Quality Improvement Email Essay

Quality management in healthcare facilities is organized to meet the needs of the organization. Today, most organizations have a program of continuous improvement in all functional areas. Data collection and analysis and resulting improvements have become an accepted way of doing business. An organization must address how it is going to achieve a successful Quality Improvement program (LaTour, p. 520). This paper is going to discuss the quality improvement in the health care industry along with stakeholders, roles, and resources to name a few. The purpose of quality management in the health care industry is to enhance the safety, efficiency and effectiveness of all businesses from health care processes and the performance of delivering products to human resources (The Purpose of QI Healthcare, 2014). The improvement is achieved using various methods, both qualitative and quantitative. With the passing of time, healthcare delivery has become more complex. There is a requirement for ne w and enhanced methods that will reduce costs and provide access to new technologies (The Purpose of QI Healthcare, 2014). Bringing a change into the system can facilitate the achievement of a new performance level. When a system remains unchanged over time and no enhancements are made, it cannot generate better results than the ones already created. The inefficient parts of the structure are replaced with new inventions that can prove to be worthy (The Purpose of QI Healthcare, 2014). Quality Management is needed because of competition. The primary goal is to beat the competition. It will add value at each stage of production defining long term plans for your company while at the same time providing a framework for it. The stakeholders define quality of care in various ways. Each stakeholder has different concerns relative to the  project’s objectives and goals (LaTour, p.808), which can translate, into different ratings of quality. â€Å"Exploratory interviews suggest that ratings are influenced by past experience, expectations, definitions of quality of care, and perceived power relationship s between stakeholders† (Campbell, 2004). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has defined â€Å"stakeholders† as persons or groups that have a vested interest in a clinical decision and the evidence that supports that decision (The Effective Health Care Program Stakeholder Guide Chapter 3: Getting Involved in the Research Process). Stakeholders may be patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, advocacy groups, professional societies, businesses, policymakers, or others. Each group has a unique and valuable perspective. With quality improvement, there are roles that are involved. The leader’s role in promoting and developing quality improvement begins with creating and sustaining a personal and organizational focus on the needs of internal and external customers (Quality Improvement, 2014). A leader demonstrates a clear commitment to the organizational mission, values, goals, and expectation that promote quality and performance excellence through its actions. Key staff roles in a quality improvement p rogram are day-to-day leader, data entry person, provider champion, operations person, and data specialist. Monitoring provides the method to identify how the organization compares with the original opportunities for improvement and achieving those goals. (Wiley, 2007) Every area needs monitored because of providing every needs monitored because of providing patient can with any deficiency affect the entire hospital. Leaders determine the areas that need monitoring for improvement, monitoring the compliance of policies and procedures and standards for the hospital. The accrediting and regulatory agencies that are involved in the quality improvement process are The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Joint Commission evaluates the quality of health care provided to the patient. They also requires that organizational leadership set expectations, plan, manage how to measure, assess, and improve in all aspects of providing care (LaTour, p.521). Another agency that is involved is the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which represents the federal funded agency that focuses on improving the health care. The federal government mandates the areas for monitoring for quality, for example, preventive care,  infection control, fall rates, and chronic disease management. (HRHA, 2013) National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) represents the accrediting agencies for the hospitals. It also evaluates the quality of health care provided to the patient. In conclusion, there are many resources for helping the improvement of quality. The patient, providers, nurses and management plays a part in the improvement that will guide to reach desired levels of performance. An organization that affects quality improvement is Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). AHRQ is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. (Quality Improvement Organizations) The accrediting and regulatory organizations protect the public the regular reporting quality measures of the health care facility. References: LaTour, K. (2010), Health Information Management Quality Improvement Organizations Retrieved from: http://www.aap.org/en-us/professional-resources/practice-support/quality-improvement/Pages/Quality-Improvement-Organizations.aspx Quality Improvement, Retrieved from: http://www.hrsa.gov/quality/toolbox/methodology/qualityimprovement/part2.html The Effective Health Care Program Stakeholder Guide: Chapter 3: Getting Involved in the Research Process. February 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/evidence-based-reports/stakeholderguide/chapter3.html The Purpose Of Quality Improvement in Healthcare, Retrieved from: http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/six-sigma-training-certification-information/the-purpose-of-quality-improvement-in-healthcare.html Campbell, S. (2004) How do stakeholder groups vary in a Delphi technique about primary mental health care and what factors influence their ratings?

Character’s Personality in the Great Gatsby Essay

The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a love story about one man’s desire to climb the social ladder and to marry the girl of his dreams. In this novel, Fitzgerald uses imagery and many symbols to reveal significant aspects of the central character, Jay Gatsby’s, personality. The green light reveals hope in Gatsby’s future. His mansion is also a symbol, representing his wealth but also how he still wishes to be classed higher in society. The Eggs also represent the barriers between the upper and lower classes of Long Island. First of all, the colour green that is displayed through the light that Gatsby notices â€Å"[Daisy] always [has on] that burns all night at the end of [her] dock† (91) represents Jay Gatsby’s jealousy towards Tom Buchanan as well as his hopes for his future, including the American Dream. Envy that Gatsby feels for Tom Buchanan is present because Gatsby loves Daisy and wanted to marry five years ago, but could not because of the difference in social class. At the time, Daisy was a rich girl and Jay, a poor boy. Daisy could not have possibly married someone as poor as Jay Gatsby and could not wait around for him either, so she married Tom Buchanan, which leads to Gatsby’s jealousy. When they are all in town, Gatsby tells Tom that â€Å"[Daisy has] never loved [him]† (124) and rather that she has loved Gatsby all along. He tells Tom that â€Å"[Daisy] only married [him] because [he] was poor and she was tired of waiting for [him]† (124). When Gatsby â€Å"[stretches] out his arms out toward the dark water† (25) at the green light, this shows Gatsby reaching for his love, Daisy Buchanan, trying to grab the woman that he could never have, which seems so close but is farther than it appears. The green light represents Gatsby’s obsession with love and his hopes to reconcile with Daisy which leads to also representing the American Dream, a dream that anyone can live the life they wish for if they work hard. The green light represents money, wealth, power and love, which is everything Gatsby wishes he had to live the American Dream. Secondly, another symbol used to reveal aspects of Jay Gatsby’s personality is his mansion. Although Gatsby lives in West Egg and lives next to Nick Carraway’s â€Å"small eyesore† (11) of a home, Nick describes Gatsby’s house as â€Å"a colossal affair by any standard† (11) and â€Å"a factual imitation of some Hà ´tel de Ville in Normandy† (11). His mansion represents his wealth and even though Gatsby is extremely rich with the money he has earned, he will never obtain his goal to be ranked high enough in society to be a part of the East Egg community with Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby’s mansion also symbolises his extravagance which is used to gain attention from people of Long Island to prove that he is just as worthy as they are. He throws big parties featuring â€Å"buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvres [and] spiced baked hams† (41) and an orchestra with â€Å"oboes, trombones and saxophones, and viols and cornets and piccolos† (42). All this to prove he was like them. Gatsby’s mansion, just like the green light, also represents the American Dream. A life he wish he had. Finally, one other symbol that is exemplified throughout the book is Eggs. The division of the East and West Eggs â€Å"twenty miles from the city† (10) symbolises Gatsby’s obsession with increasing his social status. Gatsby lives in West Egg, the â€Å"less fashionable† (10) of the two Eggs. The East Egg is where all the old money is. This is a place where everyone is accustomed to their wealthy lifestyle, being born into rich families, refined and are all socially conscious. The West Egg is where the new money is and where everything is over the top and flashy. Despite the fact that Gatsby lives in West Egg, he aspires to be accepted into the East Egg Society by flaunting his wealth. In conclusion, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses many symbols in The Great Gatsby to reveal significant aspects of the central character, Jay Gatsby’s, personality. The green light signifies jealousy, envy, hope and the American Dream while Gatsby’s mansion demonstrates his want to be something he is not. The division between the Eggs are also important and symbolise Gatsby’s obsession in climbing the social ladder. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Penguin Books; London, England, 1950.

Factors behind Economic Growth in Hong Kong and Singapore Essay

There are many similarities between Hong Kong and Singapore. Both countries enjoy high economic growth rates for the past three decades, they are known as â€Å"East Asian Tigers† because they made a transition from poverty to Newly Industrialized Economies (NIE’s) in a very short period of time. Both Hong Kong and Singapore were British colonies with both legal and administrative systems of their former colonial powers. They are the busiest ports in the world in terms of throughputs. They have climbed the industrial ladder and are now important international financial centers because of their reliance on trade since 1960’s (Kim. t al 1994). In addition both cities are densely populated since land is scarce and land together with property prices is very high. These two cities are known for being fee traders with few restrictions on trade and capital flows which many a times are Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In Hong Kong the state owns all the land whereas in Singapore the state owns four fifths of the total land. Consequently both cities capture economic rent primarily by nationalizing land and leasing it out. While the state owns much of the land in Singapore and the sole landowner in Hong Kong, the inefficiencies that could result from state ownership are taken care of through the creation of markets for state, land and property leases. Meanwhile the public leasehold system where the state is the major role player in land use, planning and resource allocation works very well in both cities since the public sector institutions of both are efficient and non-corrupt. These institutions in both countries benefit from adequate checks and balances, merit-based recruitment and pay scales which are high enough to reduce the temptation to corruption. In conclusion, there economies are widely believed to be the most economical free in the world are these economic freedom emanates from the governments â€Å"hands-off policy† which allows for flexibility and renovation of any given industry in a very short time. Both countries also have very little available land and very few natural resources therefore importing most of their food and raw materials equally most of their exports consists of re-exports which are products made outside their territories.

On Consumer Surplus and Pricing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On Consumer Surplus and Pricing Strategy - Essay Example For each commodity marketed, customers assign a certain amount that they are willing to pay. Some business organizations are able to price according to the customers’ perceived value of their offering. However, some may be priced less than what the customers would want to pay for them, thereby robbing the companies of profit potential. Consumer surplus is defined as "the amount that customers benefit by being able to purchase a product for a price that they would be willing to pay" (Economic Surplus 2007). When company prices are less than the amount that buyers are willing to pay for the product, customers will enjoy the consumer surplus in purchasing the product. Thus, companies should be adept in their pricing strategy. They should be able to determine individual consumer surplus and fully expropriate it for their advantage. Identifying the exact value attributed by buyers to a product is a great challenge for a business organization. As individuals are unique, they often h ave different perceptions of the monetary value of an offering. Some price-sensitive customers may find a product too expensive but some may even find it a bargain. One of the things that the company can do is to conduct a survey before releasing the product in order to get an average price that the target market is likely willing to pay. The company can also experiment by raising and lowering the price in the market and monitor the customers' response through product sales and demand. However, all these can be very tedious and can erode the identity and image of the product in the market. It can even bring confusion to the customers.

Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry Term Paper

Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry - Term Paper Example The more surprising aspect is that the service industries like for e.g. hotels depend much more than manufacturing industries on their human capital for the quality of service being delivered by the intangible interface between the staff (the service provider) and the customer. The reason for this could be that the ‘services sector’ is not homogeneous and includes such diversified industries and services like banking, business services, catering, distribution, finance, insurance, leasing, hotels, and transport etc. In addition to this, it is estimated that sixty-five to seventy-five percent of work in the manufacturing industries also relates to ‘services’. However, the services provided by different industries are different in content and nature and for the reason cannot be dealt with as a general proposition. For example, the hotel industry is seasonal unlike many others listed above. The hotel industry is characterized by ad hoc management, lack of trade unionism and high labor turnover. (Hoque 1999a 4)The quality of human resources could well be the differentiator that can lend a competitive edge to the industry. The reputation that a hotel earns for its quality of service, is difficult for its competitors to replicate. The core philosophy of human resource management is that employee commitment enhances employe... sen sums up the key objectives for pursuing strategic HRM in the hotel industry as follows: it must focus on both activities generating value for the company and optimizing HRM costs at the same time (value contribution); it must develop, promote and retain human capital to suit the company's strategic objectives (aligni ng human capital with strategic objectives); and it must anticipate and support change initiatives with necessary processes, methods, and instruments for a smooth transition (managing change). Hoque cites other researchers like Guest (1987) and Beer et al., (1985) to argue that employees' commitment makes them more satisfied, productive, adaptable, willing to accept organizational goals and values, and not mind to 'stretch' themselves to meet organizational goals.     

PDP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PDP - Essay Example wledge and skills in business management, accounting and financial management, human resources management, strategic management, marketing management, change management, and social communication skills among others (UWBS 2012). Furthermore, I also expect this course to improve my analytical thinking and basic research skills. After taking this course, my long-term goal is to pursue a financial management career in the government’s Ministry of Finance. My personal and career ambition is to hold the highest possible position in a government financial institution. When working for a government institution, the culture of corruption and red tape is quite common and is very difficult to control. With regards to this matter, Tanzi and Davoodi (2000, pp. 3 – 4) revealed that there is â€Å"a negative association between corruption perception indexes and levels of economic development which is measured by the real per capita GDP†. Not all students who are enrolled are currently employed in a business organization. In order to help fight corruption within the public sector, I expect this MBA course to give me the opportunity to reflect upon the role and responsibilities of internal and external auditors including the importance of corporate governance within the practice of accounting and finance (Moeller 2009). Among the basic subjects that I have taken up at UWBS, the most applicable to my chosen profession is accounting and finance management. Before taking up the Masters studies, my personal and interpersonal skills were not quite developed. Although I worked for a government institution back in our country, it was quite unusual for me to be able to be exposed and mingle with a diverse group of people. With regards to my academic skills, areas that needs improvement includes doing research work. Although I was already familiar with regards to some of the theories related to marketing, human resource management, operations management, and basic accounting and

Commerce Bank Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Commerce Bank - Case Study Example It has been recommended that the bank keeps the entertainment costs at minimal and ensure that the staffs are not distracted by the entertainment programs from offering prompt services to the customers. There is no need to spend too much on entertainment as it has no direct contribution to the company overall profitability. The entertainment programs offered in the different branches should also be coordinated to ensure that customers receive consistent treatment. Commerce Bank is one of the banks based in New York which has managed to grow organically in a city which has the largest number of banks. The bank has achieved this success by differentiating its product and services from those of its close competitors. It has always been the banks aim to retain the customers by â€Å"wooing† them through great customer service. It also managed to attract a large number of customers by designing the physical structures of their branches in an appealing way and locating them in close proximity to the target market. The bank had experienced considerable growth and received several awards 2001 due to its superb customer service. Over time, other competing banks have adopted Commerce Bank strategies of wooing the customers. It has treated its clients not as customers but fans and transformed banking into a retail business and not service industry. In a bid to differentiate itself from the rival bank, the company has now developed the retailterta inment where it provides various forms of entertainment to keep the customers busy as they wait to be served in the banking halls of the various branches (Frances 2006). As such the company has introduced an entertainment program on Fridays where customers are served with free hot dogs and are entertained by a juggler and a guitar player. Some managers feel that this could be taking the retailtertainment too far and may actually act as a

Life Course Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Life Course Theory - Research Paper Example The life course theory can best be internalized by analyzing life occurrences in respect to stages in lives, turning points and routes which are all engraved in the social school of thought. This ranges from personal traits, the environment around the person, educational differences and the family or community status. Ingredients of Building a Criminal The emergence of a criminal is attributed to two main sources of influence on the life of an individual: transitions and trajectories. A transition comprises of the periodical short lived occurrences or decisive moments that create a particular life change like parenthood, marriage or divorce (Glen, Johnson & Crosnoe, 2003). Trajectories on the other hand refers to a route over the course of life which entails long lasting trends or patterns of occurrences like the history of the family and state of employment. Notably, there is a key role played by transitions in the course of oncoming trajectories (Heather and Farrington, 2001). Adap tation of an individual to a specific transition can result into change of course of the person’s life into a respective trajectory. Childhood experiences can have a great impact on occurrences in the adolescent stage and later into adulthood the same manner adolescence or adulthood events can shape later trajectories. If a child is exposed to too much criminal activities or violence, there is likelihood that the child or the adolescent will modify into one in his or her future life. Besides, exposing an adolescent to rejection in a social group increases the chances of the child developing into a violent adult. This is because the person has a tendency to feel neglected and thus the only way to obtain attention is by resolving to be a violent person. Provided this, transitions or occurrences at various stages of life can have a permanent effect on various consequences during a life course. Eventually this can lead into a one main trajectory or pathway. Environment Most crime s in the inner city emerge as a result of the environment a person lives and the kind of exposures the person is subjected to. As mentioned earlier, this falls under transitions. For example; the type of housing one dwells has a major impact on the life course of the person. This coupled with a desire to live in a decent apartment beyond the capacity of earnings of the person will automatically make the individual to attempt earning beyond his/her means. The individual may resolve to obtain the house or money by any fraudulent means which result into change of a life course. Besides, family structure has a greater role to play in this scenario. The family structure dictates the form of education a person acquires. According to Heather and Farrington (2001), the family is the corner stone of a human community. Children or adolescents who are constantly rejected by their fathers and mothers, those who are brought up in homes with significant level of conflicts and those are not adequa tely monitored are exposed to risk of developing into delinquents. Deborah, et al. (2002) assert that justice or fairness can be executed in a better way when the young individuals are directed on the best paths by involving the family members in Juvenile crime proceedings. It is vital for the society at large to understand the impact of family make up in getting to roots of delinquency. The structure of a family is one of the profound socialization foundations in one’

In What Ways Does What Edward Said Calls Orientalism Affect Art and Ar Essay

In What Ways Does What Edward Said Calls Orientalism Affect Art and Art History - Essay Example Whereas several other writers and thinkers had written histories of empire and colonialism, most of these writings were not post-colonial as they still proceeded from the point of view of the centre rather than the margin. The publication of Said's Orientalism was central to the exact awareness of the concept and this work marks the opening of post-colonialism. The definition of the term Orientalism by Edward Said suggests the originality of the subject dealt with in his book. According to the straightforward definition of the term, Orientalism refers to an academic specialisation and it is a topic studied by the archaeologists, historians, theologians and others in the West, who are concerned with Middle Eastern and North African cultures. However, Edward Said gives new meanings and interpretations to the term when adds two further meaning to the term. "Orientalism is also something more general, something that has shaped Western thought since Greeks, at least: namely, a way of divi ding up the world between the West and the East. What appears to be simple geographical fact is, says Said, actually an idea. The division of the world into these two parts is not a natural state of affairs, but an intellectual choice made by the West in order to define itself. The third meaning for Orientalism is more historically specific. Since the latter part of the eighteenth century, when European colonialism in the Middle East developed most fully, Orientalism has been a means for domination, a part of the colonial enterprise. Said argues that colonialism is not about the physical acts of taking land, or subjugating people, but is also about the intellectual acts." (Hatt and Klonk, 226) Therefore, Said's Orientalism and the concept of Orientalism played a major role in the understanding of the East-West controversy and it considerably influenced the study of art and art history. According to Edward Said Orientalism is a term that explains the academic as well as artistic Western tradition concerning intimidating and deprecatory views of the East. At the heart of such frightening and deprecatory views of the East are the attitudes of European imperialism during the 18th and 19th centuries. "Edward Said established the theoretical foundations for post-colonial studies by identifying how the West has characterised the East as the other since the Enlightenment. In all forms of cultural endeavour and enterprise, Europeans created the concept of an inferior Orient as opposed to a superior West. The boundaries between East and West have provided the locus for artistic hybrids and appropriations since classical times. In recent centuries, non-Western art has been perceived as exotic, dangerous, erotic and primitive." (Pooke and Newall, 211-12) Orientalism, as a term in art history, refers predominantly to the works of French artists in the 19th century, who selected the subject matter, colour and style of their artworks from the cultures of the Mediterranean nations and the Near East. Several critics and scholars in the field consider Orientalism as essentially an art history term.     

An Islamic Film Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Islamic Film - Movie Review Example â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss† is a remarkable film by Ken Loach. The film appeared before its audiences in the year 2004. Being a romantic drama by nature, the film had enough material to glue its audiences to the theatre seats. But the most essential part of the film is its critical reception and volley of controversy, which the story of the film evoked. At the outset, the film, â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss† might suggest about the generation gap where the older generation is unable to comprehend the feelings, sentiments and conventions of the younger generation; but a deeper insight of the film enables its audiences to understand that the director of the film, Ken Loach is actually trying to break many set conventions and stereotypes imposed by the society upon the young minds (Icon Film Distribution Limited, â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss†). Clare Stalder in the seminar paper bearing the title, â€Å"Ken Loach’s Ae Fond Kiss – A Multicultural Romeo and Juliet Story† desc ribes that â€Å"When Ken Loach’s film, Ae Fond Kiss came to the movie theatres in 2004 review announced it as â€Å"a multicultural Romeo and Juliet† story or a â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† like plot. In Clare’s words, â€Å"The motif of a forbidden relationship and tragic, impossible love because the lovers come from a different cultural or family backgrounds is a popular theme that has been entertaining and fascinating readers for centuries† (Stalder 2). But this is not all; there are layers of interpretations when one truly focuses the insight into the multiple dimensions the theme of the film tries to evoke. Behind a forbidden love and hindered union of the couples from different culture, is a strong Islamic faith and fanaticism shown quite a number of times in the film. This essay intends to discuss the various Islamic issues inherent within the community and culture, which gets reflected through the film and gives it a religious dimension as wel l. AE FOND KISS: A FILM WITH RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL DISCOURSE Ae Fond Kiss is definitely a film that shares multicultural discourse and the issues, which might evolve from a relationship between people from different cultures. But the plot of the film, as framed by Paul Laverty, also presents issues of Islamic society, their perceptions and thought processes, which are integrally related with their customs and religion in the film. It is quite evident that the plot of the film, â€Å"Ae Fond Kiss† presents the religious issues in a very subtle way and the subtlety of the presentation is so intriguing that only through an in-depth focus on the intricacies of the plot would enable its audiences to find out the actual issues from religious paradigm that was developing the conflict inherent within the plot and pushing it to move forward and further. A tight lipped focus on the plot of the film would reveal that the protagonist of the film is a Muslim. Casim Khan is a Glaswegian D J. He is from Pakistani origin and belongs to a Muslim family that is very staunch in the religious matter and is very devout. Casim’s father and mother, Tariq and Sadia have decided to settle off their son and with this vision they have arranged a marriage of their son with his first cousin Jasmine. Casim seems more or less reluctant with the arrangements. He feels this as a conventional part of his life and accepts the marriage. But the twist of the plot appears when Casim, played by Atta Yaqub, meets and falls in head over heels love with Roisin, who works as a part-time music teacher at the school where Casim’s sister studies. Roisin, played by Eva Birthistle, is an Irish catholic. They meet and fall in love and for the celebration of their love, Roisin books a small holiday for the couple, a recluse and a small escape. The real controversy and following conflicts arise within the plot of the film at this juncture. Casim’s parents turn against him and his re lation with Roisin. But it was already decided between them that they would go to any extent for making their relation successful and would wait with all

Favorite Brand Paper Essay Example for Free

Favorite Brand Paper Essay Sony is one of the leading if not leading technology Corporation within the technical business world today. This organization headquarters can be found in Tokyo, Japan. Sony business is focus on electronics, entertainment, and gaming systems, and it also has a financial service sector. The Sony organization mainly focus on electronics such as video games, and TV networking. With these elements it makes Sony a premier organization that deals with consumer satisfaction, and gives them a comprehensive identity within the technology industry. This corporation has many different brands to offer to the public. Yet, only one stands out in my opinion, and thats the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation gaming system has been around for many years. Now in there are plenty of features that stands out. The price is one of the most interesting factors. Sony has dropped the price in the early stage of the PlayStation 4 to affordable price of $299.00. Making its a affordable gaming console that offers a wide range of different games. Another reason why I enjoy this gaming console it offers a built in wifi system with no extra cost. Other features that makes this brand stand out is the graphics and design of the console. With any type of computer like system the heart of it is the  central processing unit. This feature gives the PlayStation 4 an excellent graphic experience that causes individual to fall in love with its system. The gaming console controller is featured with gripped handles and easy to understand movements of the controls. Sony Corporation has established an excellent long-term connection with consumers worldwide. This organization is known for offering credit to loyal consumers across the board. By giving discounts as well as payback procedures. Sony risk management is one of the key reasons why their growth is superior within their industry. By developing consumer surveys that help enhance their product, and shows their loyalty by taking in account consumers opinions. In using this strategy Sony has now discover that consumers have a exceedingly high expectation when it comes to quality, the value of their money. Therefore, Sony gives a complete effort to make  consumers satisfied with their experiences using their products. The new Playstation 4 has a share of competition such as the Xbox 360 as well as his counterpart the Xbox One and as well is the Nintendo. In order to be competitive sony has to have compassion dealing with consumers by being compassionate with their prices. Microsoft gaming consoles are expensive at price of $100 more then the PlayStation 4. The other brands or somewhat cheaper but does not have the design and graphics the PlayStation 4 has such as the Nintendo. This gaming system has different devices, and they are very cheap with a price tag of $114.00 to $200.00. This is another japanese made product, but does not have the features as the PlayStation 4. Offering only the basic gaming experience. Another factor that makes the Sony brand stand out is that it offers an elite online gaming thats free. The Xbox 360 in the Xbox One has an annual price they charge for their online games, and individuals limited to games, as for the Nintendo it does not offer these feature. Individuals as well can play Blu Ray high definition DVDs on their Playstation 4. The competition is limited in this category offering only the basic views  dealing with DVDs high definition games. With all these elements concerning the gaming industry. PlayStation 4 continue to outsell its competition. Which is the Xbox One as well is the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo. In turn makes it the number one gaming console worldwide. Sony has committed to cultivating its gaming system for the next generation to enjoy the product. Sony PlayStation 4 has no pressure with it status in the gaming industry with it significant prices, and design. With gives reasoning to buy the console. Therefore, marketing is all about identify as well as being committed to consumers needs. I have the pleasure of stating that this organization have successfully built a market that is loyal to their customers. Sony has alway created dissimilar products that allows them to build capital and become a leader within their respective industry. By working internally dealing with each divisional labor department to ensure correct research training as well as planning their marketing mix to serve the global community. Reference www.1 to 1 media.com/view.aspx?itemid=30928 www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2014/06/13/the-5-best-reason-to-buy-ps4/ http://www.playstation.com/en-us.

The Nobel Prize in Literature Essay Example for Free

The Nobel Prize in Literature Essay Once upon a time there was an old woman. Blind but wise. Or was it an old man? A guru, perhaps. Or a griot soothing restless children. I have heard this story, or one exactly like it, in the lore of several cultures. Once upon a time there was an old woman. Blind. Wise. In the version I know the woman is the daughter of slaves, black, American, and lives alone in a small house outside of town. Her reputation for wisdom is without peer and without question. Among her people she is both the law and its transgression. The honor she is paid and the awe in which she is held reach beyond her neighborhood to places far away; to the city where the intelligence of rural prophets is the source of much amusement. One day the woman is visited by some young people who seem to be bent on disproving her clairvoyance and showing her up for the fraud they believe she is. Their plan is simple: they enter her house and ask the one question the answer to which rides solely on her difference from them, a difference they regard as a profound disability: her blindness. They stand before her, and one of them says, Old woman, I hold in my hand a bird. Tell me whether it is living or dead. She does not answer, and the question is repeated. Is the bird I am holding living or dead? Still she doesnt answer. She is blind and cannot see her visitors, let alone what is in their hands. She does not know their color, gender or homeland. She only knows their motive. The old womans silence is so long, the young people have trouble holding their laughter. Finally she speaks and her voice is soft but stern. I dont know, she says. I dont know whether the bird you are holding is dead or alive, but what I do know is that it is in your hands. It is in your hands. Her answer can be taken to mean: if it is dead, you have either found it that way or you have killed it. If it is alive, you can still kill it. Whether it is to stay alive, it is your decision. Whatever the case, it is your responsibility. For parading their power and her helplessness, the young visitors are reprimanded, told they are responsible not only for the act of mockery but also for the small bundle of life sacrificed to achieve its aims. The blind woman shifts attention away from assertions of power to the instrument through which that power is exercised. Speculation on what (other than its own frail body) that bird-in-the-hand might signify has always been attractive to me, but especially so now thinking, as I have been, about the work I do that has brought me to this company. So I choose to read the bird as language and the woman as a practiced writer. She is worried about how the language she dreams in, given to her at birth, is handled, put into service, even withheld from her for certain nefarious purposes. Being a writer she thinks of language partly as a system, partly as a living thing over which one has control, but mostly as agency as an act with consequences. So the question the children put to her: Is it living or dead? is not unreal because she thinks of language as susceptible to death, erasure; certainly imperiled and salvageable only by an effort of the will. She believes that if the bird in the hands of her visitors is dead the custodians are responsible for the corpse. For her a dead language is not only one no long er spoken or written, it is unyielding language content to admire its own paralysis. Like statist language, censored and censoring. Ruthless in its policing duties, it has no desire or purpose other than maintaining the free range of its own narcotic narcissism, its own exclusivity and dominance. However moribund, it is not without effect for it actively thwarts the intellect, stalls conscience, suppresses human potential. Unreceptive to interrogation, it cannot form or tolerate new ideas, shape other thoughts, tell another story, fill baffling silences. Official language smitheryed to sanction ignorance and preserve privilege is a suit of armor polished to shocking glitter, a husk from which the knight departed long ago. Yet there it is: dumb, predatory, sentimental. Exciting reverence in schoolchildren, providing shelter for despots, summoning false memories of stability, harmony among the public. She is convinced that when language dies, out of carelessness, disuse, indifference and absence of esteem, or killed by fiat, not only she herself, but all users and makers are accountable for its demise. In her country children have bitten their tongues off and use bullets instead to iterate the voice of speechlessness, of disabled and disabling language, of language adults have abandoned altogether as a device for grappling with meaning, providing guidance, or expressing love. But she knows tongue-suicide is not only the choice of children. It is common among the infantile heads of state and power merchants whose evacuated language leaves them with no access to what is left of their human instincts for they speak only to those who obey, or in order to force obedience. The systematic looting of language can be recognized by the tendency of its users to forgo its nuanced, complex, mid-wifery properties for menace and subjugation. Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge. Whether it is obscuring state language or the faux-language of mindless media; whether it is the proud but calcified language of the academy or the commodity driven language of science; whether it is the malign language of law-without-ethics, or language designed for the estrangement of minorities, hiding its racist plunder in its literary cheek it must be rejected, altered and exposed. It is the language that drinks blood, laps vulnerabilities, tucks its fascist boots under crinolines of respectability and patriotism as it moves relentlessly toward the bottom line and the bottomed-out mind. Sexist language, racist language, theistic language all are typical of the policing language s of mastery, and cannot, do not permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas. The old woman is keenly aware that no intellectual mercenary, nor insatiable dictator, no paid-for politician or demagogue; no counterfeit journalist would be persuaded by her thoughts. There is and will be rousing language to keep citizens armed and arming; slaughtered and slaughtering in the malls, courthouses, post offices, playgrounds, bedrooms and boulevards; stirring, memorializing language to mask the pity and waste of needless death. There will be more diplomatic language to countenance rape, torture, assassination. There is and will be more seductive, mutant language designed to throttle women, to pack their throats like patà ©-producing geese with their own unsayable, transgressive words; there will be more of the language of surveillance disguised as research; of politics and history calculated to render the suffering of millions mute; language glamorized to thrill the dissatisfied and bereft into assaulting their neighbors; arrogant pseudo-empirical language crafted to l ock creative people into cages of inferiority and hopelessness. Underneath the eloquence, the glamor, the scholarly associations, however stirring or seductive, the heart of such language is languishing, or perhaps not beating at all if the bird is already dead. She has thought about what could have been the intellectual history of any discipline if it had not insisted upon, or been forced into, the waste of time and life that rationalizations for and representations of dominance required lethal discourses of exclusion blocking access to cognition for both the excluder and the excluded. The conventional wisdom of the Tower of Babel story is that the collapse was a misfortune. That it was the distraction, or the weight of many languages that precipitated the towers failed architecture. That one monolithic language would have expedited the building and heaven would have been reached. Whose heaven, she wonders? And what kind? Perhaps the achievement of Paradise was premature, a little hasty if no one could take the time to understand other languages, other views, other narratives period. Had they, the heaven they imagined might have been found at their feet. Complicated, demanding, yes, but a view of heaven as life; not heaven as post-life. She would not want to leave her young visitors with the impression that language should be forced to stay alive merely to be. The vitality of language lies in its ability to limn the actual, imagined and possible lives of its speakers, readers, writers. Although its poise is sometimes in displacing experience it is not a substitute for it. It arcs toward the place where meaning may lie. When a President of the United States thought about the graveyard his country had become, and said, The world will little note nor long remember what we say here. But it will never forget what they did here, his simple words are exhilarating in their life-sustaining properties because they refused to encapsulate the reality of 600, 000 dead men in a cataclysmic race war. Refusing to monumentalize, disdaining the final word, the precise summing up, acknowledging their poor power to add or detract, his words signal deference to the uncapturability of the life it mourns. It is the deference that moves he r, that recognition that language can never live up to life once and for all. Nor should it. Language can never pin down slavery, genocide, war. Nor should it yearn for the arrogance to be able to do so. Its force, its felicity is in its reach toward the ineffable. Be it grand or slender, burrowing, blasting, or refusing to sanctify; whether it laughs out loud or is a cry without an alphabet, the choice word, the chosen silence, unmolested language surges toward knowledge, not its destruction. But who does not know of literature banned because it is interrogative; discredited because it is critical; erased because alternate? And how many are outraged by the thought of a self-ravaged tongue? Word-work is sublime, she thinks, because it is generative; it makes meaning that secures our difference, our human difference the way in which we are like no other life. We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives. Once upon a time, visitors ask an old woman a question. Who are they, these children? What did they make of that encounter? What did they hear in those final words: The bird is in your hands? A sentence that gestures towards possibility or one that drops a latch? Perhaps what the children heard was Its not my problem. I am old, female, black, blind. What wisdom I have now is in knowing I cannot help you. The future of language is yours. They stand there. Suppose nothing was in their hands? Suppose the visit was only a ruse, a trick to get to be spoken to, taken seriously as they have not been before? A chance to interrupt, to violate the adult world, its miasma of discourse about them, for them, but never to them? Urgent questions are at stake, including the one they have asked: Is the bird we hold living or dead? Perhaps the question meant: Could someone tell us what is life? What is death? No trick at all; no silliness. A straightforward question worthy of the attention of a wise one. An old one. And if the old and wise who have lived life and faced death cannot describe either, who can? But she does not; she keeps her secret; her good opinion of herself; her gnomic pronouncements; her art without commitment. She keeps her distance, enforces it and retreats into the singularity of isolation, in sophisticated, privileged space. Nothing, no word follows her declaration of transfer. That silence is deep, deeper than the meaning available in the words she has spoken. It shivers, this silence, and the children, annoyed, fill it with language invented on the spot. Is there no speech, they ask her, no words you can give us that helps us break through your dossier of failures? Through the education you have just given us that is no education at all because we are paying close attention to what you have done as well as to what you have said? To the barrier you have erected between generosity and wisdom? We have no bird in our hands, living or dead. We have only you and our important question. Is the nothing in our hands something you could not bear to contemplate, to even guess? Dont you remember being young when language was magic without meaning? When what you could say, could not mean? When the invisible was what imagination strove to see? When questions and demands for answers burned so brightly you trembled with fury at not knowing? Do we have to begin consciousness with a battle heroines and heroes like you have already fought and lost leaving us with nothing in our hands except what you have imagined is there? Your answer is artful, but its artfulness embarrasses us and ought to embarrass you. Your answer is indecent in its self-congratulation. A made-for-television script that makes no sense if there is nothing in our hands. Why didnt you reach out, touch us with your soft fingers, delay the sound bite, the lesson, until you knew who we were? Did you so despise our trick, our modus operandi you could not see that we were baffled about how to get your attention? We are young. Unripe. We have heard all our short lives that we have to be responsible. What could that possibly mean in the catastrophe this world has become; where, as a poet said, nothing needs to be exposed since it is already barefaced. Our inheritance is an affront. You want us to have your old, blank eyes and see only cruelty and mediocrity. Do you think we are stupid enough to perjure ourselves again and again with the fiction of nationhood? How dare you talk to us of duty when we stand waist deep in the toxin of your past? You trivialize us and trivialize the bird that is not in our hands. Is there no context for our lives? No song, no literature, no poem full of vitamins, no history connected to experience that you can pass along to help us start strong? You are an adult. The old one, the wise one. Stop thinking about saving your face. Think of our lives and tell us your particularized world. Make up a story. Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created. We will not blame you if your reach exceeds your grasp; if love so ignites your words they go down in flames and nothing is left but their scald. Or if, with the reticence of a surgeons hands, your words suture only the places where blood might flow. We know you can never do it properly once and for all. Passion is never enough; neither is skill. But try. For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Dont tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief s wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fears caul. You, old woman, blessed with blindness, can speak the language that tells us what only language can: how to see without pictures. Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names. Language alone is meditation. Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man. What moves at the margin. What it is to have no home in this place. To be set adrift from the one you knew. What it is to live at the edge of towns that cannot bear your company. Tell us about ships turned away from shorelines at Easter, placenta in a field. Tell us about a wagonload of slaves, how they sang so softly their breath was indistinguishable from the falling snow. How they knew from the hunch of the nearest shoulder that the next stop would be their last. How, with hands prayered in their sex, they thought of heat, then sun. Lifting their faces as though it was there for the taking. Turning as though there for the taking. They stop at an inn. The driver and his mate go in with the lamp leaving them humming in the dark. The horses void steams into the snow beneath its hooves and its hiss and melt are the envy of the freezing slaves. The inn door opens: a girl and a boy step away from its light. They climb into the wagon bed. The boy will have a gun in three years, but now he carries a lamp and a jug of warm cider. They pass it from mouth to mouth. The girl offers bread, pieces of meat and something more: a glance into the eyes of the one she serves. One helping for each man, two for each woman. And a look. They look back. The next stop will be their last. But not this one. This one is warmed. Its quiet again when the children finish speaking, until the woman breaks into the silence. Finally, she says, I trust you now. I trust you with the bird that is not in your hands because you have truly caught it. Look. How lovely it is, this thing we have done together.

The labour cost advantage and china

The labour cost advantage and china Introduction China has an emerging economy and therefore, produces many products. On the European market, there is a large demand for these products. China has relatively low production costs, which makes China an interesting country to import from. Chinese wages have risen sharply with globalization, average wages in China have increased every year since 1978. The average wage in urban areas was 21.000 Yuan in 2006, which is four times higher than the average wage in 1995. How will the wages develop in China? The question for this research is: Has China the labour cost advantage? Content Has China the labour cost advantage? 1 Introduction 2 Content 2 Offshoring in general 3 Why are companies outsourcing to China? 3 Employment in China 4 What was Chinas economic reason to enter the WTO? 4 How have wages been developed in China? 6 Wages by Ownership 7 Wages by Region 9 Wages by Sector 10 Wages compared with other countries in Asia 11 Has China the labour cost advantage? 12 Bibliography 13 Offshoring in general Offshoring is defined as the movement of a business process done at a company in one country to the same, or another company, in another country. Most of the movements to lower-costs destinations take place in the own management. Outsourcing is the movement of an internal business process to an external company in the same country and the movement of an internal business process to an external company in another country. Offshore outsourcing occurs most often.  [1]   Why are companies outsourcing to China? There are different reasons why companies outsource to China, but some of these reasons are similar. Several reasons for outsourcing to China are  [2]  : Cheap Labour: China offers savings up to five times compared to the U.S. The labour costs in China are 50 percent lower than in India. Labialization of laws and government policies: Government has passed laws which protect private ownership and intellectual property in the country. It has also embraced public/private partnerships and domestic/foreign partnerships. Existence of offshore manufacturing and physical proximity to major markets: China is the manufacturing plant of the world, which provides sound base for outsourcing, strengthened by risk mitigation and greater stability. Employment in China Although China is still a developing country with a relatively low average income, it has a tremendous economic growth since the seventies (9.1 percent in 2004). This can be related to a great extent of an economic liberalising policy. The Gross National Product raised with 400 percent between 1978 and 1998 and the international investments grew tremendous during the nineties. The agriculture is by far the most important sector. Figures of 2007 show that 41 percent of the total population of China is employed in this sector. Nevertheless, the agricultural land limits to around 11 percent of the total Chinese land surface. Since the seventies, the agriculture is privatised, which yield a tremendous production growth. Figure 1: Economic growth, percentage per year  [1]  4 What was Chinas economic reason to enter the WTO? Joining the WTO is a very important event for the development of China at the beginning of the 21st century. WTO membership opens up Chinas market for more international trade and investment, and opens up the world economy for Chinas exports. Some researchers see it as a positive force for Chinas economic development while others are concerned that the competition of foreign imports and foreign enterprises in China might destroy important domestic enterprises in Chinas agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors. The main motivation of Premier Zhu Rongji in promoting Chinas entry into the WTO was to use foreign competition to speed up economic reform in both the industrial and service sectors. In the late 1990s, reform in both sectors was slow due to the inertia coming from vested interests of a group of formerly appointed managers holding on their positions.  [3]   How have wages been developed in China? Average wages have increased every year since 1978. In 2006, the average wage in urban areas in was 21.000 Yuan, which is four times higher than the average wage in 1995. However, as wage levels increased, so did discrepancies between different sectors, types of ownership and regions. In general, average wages were higher in share-holding, foreign-owned and state-owned enterprises, and were lowest in locally funded enterprises, with wages in enterprises owned by Hong Kong and Taiwanese businesses in the middle. A more significant gap emerged between different occupations and industrial sectors, and especially between low-skilled and high-skilled workers.   In 2006, the average wage of employees in primary industries was only 786 Yuan, which is a quarter of the average wage of employees working in financial services (3.273 Yuan) and one-fifth of those working in the computer industry (3.730 Yuan). Wages by Ownership Between 1995 and 2007, the average annual wage for employees grew more than four times, from 5.600 Yuan to 22.700 Yuan. Figure 2 shows the average annual wages of staff and workers by type of ownership from 1995 until 2007. In China, there were three periods of wage reform. The first period of reform started around 1985. Before this year the average wage growth was around 4.9 percent per year. In the period 1986 until 1997, employment in jointly owned enterprises experienced a tremendous growth. The average wage growth per year was still quite low, with an average of 3.9 percent, which was partly due to a negative growth in 1988 and 1989 (because of inflation and political upheaval). The third period was from 1997 until 2007. From 1999 on, the average wages were rising rapidly with an average of 14 percent per year. This could be because of Chinas preparation for getting into the WTO, as well as the restructuring of state-owned enterprises which started in 1998. Wages in the state sector began to increase in the late 1990s, reaching 14.358 Yuan in 2003, surpassing private sector wages by a narrow margin for the first time since reform began. By 2007, the average wage in the state sector was about 11 percent higher than in the private sector. The state-owned sector has been restructured in the 1990s. In the planned economy, they had low productivity, disguised unemployment (because of Chinas political function of maintaining low unemployment) and limited profits. They had a wage system which was dependent on seniority. In the 1990s, the Chinese government would not include the losses of their enterprises. This is why they began with restructuring. They started by allowing privatisation of small and medium state-owned companies. After that, the government started with a more aggressive restructuring. The objective was to shut down loss-making companies and establish modern forms of corporate governance. These reforms led to many layoffs in state-owned companies. From 1996 to 2002, around 40 million employees were laid off. As can be seen in figure 3, the Chinese government succeeded in downsizing the employees and the productivity in the state-owned sector increased. Figure 2: Annual wages of staff and workers by type of ownership in thousand Yuan Source: China Statistical Yearbook Figure 3: Employment share and labour productivity for state owned enterprises Source: http://www.conference-board.org/economics/workingpapers.cfm?pdf=E-0024-07-WP Wages by Region Figure 4 shows the annual wage of employees divided in different regions in China. The 30 provinces are divided by the National Bureau of Statistics of China in six regions: Bohai (Beijing and surrounding provinces), Southeast (including Shanghai, Guangdong and other coastal provinces), Northeast, Central, Southwest and Northwest China. Tibet is not listed, since there is limited information about this region. Figure 3 presents the real annual wage of employees across the six regions in China, showing the different wage patterns. During the first period of reform, the average wages were grouped. Later on, the wages in the South-eastern and Bohai regions began to rise. As can be seen in figure 4, the wages in the South-eastern and the Bohai regions now have the highest average wages. The difference between these two regions and the other four regions is around 30 to 40 percent. The highest growth in the past 20 years has occurred in the South-eastern and the Bohai regions, the coastal areas where cities as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen are located. Figure 4: Annual wages by Region in thousand Yuan (Source: China Statistical Yearbook) Wages by Sector The wages by sector have about the same pattern as the wages by regions. In figure 5 the wages across sectors are showed. Remarkable is that the wages across sectors stayed clustered until 1993. After 1993, the average wages for Banking Insurance, Scientific research Polytechnic service increased rapidly. These two sectors are both sectors with skill intensive labour. To make a comparison between the skill intensive sectors and the other sectors (unskilled sectors), the average wage in the construction sector was 5.729 Yuan in 1990, about 14 percent higher than the average wage for the banking Insurance sector. In 2007, the Banking Insurance sector had an average wage of 50.000 Yuan, around 265 percent higher than the wages in the Construction sector. People believed that manufacturing wages grew the fastest because of the increasing volume of exports in China. Actually, these wages grew even below the national average, although manufactured products counted for more than 90 percent of Chinas export. Figure 5: Annual wages by sector in thousand Yuan (Source: China Statistical Yearbook) Wages compared with other countries in Asia Figure 6 shows the manufacturing wages of different Asian countries from 1979 to 2007. The wages of China are comparable with the Philippines and Thailand, plausible is that the wages of Malaysia are much higher than the other countries listed. Figure 6: Annual Manufacturing wages between several Asian countries in USD Source: International Labour Organization Has China the labour cost advantage? Wages have been developed. However, there are differences between skilled and unskilled labour. The wages for skilled labour increased rapidly the past decade. (see page 10)Wages for unskilled labour still remains quite low compared to the skilled intensive sectors. Reasons for the wage growth of unskilled workers are the GDP growth of more than 10 percent per year, and the export growth of almost 30 percent per year since China became part of the WTO in 2001. In contrast to this, employment in manufacturing has increased with 3 percent in recent years. Compared to other developing countries in Asia, China still have the lowest wages on average. However, wages in China have developed rapidly since the late 1990s. Another factor is the large supply of graduated students over the past several years. Due to an increasing demand in skilled labour, the Chinese government expanded the enrolment of students in the late 1990s. In 1998, the total number of admitted students was around 1.08 million, a number that increased to 2.68 million in 2001. This could prevent a rapid increase of the wages in the future.

The World According To Garp Movie Report Essay -- essays research pape

It is very common to see a movie that has arisen from a famous novel, but there are some major differences seen when the transition from paper to screen takes place. The director of a movie has to try and fit a complete novel into an hour an a half to three our movie. Sometimes this adaptation works very well and the same points can be found if you read the book or watch the movie, but sometimes it does not work and some very major points and circumstances can be lost. In the World According to Garp the director George Roy Hill did a good job in fitting the major parts of the novel into the big screen adaptation. The movie, although a flop in the box office, received great reviews. One reviewer remarks, "The film bombed at the box office but remains an absorbing, if uneven work filled with intriguing--and eccentric--characters." (Jean Oppenheimer). The easiest thing to do when looking at the novel in comparison to the film is to look at what was left out. In Garp there were some instances that were changed for time sake, but nothing major was forgotten. The biggest change that I noticed when watching the movie is that they leave out all of the novels Garp writes. In the book we get to read passages from all of his books, but in the movie the only thing we know is that he is a writer and we never find out what he writes about. One of the major characters that was changed for the movie was a girl named Ellen James. Ellen James ...

World War II :: World War II History

World War II The Treaty of Versailles faltered to heal the bitter mess that formed between countries in World War I. It left Germany in a terrible position and gave them a desire for dictatorship. Germany had been ordered to disarm its military and put strict rules on when and how the Germans could rearm. In 1931, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. He later rejected the treaty and establish military conscription. Mussolini also became dictator of Italy, while this was occurring. He decided to invade Ethiopia in 1935. Since Ethiopia had lesser power than that of Italy's, they became under complete Italian control. The news of Germany's rearmament soon reached France. Hitler then became interested in joining the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in order to protect its security. He then pushed his plan for lebensraum and annexed Austria by force in 1938. Following this, Hitler threatened Czechoslovakia, ordering persecution of the German minorities there. Hitler and Mussolini agreed to the Germans occupation of Sudentenland in September 1938. Then in March 1939, peace broke down when Hitler conquered the rest of Czechoslovakia. He soon afterward started to make orders to Poland, but they resisted at every turn. Notwithstanding the conflict with Britain and France, Hitler decided to invade Poland. In return, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Hitler made an announcement to start a pact with the Soviet Union. As the Germans occupied Poland, the Soviets invaded the eastern part of the country with plans to take Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania in 1940. They also took Finland in 1941 and disgrace the Russian military. Japan was also changing things in the Pacific. They had plans to conquer China and expand the Japanese Empire into southeast Asia. As this was happening, the Germans took on an approach of blitzkrieg, or lightening war. Since the Germans had no old weapons to deal with, they could easily outfit their troops with the best of weapons. Hitler then attempted to gain air control over the British Royal Air Force and prepare for an invasion, but the British successfully defeated the German air forces. Overturned with his downfall to take Britain, Hitler turned to the Soviet front, but was defeated as well in 1942. In 1941, the Japanese thought it was the right time to expand into Greater East Asia. The attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines brought the United States into the war and turned the war for the Allies.

Native Americans- Minority Role Essay example -- essays research paper

Thesis Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result. I. Introduction-Majority/Minority group relations- the role of power II. Historical Overview A. Native American life before contact with the White man. B. Early contact, efforts at peaceful co-existence. C. Conflict and its consequences for Native Americans III. The continuing role of power A. Control techniques used by the majority group B. Native American life today, SES, housing, education, etc. Power and Minority Group Position: The Case of Native Americans Majority/Minority group relations can be illustrated by studying the role of power and how it is distributed between groups. The majority, or group that wields the most power, directly affects the circumstances for the minority. In most cases power struggle leads to racial and ethnic inequality. This scenario describes the case of the Native Americans. Since the arrival of the Europeans in 1492 the Native American has systematically been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined into terms that typify a subordinate or minority role, restricted life opportunities persist today as a result (Farley, 2000). When European settlers arrived on American shores to settle a New World, around 7 million Native Americans had been settled in the wilderness north of present-day Mexico for some time. It is believed that the first Native Americans arrived during the last Ice Age, approximately 20,000 - 30,000 years ago, by crossing the Bering Strait from northeastern Siberia into Alaska. Over thousands of years, â€Å"spiritual kin-based communities† had survived by living off the land and bartering goods. Their diversity was reflected by their societies, which ranged from small, mobile bands of hunter-gatherers in the Great Basin to temple-mound builders in the Southeast (DiBacco, 1995). The encounter of early explorers with the people of the Americas would ultimately set in motion the destruction of long existing Native American life and culture. Engrained into the minds of the Europeans were prejudiced images and stereotypes of the Native Americans, which we struggle still today to eradica... ...ypes. Even still, today’s 2.1 million Native Americans have proved their resilience by surviving oppression in a world dominated by other races and cultures. Unlike other minorities who have fought for equal rights in American society, Native Americans have fought to retain their land and cultures and have avoided assimilation, at a hefty cost. Works Cited Bataille, Gretchen. The Pretend Indians: Images of Native Americans in the Movies. Iowa State University, Ames: 1980 Berkhofer, Robert F. The White Man's Indian. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, New York, 1978. DiBacco, Thomas V., Lorna C. Mason, and Christian G. Appy. History of The United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Keohane, Sonja. â€Å"The Reservation Boarding School System in the United States, 1870-1928.† http://www.twofrog.com. 3/19/2005 Jordan,Winthrop D. and Leon F. Litwack. The United States. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1991. Todd, Lewis Paul and Merta Curti. Triumph of the American Nation. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Joranovich, Inc., 1986. Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. New York: Harper-Collins, 1980. Farley, John. Majority-Minority Relations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall,2000.

The Host Chapter 2: Overheard

The voices were soft and close and, though I was only now aware of them, apparently in the middle of a murmured conversation. â€Å"I'm afraid it's too much for her,† one said. The voice was soft but deep, male. â€Å"Too much for anyone. Such violence!† The tone spoke of revulsion. â€Å"She screamed only once,† said a higher, reedy, female voice, pointing this out with a hint of glee, as if she were winning an argument. â€Å"I know,† the man admitted. â€Å"She is very strong. Others have had much more trauma, with much less cause.† â€Å"I'm sure she'll be fine, just as I told you.† â€Å"Maybe you missed your Calling.† There was an edge to the man's voice. Sarcasm, my memory named it. â€Å"Perhaps you were meant to be a Healer, like me.† The woman made a sound of amusement. Laughter. â€Å"I doubt that. We Seekers prefer a different sort of diagnosis.† My body knew this word, this title:Seeker. It sent a shudder of fear down my spine. A leftover reaction. â€Å"I sometimes wonder if the infection of humanity touches those in your profession,† the man mused, his voice still sour with annoyance. â€Å"Violence is part of your life choice. Does enough of your body's native temperament linger to give you enjoyment of the horror?† I was surprised at his accusation, at his tone. This discussion was almost like an argument. Something my host was familiar with but that I'd never experienced. The woman was defensive. â€Å"We do not choose violence. We face it when we must. And it's a good thing for the rest of you that some of us are strong enough for the unpleasantness. Your peace would be shattered without our work.† â€Å"Once upon a time. Your vocation will soon be obsolete, I think.† â€Å"The error of that statement lies on the bed there.† â€Å"One human girl, alone and unarmed! Yes, quite a threat to our peace.† The woman breathed out heavily. A sigh. â€Å"But where did she come from? How did she appear in the middle of Chicago, a city long since civilized, hundreds of miles from any trace of rebel activity? Did she manage it alone?† She listed the questions without seeming to seek an answer, as if she had already voiced them many times. â€Å"That's your problem, not mine,† the man said. â€Å"My job is to help this soul adapt herself to her new host without unnecessary pain or trauma. And you are here to interfere with my job.† Still slowly surfacing, acclimating myself to this new world of senses, I understood only now that I was the subject of the conversation. I was the soul they spoke of. It was a new connotation to the word, a word that had meant many other things to my host. On every planet we took a different name.Soul. I suppose it was an apt description. The unseen force that guides the body. â€Å"The answers to my questions matter as much as your responsibilities to the soul.† â€Å"That's debatable.† There was the sound of movement, and her voice was suddenly a whisper. â€Å"When will she become responsive? The sedation must be about to wear off.† â€Å"When she's ready. Leave her be. She deserves to handle the situation however she finds most comfortable. Imagine the shock of her awakeninginside a rebel host injured to the point of death in the escape attempt! No one should have to endure such trauma in times of peace!† His voice rose with the increase of emotion. â€Å"She is strong.† The woman's tone was reassuring now. â€Å"See how well she did with the first memory, the worst memory. Whatever she expected, she handled this.† â€Å"Why should she have to?† the man muttered, but he didn't seem to expect an answer. â€Å"Needbeing your word. I would choose the termwant. â€Å" â€Å"Then someone must take on the unpleasantness,† she continued as if he had not interrupted. â€Å"And I think, from all I know of this one, she would accept the challenge if there had been any way to ask her. What do you call her?† The man didn't speak for a long moment. The woman waited. â€Å"Wanderer,† he finally and unwillingly answered. â€Å"Fitting,† she said. â€Å"I don't have any official statistics, but she has to be one of the very few, if not the only one, who has wandered so far. Yes,Wanderer will suit her well until she chooses a new name for herself.† He said nothing. â€Å"Of course, she may assume the host's name. We found no matches on record for the fingerprints or retinal scan. I can't tell you what that name was.† â€Å"She won't take the human name,† the man muttered. Her response was conciliatory. â€Å"Everyone finds comfort their own way.† â€Å"This Wanderer will need more comfort than most, thanks to your style of Seeking.† There were sharp soundsfootsteps, staccato against a hard floor. When she spoke again, the woman's voice was across the room from the man. â€Å"You would have reacted poorly to the early days of this occupation,† she said. â€Å"Perhaps you react poorly to peace.† The woman laughed, but the sound was falsethere was no real amusement. My mind seemed well adapted to inferring the true meanings from tones and inflections. â€Å"You do not have a clear perception of what my Calling entails. Long hours hunched over files and maps. Mostly desk work. Not very often the conflict or violence you seem to think it is.† â€Å"Ten days ago you were armed with killing weapons, running this body down.† â€Å"The exception, I assure you, not the rule. Do not forget, the weapons that disgust you are turned on our kind wherever we Seekers have not been vigilant enough. The humans kill us happily whenever they have the ability to do so. Those whose lives have been touched by the hostility see us as heroes.† â€Å"You speak as if a war were raging.† â€Å"To the remains of the human race, one is.† These words were strong in my ears. My body reacted to them; I felt my breathing speed, heard the â€Å"But one that even they must realize is long lost. They are outnumbered by what? A million to one? I imagine you would know.† â€Å"We estimate the odds are quite a bit higher in our favor,† she admitted grudgingly. The Healer appeared to be content to let his side of the disagreement rest with that information. It was quiet for a moment. I used the empty time to evaluate my situation. Much was obvious. I was in a Healing facility, recovering from an unusually traumatic insertion. I was sure the body that hosted me had been fully healed before it was given to me. A damaged host would have been disposed of. I considered the conflicting opinions of the Healer and the Seeker. According to the information I had been given before making the choice to come here, the Healer had the right of it. Hostilities with the few remaining pockets of humans were all but over. The planet called Earth was as peaceful and serene as it looked from space, invitingly green and blue, wreathed in its harmless white vapors. As was the way of the soul, harmony was universal now. The verbal dissension between the Healer and the Seeker was out of character. Strangely aggressive for our kind. It made me wonder. Could they be true, the whispered rumors that had undulated like waves through the thoughts of the of the I was distracted, trying to find the name for my last host species. We'd had a name, I knew that. But, no longer connected to that host, I could not remember the word. We'd used much simpler language than this, a silent language of thought that connected us all into one great mind. A necessary convenience when one was rooted forever into the wet black soil. I could describe that species in my new human language. We lived on the floor of the great ocean that covered the entire surface of our worlda world that had a name, too, but that was also gone. We each had a hundred arms and on each arm a thousand eyes, so that, with our thoughts connected, not one sight in the vast waters went unseen. There was no need for sound, so there was no way to hear it. We tasted the waters, and, with our sight, that told us all we needed to know. We tasted the suns, so many leagues above the water, and turned their taste into the food we needed. I could describe us, but I could not name us. I sighed for the lost knowledge, and then returned my ponderings to what I'd overheard. Souls did not, as a rule, speak anything but the truth. Seekers, of course, had the requirements of their Calling, but between souls there was never reason for a lie. With my last species' language of thought, it would have been impossible to lie, even had we wanted to. However, anchored as we were, we told ourselves stories to alleviate the boredom. Storytelling was the most honored of all talents, for it benefited everyone. Sometimes, fact mixed with fiction so thoroughly that, though no lies were told, it was hard to remember what was strictly true. But there were whispers of this: of human hosts so strong that the souls were forced to abandon them. Hosts whose minds could not be completely suppressed. Souls who took on the personality of the body, rather than the other way around. Stories. Wild rumors. Madness. But that seemed almost to be the Healer's accusation. I dismissed the thought. The more likely meaning of his censure was the distaste most of us felt for the Seeker's Calling. Who would choose a life of conflict and pursuit? Who would be attracted to the chore of tracking down unwilling hosts and capturing them? Who would have the stomach to face the violence of this particular species, the hostile humans who killed so easily, so thoughtlessly? Here, on this planet, the Seekers had become practically a militiamy new brain supplied the term for the unfamiliar concept. Most believed that only the least civilized souls, the least evolved, the lesser among us, would be drawn to the path of Seeker. Still, on Earth the Seekers had gained new status. Never before had an occupation gone so awry. Never before had it turned into a fierce and bloody battle. Never before had the lives of so many souls been sacrificed. The Seekers stood as a mighty shield, and the souls of this world were thrice-over indebted to them: for the safety they had carved out of the mayhem, for the risk of the final death that they faced willingly every day, and for the new bodies they continued to provide. Now that the danger was virtually past, it appeared the gratitude was fading. And, for this Seeker at least, the change was not a pleasant one. It was easy to imagine what her questions for me would be. Though the Healer was trying to buy me time to adjust to my new body, I knew I would do my best to help the Seeker. Good citizenship was quintessential to every soul. So I took a deep breath to prepare myself. The monitor registered the movement. I knew I was stalling a bit. I hated to admit it, but I was afraid. To get the information the Seeker needed, I would have to explore the violent memories that had made me scream in horror. More than that, I was afraid of the voice I'd heard so loudly in my head. But she was silent now, as was right. She was just a memory, too. I should not have been afraid. After all, I was called Wanderer now. And I'd earned the name. With another deep breath, I delved into the memories that frightened me, faced them head-on with my teeth locked together. I could skip past the endit didn't overwhelm me now. In fast-forward, I ran through the dark again, wincing, trying not to feel. It was over quickly. Once I was through that barrier, it wasn't hard to float through less-alarming things and places, skimming for the information I wanted. I saw how she'd come to this cold city, driving by night in a stolen car chosen for its nondescript appearance. She'd walked through the streets of Chicago in darkness, shivering beneath her coat. The words came slower and slower, and at first I did not understand why. Was this forgotten? Lost in the trauma of an almost death? Was I still sluggish from unconsciousness? I struggled to think clearly. This sensation was unfamiliar. Was my body still sedated? I felt alert enough, but my mind labored unsuccessfully for the answers I wanted. I tried another avenue of searching, hoping for clearer responses. What was her goal? She would find SharonI fished out the nameand they would I hit a wall. It was a blank, a nothing. I tried to circle around it, but I couldn't find the edges of the void. It was as if the information I sought had been erased. As if this brain had been damaged. Anger flashed through me, hot and wild. I gasped in surprise at the unexpected reaction. I'd heard of the emotional instability of these human bodies, but this was beyond my ability to anticipate. In eight full lives, I'd never had an emotion touch me with such force. I felt the blood pulse through my neck, pounding behind my ears. My hands tightened into fists. The machines beside me reported the acceleration of my heartbeats. There was a reaction in the room: the sharp tap of the Seeker's shoes approached me, mingled with a quieter shuffle that must have been the Healer. â€Å"Welcome to Earth, Wanderer,† the female voice said.

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita

Khrushchev was a self-made man, even with his unfortunate and harsh upbringing he still managed to make a name for himself. He became one of the most powerful and influential leaders In Russia, simultaneously holding the offices of Premier of the U. S. S. R. And First Secretary of the Communist Party. Strong willed, and committed, Nikkei Khrushchev fought for what he believed in and striver to make his country, Russia, a better place. Nikolas Khrushchev was born In a southern Russian village of Slovakia on April 5th 1894 .He was born into a poor family as a result he had to help his father take care of the family at the tender age of fifteen . Ata young age he learned how to work hard and fend for himself, which is one of the reason he was such a strong leader, people could relate to him more than the upper and middle class politicians. He was then drafted Into the Czarist army during World War I and soon after willingly Joined the communist party and the Russian Red army stood agai nst the white army , people who favored the Czar Nobility.He got the education he needed as an adult so he could be appointed secretary of the communist party Committee. As he rose to power, he never used it to manipulate or harm his people unlike his successor Joseph Stalin. He believed his only Job, as a leader was to make his people happy and restore the lost honor of Russia. He wanted Russia to be Just as advanced as Its rival country; united States. He launched programs to promote agriculture, heavy Industrial and military production.HIS plan for agriculture had a huge Impact n soviet life, since new tractors and machinery were to be built it created more jobs, which boosted the Russian economy. It also increased the amount of crops produced during harvest; by almost triple the amount of crops . One of his main policies was peaceful coexistence; it assumes a readiness to solve all outstanding issues without resorting to force by means of negotiation and reasonable compromises. For example, he openly did not agree with capitalist but he still believed underlying Issues could be worked out without war.He didn't believe In forcing his Ideas on people and that people should believe what they wanted to without being penalized, it was almost like a democracy. Although he did many good things for his country, many historians disagree that Nikkei benefited Russia (Soviet Union) at all. In Fact some wonder if events such as the Berlin Scrolls would have happened If someone else ruled the Soviet union. The Berlin Mà ªlà ©es crisis was a huge misunderstanding. All countries were taking precautions. The U.S installed several missiles sites all over Europe and one appended to be in range to strike Moscow, the Capital of the Soviet union. As a precaution the soviets put missiles in Cuba that could strike almost any portion of the U. S . Any leader would have reacted this way but his funding of the missile development at the expense of naval and regular forces had ali enated the military. They say he failed to revive soviet agriculture because the steps taken to achieve his peace, he should have known that the capitalists would not succumb to his policies without a little force.In order for his policies to succeed he would need the full or charity support of his people. In contrast I don't think he failed, the agriculture industry boomed, and the economy skyrocketed because he created more Jobs. He also made his country more technologically advanced than any other ruler could. For example, tractors, missiles etcetera. Even though historians say he cause havoc, I don't think he should be blamed for the Berlin crisis, soviet-U. S antagonism would largely have remained and the world would still have been trapped in a cold war.

Nyarlathotep

The story Nyarlathotep basically provides the insight about the degree of destabilization with regards to the narrator’s existence. The narrative provides the clear understanding of how chaos can readily impose a certain situation which can destroy the very essence of the fixed arrangements of things especially in the physical and emotional aspect of a community. Nyarlathotep is a fictional character that represents chaotic events which crawls gently buy surely involves dismantling sets of pre-arranged structures of human existence. The story provides the readers how this â€Å"creature† sustains long term influence to everything it touches by inducing disorder. Basically, the writer intends to project Nyarlathotep as something which cannot be prevented and that encompasses a great extent of human sanity. In the story, it is personified as a being which induces complexity as well as mystery for it drastically changes everything from a complete orderly situation to turmoil. The writer narrated a story with respect to how Nyarlathotep has influenced his personal life by describing his observations about the changes in the society he was previously immersed in. In this aspect, it seems that he wants to relay to the readers that the same situation may also happen to them and that the story can become a very good reference on what to expect and how the drastic effects can be minimized using the experiences stated by the writer. For further analysis, the overall effect of hearing or reading a particular narrative can be differentiated based on how information is acquired by the person. The effect of hearing a story may provide a direct believable result since there is a third party in reference which relays the information. On the other hand, the effect of reading can provide a definite form of imaginative experience since the information is processed based on how the details are projected to the reader’s mind, therefore increasing its cognitive capability (Weatherston 1). In any case, the same degree effect in capturing the essence of story telling may be developed for both reading and hearing procedures. Works Cited Weatherston, Martin. â€Å"Heidegger's Interpretation of Kant: Categories, Imagination, and Temporality.† University of Notre Dame. 2004. 4 Feb 2008 .

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 30~31

Chapter 30 Cops and Corpses â€Å"This guy is pissing me off,† Cavuto said, expelling a blue cloud of cigar smoke against the file drawers of the dead. â€Å"I hate this fucking guy.† He was standing over the body of Gilbert Bendetti, who had a thermometer sticking out of the side of his abdomen. â€Å"Inspector, there's no smoking allowed in here,† said a uniformed officer who had been called to the scene. Cavuto waved to the drawers. â€Å"Do you think they mind?† The officer shook his head. â€Å"No, sir.† Cavuto blew a stream of smoke at Gilbert. â€Å"And him, do you think he minds?† â€Å"No, sir.† â€Å"And you, Patrolman Jeeter, you don't mind, do you?† Jeeter cleared his throat. â€Å"Uh†¦ no, sir.† â€Å"Well, good,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Look on the side of the car, Jeeter. It says ‘Protect and Serve, not ‘Piss and Moan.  » â€Å"Yes, sir.† Rivera came through the double doors, followed by a tall, sixtyish man in a lab coat and silver wire-frame glasses. Cavuto looked up. â€Å"Doc, this guy done, or what?† The doctor pulled a surgical mask over his face as he approached the body. He bent over Gilbert and checked the thermometer. â€Å"He's been dead about four hours. I'd put the time of death between one and one-thirty. I won't be able to tell for sure until I finish the postmortem, but offhand I'd say myocardial infarction.† â€Å"I hate this guy,† Cavuto repeated. He looked down at Jody's toe tag, which was lying on the linoleum with a chalk circle drawn around it. â€Å"Any chance this guy misplaced the redhead?† The coroner looked up. â€Å"None at all. Someone removed the body.† Rivera had his notebook out and was scribbling as the doctor talked. â€Å"Any news on the one that just came in, the cowboy? Any blood loss?† â€Å"Again, I can't say for sure, but it looks like a broken neck is the cause of death. There may have been some blood loss, but not as much as we've seen with the others. Since he was sitting up, it could just be settling.† â€Å"What about the wound on the throat?† Rivera asked. â€Å"What wound?† the coroner said. â€Å"There was no wound on the throat; I checked the body myself.† Rivera's arms fell to his sides, his pen clattered on the linoleum. â€Å"Doctor, could you check again? Nick and I both saw distinct puncture wounds on the right side of the neck.† The doctor stood up and walked to the rack of drawers and pulled one out. â€Å"Check for yourself.† Cavuto and Rivera moved to either side of the drawer. Rivera turned Simon's head to the side while inspecting his neck. He looked up at Cavuto, who shook his head and walked away. â€Å"Nick, you saw it, right?† Cavuto nodded. Rivera turned to the doctor. â€Å"I saw the wounds, Doc, I swear. I've been doing this too long to get something like that wrong.† The coroner shrugged. â€Å"When was the last time you two slept?† â€Å"Together, you mean?† said Cavuto. The coroner frowned. Rivera said, â€Å"Thanks, Doc, we've got some more work at the other crime scene. We'll be back. Let's go, Nick.† Cavuto was standing over Gilbert again. â€Å"I hate this guy, and I hate that cowboy in the drawer. Did I mention that?† Rivera tuned on his heel and started toward the doors, then stopped and looked down. There was a distinct footprint on the linoleum in brown gravy. Made by a small foot, a woman's bare foot. Rivera turned to the coroner. â€Å"Doc, you got any women working here?† â€Å"Not down here. Only in the office.† â€Å"Fuck! Nick, come on, we need to talk.† Rivera stormed through the double doors, leaving them swinging. Cavuto ambled after him. He paused at the doors and turned back to the coroner. â€Å"He's moody, Doc.† The coroner nodded. â€Å"Nothing to the press about the blood loss, if there was any. And nothing about the missing body.† â€Å"Of course not. I have no desire to advertise that my office is losing bodies,† the coroner said. Rivera was waiting in the hallway when Cavuto came through the doors. â€Å"We've got to cut the kid loose, you know that.† â€Å"We can hold him another twenty-four hours.† â€Å"He didn't do it.† â€Å"Yeah, but he knows something.† â€Å"Maybe we should let him go and follow him.† â€Å"Give me one more shot at him. Alone.† â€Å"Whatever. We've got something else to consider too. You saw those puncture marks on the cowboy's throat the same as I did, right?† Cavuto chewed his cigar and looked at the ceiling. â€Å"Well?† Cavuto nodded. â€Å"Then maybe the others had wounds too. Maybe they had wounds that went away. And did you see the footprint?† â€Å"I saw it.† â€Å"Nick, do you believe in vampires?† Cavuto turned and walked down the hall. â€Å"I need a stiff one.† â€Å"You mean a drink?† Cavuto glared over his shoulder and growled. Rivera grinned. â€Å"I owed you that one.† Tommy guessed the temperature in the cell to be about sixty-five, but even so, his cellmate, the six-foot-five, two-hundred-fifty-pound, unshaven, unbathed, one-eyed psychopath with the Disney-character tattoos, was dripping with sweat. Maybe, Tommy thought, as he cowered in the corner behind the toilet, it's warmer up there on the bunk. Or maybe it's hard work trying to stare at someone menacingly, without blinking, for six hours when you only have one eye. â€Å"I hate you,† said One-Eye. â€Å"Sorry,† said Tommy. One-Eye stood up and flexed his biceps; Micky and Goofy bulged angrily. â€Å"Are you making fun of me?† Tommy didn't want to say anything, so he shook his head violently, trying to make sure that nothing remotely resembling a smile crossed his face. One-Eye sat down on the bunk and resumed menacing. â€Å"What are you in for?† â€Å"Nothing,† Tommy said. â€Å"I didn't do anything.† â€Å"Don't fuck with me, ass-wipe. What were you arrested for?† Tommy fidgeted, trying to work his way into the cinder-block wall. â€Å"Well, I put my girlfriend in the freezer, but I don't think that's a crime.† One-Eye, for the first time since he'd been put in the cell, smiled. â€Å"Me either. You didn't use an assault weapon, did you?† â€Å"Nope, a Sears frost-free.† â€Å"Oh, good; they're really tough on crimes with assault weapons.† â€Å"So,† Tommy said, venturing an inch out of the corner, â€Å"what are you in for?† Thinking baby-stomping, thinking cannibalism, thinking fast-food massacre. One-Eye hung his head. â€Å"Copyright infringement.† â€Å"You're kidding?† One-Eye frowned. Tommy slid back into his corner, adding, â€Å"Really? That's bad.† One-Eye pulled off his ratty T-shirt. The Seven Dwarfs danced across his massive chest between knife and bullet scars. On his stomach, Snow White and Cinderella were locked in a frothy embrace of mutual muffin munching. â€Å"Yeah, I made the mistake of walking around without a shirt. A Disney executive who was up here on vacation saw me down by the wharf. He called their legal pit bulls.† Tommy shook his head in sympathy. â€Å"I didn't know they put you in jail for copyright infringement.† â€Å"Well, they don't, really. It was when I ripped the guy's shoulders out of their sockets that the police got involved.† â€Å"That's not a crime either, is it?† One-Eye rubbed his temples as if it was excruciating to remember. â€Å"It was in front of his kids.† â€Å"Oh,† Tommy said. â€Å"Flood, on your feet,† a guard said from the cell door. Inspector Nick Cavuto stood behind him. â€Å"C'mon, cutie,† Cavuto said. â€Å"We're going for a last walk.† The blood-high wasn't racing through her with flush and fever as it always had before. No, it was more like the satisfying fullness of a lasagna dinner chased with double espressos. Still, the strength sang in her limbs; she ripped the loft-door dead bolts through the metal doorjamb as easily as she had torn the plastic crime-scene tape the police had put across the door. Strange, she thought, there is a difference in drinking from a living body. Her remorse over killing Simon had passed in seconds and the predator mind had taken over. A new aspect of the predator had reared up this time, not just the instinct to hide and hunt, but to protect. If Tommy was in jail for putting her in the freezer, it meant that the police had also found Peary, and they would try to connect Tommy to the other murders. But if they found another victim while Tommy was behind bars, they would have to set him free. And she needed him to be free, first so that she could find out why he had frozen her, but more important, because it was time to turn the tables on the other vampire, and the only safe way to hunt him was to do it during daylight. She had bit Simon's neck and used the heel of her hand to pump his heart as she drank. There was no guilt or self-consciousness in the act; the predator mind had taken over. She found herself thinking about the burly fireman who had come to Transamerica to teach the employees earthquake preparedness, which had included a course in CPR. What would he think of one of his students' using his technique to pump lifeblood from the murdered? â€Å"I'm sorry, Fireman Frank, I sucked like an Electrolux, but it just wasn't enough. If it's any consolation, I didn't enjoy it.† What little strength she had gained from Simon's blood seemed to evaporate as she walked into the loft. It was in worse shape than the day the Animals had come for breakfast. The futon was bundled against the wall; the books had been taken out of their shelves and spread out on the floor; the cabinets hung open, their contents tumbled across the counters; and a fine patina of fingerprint powder covered every surface. She wanted to cry. It reminded her of the time she had lived with a heavy-metal bass player for two months, who had torn their apartment apart looking for money for drugs. Money? She ran to the bedroom and to the dresser where she had stashed the remaining cash the old vampire had given her. It was gone. She threw open the drawer where she kept her lingerie. She'd kept a couple thousand rolled up in a bra, a holdover habit from the days of hiding cash from the bass player. It was there. She had enough for a month's rent, but then what? It wouldn't matter if Tommy didn't stop the other vampire. He was going to kill them both, she was sure of it, and he was going to do it soon. As she weighed the rolls of bills in her hand, she heard someone open the stairwell door, then footfalls on the steps. She went to the kitchen and waited, crouched behind the counter. Someone was in the loft. A man. She could hear his heart – smell sweat and stale deodorant coming off him. Tommy's deodorant. She stood up. â€Å"Hi,† Tommy said. â€Å"Boy, am I glad to see you.† Chapter 31 He Was an Ex-Con, She Was Defrosted†¦ She started to lean over the counter to give him a hug, then stopped herself. â€Å"You look awful,† she said. He was unshaven, his hair stuck out in greasy tufts, and his clothes looked as if he'd slept in them. He hadn't. He hadn't slept at all. â€Å"Thanks,† he said. â€Å"You look a little tattered yourself.† She raised her hand to her hair, felt a tangle, and let it drop. â€Å"And I thought my red hair went so well with freezer burn.† â€Å"I can explain that.† She came around the counter and stood before him, not knowing whether to hold him or hit him. â€Å"That's a great dress. Is it new?† â€Å"It was a great dress before the gravy and cobbler melted all over it. What happened, Tommy? Why was I frozen?† He reached out to touch her face. â€Å"How are you? I mean, are you okay?† â€Å"Good time to ask.† She glared at him. He looked in her eyes, then away. â€Å"You're very beautiful, you know that?† He crumpled to the floor and sat with his back against the counter. â€Å"I'm so sorry, Jody. I didn't want to hurt you. I was just†¦ sort of lonely.† She felt tears welling in her eyes and wiped them away. He was genuinely sorry, she could tell. And she had always been a sucker for pathetic apologies, going back as far as the time the bass player she was seeing hocked her stereo. Or had that been the construction worker? â€Å"What happened?† she pressed. He stared at the floor and shook his head. â€Å"I don't know. I wanted someone to talk about books with. Someone who thought I was special. I met a girl at work. I was just going to meet her for coffee, nothing else. But I didn't think you'd understand. So I†¦ well, you know.† Jody sat down on the floor in front of him. â€Å"Tommy, you could have killed me.† â€Å"I'm sorry!† he screamed. â€Å"I'm afraid of you. You scare the hell out of me sometimes. I didn't think it would hurt you or I wouldn't have done it. I just wanted to feel special, but you're the special one. I just wanted to talk to someone who sees things the way I do, who can understand how I feel about things. I want to take you out and show you off, even during the day. I've never really had a girlfriend before. I love you. I want to share things with you.† He looked down, would not meet her gaze. Jody took his hand and squeezed it. â€Å"I know how you feel. You don't know how well I know. And I love you too.† Finally he looked at her, then pulled her into his arms. They held each other for a long time, rocking each other like crying children. A half hour passed, ticked off with tear-salty kisses, before she said, â€Å"Do you want to share a shower? I don't want to let go of you, and it'll be dawn soon.† Warmed and cleaned by the shower, they danced, still wet, though the dark bedroom, to fall together on the bare mattress. For Tommy, being with her, in her, was like coming to a place where he was safe and loved, and those dark and hostile things that walked the world outside were washed away in the smell of her damp hair, a soft kiss on the eyelid, and mingled whispers of love and reassurance. It had never been like this for Jody. It was escape from worry and suspicion and from the predator mind that had been rising for days like a shark to blood. There was no urge to feed, but a different hunger drove her to hold him deep and long and still, to envelop and keep him there forever. Her vampire senses rose to the touch of his hands, his mouth – as if finally her sense of touch had grown to feel life itself as pleasure. Love. When they finished she held his face against her breast and listened to his breathing becoming slow as he fell asleep. Tears crept from the corners of her eyes as dawn broke, releasing her from the night's last thought: I'm loved at last, and I have to give it up. Tommy was still sleeping at sundown. She kissed him gently on the forehead, then nipped his ear to wake him. He opened his eyes and smiled. She could see it in the dark; it was a genuine smile. â€Å"Hey,† he said. She snuggled against him. â€Å"We've got to get up. There's things to do.† â€Å"You're cold. Are you cold?† â€Å"I'm never cold.† She rolled out of bed and went to the light switch. â€Å"Eyes,† she warned as she flipped on the light. Tommy shielded his eyes. â€Å"For the love of God, Montressor!† â€Å"Poe?† she said. â€Å"Right?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"See? I can talk books.† Tommy sat up. â€Å"I'm sorry. I didn't give you a chance. I guess we were always talking about – about your condition.† She smiled and snatched a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt from the pile of clothes on the floor. â€Å"I talked to the other vampire the other night. That's why I left the note.† Tommy was wide awake now. â€Å"You talked to him? Where?† â€Å"In a club. I was mad at you. I wanted to go out. Show off.† â€Å"What did he say?† â€Å"He said it's almost over. Tommy, I think he's going to try and kill you, maybe both of us.† â€Å"Well, that sucks.† â€Å"And you've got to stop him.† â€Å"Me? Why me? You're the one with X-ray vision and stuff.† â€Å"He's too strong. I get the feeling he's really old. He's clever. I think that the longer that you're a vampire, the more you can do. I'm starting to feel†¦ well, sharper as time goes on.† â€Å"He's too strong for you, but you want me stop him? How?† â€Å"You'll have to get to him while he's sleeping.† â€Å"Kill him? Just like that? Even if I could find him, how would I kill him? Nothing hurts you guys – unless you have some kryptonite.† â€Å"You could drag him into the sunlight. Or cut his head off – I'm sure that would do it. Or you could totally dismember him and scatter the pieces.† Jody had to look away from him when she said this. It was as if someone else was talking. â€Å"Right,† Tommy said, â€Å"just shovel him into a garbage bag and get on the forty-two bus. Leave a piece at every stop. Are you nuts? I can't kill anyone, Jody. I'm not built that way.† â€Å"Well, I can't do it.† â€Å"Why don't we just go to Indiana? You'll like it there. I can get a union job and make my mom happy. You can learn to bowl. It'll be great – no dead guys in the freezer, no vampires†¦ â€Å"By the way, how'd you†¦ I mean, where did you thaw out?† â€Å"In the morgue. With a pervert all ready to live out his wet dreams on me.† â€Å"I'll kill him!† â€Å"Not necessary.† â€Å"You killed him? Jody, you can't keep – â€Å" â€Å"I didn't kill him. He just sort of died. But there's something else.† â€Å"I can't wait.† â€Å"The vampire killed Simon.† Tommy was shaken. â€Å"How? Where?† â€Å"The same way as the others. That's why the cops let you go.† Tommy took a minute to digest this, sat for a moment looking at his hands. He looked up and said, â€Å"How did you know I was in jail?† â€Å"You told me.† â€Å"I did?† â€Å"Of course. You were so tired last night. I'm not surprised you don't remember.† She buttoned up the flannel shirt. â€Å"Tommy, you've got to find the vampire and kill him. I think Simon was his last warning before he takes us.† Tommy shook his head. â€Å"I can't believe he got Simon. Why Simon?† â€Å"Because he was close to you. Come on, I'll make you coffee.† She started into the kitchen and tripped over the brass turtle. â€Å"What's this?† â€Å"Long story,† Tommy said. Jody looked around, listened for the sound of turtle claws. â€Å"Where's Scott and Zelda?† â€Å"I set them free. Go make coffee.† Rivera and Cavuto sat in an unmarked cruiser in the alley across the street from the loft, taking turns dozing and watching. It was Rivera's turn to watch while Cavuto snored in the driver's seat. Rivera didn't like the way things were going. Weird shit just seemed to follow him. His job was to find evidence and catch bad guys, but too often, especially in this case, the evidence pointed to a bad guy who wasn't a guy at all: wasn't human. He didn't want to believe that there was a vampire loose in the City, but he did. And he knew he'd never convince Cavuto, or anybody, for that matter. Still, he'd dug out his mother's silver crucifix before he left the house. It was in his jacket pocket next to his badge wallet. He had been tempted to take it out and say a rosary, but Cavuto, despite his growling snore, was a light sleeper, and Rivera didn't want to endure the ridicule should the big cop wake up in the middle of a Hail Mary. Rivera was getting ready to wake Cavuto and catch a nap when the lights went on in the loft. â€Å"Nick,† he said. â€Å"Lights are on.† Cavuto woke, instantly alert. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Lights are on. The kid's up.† Cavuto lit his cigar. â€Å"And?† â€Å"I just thought you'd want to know.† â€Å"Look, Rivera, the lights coming on is not something happening. I know that after ten or twelve hours it seems like something, but it's not. You're losing your edge. The kid leaving, the kid strangling someone, that's something happening.† Rivera was insulted by the admonition. He'd been a cop as long as Cavuto and he didn't have to take crap like that. â€Å"Eat shit, Nick. It's my turn to sleep anyway.† Cavuto checked his watch. â€Å"Right.† They watched the windows for a while, saying nothing. Shadows moved inside the loft. Too many shadows. â€Å"There's someone else up there,† Rivera said. Cavuto squinted at the shadows and grabbed a pair of binoculars from the seat. â€Å"Looks like a girl.† Someone passed by the window. â€Å"A redhead with a lot of hair.† Tommy took a sip of his coffee and sighed. â€Å"I don't even know where to start. This is a big city and I don't know my way around that well.† â€Å"Well, we could just wait here for him to come get us.† Jody looked at his cup, watched the heat waves coming off the coffee. â€Å"God, I miss coffee.† â€Å"Can't you just wander around until you feel something? Lestat can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don't start with that!† â€Å"Sorry.† He took another sip. â€Å"The Animals might help. They'll want revenge for Simon. Can I tell them?† â€Å"You might as well. Those guys do just enough drugs that they might believe you. Besides, I'm sure the story was in the paper this morning.† â€Å"Yeah, I'm sure it was.† He put his cup down and looked at her. â€Å"How did you know about Simon?† Jody looked away. â€Å"I was in the morgue when they brought him in.† â€Å"You saw him?† â€Å"I heard the cops talking. I slipped out during the excitement when they found the dead pervert.† â€Å"Oh,† Tommy said, not quite sure of himself. She reached out and took his hand. â€Å"You'd better go. I'll call a cab.† â€Å"They took all the money,† Tommy said. â€Å"I have a little left.† She handed him two hundred-dollar bills. He raised his eyebrows. â€Å"A little?† Jody grinned. â€Å"Be careful. Stay around people until it gets light. Don't get out of the cab unless there are a lot of people around. I'm sure he doesn't want any witnesses.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"And call me if anything happens. Try to be back here by sundown tomorrow, but if you can't, call and leave me a message where you are.† â€Å"So you can protect me?† â€Å"So I can try to protect you.† â€Å"Why don't you come with me?† â€Å"Because there's two cops in the alley across the street watching the loft. I saw them from the window. I don't think we want them to see me.† â€Å"But it's dark in the alley.† â€Å"Exactly.† Tommy took her in his arms. â€Å"That is so cool. When I get back, will you read to me naked, hanging from the ceiling beam in the dark?† â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"Dirty limericks?† â€Å"Anything.† â€Å"That's so cool.† Five minutes later Tommy stood at the bottom of the stairs with the fire door cracked just enough to see when his cab arrived. When the blue-and-white DeSoto cab pulled up, he opened the fire door and a furry black-and-white comet shot past him. â€Å"Bummer! Stop!† the Emperor shouted. The little dog skipped up the steps with a yap and a rattle every step of the way; his pie-pan helmet was hanging upside down by the chin strap, hitting the edge of each step. He stopped at the top of the stairs and commenced a leaping, barking, scratching attack on the door. Tommy leaned against the wall holding his chest. He thought, Good, a heart attack will sure mess up the vampire's murder plans. â€Å"Forgive him,† the Emperor said. â€Å"He always seems to do this when we pass your domicile.† Then, to Lazarus, â€Å"Would you be so kind as to retrieve our comrade-in-arms?† The golden retriever bounded up the stairs and snatched Bummer out of the air in mid-leap, then carried him down by the scruff of the neck as the rat dog struggled and snarled. The Emperor relieved Lazarus of his squirming charge and shoved the smaller soldier into the oversized pocket of his coat. He buttoned the flap and smiled at Tommy. â€Å"Dogged enthusiasm in a handy reclosable package.† Tommy laughed, more nervous than amused. â€Å"Your Highness, what are you doing here?† â€Å"Why, I am looking for you, my son. The authorities have been asking after you in regard to the monster. The time to act is at hand.† The Emperor waved his sword wildly as he spoke. Tommy stepped back. â€Å"You're going to put someone's eye out with that thing.† The Emperor held his sword at port arms. â€Å"Oh, quite right. Safety first.† Tommy signaled to the cabdriver over the Emperor's shoulder. â€Å"Your Highness, I agree, it's time to do something. I'm on my way to get some help.† â€Å"Recruits!† the Emperor exclaimed. â€Å"Shall we join forces against evil? Call the City to arms? Drive evil back to the dark crevice from whence it came? Can the men and I share your cab?† He patted his still squirming pocket. Tommy eyed the cabdriver. â€Å"Well, I don't know.† He pulled open the rear door and leaned in. â€Å"Dogs and royalty okay?† he asked the cabbie. The driver said something in Farsi that Tommy took for a yes. â€Å"Let's go.† Tommy stepped back and motioned for the Emperor to get in. Lazarus jumped into the back seat with a rattle of armor, followed by the Emperor and Tommy. As soon as the cab had gone a block, Bummer settled down and the Emperor let him out of his pocket. â€Å"Something about your building vexes him. I don't understand it.† Tommy shrugged, thinking about how he was going to tell the Animals about Simon's death. The Emperor rolled down the window and he and his men rode through the City with their heads out the window, squinting into the wind like mobile gargoyles. Cavuto slapped Rivera on the shoulder, startling him out of sleep. â€Å"Wake up. Something's going down. A cab just pulled up and that old wacko just came around the corner with his dogs.† Rivera wiped his eyes and sat up. â€Å"What's the Emperor doing here?† â€Å"There's the kid. How in the hell did he get hold of the old wacko?† They watched as Tommy and the Emperor talked, Tommy glancing from time to time at the cabdriver. A few minutes passed and they loaded into the cab. â€Å"Here we go,† Cavuto said as he started the car. â€Å"Wait, let me out.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I want to see where the girl goes. Who she is.† â€Å"Just go ask her.† â€Å"I'm out of here.† Rivera picked up the portable radio from the seat. â€Å"Stay in touch. I'll send for another car.† Cavuto was rocking in the driver's seat, waiting to go. â€Å"Call me on the cell phone if you see the girl. Keep it off the radio.† Rivera stopped halfway out of the car. â€Å"You think it's the girl from the morgue, don't you?† â€Å"Get out,† Cavuto said. â€Å"He's leaving.† The cab pulled away. Cavuto let them get a block away, then pulled out after them, leaving Rivera standing in the dark alley fingering the crucifix in his pocket. Four stories above him, on the roof of a light industrial building, Elijah Ben Sapir, the vampire, looked down on Rivera, noting how much heat the policeman was losing though the thinning spot in his hair. â€Å"Jump or dive?† he said to himself.