Examples Of Ambition In Frankenstein - 1316 Words

Frankenstein Essay With the same hands Frankenstein built the monster, he holds his dying wife. Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and his creation fight against each other as ambition, abandonment and the lack of responsibility result in the downfall of both. As the creator, Frankenstein represents a parental figure to his creation. A conflict arises through the years leading up to Frankenstein’s creation and continues for years while taking the lives of multiple people. Frankenstein’s knowledge and ambition, the creature’s life in isolation, and the poor relationship between the two results in their conflict. Two powerful words that can change the way one thinks and views the word. Knowledge and ambition.†¦show more content†¦His dreams soon became his nightmare. By playing God, Frankenstein gives life to a monster that is a physical representation of the vile ideas he has. The formation of the beast represents the negative impact of knowledge and ambition. Frankenstein’s goal is the main source behind the conflict between the creator and the creature. Without a creation, there would have never been a conflict to begin with. The creature witnesses the worst in humanity when his creator and every person he encounters, abandons him and leave him isolated from the rest of society. Desertion leads to the conflict because no one accepts and stand by the creature which in turn, fuels his need for revenge. Frankenstein lives to create this new, glorious discovery, however the very person he gives the creature life, leaves him companionless. The creature curses his creator and as ks â€Å"why did [Frankenstein] form a monster so hideous that even [he] turn[s] from [the creature] in disgust† (130). In this situation, the parent abandons his son. The one person who is there to support and love one throughout all, leaves his creation due to the regret and revulsion he associates the creature with. Moreover, the creature stands alone with no understanding of where he comes from and where to go next. He is â€Å"absolutely ignorant [of his creation and creator], but [he] kn[o]ws that [he] possess[es] no money, no friends, no kindShow MoreRelatedMacbeth and Frankenstein comparison1361 Words   |  6 PagesMACBETH AND FRANKENSTEIN QUEST FOR POWER (MACBETH WANTS TO BE KING, VICTOR WANTS TO CREATE LIFE) -Both have great ambition, get carried away and do unethical things, resulting in the death of innocent people HALLUCINATIONS -Macbeth visions the dagger floating, and hears voices talking to him after he murders Duncan -Victor thinks he sees the creature, but he s not there SUPERNATURAL -Witches in Macbeth -The Creature in Frankenstein DISLOYALTY -Macbeth is disloyal to the previous king (MurdersRead MoreHumanity s Fault And Strength, Ambition For The Unknown1322 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Byrd Susan Sibbach English 4 11 December, 2015 Humanity’s fault and strength, ambition for the unknown. Humanity’s quest for knowledge stays firm as the cornerstone of all its success and domination over this world, Even if the setbacks caused by mistreatment of said knowledge shies some away from such a prospect. Where could this cause suddenly have conceived from? The answer lies in the ambition to do what no one has accomplished, either in spite of upbringing, the will to pronounce uniquenessRead MoreThe Danger of Knowledge (Comparative essay Frankenstein vs Macbeth1089 Words   |  5 PagesShelly’s novel Frankenstein it can be said that both protagonists come to an unfortunate end. What leads to Macbeth and Frankenstein’s premature demise? Victor Frankenstein and Macbeth both demonstrate that acquisition of knowledge is dangerous and to seek it for the purpose of power leads to destruction of life. Macbeth’s and Frankenstein’s knowledge leads to overwhelming ambition, to immoral decisions and the destruction of their reality. Firstly knowledge leads to overpowering ambition. In the firstRead MoreEssay on The Historical Perspective in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein1040 Words   |  5 PagesPerspective in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is an early product of the modern Western world. Written during the Romantic movement of the early 19th century, the book provides insight into issues that are pertinent today. Similar to Johann Wolfgang von Goethes Faust, Shelleys Frankenstein concerns individuals aspirations and what results when those aspirations are attained irresponsibly. While Mary Shelley (then Mary Godwin) wrote Frankenstein in 1816 she was livingRead MoreWhy Does Frankenstein Begin and End with Waltons Letters?1188 Words   |  5 PagesWhy does Frankenstein begin and end with Walton s letters? Victor Frankenstein is a scientist whose ambition will be fatal. His story is central to Mary Shelley s Frankenstein. Nevertheless, Shelley gave a frame to Victor s tale as Frankenstein begins and ends with Captain Walton s letters. In this analysis, I will show that Shelley did not insert the letters by chance, but that they add a deeper dimension to the novel. Walton s letters play an important role for the reader may find manyRead MoreFrankenstein and Robert Walton975 Words   |  4 PagesDangerous Knowledge—An Analytical Essay on â€Å"Frankenstein† The pursuit of discovery and knowledge are thrilling aspects of human achievement, but can also be very dangerous if not handled correctly. In Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein,† Shelley portrays these two aspects of accomplishment as dangerous, destructive, and even fateful. Shelley begins her novel with an ambitious seafarer named Robert Walton. Walton is determined to reach the North Pole, where he may â€Å"tread a land never before imprinted byRead MoreFrankestein and The Kite Runner1610 Words   |  6 PagesIn the novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, both protagonists; Victor Frankenstein and Amir, share similar characteristics and how their characteristics effect their lives and the lives around them. Both V. Frankenstein and Amir act as cowards in many dilemmas which affect their lives and the people they know tremendously. As well both characters are very ambitious, they use their ambition to try and reach their goals; s ome of which seem outrageous. Both malesRead MoreHow Is the Opening of Frankenstein an Effective Introduction to the Novel?1280 Words   |  6 PagesHow is the Opening of Frankenstein an Effective Introduction? For any author, the opening of a novel is probably one of the hardest things to write. They have to think about the audience, the language and how the introduction relates to the rest of the novel. They need to catch the readers’ attention and make them want to read on. It is vital they do this otherwise the reader may loose interest and not proceed to read the novel. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly has an interesting yet curious andRead MoreAbsence of Heroes and Villains in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein781 Words   |  4 PagesAbsence of Heroes and Villains in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Frankenstein is a gothic novel which was published in the 19th century, and was written by Mary Shelley. In the 19th century the most popular types of novels were horror. This novel was an early example of a thriller. One of the main reasons why Mary Shelley wrote a book about science, horror and suffering was because she knew that people in the 19thRead MoreMary Shelleys Frankenstein as a Tale of a Struggle Between Good and Evil1462 Words   |  6 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein as a Tale of a Struggle Between Good and Evil Mary Shelleys novel Frankenstein can be conceived as an anomaly for many things with its many underlying themes but most predominantly it is a power struggle between good and evil. The main character named Frankenstein develops a lust for knowledge early on in the novel and although this has its circumstances it is seen as an evil obligation. Mary Shelley sees Frankensteins great ambition to create this

William Shakespeare s King Richard IIi - 1188 Words

Texts are shaped by their compositional context and thus offer new insights about the composer’s era. However, as there are ongoing concerns of humanity, key ideologies resonate over time and are affirmed between texts as shown in William Shakespeare’s play ‘King Richard III’ (1591) and Al Pacino’s docudrama ‘Looking For Richard’ (1996). King Richard III examines the irrational behaviours and moral ramifications of a power lust Richard to explore ideas of the relentless pursuit of power, betrayal and deceit, reflective of the theocentric context of the Elizabethan society. Centuries later, Looking For Richard explores Pacino’s journey to reshape a Shakespearean text that is representative of the changing contextual norms and values of a contemporary American audience who are confused and sceptical about the relevance of Shakespeare’s plays. Both texts provide an image of Richard’s deceit reflective of their distincti ve contexts. However, despite the disparity of time, both texts display how key ideas such as deceit, endure and resonate over time. Distinctive contexts have the capacity to offer new insights and understandings that can challenge and drastically alter the portrayal of societal norms and values. Shakespeare critics the nature of the relentless pursuit for power and authority and its effects, through the lens of Richard’s ambitious but deceitful actions, reflective in his opening soliloquy ‘I am determined to prove a villain’ and ‘now is the winter of ourShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s King Richard IIi1258 Words   |  6 PagesRichard: What have you done to me! Shakespeare: My historical tragedy â€Å"King Richard III† is just my dramatic presentation of your exploits in your bloody pursuit of the throne. Pacino: My postmodernist docudrama â€Å"Looking for Richard† is my modern interpretation of Richard III. My attempt to establish connections that enhance our understandings and interpretations of our respective contexts, ideas and values, primarily involving the representation of the human condition through the character of RichardRead MoreCompare the ways Shakespeare presents fear and doubt in Macbeth and Richard III?1222 Words   |  5 Pagespresented in Richard III and Macbeth Macbeth is a tragedy play written by William Shakespeare. The play is set in Scotland during the mid  11th century. But, the play was written in 1606 at a time where James I was on the throne. King James was a very superstitious man who believed in magic and witchcraft and these themes were presented in Macbeth to please the King. Also the political context is important as it was included in Macbeth with the ideas of excessive ambition. On the other hand, Richard III isRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth And Richard IIi906 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare employs a variety of techniques in his plays to show good characters from bad characters; one such technique as the application of deformity or an abnormality manifests itself physically and psychologically with the dramas. The incorporation of a defect, whether it be physically or psychology, reveals flawed characteristics within the said character. Most of these flawed characteristics, though revealed in different si tuations, share similar problems and consequences. For exampleRead MoreHistory Of King Richard IIi Of England1382 Words   |  6 Pagesborne out by the facts. The case of the written history of King Richard III of England is an outstanding example of the lack of adequate research and actual perfidy on the part of historians. Richard III reigned for a brief period in the late 15th century, 26 June 1483 to 22 August 1485. He was the last Yorkist king and the last of the Plantagenet kings. He traced his ancestry to William the Conquerer. He was also the last English king to die in battle. He was succeeded on the throne by HenryRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Richard II1543 Words   |  7 PagesSamantha Van Dine Richard Spacek ENGL 3250 September 24, 2015 Richard II, William Shakespeare Richard II is a play written by William Shakespeare in the closing stages of the 16th Century. It is based on Richard II and his scheme of taking the throne of England. Richard II is a carefully balanced play, characterized by precise and formal arrangements of characters and actions. This balance is enhanced by various parallel incidents which are included in the themes, plots, and the nature of theRead MoreAnalyse How the Central Values Portrayed in King Richard Iii Are Creatively Reshaped in Looking for Richard.1683 Words   |  7 PagesAn honest tale speeds best, being plainly told.† This quote from William Shakespeare’s King Richard III is a seed from which Al Pacino’s docu-drama Looking For Richard grows, both texts demonstrating the intrinsic relationship between contexts and the composition of texts. As 21st century students, we see Pacino’s creative reshaping emphasise inherent values within the original text, from dynamic perspectives to interpre tational understandings, presented in an ‘honest’ and ‘plainly told’ compositionRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Influence On The Course Of World History1440 Words   |  6 PagesWaldo Emerson, a famous essayist inspired by Shakespeare’s works. William Shakespeare was a renowned author, poet, actor, and playwright. He has contributed to many components of life today such as; founding modern English language, contributing to literature, contributing to modern theater, and contributing many of his works to modern English. William Shakespeare has greatly impacted the course of world history. William Shakespeare was believed to be born on April 23,1564, in his hometown of Stratford-upon-AvonRead MoreMonarchy Is The Oldest Form Of Government1657 Words   |  7 PagesMonarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom. In a monarchy, the king or queen is Head of State (or Sovereign), but the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. Although the British Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation. The Monarch also has constitutional and representational duties which have developed over the past one thousand years. In addition to the StateRead MoreRichard IIi, By William Shakespeare1168 Words   |  5 PagesChildren bring out the underlying disposition and wicked intentions we all possess. Richard III, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic play about the Duke of Gloucester who desires to be the king of England. He does this through the manipulation and murder of many characters, including Queen Elizabeth’s children, Prince Edward and the Duke of York. These children emphasize some of the â€Å"adult† themes in the play and reveals the devastating nature of these themes. Their characteristics and deaths allRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare : The Greatest Writer Of All Time1008 Words   |  5 Pages William Shakespeare is considered the most influential and greatest writers of all time because he writes great stories, he has the ability to turn phrases, and has very a compelling use of characters. I will be including in my research countless facts about Shakespeare and educated information on why William Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer of all time. Shakespeare s feats and accomplishments have all been established and based on his early life and childhood. William Shakespeare

The Grievances Amongst the Russian People free essay sample

Assess the extent to which the grievances of the Russian people were addressed by the October Manifesto The grievances amongst the Russian people were addressed to some extent by the passing of the October Manifesto. The laws passed in the October Manifesto were designed to benefit the working class as well as prevent an outbreak of violence and an imminent revolution. Stolypin was appointed as the chairman of ministers for the Duma. Which had been created in the hope to please the working class enough to draw them back to the factories. However while in that position he implemented many controversial laws. Consequently Stolypin was assassinated and caused a huge impact on the Russian people. Firstly Tsar Nicholas II was persuaded by his advisers to issue the October Manifesto, because the increasing misery of the Russian people had reached a point where they were willing to take the risk of initiating a revolution. We will write a custom essay sample on The Grievances Amongst the Russian People or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The suffering the Russian people, especially the working class endured around October 1905 was extreme due to the Russo-Japo war. There were severe shortages on everything but most importantly fuel and food which were necessities. The level of their discontent was increasingly rising and revolution was becoming an imminent possibility. The Tsar was consequently persuaded by his trusted advisors to give up his absolute power and focus on trying to retain a partial power. The passing of the October Manifesto effectively stopped the threat of revolution. The laws passed within this document allowed for the setting up of a Russian parliament called the Duma, gave the people a right to vote, allowed for basic civil rights to be for filled such as free speech and better working and living conditions. The passing of the October Manifesto ended absolute monarchy in Russia. This also pleased and convinced the workers to go back to working class to go back to work. Secondly a man named Stolypin was appointed by the Tsar to be chairman of the Duma, the new Russian parliament. However this was a tactical move by the Tsar, Stolypin was placed in this position so as to reverse all the changes that had been made in the October Manifesto which the Tsar had to concede to in October 1905. Stolypin implemented many controversial policies such as, punishing the leaders of the revolution through hanging. Which resulted in the death of over two thousand people and around 21,000 being banished to Siberia. The noose became known as Stolypins neck tie. An upper house of the Duma was created called the State Council. The deputies of this house were also appointed by the Tsar consequently they were answerable to him in preference to the public. The Upper House was put in place so as to stop any law that was not suitable proposed by the Duma. Also in 1907 Stolypin engineered a new electoral law, which was made in favour of the rich. The rule stated that it would take 230 large landowner (nobles), 1000 large business owners (industrialists), 15 000 small business, 60 0000 peasant, and 125 000 factory workers votes to elect one deputy to the Duma. The new electoral law limited the rights of the poor and working class; basically landing them back to where they began for their fight for basic rights. However during the period of Stolypin, Russia was fairly stable between 1907 and 1911, due to Stolypins wise intelligence. He implemented some legal reforms for peasants and factory workers that did not fully satisfy them but kept them content. Stolypin was very wise in the decisions he made. Stolypin was able to keep the threat of revolution down by passing some legal reforms that satisfied the peasants and working class. However he did implement many controversial policies that took back the rights of the working class, that they had fought so hard to win. Thirdly the impact of Stolypins downfall and assassination created growing discontent amongst the people. With rising numbers of strikes and demonstrations. After Stolypins assassination in 1911, the middle class dominated Duma, removed the restrictions and overturned Stolypin’s social reforms in order for Russia to more rapidly industrialise. Russia experienced worsening discontent throughout 1912 to 1914. In 1912 striking miners in the Lena Goldfields in Siberia were massacred by the Cossacks which therefore provoked a wave of more strikes. In July 1914 a general strike began. Violent clashes between the factory workers Cossacks and police ended in mounting causalities. This near revolution only ended due to the out break of WW1. Stolypins assassination had a great impact on the Russian people; it increased discontent amongst the working class which resulted in more strikes, casualties and deaths. The Russian people were consequently stuck back in the same position they had fought so hard to get out of in 1905. In conclusion the grievances amongst the Russian people were addressed to some extent by the passing of the October Manifesto in 1905. The Manifesto allowed for the creation of a Duma which resulted in a more democratic environment, and allowed for the right to vote. This manifesto also allowed for basic civil rights such as free speech and better working and living conditions, which were the biggest issue behind most of the strikes. However the commission of Stolypin by the Tsar to fill the place of the chairman of ministers for the Duma created problems. The Russian people were kept content throughout the period of Stolypins power despite the gradual reversal of all changes made by the Tsar in the October Manifesto. After the assassination of Stolypin a general strike broke out, this landed the Russian people back to square one. So to some extent the passing of the October Manifesto in 1905 addressed the grievances amongst the Russian people.

Role of politics in American society

Introduction Social processes are synonymous to the way of life of the American people; this means that political structures affect it as well. There is a need to look at the extent to which politics is intertwined with social microstructures (religion, work and education) because this will demonstrate its relevance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Role of politics in American society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, there is a need to establish the various manifestations of these interrelationships so as to understand how American social processes work. Through an examination of these two areas, it will be possible to establish a pattern of how American society operates thus demystifying this society. Role of politics from the macro social perspective Geertz (1996) explains that religion can be regarded as a collection of symbols which create pervasive and powerful motivations. Those symbols eventua lly contribute to existent orders. Therefore, religion may be critical in determining how people’s lives are lived. Alternatively, others may think of religion in a negative way. The question to ask is where does America lie and how does the interaction between politics and religion play out in this society? Fields et al (1) affirm that there is a distinct relationship between politics and religion in the US. Through a 1996 survey, these researchers confirmed that relationship. They asserted that religious conservatism was associated with political conservatism. Most of the time, this was reflected by the political party affiliations and ideologies of voters. Generally speaking, religious elements are prevalent in the nations’ political structure. For instance American presidents have been Christians all along and this is considered an important quality in most presidential or civic candidates. Even several speeches and campaign pledges often contain references to God. Therefore, to a certain extent, one can say that Americans hold religion in high esteem when making political decisions. These manifestations are not always straight forward and one can argue that there is a complex interrelation between politics and religion. Democrats are often seen as liberals while republicans are thought to be conservative politically. However, in a state like California, gay marriage is considered legal. This state is headed by a republican who is supposed to be conservative. It is therefore easy to see that people in the US are religious but their status may not affect policy outcomes. America is religious and at the same time secular and is therefore a paradoxical society. In political governance, religion may not really count. Here, Americans prefer less religious ideas because this may contradict their cultural ideals (such as the American dream). The latter concept can best be upheld using secular ideas. Indeed because democracy is largely seen as a secu lar concept then conservative religious laws would not fit in with this political model.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As contrasted to Islamic States like Saudi Arabia which rely on religious values as foundations for their politics, the US values democracy, freedom of speech and other human rights above anything else. This often contrasts with religious values which are based on absolutes. Therefore Americans do not solely rely on religion to determine political direction, policies and governance procedures. On the other hand, religion’s application as a source of morality cannot be undermined because people still live their lives in accordance with these principles. Religious values and religious groups contributed to many political movements in the US’s past such as female suffrage, civil rights, welfare legislation and antiwar endorsements. Currently, religi on rarely contributes directly to the governance of society; however it is through religion that Americans get to express the freedoms that political structures often seek. Furthermore, religion is the major platform for building upon these freedoms and imprinting those ideas in people’s minds. Education as a macrostructure also has immense influence on politics in the United States. Education reform is often necessitated by political structures. Consequently, leaders who are interested in running for office must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the education sector and must know some of the problems in it. Since education reform often involves heavy financial investment then this often takes a toll on federal budgets and it forms a crucial part of political participation. This role is often the first one that people can see when analyzing education. Nonetheless, there is an even deeper relevance of education in politics; it is a platform for implementation of other govern ance policies. One such policy is property tax. Schools, district administrators and the like have staged opposition to property tax increments in the past thus demonstrating to members of the political arena that their policy on this matter is unworkable (OECD, 25). Political stakeholders had to respond to those objections because educational stakeholders were an important part of civil society. The relevance and implementation of worker’s unions has been a crucial part of the education sector’s role in execution of governance policies. Spread of unionism amongst teachers illustrated that the same was likely to occur in other sectors of the economy and that political stakeholders needed to be aware of this or to inculcate it in their political agendas.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Role of politics in American society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most importantly, though, education has alway s been crucial in unraveling pressing civil rights issues prevalent in American society. For example, certain reports revealed that family background plays an important role in determining performance by students in various levels of schooling. This illustrated some of the failures of past political and civil rights achievements such as desegregation. The education sector is therefore a reflection of the inequalities rife in American society. This is a good barometer for political stakeholders who often use findings from education to spearhead changes in other areas of civil society. Further still, education can play an important role in political election. It has been shown that if this area performs poorly then political leaders must have campaign related strategies designed at making the education sector more productive. A case in point was the Ronald Reagan bid for reelection in 1984. At that point, educational reform was front page news and the public wanted to know what politi cians intended on doing in order to deal with the grave problems of school reform. These groups had to act accordingly and they needed to express that they were going to spearhead critical changes in this sector. Lastly, education plays an important role of preparing younger members of society to take on new challenges in the nation. In essence this translates into frequent alterations of education systems to reflect new workforce demands. The education sector’s relation to other parts of society testifies to the fact that political leaders need to be aware of changes taking place in the workforce and hence think of ways of tying this in with the education sector which can be better able to prepare members for future roles in their respective lives (OECD, 40). Work is perhaps one of the most crucial areas affecting politics in America. Any problem detected in work or employment often immediately translates to poor political governance. This is because it is assumed that obsol ete or poor governance policies are what are causing work related problems. When Americans find it difficult to get work or if work opportunities start diminishing then this is often manifested as unemployment. Low employment also means low purchasing power, less investment and eventually a poorly performing economy. This is always one of the key areas for assessing the extent to which political leaders are performing.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The problem with the Bush era in Washington was often associated with the economic recession that had commenced in 2007. Recent objections to the Obama rule are also tied to the fact that unemployment is still rife and that deliveries on campaign pledges on economic performance have not yet been delivered. This shows that political entities must always relate work microstructures to their performances in office. Skills gap at the workplace are often a cause for concern among politicians because this means fewer work opportunities are available. In such circumstances, employees are easy targets for job losses (Chen, 45). Essentially, what this means is that some governance changes need to be instated in order to make work related conditions more feasible. Here, politics comes in again in order to make the situation better. Less work also means less infrastructure and even fewer opportunities for manufacture. Political stakeholders often respond to these challenges by making a range o f policy changes. Some of them may include tax increments or tax cuts. This is done because it has an effect on investment decisions and hence job opportunities. People often react to tax changes quite aggressively as seen by frequent criticisms of Obama’s reforms. Conclusion Politics has a crucial role to play in American society as seen through effects in the three macro social structures. Politics can make the difference between the success or failure of a certain governance policy because the microstructures will depict failure if this has occurred. Politics and political structures also affect civil rights issues which have not been addressed. These are normally made visible by inefficiencies and problems in microstructures like education. Therefore, it is through political agendas and governance that social structures can be changed thus demonstrating the significance of politics. References Geertz, Clifford. Religions as a cultural system. London: Tavistock, 1966 OECD. Lessons learned: how good policies produce better schools, PISA report, 2009 Chen, Anthony. Jobs, politics and civil rights in the US. Princeton; Princeton university press, 2009 Fields, Graham., Shevda, Tracy Simmons Dan. Conservative religion and conservative politics. 1996. Web. This essay on Role of politics in American society was written and submitted by user Karlee O. 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.

Florida and Tourism essays

Florida and Tourism essays Florida is one of the more popular states of the United States of America. For years now millions have flown thousands of miles to see all its beauty with their own eyes. Children and Adults can enjoy all the entertainment this state provides to each of its visitors. Whether youre old and retired, a family searching for a way to spend quality time together, or mid- aged and looking for excitement; Florida can provide you with the vacation you desire. Florida was the 27th state in the USA; it was admitted on March 3, 1845. The state is the fourth most populated in the US with a population of 16,713,149 and growing. Tallahassee is the state capital, but the largest city is Jacksonville. Total, Florida takes up 65, 758 square miles of the country, making it the twenty- second largest state in the United States. Three of the States major rivers are the St. Johns River, St. Marys River, and the Suwannee River. The major Lakes are Lake Okeechobee, and Lake George. Currently, the states major industries include tourism, agriculture (oranges, grapefruit, and tomatoes), and electronics. Three of the biggest tourist attractions in Florida are Disney World, Busch Gardens, and Discovery Cove. These three areas bring the state its booming business in the tourism industry. Summer time is usually the prime time for tourism in Florida due to the sunny warm weather. If you want to plan a trip though, it is best to do months in advance so you can find the best deals on tickets to Disney World, Busch Gardens, and Discovery Cove. Disney World is the main attraction of Florida. This amazing park consists of four separate theme parks. The first theme park is Magic Kingdom. This amusement park is home to the famous Space mountain, and Splash mountain. The Disney Land located in California, is the same as Magic Kingdom. They include the same rides, the same attractions, and the same themes. Magic Kingdo ...

William Hazlitt on Style - Classic British Essays

William Hazlitt on Style - Classic British Essays A master of invective and irony, essayist William Hazlitt was one of the great prose stylists of the 19th century. In On Familiar Style (originally published in the London Magazine and reprinted in Table Talk, 1822), Hazlitt explains his preference for plain words and popular modes of construction. On Familiar Style (excerpts) by William Hazlitt (1778-1830) It is not easy to write a familiar style. Many people mistake a familiar for a vulgar style, and suppose that to write without affectation is to write at random. On the contrary, there is nothing that requires more precision, and, if I may so say, purity of expression, than the style I am speaking of. It utterly rejects not only all unmeaning pomp, but all low, cant phrases, and loose, unconnected, slipshod allusions. It is not to take the first word that offers, but the best word in common use; it is not to throw words together in any combinations we please, but to follow and avail ourselves of the true idiom of the language. To write a genuine familiar or truly English style, is to write as any one would speak in common conversation who had a thorough command and choice of words, or who could discourse with ease, force, and perspicuity, setting aside all pedantic and oratorical flourishes. Or, to give another illustration, to write naturally is the same thing in regard to common co nversation as to read naturally is in regard to common speech. . . It is easy to affect a pompous style, to use a word twice as big as the thing you want to express: it is not so easy to pitch upon the very word that exactly fits it. Out of eight or ten words equally common, equally intelligible, with nearly equal pretensions, it is a matter of some nicety and discrimination to pick out the very one, the preferableness of which is scarcely perceptible, but decisive. . . . The proper force of words lies not in the words themselves, but in their application. A word may be a fine-sounding word, of an unusual length, and very imposing from its learning and novelty, and yet in the connection in which it is introduced may be quite pointless and irrelevant. It is not pomp or pretension, but the adaptation of the expression to the idea, that clinches a writers meaning:as it is not the size or glossiness of the materials, but their being fitted each to its place, that gives strength to the arch; or as the pegs and nails are as necessary to the support of the building as the larger timber, and more so than the mere showy, unsubstantial ornaments. I hate anything that occupies more space than it is worth. I hate to see a load of band-boxes go along the street, and I hate to see a parcel of big words without anything in them. A person who does not deliberately dispose of all his thoughts alike in cumbrous draperies and flimsy disguises, may strike out twenty vari eties of familiar every-day language, each coming somewhat nearer to the feeling he wants to convey, and at last not hit upon that particular and only one which may be said to be identical with the exact impression in his mind. . . . It is as easy to write a gaudy style without ideas, as it is to spread a pallet of showy colours, or to smear in a flaunting transparency. What do you read,Words, words, words.What is the matter?Nothing, it might be answered. The florid style is the reverse of the familiar. The last is employed as an unvarnished medium to convey ideas; the first is resorted to as a spangled veil to conceal the want of them. When there is nothing to be set down but words, it costs little to have them fine. Look through the dictionary and cull out a florilegium, rival the tulippomania. Rouge high enough, and never mind the natural complexion. The vulgar, who are not in the secret, will admire the look of preternatural health and vigour; and the fashionable, who regard only appearances, will be delighted with the imposition. Keep to your sounding generalities, your tinkling phrases, and all will be well. Swell out an unmeaning truism to a perfect tympany of style. A thought, a distinction is the rock on which all this brittle cargo of verbiage splits at once. Such writers have merely verbal imaginations, that retain nothing but words. Or their puny thoughts have dragon-wings, all green and gold. They soar far above the vulgar failing of the Sermo humi obrepenstheir most ordinary speech is never short of an hyperbole, splendid, imposing, vague, incomprehensible, magniloquent, a cento of sounding common-places. If some of us, whose ambition is more lowly, pry a little too narrowly into nooks and corners to pick up a number of unconsidered trifles, they never once direct their eyes or lift their hands to seize on any but the most gorgeous, tarnished, thread-bare, patchwork set of phrases, the left-off finery of poetic extravagance, transmitted down through successive generations of barren pretenders . . .. (1822) The full text of On Familiar Style appears in Selected Writings, by William Hazlitt (Oxford University Press, 1999). Also by William Hazlitt: On the Feeling of Immortality in YouthOn Going a Journey

History - Week five Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History - Week five - Essay Example He currently teaches journalism and United States foreign policy at Northwestern University. Kinzer has written several non-fiction books about Turkey, Central America, Iran, the US overthrow of foreign governments from the late 19th century to the present and, most recently, about Rwandas recovery from genocide. He has spoken out widely against a potential U.S. attack on Iran, warning that it would destroy the pro-US sentiment that has become widespread among the Iranian populace under the repressive Islamic regime.† (Wikipedia, August 11, 2008). The book is all about the quest of the United States to conquer more and more countries and to make a dominant name for itself in the world. The United States deployed many strong arms tactics to fulfill their aim of being the ultimate power in the world. This era saw a revolution in the tactics applied by the United States, they starting spreading democracy and at the same time started building up a strong army and an equally strong navy base, another significant change was the Americans brought foreign governments under there control during this era. The most dreadful villain in the book is John Foster Dulles; he was a lawyer and took care of the foreign capital of the countries which surrendered themselves to the policies of the United States. â€Å"Dulles was Eisenhowers secretary of state and his brother Allen Dulles, the head of the CIA -- a nefarious partnership that colluded together with unchecked unanimity.† (Swans, n, a). The book tells about the people who took ma tters in their own hands to topple foreign governments. The author talks about the three eras in the book namely, the imperial era. This saw countries Cuba, Puerto Rico and a few others come under the control of the United States. The second is the cold war era which saw United States employ strict rules on the countries like Iraq, Chile etc. The book explains why United

Critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Critical thinking - Essay Example Similarly, developing critical thinking requires strategies towards an understanding of and integration with environmental factors. I concur with the article’s position on significance of critical thinking in exploiting personal potentials, existence of different stages of critical thinking potential, and strategies to developing critical thinking capacity. Critical thinking is an instrument to exploitation of potential as it offers rationale for understanding personal abilities and identification of the appropriate need for such potentials. Once a potential and its need are matched, there develops motivation for manifesting abilities, including critical thinking. Critical thinking is also a process that requires ability to engage cognitively. Developing such abilities must therefore be gradual to pass through stages, as the article suggests. Similarly, being a process, developing critical thinking ability is aided by strategies such as being conscious of the environment, being flexible in mind, being analytical and connecting with the environment. These strategic factors facilitate awareness towards crit ical thinking for informed decisions (Collison, p.

Classroom Management Essay Example for Free

Classroom Management Essay Classroom rules and procedures shape the learning experience, allowing students to understand what is expected of them and foster a positive learning environment within the classroom. Rules are necessary within the classroom and society in general. The classroom is often times one of the first experiences that students have to teach them about life and expectations as members of society. For this topic, two in classroom activities and the behavioral expectations for these will be examined: the use of learning centers and cooperative learning groups. We will also consider two out of classroom activities and the behavioral expectations associated with these: field trips and assemblies. Finally, we will discuss evaluation methods that can be put in place to determine the level of understanding of behavioral expectations for these situations. For the first in-class activity, learning centers, we will first take into consideration the size of the group. Learning centers are most commonly small group activities consisting of three to four students. Learning centers should be areas in which students can complete simple tasks that support and reinforce material that is being taught in the classroom. Say, for example a class is learning about plant life. The teacher lectures on the topic and has a whole class activity that is to be completed by the end of the week. Learning centers can reinforce this topic across a wide variety of subjects. There could be a writing center in which students are given a topic such as the stages of plant growth. A math center which might include counting seeds or other plant related material and a science center that could outline the stages of plant growth would reinforce material covered in large group instruction. There could be a computer learning center where there might be a matching game, where students match stages of a plant’s life cycle with vocabulary words. Throughout all of these activities, rules of behavior would be of utmost importance. Small group activities such as these learning centers usually have minimal teacher supervision. Here is a situation in which behavioral expectations are crucial. Rules such as stay in your assigned area, complete the assigned task and assist peers in your station would be critical for students to understand. Cooperative learning groups are the second topic that will be covered. This is similar to learning centers in that students would need to assist their peers within the group, stay in their assigned groups and complete the task assigned. However, another important rule might be to complete your individual task assigned. In cooperative learning groups, many times a large topic or task is broken down into individual jobs and these are assigned to each student who researches a particular topic and comes back to the group to inform them of their findings. The first out of class activity we will look at is field trips. Field trips are an exciting part of the learning experience, often times bringing to life what has been taught in the classroom. This is an experience that mandates students understanding specific rules of behavior. First and foremost, is the rule to stay with your group. Students need to understand the importance of staying close to your teacher/other authorized school adult so that they return safely. Another rule would be to behave appropriately as the environment calls. For example, a student would behave very differently visiting a library vs. visiting an arcade. Discussion on the location that the field trip takes place would be crucial. How one should dress, what noise level is appropriate and other topics would need to be explained to students. The next out of class activity is assemblies. An assembly is an activity that requires multiple classrooms and hence, differing age levels of a school to come together. This can be a situation that is ripe for negative behavior. There are many purposes for assemblies including special appearances of community members or other recognized individuals, or award ceremonies or special recognitions. Since most assemblies include the whole school, they tend to include large numbers of people and are often quite noisy. Rules that students would need to know include keeping a moderate noise level, walking in an orderly and appropriate fashion and keeping an eye on the teacher to know when to enter and exit an area. During the assembly ceremony, rules that need to be outlined include being attentive to the speaker and participating, if appropriate. The question arises of how we can accurately gauge a student’s understanding of behavioral expectations. The old adage of practice makes perfect would be appropriate here. For situations such as assemblies or field trips, a teacher could utilize practice sessions, coaching students on appropriate behavior in those situations, even having a mock assembly or similar activity to gauge how well students understand their responsibilities in that environment. The teacher could provide tips and tricks for the students to attend to such as always keep your eye on the speaker, which shows respect for the person giving the presentation. A more tangible method might be a multiple choice test given to the class. Depending on the age level of students, scenarios could be written asking students to circle the appropriate behaviors and cross out inappropriate behaviors. Rules and procedures are a vitally important lesson taught in classrooms. They are usually the building blocks of kids becoming productive members of society.

Torn and Confused, but I love You Essay -- Love Letters Dating Email R

Dear Michael, Love has taught me and has changed me since we've met. I knew you were the only man I have ever really loved and the only man I ever wanted to be with for the rest of my life. From the start I could see us together and I could hear my heart say, "I am going to marry him". I was shocked, but I was happy. Then my head and ego got in the way and my false pride took over and I played games. I began to see all the things about you that I wanted to change. False pride made me feel afraid that you did not love me and this caused me to feel insecure. Then ego gave you the "love test" and of course you failed. Now I know that false pride does not trust and ego does not know true love. When my expectations grew, my egotistical, selfish personality took over and my love for you...

Bureaucratic Management Theory

Bureaucracy is a type of organizational structure that is found in many large-scale public and private organizations. This still exists in the majority of industrial organizations in the world, despite being around since the 18th century. German sociologist, Max Weber created the bureaucratic management theory which describes bureaucracy as technically superior to all other forms of organizations. Bureaucracies have clear and explicit rules outlining exactly how employees should perform tasks.Ideally, bureaucracy is characterized by hierarchical authority relations, defined spheres of competence subject to impersonal rules, recruitment by competence and fixed salaries. The main aims of bureaucracy are to be rational, efficient, and professional. Bureaucracy has an implied clear-cut division of labour and a high level of specialization, as well as a clearly defined hierarchy. Despite being a very old type of organizational structure, bureaucracies continue to be a highly influential t emplate for designing and managing organizations; yet, this system is no longer considered the most effective way to run an organization.Bureaucracy as a system of management has many advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include each employee of the organization knowing precisely what their duties are within the organization, and therefore performing their many tasks quicker and more efficiently. The clear-cut rules set by bureaucratic systems also enable the organization to respond readily to demands that are set and make decision making easy.Bureaucratic systems have a greater sense of direction and purpose than other types of organization structure. The clear-cut criteria of a bureaucratic system enable the organization to appoint successors when an employee leaves without little trouble, and therefore causes as little disruption. The disadvantages that a bureaucratic system brings to the overall running and efficiency of a business and its employees include undermining t he ability of employees to take initiative and be creative.The bureaucratic practices have led to creating a mind that generally lacks curiosity and can only function within certain limits and according to prescribed rules and regulations. The bureaucratic mind, being in control, uses this authority to limit the ability of the system to reform itself. No one within such a system has enough authority to initiate change and no one has enough courage to propose drastic change and disrupt the prevailing order and peace.However, as Max Weber himself noted, real bureaucracy will be less optimal and effective than his ideal type model. Competences can be unclear and used contrary to the spirit of the law. This means that sometimes a decision itself may be considered more important than its effect. Nepotism, corruption, political infighting and other degenerations can counter the rule of impersonality and can create a recruitment and promotion system not based on meritocracy but rather on  oligarchy.Regarding the Japanese style of management, the recruitment procedures for new employees is more rigorous in Japan than in the United Kingdom to ensure that the ‘cream of the crop’ are identified, utilized and cultivated. People are not allowed to use common sense, as everything must be as is written by the law. Even a non-degenerated bureaucracy can be affected by common problems of overspecialization, which is, making individual officials not aware of larger consequences of their action.There is rigidity and inertia of procedures, making decision-making slow or even impossible when facing some unusual case, and similarly delaying change, evolution and adaptation of old procedures to new circumstances. There is a phenomenon of  group thinking  in terms of zealotry, loyalty and lack of  thinking regarding the organization which is  perfect  and  always correct  by definition, making the organization unable to change and realize its own mistakes and limitations.There is a disregard for dissenting opinions, even when such views suit the available data better than the opinion of the majority. As bureaucracy creates more and more rules and procedures, their complexity rises and coordination diminishes, facilitating creation of  contradictory  and  recursive  rules, as described by the saying â€Å"the bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy†. Despite the many disadvantages of bureaucracy, we believe that the degree of control it gives superiors over subordinates to be more serious and possibly the most damaging outcome.For many people, the word ‘Bureaucracy’ conjures up an image of a mass of media workers buried in mounds of paper and tied to a set of petty rules, the notorious ‘red tape’. Red tape can be used as a weapon against programs that are not popular with the administration, for instance, by participating in a program requires you to fill out fo rms. The program might cease to exist if no one uses it. Bureaucracies are often the focus of popular dislike, especially because they are perceived to be inefficient and lack flexibility to meet individual requirements.Osborne and Gaebler (1993) promoted  Debureaucratization, which they summed up as decentralization, deregulation, downsizing and  outsourcing. Debureaucratization is the primary way to achieving the goal of a strong, autonomous, and self-sufficient barangays. This is setting to right the excessive centralization of power, authority, responsibility and recourse by the national government. The shortcomings of bureaucracy are evident in organizations today.Control tends to convince superiors that it is their responsibility to know all details, allow no surprises, delegate no authority and have all situations under tight control. And since no boss can obtain the knowledge he or she needs to control everything and guide everyone and influence every situation, the domi nance of the bureaucratic mind has become a threat, undermining critical thinking, free speech, creativity and institutional transformation.The enlightened bureaucrat that certain people try to promote is nothing but a fiction. As a consequence, very few people in a bureaucracy are in a position to think, take initiative and be creative. New ideas are therefore rarely and seldom encouraged. When control and subordination become the organizing principles of an organization, they undermine the organization’s ability to respond to challenges, to anticipate the growing needs of its clients and to adapt in a time to the changing circumstances of its times.

Project management approaches for dynamic environments Essay

This paper sets out to investigate the nature of projects  conducted in fast changing environments. Examples and  theory are used to illustrate the nature and challenges of  this category. Suitable management approaches are identiï ¬ ed under the following headings: Planning, Experimentation, Lifecycle, Controls, Culture, Communication, and Leadership style. The dynamic project category.  The paper closes with recommendations for further  research. In this paper, control is taken to mean the mechanisms through  which resources are managed to achieve objectives [1], and is diï ¬â‚¬erent to the PMBOK ‘technique’ [2] which is strictly focused on bringing activities in line with a plan [3]. The term dynamic is taken to mean characterised by constant change [4]. In the project management context dynamism is taken to be a dimension of a project  that represents the extent to which a project is inï ¬â€šuenced by changes in the environment in which it is conducted. This paper argues that this is a non-binary dimension that  applies in varying degrees to all projects, so strictly any  given project is neither ‘dynamic’ nor ‘not dynamic’. All projects have some degree of dynamism, so the dimension  is not dichotomic. Therefore, the ideas in this paper may be applied in varying degrees to any project as deemed appropriate. For the sake of simplicity though, for the remainder of this paper, a dynamic project is taken to be one that is  necessarily subject to higher than normal levels of change  due to the environment in which it is conducted. The business environment is changing at an increasing  pace [5–7]. Rothwell and Zegveld [8] went so far as to say we are in the midst of a technology explosion. They argued  that 90% of our technical knowledge has been generated in  the last 55 years, and that technical knowledge will continue to increase exponentially. Perrino and Tipping [9] reported  Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬Ëœthe pace of technology is accelerating, raising the stakes and risks for  managing innovation, and requiring early  warning and shorter response time†. Change, in all forms  of technology and business processes, can be regarded as  increasingly pervasive and providing challenges even where high technology is not a core business, such as in mining  [10]. Consider how the Australian Submarine project was  challenged by developments in the IT industry between  the 1980s design phase, and sea trials decades later [7].  This paper will now investigate dynamic projects from a  theoretical point of view. Gray and Larson [11] argued that    Pich, Loch and De Meyer [12] describe a type of project  that encounters unknown unknowns and how it is best suited to what they called a ‘learning’ strategy which involves scanning, problem solving and ï ¬â€šexibility. They argue that  this is distinct from projects conducted in well understood  environments which are suited to ‘instructionism’, and distinct from  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœselectionism’ where the most fruitful initiative is chosen after a pool of trials. Turner and Cochran [13]  espouse the ‘goals and methods matrix’ that describes four diï ¬â‚¬erent types of project according to how well deï ¬ ned the methods and goals are. Projects can have poorly deï ¬ ned  goals (‘ï ¬ re’) or poorly deï ¬ ned methods (‘water’), or both (‘air’).  Shenhar and Wideman [14] describe a type of project that involves high levels of uncertainty, using technologies together for the ï ¬ rst time. They call these ‘high tech’ [14]. They also describe a type of project that actually creates  new technologies, called ‘super high tech’. Shenhar [15] describes how ‘low technology’ projects are typically performed in construction, production and utilities, and high technology projects in the computer, aerospace and electronics industries. He oï ¬â‚¬ers building and bridge construction as examples of low technology projects. The key diï ¬â‚¬erence to Shenhar is the level of development work  involved, in that low technology projects have little, and high technology projects have considerable levels and usually require prototyping. Shenhar and Wideman [14] argue that another key diï ¬â‚¬erence is the number of design  cycles. In low technology projects they say there is typically only one cycle with a freeze before development, and with high technology there are at least two, typically  three cycles. Operational  work  Cioï ¬Æ' [16] suggests that ‘projects’ be placed on a spectrum of ‘newness’ from operational to project. The idea has been adapted in Fig. 1 to illustrate the sliding scale  of unknowns that applies to projects. Unknowns in this  sense refer to any aspect of the project, including the methods to achieve it, the objective, and the environment it has to operate in. The guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) [2] describes  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœprogressive elaboration’, where planning is developed in greater detail as the project progresses. Using progressive elaboration to ï ¬ ll knowledge gaps, it might be possible to move a project to the left in  Fig. 1, thereby achieving the objective in a more predictable fashion. However, rapid changes in the environment, including tools and methods, and attempts to innovate,  act to push the project to the right, increasing unknowns.  The two forces of exploration and change act against each  other continuously throughout the project. The challenge is to conduct exploration at a greater rate than the emergence  of environmental change. It is also important to ensure that the amount of change created by the exploration and  implementation is not counterproductive overall. An example of Project A in Fig. 1 might be a production line where there only variable is the colour required.    The intention here is to review literature to provide a  broad overview of approaches that might be used to better  deal with dynamic environments. Approaches were broken down as follows:

Mob Mentality Essay Example

Mob Mentality Essay Example Mob Mentality Paper Mob Mentality Paper History tends to repeat itself and while the context may differ, the causative factors are most likely the same. One repetitive action throughout history is religious persecution, two examples include; Nazi Germany and the Salem witch trials. While the groups being persecuted had almost nothing in common the causes of the persecution were very similar: mob mentality. The responsibility is shared and thus responsibility is diluted. Being in a mob alleviates people’s sense of morality because they are followers without conscious choice. There are differing opinions on why people participate in mobs and the basis for what results in unlawful and immoral acts. While some believe that mob mentality occurs because of our intrinsic primal instincts that derive from anger and fear, it is actually an external force of passionate persuasion that results in mob mentality. There are many beliefs about the causes of mob mentality; there are some who support the primal instincts hypothesis of mob mentality. Christyl Rivers, an Ecopsychologist who earned her Masters in Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University, believes that humans adopt some kind of â€Å"herd mentality† when in large groups (Rivers). This herd mentality causes people to lose â€Å"control of their usual inhibitions†; they do not follow their morals and sometimes act violently (Rivers). This mentality is sometimes seen at â€Å"soccer riot[s]† where property is being destroyed and spectators mindlessly join in. However, â€Å"herd mentality† does not always have to be violent, it can be defensive (Rivers). Often â€Å"defensive or protective circles spontaneously form against an adversary† where everyone in the group is set upon a common goal of protecting something and other thoughts and emotions are cast aside (Rivers). In addition to Christyl Rivers, Dossie Terrell, a state worker for the Social Security Administration and the Federal Child Support Enforcement Program, also believes that primal instincts are the cause of mob mentality. She believes that when conflict arises, bystanders â€Å"will give way to their primal instincts and jump into unplanned skirmishes† (Terrell). Humans are more evolved than other species accompanying us on earth and yet they still retain the same instincts. lose the ability to rationalize situations? Mob mentality is not caused by our primal instincts; instead it is caused by an external force of passionate persuasion. While there are many beliefs about the causes of mob mentality the actual cause may be an external force of passionate persuasion. One example of this is Nazi Germany. How was Hitler able to command and entire country with minimal opposition? It was simple, he used passionate persuasion to coerce many into believing what he was saying was correct. and through â€Å"the seven devices of Nazi propaganda† Hitler was able to mold the minds of an entire nation into taking part in the religious persecution of the Jews (Yellowthunder 6). The seven devices of Nazi propaganda, â€Å"name calling, card stacking, testimonial, flag waving, band wagon, transfer, and glittering generalities† persuaded Germany to retaliate against the Jews for something they did not do (Yellowthunder 7). Hitler blamed the status of Germany on the Jews and was so profoundly firm about his opinion that others began to follow him until most of Germany took part in the killing of the Jews. In addition to the propaganda Yellowthunder writes about the â€Å"nature of human social dynamics†. There is always dominance and subordination in society (Yellowthunder 2). In the situation where one has power over many, mob mentality occurs because people feel insignificant to the point where they do not question the orders of others. Many people today say that this is a lie but studies such as the Milgram Experiment where scientists tested to see how test subjects react to directions from authority figures even when those directs caused harm to others, have proven otherwise. Sixty percent of all the test subjects went up to the maximum voltage of 450-volts and many others came close (Yellowthunder 7). This experiment proved that people often listen to authority even when they know what they are doing is wrong. All of these examples including Nazi Germany and the Milgram experiment show how mob mentality occurs. It occurs because others perseveringly impose their opinions on others until the point where they mindlessly follow the leader. In addition to the religious persecution in Nazi Germany, groups such as the lynching mobs in Salem, Massachusetts were subject to mob mentality due to external forces. Glenn Greenwald, a US lawyer who graduated from New York University Law School believes this is true. In his article The Lynch Mob Mentality, Greenwald compares the mob mentality then to mob mentality today. During the Salem Witch Trials mob mentality occurred because â€Å"an authority figure appears and affixes a demonizing Other label to someone’s forehead† (Greenwald). Because someone with authority can indoctrinate his or her own ideas into the public’s ideas and it allows mob mentality to form and spread. No one questions what he or she is doing because they do not feel like it is their fault and therefore, they do not feel responsible. There is also the idea that people just follow the crowd because they are too scared to do otherwise. People conform because they are afraid to be different, so in the case of the Salem Witch Trials many people may have gone along with the lynchings because they were too afraid to say otherwise. Solomon Asch, a renowned Polish psychologist performed a â€Å"study of conformity† where test subjects hear actors say wrong answers to a question and when it was their turn to answer he recorded whether or not they answered the correct answer or the conformed and said the wrong answer (Solomon). In this study â€Å"37 or the 50 subjects conformed to the majority† (Solomon). This study suggests that even though people in society are capable of free thinking, they often conform and enter a mob mentality state because of an external force telling them to do so. Today even though society’s technology is more advanced, the same external forces that once caused religious persecution in the past continue today. While the present day population understands how mob mentality is formed, they do not fight it because they cannot, or if they can, they choose not to. For example, in North Korea, Kim Jong-Il rules a country because the Korean army follows his every command without questioning. Mob mentality lets him rule North Korea and while people everywhere attempt to shed light on this idea, the North Korean people continue to pay no heed. Mob mentality occurs in everyday life because of external factors that results in the subordination of people. Christyl, Rivers. â€Å"The psychology of mob behavior and crowd control. † n. pag. Web. 16 Dec. 2010. helium. com/items/1977174-psychology-of-mob-behavior-and-cro wd-control-hyseria-bubbles-groupthink-crowds-delusions. Greenwald, Glenn. â€Å"The Lynch Mob Mentality. † CommonDreams. org. N. p. , 5 Dec. 2010. Web. 16 Dec. 2010. commondreams. org/view/2010/02/05-6. â€Å"Solomon Asch experiment (1958) A study of conformity. Age-of-the-sage. org. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Dec. 2010. age-of-the-sage. org/psychology/social/asch_conformity. html. Terrell, Dossie M. â€Å"The psychology of mob behavior and crowd control. † n. pag. Web. 16 Dec. 2010. helium. com/items/1842456-mob-behavior-crowd-control-animal-versus-human-behavior-internet-mob-mentality. Yellowthunder, Lois. â€Å"THE BEAST. † Hsdinstitute. org. Human Systems Dynamics Institute, n. d. Web. 16 Dec. 2010. hsdinstitute. org/learnmore/library/articles/THE_BEAST. pdf.

How Is the Term Parameter Used in Java

How Is the Term Parameter Used in Java Parameters are the variables that are listed as part of a method declaration. Each parameter must have a unique name and a defined data type. Parameter Example Within a method to compute a change to a Circle objects position, the method changeCircle accepts three parameters: a name of a Circle object, an integer representing a change to the X-axis of the object and an integer representing a change to the Y axis of the object. public void changeCircle(Circle c1, int chgX, int chgY) { c1.setX(circle.getX() chgX); c1.setY(circle.getY() chgY); } When the method is called using example values (e.g., changeCircle(Circ1, 20, 25)), the program will move the Circ1 object up 20 units and right 25 units. About Parameters A parameter may be of any declared data type either primitives like integers, or reference objects including arrays. If a parameter may become an array of an indeterminant number of data points, create a  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹vararg  by following the parameter type with three periods (an ellipsis) and then specifying the parameter name.​

Introduction to Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Introduction to Management - Essay Example in order to convey a less localized image in the face of its ever-increasing global influence, is one of the largest and most profitable private sector energy corporations in the world. Employing close to 100,000 people and daily serving millions of customers worldwide, BP handles energy at all levels, from exploration and production to refining and marketing to developing gas, power, and renewable sources. BP was originally founded in 1909 as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company by William Knox D’Arcy who was given a concession by the Shah of Iran to search for oil in the region. The company expanded slowly, with a few bumps along the road due to the changing political conditions. By 1954, it had formally adopted the title of The British Petroleum Company, and in the 1960s, it started to widen its horizons beyond the Middle East and explore hitherto untapped oil-rich areas, such as Alaska (USA) and the North Sea. Through development and acquisitions, BP has steadily increased its transnational dominance to attain its present towering position in the league of petrochemical giants. Management functioning is systematic and well organized. Different department heads report directly to the Managing Director. Each of the different department heads have their respective managerial and non-managerial staff working for them. Department heads are responsible for the functions assigned to their departments. Management philosophy and practice is conventional and standards are not very different from the norms prevalent in the organizations of the same structure. Managers and employees fulfill their duties & obligations and they try to live up to the expectations of the top managers. The attitude of the top managers is guiding and encouraging and the overall approach to management is somewhat team oriented with emphasis on world group collaboration. Though, there is inter-departmental communication present in the organization the tasks are defined for each department. Middle

The 5 'I's Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The 5 'I's - Assignment Example This acts as the key inspiration that trigger the company to initiate a low sugar product that meets the needs of young children and old customers who are loyal towards the company products. In order to be successful in the soft drink market that is characterized by stiff competition, strong marketing team will be employed to carry out intensive market research. Through the use of feedback from parents and young consumers, the company will ultimately produce a quality brand that effectively puts at bay its competitors. Additionally, promotional strategies that include free samples, competition and road shows will greatly influence the demand of the new product among the young consumers. To be successful in the market, Coca-Cola will need to emulate various initiatives. First, duration of approximately 3 months is needed to undertake market research. After the research, the company needs to adopt marketing strategies for 6 months in order to create strong customer awareness (Tuomi 35). This implies that the company should employ various avenues of advertisement such as television, magazines as well as social sites including face book and twitter. For these strategies to be effectively put in place, the company requires approximate US $250,000 per year. To meet the high demand of its product in the market, the company will need to produce large volume of syrups in it production facility. In this regard, the technical team will be expanded and new machines will be put in place. Additionally, the company will adopt an effective communication system to monitor the sales of its new product in the current and new markets. Through the coordination of the 5 ‘I’, Coca-Cola will be not only successfully penetrate new markets but also it will expand its customer base an aspect that will contribute to its sustainable

The Rusty Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Rusty Time - Essay Example His father was getting more and more concerned, because Michael wasn’t the sociable little boy he used to be. As if he closed himself from the whole world, even him, his own father. No matter what he did, what he offered, Michael would bleakly, yet determinedly thank him, then refuse. He went downstairs and clicked on the big screen on the wall of the kitchen. A computerized voice greeted him facelessly, and asked what he would like to have for breakfast. He chose eggs and toast. The buzzing of machines wasn’t as loud as it was before they installed the newest Cook-O-Master. He thought to himself that his wife would have loved not having to cook anymore, but just indulge in her painting and taking care of Michael and him. He sighed and took the freshly prepared breakfast tray that the table produced before him. Michael stopped crying, but the sadness was all too visible in his demeanor. He went downstairs and joined his father at the table. He wanted no breakfast. †Å"Please, dad†¦ can we try it? Just once, I believe it is possible,† Michael started. â€Å"Mike, we’ve already had this discussion. You are putting me in an awful situation having to say no over and over again. I told you, even if we did try the procedure, it is questionable whether it would work. You know that the machine transports only live matter,† his father spoke calmly, feeling tired and heartbroken having to discuss a painful thing again. â€Å"I read somewhere that new additions are made to the machine and that they managed to transport some parts of clothing†¦ Dad, we can try, we have money now, I know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Michael,† his father’s voice was getting louder and more resolute, â€Å"You know it is impossible to transport money through time†¦ and you know†¦ I feel it’s my fault that we couldn’t afford to pay for your mother’s operation†¦ We could have saved her life†¦ If onlyà ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  He buried his face into his hands and went silent. Michael felt bad and hugged his father soothingly. â€Å"Dad†¦ dad†¦ it’s not your fault†¦ you couldn’t have known we would win the lottery†¦ we had no money†¦ it was†¦ it wasn’t your fault, dad, it wasn’t†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It was, Mike, it was†¦ I am the provider, at least†¦ I was supposed to be, and I couldn’t provide your mother with the treatment†¦ it is my fault... my fault†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, dad†¦ listen, we can try, I read†¦ I read somewhere†¦ let’s try, we have money, we can afford it now. You can go, and pay†¦ pay everything they ask†¦ just bring mom back, please, dad, please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Michael was crying in his father’s arms. His father was crushed by the weight of his guilt. He didn’t want to raise their hopes up, only for them to be shattered like glass. It would be like losing her again. And he wasn’t strong enough to go through that pain again. Not again. But, looking at his son, he felt stronger. Maybe, he thought to himself, maybe it is possible. If I make a few phone calls, maybe someone does know something. Having made several phone calls, he turned to Michael, who was looking at him with puppy dog eyes. â€Å"Alright, son, they said that they did manage to transport several pieces of cloth to the past. And, they said they are willing to give it a try, provided we pay them enough†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Michael jumped into his father’s arms. â€Å"But, Mike, Mike†¦ Promise me that you won’

Does Liberalism Promote Or Undermine Democracy Politics Essay

Does Liberalism Promote Or Undermine Democracy Politics Essay In a world of ideologies, liberalism and democracy have long coexisted. Liberalism in essence advocates for liberty and equal rights and the importance of the role they play in the development of individuals (liberalism. 1/1). Democracy takes a step further and most types of democracies aim to bring this into execution by the subsequent granting of these rights and liberties i.e. providing a platform for the individuals to grow via equal participation in the realm of economic, social and political affairs, and thus enabling them to decide their own destiny (What Is a Liberal Democracy? 1/1). At times, the two have managed to complement and supplement each other when either the liberals in their attempt to liberate themselves de-democratized or the democrats in their attempt to democratize de-liberated. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role, if any; liberalism plays in the democratization of systems that govern the modern political ideologies. The correlation between libera lism and democracy has been one where liberalism has both strengthened and destabilized democracy at different times, in different ways. It is not merely the explicit merger or clash of the two ideologies that provides the basis for liberalism to promote or undermine democracy, as the case may be. The problem is one of a more complex nature, which upon closer look, can be rooted to several democratizing and de-democratization practices of the liberal democrats in their attempt to liberate themselves. The subsequent advent of Neoliberalism did not help much and by aiming to promote a market driven approach to politics and economics by maximizing the role of the private sector in determining the political and economic policies of the state (McChesney 1/1). The liberal ideology that voices for liberty and equal rights help in the running of democracies where people are granted these rights and liberties and are subsequently entitled to freedom of speech, equal right to vote and tolerance towards religions. Liberalism emphasizes on individual freedom and the protection of that freedom (Liberal Ideas 1/1). The origin of democracy can be traced back in history to the liberal ideology of capitalism which won against fascism and led to the democratization of the state, as advocated by John Locke (Uzgalis 1/1). It was the principle that not only liberated people but granted them fundamental rights laying the basis for democratization (Uzgalis 1/1). It was the individual economic power of the business class that allowed them to liberate themselves from the tyranny of dictators after they had started to get irritated by the thought of having to follow someone according to Charles Tilly, besides having the means to rule themselves and subsequently led to a more representative form of government (Tilly 1/1). The liberal idea of individual freedom and social equality as put forward by John Stuart Mill, laid the basis for granting of civil rights to people, subsequently leading to the democratization of the state where the role of civil society is considered to be one of great significance (Wils on 1/1). A major characteristic of liberal democracies is the existence of pluralism i.e. the coexistence of different political parties that allow people with opposing views to join together and be able to pursue their own agendas (liberal democracy 1/1). While free media, another brainchild of liberalism, enables people to voice their opinions, debate, analyze and critique the performance of the state thereby ensuring transparency thus strengthening democracy as the rule of the majority (Charlton 1/1). Another feature of liberal ideology i.e. capitalism argues for markets to operate freely (Capitalism and democracy take two 1/1). This provides people with increased choice and opportunity to grow and consequently protect individual wellbeing. Governments, in order to gain popular support, aim to benefit the majority and thus regulate this idea of capitalism to an extent only to make sure that the freedom to earn and grow is not concentrated and rather benefits the community at large (Capital ism and democracy take two 1/1). Liberalism has also been one of the major reasons for the demise of the democratic order in states over the years. Although liberalism provides the basis following which most democracies aim to flourish, the same at times has been guilty of promoting anti-democratic practices such as use of influence by elite to stay in power, more commonly known as Marxs idea of dictatorship of the bourgeoisie (MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism: Glossary of Terms. 1/1), use of media to propagate against opposition (Charlton 1/1) and bureaucracys promotion of self-interest (Clarke, and Foweraker). It has been debated that media while playing a significant role in the strengthening of democracy can also be used to derail the democratic order (Charlton 1/1). The theory put forward is that liberalism promotes the role of media and considering the magnitude of importance attached, concentration of media i.e. ownership and control by a specific group or class (elite) can lead to its abuse (Charlton 1/1). These undesirable practices only contribute towards weakening of democracies. The existence of many political parties and the right to decide whether to vote or not granted to people by liberalism at times leads to the problems of promotion of self interests and not everyone voting; subsequently undermining the legitimacy of the electoral process as the choice of the majority (Compulsory Voting. 1/1). One such example is of Pakistan where the voter turnout was merely 44.91 percent in the 2008 elections (Pakistan voter turnout put at 44.9 percent 1/1). Moreover, many socialists argue that as liberalism promotes capitalism, the resulting democracy is not one of equality but rather one biased towards the influential elite (MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism: Glossary of Terms. 1/1). They further argue that policies aimed at helping the elite for personal interests lead to increased disparity between rich and poor and thus are considered anti-democratic (MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism: Glossary of Terms. 1/1). Bureaucracy also occupies great importance in the political and economic affairs of democratic states. Arguably, these bureaucrats in their desire to obtain individual benefits toy with laws to not only mend them in their favor but also ensure that their stay in power is both prosperous and long lasting (Clarke, and Foweraker). Such corrupt practices hamper the democratic order. Majoritarianism aims to again highlight the problem of the selected few (a minority) who have the means and power via self liberation through capitalism and con centration of media, to not only influence the political process but subsequently rule the majority while falsely proclaiming to be the voice of the majority (What Is a Liberal Democracy? 1/1). Another argument that highlights how liberalism undermines democracy is one of equal participation and the attainment of economic, social and cultural equality to go with the granted political equality (Carter and Stokes 8-12). Liberal democrats argue that as everyone has a right to vote thus the political system is democratic in essence, however the argument is that unless economic, social and cultural equality is also granted to marginalized groups such as feminists and gay right liberalists, democratization cannot be achieved in essence (Carter and Stokes 8-12). First wave feminists although did get a right to vote (West 1/1), it still did not ensure equality as the men who dominated society formed policies promoting self interests leaving them worse off. It was not until the second and third waves of feminism that women got more rights but still not equal to those enjoyed by men (West 1/1). Similarly gay right activists, Afro-Americans/blacks and ethnic minority liberalists argue that although they do have a say in the political sphere, they still have to bear several inequalities in terms of social, cultural and economic rights (Carter and Stokes 8-12). They also argue that the fact that women or blacks are given jobs it doesnt mean they are equal in all spheres (Carter and Stokes 8-12). The influential class not only is able to implement policies which benefit themselves but also ensure that these groups of people remain subservient to them (Carter and Stokes 8-12). The advent of Neoliberalism, however, has been the defining moment in this complex relationship between liberalism and democracy. Neoliberalism has managed to affect democracy in more explicit terms as it à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦neoliberalism has strengthened the sustainability of democracy in Latin America but limited its quality. (Weyland 1/1). Implying that globalization has led to the forced maintenance of democratic order while also increasing social inequality (Weyland 1/1). Neoliberals, the advocates of a market driven mechanism with no scope for government intervention, aim to maximize the role of private sector in the formation of all economic and political policies (McChesney 1/1). The shift of focus from the society to the individual has led to several extreme policy changes regarding privatization of public institutions, redistribution of wealth through taxation, and provision of welfare facilities including basic necessities such as health, education, food, clothing and shelter ( McChesney 1/1). Neoliberalism has become the dominating political ideology in recent times. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan gave neo-liberalism a big boost in the 1980s. (Neoliberalism 1/1). The parties that follow neoliberal ideology and the policies implemented tend to have a clear bias in favor of a wealthy few and many multi/trans-national corporations (McChesney 1/1). Everything that seems to be in contradiction with the operations of the free market mechanism is subsequently suppressed by using even unfair means or undemocratic practices (McChesney 1/1). Business forces face little or no opposition and the primary objective of the state is not welfare and equality and rather profit making and economic growth even at the cost of increased disparity (McChesney 1/1). Democracy is only seen acceptable as long as it is in line with the objectives of the business class (McChesney 1/1). Any anti-democratic measures that promote business environment are considered to be acceptable and democratic t o a great extent (McChesney 1/1). Neoliberalism leads to complete alienation of the non business class from the political process (McChesney 1/1) as it can be seen in Pakistani politics where the political system is one that is either hereditary or elitist. The consequences of such an ideology range from low voter turnout to wide spread depression as while some are playing in billions, the others are even deprived of food for survival due to the nonexistence of public institutions that would otherwise aim to address the issue of social welfare which can and will never be addressed by corporations driven by profit motive (McChesney 1/1). Neoliberal democracy, with its notion of the market uber alles [sic], takes dead aim at this sector. Instead of citizens, it produces consumers. Instead of communities, it produces shopping malls. The net result is an atomized society of disengaged individuals who feel demoralized and socially powerless. (McChesney 1/1). According to Ha-Joon Chang (2004), a professor at the University of Cambridge, global neo-liberalism threatens democracy by granting global investors and corporations veto power over domestic policy choices that they oppose. He also argues that neoliberal policies have granted excessive power to monetary bodies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund over domestic policies of recipient countries (Manurung 1/1). The influential capitalists, with their monopoly over property, media and political institutions amongst others, use coercive measures to suppress this opposition, a practice completely against the norms of democracy (McChesney 1/1). Those in favor of Neoliberalism, however argue that the idea of free market mechanism has provided people with choice and freedom (McChesney 1/1). They argue that it is a merit based system that promotes competition and provides equal opportunity to everyone who is good enough. Projects such as micro financing have emancipated women economically, who have been deprived otherwise (Mayoux 1/1). They argue that feminists have long fought for economic rights which have in turn been granted by Neoliberalism; the only condition is that one has to be good enough to attain (Mayoux 1/1). Liberalism, democracy and Neoliberalism have shared a strange relation since the time they have started to interact. Although liberalism and democracy do tend to complement each other as long as there is no misuse of power, Neoliberalism, has contributed mostly to the de-democratization while also contributing to democracy in the sense of increased participation. It mostly undermines the basic characteristics that define democracies and also goes on to contradict itself at times with regards to the liberation of every individual. The use of coercion to suppress opposition, that arises due to the increasing inequalities resulting from the market driven approach of Neoliberalism has done nothing but deprived the states of democratic order. Anti democratic policies of promoting self centered agendas through misuse of authority i.e. exercising economic and political influence via media and bureaucratic structures etc to stay in power have led both, liberalism to an extent and Neoliberali sm to almost completely, undermining democracy.

Enginnering Ethics Paper -- Engineering

In order for an engineering concept to be considered innovative it must be a new method or product; but it can also be a modification to an existing method or product. Generally the function of innovation is to overcome a new obstacle or to improve upon a current solution to any design. For the purpose of this paper innovation will not be defined only as an improvement. However, the innovation may cause new problems to arise. Given this situation the engineer may not have taken all the necessary steps to ensure the success of the application of the new design. In this paper one such engineer (William LeMessurier) and design concept will be discussed. The definition of innovation in the engineering field will be developed and the question of whether or not there are additional obligations imposed on the engineer as a result of innovation will be addressed. It was previously stated that innovation produces new problems which still holds true, but the statement may cause confusion given the definition of innovation as compared to the definition of invention. Invention is the generation of an idea while innovation is the attempted implementation of that idea. Having established general definitions an expansion on the definition of innovation is needed. An idea cannot be considered innovative if the application is unsuccessful. In order for a concept to be considered innovative it has to meet the design criteria. An innovative design must possess or more of the following characteristics: unusual, ground breaking, novel or a significant transformation from the previous design. In the field of engineering the distinction between innovative and non-innovative designs is based mostly on pioneering. The purpose of an engineer is to improv... ...tated that the night welding was the result of â€Å"an upgrade to reflect a recent change in the NYC building codes†2. This statement was deceitful but not irresponsible. The public health, safety and welfare were not ignored in association with the Citicorp design. Precautions were taken and information was shared among those in a position to make an impact. Informing the public of a design flaw would most likely cause panic and great economic loss. The engineer LeMessurier acted responsibly on his part. As the lead engineer public relations and press releases are not his responsibility. References 1. "Innovation.†. Britannica Family Encyclopedia. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. 2. E. HARRIS and R. JAMES, ENGR 482 Class Notes, Texas A&M University (Fall 2009). 3. HARRIS,PRITCHARD, RABINS, â€Å"Engineering Ethics†, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Belmont (2009)

Mis Credit Card

How much do How much do credit card companies know about you? 1. What competitive strategy are the credit card companies pursuing? How do information systems support that strategy? Credit card company keep tracks of their cardholder‘s credit usage and classified them into different category. This allows credit card companies to learn a great deal about each of its customers at a glance. Overall, the credit card company uses various methods to understand all of the cardholder’s spending habits.Information systems enable credit card companies to collect the data and analysis it easily. 2. What are the business benefits of analyzing customer purchase data and constructing behavioral profiles? Analysis of the information in the credit usage record enables credit card companies to evaluate the purchasing power of different customers. Credit card companies can use the important information to control the credit card user credit usage and therefore lower the company loss 3.Are these practices by credit card companies ethical? Are they an invasion of privacy? It is not ethical. The privacy of the cardholder is directly violated if the credit card usage is being tracked. The cardholder’s credit record could be abuse and used to harm the cardholder. companies know about you? 1. What competitive strategy are the credit card companies pursuing? How do information systems support that strategy? Credit card company keep tracks of their cardholder‘s credit usage and classified them into different category.This allows credit card companies to learn a great deal about each of its customers at a glance. Overall, the credit card company uses various methods to understand all of the cardholder’s spending habits. Information systems enable credit card companies to collect the data and analysis it easily. 2. What are the business benefits of analyzing customer purchase data and constructing behavioral profiles? Analysis of the information in the cred it sage record enables credit card companies to evaluate the purchasing power of different customers. Credit card companies can use the important information to control the credit card user credit usage and therefore lower the company loss 3. Are these practices by credit card companies ethical? Are they an invasion of privacy? It is not ethical. The privacy of the cardholder is directly violated if the credit card usage is being tracked. The cardholder’s credit record could be abuse and used to harm the cardholder.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 10

10. Unlikely Knights THE EMPEROR They called it Wine Country. What it was, in fact, was an area south of Market Street, adjacent to the Tenderloin, where liquor stores sold a high volume, yet small variety, of fortified wines like Thunderbird, Richard's Wild Irish Rose, and MD 20-20 (known in the wine world as Mad Dog, for the propensity of its drinkers to urinate publicly and turn around three times before passing out on the sidewalk). While Wine Country was technically the SOMA, or the â€Å"fashionable† South of Market Street neighborhood, it had yet to draw the young professional crowd that sprayed everything with a shiny coat of latte and money, as had its waterfront neighbor. No, Wine Country consisted mainly of run-down apartments, sleazy residence hotels, deeply skeezy porn theaters, and old industrial buildings, which now housed mini-storage units. Oh, and a huge Federal Building that looked like it was being molested by a giant steel pterodactyl, but evidently that was just the government trying to get away from their standard bomb shelter architecture to something more aesthetically appealing, especially if you liked Godzilla porn. It was in the shadow of that architectural abomination that the Emperor had taken his search for the alpha vampire cat. He and the men didn't spend much time in Wine Country, as he had lost a decade in a bottle somewhere and had since forsworn the grape. But it was his city, and he knew it like the cat-scratch scars on Bummer's muzzle. â€Å"Steadfast, gents, steadfast,† said the Emperor, throwing his shoulder against a Dumpster behind a hundred-year-old brick building. Bummer and Lazarus had commenced low, rumbling growls since they'd come into the alley, as if there were tiny semi-trucks idling in their chests. They were close. The Dumpster rolled aside on rusty wheels, revealing a basement window with a sheet of plywood loosely fitted into it. The building had once housed a brewery, but had long since been refitted for storage, except for the basement, half of which had been bricked off from the inside. But this window had been forgotten, and it led to an underground chamber completely unknown to the police, where William, and other people who succumbed to the Wine Country's charms, would seek shelter from the rain or the cold. Of course, you had to be drunk to think it was a good place to stay. Except for the spot by the window, the basement was completely dark, as well as damp, rat infested, and reeking of urine. As he pulled away the plywood, the Emperor heard a high sizzling sound, and the smell of burning hair came streaming out the window. Bummer barked. The Emperor turned away and coughed, fanned the smoke away from his face, and then peered into the basement. All over the visible parts of the floor, cat cadavers were smoldering, burning, and reducing to ash as the sun hit them. There were scores of them, and those were just the ones the Emperor could see from the window light. â€Å"This appears to be the place, gents,† he said, patting Lazarus's side. Bummer snorted, tossed his head, and ruffed three times fast, which translated to, â€Å"I thought I would enjoy the smell of burning cats more, but strangely, no.† The Emperor got on his hands and knees, then backed through the window. His overcoat caught on the window sill and actually helped him in lowering his great bulk to the floor. Lazarus stuck his head in the window and whimpered, which translated to, â€Å"I'm a little uneasy about you being in there by yourself.† He measured the distance from the window to the basement floor and pranced, preparing himself to leap into the abyss. â€Å"No, you stay, good Lazarus,† said the Emperor. â€Å"I fear I wouldn't be able to lift you out once you are down here.† With the ashes of burned cats crunching under his shoes the Emperor made his way across the room until he reached the end of the direct light that lay across the floor like a dingy gray carpet. To move farther he'd have to step on the bodies of the sleeping-well, dead-cats, as even in the shadows, he could see that the floor was covered with feline corpses. The Emperor shuddered and fought the urge to bolt to the window. He was not a particularly brave man, but had an overly developed sense of duty to his city, and putting himself in harm's way to protect her was something he was compelled to do, despite the acute case of the willies that was crawling up his spine like an enormous centipede. â€Å"There must be another entrance,† the Emperor said, more to calm himself than to actually impart information. â€Å"Perhaps not large enough for a man, or I would have known.† He tentatively nudged a dead cat aside with his toe, cringing as he did it. The vision of the vampire cats engulfing the samurai swordsman filled his head and he had to shake it off before taking another step. â€Å"A flashlight might have been a good idea,† he said. He didn't have a flashlight, however. What he had were five books of matches and a cheap, serrated-edged chef's knife that he'd found in a trash can. This would be the weapon he'd use to dispatch the vampire cat, Chet. In his younger, naà ¯ve days, last month, he'd carried a wooden sword, thinking to stake the vampires in the heart, movie style, but he'd seen the old vampire nearly torn apart by explosions, gunfire, and spear guns by the Animals when they'd destroyed his yacht, and none of it seemed as effective as had the little swordsman he'd seen in the SOMA. Still, a flashlight would have been nice. He lit a match and held it before him as he moved into the dark, working his foot between cat bodies with each step. When the match burned his fingers, he lit another. Bummer barked, the sharp report echoed through the basement. The Emperor turned and realized that he'd somehow made his way around a corner and the window was no longer visible. He reached inside his great overcoat and felt for the handle of the chef's knife, which was stuck in his belt at the small of his back. He pushed on, moving into another room, a large one as far as he could tell, but still, to the edge of the match light, the bodies of cats littered the floor, most of them lying on their sides as if they'd just dropped over, or in awkward piles, as if they'd been in the middle playing, or fighting, or mating when something suddenly switched them off like a light switch. Another distant bark from Bummer, then a deeper one from Lazarus. â€Å"I'm fine, men, I'll be finished with this and back out in no time.† Well into his third book of matches, the Emperor saw a steel door, partly ajar. He made his way to it; the dead cats thinned out and then there was a bit of a clearing in the carnage, although only for a foot or two, as if a path had been cleared, but a narrow one. He stood and caught his breath. He heard men's voices, but coming from back by the window, amid them more barking and now snarling from the men. â€Å"I'm in here!† the Emperor called. â€Å"I'm in here. The men are with me!† Then a distant voice. â€Å"Mo-fuckas need to cover this up. The City see it they brick this bitch up, then where we go when it rain?† There was a thump, then a grating noise, a rusty creaking, and the Emperor realized it was the sound of the plywood being fit back into the window and the heavy Dumpster pushed into place before it. â€Å"Block them wheels,† said the voice. â€Å"I'm here! I'm here!† called the Emperor. He gritted his teeth, preparing to run across the deep carpet of cat corpses to the window, but he hesitated, the match burned his fingers, and darkness fell upon him. THE ANIMALS â€Å"I'm pretty sure it's the Apocalypse,† said Clint, not even looking up from his red-letter King James Bible. The Animals were spread out in various positions around the basketball court, playing HORSE. Clint, Troy Lee, and Drew sat with their backs to the chain-link fence. Troy Lee was trying to read over Clint's shoulder, Drew was packing pot into the bowl of a purple carbon-fiber sports bong. Cavuto and Rivera made their way around the outside of the court. â€Å"What's up my niggas!† came a scratchy, wizened voice-totally out of place for the surroundings-like someone smacking a fiery fart out of a tiny dragon with a badminton racket. Rivera stopped and turned toward a small figure who stood at the foul line dressed in enormous sneakers and an Oakland Raiders hoody big enough for a pro offensive tackle. Except for the cat-rim glasses, it looked like Gangsta Yoda, only not so green. â€Å"That's Troy Lee's grandma,† said the tall kid, Jeff. â€Å"You have to give her a pound or she's going to keep saying it.† Indeed, she had a fist in the air, waiting for a pound. â€Å"You go ahead,† said Cavuto. â€Å"You're ethnic.† Rivera made his way to the tiny woman and despite feeling completely embarrassed about it, bumped fists with her. â€Å"Troot,† said Grandma. â€Å"Truth,† said Rivera. He looked to Lash, who had been the ad hoc leader of the Animals after Tommy Flood was turned vampire. â€Å"You okay with this?† Lash shrugged. â€Å"What are you gonna do? Besides, it's prolly the Apocalypse. No time to roll all politically correct up in this bitch when the world is ending.† â€Å"It's not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"It's definitely not the Apocalypse.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure it is,† said Troy Lee, looking over Clint's shoulder at Revelation. They all gathered around the seated Animals. Rivera took out his notebook, then shrugged and put it back in his pocket. This wasn't going to be in any report. Drew sparked up the bong, bubbled a long hit, then handed it to Barry, the balding scuba diver, who inhaled the extra off the top. â€Å"We're cops, you know?† said Cavuto, not sounding that sure of it himself. Drew shrugged and exhaled a skunky blast. â€Å"S'okay, it's medical.† â€Å"What medical? You have a card? What's your condition?† Drew produced a blue card from his shirt pocket and held it up. â€Å"I'm anxious.† â€Å"That's not a condition,† said Cavuto, snapping the card out of Drew's hand. â€Å"And this is a library card.† † Reading makes him anxious,† said Lash. â€Å"It's a condition,† said Jeff, trying to look somber. â€Å"It's for arthritis,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"He doesn't have arthritis. It's not a thing.† Cavuto was pulling handcuffs out of the pouch on his belt. â€Å"She does,† said Troy Lee, pointing to his grandmother. The old woman grinned, held up her card, flashed an arthritic â€Å"West Coast† gang sign, and said, â€Å"What's up, my nigga?† â€Å"I'm not giving her a pound,† said Cavuto. â€Å"She's like ninety. You must. It is our way,† said Troy Lee in his mysterious ancient Chinese secret voice. From his sitting position, he bowed a little at the end for effect. Cavuto had to bend down to give the old woman a pound. â€Å"You know you'll never escape the killer cats in those giant shoes,† he said. â€Å"She doesn't understand,† said Barry. â€Å"No comprende English,† said Gustavo. â€Å"Cats?† said Rivera. â€Å"Your message.† â€Å"Yeah, you said to call if anything weird happened,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Actually, we said not to call us,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Really? Whatever. Anyway, the Emperor came banging on the store windows last night all freaked out about vampire cats.† â€Å"Did you see them?† â€Å"Yeah, there were shitloads. And I don't know how you're going to take them down. That's why it's pretty obvious that it's the Apocalypse.† Clint, the born-again, now looked up. â€Å"I figure that the number of the beast is a number of how many. So, there were like six hundred sixty-six at least.† â€Å"Although it was hard to count,† said Drew. â€Å"They were in a cloud.† Rivera looked to Troy Lee for explanation. â€Å"It was like they'd all gone to vapor, like we saw the old vampire trying to do that night we blew up his yacht. Except they were all merged into one, big-ass vampire cloud.† â€Å"Yeah, it started coming into the store, even with the door locked,† said Jeff, now at the foul line, sinking his fourth swish in a row. â€Å"How'd you stop it?† Cavuto asked. â€Å"Wet towel under the door,† said Barry. â€Å"It's what you do when you're smoking weed in a hotel and you don't want everyone calling security. You're always supposed to have a towel. I read about it in a guide for hitchhiking through the galaxy.† â€Å"Skills,† said Drew, a little glassy-eyed now. â€Å"But, if not for the wet towel, it was the Apocalypse,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Clint is looking in the book of Revelation for the part about the towel now.† â€Å"I hope it's like Thunder Dome Apocalypse,† said Jeff. â€Å"Not zombies trying to eat your brain Apocalypse.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure it's going to be, city-wiped-out-by-vampire-cats Apocalypse,† said Barry. â€Å"You know, just going on what we know.† â€Å"It's not the Apocalypse,† said Cavuto. â€Å"So, what happened?† Rivera asked. â€Å"The cloud just went away?† â€Å"Yeah, it sort of distilled to a big herd of cats and they went running every which way. But what do we do tonight if it comes back? The Emperor led it right to us.† â€Å"Where is the Emperor?† â€Å"He went off this morning with his dogs. Said he thought he knew where the prime vampire cat might be and that he and the men would dispatch it and save his city.† â€Å"And you let him?† â€Å"He's the Emperor, Inspector. You can't tell him shit.† Rivera looked at Cavuto. â€Å"Call dispatch to post a bulletin to call us if anyone sees the Emperor.† â€Å"We're not getting off work today, are we?† said Cavuto. â€Å"Take an Apocalypse day,† said Barry. â€Å"Woo-hoo! Apocalypse day!† Troy Lee's grandma fired off a barrage of Cantonese to her grandson, who replied with the same. The old woman shrugged and looked up at Cavuto and Rivera and spoke for about thirty seconds, then went and took the ball from Jeff, then shot a complete air ball, at which everyone cheered. â€Å"What? What?† said Cavuto. â€Å"She wanted to know what Barry was woo-hooing about, so I told her.† â€Å"What did she say?† â€Å"She said no big deal. They had vampire cats in Beijing when she was a girl. She said their shit is weak.† â€Å"She said that?† â€Å"The idiom is different, but basically, yeah.† â€Å"Oh good,† said Cavuto, â€Å"I feel better.† â€Å"We need to find the Emperor,† Rivera said. Cavuto pulled the car keys out of his jacket. â€Å"And pick up our Apocalypse jackets.† â€Å"What about us?† asked Lash. Rivera didn't even look back when he said, â€Å"You guys have more experience fighting vampires than anyone on the planet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We do, don't we?† said Troy Lee. â€Å"Oh, we are so fucked,† said Lash. â€Å"That's sad,† said Drew, repacking the bowl of the bong. â€Å"Really sad.† THE EMPEROR Darkness. He waited a moment, listening to his pulse beat in his ears before striking another match. â€Å"Courage,† he whispered to himself, a mantra, an affirmation, a sound to keep him from jumping out of his own skin at every creak or rustle in the dark. He lit the match, held it aloft. He pulled at the big steel door, throwing his weight, and it moved a few inches. Perhaps this was the other way out. It was clear that all these cats hadn't come in through the window, not with the plywood blocking it. He elbowed the door aside, feeling the resistance of a drift of dormant vampire cats piled up against it. When the opening was wide enough to squeeze through, he put his shoulder inside, then paused as the match went out from the movement. He was inside, and the floor seemed clear at his feet, although it felt as if he was standing on powder. As he lit the next match he hoped to see a stairway, a hallway, perhaps another boarded-up window, but in fact what he saw was that he was in a small storeroom fitted with wide metal shelves. The floor was indeed covered with a thick layer of dust, and among it, rumpled clothing. Ragged overcoats, jeans, and work boots, but also brightly colored satin garments, hot pants, and halter tops, tall platform shoes in fluorescent colors, dingy under the dust and darkness. These had been people. Homeless people and hookers. The fiends had actually dragged people down here and fed on them-sucked them to dust, as the little Goth girl had termed it. But how? No matter how strong or ravenous, the cats were still just housecats before they had turned. And they hadn't seemed cooperative. He couldn't imagine a pack of twenty vampire cats dragging a fully grown person down here. It didn't make sense. The match burned his finger and he tossed it aside, then pulled the knife from his belt before lighting the next. When the next match flared, he saw something on one of the high shelves at the far side of the room. Something quite a bit larger than a housecat. Perhaps it was one of their victims who had survived. He adjusted his grip on the knife and moved forward, trying not to cringe as the dusty clothing clung to his feet and ankles. No, not a cat. At least not a housecat. But it had fur. And a tail. But it was the size of an eight-year-old child, and it was snuggled up against something even larger. The Emperor raised the knife and stepped forward, then stopped. â€Å"Well, you don't see that every day,† he said. The cat thing was spooning the naked form of Tommy Flood.