Neocolonialism in Jamaica Essay - 6862 Words

Neocolonialism in Jamaica: History, practices, and resistance â€Å"The imposition of structural adjustment programs in the Third World since the 1970s has been characterized as a war against the poor, a process of [neo] recolonization† (Turner, 1994: 37). This statement is particularly applicable to the country of Jamaica. The island has been susceptible to a variety of neocolonial acts including the presence of multinational corporations, structural adjustment programs, and loan organizations that have sucked Jamaica’s economy dry. This neocolonial presence has devastated the population in more ways than one. It is apparent that neocolonialism has had and continues to have a large impact on society as a whole in Jamaica. This†¦show more content†¦Profound development began in 1660 when, after a five-year struggle against the Spanish crown, the British won power. There was a significant rise in population under British control. Their system allowed the colony to prosper as they gave new European settlers land to c ultivate sugar cane and cocoa. â€Å"The European planter has been described as a machine for making money† (Waters, 1985: 22). The purpose of this colonial economic system was to provide raw materials and goods for the Mother Country. In addition, a general consumer market was developed to send wealth to Europe and allow for capital accumulation, all for the benefit of the colonizers. Slavery represents an important part of Jamaican history and the cultivated dominant atmosphere. For one, plantations highly depended on slave labor to maximize profit margins. Between 1655 and 1808 one million slaves were forcefully brought to Jamaica (Waters, 1985: 21-23). Persaud (2001: 72) suggests, â€Å"the plantation system, the totality of institutional arrangements surrounding the production and marketing of plantation crops, has seriously affected society in Jamaica†. In other words, the slave mode of production was a crucial factor in the establishment of Jamaica’s structural society. â€Å"Jamaica’s class structure today reflects its history as a colonial plantation society and its beginnings of industrial developmentShow MoreRelatedThe Economic And Social Effects Of Globalization On Jamaica1140 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Life and Debt† is a documentary that examines the economic and social effects of globalization on Jamaica. The movie mainly describes the affects of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank’s structural adjustment programs. While these funds are created to help developing countries become more developed, the documentary shows how the reforms were not successful in Jamaica and put the country in debt. This paper will discuss the portrayal of globalization in the documentary, and how globalizationRead MoreHuman Nature : Humans And Humans1801 Words   |  8 Pagespositive appraisal of globalization, and challenges the thought that globalization is a truly â€Å"global† process. Life and Debt presents images of Jamaica through the eyes of white tourists immediately followed by contrasting images of locals. The opposing images of Jamaican reality unveils the political unrest, economic downturn, and poverty ridden state of Jamaica. The juxtaposition in Life and Debt provides a vehicle for examining the situation cross-culturally and places multinational corporations suchRead Mo reCaribbean Literature1290 Words   |  6 Pagescolonial experience. Furthermore, domination still operates through a set of economic, cultural, and ideological mechanisms (otherwise known as neocolonialism). Also, the portrayal of resistant subjects asserting their right to sociocultural self-determination can be found in several texts like â€Å"Caribbean Chameleon† by Makeda Silvera, â€Å"Blackness† by Jamaica Kincaid, and â€Å"† by sal;idhrgshof. These stories help to create a deeper understanding about the Caribbean. Silvera uses many literary methodsRead MoreEuropean Imperialism : The New World And The Cape Of Good Hope Passage1972 Words   |  8 Pagesnation in – colonialism, imperialism and capitalist exploitation of the colonial power. Nowhere is this more evident than in the financial sector were reporting techniques steer the flow of capital out of the country into the colonizer, as happened in Jamaica (Bakre, 2008). However, former imperial powers do maintain close relations with their former colonies, and sometimes put those relationships to good use, by forming transnational organizations to assist in aid and development. The key example of thatRead More Universally Accepted Declaration of Human Rights Essay example2488 Words   |  10 PagesSecond, the legacy of imperialism and slavery must be acknowledged and addressed. Many African and island cultures have suffered and continue to suffer because of these practices. The novels Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and A Small Place, by Jamaica Kincaid, deal with many of these issues. The purpose of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was to establish a standard of human rights that is universal. Unfortunately, shortly after the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the UniversalRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesof Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Edmonds, Ennis Barrington. Rastafari : from outcasts to culture bearers / Ennis Barrington Edmonds. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-513376-5 1. Rastafari movement. 2. Jamaica—Religious life and customs. I. Title. BL2532.R37 E36 2002 299†².676—dc21 2002074897 v To Donnaree, my wife, and Donnisa, my daughter, the two persons around whom my life revolves; and to the ancestors whose struggles have enabled us toRead More The Colonization of Hawaii and Tourism Essay4434 Words   |  18 Pagescolonizer. Consequently, native Hawaiians had little to do with the growth of tourism and the development of the mythical paradise except for the symbols they produced. Tourism is a form of leisure imperialism and represents the hedonistic face of neocolonialism (Hall and Page 82). This is apparent through the Hawaii Visitors Bureau. This exclusive, elitist organization controls the promotion, factual information, visitor reactions, research of the tourist industry, and ultimately tourists discourse

Linguistics and Speakers Practice Code-switching Free Essays

yInitiation of Code Switching Code switching, that is, the alternative use by bilinguals of two or more languages in the same conversation, has attracted linguists’ attention and been studied from a variety of perspectives. Code-switching is a linguistics term denoting the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals, people who speak more than one language, sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other. We will write a custom essay sample on Linguistics and Speakers Practice Code-switching or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thus, code-switching is the syntactically and phonologically appropriate use of more than one linguistic variety.Speakers form and establish a pidgin language when two or more speakers who do not speak a common language form an intermediate third language. On the other hand, speakers practice code-switching when they are each fluent in both languages. Code mixing is a thematically related term, but the usage of the terms code-switching and code-mixing varies. Some scholars use either term to denote the same practice, while others apply code-mixing to denote the formal linguistic properties of said language-contact phenomena, and code-switching to denote the actual, spoken usages by multilingual persons.In the 1940s and the 1950s many scholars called code-switching a sub-standard language usage. Since the 1980s, however, most scholars have recognized it is a normal, natural product of bilingual and multilingual language use. In popular usage outside the field of linguistics the term code-switching is sometimes used to refer to relatively stable informal mixtures of two languages, such as Bangla or Hindi, or to refer to dialect or style-shifting, such as that practiced by speakers of African American Vernacular English as they move from less formal to more formal settings.Why is code-switching Code-switching relates to, and sometimes indexes social-group membership in bilingual and multilingual communities. Some sociolinguists describe the relationships between code-switching behaviors and class, ethnicity, and other social positions In addition, scholars in interactional linguistics and conversation analysis have studied code-switching as a means of structuring talk in interaction. Analyst Peter Auer suggests that code-switching does not simply reflect social situations, but that it is a means to create social situations.Weinreich (1953/1968:73) argued that â€Å"the ideal bilingual switches from one language to another according to appropriate changes in the speech situation, but not in an unchanged speech situation and certainly not within a single sentence†. Speaker switches languages to achieve a special communicative effect. This paper will give a general review of the studies of code-switching and then focus on the grammatical constraints on CODE-SWITCHING.Studies of CODE-SWITCHING can be divided into three broad fields: sociolinguistic code-switching, psycholinguistic co de-switching and linguistic code-switching. Sociolinguistic approach to code-switching Blom amp; Gumperz (1972/2000:126) introduced two patterns of CODE-SWITCHING, namely situational CODE-SWITCHING, in which the speaker switches languages according to the change of the situation and metaphorical CODE-SWITCHING in which the speaker switches languages to achieve a special communicative effect. They developed this concept and introduced another term ‘conversational CODE-SWITCHING’ (1982) which includes functions such as quotations, addressee specification, interjections, reiteration, message qualification, and personalization vs objectivization. Psycholinguistic approach to code-switching Weinreich (1953/1968) classified three types of bilingualism according to the way in which bilinguals store language in their brains. 1) Coordinate bilingualism: the person who has acquired two languages in two separate contexts and the words are stored separately. ) Compound: the person has acquired two languages in the same context. In this case, a word has a single concept but two different labels from each language. 3) Subordinate: the person has acquired a language first and another language is interpreted through the stronger language. Ervin amp; Osgood (1954) developed Weinreich’s distinctions. Structural approach to code-switching In the past twenty years, studies looking for universal grammatical constraints on CODE-SWITCHING have attracted linguists’ attention and still haven’t reached an agreement. Research in this field has largely concentrated on finding universally applicable, predictive grammatical constraints on CODE-SWITCHING, so far without success†(Gardner-Chloros amp; Edwards, 2004:104). There are mainly three approaches to the structural description of CODE-SWITCHING. The first is one of the earliest and most influential approaches, that of of Poplack and her associates. The second is the approach to CODE-SWITCHING that is based around Chomsky’s generative grammar. The third is Myer Scotton’s psycholinguistically inspired structural model – the Matrix Language Frame Model.Markedness Model The Markedness Model, developed by Carol Myers-Scotton, is one of the most complete theories of code-switching motivations. It posits that language users are rational, and choose (speak) a language that clearly marks their rights and obligations, relative to other speakers, in the conversation and its setting. When there is no clear, unmarked language choice, speakers practice code-switching to explore possible language choices. Many sociolinguists, however, object to the Markedness Model’s postulation that language-choice is entirely rational.Communication Accommodation Theory The Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT), developed by Howard Giles, professor of communication, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, seeks to explain the cognitive reasons for code-switching and other changes in speech, as a person seeks either to emphasize or to minimize the social differences between him- or herself and the other person(s) in conversation. Prof. Giles posits that when speakers seek approval in a social situation they are likely to converge their speech with that of the other person speakin g.This can include, but is not limited to, the language of choice, accent, dialect, and para-linguistic features used in the conversation. In contrast to convergence, speakers might also engage in divergent speech, with which an individual person emphasizes the social distance between him- or herself and other speakers by using speech with linguistic features characteristic of his or her own group. Code-switching and Diglossia In a diglossic situation, some topics and situations are better suited to one language over another.Joshua Fishman proposes a domain-specific code-switching model (later refined by Blom and Gumperz) wherein bilingual speakers choose which code to speak depending on where they are and what they are discussing. For example, a child who is a bilingual of Bengali-English speaker might speak Bengali at home and English in class, but Bengali at recess. Mechanics of code-switching Code-switching mostly occurs where the syntaxes of the languages align in a sentence; thus, it is uncommon to switch from English to Bengali after a verb and before a noun, because, in Bangla, verb usually follow nouns.Even un related languages often align syntactically at a relative clause boundary or at the boundary of other sentence sub-structures. Linguists have made significant effort toward defining the difference between borrowing (loanword usage) and code-switching; generally, borrowing occurs in the lexicon, while code-switching occurs at either the syntax level or the utterance-construction level. In studying the syntactic and morphological patterns of language alternation, linguists have postulated specific grammatical rules and specific syntactic boundaries for where code-switching might occur.None of these suggestions is universally accepted, however, and linguists have offered apparent counter-examples to each proposed constraint. Some proposed constraints are: * The Free-morpheme Constraint: code-switching cannot occur between bound morphemes. * The Equivalence Constraint: code-switching can occur only in positions where â€Å"the order of any two sentence elements, one before and one after the switch is not excluded in either language. † * The Closed-class Constraint: closed class items (pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, etc. ), cannot be switched. The Matrix Language Frame model distinguishes the roles of the participant languages. * The Functional Head Constraint: code-switching cannot occur between a functional head (a complementizer, a determiner, an inflection, etc. ) and its complement (sentence, noun-phrase, and verb-phrase). Note that some theories, such as the Closed-class Constraint, the Matrix Language Frame model, and the Functional Head Constraint, which make general predictions based upon specific presumptions about the nature of syntax, are controversial among linguists positing alternative theories.In contrast, descriptions based on empirical analyses of corpora, such as the Equivalence Constraint, are relatively independent of syntactic theory, but the code-switching patterns they describe vary considerably among speech communities, even among those sharing the same language pairs. Types of switching Scholars use different names for various types of code-switching. * Intersentential switching occurs outside the sentence or the clause level (i. e. at sentence or clause boundaries). Intra-sentential switching occurs within a sentence or a clause. * Tag-switching is the switching of either a tag phrase or a word, or both, from language-B to language-A, (common intra-sentential switches). * Intra-word switching occurs within a word, itself, such as at a morpheme boundary. Examples of code switching: Now a day there are lots of uses of code switching in our daily Bangla language. English use has got too much high so that we sometime call it as Banglish. More often our words are getting compound by the other language. For example of Code switching I can give a dialogue of between two friends: Shoiket: Mou PLEASE amak ai biota dao na Mou: Take it shoiket. Shoiket : toke oneek thanks dilam Mou: Wells. Conclusion A useful definition of code switching for sociocultural linguistic analysis should recognize it as an alternation in the form of communication that signals a context in which the linguistic contribution can be understood. The ‘context’ so signaled may be very local (such as the end of a turn at talk), very general (such as positioning vis-a-vis some macro-sociological category), or anywhere in between.Furthermore, it is important to recognize that this signaling is accomplished by the action of participants in a particular interaction. That is to say, it is not necessary or desirable to spell out the meaning of particular code switching behavior a priori. Rather, code switching is accomplished by parties in interaction, and the meaning of their behavior emerges from the interact ion. This is not to say that the use of particular linguistic forms has no meaning, and that speakers â€Å"make it up as they go. Individuals remember and can call on past experiences of discourse. These memories form part of a language user’s understanding of discourse functions. Therefore, within a particular setting certain forms may come to recur frequently. Nonetheless, it is less interesting (for the current author at least, and probably for the ends of sociocultural linguistic analysis) to track the frequency or regularity of particular recurrences than to understand the effect of linguistic form on discourse practice and emergent social meanings.To recapitulate, then, code switching is a practice of parties in discourse to signal changes in context by using alternate grammatical systems or sub systems, or codes. The mental representation of these codes cannot be directly observed, either by analysts or by parties in interaction. Rather, the analyst must observe discourse itself, and recover the salience of a linguistic form as code from its effect on discourse interaction. How to cite Linguistics and Speakers Practice Code-switching, Papers

George Orwell 1984 Essay Example For Students

George Orwell 1984 Essay Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in London, in the nation of Oceania. Everywhere Winston goes, even his own home, the Party watches him through telescreens; everywhere he looks he sees the face of the Partys seemingly omniscient leader, a figure known only as Big Brother. The Party controls everything in Oceania, even the peoples history and language. Currently, the Party is forcing the implementation of an invented language called Newspeak, which attempts to prevent political rebellion by eliminating all words related to it. Even thinking rebellious thoughts is illegal. Such thoughtcrime is, in fact, the worst of all crimes. As the novel opens, Winston feels frustrated by the oppression and rigid control of the Party, which prohibits free thought, sex, and any expression of individuality. Winston dislikes the party and has illegally purchased a diary in which to write his criminal thoughts. He has also become fixated on a powerful Party member named OBrien, whom Winston believes is a secret member of the Brotherhoodthe mysterious, legendary group that works to overthrow the Party. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, where he alters historical records to fit the needs of the Party. He notices a coworker, a beautiful dark-haired girl, staring at him, and worries that she is an informant who will turn him in for his thoughtcrime. He is troubled by the Partys control of history: the Party claims that Oceania has always been allied with Eastasia in a war against Eurasia, but Winston seems to recall a time when this was not true. The Party also claims that Emmanuel Goldstein, the alleged leader of the Brotherhood, is the most dangerous man alive, but this does not seem plausible to Winston. Winston spends his evenings wandering through the poorest neighborhoods in London, where the proletarians, or proles, live squalid lives, relatively free of Party monitoring. One day, Winston receives a note from the dark-haired girl that reads I love you. She tells him her name, Julia, and they begin a covert affair, always on the lookout for signs of Party monitoring. Eventually they rent a room above the secondhand store in the prole district where Winston bought the diary. This relationship lasts for some time. Winston is sure that they will be caught and punished sooner or later (the fatalistic Winston knows that he has been doomed since he wrote his first diary entry), while Julia is more pragmatic and optimistic. As Winstons affair with Julia progresses, his hatred for the Party grows more and more intense. At last, he receives the message that he has been waiting for: OBrien wants to see him. Winston and Julia travel to OBriens luxurious apartment. As a member of the powerful Inner Party (Winston belongs to the Outer Party), OBrien leads a life of luxury that Winston can only imagine. OBrien confirms to Winston and Julia that, like them, he hates the Party, and says that he works against it as a member of the Brotherhood. He indoctrinates Winston and Julia into the Brotherhood, and gives Winston a copy of Emmanuel Goldsteins book, the manifesto of the Brotherhood. Winston reads the bookan amalgam of several forms of class-based twentieth-century social theoryto Julia in the room above the store. Suddenly, soldiers barge in and seize them. Mr. Charrington, the proprietor of the store, is revealed as having been a member of the Thought Police all along. Torn away from Julia and taken to a place called the Ministry of Love, Winston finds that OBrien, too, is a Party spy who simply pretended to be a member of the Brotherhood in order to trap Winston into committing an open act of rebellion against the Party. OBrien spends months torturing and brainwashing Winston, who struggles to resist. At last, OBrien sends him to the dreaded Room 101, the final destination for anyone who opposes the Party. Here, OBrien tells Winston that he will be forced to confront his worst fear. Throughout the novel, Winston has had recurring nightmares about rats; OBrien now straps a cage full of rats onto Winstons head and prepares to allow the rats to eat his face. Winston snaps, pleading with OBrien to do it to Julia, not to him. .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f , .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .postImageUrl , .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f , .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f:hover , .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f:visited , .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f:active { border:0!important; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f:active , .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u31e459169db8cb58dc94b1d5b14a1e7f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Do You Agree or Disagree with the Following Statement? Boys and Girls Should Attend Separate Schools. Use Specific Reasons and Examples to Support Your Answer. EssayGiving up Julia is what OBrien wanted from Winston all along. His spirit broken, Winston is released to the outside world. He meets Julia, but no longer feels anything for her. He has accepted the Party entirely and has learned to love Big Brother. Words/ Pages : 756 / 24

Religion in Octavia Butlers Parable of the Sower

The main reason why Octavia Butler’s 1993 dystopic novel Parable of the Sower is being commonly referred to, as such that represents a high literary value, is that the themes and motifs, contained in it, are discursively relevant. That is, they do reflect people’s anxieties, in regards to the challenges of a post-industrial living.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religion in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of these challenges is the fact that, as time goes on; the religious appeal of Christianity to Americans continues to become ever more undermined. This simply could not be otherwise, because for even mildly intelligent people, the Biblical fables about Sun standing still in the sky, talking donkeys and Saint Mary becoming impregnated by the ‘holy ghost’ appear rather unconvincing, so say the least. The same can be said about the p rovisions of Christian morality, based upon the vicious assumption that there are ‘chosen people’, favored by God, on the one hand, and ‘infidels’ that will be eventually thrown into the ‘lake of fire’, on the other. At the same time, however, the overwhelming majority of Americans continue experiencing an urge to be spiritually guided. In its turn, this causes many people to think that there are now objective preconditions for the creation of a new religion, which would be both: thoroughly humanistic and conceptually consistent with an ongoing social, cultural and technological progress. This is what Butler’s novel is all about. In it, the author provided readers with an insight as to how religion and science could be successfully combined together – hence, creating a ‘spiritual product’, thoroughly adjusted to the challenges of modernity. Nevertheless, even though that, as it will be illustrated later, the fictious religion of Earthseed (described in the novel) is in fact scientifically legitimate, there are still a few discursive shortcomings to how the author went about reflecting upon this religion’s social implications. Probably the most important qualitative aspect of Butler’s novel is that, even though that its plot unravels in the dystopic future, readers nevertheless do emotionally relate to the characters’ experiences of living in the ‘godless’ universe.Advertising Looking for term paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After all, just as it happened to be the case with the novel’s main character Lauren Olamina, they do often experience the disturbing sensation that there is too much injustice and violence in this world. Such their sensation, of course, contradicts the Christian dogma there is all-loving and omnipotent God, who answers people’s prayers. Yet, as it was illustrated in the novel, it is not only due to the ‘classical’ God’s de facto absence that spiritually sensitive people find it hard to deal with the objective reality’s emanations, but also due to their own intellectual inflexibility. As Lauren noted: A lot of people seem to believe in a big-daddy-God or a big-cop-God or a big-king-God. They believe in a kind of super-person. A few believe God is another word for nature. (8) These Lauren’s words, of course, reveal her as a pantheist, who knew perfectly well that there is very little rationale in believing that God is an individual, capable of experiencing the human emotions of love, fear and anger: My God doesn’t love me or hate me or watch over me or know me at all, and I feel no love for or loyalty to my God. My God just is. (22) At the same time, however, it could not escape Lauren’s attention that there is an apparent order in the universe, which given the main characte r’s perceptual idealism, was causing her to consider the possibility that, even though there is no ‘big-daddy God’, the ‘divinity’ is still there. Lauren revealed the true nature of ‘divinity’ in what can be well defined as the ‘manifesto’ of her newly found quasi-religion of Earthseed: All that you touch, you Change. All that you change, Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change. (51)Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Religion in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What gives Lauren a particular credit, in this respect, is that the earlier mentioned theological provisions of Earthseed are fully consistent with the most recent breakthroughs in the fields of biology and physics. After all, today’s scientists are thoroughly aware of the fact that, while remaining in the state of a const ant transformation (due to the forces of gravity), the chaotically dispersed universe’s matter has a tendency to self-organize itself into complex structures. As one of the 20th century’s most prominent scientists Alan Turing pointed out: Chaotic substratum, although it may originally be quite homogeneous, may later develop a pattern or structure due to an instability of the homogeneous equilibrium, which is triggered off by random disturbances. (37) The full soundness of this statement can be well illustrated in relation to the grains of sand in the desert, which never cease self-organizing themselves into ripples, waves and dunes – quite contrary to the fact that these grains have no awareness of the shape they become a part of. This also explains the seemingly intelligent design of organic life-forms – this design comes as an ultimate result of a physical matter/energy, on the one hand, and the forces of gravity, on the other, continuing to interact fo r the duration of billions and billions of years. What it means is that there is indeed no God, in the traditional sense of this word. What causes the universe to be observably complex and even ‘intelligently designed’ to an extent, is the never-ending flow of energy from the universe’s ‘energetically rich’ regions to the ‘energetically poor’ ones, which will eventually result in the ‘energetic death’ of the universe – the so-called state of ‘universal entropy’. Nevertheless, even though that we are now well aware that there is no ‘big-daddy God’, we cannot help but to experience awe, while exposed to the wonders of the universe. This sensation of awe, on our part, is where the ‘divinity’ actually resides. Therefore, Lauren’s suggestion that God is Change is thoroughly valid – Change is what causes Complexity, and Complexity is what we commonly perceive in terms of God.Advertising Looking for term paper on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This, of course, implies that we should not seek God up in the sky, but rather within. The fact that we, as the representatives of Homo Sapiens species, have evolved to the point that we now understand the universe’s mechanics, without having to evoke the notion of ‘big-baddy God’, makes us nothing short of semi-gods ourselves. As such, we have the responsibility to act ethically – even in times when this undermines our chances of a physical survival. Hence, the Earthseed’s foremost ‘commandment’: The weak can overcome the strong if the weak persist. Persisting isn’t always safe, but it’s often necessary. (79) Apparently, Lauren knew that, in order to encourage people to behave in a socially appropriate manner, they should not be constantly reminded of the prospect of being sent to hell, on the account of their ‘sins’, but that they should instead be provided with incentives to remain fully aware of the behavi oral implications of their basic humanity. Nevertheless, as it was mentioned in the Introduction, Butler’s vision of the ‘future religion’ cannot be thought of as such that represents an indisputable truth-value. This is because; there are a number of good reasons to think that, even if Lauren did succeed in setting up the communities of ‘earthseeds’ across America, her newly founded ‘Church of Earthseed’ would not remain functional for too long. After all, throughout the course of the novel, Laura continues to position herself as a somewhat socially-withdrawn person, who believed that the pathway towards making people more gentle towards each other is being concerned with suppressing the truth about the fact, in the biological sense of this word, they are nothing but hairless primates. For example, Laura does not seem to understand that people’s endowment with the sense of greed cannot be dealt with mechanistically, because being primates; it is in our very nature to act selfishly. This is the reason why there are strongly defined Communist overtones to her concept of a ‘spiritually rich’ communal living. As Phillips noted: According to Lauren, the moral destiny of earthseed is ‘to take root among the stars’†¦ But this spiritual and political ideal is rendered impossible by a social order based on stark economic polarities. (304) Yet, according to the laws of nature, which define the qualitative dynamics in just about every human society, without ‘polarities’ (inequality), the continual flow of energy that enables Change, in the first place, would have been impossible. After all, the notion of equality is synonymous with the notion of entropy (chaos). In other words, the way in which Lauren went about conceptualizing how the communes of ‘earthseeds’ should operate, contradicted her own understanding of Change, as the driving force of ‘divinityâ €™. There is also another reason to think that the religion of Earthseed would have proven short-lived – while elaborating on the proper ways of a ‘spiritually rich’ living, Butler never ceased to promote the idea that, as compared to what it happened to be the case with men, women are better suited to act as the community’s leaders. This explains why Parable of the Sower has been traditionally referred to as an unmistakably feminist novel (Miller 337). Nevertheless, it does not take a scientist to understand that promoting philosophies that add to already existing tensions between the representatives of opposite genders can hardly be deemed socially productive. The fact that even today, the feminist movement continues to be strongly associated with the notion of mental deviation (which explains this movement’s marginal status), substantiates the validity of this suggestion. Thus, it will only be logical to conclude this paper by reinstating onc e again that there is indeed a good rationale in referring to Butler’s Parable of the Sower, as an intellectually enlightening novel. This is because, as it was shown earlier, Butler’s idea, as to what the ‘future religion’ should be all about, does adhere to what today’s scientists know about how the universe actually function. Unfortunately, as it appears from the novel, the sheer strength of Butler’s prophetic powers, as an advocate of the new post-industrial religion, does not seem to correlate with her somewhat undermined insightfulness, as an individual who understands the qualitative essence of dynamics in just about every human society. Works Cited Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower, New York: Warner, 1995. Print. Miller, Jim. â€Å"Post-Apocalyptic Hoping: Octavia Butler’s Dystopian/Utopian Vision.†Ã‚  Science Fiction Studies 25.2 (1998): 336-360. Print. Phillipsï ¼Å'Jerry. â€Å"The Intuition of the Future: Utopia and Catastrophe in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.† Novel 35.2/3 (2002): 299-311. Print. Turing, Alan. â€Å"The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis.† Philosophical  Transactions of the Royal Society of London 237.641 (1952): 37-72. Print. This term paper on Religion in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower was written and submitted by user Hulkl1ng to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

What to Do in Budapest 11 Top Attractions

What to Do in Budapest 11 Top Attractions SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One of the rising stars in European tourism, Budapest’s charms and sights are gaining popularity worldwide. Gone are the days when the Hungarian capital was widely thought of as a drab administrative city, filled only with aging Communist-era buildings. These days, Budapest tourism is rapidly growing and savvy visitors know that it's one of Europe’s great cities with diverse architecture, unique cultural experiences, and some of the most inventive nightlife on the continent. Are you wondering what to do in Budapest? Follow this guide to immerse yourself in Budapest’s history, traditions, and culture. By visiting the Budapest attractions listed below, you’ll find yourself relaxing in opulent thermal baths, paying your respects at moving WWII memorials, admiring the largest Parliament in Europe, and drinking a new cocktail in the gardens of a formerly abandoned warehouse. This list of 11 things to do in Budapest is organized into four groups, based on the location of the sites: Castle Hill, City Park, Parliament and Around, and Central Pest. This organization lets you visit sites near each other, instead of spending your trip running from one end of town to the other. Many people choose to stay in downtown Pest because it has the most accommodation options, but Budapest has a great subway system to help you get from one area to another. You can buy individual subway tickets, day passes, or multi-day passes. I'd recommend that you spend at least a half-day to a full day in each area, and, if you choose to stay longer, you’ll find Budapest has enough activities to fill any itinerary. The Top 11 Places to Visit in Budapest Check out this map of the best things to do in Budapest and then read more about each below. This map can also be viewed online. Castle Hill - Red Matthias Church Fisherman’s Bastion Buda Castle City Park - Blue Szà ©chenyi Bath Vajdahunyad Castle Heroes’ Square Parliament and Around - Purple Hungarian Parliament Building Shoes on the Danube Monument Central Pest - Green Hungarian State Opera House Ruin Pubs Great Synagogue Castle Hill Attractions You can find some of the most famous- and stunning- things to see in Budapest in the Castle Hill area, including gorgeous architecture and historically important sites. Matthias Church Matthias Church is one of the top Budapest attractions, and it’s a center point of Castle Hill. Built in the late 13th century, Matthias Church was the first parish church in Budapest, and it has remained an important symbol of the city. During its long history, Matthias Church hosted multiple royal coronations, was damaged by cannon fire, and spent over 100 years as a Mosque while the city was under Ottoman rule. Even if you feel like you’ve seen enough European churches to last a lifetime, stop for a look at Matthias Church. It doesn’t have the soaring grandeur of larger churches like Notre Dame and Milan’s Duomo, but its unique colors and design make it one of the most pleasant churches in Europe to view. The church was extensively restored in the 1900s, and today it’s popular with tourists who come to see and photograph the Gothic architecture, stained glass windows, and vibrant diamond-patterned roof tiles. The church is also home to the Ecclesiastical Art Museum. The museum (which charges a small fee) begins in the church’s medieval crypt and continues to the chapel. While touring the museum, visitors can view the tombs of 10th century rulers King Bà ©la III and his wife Agnes, replicas of the royal Hungarian jewels, and assorted other jewels and religious objects. Fisherman’s Bastion One of the most unusual sights in Budapest, Fisherman’s Bastion is an elegant, neo-Gothic terrace overlooking the Danube. The site was named for a group of fisherman who defended the city from invasion during the Middle Ages. Walking under gleaming white arches and along staircases and terraces, visitors get sweeping views of the Danube, including a birds-eye view of Parliament. The seven turrets of Fisherman’s Bastion represent the seven Magyar tribe leaders who are regarded as the founders of modern-day Hungary. It may not seem like there’s much to do at Fisherman’s Bastion since the site is little more than an attractive lookout, but many tourists spend far longer than they planned here, strolling from one end of the terrace to the other and taking rolls of photos. When visiting Castle Hill, make Fisherman’s Bastion your first stop (easy to do since it’s very close to public transportation stops). The weather in Budapest can be fickle, and there are times when the terrace and its views are enveloped by fog. It usually clears later in the day, so check back periodically if the weather isn’t cooperating when you first stop by. Fisherman’s Bastion is located next to Matthias Church, and together these two sites make up one the best places to visit in Budapest. Here you can walk along cobblestone streets, look at historic buildings, and grab lunch in one of the numerous traditional cafà ©s that line the streets. Buda Castle Rising up from the southern end of Castle Hill is the imposing, sprawling structure of Buda Castle. The first castle on this site was completed in 1265, and the castle continued to be expanded and rebuilt throughout the centuries. Buda Castle has been a royal residence for generations of Hungarian rulers, besieged by Ottoman armies, taken over by the Habsburgs, occupied by Nazis during WWII, and designated as a World Heritage Site in 1987. Today, the grounds are adorned with numerous statues and gardens, which visitors can admire while walking around the castle. Within the castle are a trio of museums and institutions: the Budapest History Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery, and the National Szà ©chà ©nyi Library (the museum and gallery both require tickets, but the library is free to visit). Each site is well worth a visit, focusing on the history of the city, Hungarian art, and a collection of rare books and paper, respectively. If you can only visit one museum (visiting all three can make for a long day), my pick is the Budapest History Museum. Far more than a dry collection of artifacts, this museum spans three floors and includes such varied exhibits as recreations of opulent rooms as they looked when used by royals, paintings by Hungarian Masters, and excavated rooms of the medieval castle in the basement. There are no cars allowed on Castle Hill unless you live or work in the area, and the lack of noise and traffic contributes to the feeling that you’ve stepped into the past and are far removed from the bustle of the city down below. City Park Attractions City Park is a large public park that includes some of Budapest's best attractions. Szà ©chenyi Bath Visiting the city's famed baths is one of the top things to do in Budapest. Budapest’s abundant thermal waters means there are numerous baths to choose from, but, in terms of history and enjoyability, Szà ©chenyi Bath is far and away your best option. As the largest thermal bath in Europe, Szà ©chenyi Bath is one of Budapest’s iconic sites. When it was built in 1913, the architecture followed the Neo-baroque style popular at the time, and it’s easy to feel like you’re wading through the private pool of a royal palace as you move between the bath’s 18 different pools. When you arrive, you’ll be given a waterproof key card to a personal closet-sized locker, where you can change into your swimsuit (required) and store your belongings while you’re in the baths. There are both indoor and outdoor pools to choose between in Szà ©chenyi. While the indoor pools have a wider variety of temperatures, as well as saunas and steam rooms, most people prefer the outdoor baths because they are typically brighter and cleaner, and they let you enjoy the cheery, slightly aged exterior of the baths. Szà ©chenyi is popular with tourists, and there will likely be a number of people soaking alongside you, but it remains an institution for Budapest locals. They come here to relax after work, socialize, and play a game of chess on one of the waterproof boards in the baths. At Szà ©chenyi, you can also purchase additional services, such as massages. Ticket prices vary depending on the time of day you visit and if you want a cabin or locker, but expect to pay about 5000 Florin (about $18 USD). Massages are an additional 5000-35000 Florin. The thermal waters keep temperatures warm year-round at Szà ©chenyi, so both the indoor and outdoor baths remain open in winter. Vajdahunyad Castle Vajdahunyad Castle is located close to the Szà ©chenyi Baths within City Park, but many people breeze past this tucked away corner of town without pausing to explore. Vajdahunyad can’t compare to Buda Castle’s immense size or history, but this attractive and somewhat mysterious castle earns major points for charm. The castle was originally built in 1896 as a temporary structure of cardboard and wood to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin. However, Budapest’s citizens were so taken with it that the present structure, made of stone and painted in muted blues, purples, and oranges, was soon constructed. Set back amongst trees and gardens, the castle’s shadowy exterior reveals features from numerous architectural styles that showcase the variety and evolution of architecture in Budapest. Additional touches to the castle include sunken windows, a portcullis, and numerous turrets overlooking a boating lake turned ice skating rink in the winter. A popular spot for photos is the brooding, slightly creepy statue of Anonymus, a mysterious Hungarian notary and chronicler who lived around 1200 AD. Inside the castle is Museum of Hungarian Agriculture (small fee charged), but even if you’re not interested in the museum’s focus, it’s pleasant simply to walk through the castle’s interior and climb to the top of the two tallest towers for views of the park. Vajdahunyad Castle was only built at the turn of the 20th century, but its historical architecture and romantic setting make it feel far older. A short stroll around the castle or a picnic on its grounds beside the lake is an excellent way to take a break from a busy day of sightseeing. Heroes’ Square Another attraction near City Park, Heroes’ Square does not take long to visit, but it’s one of the city’s most important landmarks. Located at the end of Andrssy Avenue, Heroes’ Square is well-worth visiting to get a sense of Hungary’s history. Built in 1896 to celebrate Hungary’s 1000th anniversary, Heroes’ Square is the largest square in Budapest. The focal point of the square is tall column adorned with a statue of the archangel Gabriel. Flanking the base are seven statues representing the seven original Magyar chieftains. Surrounding the column are 14 pillars with statues of other important Hungarian figures. Viewing the square’s statues and plaques is a great crash-course on the history of the country. Among the statues you’ll see famed Hungarian saints, rulers, and warriors. A plaque in the square dedicates the site "To the memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of our people and our national independence." During Budapest’s long history, the city was occupied by foreign invaders several times and ruled by a communist regime. Heroes’ Square now serves as a physical monument to Hungary’s dedication to democracy. The square can be visited both during the day and at night, when it is lit up by floodlights. Parliament and Around If you're interested in more recent history, this is the area for you, with monuments to Hungary's tumultuous 20th century. Hungarian Parliament Building The Hungarian Parliament Building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary and one of the icons of Budapest. Its design was based on the UK Parliament Building, the Palace of Westminster, but the Parliament of Budapest is no mere copycat. This is one of the oldest and largest legislative buildings in Europe, and since the day it was completed in 1904, it has been the largest building in Hungary. Built along the bank of the Danube River, this soaring Gothic Revival building looks surprisingly delicate up close, with numerous intricate details. Visitors can opt to take a guided tour of the building to see sights including the House Chambers, the inside of the dome, the grand entrance staircase, the Hungarian crown jewels, and a small museum. Tickets, which are 5200 Florin for non-EU citizens, must be purchased beforehand, either online or in person. Make sure you view the Parliament Building both during the day and at night, when the entire structure is lit up, its reflection glowing in the river. Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial There are World War II memorials far grander than this collection of 60 pairs of iron shoes scattered along the edge of the Danube, but that doesn’t make this site any less moving. The monument was conceived by director Can Togay and created by sculptor Gyula Pauer to honor the people murdered by soldiers of the Arrow Cross, a national socialist party in Hungary during WWII. Between 1944 and 1945, an unknown number of victims, mostly Budapest Jews, were taken to the edge of the Danube and shot, their bodies falling into the river. Before they were killed, they were told to remove their shoes, which could be resold for a profit. This small memorial, a few hundred feet from Parliament, poignantly pays tribute to the victims. The shoes were designed to accurately represent shoes from that period, and they were created in many different styles to represent the wide variety of victims: men, women, business people, teenagers, and children. The shoes are often adorned with ribbons or flowers left as tokens of remembrance by visitors. Walking along the memorial and viewing the empty shoes strewn forlornly along the Danube’s bank is a powerful reminder of the lives lost in WWII. Central Pest Attractions Central Pest is where many visitors choose to stay, because it offers easy access to all the Budapest sights. It's also home to some of the city's most exciting cultural attractions. Hungarian State Opera House Housed in an elegant neo-Renaissance building dating from 1884, the Hungarian State Opera House is a point of pride for many Hungarians, yet it’s much less well-known than many other European opera houses. For a small fee, you can take one of the regular tours of the opera house. After passing the figures of two of Hungary’s most renowned composers in the entrance, you’ll enter a foyer with marble columns and vaulted ceilings. Like all grand opera houses, this one has a sweeping staircase dominating the entrance, used by Hungarian’s past elite to see and be seen. Other opulent touches include a brass chandelier and vast murals decorating the walls and ceilings. The theater itself is decorated with red velvet and gold leaf. It seats over 2,600, with the royal box in the center of the horseshoe-shaped rows. Many people simply opt for a tour, but the Hungarian State Opera House is one of the best places to view an opera in Europe, particularly if you’ve never been to one before. The opera house often performs crowd pleasers like Carmen and Madama Butterfly, which are a great introduction for opera novices. Additionally, tickets here are significantly cheaper than at most other opera houses; you can often get a seat for less than $10 USD. At many other opera houses, tickets this price are typically for the standing area only, and standing shoulder to shoulder with other guests for several hours is enough to fatigue even opera aficionados. At the Hungarian Opera House, you’ll be able to enjoy the opera in comfort without breaking the bank. In addition to operas, the building also hosts ballets and other performances. The Hungarian State Opera House website has a calendar showing all upcoming events. Operas are subtitled in both Hungarian and English, and opera season lasts from September to July. Ruin Pubs Budapest can be heavy with history, so for a change of pace and to get a sense of how the city enjoys itself, head to one of Budapest’s many ruin pubs, drinking establishments that have sprung up in recently un-abandoned buildings. Rumor has it that ruin pubs first came into existence in 2001, out of a need for a cheap place to drink. No two ruin pubs are alike, but all of them share several characteristics: they’re housed in a formerly abandoned building, the furniture is eclectic and often pre-used, and they show their links to the community by hosting local bands or DJs or having local artists decorate the interior. Most of the ruin pubs are located in Budapest’s old Jewish Quarter, in the streets behind the Great Synagogue. In a ruin pub, you could find yourself in a cozy former home with couches for seating, taking to the dance floor in a large, rambling warehouse, tasting plinka (a traditional fruit brandy) under the glow of old-fashioned lanterns, enjoying beers in a courtyard filled with picnic tables, or learning Hungarian phrases at one of the regular informal classes the pubs host. One of the best aspects of ruin pubs is that you never know what type of experience you’re going to get until you walk inside. The best ruin pub to start at is the original, Szimpla Kert. Occupying a large, formerly abandoned building, Szimpla is filled with mismatched and often antique furniture and decorations. Outside there’s a spacious courtyard which includes an old Trabant car guests can lounge in. Ruin pubs attract a mostly young, international crowd, but you’ll find all types here. Local Hungarians often frequent them, as do older visitors. Ruin pubs may be most enjoyable to visit on a warm summer evening, but they’re open year-round, with outdoor spaces typically closed in the winter. Great Synagogue This massive building, also known as the Dohny Street Synagogue, is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second-largest in the world. It was completed in 1859 in the Neo-Moorish style, giving it a distinct look compared to many other synagogues. Inside the Great Synagogue is seating for more than 3,000 people, as well as the Jewish Museum, which has exhibits on Jewish traditions and the history of Judaism in Budapest. The building is rich with history. During World War II, the site was bombed by Nazi planes, and it later became one border of Budapest’s Jewish ghetto. In the grounds surrounding the synagogue is a graveyard where over 2,000 people who died in the Jewish ghetto during the winter of 1944-1945 are buried. There's also the Heroes’ Temple honoring Hungarian Jews who died during World War I and the Holocaust Memorial. The Holocaust Memorial, also known as the Emanuel Tree, is particularly striking to see. Crafted by Hungarian sculptor Imre Varga, the memorial takes the form of a delicate and intricate weeping willow. The name of a Hungarian Jew killed during the Holocaust has been engraved on each metal leaf. In my opinion, this is one of the world’s most beautiful and moving Holocaust memorials. If you don’t have time to tour the synagogue, you can get a view of the tree through the gate surrounding the grounds. You can take a self-guided tour around the synagogue, but a guided tour (available at the entrance) can help you navigate the large site and fully appreciate its historical importance. Entrance to the synagogue costs 3000 Florin and includes access to both the building and its grounds.

Come to Pass

Come to Pass Come to Pass Come to Pass By Maeve Maddox A common English idiom is â€Å"come to pass†: to come to pass: to happen, take place in the course of events, come about, occur, be fulfilled. Here are some correct uses of the expression: all things, good and bad, come to pass. It shall come to pass. Don’t give up on your God-given dreams. it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Lately, I’ve noticed an odd distortion of this idiom into â€Å"goes to pass†: Love remember who comes 1st in your life, everything goes to pass, but Gods spirit will always surround usAmen! Most of the time, the first thought that comes is of that everything goes to pass, if everything goes to pass, we will eventually be merging with 3SA. I have done as much as I can to make sure people dont get evicted from our ceremony venue, and that everything goes to pass without riots. These examples come from forums, inspirational blogs, and blog commentscontexts in which nonstandard English is well-represented. However, I found an example of a similar distortion on a page that has the Quaker Oats logo at the top. This one uses â€Å"goes to pass† as if it meant simply â€Å"pass,† or â€Å"come to an end.† The writer may have been thinking of the expression, â€Å"fads/fashions come and go†: Like most people Im sure youve struggled with maintaining your weight and eventually the latest craze and health trend goes to pass without much success. ESL learners need to be aware that â€Å"goes to pass†in any contextis not standard English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative ConflictWhat is Dative Case?Words Often Misspelled Because of Double Letters

Why is stress such a major concern for employers today Essay

Why is stress such a major concern for employers today - Essay Example People, who can take it as an opportunity or challenge, can improve their performances and make a mark. The different factors that cause stress are known as stressors. The environmental stressors include economic, political and technological changes. Organisational structure is always influenced by economic environment of the country and this has been more closely realised in the current global financial turmoil. Because of economic slowdown in most of the developed nations, organisations have been forced to change their structure in the form of cost reduction, halting production and most importantly reducing employee strength by lay off or even permanent job cuts. This has created immense stress on employees. Their anxiousness gone to extreme high as their job security declined. Organisations are often forced to change their structure because of various political reasons. When a country is politically restless, organisational structure also becomes unstable because of that. For an instance, when East Germany integrated to West Germany many people were under stress of loosing job, changing organisational culture etc. Another important environmental factor is technological change. In this advanced age of information, everyday a new technology is getting invented. Because of these new technological inventions, an employee’s skill or experience might become obsolete at a very short period of time. Consequently, a person might come under huge stress of loosing importance in the current system of operation. Some times implementation of new technology in organisation leads to even reduction in number of employees if few of them found not suited for that new platform. These things make employees to come under huge mental stress. Role demands include the pressure of performing a job which the person is not supposed to do, when the role itself is not clear to the

Others Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Others - Case Study Example nge, entry or exit of key competitors, globalization, the Internet and the new dynamics it creates, decline in business risk and uncertainty, changes in efficiency and cost, changes in the long-term growth of the industry, changing societal issues and concerns, changes in product acquisition and use, influx of technical knowhow in more companies and countries, changes in government policy and regulations, and rising preference among consumers for differentiated goods rather than commodity goods (Hill and Jones 61). Industry key success factors (KSFs) are the forces that have the biggest influence on companies’ ability to flourish in their respective industries. They include core competencies, product features, business outcomes, specific strategic factors, resources, and competitive capabilities that determine the difference between profit and loss and, eventually, between competitive ability and failure (Hill and Jones 48). By their true nature, KSFs are so important that all industry stakeholders must be wary of them; they are the determinants of market success. They are also the doctrines that define whether a firm will be financially and competitively capable. When identifying any industry’s KSFs, three questions can be used to guide the process. These are: Competitor A has more financial resources compared to other companies, but it has huge debts that have lowered its investor appeal and affected its ability to secure financing for key projects. Other firms post average profits but have managed to reduce their debt and achieve slow but stable growth. Colin’s alternatives include reinventing products in order to achieve differentiation. Other options include targeting new markets in which competition is not as stiff (Hill and Jones 26). There is also the option of adopting more aggressive marketing strategies that ensure the market share does not decline. This will facilitate direct competition with rivals and maintain relevance despite prevailing

Riordan Manufacturing Key Stakeholders Essay Example for Free

Riordan Manufacturing Key Stakeholders Essay There are several stakeholders at Riordan Manufacturing to gather requirements from to provide a clear picture of the final project. The first stakeholder to gain input would come from the Chief Operations Officer, he was the requestor of the system upgrade, is responsible for the budget, which includes payroll. The Chief Legal Officer oversees the legal aspects of the human resources programs. The individual human resources managers within the individual facilities are the stakeholders who recruit and handle benefits for employees. Each facility has an accountant that oversees payroll and bonuses as well as the payroll specialist (Apollo, 2011). Information-gathering techniques and systems analysis tools Interviews will be the first form of information gathering that will be used. Interviews and survey forms are a very effective way to gather information. Through the user’s impressions, personal experiences, task related ideas, and attitudes on the current system can give a baseline for needs. The interviews will aid in forming a definition of the scope of the system requirements. Interviews will also allow the system analyst to understand what boundaries by which to take into consideration (Havelka and Lee, April 25, 2002). A checklist will be prepared prior to any interviews. It is important to prepare an interview guide so that interviewer knows what order to ask questions and the amount of time that should be spent on each area of the interview. The interview guide will include open-ended questions that will allow for follow-up discussions. The guide can also double as an outline for a summary of what comes out of the interviews (Havelka and Lee, April 25, 2002). The second information gathering technique will be to observe the stakeholders. Many managers plan their day without taking into account interruptions from phone calls or meetings. During the interview stage, an employee may state he or she is busy with e-mails throughout the day, but by observing the employee, it could be determined that he or she receives minimal e-mails. Observing behavioral measures allow for a more accurate reflection of current system operations and future requirements (Havelka and Lee, April 25, 2002). Gathering and analyzing procedures and other company documents is the third information gathering technique. Close examination of the systems and organizational documentation is another way to determining system requirements. This can lead to discovering defined details relating to current systems and the organizations they support. By analyzing documentation, the analyst can identify problems with existing systems, such as redundant steps or incomplete information. Analyzing allows for determining organizational direction that can influence information systems requirements, such as attempting to link corporate managers to local managers. Analyzing also allows for the identification of titles and names of important individuals who have an interest to the current existing systems (Havelka and Lee, April 25, 2002). Key factors too help ensure the information required for the project is gathered successfully. The first step in the information system development or modification process is to gather requirements. Information system requirements are frequently unreliable and insufficient. The reasons for failure usually are at the fault of management and people involved. Not necessary due to technology but more so due with improper planning (Havelka and Lee, April 25, 2002). Utilizing JAD (Joint Application Design) technique will improve the determining systems requirement process. JAD is a structured process where analysts, managers, and, users work together for several days in a series of intensive meetings to review system requirements. Organizations gather affected individuals that are affected by information systems together to agree on system requirements and design details (Valacich, 2012). A good facilitator should be able to keep the focus of stakeholders and the IT (Information Technology) department participants on the goal of specifying the system requirements. Another option managers have to improve interaction is the care in assignment of members to the project team. The selection of stakeholders and IT personnel with personal interest in the new system improves the chances for success (Havelka and Lee, April 25, 2002). Another factor to ensure success is to train the IT personnel on the system’s applications and processes. How well the IT personnel understand the systems is extremely relevant to the success of system implementation. The involvement of IT personnel, who have knowledge regarding the application requirements, increases the ability of the team to correctly and quickly specify the requirements. Experienced IT personnel on a team help ensure others understand terminology and have more of an understanding of the stakeholders needs (Havelka and Lee, April 25, 2002). Project scope and Why it is Important Project scope defines the goals of the project and the budget of both time and money that has been allocated to achieve the objectives. For the best results to be achieved, both the definition and the allocated budget must be precise and detailed. A good process scope document will define specifically the tasks to be completed or the delivered results. The project scope is important because it will define the specific date for which the deliverables will be due and list the allocated budget for them. The project scope will also list specific items not part of the project scope and are excluded from the work to be delivered (Reh, 2013). Areas of project feasibility that are examined in the analysis phase of the SCLC Project feasibility is examined during the systems analysis and requirements definition phase of the SCLC. This phase involves the setting of specific project goals, which defines the functions and operations, to be included in the project to achieve completion of the project. The project goals should be based on the analysis of the stakeholders information needs. This phase can also be called the feasibility study because it also defines personnel assignments, funds, schedule, goal dates, performances, and interfaces (India, May 18, 2012). References Apollo Group, Inc. (2011). Riordan Manufacturing. Retrieved from BSA/375 course. Havelka, D. and Lee, S (April 25, 2002). Critical Success Factors for Information Requirements Gathering. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/critical-success-factors- for-information-requirements-gathering/1060122 Reh, J. (2013). Project Scope. Retrieved from http://management.about.com/od/PMterms/g/Project-Scope.htm Rose India (May 18, 2012). System Development Life Cycle. Retrieved from www.roseindia.net Valacich, J. S., George, J. F., Hoffer, J. A. (2012). Essentials of systems analysis and design (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

Harry Potter :: Free Essay Writer

Harry Potter ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, written by J.K. Rowling, is an excellent example of a modern novel that uses medieval influences extensively. Many of the novel’s characters are based on medieval ideas and superstitions. The settings in the book resemble old medieval towns as well as castles. The book is also full of medieval imagery such as knights in armour, carriages etc. Whilst there is no time travel involved in the novel, the medieval period is used to such an effect that the reader is encouraged to ignore the fact that the book is set in the present. People in the medieval era were quite superstitious. They believed in fictional characters such as witches and wizards. ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ is a novel based on the existence of witches and wizards in secret communities. The medieval period is well known for the hierarchy of society. The society consisted of landlords and their servants. This medieval element was brought into the story in the form of house elves. House elves are little creatures that work for the wizarding communities that have no rights and are unable to use any magic: â€Å"The tiny creature looked up and parted its fingers, revealing enormous brown eyes and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato†¦it was†¦unmistakably a house-elf, as Harry’s friend Dobby had been. Harry had set Dobby free from his old owners, the Malfoy family.† (p88) The novel also incorporates fictional animals that medieval people believed to be real. These include creatures such as dragons, trolls and three-headed dogs: â€Å"Dragons. Four fully grown, enormous, vicious-looking dragons were rearing on their hind legs inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood, roaring and snorting- torrents of fire were shooting into the dark sky from their open, fanged mouths, fifty feet above the ground on their outstretched necks.† (p286) People living in the medieval era created stories about creatures such as these and heroes that defeated them. In this way ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ uses medieval influences. The settings used in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ are typical of those found in literature of the medieval period. The opening scene is set in a very typical present day suburban street. The following scene is set at the ‘Hogwarts Castle’. A castle is a very typical medieval image used in a lot of medieval literature.

Concepts of Criminal Law

William Elf August 17, 2013 The Choice of Evil Defense is also called the General Defense of Necessity. This defense justifies an act that may be a crime but Is done to prevent a greater evil. â€Å"the choice of veil's defense consists of proving that the defendant made the right choice, the only choice?namely, the necessity of choosing now to do a lesser evil to avoid a greater evil† (Samara, 2014).The Model Penal Code contains the elements in three steps: 1) Identify the evils. 2) Rank the evils that are present. 3) Choose the evil that would be the best and that something is going to happen immediately. The choice of veil's defense says it is better to commit a lesser crime to avoid the harm a greater crime would cause. An example of this would be if your neighbors' car was burning in a parking lot and you saw it was on fire and sitting next to the neighbors' car was a car that had three children In It.No one was In your neighbors car so no one was In harms' way but there was no adult in the car with the kids. In order to protect the kids, you went over and Jumped In the car and moved the car further away from the fire. The mother came out and saw that her car was not in the spot she parked it and called the police. The police charged you with stealing the vehicle and kidnapping of the three kids. At trial you presented the choice of evil defense stating that you had to move the car with the children in It to prevent them from burning up in the fire caused by the neighbor's car.If you wouldn't have moved the car to a safe place, the children would have been seriously injured or killed. In this scenario the Judge should allow the defense of the choice of evil because if he wouldn't have moved the car when he did, the kids would have been severely hurt or killed immediately. He didn't have erne to go try to find the mother of the kids so she could move the car herself. Reference Samara. (2014). Criminal law (1 lath De. ) Coinage Learning By diamagnetic Everest University Online offense Justifies an act that may be a crime but is done to prevent a greater evil. The car that had three children in it. No one was in your neighbor's car so no one was in kids, you went over and Jumped in the car and moved the car further away from the to move the car with the children in it to prevent them from burning up in the fire should allow the defense of the choice of evil because if he wouldn't have moved the didn't have time to go try to find the mother of the kids so she could move the car Samara, (2014). Criminal law (1 lath De. ) Coinage Learning

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 13~14

Chapter 13 To-Do List of the Fashionably Doomed When you know the future is grim, there is no need for speed. Tommy decided to walk to the financial district. He shuffled along with the hang-dog look of the cosmically fucked. He walked through Chinatown, spotted three of the Wongs buying lottery tickets at a liquor store, and headed up to the room to get his typewriter and clothes before they returned. His spirits lifted a little when he climbed down the narrow stairway for the last time, but Madame Natasha's words came back to dump on him again: â€Å"I don't see a woman in your near future.† It had been one of the reasons he had come to San Francisco – to find a girlfriend. Someone who would see him as an artist. Not like the girls back home, who saw him as a bookish freak. It was all part of the plan: live in the City, write stories, look at the bridge, ride cable cars, eat Rice-A-Roni, and have a girlfriend – someone he could tell his thoughts to, preferably after hours of godlike sex. He wasn't looking for perfection, just someone who made him feel secure enough to be insecure around. But not now. Now he was doomed. He looked up at the skyline and realized that he had navigated wrong, arriving in the financial district, several blocks from the Pyramid. He zigzagged from block to block, avoiding eye contact with the men and women in business suits, who avoided eye contact in turn by checking their watches every few steps. Sure, he thought, they can check their watches. They have a future. He arrived at the foot of the Pyramid a little breathless, his arms aching from carrying his belongings. He sat on a concrete bench at the edge of a fountain and watched people for a while. They were all so determined. They had places to go, people to see. Their hair was perfect. They smelled good. They wore nice shoes. He looked at his own worn leather sneakers. Fucked. Someone sat down next to him on the bench and he avoided looking up, thinking that it would just be another person who would make him feel inferior. He was staring at a spot on the concrete by his feet when a Boston terrier appeared on the spot and blew a jet stream of dog snot on his pant leg. â€Å"Bummer, that's rude,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Can't you see that our friend is sulking?† Tommy looked up into the face of the Emperor. â€Å"Your Highness. Hello.† The man had the wildest eyebrows Tommy had ever seen, as if two gray porcupines were perched on his brow. The Emperor tipped his crown, a fedora made of panels cut from beer cans and laced together with yellow yarn. â€Å"Did you get the job?† â€Å"Yes, they hired me that day. Thanks for the tip.† â€Å"It's honest work,† the Emperor said. â€Å"There's a certain grace in that. Not like this tragedy.† â€Å"What tragedy?† â€Å"These poor souls. These poor pathetic souls.† The Emperor gestured toward the passersby. â€Å"I don't understand,† Tommy said. â€Å"Their time has passed and they don't know what to do. They were told what they wanted and they believed it. They can only keep their dream alive by being with others like themselves who will mirror their illusions.† â€Å"They have really nice shoes,† Tommy said. â€Å"They have to look right or their peers will turn on them like starving dogs. They are the fallen gods. The new gods are producers, creators, doers. The new gods are the chinless techno-children who would rather eat white sugar and watch science-fiction films than worry about what shoes they wear. And these poor souls desperately push papers around hoping that a mystical message will appear to save them from the new, awkward, brilliant gods and their silicon-chip reality. Some of them will survive, of course, but most will fall. Uncreative thinking is done better by machines. Poor souls, you can almost hear them sweating.† Tommy looked at the well-dressed stream of business people, then at the Emperor's tattered overcoat, then at his own sneakers, then at the Emperor again. For some reason, he felt better than he had a few minutes before. â€Å"You really worry about these people, don't you?† â€Å"It is my lot.† An attractive woman in a gray suit and heels approached the Emperor and handed him a five-dollar bill. She wore a silk camisole under her jacket and Tommy could make out the top of her lace bra when she bent over. He was mesmerized. â€Å"Your Highness,† she said, â€Å"there's a Chinese chicken salad on special at the Cafe Suisse today. I think Bummer and Lazarus would love it.† Lazarus wagged his tail. Bummer yapped at the mention of his name. â€Å"Very thoughtful of you, my child. The men will enjoy it.† â€Å"Have a good day,† she said, and walked away. Tommy watched her calves as she went. Two men who were passing by, embroiled in an argument about prices and earnings, stopped their conversation and nodded to the Emperor. â€Å"Go with God,† the Emperor said. He turned back to Tommy. â€Å"Are you still looking for a domicile, or just a woman now?† â€Å"I don't understand.† â€Å"You wear your loneliness like a badge.† Tommy felt as if his ego had just taken a right to the jaw. â€Å"Actually, I met a girl and I'm going to rent us a place this afternoon.† â€Å"My mistake,† the Emperor said. â€Å"I misread you.† â€Å"No, you didn't. I'm fucked.† â€Å"Pardon?† â€Å"A fortune-teller told me that there was no woman in my future.† â€Å"Madame Natasha?† â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"You mustn't give too much credence to Madame Natasha's predictions. He's dying and it darkens his vision. The plague.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Tommy said. In fact, he felt relieved, then guilty for the reason behind it. He had no right to feel sorry for himself. The Emperor had nothing except his dogs, yet his sympathy was all directed toward his fellowman. I'm scum, Tommy thought. He said, â€Å"Your Highness, I have a little money now, if you need†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Emperor held up the bill the woman had given him. â€Å"We have all that we need, my son.† He stood and tugged on the ropes that held Bummer and Lazarus. â€Å"And I should be off before the men revolt from hunger.† â€Å"Me, too, I guess.† Tommy stood and made as if to shake hands, then bowed instead. â€Å"Thanks for the company.† The Emperor winked, spun on one heel, and started to lead his troops away, then stopped and turned back. â€Å"And, son, don't touch anything with an edge while you're in the building? Scissors, letter openers, anything.† â€Å"Why?† Tommy asked. â€Å"It's the shape of the building, a pyramid. They'd rather people not know about it, but they have a full-time employee who just goes around dulling the letter openers.† â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"Safety first,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Thanks.† Tommy took a deep breath and steeled himself for his assault on the Pyramid. As he walked out of the sun and under the massive concrete buttresses, he could feel a chill through his flannel shirt, as if the concrete had stored the damp cold of the night fog and was radiating it like a refrigerator coil. He was shivering by the time he reached the information desk. A guard eyed him suspiciously. â€Å"Can I help you?† â€Å"I'm looking for the Transamerica personnel department.† The guard made a face as if Tommy had been dipped in sewage. â€Å"Do you have an appointment?† â€Å"Yes.† Tommy waved Jody's papers under the guard's nose. The guard picked up a phone and was punching numbers when a second guard came up behind him and took the receiver. â€Å"He's fine,† the second guard said. â€Å"Send him up.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"He's a friend of the Emperor.† The first guard hung up the phone and said, â€Å"Twenty-first floor, sir.† He pointed to the elevators. Tommy took an elevator to the twenty-first floor, then followed the signs until he found the right department. An officious-looking older woman told him to have a seat in the reception room, she would be right with him. Then she took great pains to act as if he had been sucked off the planet. Tommy sat on a black leather sofa that sighed with his weight, chose a magazine from the black stone coffee table, and waited. During the next hour he read a household-hints column (â€Å"Coffee grounds in that cat box will fill your house with the delightful aroma of brewing espresso every time kitty heeds the call†); an article on computer junkies (â€Å"Bruce has been off the mouse for six months now, but he says he takes life one byte at a time†); and a review of the new musical Jonestown! (â€Å"Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of the Kool-Aid jingle is at once chilling and evocative. Donny Osmond is brilliant as Jim Jones.†) He borrowed some whiteout from the officious-looking woman and touched up the finish on his sneakers, then dried them under a halogen reading light that looked like a robot's arm holding the sun. When he started pulling cologne sample cards out of GQ and rubbing them on his socks, the woman told him he could go on in. He picked up his shoes and walked into the office in his stocking feet. Another officious-looking woman, who looked remarkably like the first officious-looking woman, down to the little chain on her reading glasses, had him sit down across from her while she looked at Jody's papers and ignored him. She consulted a computer screen, tapped on a few keys, then waited while the computer did something. Tommy put his shoes on and waited. She didn't look up. He cleared his throat. She tapped on the keys. He reached down, opened his suitcase, and took out his portable typewriter. She didn't look up. She tapped and looked at the screen. He opened the typewriter case, rolled a piece of paper in the machine, and tapped on a few keys. She looked up. He tapped a few more keys. â€Å"What are you doing?† she asked. Tommy tapped. He didn't look up. The woman raised her voice. â€Å"I said, what are you doing?† Tommy kept typing and looked up. â€Å"Pardon me, I was ignoring you. What did you say?† â€Å"What are you doing?† She repeated. â€Å"It's a note. Let me read it for you. ‘Couldn't anyone else see that they were all slaves of Satan? I had to cleanse the world of their evil. I am the hand of God. Why else would security have let me into the building with an assault rifle in my suitcase? I am a divine instrument. † Tommy paused and looked up. â€Å"That's all I have so far, but I'll guess I end it with an apology to my mom. What do you think?† She smiled as if hiding gas pains and handed him an envelope. â€Å"This is Jody's final paycheck. Give her our best. And you have a nice day now, young man.† â€Å"You too,† Tommy said. He gathered up his stuff and left the office whistling. Fashionable SOMA looked to Tommy an awful lot like a light industrial area: two- and three-story buildings with steel roll-up doors and steel-framed windows. The bottom floors housed ethnic restaurants, underground dance clubs, auto-repair shops, and the occasional foundry. Tommy paused outside of one to watch two long-haired men pouring bronze into a mold. Artists, Tommy thought. He had never seen a real artist, and although these guys looked more like bikers, he wanted to talk to them. He took a tentative step through the doorway. â€Å"Hi,† he said. The men were wrestling with a huge ladle, the two of them gripping the long metal handle with asbestos gloves. One looked up. â€Å"Out!† he said. Tommy said, â€Å"Okay, I can see you guys are busy. ‘Bye.† He stood on the sidewalk and checked his map. He was supposed to meet the rental agent somewhere around here. He looked up and down the street. Except for a guy passed out on the corner, the street was empty. Tommy was thinking about waking the guy up and asking him if this was, indeed, the fashionable part of SOMA, when a green Jeep pulled up beside him and skidded to a stop. The driver, a woman in her forties with wild gray hair, rolled down the window. â€Å"Mr. Flood?† She said. Tommy nodded. â€Å"I'm Alicia DeVries. Let me park and I'll show you the loft.† She backed the Jeep into a spot that seemed too short for it by six inches, running the wheels up over the curb, then she jumped out, dragging after her a purse roughly the size of Tommy's suitcase. She wore sandals, a dashiki, and multicolored Guatemalan cotton pants. There were chopsticks stuck here and there in her hair, as if she were prepared at any minute to deal with an emergency stir-fry. She looked at Tommy's suitcase. â€Å"You look like you're ready to move in today. This way.† She breezed by Tommy to a fire door beside the foundry. Tommy could smell the patchouli in her wake. She said, â€Å"This area is just like Soho was twenty years ago. You're lucky to have a shot at one of these lofts now, before they go co-op and start selling for a million dollars.† She unlocked the door and started up the steps. â€Å"This place has incredible energy,† she said, without looking back. â€Å"I'd love to live here myself, except the market's down right now and I'd have to sell my place in the Heights.† Tommy dragged his suitcase up the steps after her. â€Å"Do you paint, Mr. Flood?† â€Å"I'm a writer.† â€Å"Oh, a writer! I do a little writing myself. I'd like to write a book myself some weekend, if I can find the time. Something about female circumcision, I think. Maybe something about marriage. But what's the difference, right?† She stopped at a landing at the top of the stairs and unlocked another fire door. â€Å"Here it is.† She threw the door open and gestured for Tommy to enter. â€Å"A nice work area and a bedroom in the back. There are two sculptors that work downstairs and a painter next door. A writer would really round the building out. What's your take on female circumcision, Mr. Flood?† Tommy was still about three topics behind her, so he stood on the landing while his brain caught up. People like Alicia were the reason God made decaf. â€Å"I think everyone should have a hobby,† he said, taking a shot in the dark. Alicia jammed like an overheated machine gun. She seemed to look at him for the first time, and did not seem to like what she saw. â€Å"You are aware that we'll need a significant security deposit, if your application is accepted?† â€Å"Okay,† Tommy said. He entered the loft, leaving her standing on the landing. The loft was roughly the size of a handball court. It had an island kitchen in the middle, and windows ran along one wall from floor to ceiling. There was an old rug, a futon, and a low plastic coffee table in the open area near the kitchen. The back wall was lined with empty bookshelves, broken only by a single door to the bedroom. The bookshelves did it. Tommy wanted to live here. He could see the shelves filled with Kerouac, and Kesey, and Hammett, and Ginsberg, and Twain, and London, and Bierce, and every other writer who had lived and written in the City. One shelf would be for the books he was going to write: hardbacks in thirty languages. There would be a bust of Beethoven on that shelf. He didn't really like Beethoven, but he thought he should have a bust of him. He resisted the urge to shout, â€Å"I'll take it!† It was Jody's money. He had to check the bedroom for windows. He opened the door and went in. The room was as dark as a cave. He flipped the light switch and track lighting along one wall came on. There was an old mattress and box springs on the floor. The walls were bare brick. No windows. Through another door was a bathroom with a freestanding sink and a huge claw-foot tub that was stained with rust and paint. No windows. He was so excited, he thought he would wet himself. He ran out into the main living area where Alicia was standing with her hand on her hip, mentally shoving him into the pigeonhole of abusive barbarism she had made for him. â€Å"I'll take it,† Tommy said. â€Å"You'll have to fill out an – â€Å" â€Å"I'll give you four thousand dollars in cash, right now.† He pulled the wad of bills out of his jeans. â€Å"How many keys will you need?† Chapter 14 Two Losts Do Not Make a Found Consciousness went off like a flashbulb of pain: a dull ache in her head, sharp daggers in her knees and her chin. Jody was slumped in the shower. The water was still running – had been running on her all day. She crawled out of the shower stall on her hands and knees and pulled towels out of the rack. She sat on the bathroom floor and dried herself, blotting away the water with rough terry cloth. Her skin felt tender, almost raw. The towels were damp from fourteen hours of steam. The ceiling dripped and the walls ran with condensation. She braced herself against the sink and climbed to her feet, then opened the door and stumbled through the room to the bed. Be careful what you ask for, she thought. All the regret about waking up a little too alert, coming out of sleep like a gunshot, came back on her. She hadn't thought about falling asleep in the same way. She must have been in the shower at sunup, dropped to the shower floor, and stayed there throughout the day. She sat up on the bed and gently touched her chin. Pain shot up her jaw. She must have hit it on the soap dish when she went out. Her knees were bruised as well. Bruised? Something was wrong. She jumped to her feet and went to the dresser. She turned on the light and leaned into the mirror, then yelped. Her chin was bruised blue, with a corona of yellow. Her hair was hopelessly tangled and she now had a small bald spot where the water had worn away at her scalp. She backed away and sat back on the bed, stunned. Something was wrong, seriously wrong, beyond her injuries. It was the light. Why had she turned on the light? The night before she would have been able to see herself in the mirror by the light filtering in under the bathroom door. But it was more than that. It was a tightness in her mouth, pressure, like when she had first gotten braces as a child. She ran her tongue over her teeth and felt the points breaking through the roof of her mouth just behind her eyeteeth. She thought, I'm breaking down from lack of†¦ She couldn't even make herself think it. This will get worse. Much worse. Now she could feel the hunger, not in her stomach, but in her entire body, as if her veins were going to collapse on themselves. And there was a tension in her muscles, as if piano strings were tightening inside her body, sharpening her movements, making her feel as if she would jump through a window any second. I've got to calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. She repeated the mantra to herself as she got up and walked to the phone. It seemed to take an incredible effort to push the zero button and wait for the desk clerk to come on. â€Å"Hi, this is room two-ten. Is there a guy in the lobby waiting? Yes, that's him. Would you tell him I'll be down in a few minutes?† She put down the phone and went to the bathroom, where she turned off the shower and wiped down the mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror and fought the urge to burst into tears. This is a project, she thought. She turned her head and looked at her bald spot. It was small enough that she could cover it with a new part held by a couple of hairpins. Her bruised chin might require some explaining. She started to run her fingers though her hair to facilitate the preliminary untangle, fighting the tension in her arms that seemed to be increasing every second. A large moth buzzed into the bathroom and went for the light above the mirror. Before she knew what had happened, she snatched it out of the air and ate it. She stared at her reflection and was horrified by the red-haired stranger who had just eaten a moth. Even so, a warmth ran though her like good brandy. The bruise on her chin faded as she watched. The first thing she saw when she turned the corner at the lobby was Tommy's grin. â€Å"Good,† he said. â€Å"You're dressed for moving. I like your hair pinned up like that.† Jody smiled, and stood awkwardly in front of him, thinking she should greet him with a hug, but afraid to get too close to him. She could smell him and he smelled like food. â€Å"You found a place?† â€Å"An incredible loft, south of Market. It's even furnished.† He seemed as if he would burst with excitement. â€Å"I used all the money; I hope that's okay.† â€Å"Fine,† Jody said. She just wanted to get him alone. â€Å"Get your stuff,† he said. â€Å"I want to show it to you.† Jody nodded. â€Å"I'll be just a minute. Have the desk clerk call a cab.† She turned to leave. Tommy caught her by the arm. â€Å"Hey, are you okay?† She motioned for him to move within whisper range. â€Å"I want you so badly I can hardly stand it.† She pulled away and ran up the steps to her room. Inside she gathered what few belongings she had and checked herself in the mirror one last time. She was wearing jeans and the chambray blouse from the night before. She unbuttoned her blouse and did a straitjacket escape from her bra, then buttoned the blouse halfway up. She stuffed the bra into her day pack and locked the room for the last time. When she returned to the lobby, Tommy was waiting outside by a blue DeSoto cab. He opened the door for her, climbed in, and gave the driver the address. â€Å"You're going to love it,† he said. â€Å"I know you are.† She moved closer to him and held his arm tightly between her breasts. â€Å"I can't wait,† she said. A tiny voice in her head asked, What are you doing? What are you going to do to him? It was so faint and foreign that it might have come from someone outside on the street. Tommy pulled away from her and dug into his jeans pocket, coming out with an envelope. â€Å"Your check's in here. I didn't open it.† She took it and put it in her day pack, then moved on him again. He scooted to the door and nodded toward the driver, who was watching them in the rearview mirror. â€Å"Forget him,† Jody whispered. She licked Tommy neck and shuddered with the taste and warmth of his flesh. â€Å"I couldn't get your car out of impound. It has to be the owner.† â€Å"Doesn't matter,† she said, nuzzling into the space under his jaw. The cab stopped and the driver turned to them. â€Å"Six-ten,† he said. Jody threw a twenty over the seat, reached over Tommy and opened the door, dived out and dragged him out of the cab after her. â€Å"Where is it?† Tommy just had time to point to the door before she pushed him at it. She climbed on his back as he unlocked the door, then bolted past him and dragged him up the steps. â€Å"You're really excited about this, aren't you?† he asked. â€Å"It's great.† She stopped at the fire door at the top of the stairs. â€Å"Open it,† she commanded. Tommy unlocked the door and threw it open. â€Å"This is it!† She went through, catching the front of his shirt and pulling him in. â€Å"Look at all these bookshelves,† he said. She ripped his shirt off and kissed him hard. He pulled up for air and said, â€Å"The bedroom doesn't have any windows, just like you wanted.† â€Å"Where?† she demanded. He pointed to the open door and she pushed him through it. He fell face down on the bare mattress. She flipped him over, hooked her hands into the waist of his jeans and ripped them off him. â€Å"So you like it?† he asked. She ripped her shirt open and held him to the bed, one hand on his chest while she took off her own jeans. She climbed on him and muffled his next question with a kiss. He finally got the message and returned her kiss and tried to match her urgency, then didn't have to try at all. She pulled away from the kiss as her fangs unsheathed, then guided him into her as he moaned. Jody growled deep in her chest, pushed his head to the side and bit him on the neck. â€Å"Ouch!† Tommy shouted. She held him down and snarled into his neck. Dust from the old mattress filled the air and was stirred by the movement of their bodies. â€Å"Oh jeez!† Tommy shouted, digging his fingers into her bottom. Jody answered him with a catlike scream as she came, then fell on his chest and licked the blood that dribbled from the punctures on his neck. She twitched and shuddered while he repeated, â€Å"Oh jeez,† over and over again between gasps. After a few minutes she rolled off him and lay on the bed feeling the warm nourishment running though her. Tommy rubbed his neck. â€Å"That was great,† he said. â€Å"That was incredible. You are – â€Å" Jody rolled over. â€Å"Tommy, I have to tell you something.† â€Å"You're beautiful,† he said. Jody smiled at him. The urgency was gone now and she was feeling guilty. I could have killed him, she thought. Tommy reached over and touched her lips. â€Å"What's that on your teeth? Did you hurt yourself?† â€Å"It's blood, Tommy. It's your blood.† He felt his neck again, which was completely healed. â€Å"My blood?† â€Å"Tommy, I've never done anything like that before. I've never been that way before.† â€Å"Me either. It was great!† â€Å"I'm a vampire.† â€Å"That's okay,† Tommy said. â€Å"I knew this girl in high school who gave me a hickey that covered the whole side of my neck.† â€Å"No, Tommy. I'm really a vampire.† She looked him in the eye and did not smile or look away. She waited. He said, â€Å"Don't goof on me, okay?† â€Å"Tommy, have you ever seen anyone tear a pair of jeans like that before?† â€Å"That was my animal attraction, right?† Jody got out of bed, went to the bedroom door and closed it, shutting out the light from the living area. â€Å"Can you see anything?† â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"Hold up a number of fingers. Don't tell me how many.† He did. â€Å"Three,† Jody said. â€Å"Try again.† He did. â€Å"Seven.† â€Å"Jeez,† he said. â€Å"Are you psychic?† She opened the door. Light spilled in. â€Å"You have an incredible body,† Tommy said. â€Å"Thanks. I need to lose five pounds.† â€Å"Let's do it again, without our shoes on this time.† â€Å"Tommy, you have to listen to me. This is important. I'm not kidding you. I am a vampire.† â€Å"C'mon, Jody, come over here. I'll take your shoes off for you.† Jody looked up at the ceiling. There were open steel beams twenty feet above. â€Å"Watch.† She jumped up and grabbed on to a beam and hung. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Jeez,† Tommy said. â€Å"Do you have a book here?† â€Å"In my suitcase.† â€Å"Go get it.† â€Å"Be careful. You could fall.† â€Å"Get the book, Tommy.† Tommy went into the living area, looking up at her as he walked under. He returned with a volume of Kerouac. â€Å"Now what? Come down from there. You're making me nervous.† â€Å"Close the door and open the book.† He closed the door and the room went dark again. Jody read a half page aloud before he opened the door again. â€Å"Jeez,† he said. She let go of the beam and dropped to the floor. Tommy backed away from her to the bed and sat down. â€Å"If you want to leave, I'll understand,† she said. â€Å"When we were making love†¦ you were cold inside.† â€Å"Look, I didn't mean to hurt you.† Tommy's eyes were wide. â€Å"You really are a vampire, aren't you?† â€Å"I'm sorry. I needed help. I needed someone.† â€Å"You really are a vampire.† It was a statement this time. â€Å"Yes, Tommy. I am.† He paused for a second to think, then said, â€Å"That's the coolest thing I've ever heard. Let's do it with our shoes off.†