Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Comparing The Lottery and Hills Like White Elephants

â€Å"The Lottery† written by Shirley Jackson is a story based off of its point of view, the story would not be told or understood in the same way if it was written in a different point of view. This story keeps the interest of it's readers because it has a point of view where only the people in the story know whats going to happen and know more information than the readers do. If this story was written in first person the readers would know what the lottery was from the beginning of the story and that would make the story not have the surprise ending that confuses the audience. â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† written by Ernest Hemingway is also written in third person point of view. This story is written in a different way then â€Å"The Lottery† is written because in â€Å"The Lottery† everyone knows whats going on besides the audience, and in â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† only the two main characters know what is going on and what the main conversation contains. Another main difference in these two stories is that Jackson tricks her audience and Hemingway never even demonstrated the reason for the conflict in the story. Although both stories are related by using the same point of view they are completely different with the plot and the amount of information they with hold from their audience. Both authors use third person in their own ways and it makes different but related effects to the ending of the stories. One of the effects that are different in each story are the amount of people who know whats going on and what the conflict is. Also, the ending of each story, there is a main effect on the point of view factor. Hemingway does not resolve the conflict that the characters in the story know but the audience does not know. Jackson on the other hand reveals to his audience the conflict and the information he has been with holding from the beginning of the story. The point of view in the stories has a dramatic effect on how they are interpreted from the audience, and what information is known by the audience in any point of the story. If either of these stories were written in first person point of view the entire plot and conflict of the story would change and the audience would have a different outlook on the overall story. In â€Å"The Lottery†, if the audience would have known it was a negative lottery it would have changed the effect the ending had on the audience. However, â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†, would have more of an effect on the audience if it was written in first person point of view. This way the audience would be able to know the main conflict the couple is arguing about throughout the entire story, but the conclusion of the story would change the effect on the readers. Although both stories are wrote in the same point of view, each author interrupts their own personal effects to the stories in which they wrote. Jackson gives her audience clues and hints about the ending, such as the boys piling rocks in the corner of the room, that could be the first signs that the lottery was not what the audience expected it to be. Hemingway however does not take the same approach that Jackson did and did not give his readers clues in the actual text about the information that is being with held from them. The titles of these two stories differ as well, â€Å"The Lottery† is a basic title for the overall story plot, but â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† is a more complicated title that does not give a general over view of the story. The title is supposed to indicate important information about the story, and Hemingway took the third person point of view in the actual text and keep the conflict from his audience but he gave his audience some information in the title. When he used this phrase as his title, he opened his reader's mind to interpret many different ideas and conclusions about this conflict in which they are with held from knowing. â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† are both written in third person but Jackson and Hemingway took this point of view and put their own personal effects into it. Jackson includes clues through out the text that about the actual lottery. Hemingway interprets his clues to the audience through the title of the story. These two stories are similar in the point of view but they differ in how the authors applied what the audience should and should not know through clues in the text and title.

The Effects of Lsd

LSD was first synthesized on November 16, 1938 by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland as part of a large research program searching for medically useful ergot alkaloid derivatives. LSD's psychedelic properties were discovered 5 years later when Hofmann himself accidentally ingested an unknown quantity of the chemical. The first intentional ingestion of LSD occurred on April 19, 1943, when Hofmann ingested 250 mg of LSD. He said this would be a threshold dose based on the dosages of other ergot alkaloids.Hofmann found the effects to be much stronger than he anticipated. Sandoz Laboratories introduced LSD as a psychiatric drug in 1947. Beginning in the 1950s the US Central Intelligence Agency began a research program code named Project MKULTRA. Experiments included administering LSD to CIA employees, military personnel, doctors, other government agents, prostitutes, mentally ill patients, and members of the general public in order to study thei r reactions, usually without the subject's knowledge. The project was revealed in the US congressional Rockefeller Commission report in 1975.In 1963 the Sandoz patents expired on LSD. Also in 1963, the US Food and Drug Administration classified LSD as an Investigational New Drug, which meant new restrictions on medical and scientific use. [ Several figures, including Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, and Al Hubbard, began to advocate the consumption of LSD. LSD became central to the counterculture of the 1960s. On October 24, 1968, possession of LSD was made illegal in the United States. The last FDA approved study of LSD in patients ended in 1980, while a study in healthy volunteers was made in the late 1980s.Legally approved and regulated psychiatric use of LSD continued in Switzerland until 1993. Today, medical research is resuming around the world. Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide (INN) and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psyche delic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synesthesia, an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences, as well as for its key role in 1960s counterculture.It is used mainly as an entheogen, recreational drug, and as an agent in psychedelic therapy. LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has extremely low toxicity relative to dose. However, adverse psychiatric reactions such as anxiety, paranoia, and delusions are possible. LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938 from ergotamine, a chemical derived by Arthur Stoll from ergot, a grain fungus that typically grows on rye. The short form â€Å"LSD† comes from its early code name LSD-25, which is an abbreviation for the German â€Å"Lysergsaure-diethylamid† followed by a sequential number.LSD is sensitive to oxygen, ultraviolet light, and chlorine, especially in solution, though its potency may last for years if it is stored away from light and moisture at low temperature. In pure form it is a colorless, odorless, tasteless solid. LSD is typically delivered orally, usually on a substrate such as absorbent blotter paper, a sugar cube, or gelatin. In its liquid form, it can also be administered by intramuscular or intravenous injection. LSD is very potent, with 20–30  µg (micrograms) being the threshold dose.New experiments with LSD have started in 2009 for the first time in 40 years. Introduced by Sandoz Laboratories, with trade-name Delysid, as a drug with various psychiatric uses in 1947, LSD quickly became a therapeutic agent that appeared to show great promise. In the 1950s, officials at the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) thought the drug might be applicable to mind control and chemical warfare; the agency's MKULTRA research program propagated the drug among young servicemen and students.The subsequent recreational use of the drug by yo uth culture in the Western world during the 1960s led to a political firestorm that resulted in its prohibition. Currently, a number of organizations—including the Beckley Foundation, MAPS, Heffter Research Institute and the Albert Hofmann Foundation—exist to fund, encourage and coordinate research into the medicinal and spiritual uses of LSD and related psychedelics. LSD can cause pupil dilation, reduced or increased appetite, and wakefulness.Other physical reactions to LSD are highly variable and nonspecific, some of which may be secondary to the psychological effects of LSD. Among the reported symptoms are numbness, weakness, nausea, hypothermia or hyperthermia, elevated blood sugar, goose bumps, heart rate increase, jaw clenching, perspiration, saliva production, mucus production, sleeplessness, hyperreflexia, and tremors. Some users, including Albert Hofmann, report a strong metallic taste for the duration of the effects.LSD is not considered addictive by the medi cal community. Rapid tolerance build-up prevents regular use,[citation needed] and cross-tolerance has been demonstrated between LSD, mescaline[ and psilocybin. This tolerance diminishes after a few days after cessation of use and is probably caused by down regulation of 5-HT2A receptors in the brain. LSD's psychological effects (colloquially called a â€Å"trip†) vary greatly from person to person, depending on factors such as previous experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose strength.They also vary from one trip to another, and even as time pass during a single trip. An LSD trip can have long-term psych emotional effects; some users cite the LSD experience as causing significant changes in their personality and life perspective [citation needed]. Widely different effects emerge based on what Timothy Leary called set and setting; the â€Å"set† being the general mindset of the user, and the â€Å"setting† being the physical and social environ ment in which the drug's effects are experienced.Some psychological effects may include an experience of radiant colors, objects and surfaces appearing to ripple or â€Å"breathe†, colored patterns behind the closed eyelids (eidetic imagery), an altered sense of time (time seems to be stretching, repeating itself, changing speed or stopping), crawling geometric patterns overlaying walls and other objects, morphing objects, a sense that one's thoughts are spiraling into themselves, loss of a sense of identity or the ego (known as â€Å"ego death†), and other powerful psycho-physical reactions. Many users experience dissolution between themselves and the â€Å"outside world†.This unitive quality may play a role in the spiritual and religious aspects of LSD. The drug sometimes leads to disintegration or restructuring of the user's historical personality and creates a mental state that some users report allows them to have more choice regarding the nature of their o wn personality. If the user is in a hostile or otherwise unsettling environment, or is not mentally prepared for the powerful distortions in perception and thought that the drug causes, effects are more likely to be unpleasant than if he or she is in a comfortable environment and has a relaxed, balanced and open mindset.LSD causes an altered sensory experience of senses, emotions, memories, time, and awareness for 6 to 14 hours, depending on dosage and tolerance. Generally beginning within thirty to ninety minutes after ingestion, the user may experience anything from subtle changes in perception to overwhelming cognitive shifts. Changes in auditory and visual perception are typical. Visual effects include the illusion of movement of static surfaces (â€Å"walls breathing†), after mage-like trails of moving objects (â€Å"tracers†), the appearance of moving colored geometric patterns (especially with closed eyes), an intensification of colors and brightness (â€Å"spa rkling†), new textures on objects, blurred vision, and shape suggestibility. Users commonly report that the inanimate world appears to animate in an unexplainable way; for instance, objects that are static in three dimensions can seem to be moving relative to one or more additional spatial dimensions. Many of the basic visual effects resemble the phosphine seen after applying pressure to the eye and have also been studied under the name â€Å"form constants†.The auditory effects of LSD may include echo-like distortions of sounds, changes in ability to discern concurrent auditory stimuli, and a general intensification of the experience of music. Higher doses often cause intense and fundamental distortions of sensory perception such as synesthesia, the experience of additional spatial or temporal dimensions, and temporary dissociation. The potential uses of LSD end of life anxiety, alcoholism, pain, cluster headaches, spiritual, and creativity. These are the potential adv erse effects: adverse drug interactions, mental disorders, and suggestibility and also psychosis.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Dominant Position of a Company

According to the European competition case law, a dominant position is defined as â€Å"the power of a firm to behave to an appreciable extent independently of its competitors, customers and consumers†. It is obvious that a firm or several firms which hold a dominant position can determine price, the amount of production, supply and this is because these firms can act independently of their competitors and customers.As a result, dominant position can lead to the market power and in this situation a firm or several firms have an ability to individually make a big influence on the price and total quantity produced which could result to the market failure. But does this definition make an economic sense and how it should be interpreted in monopoly and oligopoly? Firstly, we need to understand exactly the actual meaning of a dominant position.It is a situation when a firm has an ability to behave independently of its competitors, customers and ultimately the final consumer. A well known example of monopolistic dominance is Microsoft’s market in PC operating systems. In monopoly some members in a market can gain market power allowing them to stop other important gains from trades and this can make the allocation of recourses inefficient due to imperfect competition. As going back to my example, Microsoft illegally used its market power by bundling its web browser with its operating system.In economics, market power is the ability of a firm to independently determine the market price and the production of a good or a service, of course, in perfectly competitive markets – market power vanishes. From this example we actually see that Microsoft has an ability to make a big influence on the price or other outcomes in the market by using its dominant position because that kind of a firm can raise price, outcomes without worrying of losing its customers.On the other hand, not only one firm can hold a dominant position, but also a dominant position can be held among several firms and this is called oligopolistic dominance. For example: in 2008 Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Nextel and T-Mobile together controlled approximately 89 % of the United States cellular phone market. In this situation sometimes firms can decide to make some secret agreements in order, for example, to raise prices of cellular phones leading to the profit maximization, knowing that they still are not going to lose their costumers.Of course, there is opinion that oligopoly is better than monopoly, because oligopolistic dominance (several firms who have a dominant position) could help to stabilize unstable markets, for example dominant firms could set some kind of prices which could help other producers to survive in the certain market and this is called a price leadership, however the welfare of economics in oligopoly is not easy to analyze and to determine if it is going to have a positive reaction.Furthermore, now we know that the definition of dominant position ma kes an economic sense, because when a firm has a power to behave independently and can make a big influence on the welfare of the economics (prices, total quantity produced, efficiency in allocating the resources), market power and later market failure could occur. We also know that a market failure is a situation when the allocation of recourses is inefficient due to imperfect competition when not all sellers and buyers can be satisfied.In order to prevent market failure, each government imposes some policies such as subsidies, taxes, minimum wage, some price controls, however sometimes happens that these policies also create inefficiency in allocating the recourses and it is called government failure. Going back to the original topic, dominant position is not an exception.According to the European competition case law, dominant positions are not forbidden but in order for firms not to abuse that position they have a special responsibility: dominant firms must not allow their strat egic decisions to make a negative influence on competition in the market, in other words, dominant firms cannot intentionally prevent or eliminate competition. Moreover, in order to determine the definition of dominant position in monopoly, at first we need to understand the basic aspects of it.Monopoly is a situation when a certain agent is the only one who supplies a particular good, of course, it is obvious that this market has a lack of economic competition. In monopoly a company has a much bigger profit than it could expect in competitive market, because that only firm regulates all the prices and services for that certain good. As a result, it can raise the price and maximize its profit without worrying of losing its customers. So, the dominant position in monopoly is a market with a single agent which has a power to operate independently and has an ability to make a big influence on the prices and production.Finally, to do the same in oligopoly we also need to understand the basic aspects of it. Oligopoly is the market share of several firms which together make a big influence to the price or other outcomes of a certain market, however the difference between monopoly and oligopoly is that in oligopoly firms do not operate independently, because then they could lose some of their customers to their competitors. That is why several dominant firms always try to cooperate together and sometimes they even make some secret agreements in order to maximize their profits.So, the dominant position in oligopoly is the market share of several dominant firms who have an ability to make big influence on the prices and production. To sum up, we actually see that a dominant position can be defined variously in different areas but still all definitions will have the same meaning: a dominant position creates a market power which evidence to the inefficiency of allocating the resources in economic markets and sometimes leading to the market failure, but in some cases domi nant position is the key of stabilizing unstable markets.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Topic 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Topic 3 - Essay Example God, Tao, and the light address uncertainty in the way of living and derive a sense of goodness and integrity in the world. This paper will compare God, Tao and the light and establish how we access them and how the three deal with or address uncertainty. The book of Job seeks to define why the righteous suffer by presenting how God offers justice in case of human suffering. Indeed, in this book, God lets Satan destroy Job’s property and kill his children only for God to restore Job’s possessions in multiples. This derives an uncertainty about God, His justice, and the goodness in our way of living. The Allegory of the Cave presents the uncertainty in human life with respect to education. In this context, the sun acts as the source of light that derives human capacity to see where the sun symbolizes the Form of the Good. Notably, self-awareness eliminates cases of uncertainty in human life. The Tao Te Ching has 81 verses, which seeks to explain how to manifest goodness and integrity in our way of living in a world where many people are uncertainty about the reality of goodness and integrity in human life. Indeed, even the origin of the Tao Te Ching is not certain. It is clear that God, Tao and the light deal with and ac commodate uncertainty. From the book of Job, we can see that God is subjecting Job to suffering albeit some limitations. God limits Job’s misfortunes and Job and his friends fail to understand why God is punishing a righteous person like Job. They are indeed uncertain on how God works since they expected a just and righteous person like Job to get the justice he deserves. Ideally, God should reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Job and his friends believe in this assertion and hence their uncertainty on how God works leads them to choose between blaming Job or God. They almost gave up on the belief that God delivers justice since they would not understand how a just God could subject a righteous person to suffering. This book

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Communication - Essay Example Through that, it will be easy to focus on how to have an effectively better communication among different groups of audience and the possible better channels to achieve that. Alcovy Wrestling Communication Plan Communication is a considerable method of conveying a message across regions, and can take diverse ways, which include a mouth-to-mouth communication, presentations, media broadcasting, press releases, the use of posters or fliers as well as particular events. To educators, effective communication is crucial because communication is the essential aspect for creating changes in learning institutions. Therefore, educators should learn to communicate effectively and listen carefully in order to achieve the intended goals of the organization. Vos, Otte and Linders (2003) argue that effective communication is the major aspect that contributes to better performance; thus, to be a successful communicator developing a communication plan is necessary. Planning is one way of organizing actions in order to achieve the intended goals successfully. Therefore, developing a strategic communication plan is necessary because it ensures that various activities are carried out as scheduled, which increases the efficiency and, consequently, an output. Developing an effective communication plan one should take into considerations the following factors – the purpose, the audience, the message to be communicated, communication channels, ways or distribution channels, and the action plan. Wrestling is a significant psychological and physical activity, and the presence of a communication plan ensures that all activities are coordinated, thus, the realization of anticipated results is feasible. Ferguson (1999) affirms that the primary purpose of developing a communication plan is to educate wrestlers and inform anyone interested to participate in wrestling next year at Alcovy high school, so that all the parties could carry out their duties efficiently. Furthermore, studie s suggest that wrestling is an imperative sport activity that draws diverse groups of people together, and it is also crucial in reducing anxiety and other health issues. As such, the presence of efficient and effective communication ensures that all the parties involved benefit both from physical and social perspectives. In essence, coaching in wrestling can be easy in case one has a good communication plan, but can be an overwhelming task in the absence of a communication plan while preparing diverse activities or aspects that should be achieved in a set period. Vos, Otte and Linders (2003) argue that developing a strategic communication plan can result into significant changes and lead to success in project implementation. Therefore, the goal of developing Alcovy wrestling communication plan is to convey information to the intended audience effectively. On the other hand, identifying the audience, whom the instructor tries to reach, is imperative because it simplifies the prepara tion of a logical communication plan. In this regard, there are varied ways one can categorize audience and employ the effective communication forms or approaches for communicating the message successfully. Since the majority of audiences are high school students, the use of fliers or posters will be an effective method of communicating about wrestling sports activities. To succeed, the coach will create information fliers about the wrestling site and the summer timetable for practices. Due to the existence of other audiences

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Christianity and Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Christianity and Hinduism - Essay Example According to the essay findings  Christianity is one of the oldest religions in the world. It dates backs thousands of years. The beginning f the Christianity is the 1st century A.D. in the Roman Empire. Christianity is also monotheistic religions. It focuses on the teaching and life of Jesus Christ. Nowadays Christianity is the largest religion in the world. Their early history is of one origin. Christianity is subdivided into Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism. Christian views are still considered to be the most widespread in the world.   These are views about the one God in the Universe, which are represented in three forms: God the father, God the son and God the holy spirit. The God created the Earth and people, he was working for six days and had rest on the seventh. Adam and Eve were the first people and they lost the heaven. Christians tend to believe that their religion explains the origin of the world in a best way. Thus, many people have been sharing the Christian v iews.  This paper highlights that  the principles of Hinduism are often criticized for the lack of an exact system of beliefs and ideas. Paganism and metaphysics are believed to be the basis of Hinduism. People, who believe in this religion, are pacified and calm people. They do not look like Westerners. Still, this is not an unquestionable advantage of Hinduism. Hindus follow different rituals and they have to oblige to the principles of Hinduism from birth to death.  

Friday, July 26, 2019

Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus (750 words) Essay

Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus (750 words) - Essay Example Therefore Emma’s difficult experiences lent depth and power to all her writings. Emma’s complicated identity was therefore a barrier that obscured her place in American culture. Her turbulent upbringing lent an appropriate backdrop for her bold, powerful and inspiring essays and poetry protesting against the rise of anti – Semitism in the country. Even before the title of â€Å"Zionist† had been coined, Emma passionately called upon the Jews to unite and build a homeland in Palestine. Emma Lazarus’ historical poem, â€Å"The Colossus† written in 1883, gave to the American’s a credo that was praised and cherished for so many years. The words "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." (Emma Lazarus, The Colossus, 1883) are a part of the beautiful poem that was engraved on a huge bronze plaque that is hung in the Statue of Liberty Museum after about 20 years after she was laid to rest. She had written this poem for fundraising for the pedestal of the Liberty Statue. She lived a life of isolation and devoted all her time and energy to writing. She became ill with the terrible disease of cancer and passed away in 1887. Twenty years later, in 1903, this bronze plaque bearing Emma’s sonnet was presented by philanthropist Georgiana Schuyler and was placed on the interior wall of The Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. Then again it was removed and was mounted in the Liberty exhibit at the base of the monument. Many different themes are reflected in Emma’s sonnet, â€Å"The Colossus† some of which are Liberty, Patriotism and courage. Many of the conflicting ideals and identities that Emma dealt with in her own life are reflected or echoed through her sonnet.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

TLMT312 WEEK 4 FORUM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TLMT312 WEEK 4 FORUM - Assignment Example There is a distinction between rates and rating. Rate is the price per hundred weights to move an individual product between two locations. It is listed on pricing sheets or tariffs. Various products in different classes are charged different rates. Rate is determined by weight and size of the product. Rating involves determining the appropriate, legal, economical rates and routes for the transportation of foreign and domestic freight through any or all modes of transportation. These determinations are made according to published classification, tariff, and tariff routings. Rating also includes development of narratives and exhibit materials and similar information to be used by others to negotiate and requested rates. In addition, it may also include preparation of materials concerning rate matters in cases to be presented to representatives of the carriers, regulatory bodies, and the courts. The goal of the assessment is to establish the appropriateness of classification, routes, rates and carriers’ actions (Gianpaolo & Laporte, 2004). Classification and rate depend on the grade. Rating determines the appropriateness of classification and rates. Once products are shipped they must be classified for various reasons. Classification helps to determine the rates for each

IBM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IBM - Essay Example rless cars and the use of big data systems to understand and predict human behavior and human and other physical and social systems (Hewett et al., 1996; National Science Foundation, 2014; Sankar, 2012). At IBM the work on human-computer interaction is extensive and goes back through time, evidenced by the presence of academic and scientific studies dating back to at least the late 1990s with works such as those relating to determining the intention of humans to speak to computers in systems that are able to detect human language, for instance. The cues in this latter example are detected by computers not only through voice but also through visuals, indicating an ability on the part of the computer to interact with humans on the level of sight and voice (Cuetos and Neti, n.d.; Neti et al., n.d.). Elsewhere IBM makes use of other terms to discuss and evolve technologies that amount to variations of the same set of technologies related to HCI, and a standout term that IBM has come to u se of late is the term and concept of cognitive computing (IBM, 2015). An example of cognitive computing breakthroughs and projects that IBM has come to pursue of late is evolving the natural language processing capabilities of its computing systems, making use of Watson for instance as a model and a repository of what IBM has developed in this area. In Watson for instance, the test of effective HCI was its joining and winning a Jeopardy Challenge in the early part of 2011, besting some very tough human competition. This is an instance of HCI in IBM breaking ground to the extent that computing systems are able to match and surpass the cognitive capabilities of the most successful human contestants (IBM, 2015b). More pragmatic applications of HCI at IBM include using HCI advances to further the interaction between humans and business systems to improve productivity for instance, and to extend the advances to the management of systems of business IT (IBM, 2015c; Muller and Druin,

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Explain connection between the issue(A suggested ban on audit firms Essay

Explain connection between the issue(A suggested ban on audit firms providing non-audit services)and confidence in the role of a - Essay Example Al., 1999). It can be recognised from the above description that the roles and responsibilities of an auditor are concentrated on the execution of the auditing process including the ethical aspect of independence. However, certain real life evidences have revealed the fact that numerous auditing firms are engaged in serving their clients with non-auditing services which consequently have an affect on the quality and the effectiveness of the process. The paper shall, thereby, be focussed on the study of the roles and responsibilities of the auditor in the present scenario. Additionally, the paper shall also tend to identify the impact of the non-auditing services rendered by auditors on the quality and effectiveness of the auditing services in the UK business environment. Roles and Responsibilities of Auditors From the legal point of view, any company with limited liability should compel the auditing process before the presentation of their annual accounts in order to confirm the erad ication of any misstatement in the financial statement of the company(s). Therefore, the roles and responsibilities of the auditor(s) are to examine the financial statements of the client’s company and ensure that the audited statements are mostly free from the mispresentation if not entirely. In other words, it is the responsibility of the auditor(s) to provide â€Å"reasonable assurance† to the conclusion that the financial statements presented by the company are at large free from any kind of material mispresentation occurring due to fraudulence or error. Apart from these responsibilities the auditors are also liable to communicate their viewpoints to the stakeholders which again call for an ethical behaviour from the end of the auditor (Green Paper, 2010). However, as revealed from various researches and studies, the focus of auditors, today, are inclined more towards the minimisation of risks occurring during the preparation of the financial statements. As quoted by the European Commission, the implication of auditing has been shifting from a verification based approach to a risk based approach raising certain major limitations on the part of the auditing process. For instance, the recent banking crisis was an example which apparently depicted the affect of this changing concept of auditing on the quality aspect and on the aspect of effectiveness as well (Green Paper, 2010). It is worth mentioning that the role practised by the auditors at present are inclined to be focussed majorly on the non-auditing services, (i.e. the eradication of risk of misstatement arising during the completion of the financial statements) rather than the auditing services which are centred on the evaluation of the financial statements presented by the company. The Impact of Non-Auditing Services Practised by Auditing Firms in the UK In the present day phenomenon, the practise of Non-Auditing Services by the auditors have gained a considerable amount of reaction fro m the global business environment, especially after the fall down of Enron. The reason of the dismissal according to a group of researchers is the impact of Non-Auditing Services on the aspect of auditor independence. On the contrary, a separate group of researchers state that the Non-Auditing Services in real life practises are beneficial for the auditors. According to the

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Women and Child Welfare and Development Ministry Essay

Women and Child Welfare and Development Ministry - Essay Example A classic use of color technique has been significantly and vigorously applied in the dresses worn by the characters in the ad to demarcate between the sexes – male and female – in a distinctive manner. However, the simple but inappropriate words used in the ad are particularly catchy (the hook). The positioning (layout) of the parents on the sides with their daughter at the center portrays a protective and guidance role bestowed upon parents to the upbringing of their young ones. The relative sizes of the images in the ad are unequal. The parents are relatively taller than their daughter (placed at the center), perhaps to reinforce their positions as the center of admiration and modeling. The inclusive features of the ad authoritatively expose (purpose) to the parents/guardians (the target audience) the likely inflicted injury to young brains impacted by what they hear around them. Children, especially those at the age of school beginners, are usually very attentive to the happenings around them. As a matter of fact, parents/guardians become the initial locus of attention to their children before spreading their wings during later stages of development. Thus, whatever they do or say has the possibility of having a lasting impact in the life of a child.   Being the target audience, the inappropriate words in the ad are specifically associated with them – adults. Indeed as expected, the perceptiveness of a young mind is clearly at work: picking and retaining whatever crosses the ear into the brain (role of the text). Through the ad, a lad pours out what is in the mind: a clear indication that what is absorbed from the surrounding environment influences thoughts. Evidently, a child is not just a passive member of a family but an active partaker of what the environment offers (message). Without a doubt, the ad calls on the parents/guardians (message) to keep watch over their utterance to avoid imparting negative traits to those under their

Monday, July 22, 2019

Living on Your Own Essay Example for Free

Living on Your Own Essay Living on your own doesnt seem to be a big deal in the beginning. Despite all the disadvantages of living on your own the benefits of it are far greater. While living on your own you can develop important life skills such as time management and greater responsibility, which will lead to a more mature stage of life. When this stage of life is achieved you can decide what and how you want to live the rest of your life. When it comes to the point of living away from your parents house a big door to freedom is opened up where there is nobody except yourself and a lot of time and things you can play with. Privacy is perhaps one of the most important things you receive when you are living on your own. Coming home from work or school to find there is nobody sitting watching a TV program you do not like or someone trying to force you to eat when you are not hungry. Also there will be nobody there to annoy you with their questions or their whole day in detail on a daily basis. On top of the privacy issue most young people these days are complaining that there is someone pushing on them for their time management. If you are living on your own this problem will virtually cease to exist. You have to decide when the rime comes to do your homework, eat, sleep, go to school or go to work. It seems if you have all that freedom nobody can stop you from doing whatever you want when you want except for you. This is great as long as you manage your time well and dont just end up partying all the time, but also have time for school and work things will be great. Another great thing about living on your own is that it is very challenging and adventurous. Great opportunities come around every day which you can take advantage of. The best thing about it is even if the opportunity you had fails you dont feel embarrassed in front of anybody but yourself. It is obviously better when things work out for you and you feel very proud of yourself because you did it by yourself. In conclusion There are many great more advantages to living on your own than  not. By having total freedom, not having people push on you and making your descisions for you and you have the advantage of learning about life on your own. By lving on your own you will face the biggest challenge in your life. It is human nature to strike out on your own and live independently.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Global Business And Culture Analysis Of Croatia Cultural Studies Essay

Global Business And Culture Analysis Of Croatia Cultural Studies Essay The analysis of the cultural perspectives of doing business in this paper is concentrated on the outline of the culture of graduate students taking Business Administration in Croatia an U.S as this group is the one that will gradually assume the leading role in the Croatian and American economy and business community. The research gives comprehensive understanding of dimensions and elements of culture in Croatia and America, how these elements and dimensions are integrated by locals conducting business and lastly the implications of US businesses that wish to conduct business in Croatia. In order be unbiased in the generalization of the findings, simple random sampling was used to select the respondents for this study. Comparison of cultures has been done through measuring their magnitude (Hofstede, 2001). Nevertheless, the magnitudes used to weigh against cultures are usually not physical dimensions but, rather are dealings of the attitudes and values that dissimilar cultures contain. Some of the dimensions of culture were those developed by Ali Alshawi (2005) which include: (1) Uncertainty avoidance (2) Power Distance (3) Masculinity/femininity (4) Individualism/collectivism (5) Confucian Dynamism (6) Universalism- Particularism, (7) Neutral vs. Emotional Relationship Orientations(8) Achievement vs. Ascription (9) Conservatism vs. Affective/intellectual autonomy (10) Hierarchy vs. Egalitarian (11) Harmony vs. Mastery (13) Communal Sharing Relationships (14) Authority Ranking Relationships (15) Equality Matching Relationships (16) Market Pricing Relationships. Investigation was conducted to establish the measurement of the customs which resulted in momentous level of sway in the viewpoints of conducting trade. The report of graduate scholars who are enrolled in Business Administration might not necessarily signify a real picture of the typical or universal outline of the business customs in Croatia, hence becoming a constraint to the study. The paper concludes by proposing the right moves in business that can be made in order to make a successful transaction. Key words Culture, cultural dimensions, business environment Introduction Culture can be defined as the way of life of people including language, sciences and art, their interaction, spirituality as well as their social activity, convections, protocols and their negotiations (Shahla, 2002). In order to make sure that people work together proficiently and together towards business objectives in a positive and motivating environment, they need to be aware of the existence and importance of both a corporate culture and international culture. In foreign countries, getting everybody to work together might not be very easy. Apart from language issues, different countries have different approaches to work. Some cultures take offense of certain comments. A Christmas party might not be seen too keen by non-Christian religions. Cultural sets of beliefs and differences cannot be easily changed or overcome (Hofstede, 1991). But it is important for any business owner or manager to be aware of them and how they impact their business. This will help to adjust to them and improve efficiency, profitability and success of business. Problem statement Culture is defined as the standards and manners of a group of people or community. Culture also determines how a country does business that. Understanding the difference in cultures of different county is a step in succeeding business in a foreign country. This research paper was aimed at establishing different cultural perspectives of doing business in Croatia. Objective The main objective of the research was to ascertain the cultural perspectives of doing business in Croatia. This objective was achieved through the following specific research objectives. To determine the major elements of dimensions of culture in Croatia. To ascertain how dimensions of culture are integrated by locals in business. To assess the difference in Croatian and US culture and Business. To determine the implication of US business wishing to be conducted in Croatia. Significance of the study The study provided an understanding of Croatian culture which is indispensable when it comes to successfully running business in Croatia. Limitation of the study As far as this study is concerned the challenge presented here in is that the profile of the scholars may not give a real scenario of the business as far as culture is concerned in America and Croatia (Hofstede, 2001). Financial constraints led to selection of a small sample size which might not be an entire representation of the entire population. Literature review Culture defined From the perspective of a humanist, the one Mathew Arnold used the word culture to pass on to an ideal of individual human refinement, of the finest that has been thought and said in the world.  This idea of culture is comparable to the  German concept of  building: According to an anthropologist Kroeber and Kluckhohn culture can be defined as: Consisting or else being made up of implicit as well as explicit patterns, and behavior transmitted and acquired through symbols with different achievements from groups of human beings (McCoy, 2003).   As a replacement for defining culture as a kind of knowledge, McGrew suggests that Culture can be looked into as a number of steps which may include the following (i) a novel prototype of performance is made-up, or else one which is already existing is modified. (ii) Modernizer transforms this prototype to another one. (iii) A kind of the prototype is steady across and within players, conceivably even in terms of identifiable features considered stylistic. (iv) One who obtains the prototype keeps the capability to do it long post acquiring it. (v) The prototype extends across units which constitute a population e.g. troops, clans, or bands just to mention but a few. (vi) The prototype bears transversely generations There exist three kinds of culture which are of great significance according to Ali Alshawi (2004a). They include; national culture which includes several core values meant to shape the individuals behavior and the entire society not forgetting organizational culture (Adler 1997; Bagchi and Cerveny 2003). Finally, there exist a level of individual culture according to Dorfman and Howell (1988). Their study shows the impact of national civilization on the behavior of an individual. The business civilization of a particular country is as a result of a number causes from its present and past which are so abnormal such that they can never be finally and fully explained or understood. Overview of Croatian culture Croatia became a constituent republic of the Federative Popular Republic of Yugoslavia after the Second World War, which inherited the ex-Yugoslav kingdom with art governed by the canon of socialist realism and science and education governed by the canon of dialectic and historical materialism. Self-management system was introduced in 1950s. Cultural and other public domains were decentralized and regulated on the level of the six constituent republics. Modernization and the global openness of the country brought various cultural influences. Ideological control over culture loosened, followed by a national movement in which cultural and educational institutions played a visible role. Despite the ensuing political repression the public policies led to greater autonomy of the republics in the federation. The current government was appointed in 2009, after the political shifts caused by resignation of the former prime minister (2004-2009). Greek, Roman and Byzantine are the blends of Croatia, the majority of the population is Croats. Minorities include Serbs, Hungarians and Gypsies. Although Croatia is a sovereign nation, it has a unique culture that has been driven numerous civilizations and empires. It is well known for the rich culture it has, natural beauty, and many national parks and successful tourism industry. Ethics Ethics is the common agreed upon practice of different moral principles or values. It concentrates on the general nature of morals and the specific moral choice an individual makes in relationship to others. It represents the rules and/or standards governing the conduct of the member of a profession. The context of this inquiry will be ethics applied to business. Business ethics in Croatia is perceived as good. In business operation, the regulations are not violated massively, especially in transactions with domestic partners. As far as the accomplishment of contract obligations are concerned, the impression is good. Religion Croatians are mainly Roman Catholic, with small percentages of Uniates (Eastern Orthodox Christians, recognizing the pope), Protestants, and Muslims. Some pre-Christian essentials have been included into Christian practices and beliefs. Other influences on Croatian religious beliefs and practices have come from European and Near Eastern cultures, from rural and urban traditions alike, resulting in an amalgam of different heritages. Sacred and religious aspects of traditional culture were neglected during the Socialist period because religion was relegated solely to the private sphere of life. Catholic Church has a role to play as far as Croatian society is concerned. The pastor participates significantly in the countrys culture as well as education education. Croatians are particularly loyal to Blessed Virgin Mother Mary. There exist asylums all over the nation state put up in her honor. Every town and village has a supporter saint and that saints feast day is distinguished with a ch urch and parade rite. Some of the rural communities still do have a conventional beacon on their supporter saints day. Many specialized persons also do have their own supporter saint. Religious conviction is a key in uniting the culture of Croatian, greater part of the Croatians is subscribed to Roman Catholic. During a Roman Catholic holiday, commercial activities close. Patrons of each and every town and city in Croatia lead the celebration of saints holiday. The Catholic Church has for ages aided the development of Croatias history and culture, it carrys on to be seen in everyday Croatian life. National Pride Croatians love their heritage and country and when criticized they take it very personally. Hence, Croatians at one time can be seen as being proud, pretentious and may seem haughty to foreigners. Nationalists Croats can be considered as extremely self-important of their custom and ethnicity and hence are considered to be staunch nationalists. Croats refer their nation as Our Beautiful Homeland (Lijepa naÃ…Â ¡a).This emerges that it is the same title as that one of the national anthem of their country. The intellect of patriotism emerges both from their extended and wealthy civilization as well as a inheritance of foreign control and invasion. Folklore plays an important part in culture preservation. Life understanding is transformed into poetic songs, verse, fairy tales, melodies, symbolic rituals, costumes, dance, music as well as jewellery just to mention but a few. Poems and Folksongs frequently show to the feeling and consider between members of the family. Social structure In as far as this society is concerned; the family still remains to be the basic unit of the society. Extended family is also recognized in this society and the members remains very close to each other. Basic commodities as well as security to some extent, is provided by the family to its members. Weekends are well thought-out as time meant to be spent by the members of the family together. This society values family to an extent that they will not allow business matters to interfere with their family lives. Dimensions of culture According to McCoy (2003), the highly considered concept of culture is the dimensions of culture by Hofstede. An all-encompassing dimensions of culture were projected by Alshawi and Ali (2005) using a normative review of literature in the field of culture. These dimensions are labeled: (1) Uncertainty avoidance (2) Power Distance (3) Masculinity/femininity (4) Individualism/collectivism (5) Confucian Dynamism (6) Universalism- Particularism, (7) Neutral vs. Emotional Relationship Orientations(8) Achievement vs. Ascription (9) Conservatism vs. Affective/intellectual autonomy (10) Hierarchy vs. Egalitarian (11) Harmony vs. Mastery (13) Communal Sharing Relationships (14) Authority Ranking Relationships (15) Equality Matching Relationships (16) Market Pricing Relationships. Hofstede identified four dimensions: Uncertainty avoidance (UA) Vagueness evasion echoes or rather shows a cultures acceptance of vagueness and reception of menace. Degree to which community in a nation state prefers prearranged over formless situations: from relatively flexible to extremely rigid. Power Distance (PD) Power distance refers to the sharing of power within a society. Extent of disparity in the midst of people, which the inhabitants of a nation state do consider as normal: from relatively equal to extremely unequal. Masculinity/femininity (MF) The masculinity femininity measurement does explain the extent to which cultures overriding values are nurturing or assertive. Individualism/collectivism (IC) Extend to which persons in nation gain knowledge of acting as an individual instead of collective members of a cluster, moving to individualist from collectivist. Referred in this dimension is how individuals identify and relate with others. Individual attention compared to group interests dominates in an individualistic culture. It is therefore evident that the links in between are very tight. Communities ensure that they do take care of entire community. That is the elderly and the young. Masakazu (1994) defines modern individualism as a vision of humankind that gives good reason for internal unilateral self-assertion and beliefs, as well as antagonism based on these. In a communalist society, the considerations of the group triumph upon the attention of the personality. People are incorporated into strong and cohesive in-groups that carry on throughout a life span to defend in exchange for unthinking loyalty. Variation is displayed in who is considered when goals are set. In nonco nformist societies, goals are set with negligible deliberation given to groups other than possibly your direct family. In communalist societies, other crowds are taken into consideration seriously when goals are set. Individualist societies are freely incorporated; communalist societies are strongly incorporated (McGrew, 1998). One tends to define people by what they have done, their accomplishments, what kind of car they have. The question is do we function in a group or as individuals? Cultures of communitarism stress common goals and collective work (teamwork), while cultures of individualism value more individual success and creativity. Confucian Dynamism The fifth dimension of culture was acknowledged by Bond and Hofstede (1984). It is also tagged as long term vs. short term life orientations. This dimension portrays cultures that vary from values that have a short duration in relation to customs and reciprocity in relations in the society to values that are persistent and order a relationship on the criteria. The extent to which, communities or rather citizens promote collective harmony and welfare, resulting in psychological collectivism. Trompenaars (1993) defines the following dimensions: Universalism-Particularism The extent to which, communities or rather citizens weigh against generalist rules about what is right with more situation-specific relationship obligations and unique circumstances. In the context of business, what is of importance is regarded to be individuals behavior Particularism is the lower level in this type of dimension which implies giving inclination to an approach that is flexible for each specific problem Whereas universalism is the higher level of this dimension, it has the meaning of being strict in observing rules and other set standards. Neutral vs. Emotional Relationship Orientations The extent to which, communities or rather citizens weigh against objective and detached interactions with interactions where emotions is more readily expressed. In the neutral concept, emotions are barred from being displayed or shown. Where as in the effective concept, displaying emotions in a business relationship is acceptable Specific vs. Diffuse Orientations The extent to which communities in are engaged in a business relation and encounters are marked and set apart both in private and work. What matters is the acceptance of specific responsibilities assigned. The higher level of this dimension is diffuse where various relations interwoven compared to the lower level specific in which there is little intermixing of private relations Achievement vs. Ascription The extent to which, communities or rather citizens consider individual achievements as a measure with those where an individual is give specific status on the basis of membership to a group or birth grounds etc In the concept of achievement, status is got when an individual shows competence unlike in ascription where its achieved though a recognized status in title, gender, age, hierarchy, etc Schwartz (1994), defined the following dimensions: Conservatism vs. Affective/intellectual autonomy It is the extent to which citizen insist on maintaining the initial status (conservatism) or intellectual autonomy gaining pleasure and a life that is exiting Culture Dimension Definition Hierarchy vs. Egalitarian It is the extent to which individuals consider equality and freedom as a distress to others (Egalitarian), vs. Hierarchy This emphasizes on the genuineness of flat resources and responsibilities Harmony vs. Mastery It is the extent to which citizen concerned with conquering impediments in a societal setup mastery versus the distressful point of view regarding unity with the natural set up and harmoniously being fit in the environment These dimensions were emphasized by Fiske (1992): Communal Sharing Relationships This perception is related to Hofstedes opinion of collectivism. It is the extent to which citizen see the members of a given cluster as equal and at times are quite unreceptive to those coming from outside of the cluster. Authority Ranking Relationships It is the extent to which citizen involve linearity in relationship ordering with higher ranking individuals who have the rights to make decisions, enjoys privilege and are responsible for individuals at the bottom in the hierarchy. According to Schwartz (1994), this idea does not correspond with Hofstadters conception of power distance Equality Matching Relationships It is the extent to which citizens emphasize on social equalities in relations. The community has knowledge of the inequalities. Market Pricing Relationships It is the extent to which individuals have their mentality fixed to investments and Perception of dominant business culture It was examined with Trompenaars replica of four different cultures. This included a framework built on two dimensions i.e. (1) Task orientation versus person and (2) Centralization or hierarchy versus decentralization or egalitarian implying power, role, project and fulfillment orientations Research Problem Following the Trompenaars model of four diversity cultures this study aimed to ascertain the cultural perspectives of doing business in Croatia. Research Methodology Probability sampling approach was used as the research method. This method had the advantage of non biasness in generalization of findings. The research used simple random sampling; the instruments for data capture were open ended questionnaires formulated using interpretive approach to look at cultural occurrences through Trompenaars model. Research Questions The research questions were how and in what ways might the cultural dimensions, and their elements of Croatian locals affect their perspectives of doing business and the implications of US businesses wishing to be conducted in Croatia. Research hypothesis Instead of developing a hypothesis, the research was underpinned to determine different perspectives of culture in the Croatian community in relation to doing business, Research sample To define the case, the research unit of analysis was the cultural perspectives of doing business in graduate students taking Business Administration from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana in Croatia and Stanford Graduate school of Business Sample size University Sample Size Percentage University of Ljubljana 68 61.81% Stanford Graduate school of Business 42 38.19% Total 110 100% Answer to research Questions Question 1: what are the major elements and Dimensions of Culture in Croatia? For Universalism versus Particularism dimension: Croatians are individualistic, a practice that results in lack of understanding when relating in an organization and dealing with clients. Also, Croatians are used to television and other forms of media than reading magazines and the internet; this is as a result of their system of education. In the dimension Individualism vs. Communitarism, The cultural dimension affects the organizational staffing (organizations) more than people in the society. For Uncertainty avoidance dimension: Croatians have a need to work hard, provision of rules and regulations and observe punctuality For Power Distance dimension: the Croatian community have a view that is more power with those at senior most management levels ; although the organizational culture would have a view different from the insight of power distance This affect how clients are having their issues resolved since the rely on individuals high ranking in an organization as they are considered to be powerful For Masculinity/femininity dimension, Croatians are inclined to having very affectionate relationship which cultivates a tight association with family members and acquaintances which from time to time make them reliant on each other in making decisions. It has got the advantage or remaining in contact for a long time. For Confucian Dynamism Dimension: The Confucian work dynamism is now refereed to as long term orientation versus short term orientation to life. This dimension encompasses such principles as frugality, perseverance, having a sense of embarrassment, and an ordered relationship. Confucian work dynamism attributes to committed, aggravated, accountable, and knowledgeable people with a sense of dedication and organizational uniqueness and fidelity. Example of countries where long term orientation supports prudence, reservations, perseverance in achieving results and being willing to lessen oneself for a reason are South Korea, Japan, and Singapore On the other hand a short term orientation is in line with the expenditure to uphold the pressure from the society, less reservations, preferring immediate results and apprehension with a face Croatians build on the welfare of their family unit and that is the strongest affiliation according to their perception (Yin, 1994). Croatians in a working environment are inclined to have a high turn over, particularly in the private sector of the economy, since there is deficiency in competent staff. As a result it rises the cost incurred in staff training. For the Neutral vs. Emotional Relationship Orientations dimension: this dimension mostly influences the satisfaction of customers Croatians are inclined to be more emotional, and allow some space for mastery so that they can be contented when they feel happy and get concerned for; this is more connected to the treatment and at what time they feel that they are special to the organization. For the Specific vs. Diffuse Orientations dimension: Since Croatia is switching from an economy based on public sector to more private organizations, which have an effect on how Croatians perceive and their expectation regarding the quality or service. For the Achievement vs. Ascription dimension, Croatians have a propensity to try to get to a superior societal level as the traditions and norms give people more esteem according to which societal class they are from or have attained. For the Market Pricing Relationships dimension: Croatians are vigilant to prices and to them it is most important thing while considering a product being produced or services being offered For Structured or organized vs. unstructured or unorganized behavior: Croatians have a propensity to have a formless approach in their every day life; they like to adjust all the time even when it is coming to regulations and procedures in a working environment Regarding candidness to Others cultures, they show an open approach to acceptance of other peoples cultures and other principles and traditions. For the Internal vs. External (locus of control) dimension, Croatians have a strong attitude that they can have control over their destiny, which is without doubt consistent with the high levels of masculinism present in their culture Question 2: How are dimensions and elements of culture integrated by locals conducting business in Croatia? In doing business, Croatians integrate their culture in the following ways: They have long meetings which do not follow specific agenda Relationships are build only after negotiating business matters Chatting and any other form of small talks only surface after all negotiations in a meeting. Personal relationships in business is not encouraged hence an appropriate relationship that incorporates professionalism must be maintained. Education, experience that comes with status, knowledge and confidence are respected by Croatians. Superiors which are authoritative are highly valued. Success and major decisions an be made by an individual. No single person accepts the responsibility that is accompanied by failure. Decisions can be made without appropriate consultations. Flexible deadlines. Managers do not need to account for how and why decisions were reached. Question 3: What is the Comparison between the Croatian and US business Culture? The following differences arise between the Croatian and American cultures. In American culture: Meeting are short and with specific agenda Democratic leaders are valued Individuals accept responsibility of failure Consultation must be done before decision making Managers are accountable for decisions made Deadlines are strict In both cultures: Relationships are build only after negotiating business matters. Chatting and any other form of small talks only surface after all negotiations in a meeting. Personal relationships in business is not encouraged hence an appropriate relationship that incorporates professionalism must be maintained. Education, experience that comes with status, knowledge and confidence are respected. Question 4: What are the implications for US businesses that wish to conduct business in that region? In order to successfully do business in Croatia: Show respect to everybody. In addressing a colleague use the title and the first name. Avoid talks about money and problems as it depicts weak behaviors. Allow personal space. Speak directly and authoritatively. Do not criticize a Croatian but you can make suggestions. Religion war and ethnicity is never discussed. In summary cultural values are relatively stable in Croatia, for a foreigner in Croatia, the first impression is conveyed starting with courtesies and the first greeting. Frustration is avoided by knowing how and when decisions are made; acquainting one self with the outcomes of a meeting and understanding how women are engaged in into the business framework. Of importance is networking and Personal contacts in Croatian business culture than formal marketing techniques.

Social Effects Of The Cruise Industry Tourism Essay

Social Effects Of The Cruise Industry Tourism Essay The social impact of the cruise industry on the cruises particular destination has a few positive effects. When cruise tourists arrive at ports of destination, interactions between local residents and cruise tourists can benefit both parties. The cruise tourists have the opportunity to gain knowledge regarding the lifestyle and culture of the local people, and vice-versa; residents can learn about the lifestyles of their guests from various places around the world. However, a high interaction level between residents and cruise tourists can have drawbacks. Tourists can limit the personal space of residents, due to the high population of cruise tourists. Eventually, high levels of interaction between cruise tourists and local inhabitants could change the local inhabitants unique lifestyles. This brings to light the point of social damage, as social and cultural damage is one of the main arguments against tourism. In the context of tourism, cruise tourists are typically wealthier than l ocals of popular cruise destinations. This evidently creates social problems; for example, hierarchies are created that can cause tension between cruise tourists and locals. Furthermore, new and unusual ideas brought in by cruise tourists can make locals envious and want to copy the tourists who can seem more wealthy and stylish. Social damage caused by the cruise industry can also be supported by the idea of competition of space. This is triggered when large amounts of cruise tourists, usually two or three cruise ships, arrive at small ports. When large amounts of cruise ships arrive, the number of cruise tourists ratio to locals is large. According to Espinal, 2005, Bahamas has 11 cruise guests to 1 local; Aruba has 8 cruise guests to 1 local; Antigua and Barbuda, 7 to 1; and Dominica, 5 to 1 (When was this? Was this the case for the entire year of 2005? Was it an average?). However, this ratio is only true to small parts. Large cities such as Miami, Barcelona, and European countries differ. In fact, highly populated cities have the opposite effect, because cruise tourist numbers are rather small compared to on-land tourists or residents. The competition of space enhances through the fight for cruise ships by neighbouring ports to attract cruise ships for economic benefits. The fight continues between the c ruise ship industry and the cargo shipping industry to gain port space. Another dilemma of space continues between on land tourists and cruise tourists. When cruise tourists arrive at destinations, on land tourists are forced to wait in line for attractions such as monuments and museums, and wonder why it is overcrowded at the beach. Finally, the idea of competition of space limits the transportation benefits. What hurts transportation the most is when large amounts of cruise tourists arrive at destinations which causes volatility in the demand for transportation (e.g. taxis). Environmental Impact of the Cruise Industry The cruise industry is the fastest growing industry in the travel industry. With enormous growth in the number of passengers, the number of cruise ships at sea, and the increased variety of destinations, followed by bigger and more luxurious cruise ships to keep up with the increase of demand; the substantial growth in the industry follows with increasing impact on the environment. Like many hospitality and travel industries, the negative impacts on the environment outweigh the positive impacts. Even though the cruise industry is relatively small compared to the airline industry, cruise ships and their passengers generate more volume of waste and pollutant emissions while travelling and docked in port. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a one week voyage generates more than 50 tonnes of garbage. During that same week 3.785 million litres of waste water is produced. That is water that is harmful to the ocean life and cannot be dumped back into the ocean wi thout it being treated. Furthermore, 794,850 litres of sewage, 95,000 litres of oil contaminated water, and 568 litres of hazardous waste is produced. These numbers are multiplied by more than 200 cruise ships sailing the world 365 days a year. In comparison to other travel industries, a cruise ship such as Queen Mary 2 emits 0.43 kg of Carbon dioxide per passenger mile, compared to 0.257 kg for a long-haul flight (Climate Care). In comparison to on-land tourists, cruise ship passengers generate 3.5 kg of garbage while 0.8 kg of garbage is generated by on-land tourists. (http://www.uneptie.org/pc/tourism/sust-tourism/env-3main.htm). In addition to pollution, coral reefs are taking significant damages. According to Ocean Planet, there are 109 countries with coral reefs. In 90 of them, reefs are being damaged by cruise ship anchors and sewage. It is said 70% of cruise destinations are in these biodiversity hot spots. However, it is not the amount of pollution and damages generated by cruise ships that most are concerning, but rather, the way cruise ships dispose their waste. Cruise ship waste disposal is highly unregulated, where waste can be dumped a few short miles off shore, which is later brought back to shore due to ocean currents. In the past, discharge from cruise ships exceeds the water quality standards set by National Authorities in relations to bacteria level, metals, and hydrocarbons and plastic. In most cases, there was no monitoring, no enforcements and no deprivation from local authorities if cruise ships violated the pollution standards. While the cruise industry continues to promote itself as environmentally friendly, the truth is, there are many instances of cruise ships breaking the law. A single cruise company can accumulate hundreds of pollution violations, which have resulted in payments of millions of dollars in environmental fines. However, in some cases, environmental inc idents have been accidental, due to simple human and mechanical error, such as fuel discharge from cruise ship loading fuel at ports. Since the increased harmful effects on the environment have come to light, the cruise industry has done its part by improving their efforts in processing waste onboard. As technology increases, their ability to become more eco-friendly becomes a priority. Holland American Line has invested $1.5 million into a program called Seawater Scrubber Pilot. This program looks for opportunities to reduce engine emission on its ships. The Sea Water Scrubber system uses the natural chemistry of seawater to remove all sulphur oxide. The seawater is then treated to remove harmful components before dumping it overboard (world cruise industry review). Even though recycling and using green materials is only a small step, it makes a big difference. Take Crystal Cruises for example. They are introducing 100% recyclable coat hangers, which prevents 9 billion wire and plastic hangers from being sent to landfills each year. They are also using washable and reusable garment bags instead of plastic laundry bags (world cruise industry review). On the major scale, most cruise ship companies are taking steps to map out global routes where waste discharge will cause the least damage to delicate ecosystems. Another major effort that some cruise ship companies are implementing is scheduling their arrival and departure time so cruise ships use less fuel while docking. Princess Cruises has invested $4.5 million to implement a cold-ironing program in Alaska. This is when ships plug into a ports electricity supply while docked in order to get hydroelectric power on board. This is the same concept as a hybrid car. The cost of equipping each ship is $500,000 where the benefits outweigh the costs. In California, 70% of cancer risk is due to the toxic air contaminants created by diesel. The biggest contribution to these toxins is cargo-handling equipment and the ships use of diesel engines while at port. With the use of the cold-ironing program, ships will not create this harmful pollutant that cau ses many environmental problems. Companies are taking the next step to keep their ships as cool as possible to eliminate excessive stress on air conditioners in addition to maintaining speeds at fuel efficient speeds. Crystal cruises has begun auditing its ships lighting and energy consumption. They are saving more than 960,000 kW/h per year, which is equivalent to nearly 200 tonnes of fuel a year. Economic Impacts of the Cruise Industry Cruise tourism is the fastest growing tourism industry in the last twenty years. Since 1990, the cruise industry has an average annual passenger growth rate of 7.4 percent per year, and in 1980, more than 163 million passengers have taken cruises longer than 2 days. Of the 163 million passengers, 56 percent of the passengers were generated within the last 10 years (CLIA, 2008). The industry has high potential in providing economic benefits to port states. Conversely, accommodating large cruise ships into ports need a lot of initial investments to build infrastructure and to maintain those infrastructures. With cruise ships growing in size more investments is needed to withstand larger ships. With scenarios of high infrastructure cost, rapid growth in tourism may result in stagflation or even a decline in GDP (Chase, 2001). For small cities, significant foreign investment is needed for these infrastructures, and it is questionable for many whether construction of the ports is cost-efficient. The majority of the state ports generate economic benefits from cruise ship tourism by generating revenue through passenger spending, person head taxes, dockage fees, and port entry. Passenger spending is the greatest benefit in supporting cruise tourism due to great deal of new money coming into the economy and creation of new jobs. According to an annual study by the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL), United States is the primary beneficiary of the Global economic impact of more than 75 percent of the cruise expenditures made with United States based business. U.S. ports account for 75 percent of 10.85 million passengers embankments worldwide. Since, United States is the majority of the Cruise Line industry, we will analyse the economic impact on the United States. Economic Impact of the Cruise Industry on the United States The impact of the cruise industry on the United States has both negative and positive results. Reasons for the negative result are due to the increase presence in the European market, and the increase in the Caribbean ports used for cruise embarkment. As a result, United States experienced a decline in its share of the global cruise industry and experiences a decline in the number of passengers embarking for the U.S. ports (CLIA, 2008). Table 1-1 shows that in 2008 United States, passenger embarkment totalled 8.96 million, a 2.4 percent decline from the previous year, with the majority of the global passenger of 69 percent. Table 1-1 In 2008, decline in its market power is due to hurricanes disrupting destinations to the Caribbean. Hurricanes such as Ike severely damaged retail facilities at ports in Turks and Caicos for nearly a month. In addition, Hurricane Ike consequently shut down cruise terminal ports in Galveston, Texas, for nearly two months due to landfall. The biggest factor in decline of the United States embarkment was the transfer of Pride of Hawaii and the Pride of Aloha by Norwegian Cruise Lines. This resulted in a decline of more than 200,000 passengers, which accounts for 75 percent of net decline of passenger embarking from the U.S. ports (CLIA, 2008). The growth of the industry spending including passenger and crew has slowed to 2 percent to $19.07 billion in 2008. This was the weakest growth in domestic spending since BEA began compiling these statistics (CLIA, 2008). The expenditures by the cruise lines including wages and taxes totalled to $15.67 billion which accounted for 82 percent of spe nding. This was the weakest growth in the cruise line expenditure since 2001.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Black Sox Trial Essay -- essays research papers

The Black Sox Trial – 1921   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Black Sox scandal was a baseball betting scheme involving a group of baseball players and gamblers which led to the Chicago White Sox intentionally losing in the 1919 World Series. As a result this scandal led to the banning of eight players from the 1919 Chicago White Sox team, Joe Jackson (better known as Shoeless Joe Jackson), Eddie Cicotte, Chick Gandil, Oscar Felsch, Fred McMullin, Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, and Claude Williams. This event also introduced a new commissioner and strict rules prohibiting gambling in baseball.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This conspiracy was the innovation of the White Sox’s first baseman Chick Gandil and Joseph â€Å"Sport† Sullivan, who was a professional gambler among his friend circle. During the 1919 baseball season, the Chicago White Sox had proven themselves to the world that they were the best team in the baseball league and, having clinched the American League pennant, were installed as the bookmarker’s favorites to defeat the Cincinnati Reds in the Series. At the time, gambling on baseball games was widespread and there were numerous stories about rigged ball games during the regular season but they were generally ignored by the team managers and owners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gandil, the first baseman, recruited seven of his teammates, to instigate â€Å"the fix,† all which was motivated by the mixed feelings of the dislike of the club owner Charles Comiskey along with greed. The seven players were the starting pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Cluade â€Å"Lefty† Williams, outfielders Shoeless Joe Jackson and Oscar â€Å"Happy† Felsch, and infielders Swede Risberg, Buck Weaver, and Fred McMullin. Sullivan and his two acquaintances Bill Burns and Billy Maharg contacted a wealthy New York gambler by the name of Arnold Rothstein to supply the money for the 8 players, who were told that they would get a total of $100,000. Even before the infamous Series started on October 1st there were whispers all over amongst the gambling population that things were a little weird, and the flood of money showed the odds of Cincinnati decline rapidly. These rumors also reached the press box where a number of reporters, including Hugh Fulle rton from the Chicago Herald along with Examiner and ex-player and manager Christy Mathewson, got down to compare notes on any plays and or players... ...ear. As it turned out the 1917 win in the World Series was the last championship the Chicago White Sox ever came across; changing the American pastime history forever! This Black Sox Scandal trial was a very interesting trial I had wanted to know about for the longest time. In writing this paper I mainly referred to the site,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/blacksox/blacksox.html This site consisted of many useful links and was very informative and broke down the events leading up to the trial and gave the entire sequence of events in a brief. Furthermore, to my surprise this site provided the court documents like the confessions of Joe Jackson, which seemed to be lost for a while and then mysteriously surfaced out of the blues later on, the trial testimonies, and many more. What really helped me out was the chronology of events along with the diagram of â€Å"the fix†. It was a lot easier to follow the diagram in my opinion. Another link on the website I found quite useful was â€Å"The Eight Men Out† link. It appropriately gives the ages, positions, salaries, and comments Gandil made for the eight players which were accused of the scandal.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Henry :: essays research papers

Henry Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and the driving force behind the firm and its products, who made an extraordinary impact on the American industry. Henry made many accomplishments, which include the Quadricycle and the Model-T car. As a young kid Henry was really into the mechanical industry, which helped him in life to develop all of the cars that he created during his years at the head of Ford and as he worked in his younger days at a Detroit factory. (2:23) Also when Henry was married to Clara Bryant in 1888, he ran a sawmill, which helped him make some money to get his family started. (6:1) The Model-T car was very cheap and this made it available for every man or woman who wanted to get a car. This vehicle initiated a new era in personal transportation. The Model-T was easy to operate, maintain, and handle on almost any road conditions, which immediately made it a huge success. Henry Ford was a huge success in the boom of the economy in the early 1900â€⠄¢s. (4:2) Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 and he was the first of William and Mary Ford’s six children. (2:3) He was born on a farm near what is now called Dearborn, Michigan. As a young boy Henry Ford enjoyed a normal young life of the rural nineteenth century. (3:4) He spent most of his youthful days in a very small school and doing chores on his family’s small farm. When Henry was in the early stages of childhood, he showed a lot of interest in mechanical things because he did not like doing farm work. (5:8) In 1879, when Henry Ford was sixteen years old, he left home to the city of Detroit to go to work as a mechanic’s helper. Even though he left home for Detroit, since the cities were close together, he often came home to help out on the farm. Henry worked as a mechanics apprentice for three years then he returned back home to Dearborn. (2:25) The next couple years of his life Henry was dedicated to dividing his time between using many different types of machines , otherwise he spent his time fixing up steam engines and he occasionally worked in a Detroit factory. (5:2) Henry also spent a lot of his time helping on his dad’s farm apparatuses, in addition to doing other hands on farm work.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Multicultural Educational System Essay -- Multiculturalism Education C

Multicultural Educational System Historically, The United States has been a racially and ethnically a diverse nation. Since Americans represent a variety of cultures and have a variety of viewpoints, we share many cultural traditions, values, and political ideals that cement us together as a nation. Children can develop their ideas and their identity at early stages in schools. Education should stress the value of diversity and avoid portraying one culture or group as superior to others. A multicultural educational system would not only educate the students in a classroom, but also enrich the teacher and society. The definition of multiculturalism is education that focuses on providing equal opportunity for students who’s cultural or language patterns make it difficult for them to succeed in traditional programs. (Oxford) Some discuss multicultural education as a shift in curriculum, perhaps as simple as adding new and diverse materials and perspectives to be more inclusive of traditionally underrepresented groups. Others talk about classroom climate issues or teaching styles that serve certain groups while presenting barriers for others. Still others focus on institutional and systemic issues such as tracking, standardized testing, or funding discrepancies. Some go farther still, insisting on education change as part of a larger societal transformation in which we more closely explore and criticize the oppressive foundations of society and how education serves to maintain the foundations such as white supremacy, capitalism, global socioeconomic situations, and exploitation. The melting pot theory is the Americanization process brought about by teaching everybody English and American social ideals from European Ethnic Cu... ... 30, 2004 Levine, Daniel U. (1997) Foundations of Education, Education in Culturally Diverse Society. Pages 159-170, 535. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston Meacham, Jack (2003) Student Diversity in classes and Educational Outcomes: Student Perceptions, Pages 627 retrieved from Eric Journal September 30, 2004 Ryan, Francis. (1993) The Perils of Multiculturalism, Educational Horizons, spring, pgs 134-138 Sternberg, Robert J. (2002) Educational Psychology, Group Differences, The Big Picture. Pages 191-225 Allyn and Bacon, Boston. Shorter Oxford English dictionary (5th ed.). (2002). New York: Oxford University Press. Viadero, D. Increased choice found to have modest impact on school improvement. Edweek. Retrieved Nov 7,2004 from Edweek.com Watkins, William. (1994) Multicultural Education... Educational Theory, v. 44, no. 1, winter, esp. pp. 99-110

Iron Crowned Chapter 20

I didn't know what the flowers meant. Nothing like that had ever happened when I'd meditated in the Thorn Land. Over the next few days, I just kept thinking about what Rurik had said, that no other monarch save my father had ruled more than one kingdom in recent history. It had taken great power and magic for me to exert my dominance over the lands†¦. Were they feeding it back to me in return? I certainly felt stronger with them, but I'd never expected any sort of unconscious physical manifestation. What else was I capable of? What could I make the land do? I didn't mention the matter to anyone, not even Kiyo. He'd seen the red flowers but brushed them off. If I told him about the Thorn Land, I feared he'd grow upset about the thought of my magic increasing. He grudgingly accepted what I already possessed but still feared it would turn me into my father, no heir needed. And although I'd felt physically better in the Otherworld, I grew weak again after a day or so back in Tucson. I didn't mention this to Kiyo either, but Jasmine was around enough to pick up on it. â€Å"Are they calling to you again?† she asked over breakfast one day. She was devouring Pop-Tarts, another love we apparently shared. I was too worried to have an appetite and simply watched. â€Å"You look like crap.† â€Å"I don't know,† I said, drumming my fingers against a glass of water. â€Å"There's no precedent for this – at least not anymore. No one knows what to expect from me having two kingdoms.† â€Å"I bet Dorian would know.† I bet he would too, but I shook my head. â€Å"He's not all-knowing no matter how much he wants to be,† I countered. â€Å"And I'm done with him.† â€Å"Okay.† She didn't fight it. For a while, she'd kept telling me I'd made a mistake in breaking up with Dorian, but Kiyo had been growing on her. I still wasn't sure if she approved, but at least I didn't have to listen to teen advice about my love life anymore. â€Å"But you might just have to go back soon. I mean, think about it. You're bound to two lands in the Otherworld. Aren't the lands and the monarch one? Part of you's there. It makes sense you'd have to be there twice as much.† I winced at the idea, though it had been on my mind too. â€Å"If I were there any more, I'd be living there permanently.† She swallowed the last of some crust. â€Å"You may not have a choice.† Her flippant tone irritated me. â€Å"There's always a choice. I rule them. They don't rule me.† I stood up abruptly and briefly became dizzy. It felt like the lands were mocking me. Damn it, I thought. You will not call me back so quickly. I'm staying in this world for a while. I'll come and go when I please. â€Å"I just need to stop thinking about it. I'm going to see if Lara's got a job.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Jasmine dryly. â€Å"That'll fix everything.† Lara did have a job for me, several actually. Even though she was all but living with Tim – in my house – she still kept meticulous records and took all my calls. She looked disappointed that I only accepted one from her growing list of jobs, a small one at that: a simple haunting that would probably take about five minutes. She said nothing, but I knew that she worried if I didn't make any money, she wouldn't either. So, remembering Enrique's comment about needing help but not being able to trust anyone, I gave her his card with the suggestion she call about part-time work. â€Å"Are you firing me?† she asked. I smiled as I gathered up all my weapons. â€Å"No, but I want you to have a backup plan in case you get laid off.† Her eyes widened in alarm at the joke. Or, I suddenly wondered, was it a joke? I brought Jasmine with me to the job because I still felt uneasy about leaving her alone. Besides, she was finally getting her fill of the human world, and I had a feeling her insistence on me returning to the Otherworld was partly selfish. Later, after I'd finished the job, I kind of regretted bringing a witness. â€Å"Wow,† she said, as we drove home. â€Å"You got your ass kicked.† â€Å"I did not.† â€Å"Did too.† So. This was what it was like having a sister. â€Å"I banished it, didn't I? You saw it go to the Underworld.† â€Å"Yeah,† she admitted, â€Å"but it sure did take a long time. I felt like I could have done it, and I've never banished anything before.† I gritted my teeth, refraining from commenting that I still had her chains. The troubling thing was, I had kind of sucked. I'd been in no real danger – not with a ghost that minor – but it had beaten me up more than it should have. I was off my game, a little slower, a little weaker. I'd walked away with some bruises and now noticed as we drove that my shoulder itched. For a moment, I thought the ghost must have hit me there, but there was no pain. The stitches. I'd nearly forgotten about them, now that they'd finally been able to heal. My skin had probably started to grow over the threads. I needed them out. No one was at my house, much to my disappointment. I'd hoped Kiyo had stopped by and could remove the stitches. Trying to be optimistic, I decided he must be pulling a shift at the veterinary hospital and wasn't with Maiwenn. Thus far, I'd heard no official word from her about my new double-queen status. Other monarchs had weighed in, though. Some had responded by showering me with congratulatory gifts and groveling. Others had let me know – in an amiable way – about other monarchs they were pals with, monarchs with big armies. It turned out everyone did fear the Iron Crown. I called my regular doctor, hoping to get an appointment this week as backup, in case Kiyo stayed absent. To my pleasant surprise, they'd had a cancellation that afternoon and could remove the stitches right away. It was good news for me but an annoyance for Jasmine, who'd just gotten comfortable on the couch. â€Å"Oh, come on,† she said, stretching out. â€Å"We just got home. Can't you please leave me here? I promise not to conquer the world or get pregnant while you're gone.† â€Å"You know,† I said, â€Å"Lara and Tim had sex right where you're lying.† She jumped up. A half hour later, we arrived at my doctor's office. I left Jasmine in the waiting room, deeming her safe enough with her iPod and magazines for the five minutes it would take to remove my stitches. Maybe she'd read some contraception pamphlets to pass the time. â€Å"They did this in the ER?† the doctor asked when I was admitted to an examination room and had taken off my shirt. I'd been seeing Dr. Moore for a couple years now. She was a pleasant, mid-fortyish woman who had eventually learned not to ask too many questions about my injuries. She thought I was a â€Å"contractor† who practiced martial arts on the side. â€Å"Not exactly,† I said. â€Å"I tore the ones the ER did, so my boyfriend had to redo them.† She took hold of tweezers and a tiny pair of scissors and leaned over. â€Å"Well, his work's neat, and it didn't get infected. If I'd seen you when this happened, I would have confined you to your bed. I would have known better than to assume you wouldn't promptly rip these out.† â€Å"Yeah, I really pulled one over on the other doctor.† She snorted a small laugh and proceeded to pull the stitches out. They stung where they tugged the skin, but honestly, it was nothing compared to my normal wear and tear. â€Å"There you go,† she said, stepping back. â€Å"You'll have a scar.† I put my shirt back on and faced her. â€Å"Battle trophy.† She rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. â€Å"You shouldn't joke about that.† â€Å"Sorry.† I picked up my purse, but her expression said we weren't done. â€Å"Eugenie †¦ I don't ask many questions, not any more than I need to treat you, but I'm worried about how often you come in with these kinds of injuries.† If only she knew how many I didn't come in for. â€Å"I – â€Å" â€Å"No, no,† she interrupted. â€Å"I don't need to know all the details of your life. I try not to judge – but you might need to. There are jobs out there that are physical in nature. That's life. But whatever you're doing †¦ maybe you should reevaluate it. To be blunt, you look terrible today.† â€Å"Oh, that.† Crap. I could hardly explain that it was the residual aftereffects of a magical battle in the Otherworld, during which I'd fought for dominion of a fairy kingdom and become its new master, thus doubling my reign. â€Å"I'm just, uh, coming down with something. Just kind of tired, you know.† She arched her eyebrows. Double crap. â€Å"Then let's do some quick blood and urine tests,† she said, straightening up. â€Å"Check your electrolytes, thyroid †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I fumbled for an excuse. I'd never been comfortable with those kinds of tests since discovering I had gentry blood. I was pretty sure human medicine couldn't detect that sort of thing, but I didn't want to take any chances. â€Å"I don't have time. My sister's waiting for me in the lobby.† â€Å"I'm sure she'll be okay,† said Dr. Moore. â€Å"This'll take five minutes.† â€Å"Fine.† I sat back on the table, defeated. â€Å"But can you send someone to make sure she's still out there? She's the sullen one.† Dr. Moore's nurse returned to send me to the bathroom and then drew blood when I came back. She was in the middle of telling me they would send the tests out to a lab, when Dr. Moore herself stuck her head back in. â€Å"Can we talk for a moment?† she asked. The nurse discreetly left, and once we were alone, I braced for another lecture about my lifestyle. â€Å"I really need to get back to my sister,† I told her. â€Å"You don't know what she's capable of.† â€Å"Eugenie.† Dr. Moore's voice was kind but firm. â€Å"Most of those tests we have to wait on, but there are a few we do right here with urine.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And, you're pregnant.† I thought about this for a moment and then enlightened her. â€Å"No. I'm not.† Those eyebrows rose again. â€Å"Your test came back positive. Now, we can't tell how far just from a urine test, but based on – â€Å" â€Å"Your test is wrong!† I sprang up from the table. My world was starting to reel again. â€Å"I can't be pregnant!† To her credit, she took my outburst calmly, but that was probably part of her training. â€Å"The test is very accurate, and it would explain why you aren't feeling well.† â€Å"I can't be pregnant,† I repeated adamantly. There was a mistake here. A terrible, terrible mistake, and she needed to understand that. Until she did, I refused even to process what she was claiming. â€Å"I take my birth control pills. Every day. Same time. Just like I'm supposed to. I'm not going to lie: I do other stupid shit all the time. But not with pills. I take them perfectly. I did with the antibiotics too. I'm careless with stitches but not prescriptions.† That calm expression shifted to surprise. â€Å"Antibiotics? When were you taking antibiotics?† I pointed to my shoulder. â€Å"When I got this. The ER doctor gave me a prescription.† I frowned. â€Å"What? Why are you looking at me like that? I told you: I took them correctly, all of them.† â€Å"Antibiotics can negate birth control pills,† she said. â€Å"Didn't you know that?† â€Å"I †¦ What? No. That's not †¦ No.† A mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake. â€Å"Women taking both need to use some other form of contraception until the antibiotics have run their course.† A horrible, cold feeling began spreading over me. â€Å"How was I supposed to know that?† I asked in a small voice. â€Å"Your pharmacist should have told you when you got the antibiotics. The interaction would have shown up in your records.† I thought back to that night, how my mom and I had stopped at the place closest to the hospital. â€Å"I didn't go to my usual pharmacy†¦.† And I had gotten out of there as fast as I could, not bothering to talk to the pharmacist because I'd taken antibiotics lots of times in my life. I certainly hadn't bothered with the enclosed pamphlets. Dr. Moore seemed to think she'd gotten through to me. â€Å"Now, we can figure out how far along you are if you know when your last period – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I exclaimed. â€Å"No, no, no. I can't be pregnant! Don't you understand? I can't be. I can't have a baby. I can't!† I was shouting again and wondered if this place had security. â€Å"Calm down,† Dr. Moore said. â€Å"Everything will be all right.† No, no, it wouldn't. Everything wouldn't be all right. Nausea welled in me, nausea I'd felt for a few weeks or so – and that had nothing to do with inheriting the Rowan Land. After all this time, after all the planning and lofty talk, after all my fears about Jasmine †¦ it was me. Human medicine had screwed me over. No, I had screwed me over. I'd fucked up. My own carelessness had brought this about. Everything anyone had ever said about the Storm King prophecy began to run through my mind. Sformi, King's first grandson. An invasion of the human world. Led by his mother. Domination and blood. And I, I was bringing it about†¦. I was the instrument†¦. â€Å"Eugenie!† Dr. Moore was supporting me, and I had a feeling she'd said my name a few times. She glanced at the door and opened her mouth, about to call her nurse. â€Å"No!† I clutched at her white coat. â€Å"Don't. Listen to me.† My voice was raspy and desperate. â€Å"I can't. I can't have a baby. Don't you understand?† She peered at me through her glasses, regarding me knowingly. â€Å"Then you don't have to. There are options – â€Å" You can't have a boy, some voice inside me said. What if it's a girl? â€Å"Wait,† I interrupted her. â€Å"When can you tell the gender?† That got a shocked look. â€Å"You'd base an abortion on gender?† â€Å"I – no, wait.† Fuck. I couldn't think. I was panicked and scared and confused. I needed to get my head together. What did I do? I had to get rid of this baby, pure and simple. People did it all the time. It was easy in this day and age, right? â€Å"I meant, how long until you can tell gender and if †¦ if there's anything wrong.† I groped for something reasonable, something that wouldn't make me seem like a heartless woman who'd kill her son. â€Å"You can do those tests, right? Like, genetic tests? I †¦ I'm so afraid of having a baby and having there be something wrong. My family has a bad history. My cousins have had babies with birth defects, and I can't †¦ I can't handle that. I have to know. I have to know †¦ right away †¦ as early as possible because otherwise I'll †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The lies rolled easily off my lips. Anything. Anything to know the gender. Dr. Moore studied me again. I still sounded crazy and scattered, I knew, but a little less than before. â€Å"When was your last period?† she asked quietly. I turned to her wall calendar. The numbers swam before me. I couldn't focus. How the hell could I remember that when the fate of the world was on the line? I thought about my last period and tried to link it to some event, something that would trigger a date. â€Å"There.† I pointed. â€Å"It started on the fifth.† She nodded, doing mental calculations. â€Å"Which lines up with the antibiotics. You're almost nine weeks along, as the reckoning goes, though technically only seven since conception.† Seven. Seven weeks †¦ â€Å"You're almost in the range for chorionic villus sampling,† she said. Chorionic what? â€Å"They don't like to do it unless it's necessary, though. There are risks for the fetus. They almost never do it for someone your age, who's in good health†¦.† â€Å"But it can tell me?† I said urgently. â€Å"It can tell me what I need to know?† â€Å"It can tell you a lot. No test can tell you everything, but it can give you peace of mind †¦ especially if you really do have a bad family history †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Did I ever. â€Å"I do,† I said. â€Å"Please.† I held my breath, knowing she was wavering here. Finally, she turned to her filing cabinet, rifling through it until she found a carbon form. She scrawled something in doctor's handwriting on it and handed it over. â€Å"Here.† It was a referral to an OB-GYN's office nearby. The form had my name, some boxes checked, and a few illegible words. I did make out CVS and emergency. â€Å"Emergency?† I asked. I mean, it was, but I was surprised she'd nailed it. â€Å"It means you'll get scheduled in right away. Most of these tests are backed up – because they aren't done this early. Give it to my nurse when you leave.† She was writing something else as she spoke. â€Å"She'll call them and schedule you – but you need to be aware they may refuse it when you're there, based on their judgment. I meant it: this isn't routine.† My next words were hesitant. â€Å"Then why are you doing it?† â€Å"Because I believe that in pregnancy, the mother's health outweighs everything else.† Mother's health. I didn't like thinking of myself as a mother. Fuck. This shouldn't even be an issue at all! We should be discussing abortions. Why did I care about gender? I didn't want a baby. I wasn't ready for a baby. Certainly not one who'd fulfill a world-conquering prophecy. â€Å"In this case,† said Dr. Moore. â€Å"Your mental health is especially concerning. Which is what this is for.† She handed me the other piece of paper. It was a referral for a psychologist. â€Å"I don't need – â€Å" â€Å"Eugenie, shock over an unplanned pregnancy is normal. Expected. But it's clear †¦ you have some very serious issues around this.† She had no idea. â€Å"Have my nurse call for the test. Then schedule yourself a therapist appointment and a follow-up with me.† There was no way I could tell her I had no intention of going to therapy. I wasn't even sure about the follow-up. But I'd gotten away with something, and I knew it. I nodded meekly. â€Å"Thank you.† I left before she could change her mind. Jasmine's face was filled with irritation and impatience when I finally returned. â€Å"That took forever,† she said, tossing a magazine aside. â€Å"How deep were those stitches?† â€Å"Not that deep,† I murmured. I walked toward my car on autopilot, still stunned. â€Å"She was worried about how tired I was, that's all.† â€Å"Well, you can fix that when we go back to the Otherworld.† I started the car, staring off into space for a few ponderous moments as numbers floated around in my head. Nine weeks, seven weeks. Two days. That was how long until my test. Two days. I refocused on my surroundings so I wouldn't get us into an accident. â€Å"We aren't going to the Otherworld anytime soon,† I replied. Jasmine shot me a look that clearly expressed her feelings on that, but there must have been something in my own face that answered back because she didn't fight the issue anymore. When we returned to my house, I put my purse and paperwork in my bedroom before sitting with Jasmine in her usual spot on the couch. Mindless TV suddenly seemed like a good idea †¦ except, well, it didn't do a very good job of taking my mind off of my problems. Pregnant. Conqueror of worlds. Storm King's heir. Me. It was all on me: what had happened and what was to come. We hadn't been home long when Kiyo showed up. He gave me a cheerful grin and wore his white coat from work, meaning he must not have been cozying up with Maiwenn. Small blessing. His smile was enough to make Jasmine smile in return, but I couldn't muster one. There was nothing to smile about right now. Nothing good in this world. Nothing good in either world. He joined us on the couch, sandwiching me in between him and Jasmine, and caught hold of my hand. â€Å"Hey, how are you?† he asked. He peered at my face, even though I was pointedly not looking at him. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"Fine,† I lied. â€Å"Tired.† Storm King's first grandson will conquer the human world. â€Å"She's been like that all day,† said Jasmine. â€Å"She needs to go back to the Otherworld but won't.† â€Å"Is that true?† he asked. â€Å"I didn't think you'd have a problem with that,† I said. â€Å"You've always wanted me to stay away.† â€Å"Yeah, but not if it's affecting you like this. You really look sick, Eug.† â€Å"She also got beat up by a ghost,† Jasmine added helpfully. â€Å"Hey!† I glared. â€Å"I did not!† Kiyo chuckled and pulled me closer. â€Å"Stop playing tough. Go to the Otherworld tomorrow. I'll come with you, so it won't be as bad.† He relaxed, and there was a finality in his voice that I didn't like. I didn't like his presumption. I also wasn't entirely sure I should be going to the Otherworld, in light of recent developments. Flowers. Flowers everywhere, everywhere I step. I'm the land, and the land is me. Where I bring life, the land does too†¦. Or death. I could bring death as well. It was my choice. Over and over. The words in my head were all I heard. I didn't hear the TV, or Kiyo and Jasmine's occasional comments. I didn't really hear when Kiyo said he'd make dinner and went to drop off his overnight bag in my bedroom. But I did hear him when he came raging back to the living room, waving my CVS referral form in the air. â€Å"Eugenie!† His voice was a roar, one that made Jasmine cringe and widen her eyes. â€Å"What the hell is this?† I stared up at him levelly, surprised I could be so calm in the face of that outrage, especially after the emotional upheaval I'd been through all day. My own despair and shock had never left, but now I was able to push it down and meet Kiyo's eyes, as I allowed myself to finally acknowledge the other thought that had been bouncing around in my mind. Because along with the choices I had and the consequences I faced, there was one other matter to consider. I'd looked at the numbers, at the calendar. I'd factored in the dates, the antibiotics, what had been done – or, perhaps most importantly, what hadn't been done. It was all very clear. There was no soap opera here. No talk show?Cworthy mystery. â€Å"Congratulations,† I told Kiyo. â€Å"You're going to be a father. Again.†