn't like what she had to say. I sighed. â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"I †¦ I've heard from King Dorian a number of times.† Kiyo shifted uncomfortably beside me, and I felt that familiar prickle of anger run down my spine. All the memories of Dorian's lying and betrayal came back to me. It stung all the worse because in the end, he'd gotten exactly what he wanted: the Iron Crown had done its job. He probably wanted me to take still more lands. â€Å"What's he want?† I demanded. â€Å"The war's over. We're no longer in a partnership.† â€Å"Well, that's just it. Since you are – were – allies in the war, he says he deserves some of the spoils of your victory.† â€Å"He †¦ what?† My fury increased. â€Å"He doesn't deserve anything. I was the one who won and used the crown.† She nodded, still looking like she wished she could be anywhere else. â€Å"Yes †¦ but he argues that he was the one who sent you to get the crown. And that his armies lost as many lives as yours.† That last point silenced me. His soldiers had fought with mine. His people's families mourned those casualties as much as mine †¦ and for what? To fight against a slight that had nothing to do with them, not really. I didn't owe Dorian anything, of that I was certain, but I was indebted to his subjects. When I didn't respond, Shaya continued. â€Å"Some of his people are also helping hold the Rowan Land.† â€Å"Oh, are they?† Of course Dorian would have swooped in. â€Å"I never asked for that.† She shook her head. â€Å"Nonetheless, you need it. Many are still having trouble accepting your rule. There's a lot of seething resentment. No violence has broken out yet – but that's largely because of the sizable presence Rurik sent to keep control. Dorian's helping with that.† I'd meditated with the Thorn Land as soon as I'd arrived, making me feel a little better, but the pressure and continued political complications were already draining me. I wasn't meant for this. â€Å"What's he want? Half the kingdom?† â€Å"No. Trade. Tribute. The Rowan Land is a huge food producer, and he wants part of that.† â€Å"That doesn't sound so bad,† I said tentatively. â€Å"I'm guessing he wants it at low, low prices,† said Kiyo, speaking up for the first time. Shaya nodded. â€Å"He does. And he's entitled to it to a certain extent. But his current demands are extreme enough that it could endanger the Rowan Land's economy. Maybe that's not an issue. It all depends on what you want for them.† I thought about the refugees at the gates. What did I want for those people? I wanted them to prosper. I wanted things to return to normal. â€Å"Can you negotiate with him to something in the middle?† I asked Shaya. â€Å"Most likely.† â€Å"Then do it.† She bowed her head in acknowledgment, and I knew that's what she'd already known had to be done. She was simply giving me my dues as queen, going through the motions and reminding everyone that ultimately, I still held the authority around here. When Kiyo and I finally made it to the Rowan Land, I felt the land's relief and welcome. Its energy burned into mine, strengthening me. At the castle, we saw little sign of the Rowan military but plenty of mine and Dorian's. They were stationed everywhere, keeping the order Shaya had told me about. They bowed low when they saw me, their actions mirrored by the kingdom's citizens. Only, Katrice's subjects didn't bow out of respect and deference. There was fear in their eyes, confusion in some, and an obvious show among a few that their actions were forced. Rurik was still in residence, personally overseeing the occupation. I felt secure in his control and listened as he explained what needed to be done next. I understood it only a little better than the economics Shaya had pushed on me, the main point being I'd need a governing body here soon. Picking that staff would be a problem. Shaya was one in a million, but even she couldn't be in two places at once. Seeing my dismay, Rurik hesitantly added that Dorian had offered to provide people for the job. My expression at those words gave Rurik all the answer he needed. The Rowan Land's energy continued to flow into me when I set out to have my meditation session with it. The nature of the connection was similar to what I had with the Thorn Land, but the kingdom's feel was totally different. The Thorn Land was harsh – filled with life, yes, but life that fought fiercely against the elements for survival. The Rowan Land was softer, its life bursting forth easily and radiating through its many trees and plants. â€Å"Eugenie,† said Kiyo, following me out to a small garden behind the castle. â€Å"Look.† I paused and glanced behind me. Where I'd walked, flowers had blossomed, small red ones scattered throughout the grassy path. I knelt down, inhaling their heady scent. â€Å"Why's it happening?† â€Å"You're its ruler. You're giving the land life and energy.† I thought about how being here had made me feel marginally better. â€Å"It's strengthening me too †¦ but this doesn't happen in the Thorn Land. I don't have that kind of effect.† â€Å"Don't you?† he teased, a mischievous smile on his face. â€Å"You make it rain†¦.† A memory came to me of when the Thorn Land had floundered in drought. While connecting with the land, I'd had sex with Kiyo, and the energy from that union had empowered the kingdom, breaking the dry spell and sending much-needed rain that made the people and plants flourish. I smiled back at him. â€Å"Looks like we don't have to worry about that today. This land doesn't need as much help.† He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him, voice husky. â€Å"But imagine the results if we did. Extra credit.† Leaning down, he brought his lips to mine, his tongue pushing into my mouth with a rough passion. I felt my body answer, and for a moment, the offer was tempting. I pictured what it would be like to make love among all this greenery, here in the sunshine. Would a bed of red flowers fill the ground below us? Again †¦ I kind of wanted to find out, but I also wasn't comfortable in this kingdom yet. I didn't want to risk discovery of my sex life, even if it wouldn't be a big deal to the gentry. Reluctantly, I pulled away from him. â€Å"Another time.† After a few more protests, he let me be. I sat on the ground while he waited, closing my eyes and opening myself to the world around me. We are one, I assured the land. I am here. I felt its answer, felt warmth spread through me and lost track of time. When I finished, I was startled at how far the sun had moved across the sky. Kiyo sat on the ground cross-legged, looking at ease as he watched me. â€Å"Crap,† I said, jumping up. â€Å"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you wait so long.† He stood as well. â€Å"It's no problem. You needed it. You both needed it.† I knew he was right. I was more energized, and the land felt strong and content. After another check with Rurik, Kiyo and I headed back to the Thorn Land. Here, he parted from me, again to â€Å"take care of a few things.† He assured me he'd be back in Tucson as soon as he could, but I saw the look Jasmine gave me when she overheard. I could guess her thoughts: more reports to Maiwenn. Jasmine was impatient to go to Tucson, but before leaving, I impulsively set out alone to where I'd communed earlier with the Thorn Land. It had been on a distant part of the grounds, one of my favorite places, in the shade of a mesquite tree. Its perfume rivaled that of the Rowan flowers, and around it stood cacti in all shapes and sizes, some of them small and squat and some tall and foreboding like sentries. Almost all of them were blooming. A chill ran down my spine as I stared at the flowers on the cacti. They formed a brilliantly colored perimeter, right around where I'd been meditating, the petals in all shapes and sizes. The flowers were beautiful. Exquisite. And none of them had been there earlier.