Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Social policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2
Social strategy - Essay Example The exercises of separation by the social specialists towards the explorers fall under the classification of institutional segregation. So as to forestall the undesired exercises of segregation that has prompted the expansion of provocation and misery throughout occupation of the voyagers, the social strategy on the selection of against oppressive practices have been planned. The social strategy has affected changes in the methodology of the social laborers that have provoked them to attempt exercises that upheld the privileges of the explorers to achieve equivalent access to open assets. The National Association of Social Workers is the biggest collection of relationship of expert specialist that was established in the time of 1955. The global association for social work comprises of around 130000 laborers having a place with different networks of United States and different pieces of the world. The social laborers have the mission of advancing the accepted procedures in the field of social work by connecting profoundly with the people and their families living in the networks and understanding their needs and regions of hardship (Acton, 2007, p.62). The reason for the social specialists is aimed at ensuring the wellbeing of the networks and its individual individuals and families through committed exercises and supporting the reason for assurance of the network individuals in the zones in which they need. The exercises of the social laborers are guided by their destinations of ceaselessly attempting to improve the everyday environments of the individuals and the fam ilies in the general public (Adamson and Donovan, 2005, p.38). This has been accomplished through the use of expert information and aptitudes important for offering better social administrations to the networks. The National Association of Social Workers additionally wants to build the expert information and abilities through the procedure of field
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Analytical Framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Expository Framework - Essay Example The third segment of explanatory structure is the social appraisal lattice model. Each segment of the social appraisal framework is essential in distinguishing different parts of articles. Posner builds up an article that talks about the present issue inside the US of regarding money related shoppers as consenting grown-ups. Recognizing whether Posnerââ¬â¢s article meets the models of building up social issues just as fathoming them is just achievable through surveying the article utilizing the different strides in social evaluation process. Coming up next is a bit by bit investigation of Posnerââ¬â¢s article. Bit by bit examination of Posnerââ¬â¢s Article 1. ID of the key social issues important to the business While leading an article social evaluation the initial step is to distinguish a portion of the key social issues straightforwardly connected to the business, which the writer has recorded. In this progression, all issues that influence tasks of business are incorpora ted while those that are excessively huge or orderly for the business to cause a significant impact are rejected. Posner distinguishes differs social issues that legitimately influences tasks of business. The primary issue recognized by Posner is buyer conduct. Purchaser conduct is an indispensable idea in seeing how customers buy or buyer certain items. Posnerââ¬â¢s distinguishing proof of shopper conduct depends on monetary items. ... Credibility of articles is estimated from the different wellsprings of data that a specialist applied in aggregating the data. Posner, in his endeavor to build up a real, substantial, and dependable article acquires information and data from various sources. For example, Posner utilizes the Treasury Department as one of the wellspring of data in building up the article. As indicated by the writer, Treasury Departmentââ¬â¢s statement that there ought to be utilization of genuine information about how individuals settle on monetary choices to create oversight shopper money is an imperative wellspring of data that helps in building up a real article. What's more, Posner utilizes expressions and statements from, noticeable people, for example, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Thaler, and Robert Shiller. Different sources incorporate recently done articles, for example, the Journal of Economic Perspective and National Bureau of Economic Research Paper. 3. Primer Classification and Prioritizat ion of Issues This progression requires decreasing the quantity of issues to reasonable size. In the wake of recognizing purchaser conduct in regard to buying budgetary items just as investment funds, Posner limits the conversation to consumersââ¬â¢ conduct towards buying money related items. Narrowing down to this social issue gives adequate reality to give a basic assessment of the equivalent. 4. Estimating Current Performance Relative to Key Social Issues In endeavors to take care of issues or social issues distinguished, it is of importance when the scientist gauges the present execution comparative with the key social issues. While utilizing direct strategy for estimations, Posner recognizes the way that at present there has been poor utilization of monetary item because of deficient
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Speedy, Shiny, Supercharged Welcoming MeisterTask 2.0 - Focus
Speedy, Shiny, Supercharged Welcoming MeisterTask 2.0 - Focus Itâs our pleasure to introduce our biggest update yet: MeisterTask 2.0. MeisterTask 2.0 provides a fresh dashboard redesign, advanced productivity features and a brand new tech stack, making MeisterTask faster and more stable than ever. Read on to find out whatâs new Note: This article was updated on January 7, 2019 to include the latest changes in MeisterTasks dashboard! New Customizable Dashboard As soon as you open MeisterTask, youâll recognize the difference. Our shiny new dashboard makes better use of the available space and gives you more control over what you want to display. In the My Tasks widget, you can: Sort tasks by due date, name or project Choose whether to display My Checklist items (more info about this below!) Choose to display only tasks that are currently in your Focus Clicking on the @ button on top of your notifications will hide all notifications in which youre not personally mentioned. This is a great way to quickly read through all notifications that require a personal response from you. Were also happy to announce that following your input, weve brought the time tracking widget back to the dashboard, so you can quickly view and edit your most recent time slips. A New Look for Your Projects Our project boards have also received a makeover, with new task headers and updated filter functionality. Note that you can filter by assignee by clicking on the avatar of the person youâd like to filter by, before adding further filters such as tags, due date and task status. New Productivity Features Custom Fields First up, custom fields are now available for all MeisterTask Business users, enabling teams to define one or multiple fields in the project properties. These pre-defined custom fields will then automatically appear within each project task, reminding team members to complete this information. Say youâre using MeisterTask to manage your customer support, with custom fields you can ensure that each task (or ticket) includes the information you need to see the bug through to completion, such as ticket number, operating system and so on: My Checklist With the new checklist feature, you can now create quick to-dos on the fly, without linking the items with any specific project. As thereâs no need to designate a project or section, the tasks can be created straight from the dashboard, where theyâre displayed, in seconds. If one of your to-dos turns out to require the input of other team members, you can always turn it into a real task and collaborate on it with others. This feature is already available on iOS and Android, so following the introduction of MeisterTask 2.0, your checklist will become synced across all devices web and mobile. Automations To make things a little easier, weve renamed our popular section actions feature to automations and given it a makeover that forms the basis for further upgrades to this feature. You can still add new automations by clicking into the header of a section, but now you can also manage all automations by opening the project properties and switching to the Automations tab. Automations currently cover everything previously offered by section actions, but will soon cover much more, for example, recurring tasks. New Markdown Formatting for Tasks With MeisterTask 2.0, weâve also introduced a number of new Markdown formats for task descriptions and comments, meaning you can make your tasks prettier than ever. All of the prior formatting functions are still available, but you can now add the following to your tasks, as well as: Headings in three different sizes Indented quotes Strikethrough text Horizontal lines Inline code, colored red Text in a code block. All updated instructions on how to format your tasks can be found by clicking on the task description and then clicking the link below, titled Formatting: Faster, Embedded Integrations Our functionality surrounding integrations has also improved, as you can now set up integrations directly via the My Account area of MeisterTask. With Zapier, for example, you can create so-called Zaps without even leaving MeisterTask, allowing you to send data to and from over 1,000 of your favorite apps. Need to create a follow-up task every time a sales query enters your inbox? Zapier has you covered and with MeisterTask 2.0, Zaps are quicker than ever to set up. Under the Hood: Improved Performance and Stability Due to our new tech stack, the improvements arenât just skin-deep. With the introduction of React and Redux, MeisterTask 2.0 is now faster and more stable than ever. To give one example, weâre now able to focus on loading only the minimum amount of required data to load each area of the app. This makes MeisterTask incredibly fast, as were able to predict what should be loaded next, improving transitions within the app too. Since the new tech stack gives our developers clear guidance on how to build new user interface components, weâve improved rendering performance too. This, again, makes it faster to translate your data into the visual components that make up MeisterTask. Additionally, thanks to the new tech stack, our developers will also have a much easier time reproducing and resolving bugs, resulting in a more stable product overall. A More Consistent User Experience Finally, one of the key goals of MeisterTask 2.0 was to provide a more consistent experience for our users. With our new tech stack, we can now share components more easily with external integrations, enabling a more consistent user experience across both our products, MindMeister and MeisterTask, and our external integrations, such as MeisterTask for Microsoft Teams. Next Up Over the course of the next few weeks and months, youâll see a number of further features being introduced to MeisterTask 2.0. These include: Recurring Tasks As one of our most popular feature requests, recurring tasks is high on our agenda and already in the works. While you can already set up recurring tasks via our Zapier and IFTTT integrations, MeisterTask will soon offer a native feature for this, with even more customization options. Multiple Checklists Soon weâll also enable the ability to add multiple separate checklists within a task. This is a great way to group checklist items, for instance by type, team member or priority. We sincerely hope you enjoy MeisterTask 2.0, and as always, we appreciate your feedback in the comments and via Twitter! Productive Task Managementwith MeisterTask Get Started Its free! Get Started Speedy, Shiny, Supercharged Welcoming MeisterTask 2.0 - Focus Itâs our pleasure to introduce our biggest update yet: MeisterTask 2.0. MeisterTask 2.0 provides a fresh dashboard redesign, advanced productivity features and a brand new tech stack, making MeisterTask faster and more stable than ever. Read on to find out whatâs new Note: This article was updated on January 7, 2019 to include the latest changes in MeisterTasks dashboard! New Customizable Dashboard As soon as you open MeisterTask, youâll recognize the difference. Our shiny new dashboard makes better use of the available space and gives you more control over what you want to display. In the My Tasks widget, you can: Sort tasks by due date, name or project Choose whether to display My Checklist items (more info about this below!) Choose to display only tasks that are currently in your Focus Clicking on the @ button on top of your notifications will hide all notifications in which youre not personally mentioned. This is a great way to quickly read through all notifications that require a personal response from you. Were also happy to announce that following your input, weve brought the time tracking widget back to the dashboard, so you can quickly view and edit your most recent time slips. A New Look for Your Projects Our project boards have also received a makeover, with new task headers and updated filter functionality. Note that you can filter by assignee by clicking on the avatar of the person youâd like to filter by, before adding further filters such as tags, due date and task status. New Productivity Features Custom Fields First up, custom fields are now available for all MeisterTask Business users, enabling teams to define one or multiple fields in the project properties. These pre-defined custom fields will then automatically appear within each project task, reminding team members to complete this information. Say youâre using MeisterTask to manage your customer support, with custom fields you can ensure that each task (or ticket) includes the information you need to see the bug through to completion, such as ticket number, operating system and so on: My Checklist With the new checklist feature, you can now create quick to-dos on the fly, without linking the items with any specific project. As thereâs no need to designate a project or section, the tasks can be created straight from the dashboard, where theyâre displayed, in seconds. If one of your to-dos turns out to require the input of other team members, you can always turn it into a real task and collaborate on it with others. This feature is already available on iOS and Android, so following the introduction of MeisterTask 2.0, your checklist will become synced across all devices web and mobile. Automations To make things a little easier, weve renamed our popular section actions feature to automations and given it a makeover that forms the basis for further upgrades to this feature. You can still add new automations by clicking into the header of a section, but now you can also manage all automations by opening the project properties and switching to the Automations tab. Automations currently cover everything previously offered by section actions, but will soon cover much more, for example, recurring tasks. New Markdown Formatting for Tasks With MeisterTask 2.0, weâve also introduced a number of new Markdown formats for task descriptions and comments, meaning you can make your tasks prettier than ever. All of the prior formatting functions are still available, but you can now add the following to your tasks, as well as: Headings in three different sizes Indented quotes Strikethrough text Horizontal lines Inline code, colored red Text in a code block. All updated instructions on how to format your tasks can be found by clicking on the task description and then clicking the link below, titled Formatting: Faster, Embedded Integrations Our functionality surrounding integrations has also improved, as you can now set up integrations directly via the My Account area of MeisterTask. With Zapier, for example, you can create so-called Zaps without even leaving MeisterTask, allowing you to send data to and from over 1,000 of your favorite apps. Need to create a follow-up task every time a sales query enters your inbox? Zapier has you covered and with MeisterTask 2.0, Zaps are quicker than ever to set up. Under the Hood: Improved Performance and Stability Due to our new tech stack, the improvements arenât just skin-deep. With the introduction of React and Redux, MeisterTask 2.0 is now faster and more stable than ever. To give one example, weâre now able to focus on loading only the minimum amount of required data to load each area of the app. This makes MeisterTask incredibly fast, as were able to predict what should be loaded next, improving transitions within the app too. Since the new tech stack gives our developers clear guidance on how to build new user interface components, weâve improved rendering performance too. This, again, makes it faster to translate your data into the visual components that make up MeisterTask. Additionally, thanks to the new tech stack, our developers will also have a much easier time reproducing and resolving bugs, resulting in a more stable product overall. A More Consistent User Experience Finally, one of the key goals of MeisterTask 2.0 was to provide a more consistent experience for our users. With our new tech stack, we can now share components more easily with external integrations, enabling a more consistent user experience across both our products, MindMeister and MeisterTask, and our external integrations, such as MeisterTask for Microsoft Teams. Next Up Over the course of the next few weeks and months, youâll see a number of further features being introduced to MeisterTask 2.0. These include: Recurring Tasks As one of our most popular feature requests, recurring tasks is high on our agenda and already in the works. While you can already set up recurring tasks via our Zapier and IFTTT integrations, MeisterTask will soon offer a native feature for this, with even more customization options. Multiple Checklists Soon weâll also enable the ability to add multiple separate checklists within a task. This is a great way to group checklist items, for instance by type, team member or priority. We sincerely hope you enjoy MeisterTask 2.0, and as always, we appreciate your feedback in the comments and via Twitter! Productive Task Managementwith MeisterTask Get Started Its free! Get Started
Sunday, May 24, 2020
The Impact of Childhood Socialization - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1611 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/03/13 Category Sociology Essay Level High school Tags: Childhood Essay Did you like this example? Abstract The Impact of Childhood Socialization Students Name: Lawala Hawkins Institution: College of the Canyons Sociology: 200 Date: December 2, 2018IntroductionHave you ever wondered why we associate names such as girls, boys, men, women, females, and males with each other, or why we even associate certain genders with the different toys in which they can play with? Our country today is experiencing a lot of social issues in which we need to desperately address. Social issues are those that lie beyond ones personal control and the range of ones inner life (Coleman 2017:5). An example of social issues would be topics such as college tuition prices rising up or the popularity differences between a male or female within grade school. According to Katie Coleman, gender socialization is the shaping of individual behavior and perceptions in such a way that the individual conforms to socially prescribed expectations for males and females (Coleman 2017:21). Gender Socialization is important because we can now understand why we give little boys what we consider masculine things such as, toy trucks and also, why we have little boys wear certain colors such as, blue, red, or green. It helps us to understand why we give little girls feminine toys such as barbies, or dream houses. Also why we have them wear colors such as pink, purple, or yellow. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Impact of Childhood Socialization" essay for you Create order We can see how there are many different ways in how we apply our sexualities. Allowing both male and female to adapt to their gender identity, which is how we label ones self-such as female male or neither (Coleman 2017:22). This paper will explain an interview in which I conducted between myself and a male that I will refer to as Responded 1. I am a 29-year-old multiracial woman of African, Indian and American descent. From Diamond Bar California, but now a resident of Lancaster CA. Responded 1 is a 41-year-old heterosexual African American man. Born and raised in Los Angeles CA. What is interesting about my response from Responded 1 is that he was a popular male throughout his entire school experience which made him have high self-esteem. As to whereas, I was not popular or privilege so I had a completely different school experience than responded 1 and very low self-esteemHawkinsing up we are taught many things by our parents. Such as how to brush our teeth, wash our face, cook, clean, go to school on time, get a job and etc. However, although our parents may try to protect us from being corrupted by outside influences like our media, peers, schools, and etc, they can not properly keep these outside influences from entering into their childrens lives. These influences that I mentioned above are what sociologist consider to be part of a social learning theory. The social learning theory regards to gender identity and roles as a set of behaviors that are learned from the environment. Environmental influences include parents, peers, images in the media, toys, books, etc. The main way that gender behaviors are learned is through the process of observational learning wherein children observe the people (or images of peopl e) around them behaving in various ways. During these observations of behaviors, theyre internalizing what it means (culturally) to be a female or male in society (Coleman 2017:24). Allowing us to see that we can not stop the outside influences from grabbing a hold of our children, forcing them to behave in a way that is pleasing to our society. Early socialization of peers within your lives is where the shaping of who you are going to become. When children interact through elementary with their peers they are learning how to develop through interaction their social behavior. In addition, we can see how early social relationships with peers can shape the kind of person one becomes and what we think about gender later on in life. In elementary school, you learn about other people and building your reputation. Learn other childrens name, where they live, and how to play and communicate with them are part of social interactions. Peers start to assign you a nickname. You get to feel out what you like or dislike about each person within your school. We start forming friends and these are the one in which you hang out with or sit with them at lunch. If you are not popular the bullying is really mild. You may be called out of your name or called a funny nickname. Then when you transition to junior high school you are now familiar with who you are going to hang out with, but also scared about meeting new people who are older and in a higher grade. When you enter junior high school you notice that the popularity criteria has changed. Males and females are now separated. Groups are now formed into clicks. If you are popular you are wearing named brand clothes, makeup, and not taking school seriously considering you far from smart. When you transition to high school we then can see how a major transformation occurs in order to be popular. No one has to prove their popularity. Being part of a sport, a class clown, wearing makeup, dating, and doing things that could damage a person mentally, physically or emotionally, is what would consider you to be a popular person. I am going to focus on how being popular or unpopular can influence a persons life for the better or for the worst. Starting off with my own life experience I have never been popular. I did always try to fit in throughout my school days because being popular to me was like being a famous celebrity. It seemed like everyone knew your name and that you had to have a demeanor of a female being nice, always smiling, dressing nice and smelling good. Also what kind of car your parents dropped you off in really mattered. Popularity was based on materialistic things and on what society deemed to be considered a trend. So if you didnt possess any of these traits then you were considered unpopular. I can remember being considered an unpopular girl, for one I didnt have expensive things and my parents were not rich. My family was considered a middle-class family barely making enough money to survive off the basic necessities. I remember coming across my first experience accepting that I was not popular. I was sent to school in non-name brand shoes. They were called phat farm which was in at the time considered to be the hottest shoe at the time. However, due to my mom buying me off-brand Phatfarm tennis shoes from paying less shoe store with copied the Phatfarm shoe brand but had a logo of a backward P. I was made a skeptical within my junior high school. I remember my peers coming to up to me all day asking me to see my shoe and then laughing behind my back. This one incident I can say shape me for the worst. I became very closed in with not only my peers but everyone. My self-esteem dropped very low and I remember having a lot of thoughts about not wanting to finish school. I was able to make it out of junior high and high school by eliminating weather I wanted to be popular or not by taking my focus of the trends that society and my peers deemed as being part of the in crowd, concentrating solely on my education and high school graduation. I believe because of my negative experience within my school days that it shaped me into the woman I am a today. I believe that it should not matter how one should act or behave whether a male or female. As you get older you start to notice that the things that once mattered to you such as if you are popular or unpopular, the clothes and shoe you wearing, or if you are beautiful or smart does not define you as a person. The next person I will be talking about is Responded One. His popularity was based off his looks, brown eyes, along with his personality, which could of boost his way into being popular. The people he may have hung around, and the crowd he hung in also influenced this as well. He never had problems with getting a girlfriend or being teased. Because he is popular he does not recognize that everyone is not on the same status quo as him. He thinks boys and girls share popularity equally and that anyone can have access to this popularity title. Showing us how Responded One life is based on societies expectation of how a man should conform to masculinity. Conclusion Responded one feels that these experience shaped who he is today and that because of his positive experience he is able to blend within any crowd or settings. He walks with his head held high and feels that he is accomplishing all that he was taught to do. Which is when he becomes a man and have a family, to be the sole provider for them. He believes that his life has been shaped off his gender and masculinity. He thinks that gender is important to keep the cycle of reproduction going and to bring more little ones who will be considered popular into our future generations. In conclusion his section you will need to note interesting similarities and differences between your experiences and those of your respondent. You will also use your sociological imagination and knowledge to speculate about why you and your respondent view gender the way you do today. Finally, conclude the paper with some parting words of wisdom or some take home lesson for your reader.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
The Grapes Of Wrath By Jim Casey Essay - 1484 Words
Jesus always took the blame for his people, resulting in a painful death. In The Grapes of Wrath, Jim Casey (J.C.) is a replica of Jesus. When the Joad family first experienced the wrath of the Great Depression, they were losing faith. As their faith is running out, so is there basic knowledge of doing good. Common good is something everyone has to strive to achieve. Jim Casy strives for greatness whenever he is doing something for the common good of the people he is with. He does the right thing all the time, even when he does not feel like doing it. He encourages to do good for the better of others. The principles during The Great Depression are different than todayââ¬â¢s principles. Back then, leaving behind all your belongings and looking forward to new beginning were just the small principles in life. Some of the bigger principles are doing what is right at all times no matter how hard it is to do. During the story, Jim Casey always puts others first, even when this means tak ing one for the team and getting himself in trouble, because that is what people do for the Good of the Community, and he believes he is the perfect man to help everyone he encounters. Jim Casey, a former preacher changed the lives of the Joad family. The common good of the community is always running through the brains of the Joad family and giving them a hard time to get around the hardships.The dust storms are creating controversy towards certain individuals in the story. As a result, severalShow MoreRelatedGrapes of Wrath838 Words à |à 4 PagesHow does John Steinbeck portray Jim Casey as a Christ figure in his novel, The Grapes of Wrath? In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck brings a variety of diverse characters to the reader. The majority of these characters individuality lies within whom they symbolize. What Im trying to say is that the character in the novel represents another being outside of the novel. For example, the former preacher Jim Casey who is also a good friend of the Joads may to some readers representRead MoreGrapes of Wrath Essay633 Words à |à 3 PagesGrapes of Wrath 1. The protagonist of this story is Tom Joad. Tom must overcome several conflicts when he is paroled from jail and let out into an economically depressed country. Toms physical conflict throughout the novel is the task of surviving the horrible starving conditions of Americas Great Depression. He also has physical conflicts with people who only wish to destroy the hopes of migrant workers such as the police and strikebreakers. Toms emotional conflict deals with his inabilityRead MoreEssay about Grapes Of Wrath1712 Words à |à 7 Pages John Steinbeck uses symbolism to enrich his writing. Several of these symbols can be found in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. The Joadââ¬â¢s, a family from Oklahoma, are in search of a better life. They leave their home in journey to California because of the dust bowl. The symbols in the book are the dust, the turtle, names of people, and the grapes. These symbols give the reader an additional perspective of the book. Dust represents life and death. Dust makes a mess of things and leaves possessionsRead MoreIrony in the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Essay769 Words à |à 4 PagesIrony in the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Many of the events in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck do not result in the expected manner. Although the Joads seem to be traveling in hope, irony seems to conquer several situations. There are three types of irony: in dramatic irony, the reader sees the characters mistakes, but not the character. In verbal irony, the author means something rather than what is said. Irony of situation is when there is a paradox between the purpose ofRead MoreTheme Of The Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck723 Words à |à 3 Pages The Grapes of Wrath Analysis The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, is a novel which demonstrates the lives of families during the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and the struggles they faced on their route to California. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck applies his writing style in order to convey the theme and general plot of the novel. To begin, Steinbeck incorporated an informal use of language in this novel. This can be seen through the colloquialism and slang used in theRead MoreDignity and Transformation in the Face of Tragedy in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck777 Words à |à 4 Pageshopeful and stirring themes placed against a backdrop of terror and tragedy. The ââ¬Å"Grapes of Wrathâ⬠, written by John Steinbeck in 1939, is a gritty and realistic picture of life for migrant families in California during the Great Depression in the face of a drought, all struggling to build lives for themselves and maintain their dignity amongst the rampant capitalist self-interest of landowners. ââ¬Å"The Grapes of Wrathâ⬠is both a novel both a naturalistic epic and a social commentary. Steinbeck tacklesRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck957 Words à |à 4 PagesThe Grapes Of Wrath introduces many real life topics, and difficulties relevant to the people in the 1930s and some still relevan t to today. Throughout the book topics like migration, corporate profit, and even environmental impacts of human choices are all present in the book. Steinbeck is shown to makes many claims about each of these topics, but the topic that stands out the most are the issues with the criminal justice system. Steinbeck believes that the police and the criminal justice systemRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1075 Words à |à 5 PagesKirsten Lloyd Mr. Eldridge AP Junior English 21 August 2014 Grapes of Wrath ââ¬Å"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.â⬠(Seneca), In the 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the reader accompanies the Joad family as they struggle to escape the crippling Dust Bowl of the mid- 1930ââ¬â¢s. In hopes of establishing a new life for themselves after being forced off their land the family embark on a journey from Oklahoma to California in search of fruitful crops and steady work alongRead More Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbecks Communist Manifesto1071 Words à |à 5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath as a Communist Manifestoà à à à à à à Steinbecks political views are quite evident within The Grapes of Wrath. The subject of much controversy, The Grapes of Wrath serves as a social protest and commentary. Steinbecks views as expressed through the novel tie directly into the Marxist ideals on communism. à Perhaps the first thing Steinbeck does in The Grapes of Wrath is establish the status quo. He sets up the farmers and the banks as the two main opposing forcesRead MoreGrapes of Wrath and of Mice and Men: Character Study991 Words à |à 4 PagesGrapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men: Character Study The American Novelist, John Steinbeck was a powerful writer of dramatic stories about good versus bad. His own views on writing were that not only should a writer make the story sound good but also the story written should teach a lesson. In fact, Steinbeck focused many of his novels, not on average literary themes rather he tended to relay messages about the many hard truths of life in The United States. Upon winning the Nobel Peace Prize
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
What is succession planning Free Essays
Succession planning can be considered a companyââ¬â¢s passport to ensuring its sustainability and business continuity. Organisations, big or small, have their competent and hardworking people as their backbone. Without them, their success will not be possible even if they put in a lot of investment in high technology and advanced machineries. We will write a custom essay sample on What is succession planning? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Itââ¬â¢s one thing, though, to have a pool of qualified and high-potential talent; itââ¬â¢s another thing to ensure that they are in the right positions to maximise their talents and sustain their motivation. The problem comes in when an employee who is currently occupying a critical function becomes unable to perform his or her duties for whatever reason. The company must then be able to identify a key talent from within the organisation who can fill up the void, and this is where succession planning comes into play. Succession planning is an exercise that companies do to ascertain that they have strong, experienced and knowledgeable senior managers who can serve as mentors to promising junior officers who can (and will one day) take on more critical roles and hopefully lead the company to greater success. Succession planning is about making sure that there is a qualified and competent manager who can assume greater responsibilities as the need arises and at any given time. Like in any sports team, the coach relies on a deep bench of ââ¬Å"second teamâ⬠members to replace a ââ¬Å"starterâ⬠player when necessary. In addition, succession planning is anchored on the companyââ¬â¢s strategic goals. For instance, if the company decides to expand its business beyond its current service area, top management needs to identify qualified talents who can occupy new posts as a result of a new deal closed or replace senior managers in the parent company who will be seconded to the subsidiary. This means that top management must constantly be on the lookout for possible changes within the organisation and quickly identify the manpower implications of these developments. Organisations that have successfully institutionalised succession planning in their organisation have integrated it into their day-to-day business operations. Succession planning is a continuous activity and not just a periodic thing. Key Elements of Succession Planning The first step to a successful succession planning is having a comprehensive and effective talent mapping and assessment system. Here, the company needs to define the skills set and competencies required for a particular rank and / or function in order to evaluate if all its employees are placed in the position that is most suited for them. Moreover, the company should be able to identify and provide development opportunities and growth areas for each key employee. Furthermore, the company should classify an employee as a high-potential talent, average performer or one that is unreliable and unmotivated. This is to make sure that the company allots more time and resources to develop the right people for the job. This means that a high-potential talent will be given more training and development programs and will be exposed to more growth opportunities compared with an average performer. Another key element in succession planning is to ensure that there is a regular performance evaluation system in place especially for key and emerging talents in the organisation. For most companies, this is done annually; for some semi-annually or even quarterly. Whatever the case is, the company should set clear, quantifiable, measurable and realistic targets against which an employee will be evaluated. Through this, top management will be able to see who among their employees are performing well against their deliverables. If there is a nonperforming employee, the company should find out the underlying cause for this because it might be a case of mismatch between the employeeââ¬â¢s skills set and the role that he or she is being asked to perform. The company then should be quick to rectify this problem by moving that employee to a more appropriate position for him and find a more suitable talent who can take his or her place. Companies should also establish a mentoring mechanism and encourage their senior managers to always have an understudy who they think can assume their roles in the future. This understudy or apprentice will shadow the senior manager and help him or her perform critical tasks to develop the needed leadership and management skills. Moreover, companies should foster a working environment where there is flow of information from senior to junior managers and vice-versa. Talent retention is also an important element in succession planning. Companies should invest in making their employees happy and satisfied by providing financial (e. g. rewards and incentives) and non-financial ââ¬Å"giftsâ⬠(e. g. employee recognition programs, good healthcare plan, training and development programs, safe and healthy working environment, etc. ). This, then, allows more time for seasoned managers to transfer their knowledge and share their experience to their younger colleagues so that when the time comes, junior officers can step up to the challenge. Benefits of Effective Succession Planning An effective succession planning can bring about benefits both to the company and the employees. First, the company can be assured of a stable business anchored on a strong senior management team and an equally-reliable pool of second stringers composed of trained and groomed junior employees. This, in turn, will make investors and shareholders more confident about the future of the company, which hopefully leads to increased shareholder value. On the part of the customers, they will also be assured that their service provider is in good hands and will be able to cater to their long-term needs. Moreover, good succession planning will save the company time and money in externally sourcing the talent who can best fill in the vacant position. External talents, no matter how brilliant they are, need ample time to understand the business and blend with the organisation. In the same manner, employees will benefit from an effective succession planning system as this will meet their career development requirements and make their existing and future roles clearer. High-potential employees will also appreciate the companyââ¬â¢s taking notice of them and providing them with more top-level training and development programs. They will surely feel that they are given importance to by the company. Finally, succession planning gives employees a sense of stability, knowing that they have a long-term career path with the company. This, in turn, will make the employees more motivated, optimistic and forward-looking. How to cite What is succession planning?, Papers
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
International Journal Public Administration -Myassignmenthelp.Com
Question: Discuss About The International Journal Public Administration? Answer: Introduction: As an experienced senior manager, my decision to opt for a decentralised management system in place of the centralised management system is based on the outweighing benefits of the former. A decentralised management system will enable me to focus more on complex problems, organisational strategies, and a higher level of decision-making and to coordinated activities (Olivares, Caizares Kazerani, 2011). With such a system in place, I will be able to free myself from the daily duties of running the organisation which can adequately be run by supervisors or junior accounting. With such a decision, then I will be able to concentrate on more significant financial resolutions, recruiting, training and sustaining active personnel, thus elevating the corporation to a competitive position within the industry. Furthermore, my decision to decentralise operations will offer the supervisors and junior managers the essential experience in decision making (Sueur, Deneubourg Petit, 2012). Such an experience will prepare them to become competent when promoted to more senior positions. This is a foreseeable long-term investment because it will minimise the costs incurred during hiring and training of new managers. With a decentralised system, the subordinate will have the powers to make independent decisions thus promoting better control and supervision. Consequently, they will have the proper skills on the daily operations and therefore be competent to make corrections and take the appropriate action. However, I can foresee barriers to the decision of decentralisation the first being the fear of effective decision making by the low-level managers with no experience in decision making (Wong et al., 2011). Secondly, the junior managers may demand a pay rise with the rise of responsibility, an issue that the management may be unable to meet seeing that its not recruiting new staff (Hollenbeck et al., 2011). A centralised management system is my preferred style of operations because it is more efficient in times of crisis. It is easier for the overall management to address a crisis and make prompt decisions to avert further damages and to communicate a unified decision to all other staff (Tourrilhes et al., 2013). Also, the regular business operations are not altered in case of a crisis because only the management will address it (Kapucu Garayev, 2011). On the other hand, centralising the company operations is without barriers as the staff will feel isolated and not part of the day to day company operations. This may make them non-committal to business goals. The personnel develop, familiarise and study as they work within the company and regularly desire to make contributions towards the development of the organisation. The absence of such an avenue creates a disconnect. I believe that the first scenario of decentralising the company operations will be practical and more comfortable to implement. This is because, in an organisation used to centralised services, a decision of decentralisation will benefit both the management and the staff thus at least there will not be any upheaval from both sides. On the part of the team, they will warmly welcome a system of decentralisation because they will have the opportunity to make their contributions to the business operations and have the authority to marketing decisions for the betterment of the company. Also, through the additional responsibility, they will be able to gain low-level managerial experience which can be an added advantage in case of any promotions. The management also will gladly welcome the decision of decentralising operations even though they are used to centralisation. This is because decentralisation will relieve them from some minor responsibilities which they have to fulfil on a routin e basis so that they can get more time to focus on weightier matters such as developing recruiting criteria, accomplishing financial targets, and monitoring the implementation of the strategic goals of the organisation. I would prefer to work in scenario one; a highly decentralised company if offered that opportunity. This is because in such an organisation I will be able to learn early in the decision-making process and also gain experience as a first time low-level manager and develop my talent. A highly decentralized organization is most likely to grow and expand faster because all decisions do not have to come from the headquarters before implementation thus leading to efficient decision making. With the growth of the organisation, my career development is also guaranteed in addition to the advantage of the managerial experience gained while in the same company. Furthermore, I believe that a highly decentralised organisation will offer higher levels of procedural fairness to its personnel. Therefore, considering the two scenarios and the preceding arguments, a highly decentralised company is a priority both to the junior staff as well as to the managers References Hollenbeck, J. R., Ellis, A. P., Humphrey, S. E., Garza, A. S., Ilgen, D. R. (2011). Asymmetry in structural adaptation: The differential impact of centralizing versus decentralizing team decision-making structures. operations Behavior and Human Decision Processes,114(1), 64-74. Kapucu, N., Garayev, V. (2011). Collaborative decision-making in emergency and disaster management.International Journal of Public Administration,34(6), 366-375. Olivares, D. E., Caizares, C. A., Kazerani, M. (2011, July). A centralized optimal energy management system for microgrids. InPower and Energy Society General Meeting, 2011 IEEE(pp. 1-6). IEEE. Sueur, C., Deneubourg, J. L., Petit, O. (2012). From social network (centralized vs. decentralized) to collective decision-making (unshared vs. shared consensus).PLoS one,7(2), e32566. Tourrilhes, J., Yalagandula, P., Sharma, P., Mogul, J. C., Banerjee, S. (2013).U.S. Patent No. 8,503,307. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Wong, E. M., Ormiston, M. E., Tetlock, P. E. (2011). The effects of top management team integrative complexity and decentralized decision making on corporate social performance.Academy of Management Journal,54(6), 1207-1228.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Corrosion And Rusting Essays (2147 words) - Corrosion, Iron, Rust
Corrosion and Rusting Introduction Some people may be annoyed by their car "wearing out". Kids may have trouble with rust forming on their bicycles. One may think how to prevent rusting, but do one knows what is happening when a metal corrode? "Corrosion is defined as the involuntary destruction of substances such as metals and mineral building material by surrounding media, which are usually liquid (i.e. corrosive agents)." Most metals corrode. During corrosion, they change into metallic ions. In some cases, the product of corrosion itself forms a protective coating. "For example, aluminium forms a thin protective oxide layer which is impervious to air and water. In other cases (e.g. iron), however, the coating either flakes off or is pervious to both air and water. So the whole piece of metal can corrode right through." The most common forms of metallic corrosion are caused by electrochemical reactions, wherein two metallic phases (e.g., iron oxide and iron) react in the presence of electrolytic solution. Another mechanism of metallic corrosion is caused by chemical reaction, which explains how the protective layer of the metal is formed. Rusting is the corrosion of iron which is the most widely used structural metal. Most of it is used in making steel. The wide range of products made from steel includes all types of vehicles, machinery, pipelines, bridges, and reinforcing rods and girders for construction purposes. Therefore, rusting causes enormous economic problem and is the reason why extensive measures of corrosion protection have had to be developed. The economic importance of corrosion and corrosion protection can be shown by the following example: "It is estimated that roughly 3% of the annual production of steel is lost by corrosion. In 1974, 140 millions tons of steel were produced in the United States at a cost of approximately $400 per tons. So this gives a monetary loss of about 1.7 billion dollars." It is clearly of the utmost importance to reduce as far as possible the financial loss by corrosion, which not only affects steel but to the extent all other building metal as well. It is obvious that corrosion and rusting affect significantly the life of the society, so it is worthy to investigate this topic. In this essay, the cause of the corrosion and rusting and consequently the protection of the corrosion will be explored. Electrochemical corrosion reactions This type of corrosion takes place when two metallic phases with different electrochemical potentials are connected to each other by means of an electric conductor. Electrolytes such as acids, alkalis, salt solutions, or even milder media (e.g., rainwater, river water, groundwater, or tap water) also need to be present. "Metallic phases with different electrochemical potentials exhibit electric potential differences. Potential differences may also arise because of impurities, internal stresses, corrosion products, damaged protective coatings, etc. They also occur when different metals are used. The larger the potential difference, the faster the rate of corrosion." The electrochemical EMF series (Table 1) gives the electrochemical potential of metals under normal conditions with respect to hydrogen (hydrogen is 0). The farther two metals in electrochemical series are apart, the larger the potential difference between them. A metal is said to be less noble than those which stand to its right in the electrochemical series. In the case of electrochemical corrosion it is always the less noble metal which is removed. Table 1. Electrochemical Potential Series, Volts. K Ca Mg Al Zn Cr Fe Ni Sn Pb H Cu Ag Au -2.92 -2.84 -2.38 -1.66 -0.76 -0.71 -0.44 -0.24 -0.14 -0.13 0.00 0.34 0.80 1.42 not noble -----------------------------------------------------------------> noble Likelihood of passing into solution decreases from left to right. The potential difference does not, however, always fully correspond with the corrosion phenomena experienced in practice. The reason is that oxide and other metal compounds have differing electrochemical potentials. Chemical corrosion reactions Metals have a tendency to combine with oxygen to form oxides and this is one of the chemical reactions. This tendency is the stronger the less noble the metal. The layers of oxide on the metal surface which are formed even in dry air may be insoluble and stable against an aqueous medium in contact with them. Therefore, if the oxide layers are dense and adhere well to the metal, they prevent further attack and act as a corrosion prevention layer.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Total drag and its variation with altitude Essay Example
Total drag and its variation with altitude Essay Example Total drag and its variation with altitude Paper Total drag and its variation with altitude Paper The equation for total drag is: D = CD x S x ? rV2 (Preston, R) where, CD is the coefficient of drag. It must be subdivided into two parts, the Cdi (Coefficient of induced drag) and CDp (Coefficient of parasite drag. ). Therefore it can be written as: D = (Cdi + Cdp) x S x ? rV2 (Preston, R) The airplanes total drag determines the amount of thrust required at a given airspeed. Thrust must equal drag in steady flight. Lift and drag vary directly with the density of the air. As air density increases, lift and drag increase and as air density decreases, lift and drag decrease. Thus, both lift and drag will decrease at higher altitudes. Fig 1 shows the total drag curve which represents drag against velocity of the object. The fuel-flow versus velocity graph for an air graph is derived from this graph, and generally looks as shown in Fig 2 From the above drag it is seen that the total drag is minimum at a certain velocity. This occurs when the parasitic drag is equal to the induced drag. Below this speed induced drag dominates, and above this speed parasite drag dominates. Design engineers are interested in minimizing the total drag. Unfortunately many factors may conflict. For example, longer wing span reduces induced drag, but the larger frontal area usually means a higher coefficient of parasite drag. Conversely, a high wing loading (i. e. a small wing) with a small aspect ratio produces the lowest possible parasite drag but unfortunately is the produces for a lot of induced drag. In recent time it is seen that jet airliners have longer wings, to reduce induced drag, and then fly at higher altitudes to reduce the parasite drag. This causes no improvement in aerodynamic efficiency, but the higher altitudes do result in more efficient engine operation. (Preston, R) Angle of Attack (AOA), is the angle between the wing and the relative wind. Everything else being costant, an increase in AOA results in an increase in lift. This increase continues until the stall AOA is reached then the trend reverses itself and an increase in AOA results in decreased lift. The pilot uses the elevators to change the angle of attack until the wings produce the lift necessary for the desired maneuver. Besides AOA other factors also contribute to the production of lift, like relative wind velocity and air density i. e. temperature and altitude. Changing the size or shape of the wing (lowering the flaps) will also change the production of lift. Airspeed is absolutely necessary to produce lift. If there is no airflow past the wing, no air can be diverted downward. At low airspeed, the wing must fly at a high AOA to divert enough air downward to produce adequate lift. As airspeed increases, the wing can fly at lower AOAs to produce the needed lift. This is why airplanes flying relatively slow must be nose high (like an airliner just before landing or just as it takes off) but at high airspeeds fly with the fuselage fairly level. The key is that the wings dont have to divert fast moving air down nearly as much as they do to slow moving air. Air density also contributes to the wings ability to produce lift. This is manifested primarily in an increase in altitude, which decreases air density. As the density decreases, the wing must push a greater volume of air downward by flying faster or push it down harder by increasing the angle of attack. This is why aircraft that fly very high must either go very fast e. g. Mach 3, or must have a very large wing for its weight. This is why the large passenger airplanes cruise at higher altitude to reduce drag, and hence save on the furl costs. (ââ¬Å"Aircraft for Amateursâ⬠, 1999) Small sized aircrafts have lower than normal Reynolds number. The drag coefficient attributable to skin friction is hence higher for the small aircraft. For this reason, the maximum lift-drag ratios characteristic of business jet aircraft tend to be lower than those of the large transports. Hence, the smaller flights can fly at relatively lower altitudes. References Books John A. Roberson Clayton T. Crowe, 1997, Engineering fluid Mechanics, 6th ed. , John Weily Sons Inc., ISBN 0-471-14735-4. Clement Klienstreuer, 1997, Engineering Fluid Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-49670-5 Websites ââ¬Å"Aircraft for Amateursâ⬠, 11th Jan. 1999 fas. org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/intro. htm Benson, T. , ââ¬Å"The Beginnerââ¬â¢s guide to Aeronauticsâ⬠. , 14th March 2006 grc. nasa. gov/WWW/K-12/////airplane/ Johnston, D. , ââ¬Å"Dragâ⬠, centennialofflight. gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/drag/TH4. htm ââ¬Å"Parasitic Dragâ⬠, http://adg. stanford. edu/aa241/drag/parasitedrag. html Preston, R. , ââ¬Å"Total Dragâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Flight Controlsâ⬠, http://selair. selkirk. bc. ca/aerodynamics1/
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Intercultural Conflict Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Intercultural Conflict Analysis - Essay Example The text of the analysis in this piece of writing is about the South Africans culture and conflict resolution. Many countries in Africa have different communities living together or rather close to each other. The cultural diversity among the communities forms the basis of conflicts among members of the different beliefs and cultural practices. Solution to such conflicts is also attained through strategic cultural practices among the communities involved in the in the conflict. South Africa proves the best place to analyze due to several reasons. The first reason is that it is inclusive of the western culture and ways western culture interacts with the African custom. One can be able to see customs and practices by different groups of people and the conflict that arises with such a scenario. Another importance of the text is seen by the analysis of the dominance of the nonverbal communication among the different communities. It is seen where a man is seen as a superior being in the c ommunity and given special treatment by the feminine. Examples given on the article clearly portray the cultural values and ties during the Apartheid. Cultural values in South Africa influenced the details in the article. The female among the South African communities are the inferior beings among and are supposed to offer special services to the male. The ladies are expected to take care of the children as a man works to ensure the family is well fed and protected against all forms of dangers. The man being the masculine figure of the family and community as a whole is expected to perform hard and risky tasks. The man in the majority of the South African societies if not all, is treated with respect to the extent that the lady leans or kneels before the man as she serves food or greets the man. Local leadership among these communities is left for men and therefore the decision making on matters
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Feminist Perspectives on Prostitution as an Illegal Contract Essay
Feminist Perspectives on Prostitution as an Illegal Contract - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that contracts for an illegal purpose will not be enforced by the courts. In the UK, prostitution per se, is not illegal. However, many activities associated with prostitution such as kerb crawling, solicitation, living of earnings from prostitution, operating a brothel and advertising prostitution services are all illegal. Nevertheless, at common law, contracts purporting to support or encourage a sexually immoral act will be regarded as illegal and thus deemed illegal contracts. Prostitution is regarded as the promotion of sexual immorality and as such, any contract involving prostitution is regarded as an illegal contract. The liberal feminist or contractarian perception of prostitution argues that absent the use of force, prostitution is a legitimate economic choice for women and thus should be treated as any other contract of service or employment. Radical feminist theorists however, argue that prostitution involves selling oneââ¬â¢ s body and is not simply the ââ¬Å"use of the human bodyâ⬠but also the ââ¬Å"sexual use of a womanââ¬â¢s bodyâ⬠. Radical feminist theory is consistent with the perceptions that prostitution is immoral and thus contracts involving prostitution would be illegal. Liberal feminist theory dismisses the immoral characterization of unforced prostitution and argues that prostitutes should be accorded the protection of the law via the law of contract and in particular service or employment contracts.... minism, an argument can be made in support of illegalizing contracts involving prostitutes in cases where the prostitute is forced into prostitution or is a minor. However, women who voluntarily turn to prostitution, may not see themselves as forced into the trade and will not likely see themselves as victims. From the perspective of radical feminists, prostitution represents the ââ¬Å"subordinationâ⬠, ââ¬Å"degradationâ⬠and ââ¬Å"victimisationâ⬠of women by men.10 Radical feminists argue that prostitution by definition is an act of violence. In this regard, there is no such thing as ââ¬Å"voluntary prostitutionâ⬠, because it invariably involves some form of force, ââ¬Å"even if the worker is unaware of itâ⬠.11 Radical feminist Susan G. Cole characterizes prostitution as institutionalised male dominance and likens it to institutionalised slavery and dominance by the White race. In institutionalised slavery Blacks were hurt and via institutionalised pros titutions women are hurt.12 Radical feminist Andrea Dworkin argues that prostitution cannot be understood by reference to the exercise of individual choice. According to Dworkin, prostitution together with rape ââ¬Å"negates self-determination and choice for womenâ⬠.13 In general, radical feminists argue that prostitution is an inherently harmful institution for women on three specific grounds. Firstly, prostitution involves purchasing a service that involves the degradation of the women offering the service. Secondly, prostitution itself relies on the perpetuation of inequality in terms of social and economic statuses and power between the prostitute and her client. Finally, prostitution ââ¬Å"contributes to the perpetuation of the inequalitiesâ⬠underlying the ââ¬Å"practiceâ⬠.14 With respect to the first ground that prostitution
Monday, January 27, 2020
Usefulness Of Maxima And Minima Of Functions Engineering Essay
Usefulness Of Maxima And Minima Of Functions Engineering Essay The mathematical concept of a function expresses the intuitive idea that one quantity(input) completely determines another quantity (output). A function assigns a unique value or output to each input of a specified type. The argument and the value may be real numbers, but they can also be elements from any given sets: the domain and the co-domain of the function. Whenever a relationship exists between two variables (or quantities) such that for every value of the first, there is only one corresponding value of the second, then we say:The second variable is a function of the first variable. The first variable is the independent variable (usually x), and the second variable is the dependent variable (usually y). The independent variable and the dependent variable are real numbers. The term function is just a type of operator which transforms the given input to output according to the given conditions. This operator relates two or more quantities to each other, the quantities are known as variables. Out of total variables only one is independent and all other are dependent on that variable. One precise definition of a function is that it consists of an ordered triple of sets, which may be written as (X, Y, F). X is the domain of the function, Y is the co-domain, and F is a set of ordered pairs. In each of these ordered pairs (a, b), the first element a is from the domain, the second element b is from the co-domain, and every element in the domain is the first element in one and only one ordered pair. The set of all b is known as the image of the function. Some authors use the term range to mean the image, others to mean the co-domain. The notation Ãâ ââ¬â¢:Xà ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬â¢Y indicates that Ãâ ââ¬â¢ is a function with domain X and co-domain Y. (Domain implies input whereas range or co-domain implies output.) In most practical situations, the domain and co-domain are understood from context, and only the relationship between the input and output is given. Thus is usually written as Here the two variables are x and y out of which x is independent and y is dependent on x. From the other side if we consider y as independent variable then x is dependent on y. Every function can be plotted on graph or more precisely Argand Plain. The graph of function may be a straight line, a continuous curve, a circle, an ellipse or even a point also. HISTORY OF MAXIMA AND MINIMA: Since origin of life, all people knew, talked, applied the concept of maxima and minima in their daily lives without even knowing about the concept of maxima and minima. In the earlier phase of time the kings used to estimate the maximum and minimum army of the opposite side, doctors used to record minimum and maximum symptom of any disease, cooks used to estimate the maximum and minimum quantity of food or people before any function, the businessmen used to estimate maximum and minimum profit or loss in any transaction. Even today also the women in the house prepare the food according to maximum or minimum consumption by each individual. Sir Issac Newton, a great scientist, invented the concept of functions and hence concept of maxima or minima. Since then his concepts are very usefully applicable in our daily lives. PRESENT TIME CONCEPTS OF MAXIMA AND MINIMA: The terms maxima and minima refer to extreme values of a function, that is, the maximum and minimum values that the function attains. Maximum means upper bound or largest possible quantity. The absolute maximum of a function is the largest number contained in the range of the function. That is, if f(a) is greater than or equal to f(x), for all x in the domain of the function, then f(a) is the absolute maximum. For example, the function f(x) = -162 + 32x + 6 has a maximum value of 22 occurring at x = 1. Every value of x produces a value of the function that is less than or equal to 22, hence, 22 is an absolute maximum. In terms of its graph, the absolute maximum of a function is the value of the function that corresponds to the highest point on the graph. Conversely, minimum means lower bound or least possible quantity. The absolute minimum of a function is the smallest number in its range and corresponds to the value of the function at the lowest point of its graph. If f(a) is less t han or equal to f(x), for all x in the domain of the function, then f(a) is an absolute minimum. As an example, f(x) = 322 32x 6 has an absolute minimum of -22, because every value of x produces a value greater than or equal to -22. In some cases, a function will have no absolute maximum or minimum. For instance the function f(x) = 1/x has no absolute maximum value, nor does f(x) = -1/x have an absolute minimum. In still other cases, functions may have relative (or local) maxima and minima. Relative means relative to local or nearby values of the function. The terms relative maxima and relative minima refer to the largest, or least, value that a function takes on over some small portion or interval of its domain. Thus, if f(b) is greater than or equal to f(b à ± h) for small values of h, then f(b) is a local maximum; if f(b) is less than or equal to f(b à ± h), then f(b) is a relative minimum. Finding the maxima and minima, both absolute and relative, of various functions represents an important class of problems solvable by use of differential calculus. The theory behind finding maximum and minimum values of a function is based on the fact that the derivative of a function is equal to the slope of the tangent. When the values of a function increase as the value of the independent variable increases, the lines that are tangent to the graph of the function have positive slope, and the function is said to be increasing. Conversely, when the values of the function decrease with increasing values of the independent variable, the tangent lines have negative slope, and the function is said to be decreasing. Precisely at the point where the function changes from increasing to decreasing or from decreasing to increasing, the tangent line is horizontal (has slope 0), and the derivative is zero (With reference to figure 1, the function is decreasing to the left of point A, as well a s between points B and C, and increasing between points A and B and to the right of point C). In order to find maximum and minimum points, first find the values of the independent variable for which the derivative of the function is zero, then substitute them in the original function to obtain the corresponding maximum or minimum values of the function. Second, inspect the behavior of the derivative to the left and right of each point. A wide variety of problems can be solved by finding maximum or minimum values of functions. For example, suppose it is desired to maximize the area of a rectangle inscribed in a semicircle. The area of the rectangle is given by A = 2xy. The semicircle is given by x2 + y2 = r2, for y à ¢Ã¢â¬ °Ã ¥ 0, where r is the radius. To simplify the mathematics, note that A and A2 are both maximum for the same values of x and y, which occurs when the corner of the rectangle intersects the semicircle, that is, when y2 = r2 x2. Thus, we must find a maximum value of the function A2 = 42(r2 -x2) = 4r2x2 44. The required condition is that the derivative be equal to zero, that is, d(A2)/dx = 8r2x 163 = 0. This occurs when x = 0 or when x = 1à ¢Ã ââ¬Å¾2(r à ¢Ãâ Ã
¡ +2 ). Clearly the area is a maximum when x = 1à ¢Ã ââ¬Å¾2(r à ¢Ãâ Ã
¡ +2 ). Substitution of this value into the equation of the semicircle gives y = 1à ¢Ã ââ¬Å¾2(r à ¢Ãâ Ã
¡ +2 ), that is, y = x. Thus, the max imum area of a rectangle inscribed in a semicircle is A = 2xy = r2. The problem of determining the maximum or minimum of function is encountered in geometry, mechanics, physics, and other fields, and was one of the motivating factors in the development of the calculus in the seventeenth century. Let us recall the procedure for the case of a function of one variable y=f(x). First, we determine points where f'(x)=0. These points are called critical points. At critical points the tangent line is horizontal. This is shown in the figure below. . The second derivative test is employed to determine if a critical point is a relative maximum or a relative minimum. If f()>0, then x is a relative minimum. If f() The notions of critical points and the second derivative test carry over to functions of two variables. Let z=f(x, y). Critical points are points in the xy-plane where the tangent plane is horizontal. Since the normal vector of the tangent plane at (x,y) is given by The tangent plane is horizontal if its normal vector points in the z direction. Hence, critical points are solutions of the equations: because horizontal planes have normal vector parallel to z-axis. The two equations above must be solved simultaneously. The Second Derivative Test for Functions of Two Variables How can we determine if the critical points found above are relative maxima or minima? We apply a second derivative test for functions of two variables. Let (x,y) be a critical point and define We have the following cases: If D>0 and (,).) If D>0 and (,).)>0, then f(x,y) has a relative minimum at ( ,).). If D If D=0, the second derivative test is inconclusive. Maxima and Minima in a Bounded Region Suppose that our goal is to find the global maximum and minimum of our model function above in the square -2 Relative extrema in the interior of the square. Relative extrema on the boundary of the square. Corner Points. We have already done step 1. There are extrema at (1, 0) and (-1, 0). The boundary of square consists of 4 parts. Side 1 is y=-2 and -2 The original function of 2 variables is now a function of x only. We set g'(x)=0 to determine relative extrema on Side 1. It can be shown that x=1 and x=-1 are the relative extrema. Since y=-2, the relative extrema on Side 1 are at (1,-2) and (-1,-2). On Side 2 (x=-2 and -2 We set h'(y)=0 to determine the relative extrema. It can be shown that y=0 is the only critical point, corresponding to (-2,0). We play the same game to determine the relative extrema on the other 2 sides. It can be shown that they are (2,0), (1,2), and (-1,2). Finally, we must include the 4 corners (-2,-2), (-2,2), (2,-2), and (2,2). In summary, the candidates for global maximum and minimum are (-1,0), (1,0), (1,-2), (-1,-2), (-2,0), (2,0), (1,2), (-1,2), (-2,-2), (-2,2), (2,-2), and (2,2). We evaluate f(x,y) at each of these points to determine the global max and min in the square. The global maximum occurs (-2,0) and (1,0). This can be seen in the figure above. The global minimum occurs at 4 points: (-1,2), (-1,-2), (2,2), and (2,-2). One of the great powers of calculus is in the determination of the maximum or minimum value of a function. Take f(x) to be a function of x. Then the value of x for which the derivative of f(x) with respect to x is equal to zero corresponds to a maximum, a minimum or an inflexion point of the function f(x). The derivative of a function can be geometrically interpreted as the slope of the curve of the mathematical function y(t) plotted as a function of t. The derivative is positive when a function is increasing toward a maximum, zero (horizontal) at the maximum, and negative just after the maximum. The second derivative is the rate of change of the derivative, and it is negative for the process described above since the first derivative (slope) is always getting smaller. The second derivative is always negative for a hump in the function, corresponding to a maximum. A critical point (x,y) of f is a point where both the partial derivatives of the functions vanish. A local maximum, or a local minimum, is a critical point. In one variable, local maxima and minima are the only `nondegenerate critical points. In two or more variables, other possibilities appear. For instance one has the saddle point, like the critical point of at (0; 0). In some directions this looks like a maximum, in other directions this looks like a minimum. We try to classify critical points by looking at the second derivatives. APPLICATIONS OF MAXIMA AND MINIMA IN DAILY LIFE: There are numerous practical applications in which it is desired to find the maximum or minimum value of a particular quantity. Such applications exist in economics, business, and engineering. Many can be solved using the methods of differential calculus described above. For example, in any manufacturing business it is usually possible to express profit as a function of the number of units sold. Finding a maximum for this function represents a straightforward way of maximizing profits. In other cases, the shape of a container may be determined by minimizing the amount of material required to manufacture it. The design of piping systems is often based on minimizing pressure drop which in turn minimizes required pump sizes and reduces cost. The shapes of steel beams are based on maximizing strength. Finding maxima or minima also has important applications in linear algebra and game theory. For example, linear programming consists of maximizing (or minimizing) a particular quantity while requiring that certain constraints be imposed on other quantities. The quantity to be maximized (or minimized), as well as each of the constraints, is represented by an equation or inequality. The resulting system of equations or inequalities, usually linear, often contains hundreds or thousands of variables. The idea is to find the maximum value of a particular variable that represents a solution to the whole system. A practical example might be minimizing the cost of producing an automobile given certain known constraints on the cost of each part, and the time spent by each laborer, all of which may be interdependent. Regardless of the application, though, the key step in any maxima or minima problem is expressing the problem in mathematical terms. Everything in this world is based on the concept of maxima and minima, every time we always calculate the maximum and minimum of every data. Now-a-days results are also based on the concepts of grades which is again based on the concept of maxima and minima.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Response to Bystander Effect, Prejudice, Aggression and Deterrence Theory Essay
The Bystander Effect states that the greatest number of bystanders who witness an emergency the less likely anyone of them will help. What are your views about the bystander effect? à à à à à à à à à à à The phenomenon of the bystander effect became recognized and found its niche in social psychology studies after the murder of Catherine ââ¬Å"Kittyâ⬠Genovese in 1964.à As it is one of the most shocking murders in the history, the emphasis on the psychological phenomenon that occurred in March 13, 1964 at about 3:15 am (Gado 2007) is overrated. Trekking back to the murder of Genovese, we can note that at the very hour when the crime occurred people are still usually asleep. According to the accounts on the incident, the victim did scream for help, and since it was a fatal assault, surely, the victimââ¬â¢s persistence to get some aid should not be doubted, -this screaming and shouting for help may cancel out the fact that the people in her proximity are still deeply asleep (as accounts say there are 38 witnesses to this murder), but at those very hours we need not further dig deeper to unravel the mysterious apathy of the witnesses all we need to do is take note of the time the assault happened; some of the witnesses may have actually heard the screams but still has the need to sleep to face a Saturday-workday ahead of them. à à à à à à à à à à à We can complement this further with what Abraham Maslowââ¬â¢s hierarchy of needs states; that the greatest need of an individual is his/her physiological needs in which sleeps or rest falls under. Moreover, since the violent scene broke the supposedly yet sleep-timeââ¬â¢s peace, it is understandable that the witnesses had chosen not to leave the refuge of their homes, fearing that they could be the next victim. -the need for safety and security comes as the second priority in Maslowââ¬â¢s renowned pyramid model. These two needs therefore may have overridden any urges to be a hero or a Good Samaritan among the witnesses at those moments. à à à à à à à à à à à The belief that occurs each time a ââ¬Å"bystander effectâ⬠happens is that every witness thinks that someone else among the other witnesses is more capable to help. Let us simulate a likely scenario in observance of the theory: a 79 year old lady was tripped by a rock on a crowded and busy street. In an instance like this you may likely see that not only one person will rush in to help the old lady get back on her feet. à à à à à à à à à à à A bystander effect though always has a chance to occur and cast its spell; to shroud a cloud of confusion that may blur the discerning of witnesses to response to an emergency. On one hand, some factors may actually trigger a witnessââ¬â¢s or a bystanderââ¬â¢s urge to help. à à à à à à à à à à à First, the affinity or degree of relation the bystander has with the individual in need of help. This will define the innate will to help and would trigger a certain sense of responsibility on the bystanderââ¬â¢s side to help that someone he/she knows or that someone whom he/she at least have something-in-common with (for example, supporting the same basketball team, someone in the same organization). Second, would be the empathy factor that may come from oneââ¬â¢s recalling of a previous experience that will move him/her to be of help. Third, would be the effect of mood and condition of a bystander (Bordens & Horowitz 1973), this however considers the ruling of Maslowââ¬â¢s hierarchy of needs over the urge to help base on mood. How can prejudice be reduced? à à à à à à à à à à à Through quick referrence to a dictionary, prejudice would simply be defined as preconceived orà premature judgement. First, let us see the nature behind prejudice; according to the Gale Encyclopaedia of Psychology (2005), ââ¬Å"People are not born prejudiced: many prejudices are formed against groups with which a person has never had any contact.â⬠In basic analysis, we can then perceive that the existence of prejudice pre-requires innocence or even ignorance, -that oneââ¬â¢s mind must be a pail that should be empty or yet has to be filled (by information and initially with opinions of other people). à à à à à à à à à à à Through interaction and communication with other individuals, one would naturally absorb the prejudices of another individual he/she gets contact with. According to the communication model (Laswell 1948); in every communication process there is the presence of: 1) a source, 2) a message, 3) a channel, 4) a receiver, 5) an effect, and 6) a feedback. Applying this process in tracing the development of prejudice, if an individual has yet zero knowledge or background towards a subject, as a receiver of a message he/she had to undergo the next step of the process, which is the effect. The effect here now since the receiver is yet an ââ¬â¢empty pailââ¬â¢ would be to digest the message, and if the message transmitted is prejudiced it will pour a content in that empty pail that may soon serve as the receiverââ¬â¢s raw material in generating his/her own prejudices. In psychology, this model resembles the social cognition pattern which likewise explains the development of prejudice. à à à à à à à à à à à à If we are to reduce prejudice, the direct equation we can derive from Laswellââ¬â¢s Model would be to reduce the interaction and communication with other individuals. This in reality however, is improbable as communication being both infinite and spontaneous processes cannot be reduced in terms of amount. The number of communication sources can forcibly be reduced but the messages that a receiver had already received will continue to develop and be repeatedly analysed in his/her mind which then will be used by him/her when itââ¬â¢s his/her turn to communicate as a speaker. à à à à à à à à à à à Prejudiced beliefs lead to stereotyping, which are natural tendencies to categorise the world in order to make sense of it (NAT.org 2003). In an attempt to make the complex world organized as we perceive it, we tend to put labels on objects, events, and individuals that has same characteristics which send to us stimuli that are alike. à à à à à à à à à à à A means to reduce stereotyping and generalization as dictated by prejudice is to expose a prejudiced person to individuals capable of dispelling it (Gale Encyclopedia2005), these individuals include those that contradict the stereotypes. This approach to reduce and neutralize stereotyping, though somewhat indirect, will help in thawing whatever barriers prejudices had formed within oneââ¬â¢s disposition which eventually is good, as sooner or later this prejudiced person will have the chance to interact with a person who belongs to a grouped he/she had stereotyped. à à à à à à à à à à à In the treatment to reduce prejudice in the form of stereotyping, immersion could be a vital antidote. In the same manner as Edward Saidââ¬â¢s Travel Theory (1983), a culture or an idea (which in some cases can be a prejudiced idea) is bound to loose its original potency, its strength, and even its form as it gets contact with other cultures.à à A stereotype can likewise be tamed; if the ignorance and the innocence where it was founded over will finally be bridged by discovering the truth (which may include interacting with the people whom you had a stereotype on) -this first-hand, actual, and direct encounter will not just reduce prejudice but also dispel it. à à à à à à à à à à à More than the more common but not-at-all easily done idea; to be openââ¬âminded, interaction would be the best achievable solution in reducing stereotypes. Write a two-page essay in which you describe Freudââ¬â¢s theory on aggression. Additionally, describe Banduraââ¬â¢s theory on aggression and what strategies would he recommend using to diminish aggressive behaviour. Do you think that aggression is innate or learned? Why? à à à à à à à à à à à Sigmund Freud explained that the theory of aggression begins at the early ages when a boy begins to develop his intimate relationship with his mother, being the natural provider and nurturing entity for the boy -this intimate relationship will come to a point that the boy will have sexual desires for his mother. In the family picture however, there is the presence of the father -whom the boy will ââ¬Ëtreatââ¬â¢ as his rival in getting his motherââ¬â¢s affection and attention. But eventually, the boy will realize that he canââ¬â¢t win over his father, as the chances of winning in physical terms is impossible due the boys inferior size, the boy will concede is this competition and soon will realize that his mother is not a suitable object of love and sexual urges (cited in Freud & Smith 1999). à à à à à à à à à à à This sexual-desire idea is called the Oedipus complex; while as for the girls, they also undergo the same condition and it is termed Electra complex. Freud claims that these are manifestations of the modifiers that dictate human behaviour; instinct and sexual urges called libido. Libido is energy derived from the Eros, or life instinct (cited in Freud & Smith 1999). Aggression is the outcome when the urges of libido are not released. à à à à à à à à à à à Eros, is present in every man, so as what Freud had introduced thereafter; the concept of Thanatos or death force. This energy from this death force seeks to deliver death and destruction, which also bounds a man to destroy his own self. Thanatos does not entirely pour its energy towards self-destruction, some of which are channelled to other objects and individuals which explains the presence of aggression. à à à à à à à à à à à Even before technology, liberal thinking, and advance science, and even before the man who gave name to the concept was born, the world had abide with the ââ¬Ësurvival of the fittestââ¬â¢. Scientist Charles Darwin used the phrase to term the endless struggle of beings against one another for existence. The energy from Thanatos may support what sends a being to take aggression upon another. à à à à à à à à à à à Bandura (1973) claimed that human behaviour is determined by the environment. Likewise manââ¬â¢s behaviour also dictates his environment.à This means that a man learns his aggression on what he perceives on his environment, while with the presence of aggression or the absence of it around, affects what the environment will become. à à à à à à à à à à à Banduraââ¬â¢s approach in dealing with and along the process diminishing behaviour is through self-regulation or simply to control oneââ¬â¢s own behaviour. This begins with self-observation (watching and analyzing our own behaviours), then with judgement (setting a standard or an ideal measure were we can compare our behaviours with and pattern it to them), and finally with self-response (your manner of affirming yourself whether you are satisfied or not with what was your behaviour in a particular occasion). à à à à à à à à à à à Aggression is innate to man, I agree for solid reasons. First, I would refer to what Abraham Maslow (1954) refer as the second immediate need; safety and security.à From which threats do we seek protection against? Harsh weather? -We got our concrete homes and thick winter suits. Wild Animals? Thatââ¬â¢s what technology and urbanization is for, putting the dangerous forage-and-hunt lifestyle locked in oblivion, then what? The best answer would be human threats -which are manifestations of the presence of aggression in man. Second; man is the superior specie of all but we are still classifiable as animals -beings which are programmed from birth to seek, hunt and fight for survival. An aspect of aggression is learned by man but this mainly covers the manners of aggression; like the idea of how to use weapons and sub due impending opponents. What is deterrence theory? Why do people commit crimes? à à à à à à à à à à à Punishments are pre-emptive instruments set by established laws and rules meant to discourage and intimidate would-be offenders. An ever-existing idea based on what is called the Deterrence theory. ââ¬Å"Deterrence theory is based on the concept that, if the consequence of committing a crime outweighs the benefit of the crime itself, the individual will be deterred from committing the crimeâ⬠. (Summerfield, 2006, p. 1). à à à à à à à à à à à By default, deterrence theory lies on the fear a punishment can instil to the subjects of a law.à à à à Ideally, a law applies to everyone in a state; both the government and the subjects. But in reality, since deterrence theory was put to practice in an organized-society nation, it has revealed some serious flaws in itself. à à à à à à à à à à à Write Morgan Summerfield traced the origin of the deterrence theory -stemming out the roots of its practice from old England from the Dark Ages, Feudal Era, the Tudor period, when feudal lords, kings, and queens, where the first to introduce the system of punishment. à à à à à à à à à à Although crimes at that era meant heavy punishment, as Summerfield would collectively describe as ââ¬Å"brutalâ⬠and ââ¬Å"severeâ⬠, an individualââ¬â¢s economic status would determine his vulnerability to the legal consequences of the crime; ââ¬Å"Someone wealthy or influential could often commit offences with impunity, while someone of lesser birth would be severely punished for the same offence.â⬠à à à à à à à à à à à Between this statementââ¬â¢s lines lies an implication; the power of money, and the call to have it, which is avarice, is also ââ¬Ëencouragedââ¬â¢.à à Money, power, and influence has been the bridges to punishment-evasion several centuries ago. These gives definition to deterrence theory as the imperfect concept where present laws and subjects-controlling policies are taken from. à à à à à à à à à à à The answer to the question why do people commit crimes lies in the failures of deterrence theory. By default, law enforcers assume that making it known to the people that crimes are met with punishments is not enough. à à à à à à à à à à à First reason; not every criminal are caught, hence the crime = penalty equation is not absolute. Second, every criminal does not have the same level of fear; the fear variable is defined by how ââ¬Ëhardââ¬â¢ the criminal/law offender is (a repeatedly imprisoned individual may not fear the conditions of being in jail as much as a first-time convict would. Third would be how able the criminal is in protecting/saving himself/herself from the legal repercussions of the crime. à à à à à à à à à à à If we are to directly relate the question why do people commit crimes with the fear-dependent deterrent theory, we can conclude that the discrepancy of fear among the subjects of a law do explains why not all individuals are stopped by impending punishments and thus, go on and commit crimes. à à à à à à à à à à à Another premise that may explain why do people commit crimes is the existence of free will; ââ¬Å"When they act in a criminal manner, they do so out of free will and weigh the consequences of their actionsââ¬âthey know what they are doing and choose to do itâ⬠(Summerfield 2006).à Along with it is the belief of Chinese Philosopher, Kong Zi (Xun-Zi) that man is by nature evil. -reflected in the oldest book of all time, the Bible, in the chapter of Genesis where the first man used its free will to ignore the rule set by God in the Garden of Eden. à à à à à à à à à à à Kong Zi meanwhile acknowledges too that man is capable of doing good; but for a man to do a good act it has to be done consciously. The societyââ¬â¢s means of increasing manââ¬â¢s awareness and sensitivity to do conscious good acts, to teach what is right and to do right is by establishing institutionsà (schools, churches) to teach norms, and make laws and policies (to assure that the norms are followed).à -Which brings us to an uncomplicated cycle; the ââ¬Å"naturally evilâ⬠man is straightened out and taught what is good being covered by different laws and policies which is based from the deterrence theory. On a research done by Richard Lebow and Janice Stein (1995), they claimed that Deterrence theory rarely succeeds. Although their work underwent ââ¬Ëwavesââ¬â¢ of criticisms and was thoroughly scrutinized for gaps and flaws, the spirit of deterrence theory, which is carried over by the laws in present time seems to testify on the findings of Lebow and Stein. References Contributors: Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis. p. 183. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice-Hall. Bordens, K. Sm, Horowtiz, I, A.(Eds.). (2001) Social Psychology (second edition). Lawrence à à Erlbaum Associates Gado, M. (2007) A Cry in the Night: The Kitty Genovese Murderà Retrieved February 26, 2008 from Crime Library, Courtroom Television Network, LLC. Gale Group, (2001). Gale Encyclopaedia of Psychology, 2nd Ed..à Retrieved February 27, 2008 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0002/ai_2699000270 Huitt, W. (2006). Social cognition. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta à à à à à à à à à à State University. Retrieved February 28, 2008 from à à à à à à à http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/soccog/soccog.html. Jervis, R., Lebow, R., Stein, (Eds.). (1985) Psychology and Deterrence . Baltimore: The Johns à Hopkins Press, Laswell, H.D., (1948). ââ¬Å"The structure and function of communication in societyââ¬Å" -in the communication of ideas, ed. Bryson, L. New York: Harper. Maslow, A (1954). Motivation and Personality. NAT.org. (February 2003). The Psychology of Prejudice Retrieved February 28, 2008 from à à à à à à http://www.e-alliance.ch/media/media-4301.pdf. Said, E. W. (1983) ââ¬Å"Travelling Theory,â⬠The World, the Text, and the Critic. à à à à à à à à à à à Cambridge: Harvard à University Press. Smith, A. K. (1999) Theories of Aggression. Biology 202: 1999 Final Web Reports-Biology. à à à à Retrieved February 28, 2008 from Serendip database. Summerfield, M. (2006). Evolution of Deterrence Crime Theory, a journey with an End. Retrieved à à à à à à à à à à à February 27, 2008 from Associated Content, Inc.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Thorn Queen Chapter Twenty-Three
There is no real way to describe rape. Sex with Kiyo or Dorian, the men I lovedâ⬠¦well, I could have described that for hours in exquisite detail. I could have elaborated on the way they stroked my hair or the way their lips touched my skin. Even with Dean-my cheating bastard ex-sex had still had its share of affection and joy, back when things had been good between us. There was none of that with Leith. Well, not on my part, at least. And I think that's what made it especially bad. For him, with his crazy infatuation, it really was an act of love. He visited me often over the next few days, and each time he took me against my will, he'd tell me he loved me and attempt some sort of gentleness and affection. The horrible part was, I couldn't even resist that. It barely required any force on his part to make me submit. Honestly, I wished it had been violent. I wished he'd been cruel and brutal. I'd spent my life in fights, dealing with pain and blows. There would have been something comfortingly familiar about that, like it was just another battle for me. The twisted love he showed for me during each act of rape, howeverâ⬠¦well, that made it harder to bear. In that time, I only saw Art once. Abigail checked on me a number of times, and I learned that it was she who mixed the nightshade, though Leith had taught her the recipe. Cariena was the one I saw the most. She seemed to have been installed as the live-in maid and occasional sex toy for visiting guys. When I arrived, there had been three other gentry girls, but Isanna-the one I'd heard mentioned that first day-left shortly. She was very pretty, and Abigail seemed particularly happy at the price she'd gotten for her. The other two were stunning as well, and they seemed to glumly accept that their time would come. They faced it without much emotion or protest, like condemned criminals going to the gallows. Mostly, their faces were like pieces of a dream. I was kept so heavily drugged that my moments of clarity were few-though the drugs never made me forget what Leith did. None of the other girls had to be drugged; the iron was enough for them. Cariena told me, however, that when other women had required the nightshade, they hadn't taken nearly as much as me. Art and Abigail were too afraid of me getting loose, so they gave it to me more frequently than usual. ââ¬Å"When will you know?â⬠Leith demanded one day. He had just arrived and stood outside my room, arguing with Abigail. The door was ajar. ââ¬Å"I thought you people had the ability to tell this kind of thing.â⬠ââ¬Å"We can,â⬠snapped Abigail. ââ¬Å"But not this soon. You've probably got to wait at least two weeks. Besides, you don't seem to mind passing the time that much.â⬠The sneer in her voice came through loud and clear. I made a mental note to choke the life out of that bitch. Leith, however, didn't sound so happy. ââ¬Å"Two weeks is a long time. I need to bring her back pregnant before anyone finds her! They're looking for her. She has powerful allies. Her people are loyal, and both the Oak King and the Willow Queen have taken up the search.â⬠Dorian's dedication didn't surprise me, and knowing he was working to find me gave me the first hope I'd had in a while. But Maiwenn, too? Had that been Kiyo's doing? Or truly her own kindness? ââ¬Å"I don't care about your tree-based monarchs,â⬠said Abigail impatiently. ââ¬Å"Nobody would think to look for her here.â⬠ââ¬Å"She suspected before. She told others. Someone could scry for her.â⬠ââ¬Å"They won't find her. Scrying won't work. Not with the wards here. Now why don't you stop whining and just get in there and do your business so this won't be a problem. She's almost due for her next dose.â⬠I decided wringing her neck wasn't slow and painful enough. Yet, their words had given me a lot to think about. There was a search on, enough of one that Leith feared discovery. Her mentioning the wards had reminded me of when I'd sent Volusian here. Volusianâ⬠¦there was an option I hadn't considered yet. I could summon Volusian to me and have him warn the others. The wards were a problem. He couldn't break them on his own, but if I was calling him, the ties that bound us would be enough to pull him through. If I could muster the energy to do it. The iron and nightshade affected the gentry part of my magic. My shamanic powers, the ones I'd used for years, were tied into my strength and will-which I didn't have a lot of lately. That being said, I felt more coherent now than I had in a while-which was still pretty addled. Abigail had said it was almost time for my next dose. I had to imagine the further from the dose I got, the more its effects would dim. Cariena had said most people didn't take as much, which probably meant the nightshade would still stay in my system awhile. But if I could reach a point when its effects were lessenedâ⬠¦ My brainstorming was halted as Leith entered. Consternation from his argument with Abigail showed on his face, but it soon transformed to a smile when he saw me. ââ¬Å"Eugenieâ⬠¦you look so pretty today.â⬠Yes, yes, I'd heard it all before. I was so beautiful, so amazing, a jewel among women that he loved so much. His words irritated me as much as insults would have. I'd been put in an ivory damask dress today, which gave me sickening bridal associations. He looked me over, and his admiration again changed to a frown. I was lying on the bed, one hand cuffed to the headboard. ââ¬Å"What's this?â⬠he asked. ââ¬Å"Why did they do that?â⬠ââ¬Å"I was a smartass to Abigail. This was her punishment.â⬠His face darkened further as he sat on the bed. ââ¬Å"I don't like thatâ⬠¦don't like her doing that. But, Eugenie, you have to admit you bring it on yourselfâ⬠¦.â⬠Oh, Leith. He was so lucky I could barely lift my free arm, or I would have punched that pretty face of his. He peered at me intently. ââ¬Å"You have to get pregnant soon.â⬠ââ¬Å"It's not something I can really control,â⬠I said. Well, I could have controlled not getting pregnant if I was still on the pill. I hadn't taken it inâ⬠¦how many days? Three? Four? I wasn't sure how long I'd been here. I knew all the stats, though, about women who'd gotten pregnant from just missing one pillâ⬠¦. He sighed and began unlacing the bodice of my dress. ââ¬Å"We'll just have to keep trying then. If we just wait a little while afterward, I can do it twice today.â⬠Oh, how fucking lovely. I wanted to explain that it wouldn't matter how many times he did it, not if I wasn't ovulating. That kind of science was lost on him, I knew, alleged genius or no. As far as most gentry were concerned, sex equaled babies, end of story. ââ¬Å"Once it's done, we can go home. We'll get married, and you won't have to be restrained like this anymore. You can move freely and use your magic.â⬠I decided not to mention that if we did that, the first thing I'd do with my magic was make sure I was a widow. ââ¬Å"Things'll be good then,â⬠he said, moving his body over mine. ââ¬Å"I promise. I love you so muchâ⬠¦.â⬠I didn't need any nightshade to make me feel numb after Leith left. He'd held good to his word to have sex twice, and I was slowly reaching that point where it just didn't matter. I couldn't feel anything. My body wasn't even attached to my consciousness. It was like my mind existed elsewhere, dreaming or, occasionally, plotting my revenge through the drugged haze. I thought of anything I could-anything that wasn't the violation of my body-while he was on top of me. Usually, I imagined it was happening to someone else and not me. That made it easier to bear until after he left, when the ache inside reminded me that it had indeed been me. Cariena and another girl arrived shortly thereafter to give me my next dose of nightshade. I couldn't recall the other girl's name, though not for lack of caring. It was just the way my brain worked lately. She was extremely pretty, with curly black hair and sky blue eyes that reminded me of Ysabel's. Abigail occasionally let the girls administer the nightshade, confident enough in her hold over them to do it. And her confidence was well-founded. I'd tried before to talk them out of it, but their fear of her was too great. This time, I merely attempted a delay. ââ¬Å"Wait,â⬠I said, as they leaned over. It looked like the black-haired girl was going to hold me down while Cariena poured. ââ¬Å"Let me just talk to you for a minute.â⬠Cariena immediately grew nervous. ââ¬Å"Your majesty, we can'tâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Sometimes I found her use of my title endearing. Other times, I thought it was a joke, considering my present situation. ââ¬Å"Just a minute. That's all.â⬠ââ¬Å"Let her,â⬠said the other girl. I flashed her a grateful smile. ââ¬Å"What's your name again?â⬠ââ¬Å"Markelle.â⬠It sounded familiar. Markelle. I would remember this time. I wanted to treat her as a person, not an object. ââ¬Å"Look, I just want to know about the nightshade. How often do I take it?â⬠ââ¬Å"Every six hours,â⬠said Cariena, still clearly worried about this delay. ââ¬Å"That's twice as often as they usually give it,â⬠added Markelle. And with those words, I saw the slightest flash of bitterness in her eyes, the first I'd seen in any girl. I wondered then if she was one of the other ââ¬Å"difficultâ⬠ones that Cariena had described, one who had to be drugged as well and eventually subdued. ââ¬Å"Is there any wayâ⬠¦is there any way you guys could, like, dilute it?â⬠There it was, the big question. Cariena gasped, but Markelle readily answered. ââ¬Å"No, your majesty. Abigail makes it herself and makes sure we come straight here. There's no opportunity.â⬠ââ¬Å"Where? Where does she make it?â⬠ââ¬Å"In the kitchen. She has the ingredients set aside and makes a fresh batch every day.â⬠ââ¬Å"What else is in it? Aside from the nightshade?â⬠Markelle looked at Cariena expectantly. Cariena gulped, and it took her several seconds to answer. She rattled off a list of herbs, some of which I knew, some of which were unfamiliar. They probably had different names in the Otherworld. ââ¬Å"Do Abigail and Art ever eat here? Like, do they cook? Is their kitchen stocked?â⬠Markelle nodded. ââ¬Å"But we never prepare the food-it's always them.â⬠She was quick-minded; she'd probably thought I was going to suggest poison. Not a bad idea, really. ââ¬Å"Are there any ingredients in the nightshade mix that look like other herbs they might have in the kitchen?â⬠Both girls looked confused. ââ¬Å"I've seen no other herbs,â⬠said Cariena. ââ¬Å"You have freedom of the house.â⬠I knew most girls stayed in the basement, though. ââ¬Å"The next time they're not around, go through the cupboards. If their kitchen's stocked, they must have a spice rack.â⬠A knock sounded at the door. ââ¬Å"What's taking so long?â⬠Abigail called. ââ¬Å"See if any spices look like the ones in the potion,â⬠I hissed as the doorknob turned. ââ¬Å"Swap them.â⬠Abigail entered just as Markelle held me down. Cariena poured while Abigail watched with a critical eye. ââ¬Å"You're too slow,â⬠snapped the shaman. ââ¬Å"She needs this regularly.â⬠Both girls groveled, bowing their heads deferentially. ââ¬Å"Forgive us,â⬠said Cariena. I knew her contrition wasn't faked. ââ¬Å"It won't happen again.â⬠Abigail rolled her eyes. ââ¬Å"Stupid girls. I'll have to do it myself next time.â⬠The instant effect that damned potion always had began to run through me. The familiar blackness swept over me, and I slept. Another day went by. Leith ââ¬Å"visited,â⬠and the girls apparently hadn't taken my advice on the nightshade because my six-hour cycle repeated as usual. Abigail usually came with one of the girls now, apparently not trusting them anymore. Art came once as well, and a few caustic comments from me earned me another cuffed hand. I began to understand the roles they played. Both participated in the brokering and sale of the girls. Art helped Leith's men catch the girls and offered his home-the one I'd once thought too large for a guy like him-as their prison. Abigail seemed to handle the day-to-day affairs of taking care of the girls, and it occurred to me one day that those handcuffs at her place hadn't been part of anything kinky. They'd been part of her arsenal for this hellhole, and I suspected the trip to see her ââ¬Å"sisterâ⬠that day had probably been to deliver some poor girl to her new owner. I cringed at what that car ride must have been like. For a gentry to be surrounded in all that metal and technologyâ⬠¦it would have been awful for her. Leith was getting dressed after one of his conjugal visits one day. I was close enough to my next nightshade dose that I was able to shoot him looks of contempt-ones he didn't notice. He seemed particularly excited. ââ¬Å"It's been a week,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"One more week, and Abigail says we can test to see if you're carrying my child.â⬠He pressed a kiss to my forehead. ââ¬Å"I can feel it, Eugenie. I know we've done it.â⬠There was no ââ¬Å"weâ⬠in sexual assault, but again, I found it easier just to remain silent lately. It usually made him leave that much more quickly, which then left me alone with my thoughts and my aching body. Sometimes after he visited, my body would feel so violated and dirty that I'd hate it. Then I'd remember that none of this was the fault of my body or me. It was Leith. Shortly after his departure that day, Abigail and Markelle came in with my next dose. I'd heard talk that Markelle had a buyer. Her days really were numbered now, and I felt bad for her, this girl who'd once fought back against her captors. I was so used to the nightshade by now that they almost didn't need to hold me down anymore to force me to take it. It was a bit disheartening that I felt that way now and wondered if I too was on my way to that sad resignation everyone else had. The two of them left, and I lay there, waiting for the unconsciousness that always followed. It usually lasted an hour or so before I came to and lived in my fuzzy state until the next dose. Sure enough, I started to feel a little tinglyâ⬠¦but no sleepiness followed. I lay there, scarcely daring to breathe. After falling drearily into a strict regimen, any sort of change was a shock to my system. I waited and waited. No unconsciousness. My blurry, addled state didn't disappear, but it didn't get any worse than when I was due for my next dose. Holy shit. One of them had done it. One of those girls had swapped out the nightshade tincture's ingredients. Who? I would have wagered money on Markelle over timid Cariena. Markelle occasionally had that rebellious spark in her eyes, despite her docile behavior, and her impending sale would be serious motivation. She was from the Thorn Land too-my subject. Sometimes I got the feeling that she truly believed her queen could get her out of this. But did I? I still didn't know if I could get myself out of this. My weapons were long since gone, and I didn't think I had the strength to launch a physical attack on Abigail or Art. My door was kept locked, so there was no prowling for me. Gingerly, I sat up. The world shifted as usual, but again, not like it normally would have post-potion. What to do with this freedom? I had no guarantees my next dose wouldn't be the usual stuff. That gave me six hours, and the further that time progressed, the better shape I'd be in. I would have given anything for a clock or even a glimpse of the sun. I needed to track the time, waiting until the last possible moment for my strength to be at its peak. It looked like I'd have to wing it and hope my guess was right. For a moment, panic washed over me. There seemed no obvious options, and I didn't know how fast the potion would let up. Anyone could walk right in at any time. Leith could come in. Leithâ⬠¦With some of that fuzziness gone from my head, the memories of what he'd done to me came through more sharply, and my fear grew- No! I swiftly ordered myself not to think about any of that. Not Leith. Not overwhelming odds. I needed to think only of escape, and for that, I needed to start with small details. I'd been good today-no bindings. And with the nightshade, no one felt the need to give me iron bracelets like the girls. That meant no blocking of my magic, short of the potion. Somehow, I doubted I'd have the power in six hours to blow this place up with a mini-hurricane. What did that leave me? Hopefully physical staminaâ⬠¦and with itâ⬠¦my shamanic powers? Now the countdown began. The minutes were agony, particularly since I had no way to count them. At first, I just attempted general counting in my head, but that grew tedious. I had nothing to do but wait and gauge my own body's recovery. And recover it did. Oh, I was a long way from being able to kick anyone's ass, but my wits grew a little clearer. Standing and moving didn't hurt much either. Finally, I decided it was now or never. I had to take my gamble. Maybe it was well before the six hours, but I couldn't risk going over. It would have been easier with my wand, candles, and other accoutrements. What I had to do wasn't impossible, though. I turned off the lights, plunging me into darkness, and sat on the bed cross-legged. ââ¬Å"Volusian,â⬠I said softly. ââ¬Å"By the ties that bind, I summon you to come to me and obey my commands.â⬠Weak as I was, I felt my will go out, stretching beyond the worlds to my minion. At first, I thought it was useless-then, I felt it. The slightest twitching of our bond. I gritted my teeth, drawing all the strength I could. ââ¬Å"I summon you,â⬠I growled. ââ¬Å"Obey me and come.â⬠For a moment, I thought I'd failed. Then, a coldness filled the room, and red eyes burned before me. Seeing them in the blackness was too scary, and I stumbled up to turn the lights back on. ââ¬Å"My mistress returns,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"Or rather, I return to my mistress.â⬠I didn't need to see the slight curling of the spirit's lips to know my hold on him was tenuous. It was like a fragile string of silk, ready to snap at any moment. Bringing him here, through those worlds, had sapped more of me than I thought imaginable. I still held him, but for the first time in the years I'd enslaved him, the full realization of just how powerful-and dangerous-he was hit me. ââ¬Å"I have tasks for you,â⬠I said sternly. I could show no weakness. He took a few steps toward me. ââ¬Å"My mistress is bold to say so. You can barely maintain the bond between us as it is.â⬠ââ¬Å"I can hold this bond until the end of time. Now, you will obey me.â⬠And almost before I saw what was happening, his clawed hands were around my neck-cold, cold. So cold that they burned. ââ¬Å"I have waited for this for so long,â⬠he hissed. ââ¬Å"So long for you to weaken so that I may finally kill you and make you suffer the way you have tormented me these years, enslaving me and sending me to do your menial errands.â⬠I couldn't even manage a scream, not with the way his hands were cutting off my air. I could only manage something that was half-grunt and half-gasp. Desperately, desperately, I fought him mentally. I was one of the most powerful shamans in the world. I could control wayward spirits. I could enslave them easily. I'd once had a host of them. I could fight this. ââ¬Å"You will feel pain like you have never dreamed possible,â⬠he continued. ââ¬Å"You will beg for death, beg for dismembermentâ⬠¦for even that would be easier than the agony I will inflict on you.â⬠Everyone had warned me so many times about keeping Volusian. What if your control slips? they had all asked. Dorian had even offered to help banish him to the Underworld for good. I had laughed the worries off. I was strong. Even after a battle like I'd had with the fire demons, maintaining that link to Volusian was practically subconscious. But nowâ⬠¦now, this was different. ââ¬Å"You are losing it-the bonds are nearly broken. In a few heartbeats, your control will be goneâ⬠¦.â⬠No! I couldn't speak a response, but the words in my mind burned. I would not lose this. I would not lose control of him. Wrenching up the last scraps of my strength was like ripping my own heart out. You will obey me! Back off! The world started to sparkle as my air grew less and less, and then-he did back off. His eyes blazed with malice. He'd been so, so close, and we both knew it. My control now was still a tenuous thing, and I had to hope I would recover my strength soon and solidify my grasp. ââ¬Å"You will obey me,â⬠I said in a thin voice. ââ¬Å"You will not harm me.â⬠ââ¬Å"As my mistress commands.â⬠But I could tell from his voice that he didn't believe this would last, that he was biding his time. Meanwhile, I was running out of time to decide what to do, not only because I didn't know if he'd break free again but also because Abigail could be here at any moment. My initial instinct was to tell him to simply get me out of here. But if that command took the last of my strength, he could easily kill me once we were out. And even if I made it out, what about the girls? I couldn't rescue them on my own. How long until Markelle disappeared? No, I needed to kick Volusian out of the house. If I didn't summon him back, those wards would keep me safe. I needed to send him for help, and that choice had to be a wise one. ââ¬Å"Leave this house. Go to Dorian,â⬠I said. I drew upon that fleeting strength of mine to enforce the order. ââ¬Å"I command you. Go to Dorian and tell him where I'm at. Exactly where I'm at.â⬠I could have sent him to Kiyo. Kiyo knew where this house was. But if the effort of these commands was enough to finally shatter my hold on Volusian, Dorian might be able to bind him back. It would be better than Volusian running loose. That, of course, depended on whether my order was strong enough to even get Volusian to Dorian to deliver the message. My first command had been to get Volusian out of the house and keep me behind the wards. If that was all I could manage, Volusian would no longer be bound to obey. He has to, I thought desperately. He has to get to Dorianâ⬠¦. ââ¬Å"Go!â⬠I ordered harshly. ââ¬Å"As you command.â⬠Volusian vanished, eyes narrowed, confident our bond was about to break. As soon as he was gone, I fell onto the bed, nearly ready to pass out. Would it work? Or had I just broken the last fragments of our bond? I was too afraid to reach out and test the link. I didn't have the strength. The door suddenly unlocked. Nightshade time. With a sickening thought, I realized that if it was the original kind, I would almost certainly lose that control of Volusian. If it was Markelle's decoy, I could hold onto my strength. Abigail entered, a cup in hand and Markelle in her wake. The gentry girl's eyes were down, her whole posture meek. I bit my lip at their approach, waiting to see what my future held.
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