Change Resistance within Armed Forces Research Paper

Change Resistance within Armed Forces - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, technology has for long time been a potential in civilizations and military theatres. More so, development of technology in 20th century had a big impact to be internalized as being a requisite instrument and a determining factor in warfare. The mentality has been epitomized by the nation states which continually invest large amounts of money, time and resources in research and purchase of the new technology (Creveld 19). The perception of the technology necessity was further powered by splendidly victorious operational functionality of nuclear weapons during the Second World War (WWII) and other following frantic Arms Race take on by the two preceding Superpowers. Thus, put into operation conceptual or technological change in armed forces has always been difficult and a critical task though it has usually been that manner and happens with the great rate of organization changes (Ronald 19). Whether the change is brought by external matters like the wartime scenarios or base rearrangements and closures or from internal influence through leadership decisions, it has always been difficult. Some changes may entail consolidated financial services, weapons refurbishing or fighting technicality (Lamb et al 1984). However, the armed forces may not be opposing the change but the transition or process the changes requires and its influence. In this technology age, there has been a natural inclination to overrate the role of weapons. Prevailing views showed the degree of military technological success was estimate to be astonishing and prove decisively to outcome of wars. The importance of technological succession in the military is that the new equipments would provide a complete advantage that could be translated into an obvious victory. It is known the armed forces of a state are not longer neutral than state itself. The challenging assertion reviews the fact that armed forces like any institution of state get their legitimacy from state itself and established political regime (Kuhlmann 20). The points become most apposite in the liberal democracy where it is usually welcomed as a matter of principle which the armed forces entirely subservient to civil political authorities even when armed forces are deemed into professionalism (Lamb et al 19). When those implementing political power lose their popular support and the entire political regime loses a whole, its legitimacy no longer take pleasure in acceptance and trust of population and the state's organizations are considered inappropriate upon bringing the legitimacy of armed forces into question. In the civilian authority, the opportunity made available by technology would persuade the belief that technology is the only determinant factor in warfare. Essentially, technology is perceived to be the determining factor which offers the potency if deployed which could wane the enemies resolve and fighting capacity (Irwin 13). More so, the induction of technology would limit casualties since mounting casualties may have similar implications of wrath occurrence in its population and a drooping morale which would influence the army plans and resistance to fight. In these circumstances, it becomes a professional responsibility though it goes contrary to standard assumptions of

The Respective leader ship qualities of Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon Essay Example for Free

The Respective leader ship qualities of Ralph, Piggy, Jack and Simon Essay On the island, all four candidates possess different leadership qualities. Although the group elected Ralph as leader, he may not be the ideal boy for the job. The fact that Ralph was holding the conch was one of the main reasons why the group chose him. They had no idea what he would be like as a leader. At first Ralph seems just like any other eleven or twelve year old, just out to have fun. He is excited by the fact that there are no grown-ups on the island, and is not bothered by it at all. Another example of his childish side is where he repeatedly cries Piggy, if only to annoy Piggy. Until Piggy correctly informed him, Ralph was oblivious to the fact that the plane they were in had crashed. This is perhaps a sign that Ralph is not as clever or as alert as other people on the island are. Soon after he is told about the plane crash, Ralph is happily and joyfully interpreting the noise of a fighter plane as it glides through the sky, shooting down its opposition. At first, Ralph is not bothered about how they will be rescued, and claims that his dad (commander in the army) will undoubtedly come and rescue them. However, Piggy soon proves Ralph wrong, and suddenly Ralph feels very uneasy and vulnerable about the situation their in. Its at this point that we see a small element of leadership in Ralph, when he orders Piggy to get his clothes for him. Like piggy, Ralph came up with some good ideas that may help them towards being rescued. He was the one who suggested they build a fire on the mountaintop. The intention was that passing boats, or even aircraft, might see the smoke rising from the island. When Ralph and Piggy found the conch in the sand, Ralph just wanted to play with it happily. He didnt realise that it could be used to round up all the people on the island. When piggy and himself gather everyone on the island together, the topic of being rescued becomes even more important. Ralph became much more concerned and less fun loving. In terms of appearance, Ralph is physically quite strong and energetic, which is a worthwhile quality for leadership. Straight away, it gained him a fair amount of respect and authority within the group, which in turn gave him more control over the group. Piggy, straight away appears a sensible and somewhat mature child. He doesnt possess the element of carelessness that exists in Ralph. Quote: searching out safe lodgements for his feet, My auntie told me not to run on account of my asthma. When most people would have run ridiculously through the creepers, Piggy takes his time and thinks about his actions. Piggy is very persisting which is a good leadership skill. He asks the same question to Ralph twice. Quote: How does he know were here? Then Piggy persists in hammering it in to Ralph, that they wont be rescued very soon. Piggy was also clever enough to realise that their had been a plane crash, and that the remains had been washed out to sea. This shows how alert Piggy is, which is another important leadership quality. In fact during the novel, Piggy is nearly always alert and responsive. It soon becomes clear that Piggy is very friendly and sociable, and he is quick to ask Ralph his name. He congratulates Ralph on his unique ability to swim. Quote: You cant half swim well. This quality is in some ways a good leadership quality, because the group will feel warmed towards him. However, if Piggy was the leader, the group might end up treating him more like a friend than a leader, and might start disobeying his orders. Because Piggy is so kind and caring, he might be a bit reluctant to stand up to people and argue with them. This is perhaps one quality that would make a poor leader. In fact, Piggy rarely gets aggressive and argumentative in the book. He is very shy, and appears afraid of the older and more dominant members in the group. In fact, throughout the book Piggy is very involved with the younger members of the group. Even so, Piggy is very clever and does come up with some good ideas. He was the one who suggested they use the conch to call everyone together. He also realised the impossibility of Ralphs dad coming to rescue them. Although, later on in the book Piggys confidence is slashed greatly and he struggles to impress the group with his ideas. Piggy is also good at judging peoples character. Straight away, Piggy was very unsure about Jack, and his immediate domination in the group. This is perhaps another good leadership quality, especially in terms of being able to understand the feelings of the group, especially the younger ones. In some parts of the book we see a slightly braver side to Piggy. Firstly, where he goes against one of his aunties rules. He goes paddling in the sea, even though his auntie told him not to because of his asthma. Another time, is when he stands up to the older members of the group, criticising them and their actions on the island. Piggys physical appearance is perhaps the main reason why he is not respected by the rest of the group, and consequently why the group doesnt see him as the leader. He is rather fat, and physically weak and unfit. He wears glasses, and couldnt survive without them, and of course he has asthma which severely ruins his physical capabilities. However, physical qualities are not always important in finding a leader and are often just a bonus. When the conch is sounded for the first time, and everyone on the island comes together, we see the arrival of another prospective leader, Jack. Instantly we become aware that Jack is very arrogant and boastful. He automatically believes he should be the leader and he becomes very dominant in the group. Quote: I ought to be chief, because Im chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp. Its very clear then, that Jack wants to be the leader of the group. He constantly gives orders out to members of the choir, and they obey him grudgingly, yet responsively. Once the whole group was together for the first time, he immediately sprung into action and commissioned himself a high authority. He announced, Weve got to decide about being rescued. When Ralph came up with the idea of building a fire on the mountaintop, the group followed Jack up the mountain, and not Ralph. Jacks ability to grab peoples attention and willingly give out orders, is a quality possessed by all good leaders. However, he can be very bossy and arrogant, and in some respects selfish, which is not appreciated by the group greatly. Respectively, his personality wouldnt make him the ideal leader, especially in terms of building a firm relationship with the group. Jack could also be described as a bit of a show off and also a bit of a know it all. During the groups first ever meeting, Jack suddenly took out a knife from behind him and through it into a tree. All this in an attempt to kill a flying insect resting on the tree trunk that he missed. Again, I think this essence of his personality doesnt make him a good leader. I think when the group is working as a team, Jack would try and do everything himself, rather than take part in a joint effort. Once Ralph is chosen as the leader by the group, simply because he was holding the conch, Jack decided he would be in charge of hunting. This is a large responsibility for a child, especially when it comes to wilfully destroying a living organism. In fact, when Jack is first faced with having to slice through the flesh of an innocent pig, he looses his bottle. It appears that Jack is not as mentally strong as he first appeared. Here we see a more caring side of Jack, which is probably very rarely seen. Jack is effected by his actions in a big way, and commits himself further to hunting. A second failure later on in the book sparks even more frustration. This time Jack throws a spear and misses the pig by far. By now Jack is very anxious to hunt down a pig, and it is on his mind night and day. When he does actually kill a pig, he fills his mind with self-achievement, honour and success. This devotion and dedication is a again a good quality for a leader to have. However, because Jack spent all his time hunting, he ended up slightly neglecting the rest of the group. He didnt help with the building of the shelters at all, and as a result the shelters were a failure. As I see it a good leader would attempt to be involved in as many activities as possible. Not only to gain control of the situation, but also to motivate the group and fill them with confidence. If Jack were a quality leader, he would have taken it upon himself to get involved with all of the groups actions. Having said that, Jacks devotion to hunting did pay off in the end, but there were still other problems on the island that needed Jacks assistance. Such as shelters and organising the group to work efficiently and successfully. Simon is probably the smallest of the four, and possibly the youngest. His first involvement with Jack and Ralph, was when they went to find out if they were on an island or not. Quote: If Simon walks in the middle of us, then we could talk over his head. This shows how Simon is smaller than Jack and Ralph. Plus, it also indicates that Simon is considered as an unimportant member of the group. They make him walk in the middle so they can talk over his head, as if Simon didnt exist. It would seem that Simon is primarily a follower, for this early part of the book. Simon automatically nodded his head to whatever Ralph or Jack said. This is probably not a good quality for a leader, especially in terms of controlling the group. I think Simon feels small compared to Ralph and Jack, and because of this, and his quiet personality, he would rarely try to dominate the group. Additionally, whilst the three were together on their exploration of the island, Simon was the first to let out that he was hungry. Although any child his age would have done the same, compared with Jack, Ralph and Piggy, he would be the weakest and most vulnerable leader. Simon is very imaginative, again like any child his age. When on the exploration with Ralph and Jack, he spots some bushes, which had candle like buds. Quote: Simon spoke first. Like candles. Candle bushes. Candles buds. This also indicates that Simon is quite intelligent and is constantly mulling over ideas in his head. Another occasion where Simon has an idea is again on the exploration trip. Ralph states that they need to draw a map of the island. Simon pops up and suggests they scratch marks on bark, and fill it with black stuff. Whether they used this idea or not, it shows that Simon is trying to be helpful, and wants to be of assistance. Another example of where Simon is trying to be helpful, is where he helps Ralph with the construction of the shelters. Simon is undoubtedly dedicated to helping the group, which is a good leadership skill. He puts in a lot of effort and works hard, even if the achievement is sometimes small. Overall, I think that all four members of the group have good and bad leadership qualities. All four of them combined would make an excellent leadership combination. However, if I had to choose one of them to be leader I would select Ralph. He is dedicated to the group. He has the ability to think of new ideas. He is physically stronger than other members of the group are. The group has a lot of respect for him, which makes controlling the group much easier for Ralph. I think Jack is just too arrogant, and he would just take advantage of leadership, which wouldnt benefit the group. Piggy would make a great leader if he was able to control the group, but his physical appearance is stopping him from doing this. Lastly, Simon is just too small and weak for leadership, and I think it would be unfair for him to take on such an important and demanding role.

The Dutch Attack on Landguard Fort Essay -- Papers

The Dutch Attack on Landguard Fort Q 1. Source A tells us that the Dutch attacked with about one-thousand men, in five-hundred small vessels and landed near Felixstowe cliff. Many of these soldiers had pikes. Silas Taylor, the author of the source, says that "some part" of the Dutch army attacked the fort, which is an early indication of the rear guard left behind. This also points to a possible reason for the failure of the attack, in that the Dutch did not attack with the full force of their army. He says that one English soldier was killed, two were wounded and that the Dutch made two attacks. He says the Dutch attacked boldly, but were as boldly and resolutely answered. However, he could be saying that the Dutch attacked boldly to make the English defence sound even better. We are told that the Dutch were put to "fright and flight" by the small guns from a galliot. The small guns from this ship were fired into the area were the Dutch were taking cover, and pebbles were thrown up which made them retreat. This source gives the overall impression that the Dutch made a strong attack, but were "boldly" answered by the English. The reliability of this source, however, is questionable, as it was written by an English man, who is bound to be biased towards his own country. Also, he was watching form Harwich, which is roughly two miles from Felixstowe. Q2. Source F does not support source B. Source B says that the Dutch ships were "so close to Landguard Fort that we expect fire to be given at any moment". Source F says that the ships were so far away from the fort that their shots would "scarcely reach (the fort)." The Dutch ... ...re casualties. This also could have been linked to De Ruyter's reluctance to commit large forces to attack. It is likely he did not want to risk any unnecessary victims, especially when he was aware of the task facing him. Also, while this attack was happening, peace negotiations were being held in Breda. After the Dutch victory in the Medway, they had the upper hand in negotiating a deal. De Ruyter would have wanted to avoid a disaster at Landguard that could have changed the balance of power in the negotiations. This victory was not essential, but keeping his fleet together and in control of the English Channel was. Overall, I think that the Dutch attack was not committed enough, but this was planned by De Ruyter, He knew the strength of the English fort, and did not want to risk any unnecessary casualties.

Local Exchange Essay

When you send an email from New York to Japan, that email,is sent from your home to the local exchange point over the access network. Once it is in the local exchange it is then sent to aggregating points in different cities and counties over the regional network. Then it is aggregated and transported over the long-haul network so that it reaches the launching point at the country shoreline where it is then sent over the ocean network to Japan. Once there, the email is sent back over the long-haul or regional network to the local exchange and then on to the individual receiving the email. This occurs using mostly fiber optics so the speeds at which all this takes is at the speed of light which is approximately 127,000 miler per second. To understand how to interface with the local exchange you must first understand the different networks that comprise it. The first network being the access network. The access network is the network that connects the individual user or business with the telecommunications system. This is made up of a series of fiber-optic and copper cabling and passive and active equipment that connects you to the local exchange. The central office at the local exhange contains the switching equipment to direct your telephone, data , video, etc. to where it needs to go. The access network is very important to the local exchange since its the part that reaches the end user, who is you, and connects them. The metro network, sometimes called a MAN (metro area network), is where the information is collected from the local exchange of the service provider as well as other service providers and and then sent on to the regional and long-haul networks. The regional network, sometimes called a WAN (wide area network) is basically just a larger version of the MAN or metro network. This is usually the last point before the information is sent to the core network. The core network or long-haul networkis responsible for sending the information collected from the metro and regional networks over very long distances to the metro and regional networks of a different part of the geography, for example sending the email from New York to Japan. Because of the great distances this information must travel on the long-haul network these networks will be set up so that there is always more than one route to get to the destination point. Ocean networks are the most complicated and technically advanced  networks that connect different continents to one another. These networks are also the most expensive to install since optical fiber cables for these networks have to be installed on or under the ocean floor.

Brand History Ysl

Brand History Founded by: Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge Chief Designer: 1. Yves Saint Laurent 1962-2002 The Day of Birth: August 1, 1936 The Day of death: June 1, 2008 Reputation: He is considered by many of the world's best- dressed people to be the inventor of modern fashion. Besides that, he is seen as the last of a generation of clothes designers that made the Rive Gauche (French for â€Å"Left Bank† of the Seine River in Paris) home to the most talented fashion designers in the world. These designers include Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and Hubert de Givenchy — all people who helped make Paris the international capital of fashion. CAREER: 1. Saint Laurent got his big break when he was only 17 years old. The shy young designer began to work for fashion legend, Christian Dior. 2. By the time he was 21 years old, Saint Laurent was in charge of Dior's empire. He immediately started to develop a unique style that combined Dior's elegance and tradition with a more wearable, realistic style. . Saint Laurent struck out on his own in 1961, opening his own fashion house where he created haute couture for socialites and celebrities. MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS: 1. Saint Laurent's trendsetting clothes not only changed the look of high fashion but also the life of the average woman. 2. Aside from his haute couture clothing, he offered another clothing line for women available in department stores. The designs from this line often turned heads and changed the lives of the women wh o wore them. 3. In the 1960s and 1970s, when women were joining the workforce in millions for the first time, Saint Laurent designed more gender-neutral looks based on pants and jackets. No longer did women feel like they needed to wear only skirts and blouses. The change met with resistance, but women those who wearing Yves Saint Laurent’s pantsuits would simply take off their pants to dictate what they were allowed to wear on more than one occasion. 4. Another clothing item of his that became popular was a jacket called â€Å"le smoking,† which is a square-shouldered tuxedo for women. When the jacket first appeared in his 1966 fall-winter collection, it immediately became a groundbreaking landmark in fashion history because it blurred the lines between traditional male and female style. 5. Saint Laurent also changed fashion by using other types of pop culture in his clothes. For example, he created the Mondrian dress in 1965. These colorful dresses were patterned with the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian's abstract and geometric designs. 6. Saint Laurent also aided the women's liberation movement by challenging other socially accepted norms. . In 1971, Saint Laurent posed nude for his own perfume ads. This was shocking to many people. He did it to raise this question: Why is it more socially acceptable when a woman poses nude for an advertisement than when a man does? 8. He is credited with having introduced the tuxedo suit for women. 9. He became the first designer to use ethnic models in his runway shows, and referenced other non-European cultures in his work. 2. Albe r Elbaz 1998-1999 3. Tom Ford 1999-2004 4. Stefano Pilati 2004- Logo Designed by: A. M. Cassandre Brand Main History: During the 1960s and 1970s, the firm popularized fashion trends such as the beatnik look, safari jackets for men and women, tight pants and tall, thigh-high boots, including the creation of arguably the most famous classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966, Le Smoking suit. Some of his most memorable collections include the Pop Art, Ballet Russes, Picasso and Chinese ones. He also started mainstreaming the idea of wearing silhouettes from the 1920s, '30s and '40s. He was the first, in 1966, to popularize ready-to-wear in an attempt to democratize fashion, with Rive Gauche a |name. He was also the first designer to use black models in his catwalk shows. Among St. Laurent's muses were Loulou de La Falaise, the daughter of a French marquis and an Anglo-Irish fashion model, Betty Catroux, the half-Brazilian daughter of an American diplomat and wife of a French decorator, Talitha Pol-Getty, who died of drug overdose in 1971, and Catherine Deneuve, the iconic French actress. Ambassador to the couturier during the late 1970s and early 80s was London socialite millionairess Diane Boulting-Casserley Vandelli, making the brand ever more popular amongst the -European jet-set and upper classes. In 1993, the Saint-Laurent fashion house was sold to the pharmaceuticals company Sanofi for approximately $600,000,000. In the 1998-1999 seasons, Alber Elbaz, currently of Lanvin, designed 3 ready-to-wear collections. Pierre Berge appointed Hedi Slimane as Collections and art Director in 1997, and they relaunched YSL Rive Gauche Homme. Hedi Slimane decided to leave the house 2 years later. In 1999, Gucci bought the YSL brand and asked Tom Ford to design the ready-to-wear collection while Saint-Laurent would design the haute couture collection. In 2002, dogged by years of poor health, drug abuse, depression, alcoholism, criticisms of YSL designs, Saint-Laurent closed the illustrious couture house of YSL. While the house no longer exists, the brand still survives through its parent company Gucci Group. The pret-a-porter line is still being produced under the direction of Stefano Pilati after Tom Ford left in 2004. His style is decidedly more French than the overtly sexy image that Tom Ford perpetuated. Brand Communication For advertising his companions, the Yves Saint Laurent uses familiar faces from the general public. In the beginning, Scroll Elela great names in fashion as Katoucha Niane, Betty Catroux, Loulou de la Falaise, Talitha Pol-actress Getty or Catherine Deneuve. Then, Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer. The former supermodel Naomi Campbell is used for the campaign of the Autumn-Winter 09 collection. For the men's fragrance â€Å"Night of the Man† is Vincent Cassel who embodies the new face of the brand. The house YSL applies to make his shows an event for which the jetset people jostling to sit in the front ranks. The venues are just as prestigious as the models occupying the podium. The women's collection Autumn-Winter 07-08 and was held at the Centre Pompidou in Paris on 1 March 2007, while the men's collection for the same season was held in the workshops Berthier. Campaign Spring-Summer 2008 women has, in turn, held on the premises of the Foundation Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre Berge. The Creative Director Stefano Pilati is then, photographers Ines Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and the model is none other than Kate Moss. The Fall-Winter 2009-2010 collection create the event: it is first opened on the website of the brand, before being presented on the catwalk. Since 2007, Stefano Pilati created the event each year to the streets with his â€Å"Manifesto†: a photo catalog of luxury brand Distibution to passersby on the street. In 2008 he was with the image of supermodel Naomi Campbell, photographed by the duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin-distributed simultaneously in Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo and Hong Kong. A cotton bag flanked YSL logo was also provided for the occasion. In 2009 he was with the image of Claudia Schiffer and accompanied by a bag with the initials of the brand, designed by Stefano Pilati himself, and a small USB key.

How To Gain Hands-On Experience for a Job

How To Gain Hands-On Experience for a Job You know you need experience to get a job. Trouble is, you can’t get any on-the-job experience without first having a job. It’s the classic early career Catch-22. The good news, however, is that there are a ton of ways to gain work experience before you ever get your first proper job. Make sure to plan ahead and accumulate valuable skills and knowledge from these experiences in time to apply for your first job. Here are a few great ways to get experience without getting â€Å"hired.†1. InternshipsAn internship is just like a job in that you do a ton of work, learn a lot, and gain valuable experience in a field. But it’s not at all like a job in that you usually get paid very little or nothing at all- and the term is usually short. Internships are widely available, in almost every field. Figure out what industry you want to work in eventually, and then get involved learning the tricks of the trade. You’ll have to fetch some coffee, but it just might get you hired one day.2. ShadowingUse your network, professional association, school career office, other programs, or even family members to find someone in your chosen field who would let you shadow them. This could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days, but lets you get valuable insight into the day-to-day experience of that field.3. VolunteeringYou definitely won’t be paid, except in the satisfaction of helping others, but you will gain a ton of experience that will look excellent on your future resume. Many provide training. All will give you access to learning the skills you’ll want, whether that be in child or elder care, administration, writing, teaching, coaching, fundraising, sales, mentoring, phone manner, construction, arts, etc.4. School/Community WorkThink your extracurricular activities don’t count? Any time you participate in a club or organization, whether sports or arts or religion related, you can gain a ton of experience that will set yo u up surprisingly well for the job market.5. FreelancingSometimes you have to prove you have what it takes before you can actually be brought on board. If you freelance, you can prove your talents and skills and expertise first and then make your way onto the payroll. And after your first gig, you’ll have racked up a ton of professional experience for next time.6. NetworkingIt isn’t always all about what you know. Sometimes a job will come down to who you know. Make sure to start growing a robust network of contacts and keeping yourself as current as possible.

Rise of the Third Crusade With Syria Position Paper Essay Example

Rise of the Third Crusade With Syria Position Paper Essay Example Rise of the Third Crusade With Syria Position Paper Essay Rise of the Third Crusade With Syria Position Paper Essay Essay Topic: The arabian Nights One Thousand and One Nights European response to a swelling Islamic influence and power in Palestine. In 636 AD, Byzantine Empires losses at the hands of the Arachnids Caliphate marked a new era of reign for Palestine. Psalmists quickly regained control, and rule passed through several Islamic states over the next few centuries. By 1079, the Sequels had established relative permanent control over Palestine, and removed all Byzantine influence. In response to an alienation of Christianity In the Middle East, the Roman Catholic Church responded by creating a anti-LULAS policy by 1095. Pope urban II, in an effort o rally support and troops for the coming crusades, declared that All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. (Urban). Urban proclamation was important to the Crusades, because it accomplished two important objectives for the Crusades to occur. The Catholic Church guaranteed salvation for those who Joined the Crusades, which ensured high rates of volunteers, and high amounts of support from all branches of service, that of the navy and the army. The now abundant amounts of manpower and supplies allowed the Crusades to grow unfettered. The speech also marked the Muslims as clear enemies to the Christian states of Europe, and encouraged a extremist nationalist policy that euthanized Islamic populations. This disconnection from the humanity of the Palestinian Muslims helped the Crusades gain momentum. By 1106. Urban had organized a massive movement to reclaim Palestine. At the Council of Claremont, he had greatly consecrated any violence against the Useless, and cried Dues vault (God wills it. ) urban had begun touring in France decades earlier, ND now, messengers began to be sent to preach in Southern Italy. The preliminary stages of the Crusades begin in the year 1096, when Peter the Hermit, Inspired by the religious ferocity of Urban, lead an indistinguishable crowd into Turkish land. His people were ambushed and slaughtered. This battle marks the beginning of the Crusades. France and Italy became formally Involved In 1096, and nearly 100,000 crusaders led by Hugh of Overmanned marched south to Anatolia. Crusade conflict began at the Siege of Anatolia, where the crusaders laid siege to Antioch, and after several months, scaled the walls and razed the city. A Muslim counter attack almost immediately put Antioch under siege again, but the army was crushed by the crusaders under Behemoth of Toronto. The surviving survivors of the Antioch siege trudged south, to capture Jerusalem. The Franks captured the city, and many thousands of Jews and Muslims were slaughtered in blind Christian superiors. The newly Christian states were initially stable, but several failed crusades led by Behemoth of Antioch and the Crusade of 1101 and new powerful militaries led by Kill Arsenal and lama ad-Din Zing recaptured Islamic territory in the early 12th century. Three current crusade states, Odessa, populated mainly by Armenian and Syrians and facing constant breach by Muslim forces since its origin in the first crusade of 1109. Tension between Middle Eastern and European powers grew as the fight for the power of Aleph waged on. On December 1st of 1145 Quantum Predecessors is released by Pope Eugene Ill calling for the second crusade to be centralized through powerful European kings, with special focus upon King Louis VII of France. To rouse international support for the second crusade, the pope additionally allowed and nodded the specific targeting of minorities in individual countries, such as the campaign against the pagan Slavs in Germany and the Reconstitutes against the Moors of the Iberian Peninsula. Most German forces were killed en route to Asia Minor or ultimately killed in battle or forced into slavery upon capture. The French forces faced relatively less trouble over the course of their crusade excluding a battle with Turkish forces, from which they emerged victorious. In their attacks on Damascus the crusaders used guerrilla war tactics in their siege of the city, but ultimately failed and were forced to retreat to Jerusalem. The failure of the second crusade hugely affected European country relations and changed the political and military functionality of Jerusalem. Sync would like to emulate the power and strength of our leader, Salad, and move to destroy the Christian invaders using new military tactics, called Hidden Sand War. Our new strategy heavy relies on the usage of camouflage and ambushes. Because of the stark blankness of Palestinian geography, we propose that the Syrian army begin to hide themselves from the enemy beyond typical camouflage. New camouflage should reflect the arid terrain of Syria, and we would like to implement several devices of surprise, including sand traps, and sand bunkers. Syria is in serious need of a fortification system to deter religious fanatics from entering the Holy Land. Syria would like to utilize the deserts most common resource to defend itself. First, camel hair or cactus reeds would be used to create bags to carry sand in. These sand bags would be used to create fortifications against arrow strikes, and chargers. Many of these fortification would be dug into the sand, and would lend in with the ground, to better protect and cover troops located within. Troops would utilize the cover to act as archery posts or bases for sudden quick surprise attacks. Another tactical advantage of the blandness of the sand would be to deter enemy cavalry movements. Small pits would be dug into the sand, and could be filled with blades, and covered with tarps. These small pits would fit horse legs perfectly, and would work so whenever a horse stepped inside, the bone would break due to the horses weight. If the bone didnt break, the sheer pressure of the horse step would cut or snap the horses leg. This would force heavy knights onto their feet, making them vulnerable to archers and cavalry charge. Syria also proposes that a mobile horse archer unit be established to create a quick and powerful cavalry. This new cavalry would be based off Mongolia cavalry, and would carry bows and short swords. Each rider would own three to four horses to increase speeds, and the Arabian horse race would be used. These new riders would incorporate two specific tactics, the use of the planned rout, and ambush. The riders, if they feel the time if opportune, would fake a retreat to lure the enemy into breaking ranks. This breakage massive cavalry charge. And lastly, the use of crude oil would be used to control the enemy. Cavalry will lure enemy troops into pre-doused fields of oil, and trap them using the fire. Troops, disoriented and scared, provide an easy target for charges, and the fire pushes the troops against a wall. At this point, phalanx formations would force the enemy either into the fire, against the phalanx, or either down a very narrow break in the line, where more troops appear to ambush. Eventually, the crusaders will become so worn down, they will be forced to retreat, and succumb to Islamic dominance.

Definition and Examples of Binomials in Algebra

Definition and Examples of Binomials in Algebra A polynomial equation with two terms usually joined by a plus or minus sign is called a binomial. Binomials are used in algebra. Polynomials  with one term will be called a monomial and could look like 7x. A polynomial with two terms is called a binomial; it could look like 3x 9. It is easy to remember binomials as bi means 2 and a binomial will have 2 terms. A classic example is the following:  3x 4 is a binomial and is also a polynomial,  Ã‚  2a(ab) 2  is also a binomial (a and b are the binomial factors). The above are both binomials. When multiplying binomials, youll come across a term called the FOIL method which is often just the method used to multiply binomials.   For instance,  to find the product of 2 binomials, youll add the products of the First  terms, the Outer terms, the Inner terms, and the Last terms. When youre asked to square a binomial, it simply means to multiply it by itself. The square of a binomial will be a trinomial. The product of two binomials will be a trinomial. Example of Multiplying Binomials (5 4x) x (3 2x)(5 4x)(3 2x) (5)(3) (5)(2x) (4x)(3) (4x)(2i) 15 10x 12x 8(x)2 15 22x 8(-1) 15 22x - 8 (15 - 8) 22x 7 22x Once you begin taking  algebra in school, youll be doing a great many computations that require binomials and polynomials.

Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security Research Paper

Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security - Research Paper Example On November, 25 2002, the DHS was established fully after the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Reddick, 2010). The responsibilities of DHS today basically revolve around the security of the country. Securing the borders is therefore one primary role of the department and this has led to close to one million deportations of illegal immigrants per year. In addition, thousands of illegal immigrants are also deterred from crossing the borders into the country. The department also facilitates legal immigration and provides guidance to various organizations in the field concerning issues of employment in order to address illegal immigration. With respect to natural disasters, the department seeks to ensure that the country is always ready to assist communities at all stages in the event of a disaster (Logan, 2010). Organizational Design The current design of the DHS is created to ensure the best service delivery and limit any challenges that might arise as a result of a poor structure. Like other departments in the country, DHS is headed by a secretary in this case the Secretary of Homeland Security. The Secretary is appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. Second in line is the Deputy Secretary with several Under Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries within different sections of the Department. Currently, DHS has a number of component agencies and divisions charged with different functions. The agencies include: Customs and Border Protection Transportation Security administration Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration and Customs Enforcement United States Coast Guard Federal Emergency Management Agency United States Secret Service In addition, the Department is further divided into nine divisions. Considering the objectives of the DHS, it is imperative to note that its structure is certainly appropriate in ensuring its core mandate. For instance to enhance the formulation of policies within the department, there is an Unde rsecretary for Policy who is charged with the duty of strengthening this important role. The structure of the organization is much â€Å"flatter† and this is a source of empowerment as agencies with overlapping missions are consolidated while the agencies can directly report to the secretary through the Deputy Secretary (Cackley, 2010). Considering that the primary recipients of the department’s services are the people of the United States, there is a lot of rationalization through the creation of a risk-based mechanism for resource allocation which is effective in responding to catastrophic terrorism. Assessment of Organizational Design In order to ensure better service delivery and address most of the challenges realized in these changing situations, it is important for the department to adopt slight modifications in its present organizational design. Presently, there is little clarity on the subject of bio-defense and cyber-defense despite these two issues becoming a major concern across the world. In line with the department’s commitment to rationalize its activities, there should be an improvement in departmental oversight through the establishment of efficient oversight committees within the department. It is further seen that the department lacks an efficient internal review mechanism to evaluate

Problem of corporate social responsibility Essay

Problem of corporate social responsibility - Essay Example In such an analysis, the movie ‘Wall street’ as acted in 1987 features such manipulations of a stock broker (Bud) who gets into trade deals with an unscrupulous corporate raider (Gordon Gekko) through whom we see the attributes of manipulation. The character of Bud is clearly brought to light through the greed for quick wealth, which led him into the heinous acts in trade. In one such an incident, after he is much involved in illegal trade affairs with his mentor Gekko, he learns the business and opts to practice it himself against his corporate friend. He deceives Gekko to invest in Bluestar airlines after which he cunningly drives the stock up with an intention of bringing them later down for his own gain against his friend Gekko. This therefore illustrates such an example to business manipulation which is against CSR and which is driven by profit motive. Bud is interested in the unethical behavior of manipulating business performance for own gain through profit maximi zation (IMDb, para 1-7). Manipulation would therefore involve such practices as intentionally overpricing of business goods, over valuation or devaluation as well as the intentional price distortion for the purpose of personal gains. Manipulation has effects in affecting the market forces, which are responsible in regulating demand and supply. At macro level, interest rates and the stock values have great influence on performance of an economy. They also influence the lending rates by financial institutions, which have an equal capacity of encouraging investors into a country. This illustration of manipulation through stock over-valuation and undervaluation therefore has the capacity of destabilizing forces of demand as well as supply hence distort the economy, both at micro as well as macro level. It is also worth noting that manipulations by price distortions ahs the capacity of creating unfavorable competition within the markets whose effects would be felt within the whole econom y. Tax evasion In other instances, business people may intentionally evade payment of tax as a paramount practice for corporate social responsibility. It is the expectation of every governance regime that business firms honor their role in payment of tax for building on government revenues. The governments therefore raise their funds through taxation and as such imposes legal frame worst through which full compliance from any trading firm is expected. This therefore brings in the local and international norms against which individual traders or firms are liable to facing legal charges. However, it is a common practice for trading businesses or individuals to avoid payment of taxes. Such ways through which tax evasion occurs is through understating the profit returns, failure to update books of account on timely manner as well as corruption where traders would cooperate with authorities at a lower fee instead of honoring the obligation of paying taxes. These are common practices, whi ch are against business ethics that trading firms or individuals engage in for purposes of maximizing own profit. However, despite the increased efforts in creating awareness and regulation, unethical behavior through such means as tax evasion is increasingly being experienced (Cox, Friedman and Edward, 263-265). Dishonesty practices are equally common phenomena in trading businesses

Distorting the Truth About Crime and Race Assignment

Distorting the Truth About Crime and Race - Assignment Example However, the role of NYPD is to strictly keep an eye on African Americans for the sake of crime prevention and mitigation program that they should employ for the public safety. For this reason, no unjustified racial tactics may be necessary on the part of NYPD, but a strong action of priority to look out for the violent ones, which would allow us to see Mac Donald so convincing with his claim if we try to figure out this way. The strong stand of Mac Donald (2010) is to disclose the crime rates before we could actually conclude that the New York Police Department (NYPD) may have actually oppressed the city’s black population or the minority with their so-called unjustified racial tactics. It is on this ground that in his article entitled â€Å"Distorting the Truth About Crime and Race: The New York Times Is At It Again† published in the City Journal he strongly disagreed the way how the New York Times may have falsely accused the NYPD of its ‘racist stop-and-frisk practices’ that was allegedly employed on the minority of the population, consisting the Blacks, Hispanic and other nationalities. Keywords: race, crime, racial discrimination, African Americans, NYPD, justice The strong stand of Mac Donald (2010) is to disclose the crime rates before we could actually conclude that the New York Police Department (NYPD) may have actually oppressed the city’s black population or the minority with their so-called unjustified racial tactics. It is on this ground that in his article entitled â€Å"Distorting the Truth About Crime and Race: The New York Times Is At It Again† published in the City Journal Mac Donald strongly opposed the way New York Times may have falsely accused the NYPD of its ‘racist stop-and-frisk practices’ that was allegedly employed on the minority of the population, consisting the Blacks, Hispanic and other nationalities. Mac Donald (2010) said, â€Å"You cannot properly analyze police behavior w ithout analyzing crime†. Will this lead us to understanding why, as the Times claimed that in 2009 Blacks made up 55 percent of all stops even though they were only 23 percent of the city’s total population compared to the 10 percent of all stops for the Whites consisting the highest percentage of the population which was 35 percent by that time? Mac Donald has the answer. He presented the evidence that in the first half of 2009 in New York, Blacks already committed 66 percent of all the reported cases of violent crimes compared to the 5 percent among Whites by contrast. In addition, he added that Blacks committed 80 percent of all shootings in the first half of 2009 and 70 percent of all reported cases of robberies compared to the 1.8 percent for shootings and 5 percent robberies that whites committed, by contrast. This therefore according to Mac Donald should justify further why Blacks and Latinos were nine times as likely as whites to be stopped. Mac Donald suggested that the above facts should have been included in the report of Times in order to justify the truth behind why the cops are most likely to stop the minority of the population who were most of the time involved in the proliferation of crimes. In this tone of argument, Mac Donald is trying to convey the idea that Blacks could be more violent than Whites, which could further justify why the cops may have placed them as a higher priority for various crime-related investigations. Here where the actual issue of public policing may come in, which Mac Donald has also deliberately included in his argument. In line with his actual reasoning, it could be that the ultimate way to justify the action of the NYPD is to investigate the rate of crimes at present when police officers are active in mitigating the occurrence of crime especially that a significant number

Managing Contention for Shared Resources on Multicore Processors Case Study - 1

Managing Contention for Shared Resources on Multicore Processors - Case Study Example As a result, they ran a group of applications on different schedules, paired differently such that each application had the opportunity to pair with the other applications. They ran each possible schedule in the same memory domain rather than as an individual entity. In doing this they managed to attain the actual degradation of each bench mark while sharing the same memory domain as another bench mark. They then compared the actual best schedule with the estimated best schedule, that is they compared the degradation of the estimated best schedule in relation to the actual best one. They concluded that high-rate-miss applications should not be combined with low-rate-miss applications. Zhuravlev et al.(2) adds that previous works meant to improve thread performance in multicore systems was based on cache contention as it was assumed that it was the main, if not the only cause of performance degradation. They also state that (Zhuravlev et al. 20) "in this context cache contention is suffering extra cache misses because its co-runner (threads running on cores that share the same LLC) bring their own data into the LLC evicting the data of others." As stated by (Federova et al. 45) when a thread requests a cache line that doesnt exist, then a cache miss is registered, and a new cache line must be allocated. Chandra, Guo, Kim and Salihin (nd, p1) indicate that the sharing of a cache by threads in multicore processors is important to prevent redundancy. However, when several threads share the same cache, they compete for the available cache space. The sharing of cache space isnt uniform and therefore, the performance of those threads that access less cache space is greatly reduced. Federova et al. (32) have throughout the analysis aim to prove that the best formula to avoid contention in multicore processor systems is by building a contention-aware scheduler. They state that assigning applications to cores depending on the best possible schedule, may

Personal Philosophy of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Personal Philosophy of Education - Essay Example Personal Philosophy of Education I have been associated with the profession of teaching for quite some time now. Over the years, I have developed myself as a teacher. Today, when I reflect back at my teaching experience, I see a radical improvement not only in my style of teaching, but also in my overall persona. I attribute this to the development and refinement of my philosophy of education that has happened as a result of my years of teaching. I see teaching as a way of spreading information, awareness, and enlightenment in the society with a view to contributing positively to the development of the nation, and getting spiritual, psychological, and emotional satisfaction and gratification from it. Worldview or Philosophy of Life People’s worldviews are influenced primarily by their religious beliefs. The worldview of an atheist is fundamentally different from that of a monotheist. While the worldviews of monotheists and polytheists are also substantially different from each other, yet they are similar at least to the extent that both believe in the existence of an other world that is beyond the reach and sight of the human beings for a certain time. Religion happens to be the main source of guidance and influence in terms of worldview because it provides the most radical and sensible explanation of what life is all about. Metaphysics Since I believe in God, I believe that whatever I do in this world will have an impact on what I get in the world hereafter. My future in the world hereafter depends upon my performance in this world; the extent to which I remain noble, just, and fair will depict whether I deserve reward or punishment as a result of my deeds in the world hereafter. The concept of the impact of the deeds performed in this world upon the life hereafter motivates me to be good to others and sacrifice many pleasures in this world. The profession of teaching in this perspective is a very noble profession in that it provides me with the opportu nity to spread knowledge and light in the society, to empower the society by empowering the students and particularly the young generation from the standpoint of knowledge as well as morally. This is a just and respectable way of earning money because an individual gets to contribute positively to the society in compensation. My worldview implies that I do my duty with uttermost honesty and sincerity. This requires delivering as much knowledge to the students as I can without differentiating among the students on the basis of their factors of diversity. Some teachers teach for spiritual purposes. â€Å"This spirituality – evident in their teaching behaviors, their values, and their beliefs – often bore themes of transcendence and transformation† (Irvine, 2003, p. 13). I also approach my profession as a way of spiritual rejuvenation and personal enhancement, identifying my weaknesses and trying to transform them into strengths. Although I am a teacher, yet I am a human being also. My knowledge might be more in the subject I am teaching compared to that of my students, but there is also a limit to my knowledge. Occasionally, students ask such brilliant questions that even I do not know their answers. At those times, my perception of having a more powerful status as a teacher compared to the status of my students and my desire to maintain that status inculcates a desire

A Small Business Mideset Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Small Business Mideset - Essay Example ess owner is better than the stability of being a paid employee; and they expect higher financial returns from being a small business owner than being an employee. People start a small business, despite having a stable career, because they have the willingness to take risks and they want to pursue their dreams. They also believe that there are business opportunities that are related to their dreams and passions. Amaral and Baprista (2007) studied the factors involved for people choosing to be entrepreneurs. They noted that entrepreneurs believe in their dreams of opening their own businesses because of business opportunities and because they are willing to take risks (Amaral & Baprista, 2007, p.26). Levine and Rubinstein (2013) agreed that employed people who want to open small businesses are more willing to take risks than paid employees. In addition, those who open new businesses believe that being business owners is more challenging than being paid employees. Girouard (2013) menti oned that many employees open their own businesses because they think that they are maximizing their strengths more in challenging entrepreneurial environments. Professional development may actually be better attained as entrepreneurs than as paid employees where there are constraints to continued learning and growth. Apart from being willing risk-takers, finding business opportunities, and boosting professional development, employees who open small businesses also believe that they have more autonomy and are happier and that they can earn more. Girouard (2013) underscored that many employees want greater autonomy over decision-making. They want to be their own managers, so they start their own businesses. Autonomy as owners can also make them feel happier and more fulfilled in life. Moreover, starting a business can increase income levels. Girouard (2013) and Levine and Rubinstein (2013) provided studies that showed that self-employed individuals usually earn more per hour or have

Personal Philosophy of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Personal Philosophy of Education - Essay Example Personal Philosophy of Education I have been associated with the profession of teaching for quite some time now. Over the years, I have developed myself as a teacher. Today, when I reflect back at my teaching experience, I see a radical improvement not only in my style of teaching, but also in my overall persona. I attribute this to the development and refinement of my philosophy of education that has happened as a result of my years of teaching. I see teaching as a way of spreading information, awareness, and enlightenment in the society with a view to contributing positively to the development of the nation, and getting spiritual, psychological, and emotional satisfaction and gratification from it. Worldview or Philosophy of Life People’s worldviews are influenced primarily by their religious beliefs. The worldview of an atheist is fundamentally different from that of a monotheist. While the worldviews of monotheists and polytheists are also substantially different from each other, yet they are similar at least to the extent that both believe in the existence of an other world that is beyond the reach and sight of the human beings for a certain time. Religion happens to be the main source of guidance and influence in terms of worldview because it provides the most radical and sensible explanation of what life is all about. Metaphysics Since I believe in God, I believe that whatever I do in this world will have an impact on what I get in the world hereafter. My future in the world hereafter depends upon my performance in this world; the extent to which I remain noble, just, and fair will depict whether I deserve reward or punishment as a result of my deeds in the world hereafter. The concept of the impact of the deeds performed in this world upon the life hereafter motivates me to be good to others and sacrifice many pleasures in this world. The profession of teaching in this perspective is a very noble profession in that it provides me with the opportu nity to spread knowledge and light in the society, to empower the society by empowering the students and particularly the young generation from the standpoint of knowledge as well as morally. This is a just and respectable way of earning money because an individual gets to contribute positively to the society in compensation. My worldview implies that I do my duty with uttermost honesty and sincerity. This requires delivering as much knowledge to the students as I can without differentiating among the students on the basis of their factors of diversity. Some teachers teach for spiritual purposes. â€Å"This spirituality – evident in their teaching behaviors, their values, and their beliefs – often bore themes of transcendence and transformation† (Irvine, 2003, p. 13). I also approach my profession as a way of spiritual rejuvenation and personal enhancement, identifying my weaknesses and trying to transform them into strengths. Although I am a teacher, yet I am a human being also. My knowledge might be more in the subject I am teaching compared to that of my students, but there is also a limit to my knowledge. Occasionally, students ask such brilliant questions that even I do not know their answers. At those times, my perception of having a more powerful status as a teacher compared to the status of my students and my desire to maintain that status inculcates a desire

MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH PROGRAMS (Module 1 SLP) Essay

MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH PROGRAMS (Module 1 SLP) - Essay Example The manager of our interest was appointed as head of a health service and research institute in 1993, that time it was on the verge of closure due to mismanagement and inefficiency. The head excelled in planning, organizing, communicating, leading, controlling and monitoring. As showed by Koontz and O'Donnel (1959) the head had proficiency in all the major functions of a manager (Koontz & O'Donnel 1959). No doubt the head was an active leader. As showed by Bateman and Zeithaml (1993) the head used vision and judgement to create opportunities and did the right things (Bateman& Zeithaml, 1993). The head gave opportunity for high performance. Incentive was given for excellent performers. The head always ensured success and used to project ones own success as institutes success. Finally the head made everybody to believe that head is the personification of institute. The institute started progressing and at the end of a decade it became one of the internationally renowned institutes. Lot of laurels and praise came to the head of the institute. People started praising the head as one of the successful managers. the head got retired, the employees of the institute were divided in to two groups, one the so called high performers patronised by the head and two, the worthless low performers! Institute fell into internal squabbles and was in great trouble. Nobody had direction as everybody was accustomed to orders. Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses In spite of being an active leader and visionary the head failed to develop positive work environment because the head gave orders rather than directions. Though the head gave opportunity and incentive for high performance in the process the head formed a group of henchmen. As depicted by Agars and Wilson (2005) the head applied the principles of classical conditioning in its crude form (Agars & Wilson, 2005). Person and group of persons took precedence over activity. Bateman and Zeithaml (1993) outlined effective manager as an active leader who creates a positive work environment in which the organization and its employees have the opportunity and the incentive to achieve high performance (Bateman & Zeithaml, 1993). Though successful the head failed to become an effective manager. References Agars, W.S., & Wilson, G.T. (2005). Learning theory. In B.J. Sadock & V.A.Sadock

The problem of Brain-drain Essay Example for Free

The problem of Brain-drain Essay Brian Drain refers the situation when highly qualified and trained people leave a country to permanently settle in some other country. It is also referred to as Human capital flight. The problem of Brain-drain, in our age, has become very elusive. The developing countries like India are desperately in need of talents, especially in the field of science and technology but for one reason or the other the talents and fleeing their countries, leaving their native lands impoverished in the process. Thus it is an extremely serious problem, for on the solution of it depends upon the destiny of the poorer countries. India can be taken as an instance in point. After independence this country is engaged in difficult struggle against poverty. But struggles cannot be launched in papers; they require armies of trained personnel – the scientists, technical knowhow and specialists in the field of planned development. If, instead of contributing to the prosperity of India, the Indian scientists, research scholars, engineers, doctors and economists immigrate to other countries, it is difficult to see how India can implement her development plans and attain her goal of prosperity. In ancient times the scholars of one country visited neighboring countries, and they often stayed there for years, both learning and teaching. The great scholars of China and Persia and other scholars from the West visited India during her prosperous days in the past and wrote memoirs which are precious materials for Indian history. But these were not considered brain drain then. For when Hiuen Tsang came to India or Shilbhadra visited Tibet, staying there for many years, their absence from their own countries did not make much difference. On the contrary, their experiences and wisdom gained from their visits enriched their countries. Such exchanges benefited the countries in those days and built a bridge of understanding and amity when communication between even the neighbours was not easy. In the under-developed countries like India, the ambitious and highly educated people found it very difficult to climb the peak, for the obstacles were many and the bureaucratic bungling was irritating. Hence, the alarming exodus started in the fifties and in the seventies the brain-drain appeared  to be complete. Hundred of talents emigrated to the U.S.A. and Europe which assured them of great opportunities for getting to the top, of secure and comfortable living, of satisfaction and of glory in their respective fields. If the emigrants could have all those assurances they would not think of fleeing their country. But the problem is that a developing country like India could hardly afford to accommodate so many ambitious people, nor could the scope be made broad enough to secure affluence for all. Some of them, after training and experiences in foreign countries, return home with individual drams and when they fail to fit in with the evolving patterns at home, despair drives them away again. But India needs these professionally trained people, so they should be persuaded to stay in India and be content with less lucrative jobs. When India is rich enough to reward them, they would not find much to complain about. All these people are among the fortunate few, enjoying the privilege of education, while some eighty percent of Indians languish in dark hovels – poor, ignorant and superstitious. It is they duty and responsibility of those privileged few to take them out of the morass, instead of jointing the mad rush for careerism. There may be many obstacles in their way, but their dedicated services and patriotic zeal will help them rise above them and restore to India her lost glory.

Speech :: essays research papers

Now that this journey is declared officially â€Å"OVER† I would like for all of you teachers to recognize all my patience, understanding, and my abilities of persuasion. For all of you who made my life miserable and impossible, I still love ya!! * I would like to dedicate my abilities of skipping class to Mr. Diaz because without him, I wouldn’t be where I am right know. Thank you for never noticing! * I would also like to dedicate all my sore throats to Mr. Williams because without them, I probably wouldn’t be able to spit as many times as I did your coffee mug. * I dedicate my logros to the logro club Even though I wasn’t completely part of you guys, I’m aware the road is not easy and you guys did push it hard. * To Anibal, I dedicate the 101 times I arrived late to school and you nicely opened me the gate every single time. * To Carmen Alicia, I dedicate the happiness school brought to my face daily since she was always there giving me a smile specially in the moments of need. * To Mrs. Faillace I would like to dedicate my acceptance to Suffolk University because if it wasn’t for her support and comprehension I probably would never made it. * Mr. Gabriel, even though you always try to be funny but you aren’t, I dedicate you all my referrals to the office you let pass if I laughed at your bad jokes. * Lalito Escolar, I leave you my never ending love and our hidden affair. * Zuly, I dedicate you all the school rules I didn’t obey including in your own computers lab. (Checking e-mail) * To Mrs. Farr I dedicate my ability to sleep for 45 min. without you noticing. * To Mr. Barrios I dedicate my incredible ability to counterfeit passes since he never catch me one. * To All teachers, If you always have wondered why the teacher appreciation day gave you diarrhea, is because the drink had laxatives. Speech :: essays research papers Now that this journey is declared officially â€Å"OVER† I would like for all of you teachers to recognize all my patience, understanding, and my abilities of persuasion. For all of you who made my life miserable and impossible, I still love ya!! * I would like to dedicate my abilities of skipping class to Mr. Diaz because without him, I wouldn’t be where I am right know. Thank you for never noticing! * I would also like to dedicate all my sore throats to Mr. Williams because without them, I probably wouldn’t be able to spit as many times as I did your coffee mug. * I dedicate my logros to the logro club Even though I wasn’t completely part of you guys, I’m aware the road is not easy and you guys did push it hard. * To Anibal, I dedicate the 101 times I arrived late to school and you nicely opened me the gate every single time. * To Carmen Alicia, I dedicate the happiness school brought to my face daily since she was always there giving me a smile specially in the moments of need. * To Mrs. Faillace I would like to dedicate my acceptance to Suffolk University because if it wasn’t for her support and comprehension I probably would never made it. * Mr. Gabriel, even though you always try to be funny but you aren’t, I dedicate you all my referrals to the office you let pass if I laughed at your bad jokes. * Lalito Escolar, I leave you my never ending love and our hidden affair. * Zuly, I dedicate you all the school rules I didn’t obey including in your own computers lab. (Checking e-mail) * To Mrs. Farr I dedicate my ability to sleep for 45 min. without you noticing. * To Mr. Barrios I dedicate my incredible ability to counterfeit passes since he never catch me one. * To All teachers, If you always have wondered why the teacher appreciation day gave you diarrhea, is because the drink had laxatives.

Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class and Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarka’s Sensory Design :: Creativity Sensory Design Rise Creative Essays

Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class and Joy Malnar and Frank Vodvarka’s Sensory Design Of all my positive attributes, creativity is not one of them. I think of creativity as the ability to come up with new things, using one’s imagination to create beauty, induce laughter, and/or provoke emotion. My jokes are always corny, my drawing skills are comparable to a toddler’s, and I suck at telling stories. â€Å"Creative† definitely does not describe me. Richard Florida, in The Rise of the Creative Class, describes creativity as a separate entity from intelligence, and I totally agree. He also describes it as something acquired through experience. I have always been a nerd, but that doesn’t make me a creative genius—and my tunnel vision hasn’t helped either. Florida mocked me with these words: â€Å"Creativity is favored by an intellect that has been enriched with diverse experiences and perspectives.† I thought that creativity was something you were born with, and that I just wasn’t present when God was giving it out. Florida describes that theory as the â€Å"romantic myth of creative genius,† and says that creativity is inherent in all people. Ordinary abilities foster creativity. I never thought of it that way. Richard Florida also goes on to say that creativity is energy-absorbing, tiring work. To come to think of it, it can be very laborious. My husband likes to design clothing, and sometimes he stares into space for hours daydreaming. Suddenly, he’d sprint into the bedroom, grab his notebook and start drawing. He could eat up a whole pencil, eraser and all, for that one drawing. Beads of sweat would form on his brow, and the nerve in the middle of his forehead would protrude. And I’d know to keep our daughter away and leave him at peace. You see, I think my husband is creative. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s an artist. Geniuses like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison were not only smart, but they also devised new theories, solved mathematical mysteries, and pioneered new gadgets.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 42

â€Å"It's not a problem,†the fair ruler, Ryannen, said unexpectedly. â€Å"We can make it so that your Mr. Tanner repel ed an apparent vampire attack and the school cal ed in Alaric Saltzman to take his place and investigate. All right, Idola?† – to the redhead, and to the dark one – â€Å"All right, Susurre?† Elena wasn't All right. Despite the example she'd just had of turn-on-a-dime plotting and scheming, she was scarcely listening. Al she knew was that her voice had gone husky and that tears blurred her eyes. â€Å"And†¦for the Master Key – I want – â€Å" Stefan squeezed her hand. Elena suddenly realized that they were al standing, al three of them, beside her. And the look on every face was the same. Dead resolve. â€Å"I want Damon back.†Elena hadn't heard quite this note in her voice since the day she'd been told both her parents had died. If there had been a table, she would have put her clenched fists on it and did her best to loom over the women. As it was, she simply leaned toward them, speaking in a low and grating voice. â€Å"If you do that – bring him back, exactly as he was before he walked into the Gatehouse – then you get the Master Key and the treasures. You say no – and you lose everything. Everything. This is non-negotiable, get it?† She kept staring into Idola's green eyes. She refused to see dark Susurre drop her forehead onto three fingertips and begin to rub it in smal circles. She wouldn't give a glance to blond Ryannen, who was looking at her steadily, having gone into people-management mode. She stared directly into those green eyes under their wil ful eyebrows. Idola gave a little huff and shook her gorgeous head. â€Å"Look, someone clearly has screwed up in preparing you for this interview.†A glance at Susurre. â€Å"The other things you've asked for – al together, it forms a very heavy ransom. Do you understand that? Do you understand that it involves changing the memories of al the people for miles around your town, and changing them for every day of ten months? That it means changing everything in print about Fel ‘s Church – and that there is a lot in print – not to mention other media outlets? It means begging for three human spirits and weaving flesh around them again. I'm not sure we even have the personnel for this – â€Å" Blond Ryannen put a hand on the redhead's arm. â€Å"We have it. Susurre's women have little to do in the Nether World. I can lend you perhaps thirty percent of mine – after al , we're going to have to send up a petition to a higher Court for those spirits – â€Å" Idola the redhead interrupted. â€Å"All right. What I was saying is that we might just be able to manage – if you throw in the Key. However, your vampire companion – we can't give life back to the lifeless. We can't work with vampires. Once they're gone – they're gone.† â€Å"That's what you tell us!†Stefan cried, trying to get in front of Elena. â€Å"But why are we so particularly damned, of al creatures? How do you know it's impossible? Have you ever even tried? â€Å" Red-haired Idola was making a disgusted gesture, when Bonnie interrupted, her voice shaking. â€Å"It's ridiculous! You can rebuild a town, you can kil the person who's real y behind al Shinichi and Misao did, but you can't bring one little vampire back? You brought Elena back!† â€Å"Elena's death as a vampire al owed her to become the Guardian she was original y meant to be. As for the person who gave orders to Shinichi and Misao: It was Inari Saitou – Obaasan Saitou, as you knew her – and she is already dead, thanks to your friends in Fel ‘s Church, who weakened her – and to you, who destroyed her star bal .† â€Å"Inari? You mean Isobel's grandma? You're saying it was her star bal in the Great Tree's trunk? That's impossible!†Bonnie cried. â€Å"No, it's not. It's the truth,†blond Ryannen said simply. â€Å"And she's dead now?† â€Å"After a long battle which nearly kil ed your friends. Yes – but what actual y killed her was having her star bal destroyed.† â€Å"So,†dark Susurre said quietly, â€Å"if you fol ow the curve†¦in a way your Damon did die to save Fel ‘s Church from another massacre like the one on that Japanese island. He kept saying that was what he'd come to the Nether World to do. Do you not think he would be†¦satisfied? At peace?† â€Å"At peace?†Stefan spat bitterly, and Sage growled. â€Å"Woman,†he said, â€Å"you obviously have never met Damon Salvatore before.†The tone in his voice – more resonant, more threatening somehow – made Elena final y break off her staredown with the red-haired Idola. She turned and looked – – and saw the enormous room fil ed with Sage's out-spread wings. They weren't like any of her ephemeral Wings Powers. They were clearly part of Sage. They were velvety and reptilian, and, unfurled like this, they stretched from distant wal to wal , and touched the grand, golden ceiling. They also demonstrated why Sage didn't usual y wear shirts. He was beautiful this way, bronze skin and hair against those giant, leathery soft-looking arches. But Elena, after one look at him, knew that the time had come to play the ace up her sleeve. She turned around to meet Idola's green gaze squarely. â€Å"Al this time we've been bargaining for a Gatehouse ful of treasures,†she said, â€Å"and – one Master Key.† â€Å"A Master Key, stolen by the kitsune ages upon ages ago,†Susurre explained quietly, lifting her dark eyes. â€Å"And you've said that it's not enough for you to bring Damon back.†Elena forced her voice not to waver. â€Å"Not even if it were your only request.†Ryannen tossed a golden lock of hair over her shoulder. â€Å"So you say. But†¦what if I throw into the pot†¦another Master Key?† There was a pause, and Elena's heart began to pound in sick terror. Because it was the wrong kind of pause. There were no shocked gasps. No astonished glances from one Guardian ruler to another. No looks of disbelief. After another moment Idola said smugly, â€Å"If you mean the other stolen key that your friends had on Earth – it was confiscated as soon as they hid it. It was stolen property. It belonged to us.† She's been here too long, in the Dark Dimensions, Elena thought with one part of her mind. She's enjoying herself. Idola leaned toward her, as if to confirm Elena's guess. â€Å"It – simply – is not – possible,†she said emphatical y. â€Å"Real y, it isn't,†the fair Ryannen added briskly. â€Å"We don't know what happens to vampires. But they don't pass through our purview. We never see them after death. The simplest explanation is that they just – go out.†She snapped her fingers. â€Å"I don't believe that!† Elena was aware that her voice had risen in volume. â€Å"I don't believe that for one moment!† Voices, not attached to anyone in particular, burst into a clamor of argument around Elena, forming a sort of poem: Not possible. It's simply not possible! ( But please†¦) No! Damon is gone, and to ask where is like asking where a candle flame goes when it's blown out. ( But shouldn't you try to bring him back, at the least? ) Whatever has happened to gratitude? You four should be grateful that the other things you asked for can be done. ( But in exchange for both Master Keys – ) No Power we can command could bring Damon back! Elena must try to reconcile herself to reality. She has been pampered too much already! ( But what harm can it do to try again? ) All right! If you must know, Susurre has already forced us to try. And nothing came of it! Damon†¦is†¦gone! His spirit was nowhere to be found in the ether! That is what happens to vampires, and everyone knows it! Elena found herself looking down at her own hands, which were very clean but with broken nails and every knuckle bleeding. The outside world had become unreal again. She was inside herself, struggling with her grief, struggling with the knowledge that Idola, the central ruler of Guardians, hadn't even mentioned before that they had looked for Damon's spirit. And that it was†¦gone. Suddenly, the room was pressing in on her. There wasn't enough air. There were only these women: these powerful, magical Guardian women; who Stilldid not have enough power or magic to save Damon – or at least didn't even care enough to try twice. She wasn't sure what was happening to her. Her throat felt puffed out, her chest was both huge and tight. Each heartbeat sounded through her as if trying to shake her to death. To death. In her mind's eye, she saw a hand hold up a glass of Clarion Loess Black Magic. And then, Elena knew that she had to stand a certain way, and hold her arms a certain way, and whisper certain words in her own mind. But the last, the naming of the spel , had only to be said aloud at the end. At the end – when things slowed. When green-eyed Idola – what a perfect name for someone who idolized herself, Elena thought – and fair businesslike Ryannen and nurturing Susurre – al stared at her with open mouths, too shocked to move even a finger as, quietly and calmly, Elena said, â€Å"Wings of Destruction – â€Å" It was a soldier, just an ordinary one of the rank and file, one of the dark women, who stopped it. She leaped up onto the dais, and, with inhuman speed, slapped her hand over Elena's mouth, so that the final syl able was a mumble, and the golden, green, and blue hal did not explode into fragments with hot metal running in rivulets like lava, and the flower-fountain did not vaporize, and the stained-glass windows didn't shatter into atoms. Then there were more arms around Elena, holding her down, scarcely letting her breathe, even when she went limp for lack of air. Elena fought like an animal, with her teeth and nails, to escape. But she eventual y was completely restrained, pinned to the floor. She could hear Sage's deep voice raging and Stefan, in between desperate telepathic bursts to her, pleading and explaining, â€Å"She's Stillnot in reality! She doesn't even know what she's doing!† But louder, she could hear the voices of the Guardians. â€Å"She would have kil ed us al !†Ã¢â‚¬ Those Wings – I've never seen anything so deadly!†Ã¢â‚¬ A human! And with just three words, she could have wiped us out!†Ã¢â‚¬ If Lenea hadn't tackled her – â€Å"†Or if she had been another few feet away – â€Å"†She destroyed a moon, you know! No life on it at allnow, and ashes Stillfal ing from the sky!†Ã¢â‚¬ That isn't the point. The point is that she shouldn't have Wings powers at all. She's got to be clipped of them.†Ã¢â‚¬ That's right – clip her Wings! Do it! â€Å" Elena recognized Ryannen's and Idola's voices at the end there. She was Stilltrying to fight, but they held her so tightly and piled on her so ruthlessly that it had become a fight simply to get air and al she did was exhaust herself. And then they clipped her Wings. It was quick, at least, and Elena felt very little. What hurt most was her heart. Some proud, stubborn streak had been brought out with the fighting, and now she was ashamed to feel each pair cut off. First went Wings of Redemption, those great rainbow-hued arches. Then Wings of Purification, white and iridescent as frosted cobwebs. Wings of the Wind, like honey-colored thistledown. Wings of Remembrance, soft violet and midnight blue. And then Wings of Protection – emerald green and gold, the Wings that had saved her friends from Bloddeuwedd's frenzied attack on them the first time they had entered the Dark Dimensions. And, final y, Wings of Destruction – high, ebony arches with edges as delicate as black lace. Elena tried to keep silent as each power was taken. But after the first one or two had fal en at her sides, in shadows that perhaps only she could see, she heard a smal gasp, and realized that it was her own voice. And with the next cut, an involuntary little cry. For a moment there was silence. And then suddenly there was overwhelming noise. Elena could hear Bonnie keening and Sage roaring, and Stefan, gentle Stefan, shouting blasphemies and curses at the Guardians. Elena guessed from the stifled sound of his voice that he was fighting them, fighting to get to her. He reached her, somehow, just as the deadly, delicate Wings of Destruction were sheared from her shoulders and mind, and fel like tal shadows to the ground. It was good that he did reach her then, because at last, when Elena was the least dangerous she had been since the Powers of Wings had begun awakening in her, suddenly the Guardians seemed afraid. They stepped back from her, these strong and dangerous women, and only Stefan was there to catch her and hold her in his arms. Stunned, dazed, she was an eighteen-year-old girl who was ordinary. Except for her blood. They wanted to rob her of her blood as well†¦to â€Å"purify†it. The three rulers and their attendants had already gathered in a determined, multihued triangle around her and were working their magic when Sage bel owed, â€Å"Stop!† Elena, drooping over Stefan's shoulder, could see him vaguely, his velvety black wings Stillspread from wal to wal , Stilltouching the golden ceiling. Bonnie clung to him like a bit of stray dandelion fluff. â€Å"You have already diminished her aura to almost nothing,†he growled. â€Å"If you ‘purify'the blood of this pauvre petite completely, she wil die – and then she wil awaken. You wil have created un vampire, Mesdames. Is that what you wish?† Susurre reeled back. For the ruler of such a harsh and unyielding realm, she seemed almost too gentle – but not too soft to shear off my Wings, Elena thought, wriggling her shoulders to ease them. Maybe she didn't know how much it would hurt, another part of her mind offered vaguely. Then al her mind came together in an emergency meeting. Something warm and cooling was sliding down the back of her neck, in tiny droplets. Not blood. No, this was infinitely more precious than what the Guardians had taken away. Stefan's tears. She rocked hard, trying to take her own weight on her feet. Somehow, shakily, she managed it. She only realized just how shaky she was when she tried to lift a hand and wipe the tears off Stefan's cheeks with her thumb. Her whole hand wobbled as if she were making a childish joke. Her thumb struck his cheek with enough force to make anyone else wince. She looked at him with dumb apology, too shocked to try to speak. Stefan was speaking. Over and over. â€Å"It doesn't matter,†he was saying. â€Å"It's All right, love. Oh, lovely love, it wil be All right.†He wiped her eyes with a hand that was rock steady, and al the time he was looking only at her, and – she knew – thinking only of her. She knew that because she also knew the moment when it changed. Red hair was in her line of sight, blurred through new tears. Red hair and narrow green eyes, too close to her. That was when Elena felt Stefan remember that there was anything other than Elena in the world. His face changed. He didn't snarl or stick out his chin. The change was an entire alteration, but it centered around his eyes, which became deadly hard while everything else became sharp and fierce. â€Å"If you touch her again, you vicious bitch, I wil rip out your throat,†Stefan said, and each word was like a chip of ice-cold iron dropped onto the floor. Elena's tears stopped with the shock of it. Stefan didn't talk that way to women. Even Damon didn't – hadn't. But the words were Stillechoing in the sudden silence of the cathedral-like room. People were backing away. Idola was backing away too, but her lip was curled. â€Å"Do you think that because we are Guardians that we cannot harm you – ?†she was beginning, when Stefan's voice cut through hers cleanly. â€Å"I think that because you are ‘Guardians'you can kil sanctimoniously and get away with it,†Stefan said, and his lip made a far more compel ing – and frightening – line of scorn than Idola's had. â€Å"You would have kil ed Elena if Sage hadn't stopped you. Damn you,†he added softly, but with such utter conviction that Idola took another step backward. â€Å"Yes, you'd better ral y al your little friends around,†he added. â€Å"I might just decide to kil you anyway. I kil ed my own brother, as I'm sure you realize.† â€Å"But surely – that was only after taking a mortal blow yourself.†Susurre was between the two of them, trying to intercede. Stefan shrugged. He looked at her with the same contempt as he had the other ruler. â€Å"I Stillhad the use of my arm,†he said deliberately. â€Å"I could have decided to drop my sword, or to merely wound him. Instead I chose to put a blade straight through his heart.†He showed his teeth in a distinctly unfriendly smile. â€Å"And now I don't even need a weapon.† â€Å"Stefan,†Elena managed at last to whisper. â€Å"I know. She's weaker than I am and you don't want to see me kil her. That's why she's Stillalive, love. It's the only reason.†As Elena lifted half-frightened eyes to him, Stefan added in a voice only she could hear, Of course, there are some things about me you don't know, Elena. Things I'd hoped you'd never have to see. Knowing you – loving you – made me almost forget about them. Stefan's voice in her head woke something inside Elena. She lifted her head and looked at the blurry mass of Guardians around them. She saw strawberry-blond curls suspended in midair. Bonnie. Bonnie fighting. Doing it weakly, but only because a pair of the fair Guardians and another pair of dark ones were holding her in the air, one to each limb. As Elena stared at her she seemed to regain energy and fought harder. And Elena could hear†¦ something. It was faint and far away, but it almost sounded like†¦her name. Like her name spoken by whispering branches or the whirring of passing bicycle wheels. lay†¦nah†¦eee†¦lay†¦ Elena reached inwardly for the sound. She tried desperately to grasp whatever came after, but nothing happened. She tried a trick she would have found easy yesterday – channeling Power to the center of her telepathy. It didn't work. She tried her telepathy. Bonnie! Can you hear me? There wasn't even the slightest change in the smal er girl's expression. Elena had lost her link to Bonnie. She watched as Bonnie realized the same thing, watched the fight go out of the smal body. Bonnie's face, upturned in blank despair, was indescribably sad, and somehow indescribably pure and beautiful, al at once. That will never happen to us, Stefan's voice in her mind told her fiercely. Never! I give you my – No! Elena thought back, superstitiously terrified of a jinx. If Stefan swore, something might happen – she might have to become a vampire or a spirit – to ensure that he didn't break his word. He stopped, and Elena knew that he had heard her. And somehow this knowledge, that Stefan had heard a single word from her, Stilled her. She knew he wasn't spying. He'd heard because she'd sent the thought to him. She wasn't alone. She might be ordinary again; they might have taken her wings and most of the Power of her blood, but she wasn't alone. She leaned toward him, her forehead against Stefan's chin. â€Å"No one is alone.† She'd told Damon that. Damon Salvatore, a being who no longer existed. But who Stillcal ed forth from her one more word, one final cry. His name. Damon! He'd died four dimensions away. But she could feel Stefan backing her, amplifying her transmission, sending it like one last beacon through the multitude of worlds that separated them from his cold and lifeless body. Damon! There wasn't the slightest glimmer of an answer. Of course not. Elena was making a fool of herself. Suddenly something stronger than grief, stronger than self-pity, even stronger than guilt, took hold of her. Damon wouldn't have wanted her to be carried out of this hal – even by Stefan. Especial y by Stefan. He would have wanted her to show no sign of weakness to these women who'd shorn her and humiliated her. Yes. That was Stefan. Her love, but not her lover, wil ing to love her chastely from now until the end of her days†¦. The end†¦of her days? Elena was suddenly glad that she couldn't project to strangers telepathical y and that Stefan had set shields around them when he'd taken her into his arms. She turned to Ryannen, who was watching†¦warily, but Stillwith business in her eyes. â€Å"I'd like to go now, if you don't mind,†she said, picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder with a gesture as arrogant as she could make it. There was a bolt of agony as the weight of the strap hit the place from which most of her wings had sprung, but she kept her face contemptuous and indifferent. Bonnie, back on the ground since she wasn't fighting any longer, fol owed Elena's lead. Stefan had left his backpack in the Gatehouse, but he gently cupped a hand around Elena's elbow, not guiding her, but showing that he was there for her. Sage's wings folded back into themselves and were gone. â€Å"You understand that for the return of these treasures which are ours by right – but which we were barred from retrieving – you wil be granted your requests with the exception of the imposs – â€Å" â€Å"I understand,†Elena said flatly, just as Stefan said, much more brusquely, â€Å"She understands. Just do it, wil you?† â€Å"It is already being organized.†Ryannen's eyes, dark blue splashed with gold, met Elena's with a look not entirely unsympathetic. â€Å"The best thing,†Sussure added hastily, â€Å"would be for us to put you to sleep and send you to your – your old, new dwellings. By the time you awaken, al wil have been accomplished.† Elena forced her face not to change. â€Å"Send me to Maple Street?†she asked, looking at Ryannen. â€Å"Aunt Judith's house?† â€Å"In your sleep, yes.† â€Å"I don't want to be asleep.†Elena moved even closer to Stefan. â€Å"Don't let them put me to sleep!† â€Å"No one's going to do anything to you that you don't want,†Stefan said, and his voice was like the edge of a razor. Sage rumbled his support, and Bonnie stared at the fair woman hard. Ryannen bowed her head. Elena woke up. It was dark, and she'd been asleep. She couldn't remember exactly how she'd fal en asleep, but she knew she wasn't on the palanquin, and she knew she wasn't in a sleeping bag. Stefan? Bonnie? Damon? she thought automatical y, but there was something odd about her telepathy. It felt almost as if it were confined to her own head. Was she in Stefan's room? It must be pitch-black outside, since she couldn't even see the outline of the trapdoor that led to the widow's walk. â€Å"Stefan?†she whispered, while various bits of information pooled in her mind. There was a smel , at once familiar and unfamiliar. She was lying on a comfortable double bed, not one of Lady Ulma's silken-and-velvet extravaganzas, but not any lumpy featherbed from the boardinghouse, either. Was she in a hotel? As these various thoughts came together in her brain, there was a soft quick rapping. Knuckles on glass. Elena's body took over. She tossed off the bedspread and ran to the window, mysteriously avoiding obstacles without thinking about them at all. Her hands wrenched aside curtains that she somehow knew were there and her skyrocketing heart brought a name to her lips. â€Å"Da – !† And then the world stopped and did its slowest somersault of al . The sight of a face, fierce and concerned and loving and yet strangely frustrated, just on the other side of the second-story window, brought Elena's memories back. Al of them. Fel ‘s Church was saved. And Damon was dead. Her head bent slowly until her forehead touched the cool pane of glass.

Evaluating Change at Alegent Health

Alegent Health (AH) conducted six large group interventions or â€Å"decision accelerators† (DA) to generate innovative strategies for the six clinical service areas. Researchers at USC’s Center for effective organizations contracted with AH to assess the impact of the interventions and help the organization learn how to leverage further change. The implementation feedback involved executive interviews and surveys from people who participated in the â€Å"review DAs†, thus reflecting on implementation progress and plan future changes and support a positive assessment of overall progress. People generally agreed that the implementation of the clinical strategies was going well. They were positive about social capital that had been created by the DAs, especially between managers and physicians, as well as evidence of culture change. Overall the majority of persons believed that the DAs were a great energizer for the organization, generated comprehensive strategies and catalyzed important changes. However the strengths of the DAs were mostly felt by top management while the perception of the DAs was weak in the middle of the organization. The absence of formal change management processes made important resource allocation decisions, trade-offs on technology, and coordination of quality processes across the systems more difficult. When the DA had more community participants, there were broader participation in the discussions, the debates were more intense, and the DA stayed on track. The results from the survey data revealed that the higher percentage of physicians the result was less comprehensive on the other hand when the DA had a high concentration of community participants, the vision was more comprehensive. Overall the DA affected a variety of changes in organization either directly or indirectly. The organization’s initial use of the DA process as a strategic visioning intervention persists in the minds of most organization members. DAs cannot do everything and complementary governance and implementation processes are necessary. Discus the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment. Once the intervention is done it should be evaluated to determine if it is producing the intended results. Feedback gives the desired result if the implementation of the interventions were correct. The strengths of the evaluation were collected through interviews and surveys whose results were positive. Almost everyone â€Å"buy into† the clinical strategies, the DAs were a great energizer hence a high level of commitment. Clarity was gained at the top management level and many physicians. The involvement of community participants resulted in a more comprehensive vision. While the weaknesses involve the organization’s ability to leverage the change, the data revealed a more complex set of issues, weak perception in the middle of the organization, the absence of formal change management and the outcomes of meeting with top management and physicians revealed a less comprehensive vision. Participants thought that the strategy should be more aggressive business oriented How could it have been improved? Their needed to be more internal support to leverage the change, hence people would not feel so overwhelmed by the changes. The changes needed to be programmable to facilitate a formal implementation of the intervention process. Their needed to be more sensing and calibration as it was evident that the community participants produce a more comprehensive vision. There also need to be more internal support to assist the middle of the organization. Reward allocation could be used to gain more support from the middle organization. How much confidence do you have in the lessons learned for this organization? I have a high level of confidence in the lessons from this case because the intervention characteristics were evident and the researchers made use of the institutionalization processes.