Essay on Causes of Crime - 1147 Words

Causes of Crime For centuries, the one plague that human civilization faces is a disease that has no evident cure - crime. Before one can even try to find solutions for it, one must understand what a crime is and the nature of crime. Crime itself is defined as any offence harmful against society. The nature of crime however deals with the motives and causes of crime, which has no one clear cut explanation. There are several different theories on the cause of crime such as heredity, gender and mental defects, but each one is not substantial enough to explain crime and why it takes place. The theory on heredity as being the source of crime is based on the idea that criminal activity is†¦show more content†¦First of all, the world in which we live in depends a lot on financial standards. This includes poverty, social classes and the simple fact that money makes the world go around. However, it is not fair enough to say all criminals come from a poor background, but evidently a majority of c rime does exist among the projects: ...postcode areas with high levels of poverty tended to have significantly higher levels of parenting deficients such as childe neglect; there is a strong relationship between the level of child neglect/abuse in a postcode area and the level of juvenile participation in crime in that area, Obviously it is implicated that children raised in the ghetto are more susceptible to crime. Youth crime is probably the most direct link since such poor living conditions, as mentioned above, can cause a youth to find comfort in stealing or protection and affection from gangs. The quotation also mentions neglect and abuse through childhood, which correlates with mental defect. Since it is an economical situation in childhood that can lead to mental defect or youth crime itself, the theory of mental imbalance is not really needed as its own branch. Also, organized crime and their leaders usually have poor beginnings. These leaders usually dont have aShow MoreRelatedThe Causes Of Crime And Crime Essay1354 Words   |  6 PagesThe cause of crime When an individual commits a crime it is society that has placed laws to find this individual guilty of such crime(s). This individual will now face the consequences of their action. But what caused this individual to participate in criminal activities? What causes crime? In order to answer such question, one has to understand what crime is. Nadia defined crime as â€Å"the breach of laws that are laid down by the ruling authority of the land† (topyaps.com) via mechanisms such as legalRead MoreCauses Of Crime809 Words   |  4 Pages Causes of Crime Crime is a part of life that all nationals must manage as it appears to have been around as long as human progress itself. Crime has violated groups for a considerable length of time and I think one declaration is that crime is more pervasive in poor inward city neighborhoods than it is in reciprocals that are more affluent. I think the three noteworthy reasons for crime stem from an absence of training, living in destitution, and being brought up in a solitary parent home. TrainingRead MoreThe Causes of Crime1530 Words   |  7 PagesThe causes of crime seem to be indefinite and ever changing. In the 19th century; slum poverty was blamed, in the 20th century, a childhood without love was blamed (Adams 152). In the era going into the new millennium , most experts and theorists have given up all hope in trying to pinpoint one single aspect that causes crime. Many experts believe some people are natural born criminals who are born with criminal mindsets, and this is unchangeable. However, criminals are not a product of heredityRead MoreThe Causes of Crime. What are the causes of crime essay1421 Words   |  6 Pagesthat has no evident cure - crime. Before one can even try to find solutions for it, one must understand what a crime is and the nature of crime. Crime itself is defined as any offence harmful against society. The nature of crime however deals with the motives and causes of crime, which has no one clear cut explanation. There are several different theories on the cause of crime such as heredity, gender and mental defects, but each one is not substantial enough to explain crime and why it takes place.Read MoreCauses of Street Crime746 Words   |  3 PagesCauses of street crimes The major causes are unemployment and illiteracy rate but there are some other factors too like lawlessness, fundamentalism, backwardness and double standards prevailing in the society. People around the world always think of Pakistannis as terrorists- we arent all like that. Yes, I agree that there is a high crime rate, however, most Pakistannis in the lesser civilised areas of Pakistan suffer from extreme depths of poverty, which is somewhat the main reason for highRead MoreCauses Of Street Crimes790 Words   |  4 PagesThere are several reasons why street crimes are increasing in our society today. Unemployment, Violent Crimes, Lack of Education, and Poor Parenting Skills play a huge role in street crimes in our society. The reason being is because they all have an extreme effect on the children in many different ways. Like for instance, not having a father in a childs life can cause children to For example, unemployment is one of the main causes because it leads to crimes such as pick-pocketing. Unemployed peopleRead MoreThe Causes And Trends Of Crime969 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Crime is a very prominent issue. Most of us know someone who has been a victim of a crime, has committed a crime or have committed a crime ourselves. News outlets are filled with crime stories. Television shows depict criminals and the agencies trying to bring criminals to justice. Being such a dominant part of life, it is essential that we take a deeper look into the causes and trends of crime. Discussion of Theory I believe there are many different motivating factors as to why peopleRead MoreWhat Causes Crime?2748 Words   |  11 Pagesone another bringing about a break in the order of human life, this is where the social roots of crime would be discovered and Chicago sat center stage. It was during this time that Chicago won the rights to hold the World’s Fair and with it saw a rise in the city’s population and where researchers of the Chicago School and elsewhere would dispel crime as a reasoned action or genetic circumstance. Crime would be found right in the heart of growing cities, like that of Chicago, and rapid invasion wouldRead MoreMental Illness And Crime Is Not Cause Crime And Violence1282 Words   |  6 Pagescover up? Does mental illness really cause crime? There are so many questions all with varying supplementary scenarios however, I will focus on my belief that although mental illness does not cause crime and violence, it does contribute to it. I believe that th e first and most important problem in this controversy is the lack of understanding what both mental illness and crime is. Robert Schug refers to both terms as â€Å"umbrella terms† in Stacy Mallicoat’s Crime and Criminal Justice: Concepts and ControversiesRead MoreEssay about The Causes of Crime1537 Words   |  7 PagesThe causes of crime seem to be indefinite and ever changing. In the 19th century, slum poverty was blamed; in the 20th century, a childhood without love was blamed (Adams 152). In the era going into the new millennium, most experts and theorists have given up all hope in trying to pinpoint one single aspect that causes crime. Many experts believe some people are natural born criminals who are born with criminal mindsets, and this is unchangeable. However, criminals are not a product of heredity.

Australia s Lack Of International Competitiveness

External stability is an aim of government policy that seeks to promote sustainability on the external accounts so that Australia can service its foreign liabilities in the medium to long run and avoid currency volatility. Australia has persistently had a high CAD around 4.2% of GDP since the mid 1980s. Australia has also experienced a rising terms of trade to 130.0 in late 2011 due to the commodities boom as a result of the industrialization of the BRICs, whereby Australia has experienced high export and national income, but has resulted in less competitiveness in other sectors due to the high AUD, causing the ‘Dutch disease’ whereby non-commodity sectors lose competitiveness. Similarly is can be seen in its narrow export base whereby in 2012-13 one third of export revenue came from coal and iron ore ($96 billion from 300 billion), furthermore 57% of Australian export revenue is made up of mineral and energy exports, whereby Australian growth has been largely fuelled by commodity exports and mining boom. Australia’s lack of international competitiveness as a result of geographical location and small population, as well as the decline of the manufacturing industry to overseas low cost producers, with the problem being further increased by the high AUD exchange rate, as a result of the mining boom. The fall in domestic production has led to an increase in imports and a fall in productive innovation compared to advanced economies has led to a rise in CAD. The growth ofShow MoreRelatedThe Consequences of Globalization in Australia1293 Words   |  5 PagesWhat factors are involved and consequences of globalisation for Australia? Much discussion has been conducted on the topic of globalisation of the world of economy. Globalisation may be defined as the increasing economic and financial integration of economies on a global scale. Factors enabling globalisation include the change in technology which is the socialised knowledge of producing goods and services, as well as the reduction in the protection of the world economy such as the successive reductionRead MoreAustralia And Australia s Optimum Population Level1601 Words   |  7 PagesThe argument surrounding the unemployment rate in Australia, in relevance to Australia’s optimum population level, has been often heavily debated; whether Australia has reached its optimum population remains particularly contestable. However the real issue for Australia has been in regards to the Labour force. 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This accounted for 40 percent of the global GDP, making it the largest deal in history with a combined GDP of $27.4 trillion (Aleem, 2017). The agreement aimed to â€Å"enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raising living standards; reducing poverty in third world countries; and promote transparency, enhance labour and environmental protections.-The Obama Ministration. This was through dismantling tariffs and other trade barriers between the involvedRead More Role Of Government In Mixed Economies Such As Australia Essay1741 Words   |  7 PagesEconomies Such As Australia What role do governments have in modern mixed economies such as Australia? Using appropriate indicators (macro economic aggregates) outline the present state of the economy. In what ways is the Commonwealth government using fiscal and monetary policies to influence the Australian economy? What are the main features of the governments micro economic policy? Why is the government concerned about microeconomic reform? Synopsis: The role of government in Australia today has lessRead MoreCase Study : Advantage Kayaks : A Marketing Plan1549 Words   |  7 Pagesshare and profit. These goals should be realistic but may have to be somewhat hypothetical because of lack of time and absence of market research to provide better ones. †¢ Marketing strategy with details of the 4Ps (i.e. Product, Place, Price, Promotion) and with justifications based on the above. †¢ A brief discussion of the Integrated Marketing Communication issues which impact on competitiveness. These issues should be discussed from an implementation point of view. Because this is a short assignmentRead MoreEssay about Michael Porter’s Theory1568 Words   |  7 Pagesresulted from the studies segment, there is not an exact theory or study can be regarded as guidelines for these internationalizing firms. Overall, Michael Porter’s theory on national completive advantage is a better theory to be adopted by the international firms which want to select a better country for new entry. The dominance of Porter’s theory are its comprehensiveness, the dynamic Diamond theoretical system and analysis form both inductive and deductive sides. Meanwhile, it is at a disadvantageRead MoreInternational Economics The Current Account Deficit Australia2100 Words   |  9 PagesIn relation to International Economics the current account deficit Australia has, has been of some debate in recent years. The current account is the summation of the balance of goods and services and net income and is a component of the balance of payments alongside th e capital and financial account. When a deficit occurs in the current account it means that the value of imports (debits) are exceeding the value of exports (credits). The value of the current account has oscillated between the periodRead MoreCase Study : South African Household1413 Words   |  6 Pages(Bloomberg, 2016a). The company ´s goal is to help parents teach their children about the importance of hygiene, aiming at family households as their main target market (Twinsaver, 2015). South African household income distribution is among the world s most unequal, creating a highly budget-conscious consumer segment (Euromonitor International, 2015a). 91 per cent of South African consumers prefer low-priced economy and standard toilet paper (Euromonitor International, 2015b). Twinsaver advertisesRead MoreUsing Cloud Based Information And Communication Technology Has Helped Small And Medium Enterprises ( Smes )1409 Words   |  6 Pagesmarket by reducing their entry and opportunity costs, and by supporting collaboration and innovation activities. For some existing SMEs, the process of creating this cloud business environment can be difficult and risky, because they lack sufficient human resources and lack sufficient control over Cloud infrastructures. Research also has shown that Cloud technologies have more impact on internationally orientated SME entrepreneurship, they will become more competitive in the global market by using Cloud

Critical Incident †Preconceived Ideas Free Essays

No names are used in this writing to maintain patient confidentiality and conform to the data protection act 1998Critical incidents originated in the United States, Colonel John C Flannagan was a psychologist who worked closely with the Air Force and their procedures for reporting evidence concerning effective or ineffective behaviour within different situations (Ghaye 2006:64-65). Tripp (1993: 24-25) claims that â€Å"critical incidents appear to be ‘typical’ rather than critical at first sight, but are rendered critical through analysis†. Critical incidents can be either positive or negative; They â€Å"are usually experiences that make you consider the events that have happened to try to give them some sort of meaning† (Hannigan, 2001). We will write a custom essay sample on Critical Incident – Preconceived Ideas or any similar topic only for you Order Now Using a critical incident as a way of reflecting helps individuals identify practice that has been helpful or unhelpful in a situation. The value of a critical incident can differ from person to person; it is usually a personal experience with meaning to an individual, however critical incidents can be useful for a range of people for example, students, lecturers, service users and the general public. They give an insight into the feelings of the person writing and are often relatable to others. In appendix 1 I have described my critical incident. Following this I will explain the importance of a critical incident and the effect on practice, in particular how it has influenced my practice as a student nurse. This experience has greatly influenced my training in a number of ways. As a student nurse I believe it is hard to avoid having a preconceived judgement of a patient. After receiving a brief description of the patient’s diagnosis from my mentor, I believed this patient would possibly be frail and sedentary, laid in bed with a poor quality of life. However what I was greeted with was the total opposite. This is affected by the patient’s own judgement of her illness, often receiving a prognosis such as this prompts a dramatic change in the patient’s lifestyle. It can be argued that this is the hardest part in ‘accepting’ a diagnosis is the need to change. ‘In accessing readiness to change, we need to look at the individual’s state’ (Broome 1998:31). If a particular patient is not ready to adapt their lifestyle it can become difficult for them to come to terms with their diagnosis. Patients unable to come to terms with their diagnosis or patients finding their illness difficult after a period of time are likely to suffer from depression or anxiety (Reid, et al 2011). However upon visiting this patient it was clear to me that this patient was able to accept her diagnosis and had readily accepted the challenge to adapt her lifestyle. To me this seemed like a phenomenal act for her to achieve in such a short space of time following the diagnosis. Communication is a key aspect of any type of care, in particular terminal care as the patient in question is likely to feel scared and anxious about their prognosis. There are a number of different reasons for this;â€Å"Including diagnosis and treatment of their disease, long-term physiological alterations, fears of relapse and death, dependence on caregivers, survivor guilt and negative effects on families†. (Groenwald et al 1992: 580)Communication should be an equal conversation that allows both the nurse and patient to include what they need to say. For a nurse it is important to listen to a patient as developing a therapeutic relationship will often make the patient feel more open to discussion about their feelings and concerns. The therapeutic relationship facilitates the ability for a patient to achieve their desired state of maximum health (Brooker, and Waugh, 2007:236; Kozier, et al 2012:95-97) Patients should be able to â€Å"freely express their beliefs, values and concerns in a non-judgemental and supportive way† (Barker 2010:31). A therapeutic relationship is essential in developing trust between a patient and nurse and is fundamental for care with service users such as my patient. A therapeutic relationship can be described as â€Å"one that allows for the meeting of nursing needs to the mutual satisfaction of a nurse and patient† (McQueen 2000:9). This should reduce anxiety and may allow the patient to feel more comfortable in addressing any concerns surrounding the prognosis. This incident has made me think about the barriers to communication and the effects they can have on other staff members, patients and their families. Understanding the potential problems allows us to better understand how something might be able to work more efficiently† (Ellis 2011:88). There are a number of barriers to communication for example; physical barriers such as a door being closed, perceptual barriers for example going into a conversation thinking that the person isn’t going to understand or be interes ted in what you are going to say. Emotions can also be barriers to communication as well as cultural, gender, interpersonal and intellectual (Kozier et al 2012:46). I believe my patient may have had emotional barriers to communication with the nurse and myself. She had already accepted her diagnosis and her decision not to converse with us about her condition may indicate that it was difficult for her to discuss it with others, despite being comfortable with it herself. The fact that the patient was comfortable with her illness made me think about the definition of health. My patient had said she felt healthy and therefore to her, despite having an illness, she didn’t consider herself as ‘unhealthy’. The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes the definition of health as â€Å"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity† (WHO 1948; Kozier et al 2012:6) although this is the most commonly used definition for health, seeing this patient led me to review its significance. The patient I saw clearly didn’t view this definition to be the same as her meaning of health. Health differs for every individual, my patient felt well and therefore in her opinion she was healthy. It is understandable that she didn’t want to be continually reminded of her cancer, it was enough that her independence had been reduced due to the fact the nurses were coming into her home in the first place. My mentor and I decided to respect the patients wishes and allow her to come to us when she felt she would like to talk rather than forcing her to speak to us, we arranged to keep nurse interaction with this patient to a minimum so she could retain some ‘normality’ in her life. â€Å"Patients are made aware that they have the right to choose, accept or decline treatment and these decisions are respected and supported. (NICE Guidelines 2012) It was at this point I began to understand the value of concordance. McKinnon (2011:69) states â€Å"a partnership of equals on which care plan is negotiated†, concordance enables patients to not only make decisions about their care, but to work in parallel with the health care professionals towards a mutually agr eed outcome. It could have been easy for my mentor to disregard the patient’s wishes and focus solely on her wound care and expect her to simply comply as the nurses are considered to be the experts, however her feelings were recognised and her autonomy wishes were responded to. My mentor displayed an excellent example of holistic care according to Linsley (2011:273), who states that nurses have to be aware of the social, environmental and psychological aspects of health and not just physical signs and symptoms of an illness. Before meeting this patient, I didn’t realise how daunting the experience of health care professionals can be, I had always wrongly presumed people would be happy to receive care to make them feel better, however in this instance it has proved to me that not everyone has this view. It has enabled me to think about my role as a student nurse and it has made me reflect on so many different aspects of good nursing care, from communication and concordance to holistic care. Before my interaction with this patient, I didn’t understand just how important it was for patients to have their say. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had been the registered nurse in that situation, would I have been task orientated and wanted to get the job done rather than taking into consideration the patients wishes? As a first year student I am aware of my limitations and understand that I have a lot to learn. I thought about how I would feel if I was in the patient’s situation and of course I’d want to be involved in the decisions made concerning my care. The experience with this patient has enabled me to develop as a student nurse, and will inform my practice throughout the whole of my career. Seeing first hand such a good example of concordance and holistic care from my mentor has given me a great platform to base my learning experiences on. References Barker, J (2010) Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Berman, A. Erb, G. Harvey, S. Kozier, B. Morgan-Samuel, H. and Snyder, S (2012) Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, process and practice. Harlow: Pearson. Broome, A. (1998) Managing Change. Hampshire: Macmillan Press Ltd. Ellis, P. (2010) Evidence-based practice In Nursing. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Ghaye, T. and Lillyman, S. (2006). Learning journals and Critical Incidents. 2nd ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Groenwald, S. Goodman, M. Hansen Frogge, M. and Henke Yarbro, C (eds. ) (1992) Comprehensive Cancer Nursing Review. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlet publishers Inc. Linsley, P. Kane, R. and Owen, S. eds) Nursing for Public Health: Promotion, Principles, and Practice, Oxford: University Press. McKinnon, J. (2011) ‘The nurse-patient relationship’ in Linsley, P. Kane, R. and Owen, S. (eds) Nursing for Public Health: Promotion, Principles, and Practice, Oxford: University Press, pp. 64-74. McQueen A. (2000). Nurse-patient relationship and partnership in hospital care. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 9 (5): 723-7 31. Reid, A. Ercolano, E. Schwartz, P. and McCorkle, R (2011) ‘The Management of Anxiety and Knowledge of Serum CA-125 After an Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis. ‘Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing’ 15 (6), [online], Available from: http://web. ebscohost. com. proxy. library. lincoln. ac. uk/ehost/detail? sid=7e50352a-778c-4db4-be37-388bb618120d%40sessionmgr114vid=1hid=103bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c8hAN=2011371794 [Accessed: 26th February 2013]. Tripp, D. (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching, Developing Professional Judgement. Routledge: London. NICE Guidelines (2012) Supporting patient choice [online] National Health Service online. Available from http://www. nice. org. k/guidance/qualitystandards/patientexperience/SupportingPatientChoice. jsp [accessed 3rd February 2013]. Nursing Times (2004) Reflective thinking: turning a critical incident into a topic for research [online] London, Nursing Times online. Available from: http://www. nursingtimes. net/refle ctive-thinking-turning-a-critical-incident-into-a-topic-for-research/200145. article [Accessed 3rd february 2013]. World Health Organisation (1948) World Health Organisation Definition of Health [online] New York, World Health Organisation Online. Available from: http://www. ho. int/about/definition/en/print. html [Accessed 1st March 2013]. Bibliography Barker, J (2010) Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses. London. Sage Publications Ltd. Barrat, D, Wilson B, and Woollands, A (2012) Care planning A guide for nurses. Second edition. Harlow. Pearson Education Ltd. Benner, P. (1984) From Novice to Expert, Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. Menlo Park Addison Wesley. Berman, A. Erb, G. Harvey, S. Kozier, B. Morgan-Samuel, H. and Snyder, S (2012) Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, process and practice. Harlow: Pearson. Brooker, C. and Waugh, A. (eds. ) (2007) Nursing Practice: Fundamentals of Holistic Care. Philadelphia: Elsevier. Broome, A. (1998) Managing Change. Hampshire: Macmillan Press Ltd. Ellis, P. (2010) Evidence-based practice In Nursing. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Ghaye, T and Lillyman, S. (2006). Learning journals and Critical Incidents. 2nd ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Groenwald, S. Goodman, M. Hansen Frogge, M. and Henke Yarbro, C (eds. ) (1992) Comprehensive Cancer Nursing Review. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlet publishers Inc. McQueen A. (2000). Nurse-patient relationship and partnership in hospital care. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 9 (5): 723-731. Tripp, D. (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching, Developing Professional Judgement. Routledge London. (Appendix 1) During placement I have managed to gain experience with terminal cancer patients. When you go into a patient’s house, I feel you can’t help but have a preconceived idea of the type of patient you are about to meet. I was surprised when visiting one patient, as I was told before I entered the home that the patient had terminal epithelial ovarian cancer. This type of ovarian cancer arises from a malignant transformation of the ovarian surface epithelium, how this transformation occurs is unknown. † (Groenwald et al, 1992: 466-467) When I met this patient I was unsure of what I would discover. I expected a woman that was going to appear physically ‘ill’ and I imagined her to be like all the other patients I had seen with terminal cancer. To my surprise we found her sitting in her conservatory reading the newspaper looking well, she was dressed appropriately and had her hair and makeup done. The patient seemed genuinely happy and didn’t meet any of the previous preconceptions I had when I was originally told about her. We were there to change a fluid bag from the patient’s abdomen and support the patient if she had any concerns about her illness. This is the only thing the nurses do for this patient, her partner, with some help from the Macmillan emergency care team complete the rest of her care. This patient had a persistent disease that couldn’t be controlled. She had previously been treated with chemotherapy to try and eliminate the cancer however this had been unsuccessful. The patient had then decided along with the healthcare professionals, to withdraw treatment and only accept pain relief and support. â€Å"The staging of ovarian cancer is based on surgical evaluation and forms the basis of subsequent therapy†. (Groenwald et al, 1992: 466-467) The district nurse has only just become involved in her care, currently she is 5 months into her diagnosis. When the nurse and I tried to speak to the patient about her illness and how she was feeling, she seemed reluctant to talk about it. The patient decided she felt well in herself and didn’t want to be reminded of her illness, she went on to explain that she had already How to cite Critical Incident – Preconceived Ideas, Papers

Supply Chain of Apple-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Critically analyse the challenges Apple face in managing their global supply chain? Answer: Introduction: Supply chain management forms the base of the productivity of multinational companies, their revenue generation and consequent market leadership. Supply chains have become empirical to the competitive advantages companies enjoy in the global market. The supply chains the MNCs maintain also pose certain challenges to their user companies. The assignment would view the challenges posed by the supply chains through the lenses of Apple, the leader in the IT industry. The paper would also delve into the importance and hardships the companies face in strategic sourcing of raw materials and their expectations from the suppliers. The discussion with proceed on these three topics with Apple as the substratum. Supply chain challenges Apple Inc faces: Apple owing to its high-end and diverse product line has to face several challenges while operating in the global market: Competition from other multinational companies: The greatest challenge which Apple faces as far as supply chain in concerned is competition from other multinational companies. The product line of Apple consists of smart phones, Mac, music applications and hardwares, Ipads, TV app, smart watches and accessories. This means the company competes with multinational companies like Samsung and LG in terms of smart phones and smart watches, Google in terms of TV apps and Microsoft in case of Mac OS. The company in order to maintain high quality of these products and meet the demands of the upper class customers, its main customer segments, has to compete with these MNCs to get best quality hardware and software for its products. Moreover, the main operations of the company is concentrated in North America while Asian market is experiencing rapid rise in demand for products like smart phones and smart watches. The suppliers in the Asian market prefer supplying materials to Asian manufacturers like Samsung and Sony. Hence, it can be pointe d out that Apple faces stiff challenge in gaining the high quality raw materials for its products. Dependence on competitors: The second supply challenge which Apple faces in the global market is its dependence on competitors like Samsung for raw materials. Samsung is the largest manufacturer of electronic components like chips and batteries used in the electronic gadgets like smart phones. The company also supplies Apple with various components for its high end devices. Thus, Apple becomes dependence on its toughest competitor, Samsung for components for its products (samsung.com, 2018). This would give Samsung the power to control the product strategies and business operations of Apple indirectly. This heavy dependence on competitors is a big threat because it can pose serious threats to its productivity. For example, Apple often enters into legal disputes with its competitors and suppliers like Samsung over product features (usatoday.com, 2018). These disputes breach the relationship between the two companies which ultimately hampers the productivity of Apple since is former is dependent on the latter co mpanies for the components for its parts. Shipping challenges: Apple faces shipping challenges in its supply chain owing to macroeconomic influences over which the company has no control. Apple acquires components from selected number of suppliers spread all over the world. The company has also spread its supply and manufacturing operations into Asian nations like China to tap the markets growing profitability. The company is increasing depending on these overseas units for its supply of parts and manufacturing of its finished products. The differences in laws pertaining of crucial areas like manufacturing, shipping and labour in these countries pose serious threats to the productivity of the company. For example, it often takes months to get clearance to ship supply of components from China to the US manufacturing facilities. Again, riots and other political disturbances in the foreign markets from where Apple sources its supply of components pose serious threats to its continuous supply of raw materials and production of finished goods (firstp ost.com, 2018). This shows that shipping challenges stemming of political and other macro economical influences pose serious supply challenge to Apple. Sustainability issues of supplies: As pointed above, Apple is dependent on a limited number of suppliers for its supply of components. The suppliers of the company are spread all over the globe like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company manufactures the processors for Apple. Again, it obtains a large proportion of its components from local suppliers like China. These supplying companies are themselves coming under pressure like cost cutting and enforcement of sustainable production of parts. The governments of supplying countries like China today necessitate these companies to pay environmental taxes which add to their cost of production of parts they supply to Apple (xinhuanet.com, 2018). Thus, Apple has to acquire supply of raw materials at high prices which in turn adds to its own cost of production of its finished products. These financial sustainability issues faced by the suppliers often result them in supplying less amount of supplies to the company which in turn impacts productivity products (forbes.com, 2018). This fall in productivity results in delayed supply of finished products to the retailers and distributors, which are already reeling under increased expenditures just like the supplying companies. Thus, sustainability of the supply chains is one of the biggest challenges Apple faces while operating in the market. This issue is so serious that it has breached the markets goodwill of Apple as customers complain due to delay in supply of finished (fortune.com, 2018). Benefits and limitations of sourcing strategies and their application in Apple: Strategic sourcing has several advantages and limitations to the companies, especially MNCs like Apple whose supply chains spreads across continents. Advantages: The following are the advantages of strategic sourcing particularly in case of companies like Apple: Cost savings: The strategic sourcing enable companies to curtail their costs of acquiring raw materials and their overall cost of production. The companies like Apple have to acquire their components from various countries having different market conditions like tax rates. Thus factors adds to the cost of acquiring raw materials which adds to the cost of production. These factors impacts the production of finished products in the company which ultimately culminates in delay in supply of finished products to customers (bloomberg.com, 2018). This delay in supply of raw materials often result in loss of customers to its competitors and reduces the revenue generation of the company. This fall in revenue generation also impacts the capital generation of Apple as show in its share index below. Strategic management of sourcing of its main components would enable Apple to plan its sourcing according to the various parameters like costs. For example, Apple can source components from Europe for its American manufacturing facilities while for the Asian market it can source components from China or Taiwan (Brindley, 2017). Thus strategic sourcing would enable the company to reduce cost of sourcing of raw materials which would in turn reduce its cost of production, thus increasing its profit margin. Figure 1. Figure showing stock index of Apple Inc. (Source: nasdaq.com, 2018) Alignment of sourcing with business targets: Strategic sourcing of raw materials would enable Apple to align its sourcing of components with its business targets. The apex management of company today plan the ordering of materials as per the demand forecast of finished products. This means they order appropriate quantity of raw materials using methods like economic order quantity from suppliers which ensures smooth production (Nia, Far Niaki, 2014). Moreover, ordering appropriate raw materials prevents the companies from holding huge amount of inventory. This ensures liquidity of the current assets of companies which they can channelize to address other business needs. Again, the companies like Apple do not have to hold immense amount of finished goods which again ensures liquidity of capital and reduction of warehousing expenses. Apple can as a result make finished products available to customers which generates huge revenue. This analysis shows that the strategic sourcing enables MNCs like Apple align their sourcing of mater ials with their business targets like high revenue generation (ft.com, 2018). Limitations of strategic sourcing: Strategic sourcing of raw materials and components have following limitations: Delays decision making: Strategic sourcing requires companies align their acquisition of raw materials with their business decisions like demand forecast of finished goods which delays decision making. MNCs like Apple have tall organisational structure which delays decision making. For example, the organisational structure of Apple shows that the company has no specific person delegated to supervise sourcing of raw materials from specific markets at the apex level, which is the main criterion of strategic sourcing (apple.com, 2018). This delays decision-making regarding sourcing of components which results in loss of productivity and business opportunities. These loss of business opportunities add to losses of the companies. Thus, strategic sourcing apparently aligns sourcing raw materials and reduces costs but in reality tall structure and delay in decisions making adds to business losses to the company. Complicated process adds to the costs of operations: Strategic sourcing involves multiplicity of documentation, legal complications and results in surges in the costs of operations. Multinational companies align their sourcing of raw materials from different markets to the business strategies formed by the apex management. This requires the apex management to gain information about the market conditions in various countries like China and Taiwan (Stadtler, 2015). This prolongs the time required to source raw materials from these countries which delays actual sourcing of components, delays productivity and results in business losses. Moreover, if raw materials are sourced by the headquarters of Apple in the US from sourcing countries like China and Spain, it would involve legal complications and increase in costs due to involvement of two countries (the US and the raw materials supplying country) as well. However, if the branch offices do the sourcing, it would save legal complications, reduce multiplicity of documents and save costs. F or example, if the European subsidiaries of Apple sources raw materials from the European markets, they would be able to avail rebate due to the EU rates between the European nations. Thus, sourcing of raw by headquarters using strategic sourcing increases the complications and costs to acquire the raw materials (Seidel et al., 2015). Performance objectives suppliers of Apple are expected to meet: Multinational companies expect their suppliers to meet the following objectives while operating in the markets and provide them with raw materials: High quality raw materials: The multinational companies expect their suppliers to provide them with high quality raw materials. For example, Apple expects suppliers of its components to provide it with high quality electronic goods components and software. One of the product strategies of Apple is to produce limited number of high quality products to upper class customers and maintain leadership in the market. This means that the company needs to source high quality components from its suppliers. The company requires its suppliers to provide it with high quality components in conformity with its central quality standards (Chan, Pun Selden, 2016). Ethical business behaviour: The suppliers are expected to aim to operate in ethical manner while operating in the market. The suppliers are expected to abstain from using unethical means like discrimination among their employees on basis of gender and use of child labour while operating in the market (apple.com, 2018). Conclusion: One can sum up from the discussion that strategic management of supply chains bear great importance to companies. However, global supply chains cannot be controlled efficiently from the headquarters of the companies alone. The companies must delegate power to their branch offices to take decisions regarding supply chain management. The aim of the companies while controlling their supply chain management should be sourcing of quality raw materials to enable production of high quality finished products which are able to meet the expectations of the customers. The companies should ensure that they control their supply to ensure maintaining just the correct amount of stock of raw materials and finished goods. They must also ensure that their suppliers not only supply them with high quality materials but also operate ethically in the market. The companies like Apple must impose ethical obligations on their suppliers to enforce ethical business conduct. References: Apple Inc. (AAPL) Stock Chart. (2018).NASDAQ.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/aapl/stock-chart Apple Leadership. (2018).Apple. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.apple.com/leadership/ Apple Swallowed a Fly. (2018).bloomberg.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2017-10-23/apple-losing-its-supply-chain-mojo-is-a-major-threat' Asgary, N., Li, G. (2016). Corporate social responsibility: Its economic impact and link to the bullwhip effect.Journal of Business Ethics,135(4), 665-681. Big Tech Has the Supply Chain Blues. (2018).Fortune. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://fortune.com/2016/12/21/big-tech-has-the-supply-chain-blues/ Brindley, C. (Ed.). (2017).Supply chain risk. Taylor Francis. Chan, J., Pun, N., Selden, M. (2016). Apple, Foxconn, and Chinas new working class. ILR Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press. China starts collecting environment tax - Xinhua | English.news.cn. (2018).Xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/01/c_136865174.htm Fahimnia, B., Sarkis, J., Davarzani, H. (2015). Green supply chain management: A review and bibliometric analysis.International Journal of Production Economics,162, 101-114. Forbes Welcome. (2018).Forbes.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jwebb/2017/10/30/apples-supply-chain-attracts-criticism-for-performance-but-also-praise-for-sustainability/#10b959cb7398 Foxconn profits tumble on iPhone X supply chain challenges. (2018).Ft.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.ft.com/content/a7421056-c9d4-11e7-ab18-7a9fb7d6163e Home, T., Analysis, N., 2018, M. (2018).Workers riot in China factory of Apple supplier Foxconn- Technology News, Firstpost.Tech2. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/workers-riot-in-china-factory-of-apple-supplier-foxconn-2-3608881.html. LeBaron, G., Lister, J. (2015). Benchmarking global supply chains: the power of the ethical auditregime.Review of International Studies,41(5), 905-924. Monczka, R. M., Handfield, R. B., Giunipero, L. C., Patterson, J. L. (2015).Purchasing and supply chain management. Cengage Learning. Nia, A. R., Far, M. H., Niaki, S. T. A. (2014). A fuzzy vendor managed inventory of multi-item economic order quantity model under shortage: An ant colony optimization algorithm.International Journal of Production Economics,155, 259-271. Porter, M. E., Kramer, M. R. (2019). Creating shared value. InManaging Sustainable Business(pp. 327-350). Springer, Dordrecht. Ptak, C. A., Schragenheim, E. (2016).ERP: tools, techniques, and applications for integrating the supply chain. Crc Press. Samsung Semiconductor Global Official Website | Samsung | Samsung Semiconductor Global Website. (2018).Samsung.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/ Samsung wins Supreme Court fight with Apple. (2018).USA TODAY. Retrieved 27 March 2018, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/06/supreme-court-samsung-apple-smartphone-iphone-design-patent/94570296/ Schleper, M. C., Blome, C., Wuttke, D. A. (2017). The dark side of buyer power: Supplier exploitation and the role of ethical climates.Journal of business ethics,140(1), 97-114. Seidel, K., Kahl, J., Paoletti, F., Birlouez, I., Busscher, N., Kretzschmar, U., ... Baiamonte, I. (2015). Quality assessment of baby food made of different pre-processed organic raw materials under industrial processing conditions.Journal of food science and technology,52(2), 803-812. Stadtler, H. (2015). Supply chain management: An overview. InSupply chain management and advanced planning(pp. 3-28). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. Thorlakson, T., de Zegher, J. F., Lambin, E. F. (2018). Companies contribution to sustainability through global supply chains.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201716695. Voegtlin, C. (2016). What does it mean to be responsible? Addressing the missing responsibility dimension in ethical leadership research.Leadership,12(5), 581-60

Kenneth MacKinnons Masculinity in the Movies

Introduction Masculinity power dominated the movie industry during the late 20th century. The movie industry used masculinity to depict heroism since many film stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and many others were male. â€Å"The stress in these movies on physical size, strength, and the ability to use violence effectively suggested that masculine identity was being linked with the use of the body as an instrument of power and control†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mackinnon 290).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Kenneth MacKinnon‘s ‘Masculinity in the Movies’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The dominance of male stars in the movies and depiction of heroism from a masculine perspective has shaped perception of masculinity in the Western culture. To prop his argument, Kenneth Mackinnon analyzed movie genres, specific movies, and the film stars that provide vast evidences, which support the diversity of masculinity images that have shaped masculine identity in the Western culture over a long period. Movie Genres The action movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Terminator, Die Hard, amongst other popular action movies promoted heroism by relying upon physical strength and power of masculinity. Action movies focus on the heroic abilities of the actors while overlooking issues of feminism, romance, marriage, and family. Mackinnon argues that, â€Å"if love for the family and female partners in romance is demonstrated and supported, that sort of love is less emotional engaging than the hero’s feelings for his sidekick† (291). In the action movies, heroic activities are paramount in that, other actions or feminine issues just complement the scope of the movie relative to reality. James Bond and John Rambo’s movies tend to portray that femininity affects masculinity, and thus weakens the status of heroism. When James Bond involved a w oman in his movie, his heroic ability weakened as he sidelined heroic activities and focused on pleasure. John Rambo on the other hand limited his contact with women by staying in isolation to concentrate on the masculine powers that define Western heroism. In war films, male dominance reflects characteristics of competent soldiers with heroic qualities. The armed forces train boys to become soldiers by isolating them from females and making them undergo rigorous training that increases their masculinity to differentiate them from femininity. Typical soldier must focus on acquiring heroic skills and avoid external influences that are distractive. Slasher and Illness movies portray that masculinity is more vulnerable to violence and AIDS respectively as compared to femininity; hence, males experience many cases of death.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The sports and comedy movies further illustrate the ideal masculinity in terms of fatherhood. Field of Dreams movie is not simply about baseball, â€Å"it involves a return to ideal fatherhood †¦the currently devalued father must be reclaimed, together with his caring life-giving power if men are to regain their potential† (Mackinnon 296). The New Bad Future movie shifts the idea of masculinity into the use of machines and technology. These movies tend to show masculinity as having the ability to tame and control the universe. Pornographic movies idealize men and present them as erotic objects of heterosexuality. Specific Movies The movie, Born on the Fourth of July by Don Kunz presents masculinity in terms of traditional gendered roles of Vietnamese. The movie illustrates how masculine attitudes permeate cultural, political, and religious spheres thus shaping the domination of masculinity in the society. â€Å"The pre-Vietnam portion indicates the binary oppositions on which traditional masculini ty seems to rest: to win, others must be losers; to live, others must die; to be a man, others must be women or feminized† (Mackinnon 300). The Vietnamese traditions defined the gendered roles that enhanced masculinity and debased femininity. Dead Ringers by David Cronenberg describes hysterical expressions of men in respond to phallic panic while the Crying Game by Neil Jordan describes the identity of masculinity in terms of sex and politics. The Crying Game depicts how the patriarchy demands femininity to be weak to be dependent on strong masculinity, which gives support. Richard Coward in The Full Monty movie presents revolution of masculinity in the view of millennium. The movie describes the reversed roles of masculinity because â€Å"†¦men’s roles, particularly in the context of large-scale male redundancy †¦ have embarked on a new career as strippers for female audiences, and they have learned that their one asset is the ability to sell their bodies ( Mackinnon 301). The movie predicts how independent woman influences gender revolution and threatens masculinity. Ransom by Krin Gabard elevates Western masculinity by illustrating that a hero cannot marry or become a family man because it reduces autonomy that befits heroes. The ability of a man to resist marriage and become independent defines masculinity and heroism in Western culture. Film Stars Warren Betty is a film star who has contradicting gender perceptions. Although he presents qualities of masculinity, he is very much appealing to femininity. His incoherent stand has made him more of feminine than masculine implying that masculinity can have orientations of femininity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Kenneth MacKinnon‘s ‘Masculinity in the Movies’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Clink Eastwood is another film star who portrays extra-cinematic masculinity activities. â€Å"Eastwood is often presented in terms of masochistic object, not only suffering pain and humiliation, but also constituting an object of the gaze – his naked walk nearly the length of the penitentiary close to the beginning of Escape from Alcatraz† (Mackinnon 303). Since Eastwood distanced himself from his family, he is depicting an element of heroism in masculinity. Recent film stars still illustrate ideal qualities of masculinity. In the Movie American Psycho, Patrick Bateman is a serial killer, a wandering and homeless dude, with erotic relationship with women who are his victims. â€Å"He has constructed himself out of glossy men’s magazines, regarding himself as an expert in the male fashion, grooming, restaurants and the music† (Mackinnon 308). He represents masculinity perceptions of the Westerners. In the Billy Elliot movie, Jamie Bell did not follow his ambition of becoming a ballet dancer lest he become less masculine or feminized because the loss of masc ulinity relates to homosexuality. His parents discourage him from becoming a ballet dancer, which changes his view of masculinity. This implies that traditional stereotypes of masculinity shape culture. Conclusion Kenneth Mackinnon’s masculinity in the movies’ underscores how masculinity in movies has changed not only the Western culture, but also all cultures around the world. To prove his argument, Mackinnon explored diverse genres of movies, specific movies and the characters of the film stars. Although masculinity dominated during 1960s and 1970s, femininity issues did rise in 1980s that saw emergence of call for gender equality. For many years, masculinity has been dominating movie images but currently, there seems to be an equal depiction of femininity and masculinity in the society. The technological advances have enabled women to perform activities hitherto reserved for men only. Works Cited MacKinnon, Kenneth. â€Å"Introduction to Communication Studies.† Masculinity in the  Movies, (n.d): 289-311. This essay on Kenneth MacKinnon‘s ‘Masculinity in the Movies’ was written and submitted by user Zackary L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Molecular Equation Definition in Chemistry

Molecular Equation Definition in Chemistry A molecular equation is a balanced chemical equation in which the ionic compounds are expressed as molecules instead of component ions. Examples One example of a molecular formula is: KNOMolecular Versus Ionic Equations For a reaction involving ionic compounds, there are three types of equations that can be written: molecular equations, complete ionic equations, and net ionic equations. All of these equations have their place in chemistry. A molecular equation is valuable because it shows exactly what substances were used in a reaction. A complete ionic equation shows all the ions in a solution, while a net ionic equation shows only the ions that participate in a reaction to form products. For example, in the reaction between sodium chloride (NaCl) and silver nitrate (AgNO3), the molecular equation is: NaCl(aq) AgNOThe complete ionic equation is: NaThe net ionic equation is written by canceling out the species that appear on both sides of the complete ionic equation and thus dont contribute to the reaction. For this example, the net ionic equation is: Ag

April Greiman

After acknowledging her great interest in art, she applied to several art schools and was accepted into the Kansas City Art Institute where she received a BFA in Graphic Design. Later on, with the influence of the principles of Modernism and exploration of technology, she continued her education by enrolling in a graduate program at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. The experience and skills she gained from her educational background allowed her to explore the aesthetics of a computerized world, the art of digital design and visual communication. Around the mid-1970s, Greiman decided to explore a different environment from New York and moved to Los Angeles, California where she started her own design business known as â€Å"Made in Space, Inc. †. Greiman is recognized as a pioneer in computerized design, her style is based on the exploration of words, images and the usage of color in space by combining art with modern technology. She was highly inspired by the landscape of the Death Valley; A landscape that continues to inspire her work and change the way she analyzes dimensions, objects and color. Her style is often seen as American Postmodernism with an influence of Swiss design coming from her educational background. Because of her work and style, April Greiman has been recognized for her potential in utilizing computers as an innovative medium to transform the art world. Around 1980s, Greiman took a risk and decided to support and explore the initiative proposed by Macintosh of using computer design. This new genre in art quickly confirmed Greiman’s position as the pioneer of visual communication and design. Her eagerness to learn and explore this new medium is what has gotten her the respect and appreciation for her work. Her ability to engage the audience and embrace spaces by providing a floating effect to her work, combining architecture and typographic forms allowed her to become one of the most prominent icons in the design world. In 1982, April Greiman was selected head of the design department at the California Institute of the Arts. Throughout her time in CalArts, she focused on her role as an educator and the importance of transforming design. Greiman was able to take advantage of the state of the art equipment that was provided by the institution and began to combine video and media images in her work. Her input in this field and her accomplishments successfully gave her the opportunity to make this department more focused in a variety of ideas other than design renaming this field as visual communication. The popularity and recognition April Greiman gained over the years is mostly because of of her creativity, experience working with graphics and implementation of visual communication with the use of technological devices. As an Artist and educator, she has been able to work in a number of posters and websites for her clientele, she is the author of several design books including Hybrid Imagery: The Fusion of Technology and Graphic Design and Something from Nothing. She is such a great inspiration for young artists and designers that her work has been exhibited in important institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, the School of Visual Arts, the Pasadena Museum of California Art,among others. In addition, Greiman has been awarded numerous honors that include: the American Institute of Graphic Arts’Gold Medal, a Chrysler Design Award and also Hallmark Corporation’s Hall Chair Fellowship. Greiman is well known for her work Does it make sense? a piece accepted by the Design Quarterly magazine from which she became the guest artist. This piece became a 3Ãâ€"6 poster that unfolded and was specifically done only in computer design. This piece contained the image of her nude self-portrait, containing various typographic effects and symbols throughout. This work completely pushed boundaries and forced artists to ethink the capacity for computers to make an impact in the art world and communication. In this sense, her work completely challenged the original and traditional notions of the magazine and of art by combining text with image, and expanding a new world of imagination and creativity for the upcoming generations following her steps. Hand holding a bowl of ri ce is an important addition to her work, it is a public art commission located in korea town, Los Angeles, CA. This piece was done in two walls of a building, the image is the screen shot of a video footage shot by Greiman, the image was later translated into oil paint. This piece clearly encompasses her style in dimension, usage of color and placement of objects. The art work was made to honor rice as an important symbol of abundance in the Asian culture. â€Å"I see everything as an object in space†¦when web design came into the realm of possibilities†¦I was already looking at it as spatial media† -AG In addition to the public art and other installations, Greiman is also known by her work with photography and her exhibition of Drive by Shooting strictly digital photography. This exhibition is made up of images that Greiman began to take over the years while driving her car. The exploration of this aspect of photography sparked the importance of nature and detail, the interaction of the lens with the moving environment, the experimentation of light, form, texture, and the ability to manipulate and create a spatial astonishing experience through digital work. April Greiman’s work continues to expand with her collaboration with architects in the design of spaces. Miracle Manor a well known spa located in California, is the perfect representation of her creativity and exploration of the design principles. After a long and successful career under her belt, Greiman continues her great vision of design with the interaction in a diversity of environments. As an important and well known designer, Greiman has the experience of working for important institutions such as the US Postal service, Aol/Time Warner in addition to Microsoft. The support and respect from such important companies and her development as a successful and more knowledgeable artist is what keeps her passion for design strong and strengthens her position as a pioneer in the graphic design world. April Greiman After acknowledging her great interest in art, she applied to several art schools and was accepted into the Kansas City Art Institute where she received a BFA in Graphic Design. Later on, with the influence of the principles of Modernism and exploration of technology, she continued her education by enrolling in a graduate program at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. The experience and skills she gained from her educational background allowed her to explore the aesthetics of a computerized world, the art of digital design and visual communication. Around the mid-1970s, Greiman decided to explore a different environment from New York and moved to Los Angeles, California where she started her own design business known as â€Å"Made in Space, Inc. †. Greiman is recognized as a pioneer in computerized design, her style is based on the exploration of words, images and the usage of color in space by combining art with modern technology. She was highly inspired by the landscape of the Death Valley; A landscape that continues to inspire her work and change the way she analyzes dimensions, objects and color. Her style is often seen as American Postmodernism with an influence of Swiss design coming from her educational background. Because of her work and style, April Greiman has been recognized for her potential in utilizing computers as an innovative medium to transform the art world. Around 1980s, Greiman took a risk and decided to support and explore the initiative proposed by Macintosh of using computer design. This new genre in art quickly confirmed Greiman’s position as the pioneer of visual communication and design. Her eagerness to learn and explore this new medium is what has gotten her the respect and appreciation for her work. Her ability to engage the audience and embrace spaces by providing a floating effect to her work, combining architecture and typographic forms allowed her to become one of the most prominent icons in the design world. In 1982, April Greiman was selected head of the design department at the California Institute of the Arts. Throughout her time in CalArts, she focused on her role as an educator and the importance of transforming design. Greiman was able to take advantage of the state of the art equipment that was provided by the institution and began to combine video and media images in her work. Her input in this field and her accomplishments successfully gave her the opportunity to make this department more focused in a variety of ideas other than design renaming this field as visual communication. The popularity and recognition April Greiman gained over the years is mostly because of of her creativity, experience working with graphics and implementation of visual communication with the use of technological devices. As an Artist and educator, she has been able to work in a number of posters and websites for her clientele, she is the author of several design books including Hybrid Imagery: The Fusion of Technology and Graphic Design and Something from Nothing. She is such a great inspiration for young artists and designers that her work has been exhibited in important institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, the School of Visual Arts, the Pasadena Museum of California Art,among others. In addition, Greiman has been awarded numerous honors that include: the American Institute of Graphic Arts’Gold Medal, a Chrysler Design Award and also Hallmark Corporation’s Hall Chair Fellowship. Greiman is well known for her work Does it make sense? a piece accepted by the Design Quarterly magazine from which she became the guest artist. This piece became a 3Ãâ€"6 poster that unfolded and was specifically done only in computer design. This piece contained the image of her nude self-portrait, containing various typographic effects and symbols throughout. This work completely pushed boundaries and forced artists to ethink the capacity for computers to make an impact in the art world and communication. In this sense, her work completely challenged the original and traditional notions of the magazine and of art by combining text with image, and expanding a new world of imagination and creativity for the upcoming generations following her steps. Hand holding a bowl of ri ce is an important addition to her work, it is a public art commission located in korea town, Los Angeles, CA. This piece was done in two walls of a building, the image is the screen shot of a video footage shot by Greiman, the image was later translated into oil paint. This piece clearly encompasses her style in dimension, usage of color and placement of objects. The art work was made to honor rice as an important symbol of abundance in the Asian culture. â€Å"I see everything as an object in space†¦when web design came into the realm of possibilities†¦I was already looking at it as spatial media† -AG In addition to the public art and other installations, Greiman is also known by her work with photography and her exhibition of Drive by Shooting strictly digital photography. This exhibition is made up of images that Greiman began to take over the years while driving her car. The exploration of this aspect of photography sparked the importance of nature and detail, the interaction of the lens with the moving environment, the experimentation of light, form, texture, and the ability to manipulate and create a spatial astonishing experience through digital work. April Greiman’s work continues to expand with her collaboration with architects in the design of spaces. Miracle Manor a well known spa located in California, is the perfect representation of her creativity and exploration of the design principles. After a long and successful career under her belt, Greiman continues her great vision of design with the interaction in a diversity of environments. As an important and well known designer, Greiman has the experience of working for important institutions such as the US Postal service, Aol/Time Warner in addition to Microsoft. The support and respect from such important companies and her development as a successful and more knowledgeable artist is what keeps her passion for design strong and strengthens her position as a pioneer in the graphic design world.

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 26

Reaction paper - Essay Example The justice system of the Third Reich was infamous in its trial less execution of the unwanted peoples as a Final Solution. The creation of concentration camps ensured that these people were taken down efficiently – their bodies were scavenged for hair and their physical labour was employed to accomplish war tasks. Once these people were unable to support themselves for basic daily tasks it was simple for them to be classified as unwanted. These unwanted people were subsequently subjected to gas chambers after which their bodies were burnt. David Cole like other revisionists tries to underpin this major truth by presenting evidence that can hardly be used to stake any claim. In most other cases, Cole is presenting refutations of evidence presented to support the holocaust theory. The absence of mass graves could result simply from the fact that the bodies were burned in order to dispose of them efficiently. These burnt corpses served as excellent fertiliser and there was no need to bury them or to be concerned of diseases spreading from rotting corpses. The unaccounted for souls in the Second World War were not only Jews, Poles or other races but human beings first and

Management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management plan - Essay Example Quitting is never a good decision pertaining to this case; rather she can opt for a better opportunity. A winner never quits and he or she has to march towards their goal facing all the hurdles in life. Not all the organizations will have the same problem. But at this time she should develop an attitude to manage with the difficulties in the institution created by the higher officials. Since her educational status is primary requirement, she should enquire about different schools which can provide distance learning programs or evening colleges which will offer her the required degree. So that she does not loose the experience in the work and also completes her course in the ordained time. In this present case she has to learn to cope up with the present situation of the organization. Parallel to this she should make every effort to look for an alternate; she should be prepared in mind not to look for rewards or recognition since she cannot get what she expects in this organization. The time taken for accomplishing things for the decision she made will includes time taken to shift to a new job (Full time or part-time) and as well as to complete her degree. a. The decision made will be evaluated on the outcomes of the decision. With reference to her situation it is obvious that she should make a decision with minimal risk or no risk.

Has the lottery replaced the government in the funding of education Essay Example for Free

Has the lottery replaced the government in the funding of education Essay The overarching aims of education underlie the construction of the curriculum and funding. Education, in the broader sense, aims to develop the individual, to enlarge a child’s knowledge, experience and imaginative understanding, and thus his awareness of moral values and capacity for enjoyment and also to enable the child to take his place in society. The school education on the other hand, has the aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve, to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Consider the school of the late 20th century. It has not changed a whole lot in the last fifty years or so. Isolated from the rest of the world except for one or two school-business partnerships. Working at the edges of the school, these partnerships attempt to provide students with some insight into the working world or give some marginal discretionary resources for the principal to use. The resources are used on one of a multitude of unrelated programs that the school has set up to cope with the problems that society has dumped on the school. The school itself has created barriers that shelter and isolate it from the work of the world that goes on around it. The technological innovations that are pervasive in the business world have yet to penetrate the classrooms except for a single computer in each classroom that the teacher barely knows how to use. Few business people, even the partners, ever come to school; those who do are shocked by the conditions they find and by the discipline problems with which teachers must contend. Still they are comforted by the fact that school feels pretty much like it did when they went to school. On the other hand, the quality of services on a university campus is one thing; to measure the quality of manufactured goods is another matter. Chubb, J. and Moe, T. takes this further and says that a service cannot be objectively measured. Such frustration stems from the difference between services and goods. For example, educational services are intangible and cannot be packaged, displayed or inspected fully by prospective students. Services also have a perishability problem because they cannot be stored for future delivery: when students cut class, the professors time is wasted. Unlike goods, services are difficult to separate from their provider: an academic course is as fascinating or as boring as the professor. There is also a lot of variability in services. For example, the mood of the professor could impinge on his or her tolerance for chatting in class. Services are difficult to standardize. Unlike manufactured goods, services are not as susceptible to strict quality control. With regards to these needs in education, more states are actually looking for fund in order to pursue educational development. Out of 42 states that uses lottery, 24 of it uses the proceeds for school financing aside from the support of the government. In line with this research, the data that describes the 2005 and 2006 development of schools in each state considered. Basically, this paper attempts to identify if the massive lottery practices in each states promotes educational development in terms of funding. The Report  From the previous discussion, The Chicago Reporter found out that the lottery does not supplement school funding, even though the proceeds goes directly the state’s Common School Fund. On the other hand, the South Carolina Education Lottery was approved by constitutional referendum in 2000, and implemented shortly thereafter. In contrast to other education lotteries, the legislation establishing the lottery contains substantive measures to ensure that lottery revenues supplement, rather than replace, general fund tax revenues earmarked for education. Aside from this, the involvement of lottery in funding the schools’ needs show a good advantage as California Performance Review supported the option. California lottery players, retailers and, most importantly, its public schools, all stand to gain from changing state laws that restrict the lotterys ability to increase sales. These changes are not only consistent with the mandated purpose of The Lottery Act as approved by the voters, they represent the only risk-free way to ensure that lottery dollars to education will not actually decrease. In line with this, this paper will evaluate and compare the current development in 46 states in which 24 of it uses the proceeds of lottery to education while the other 22 only uses the support of the government. The Method To determine the current performance of schools in 46 states, the researcher compares the amount of budget between states w/ lottery proceeds used in school funding and states w/o lottery proceeds used in school funding. To determine the difference of budget between these states and the status of development in each school, the researcher conducted an analysis from the data obtained in these 46 states (The distribution of data is shown in the Appendix A) using t-test procedures. From 24 schools that are currently using lottery proceeds, the analysis of their education budget was also compared to their previous years in which lottery proceeds is not being considered (see Appendix B). The use of its mean and coefficient of variation are performed for evaluation of budget.

Grape Growing :: Botany

Grape Growing Plants have been the most important objects which people have borrowed from their neighbors in their business of advancing civilization. All the high civilizations have been built up upon cereal grasses, barley, wheat, rice, and maize. The introduction of the potato from the Andes to the Old World brought a series of major economic and social revolutions, and examples of the same kind are many. But the case of grape-vine, Vitis vinifera, is a special and peculiar one. Its wine is not a necessity of any people's diet, yet it has colonized the greater part of those climatic zones which are congenial to it, and it has done so, very often to the detriment of the people's essential food supplies. There have been three principle forces for this, spleen, religion, and profit. First, the human condition being what it is, only a very small number of very primitive tribes have failed to develop some intoxicant to help man face the facts of life. Poppy juice, toxic fungi, the dried flowers of a coccus, the leaves of coco bush, but neither of them can compare in economic and social importance with alcohol. And the wine of the grape has long been the least concerning medium in which alcohol can be taken and the least liable to dangerous abuse. Secondly, the strange power of intoxicants to release the human spirit from the control of mind led to their being regarded with superstitious awe. Their use became a religious rite and this was the case of wine, as of others. In the sixth century B.C., Orphism gave a new, long and civilized lease of power to the formerly savage and barbarous religion of Dionysus; the use of wine in the rites entered into the later religious of the Mediterranean peoples; and Christianity, by the encharistic use of wine, borrowed from elder cults, carried the religious significance of wine-drinking forward into the two Christian civilizations, the Greek and the Latin. The massive conservation of these two branches of Christianity accomplished what no other social force could have done--maintained the religious attribute of an intoxicant into a sophisticated technological epoch. Thirdly, the cash yield per acre-man-hour of viticulture has nearly always been from three to ten times as great as that from any other kind of fanning or gardening. However, in fact, two forces working against the vine, one natural, the other social, have limited the spread of vineyards even further.

Mhr Individual Case Study Essay

The textbook defines profit sharing plan as â€Å"A system whereby an employer pays compensation or benefits to employees, usually on an annual basis, in addition to their regular wage, on the basis of the profits of the company† (Page 352). This plan can either be a really great plan or a terrible plan because it ultimately depends on the profits earned by the company in a given time period. Let’s say for a certain month the company is doing really great in profits and business is good than the employees will be really happy and earn a lot more than they’ve earned in the past, But if the company fails to generate a lot of profit the next year than wages for the employees will decrease and be more lower than it was before which will make employees upset and earn less money. The idea of imposing a PS plan is so that employees are motivated to work hard so that they can make money as possible and the company can be profitable. It’s a drive to get employees to help the business become successful so ultimately it’s a win-win situation between the employees and company. I would tell Robert Clark to continue with his plans on proposing this idea of making a PS plan. This PS plan will be great for this Maple Shoes Company because it will motivate employees to work hard and become more productive in their work field so that Maple Shoes can make as much money as possible and results to a good company image. 2. Do you see a possibility of convincing Maple Leaf Shoes’ unions to buy in on a PS plan? I believe the union members will not buy into the PS incentive plan because it ultimately depends on how much the company makes over a certain period of time. There is always a possibility that there will be no profits or low profits during a period of time. The amount of profit Maple Leaf Shoe is making is highly unstable but one moment you might be getting a lot of money and another moment you will be getting paid under what you used to get paid. This plan has a lot of ups and downs but it’s really like gambling because you can win a lot of money and lose a lot also. I can see how this plan might be able to increase production of employees because it will motivate employees to work harder to help the company earn more profits. But sometimes the employees will do everything their supposed to do and maybe the company doesn’t make profits because of other reasons like competitions or other factors that employees can’t control. Also Maple Leaf Shoe production costs are steadily increasing which means they need to make a lot more money to cover their high costs. There is a low possibility that Union will accept this PS plan because there is too much gamble and risk. 3. What other incentive plans are suitable for Maple Leaf Shoes? The three incentive plans that will be more beneficial to the Maple Leaf Shoes company is production incentive plans, employee stocks ownership plans (ESOPs), and Scanlon plan. Production incentive plans are plans that â€Å"allow groups of workers of workers to receive bonuses for exceeding predetermined levels of output† (Page 351). This will motivate employees to work harder and be more productive than they were before. Employees would want to work more than there supposed to so that they earn more money and the company benefits because it will have a lot of employees that will do a lot more for them that will ultimately generate more profits. Employee stocks ownership plans (ESOPs) is a plan that gives employees ownership of the company and gives them voting rights within the company. This is advantageous because it allows employees to feel that they are part of the company instead of being related to as an asset to the company. Employees would want to work for a company that they represent and have ownership in because they will treat the company as their own and do whatever it takes to get the company more profits. The two plans previous are all determined on factors that employees can’t control with is the profit the company makes. Scanlon plans as stated in the textbook is â€Å"An incentive plan developed by Joseph Scanlon that has as its general objective the reduction of labour costs through increased efficiency and the sharing of resultant savings among workers† (Page 352). This plan is great for employees because it rewards them based on the labour costs, a factor they can control. Works Cited List Schwind, H. F. , Das, H. , ;amp; Wagar, T. H. (2010). Canadian human resource management: a strategic approach (9th ed. ). Whitby, Ont. : McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 17

Not for the dragon. She jumped for the tree. It was a good, tall loblolly pine, whose drooping lower branches didn't look as if they could support a kitten. But Keller didn't need support. As she leaped, she changed, pushing it as fast as she could. She reached the tree with four paws full of lethal claws extended. And she ran straight up the vertical surface. Her claws sank into the clean, cinnamon trunk, and she shot up like a rocket. When she got high enough to be obscured by the dull-green needles on the droopy branches, she launched herself into the air again. It was a desperate move, betting everything on one blind spring. But it was all she could think of. She could never take the dragon in a fair fight. She was betting on her claws. In the wild, a panther could shear the head off a deer with a single swipe. Keller was going for the horns. She came down right on target. The dragon made the mistake of looking up at her, maybe thinking that she was trying to get behind it, to land on its back again and kill it. Or maybe thinking that she might see the pale face of an innocent girl and hesitate. Whatever it thought, it was a mistake. Keller was already slashing as she landed. A single deadly swipe with all her power behind it. Her claws peeled the forehead off the creature in a spray of blood and flesh. The screaming roar almost burst her eardrums. It was the sound she'd heard before in the mall, a sound so deep in pitch that she felt it as much as heard it. It shook her bones, and it reverberated in every tree and in the red clay of the ground. And that was another mistake, although Keller didn't know it at once. At the same instant as she heard the roar, she felt the pain. The dark power crackled through her like a whiplash and tore her own involuntary scream from her. It was worse than the first time she'd felt it, ten times worse, maybe more. The dragon was much stronger. And it followed her. Like a real whip, it flashed across the clearing after her. It hit her again as she hit the ground, and Keller screamed again. It hurt. She tried to scrabble away, but the pain made her weak, and she fell over on her side. And then the black energy hit her right shoulder-exactly where it had hit the first time in the mall. Keller saw white light. And then she was falling in darkness. Her last thought was, I didn't get it. I couldn't have. It still has power. Diana, I'm sorry†¦ She stopped feeling anything. She opened her eyes slowly. Hurts†¦ She was looking up at the dragon. It had dropped Iliana; Keller couldn't see where. And it was staring down at her in malevolent fury, obviously waiting for her to wake up so she could feel it when it killed her. When he killed her. He'd taken on the shape he'd been wearing in the beginning. A young man with clean, handsome features and a nicely muscled if compact body. Black hair that shed rainbow colors under the moonlight and looked as fine and soft as her own fur. And those obsidian eyes. It was hard to look away from those eyes. They seemed to capture her gaze and suck her in. They were so much more like stones than eyes, silver-black, shiny stones that seemed to reflect all light out again. But when she managed to drag her gaze upward, she felt a thrill of hope. His forehead was a bleeding ruin. She had gotten him. Her slash had carved a nice hamburger-sized piece out of his scalp. Somewhere on the ground in the clearing were two little stubby horns. But only two; there were three left on his head. He must have turned at the last instant. Keller would have cursed if she had a human throat. â€Å"How're you feeling?† the dragon said, and leered at her form under the gory mess of his scalp. Keller tried to snarl at him and realized that she did have a human throat. She must have collapsed back into her half-and-half form, and she was too weak to change back again. â€Å"Having trouble?† the dragon asked. Keller croaked, â€Å"You should never have come back.† â€Å"Wrong,† the dragon said. â€Å"I like the modern world.† â€Å"You should have stayed asleep. Who woke you up?† She was buying time, of course, to try and regain some strength. But she also truly wanted to know. The dragon laughed. â€Å"Someone,† he said. â€Å"Someone you'll never know. A witch who isn't a witch. We made our own alliance.† Keller didn't understand, and her brain was too fuzzy to deal with it. But just at that moment, she noticed something else. Movement behind the dragon. The figures that had been lying on the ground were stirring. And they were doing it stealthily, in ways that showed they were awake and with their wits about them. They were alive. She could see Galen's head lift, with moonlight shining on his hair as he looked at her. She could see Winnie turn toward Iliana and begin to crawl. She could see Nissa's shoulders hump and then fall back. Later, when they were asked, they would all say the same thing had brought them to awareness: a deep rumbling sound that vibrated in their bones. The dragon's roar. Or, at least, three of them would say that. Galen would always say that all he heard was Keller's scream and his eyes came open. The surge of hope she felt made Keller's heart beat hard and wiped away the pain-for the moment, at least. But she was terrified of giving the dragon some clue. She didn't dare look at Galen any longer. She stared at the dragon's black stone eyes and thought with all her strength, Get away. Get away, take the Jeep, take Diana. He may not be able to follow you. Run. â€Å"Your time's over,† she told the dragon out loud. â€Å"The shapeshifters don't want you anymore. Everything has changed.† â€Å"And it's changing again,† the dragon said. â€Å"The end of the world is coming, and the beginning of a new one. It's time for everything that's sleeping to wake back up again.† Keller had a horrified vision of hundreds of dragons being dug up and brought back to life. But there was something going on in the clearing that was even more horrifying to her. Galen wasn't getting away. He was slithering on his stomach toward her. And Winnie, the idiot, was beside Diana nowbut she wasn't dragging her to the Jeep. She seemed to be whispering to her. Keller felt a hot wave of utter desperation. What can I do? If the dragon sees them, they're all dead. There's nothing any of them can do against him. Galen's not a warrior-he can't change. Nissa looks too hurt to move. Winnie's orange fire won't even singe the dragon. And Diana will get swatted like a butterfly. They can't do anything. I have to. She was so tired and hurt, and her claws were much less lethal than in her full panther form. But she had to do it, and she had to do it now. â€Å"Go back where you came from!† she shouted. She bunched her muscles and jumped. Right for him. Straight on. That was what took him by surprise, the sheer insanity of the attack. He threw the black energy at her, but he couldn't stop her leap. Her claws ripped into his forehead again, and then she fell back. The dragon's scream split the heavens. Dizzy with pain and shock, Keller stared at him, hoping desperately†¦ But she'd taken only one horn off. He still had two. He thrashed around in wounded fury, then threw the dark power at her again. Keller shuddered and lost her balance. She crashed to the ground and lay there, limp. â€Å"Keller!† The scream was full of such raw anguish that it hurt Keller's throat to hear it. It made her heart throb hard and then fall in sick dismay. Galen, no, she thought. Don't bother with me. You have to get Iliana away. â€Å"Keller!† he screamed again, and then he was beside her, holding her. â€Å"No . ? .† she whispered. She couldn't say more than that. She looked at him pleadingly with the eyes of a dumb beast. If he died, too, it would make her own death meaningless. The dragon was still screaming, both hands to his forehead. He seemed to be too angry to attack. â€Å"Keller, hang on. Please, you have to hang on.† Galen was dripping tears on her face. â€Å"Run†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. Instead, he did the most gallant thing she had ever seen. He was already holding her, his shaky hand stroking the hair off her face, brushing one of her tufted ears. Now, suddenly, he gripped her hard, and his expression changed. His jaw tightened, and a white line showed around his mouth. And his eyes†¦ seemed to darken and glow red. Too late, Keller realized. He was taking her impression. Learning her shape. No. You were meant to be something gentle. Galen stood up. And changed. But something was a little off. Maybe it was the fact that he had to hurry when he took the impression, or some extra twist from his own genes. Because, instead of becoming a soot-black panther, he became a gleaming golden leopard. The same animal. Different colors. This leopard was the dark rich gold of Galen's hair, and its eyes were the incredible green of his eyes. He was marked with perfect black rosettes, each with an even darker gold center. His body was sleek and supple and almost seven feet long with the tail. He was a big leopard, at least a hundred and sixty pounds. And before Keller had time to think, he was in motion. A good spring. Untutored but full of the real killer instinct. The coughing yell he let out as he jumped was the kind a cat makes when its fury is too great to hold in. The dragon whirled to face him. But it was too late. Once again, the crackling dark power hit but couldn't stop the rush. The dragon's human body couldn't fend off a hundred and sixty pounds of solid feline muscle. Keller saw Galen swipe. The dragon bellowed, clapping a hand to his head. And Keller wanted to cheer. She couldn't. She didn't have the strength left. But her heart was singing inside her with sheer pride. You did it. Oh, Galen, my prince, you did it. She saw his body falling, struck by the black energy. She saw it hit the ground and lie still. And she was sorry that they were both going to die. But with the dragon dead, too, and Iliana alive, there would still be hope. There would be people to carry on. Then she looked at the dragon, and time stopped, and her heart turned to ice. He still had a horn left. The one right in the middle. They hadn't done it after all. He still had power. He was going to kill them now, and Iliana, too. And neither she nor Galen could do anything to stop him. The noises the dragon was making were beyond description. He seemed to be out of his mind in pain and fury. And then Keller realized that it was more than that. He was screaming in sheer blood-lust-and he was changing. So strange-she hadn't even thought about the dragon changing before. But she could take on most animals. She knew to go for the juncture between head and neck for rhinos, the belly for a lion. But this†¦ what it was shifting into†¦ No. I don't believe it, Keller thought. It looked more like a moth being born than a shapeshifter changing. It split its human skin like a chrysalis. More of the yellowish liquid she had seen on Jaime's cheek oozed from the splits. And what was revealed underneath was hard and greenish-yellow, flat, smooth. Scaly. The smell was the smell from the basement Sickly-sweet, pungent, an odor to make your stomach lurch. Powerful back legs bunched, and the figure grew and stood against the moonlit sky. It was huge. In her mind, Keller saw a scene from the past. Iliana, her violet eyes huge, saying, â€Å"He can turn into a dragon?† And Keller's scornful answer, â€Å"No, of course not. Don't be silly.† Wrong, Keller thought. It actually looked more like velociraptor than a dragon. Too big-it was more than fifteen feet long, counting the powerful tail. But it had the same look of alien intelligence, the same reptilian snout, the same saberlike hind claws. It's not a mindless animal, Keller thought. It's smart. It even has things like hands on its forelegs; It's where evolution took a different turn. And it had power. Maybe more power this way than in its human form. Keller could feel its mind even at this distance, the terrible ancient core of hatred and malice, the endless thirst for blood. It opened its mouth, and for an instant Keller expected to see fire. But what came out was a roar that showed huge spiky teeth-and a flood of black energy. The dark power crackled around it like an aura of lightning. Nothing-no shapeshifter, no witch, no vampire-could stand against this creature. Keller knew that absolutely. That was when she saw Iliana getting up. Stay down, you idiot! Keller thought. Iliana stood straight. There's no point, don't attract its attention†¦ â€Å"Azhdeha!† Iliana shouted. And the monster turned. There they were, the maiden and the dragon, face to face. Iliana looked twice as small as ever before in contrast to this giant. Her silver-gold hair was blowing loose in the wind, and her dress shimmered around her. She was so delicate, so graceful-and so fragile, standing there like a lily swaying on its stalk. I can't watch, Keller thought. I can't see this. Please†¦ â€Å"Azhdeha!† Iliana said, and her voice was sweet but ringing and stern. â€Å"Hashteher! Tiamat!† It's a spell, Keller thought. Winnie taught her a spell? When they were lying there, whispering together? But what kind of spell would Winnie know against dragons? â€Å"Poisonous Serpent! Cold-blooded Biter! Rasta-ban! Anguis!† No, they're names, Keller realized slowly. Its names. Dragon names. Old names. â€Å"I am a witch and the daughter of a witch. Mine was the hand that took your power; mine was the hand that buried you in silence. Hecate was the most ancient of my mothers. Hecate's hand is my hand now.† Winnie couldn't have taught her that. Nobody could have taught her that. No witch alive today. Keller could see Winnie's pale face watching in surprise from beyond Iliana, her eyes and mouth dark O's. â€Å"Mine is the hand that sends you back!† Diana's palms were cupped now, and orange fire crackled between them. Keller's heart plummeted. Golden-orange fire. Witch fire. It was impressive, from a girl who'd never been trained, but it wasn't nearly enough. It was about as dangerous to the dragon as a firefly. She heard Winnie's voice in the silence, small and frightened but determined. â€Å"Aim for the horn!† The dragon threw back its head and laughed. That was what it looked like, anyway. What came out was a roar like all the other roars and a belch of black energy that fountained skyward. But in her head, Keller heard maniacal laughter. Then it swung its head back down and pointed the horn straight at Iliana. Die! it said. The word wasn't spoken but sent on a cold wave of pure energy. â€Å"Mine is the power of the ages† Iliana shouted back. â€Å"Mine is the power-â€Å" The golden flare in her palms was changing, blazing white, blinding hot†¦ â€Å"-OF THE END OF THE WORLD!† Something like a supernova was born between her hands. The tight shot up and out, exploding. It was impossible to look at. And it was no longer white but dazzling, lightning-brilliant blue. The blue fire. The Wild Power had awakened. I knew it, Keller thought I knew it all along. Keller couldn't see what happened to the dragon; the light was simply too bright. While it flared around her, she was bathed in radiance that seemed to shine through her, humming inside her and lighting up her bones. She tried to lift her own hand and saw nothing but a vague rainbow shape. But she heard the dragon's scream. Not low like the roar but high and squealing, a sound like icicles driving into her ears. It went up and up, higher in pitch until even Keller couldn't track it. And then there was a thin sound like distant glass shattering, and then there was no sound at all. There were shooting stars in the blue-white light. For the second time that evening, Keller fainted. â€Å"Boss! Please, Boss, hurry. Wake up!† Keller blinked open her eyes. Galen was holding her. He was human. So was she. And Winnie and Nissa were trying to drag both of them somewhere. Keller gazed up into those gold-green eyes. The exact color of a leopard's, she thought. Only leopards don't cry, and his were brimming with tears. She lifted a languorous hand and stroked his cheek. He cupped his own hand over it. Keller couldn't think. There were no words in her mind. But she was glad to be here with him, for this last moment in the moonlight. It had all been worth it â€Å"Boss, please!† Winnie was almost crying, too. â€Å"Let me die in peace,† Keller said, although she didn't realize she was saying it aloud until she heard the words. Then she added, â€Å"Don't you cry, Winfrith. You did a good job.† â€Å"Boss, you're not dying! The blue fire did something-it healed us. We're all okay. But it's almost midnight!† Keller bunked. She blinked again. Her body didn't hurt anymore. She'd assumed it was the blessed numbness that comes just before death. But now she realized that it wasn't. Her blood was running in her veins; her muscles felt firm and strong. She didn't even have a headache. She stared beyond Winnie to the girl in white. Diana was still slight and childlike, almost fairy-like of figure. But something had changed about her. At first, Keller thought she looked as distant and beautiful as a star, but then she smiled and wasn't distant at all. She was simply more beautiful than the dreams of mortals. And really shining with her own light. It pooled around her in soft, silvery radiance. Keller had never seen a Wild Power do that before, not on any of the tapes. But she's not just a Wild Power, the voice in her head whispered. She's the Witch Child. And Goddess alone knows all that she's meant to do. For a moment, Keller felt so awed that it was almost like unhappiness. But then Winnie's message finally sank in. She snapped her head up. â€Å"Midnight?† â€Å"Yes!† Winnie said frantically. Keller bolted upright. â€Å"Nissa?† â€Å"Right here, Boss.† Keller felt a flood of relief. Nissa was the one who had seemed closest to death on the ground there. But now she was standing on her own two feet, looking cool and imperturbable, even though her shirt was bloody and in rags. â€Å"Nissa, can you drive that Jeep? Can you figure out how to get to Charlotte?† â€Å"I think so. Boss.† Keller had never been so grateful to hear that calm voice in her life. She jumped up. â€Å"Then let's go!†