Augustine’s Confession Today Essay

In my opinion I feel as if Augustine’s Confessions is still very much relevant and timeless in today’s world in the aspect of religion and spirituality, morality, and love. In Confessions Augustine undergoes a transition from his original view on religion to a different view. He begins to be cautious of sin in his life and in the lives of those around him. Most of all, Confessions helps in understanding the Journey of man in his search for a more spiritual connection, the struggles they may be faced with, and he right path to be chosen, which is a struggle that many can relate to today. When looking at this in Confessions you see in Book VIII, Augustine tells us of his transition to Christianity. He describes how he was able to overcome his struggle with his internal battles and become a follower of Christ. Augustine describes his struggle as having â€Å"two wills, one carnal, one spiritual, were in conflict with one and other†. Augustine’s is having an internal battle between his pleasure seeking side and his spiritual side. The quote â€Å"This was the controversy raging in my heart, a controversy about myself, against myself† is where Augustine recognizes this internal conflict between his good and bad side. This is when he embraces Christianity. This statement is relevant today in many ways. The statement does not Just apply to religion. In life in general, there will always be internal battles that you will have to face. Whatever it may be, you will have to decide what the right path to take it is and this will be what defines you as a person. During Augustine’s Journey you notice in ook VI of Confessions that Augustine is struggling with his feelings on sex, women, and love. He begins his spiritual Journey and has to change his perspective from being a young man that has an overwhelming desire for sex and women to a lifestyle that is in compliance with the church. This means that he can only have sexual relations within the confines of marriage. Augustine comments on his struggle with this as he describes himself as a â€Å"slave for lust†. After he sends his mistress away he says: â€Å"And so, since I was not a lover of wedlock so much as a slave of lust, I procured nother mistress–not a wife, of course. Thus in bondage to a lasting habit, the disease of my soul might be nursed up and kept in its vigor or even increased until it reached the realm of matrimony. Nor indeed was the wound healed that had been caused by cutting away my former mistress; only it ceased to burn and throb, and began to fester, and was more dangerous because it was less painful. † Augustine uses words such as â€Å"wound†, â€Å"bondage†, and â€Å"disease of my soul† suggesting that Augustine sees this as a bad habit that needs to be fixed. In book VI you can see that is thoughts on women and love are pushing towards the church’s thoughts on it. Yet, his body is still struggling with this his lustful desires. After reading Confessions you can see what the Augustine goes through in order to achieve his goals of spirituality. As well as through his first-person narratives you gain an understanding as to what may lead to conversion and the path towards spirituality. Through reason and the strength to overcome the struggles with internal battles, such as morality and lust, the Journey can be completed. Augustine’s Confession Today By savannahr87

‘Manifesto of the Communist Party’ by Karl Marx

Karl Marx developed theoretical concepts of society and its development explaining the workings of market economies and class relations. One of his main works, ‘Manifesto of the Communist Party’, vividly describes the main concepts and strategic vision of Communism, socialism and class struggle. Karl Marx was concerned with how income was shared among the three great social classes: workers and capitalists. A major concern of nineteenth-century social thinking was to identify the nature of industrialization and to trace its social and political effects. Social and economic environment led to development of ‘Manifesto of the Communist Party’. The era of Marx and the following decades were the era of Liberalism. During the years 1830 to 1930 the world was fast becoming an industrial society, yet its laws were based on an ideal of an agrarian society. During the second half of nineteenth century the world changed economically and socially. The book ‘Manifesto of the Communist Party’ consists of four sections: Bourgeois and Proletarians, Proletarians and Communists, Socialist and Communist Literature, the Opposition parties. Each section identifies and analyzes the main concepts of new industrial and social relations and gives historical examples of these events. In this book, Marx creates the economic, social and political theory and practice, develops capitalism theory explaining the role of a class in society. What is emphasized is the market as a system of exchanges rather than as an arena of compe ­tition; the persistent association of political particies and the pacification of economic relations relies on this emphasis. In the section ‘Bourgeois and Proletarians’, Marx introduces new materialist method in contrast to idealistic one. He examines the role of labor and labor relations, explains the struggle over the division of output and wage system. According to Marx capitalism is class struggle. Increasing polarization of the population divides it into two great classes, the bourgeoisie (capitalist) and the proletariat (workers). Marx states that â€Å"The bourgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all, even the most barbarian, nations into civilization† (Marx n.d.). In this situation, classes not only are the links be ­tween levels rather tight; they are unidirec ­tional, the causal flow going from economic structure through consciousness to action. Marx portrays that over time the two great classes directly facing each other defined by how they stand to the relations of production, gradually conso ­lidate under capitalism, absorbing other classes within them, developing class consciousness and industrial and political organizations, and in due course fight out a revolutionary conflict (Marx, n.d.). Marx explains the role of â€Å"the means of production† and â€Å"exchange† of goods in market economy. Marx states: â€Å"The productive forces at the disposal of society no longer tend to further the development of the conditions of bourgeois property† (Marx n.d.). The class struggle is explained as opposition between working class and the class of capitalists. Also, it is struggle of lower socioeconomic classes with higher socioeconomic classes. Given the irreconcilable conflict of interests between capital and labor, the outstanding feature of capitalist society is struggle based on historical development and new production modes. Also, Marx describes the relations and interconnection between capital and labor wages, the nature of competition and a revolutionary class. The second section of the book describes relationships between communists and the working class. Marx gives an overview of a communist society free from oppression, antagonism and exploitation. According to Marx, an ideal society should be classless. Marx states: â€Å"communism deprives no man of the power to appropriate the products of the society; all that it does is to deprive him of the power to subjugate the labor of others by means of such appropriations† (Marx n.d.). He criticizes land ownership and supports the state ownership. The main points of his program for the classless society are: abolition of property in land; progressive or graduated income tax; confiscation of emigrants’ property, importance of the centralized state bank, centralization of communication and transport, all should be equally obliged to work, leveling the differences between the town and country, free education for children (Marx, n.d.). Marx underlines that the differences between classes should be diminished in order to reach classless community. Moreover, and in consequence, there is no overall story of a development through time from class structure through class conscious ­ness to class action, nor any underlying theory of ‘class interests' that could explain such a development: the historical possibilities are far more open and indeterminate. â€Å"When, in the course of development, class distinctions have disappeared, and all production has been concentrated in the hands of a vast association of the whole nation† (Marx n.d.). The focus at each class is also much broader: at the structural level, it encompasses not only productive relations but also the sphere of circulation and market positions; and at the levels of consciousness and action, and the spheres of consumption and distri ­bution as well as work and politics. Marx states that ‘political power’ should be used as ‘the organized power’ which protects â€Å"one class for oppressing another† (Marx n.d.). Also, Marx defines classes by their modes of collective action and shows how rights to productive resources, credentials, party membership, lineage, etc., can all be distinct bases for social closure in the struggle. Marx identifies the way of the transition from socialism to communism and advantages of the classless society. In the third section, â€Å"Socialist and Communist Literature†, Marx describes the differences between socialist and communist literature. He criticizes socialist trends and approaches such as Feudal Socialism, Petty-Bourgeois Socialism, Critical-Utopian Socialism, etc. This section is based on historical examples and analysis of social development and driven forces of class development. For instance, he explains the emergence of ‘petty bourgeoisie’ as a new class â€Å"fluctuating between proletariat and bourgeoisie† (Marx, n.d.). But their generally determinist attitude led them into a certain political passivity. Most of them anticipated socialist consciousness originating outside the working class. Marx underlines that German socialism is based on the struggle â€Å"against feudal aristocracy† (Marx, n.d.). A major concern of this thinking is to identify the nature of these relations and to trace their social and political effects. Speaking about Conservative or Bourgeois Socialism Marx states: â€Å"The bourgeoisie naturally conceives the world in which it is supreme to be the best† (Marz, n.d.). They distinguish society by its characteristic modes of production and economic life. However, what is thought to distinguish the society is not solely a new mode of production, but a new social imperative – the changing distribution of economic and social resources. Marx criticizes Critical-Utopian Socialism stating that such philosophers and economists as Fourier, Saint-Simon and Owen make a mistake taking into account only the ‘early undeveloped period’. This historical and social vision limits their understanding of the historical process and forces them †to consider themselves far superior to all class antagonisms† (Marx, n.d.). These theories can be thought of as ranged along a continuum whose poles can be neatly seen as occupied by the classical posi ­tions respectively. Not only are the links be ­tween levels rather tight; they are unidirec ­tional, the causal flow going from economic structure through consciousness to action. The fourth section gives overview of communist struggle and its impact on workers consciousness. Marx gives examples of four countries: France, Switzerland, Poland and Germany as the main countries where communism flourishes. The visible change in the attitudes to parties constitutes progress towards democracy and classless society. â€Å"In short, the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things† (Marx, n.d.). Accordingly, Communism presupposes the continued political significance of integrated patterns of thought whose outlines follow the historical doctrines of different parties. To understand Communism and its relations with working class it is necessary to take account of the institutions and parties involved, their ideologies and motives; it is necessary to consider not only the legal dimensions but also the behavioral dimensions of classes. Marx restates: â€Å"Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution† (Marx, n.d.). In sum, the book documents in detail how the economic position of classes have been developed. Given the irreconcilable conflict of interests between capital and labor, Marx vividly portrays that the outstanding feature of capitalist society is class conflict. One of the sharpest contradic ­tions of capitalism was precisely that between the social character of production and the individualist basis of ownership. Marx underlines that social conflict was a feature of the transition between older and newer social orders, world perception and values, and materialistic understanding of the world. Communism was professed by the major tendencies which emerged during the nineteenth century, and the most common classification schemes for ideologies build upon this historical material. References 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Manifesto of the Communist Party (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/index.htm [accessed 1 Dec 2006]   

Psychology and Crime Essay

There are a number of other theories developed by researchers including Bandura (1986), Beck (1982), Ellis (1976) and Ross and Fabiano (1985) describing cognitive structures or thinking frameworks that lead to troubled or criminal behaviour. These theories suggest that how an individual thinks about an external event, not the event itself, can trigger feelings that lead to criminal behaviour. Cognitive restructuring enables offenders to change their anti-social attitudes and beliefs through a process that focuses on the individuals thinking patterns. Kohlberg (1978) in the theory of moral development was concerned with the cognitive processes behind moral judgement. He used the work of Piaget (1932) and suggested that moral reasoning advances with age. Offending occurs when there is a delay in moral development and the offender does not have the reasoning to resist temptation from offending. (Hollin as citied in Maguire 2002) This could explain why some criminals are seen to ‘grow out’ of criminality. This theory has been criticised on the basis that Kohlberg was explaining moral reasoning not moral behaviour. In conclusion psychoanalytical accounts do not offer a satisfactory explanation of crime but neither do any of the other theories on their own. Psychoanalytic theories concentrate on the unconscious, which is a contributing factor in the explanation of crime but the theory cannot explain all types of crime. Learning theories look at the values and beliefs that are learnt through the environment however they do not take into account internal or cognitive factors. Cognitive approaches help us to understand crime but do not explain the causes of crime. Cognitive theories focus on the individual and how the individual can be treated to change. This is why they are in favour with criminal justice at the moment. The theories assume that all offenders are the same however it is only crime itself that can be described in such a uniform way. In order to explain crime all the available theories including sociological theories need to be taken into account. As for psychoanalytical theories â€Å"Psychoanalytical theories stress the inner processes and conflicts as determinants of behaviour. However they do not ignore or neglect the environmental or social factors, but they favour the dynamic processes as playing a major role in the development of criminal behaviour†. (Hollin 1989) Bibliography Ainsworth.P (2000) Psychology and Crime: Myths and reality. (Essex: Pearson) Hollin.C (1989) Psychology and crime. (London: Routledge) Maguire.M etal (2002) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (Oxford: Oxford University Press. 3rd Edition) McLaughlin.E & Muncie.J (2001) The Sage Dictionary of Criminology (Sage Publications ltd. London) Putwain.D & Sammons.A (2002) Psychology and Crime (East Sussex: Routledge)

International Business - Mongolia Research Paper - 1

International Business - Mongolia - Research Paper Example Such a similar scenario may be witnessed in the entire globe at the time of interwar period. Due to which, not only the financial institutions became collapsed but also a political unrest took place in the entire globe that hampered its growth to a significant extent. However, among many others, Mongolia is one of the noteworthy nations, whose political scenario is totally hindered due to the economic turmoil (Kasuya, 2003). This research essay is divided into three phrases mainly highlighting the impacts of interwar in various nations in the entire globe. Along with this, it also describes, the ways by which, the political situation of the nation of Mongolia became disturbed among others. Interwar period is recognized as the time frame within 1919 to 1939. It is time in which the World War I ended and the World War II began. Due to which, it is recognized as one of the vital time frame for the financial institutions as entre change-over is taking place. This is because, it is time, in which the banking institutions of various nations like France, Britain and Mongolia is trying to pull back huge amount of money from stock markets. This is mainly due to the downfall or crash of stock markets. As a result of which, the economic activities of the nation of Mongolia slowed down thereby declining the prosperity of the nation to a significant extent. Along with this, due to lack of financial help from the institutions, the idea of over production and future investment is stopped that hindered the economic progress of the nation of Mongolia to a certain extent. It is mainly due to the presence of economic turmoil or recession in the nation. In addition, due to recession numerous institutions became closed thereby terminating or huge amount of individual. As a result of which, the rate of unemployment and redundancy enhanced thereby declining the level of living standards and economic conditions of the citizens of Mongolia certainly. Moreover, the income

Cesar Chavez's Plan Delano Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cesar Chavez's Plan Delano - Essay Example "The Plan of Delano" is the Proclamation issued by La Causa when the National Farm Workers' Association voted to join the Filipino grape pickers' strike in 1965. It spells out the platform of Cesar Chavez' peaceful yet forceful demand for farm workers' welfare and labor reforms to end the injustice that has been oppressing them. He calls it a pilgrimage, a journey that moves towards a hopeful end. This journey is bathed in the blood and sweat of their forefathers in the last one hundred years. He says that they are not afraid to suffer for the sake of attaining their goals of a better life and development. The Plan is a six-point proposition that entails the following: 1. It is going to be a peaceful rally seeking for their basic human rights, quoting Benito Jurez: "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" (Respect for the rights of others is the way to peace); 2. It calls for the "support of political groups and protection of the government," for in the past they have been ignored and less favored; 3. It is also a call for support from the Church of all denominations believing that "God shall not abandon" them; 4. It further calls for endurance amidst the suffering; 5. It also calls for unity, for there is strength in being united; and 6. Finally, it calls for unarmed revolution. This Proclamation has not only been limited to the area where Chavez and his followers belong but it has been a window to the heart and soul of the Mexicans all over the world. For instance, Lorena Oropeza, in "Raza S! Guerra No!: Chicano Protest and Patriotism during the Viet Nam War Era, valorizes the Chicano patriotism and protest as she refers to the "Plan de Delano" as "a ringing plea for dignity and equality for all farmworkers" (72). In addition, the Postmodern Political Communication: The Fringe Challenges the Center edited by Andrew King mentions that the "Plan of Delano" was Top of Form "inspired by [Emiliano] Zapata" (88) and is a "reflection of the ideas of a Chicano prophet, Cesar Chavez" (93). Further, the book states that "His (Chavez) Plan of Delano, like all his rhetoric, focuses on this moral view of the world" (94) as it "presents a powerful call for unity among Mexican-Americans" (96). Looking into the text, one can glean the admirable and ideal characteristics of this action for a cause. Unlike the present strikes and rallies all over the world, particularly in Third World countries, Chavez' group exemplifies one that is peaceful, impartial, spiritual, enduring, united and unarmed as spelled out in the six-point plan. Works Cited The Plan of Delano. (18 April 2008). This site contains the full text of the platform of Chavez's call for a peaceful strike that demands for reforms regarding the social injustices that the farm workers are subjected to. Csar E. Chvez. Social Justice and Civil Rights. California Department of Education. (18 April 2008). This site contains a comprehensive collection of materials and articles pertaining to Cesar Chavez and his

Comparing (FASB) Financial Accounting Standands Board vs. GASB Research Paper

Comparing (FASB) Financial Accounting Standands Board vs. GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) - Research Paper Example ard is an autonomous body that works for the establishment and improvement of the financial reporting and accounting standards for the United States of America and its local governments. It was founded in 1984 through the agreement of Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) along with other 10 national organizations as well as local government. It is recognized by the accounting industry and the government alike for being the source of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for the local and federal government. (Board, 2010) It brings in to use the useful information for decision making for users of government while and issues communications and standards for guidance. Some of the government users of its information and standards are: Furthermore, the GASB provides services to educate the people involved in preparation of the financial statements, auditors and other users of the financial statements regarding the government requirements to be presented in the financial statements. The Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council also advices the GASB which constitutes of a group of 30-members that are chosen by the Financial Accounting Foundation Trustees which are characterize a variety of the GASB’s elements. Managerial costing must apply a foundation of recognition, accounting and calculation concepts as suitable for the purpose that it is intended. The information pertaining to costing which is build up for diverse purposes must be extracted from a source that is common and reports of the production must be reconcilable to one another. The costs of a particular item may be accounted for in different manner and can be analyzed and reported in different ways. The cost accounting principles suggest that managerial cost accounting must supply costing information utilizing a basis of recognition and measurement which is suitable for the intentional application of the information. In case when the cost and managerial cost accounting is employed

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

See below - Essay Example From our infancy to our death our bones grow and change characteristics from flexible cartilage to mature â€Å"hard-as-rock† bone, to porous, brittle bones of old age. Two of the most important elements that make up hard, mature bone are Calcium and Phosphate. Calcium is the most abundant element in the body. Aside from maintaining bones and teeth it can also â€Å"enable the contraction of muscles, including the function of the body’s most important muscle, the heart. It is also essential for normal blood clotting, proper nerve impulse transmission, and the appropriate support of connective tissue† (Krapp, 2002, p. 387). Phosphate plays many other roles in the body, mostly as a component of ATP and as a buffer to other compounds. In the bones, Phosphate and calcium ions combine into hydroxyapatite, which is the structural material found in bones. There is a limit to the amount of Calcium and Phosphate in the body. To maintain proper levels of both, the bones co ntinuously undergo bone remodeling. Bone remodeling is the process of bone deposit and bone resorption combined. It involves correcting imbalances between phosphate and calcium levels in the blood. Normally, a human has 9-11 mg of calcium for every 100ml of blood (Marieb & Hoehn, 2006). If it drops below that, calcium is taken from the blood, and if it exceeds it, the extra calcium is absorbed into the blood. The components that make bone remodeling happens are your Parathyroid hormones, your calcitonin, your osteoblasts and your osteoclasts. Parathyroid hormones are hormones released by the Parathyroid gland that stimulates osteoclasts to break down bone. Osteoclasts are made from the same kind of stem cells that turn into macrophages. They â€Å"move along a bone surface, digging grooves as the break down the bone matrix† (Marieb & Hoehn, 2006), transporting the calcium parts of it into the blood. Since there is a very little difference between nine and eleven milligrams of calcium, the body has to make sure the osteoclasts don’t overdo it. This is where calcitonin comes in. When there is an excess of calcium in the blood, calcitonin is secreted by the thyroid gland, and it activates your bones’ osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are the opposite of the osteoclasts. It absorbs calcium from the blood and stimulates calcium salt deposit in the bone, balancing the calcium levels. This cycle goes on and on, perpetually trying to strike that balance. If too much calcium is released to the blood, the bones would be brittle and would break easily, and if too much calcium is absorbed, the heart would not be able to contract correctly, leading to many possible circulatory problems. Bone remodeling through hormonal control is not primarily for the benefit of the bones. Bone integrity is secondary to maintaining a normal amount of calcium in the blood. Bones are just storage space for ionic calcium to be used by the rest of the body. If it needs more, the bo dy will just keep demineralizing the bones until it has enough in the blood, likewise, if there is too much calcium, neither the blood nor the bones can keep all of it. Calcium salt deposits can form in many organs, thereby hampering the function of these organs such as blood vessels, kidneys, etc. There is another way wherein bones are remodeled. That is through mechanical stress. Gravity is a constant. It is always weighing the bones down. The

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 162

Assignment Example The second article is about the ways school counselors can help victims of child abuse and neglect. Dr. Glenn Lambie provides the definitions of abuse and neglect from the American School Counselor Association and gives statistics on deaths and incidents of child abuse and neglect. (2005) Symptoms to look out for, the pertinent statutes in North Carolina, the guidelines for reporting cases of suspected abuse and possible interventions to prevent such issues are also included. This article is interesting for people who would like to be professional counselors because they may have to help victims in the future since child abuse and neglect is a big part of American society. This article is scholarly because of the peer-review process. McDermott, R. C. & Lopez, F. G. (2013). College men’s intimate partner violence attitudes: Contributions of adult attachment and gender role stress. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60 (1), 127-136. The third article is about a study conducted to determine if adult attachment and gender- role stress contribute to intimate partner violence in men. Authors McDermott and Lopez invited 497 heterosexual men in college to participate in an anonymous web survey (2013). Results revealed that gender role stress had a significant influence in intimate partner violence. This article is significant to professional counselors because they can usually have patients who are victims of violence. This article is scholarly because it has gone through the peer-review

Differences between the old version of the international commercial Essay

Differences between the old version of the international commercial terms (2000)and the new ones (2011) - Essay Example Defining the changes which have been made between the different years and associating this with the terms regulated by the ICC, or international chamber of commerce organization, can also redefine what is now expected when working with trade agreements across nations. The current changes which are being initiated are based on redefining the terms of trade, specifically to open different regions while protecting businesses that are associated in different regions of the world. The purpose of this research paper will be to redefine the amount of supply and demand between regions while creating a different set of terms and agreements with the new international commercial terms. It has been noted that a large variety of changes have been made between the year 2000 and 2011. These are being redefined to open the trade of import and export and to protect businesses with arbitration and mediation. More important, these are changing the way in which different businesses associate with legalities, arbitration and mediation in various countries. By examining the redefinition of terms, the paper will be able to redefine what the terms may lead to as well as how this is changing the outlooks that are associated with business imports and exports among various countries. Import and export terms have been growing since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, specifically because both quality and quantity can be maintained through basic manufacturing agreements. To ensure that the export and import terms are met and qualified, legalities and representation of both sellers and buyers have also been noted. The first representation was in 1936 with the development of the International Chamber of Commerce, or ICC. The main objective of the ICC was to regulate trade and to ensure that there were fair agreements which were made across national borders. The development of the ICC led to the Inco terms, which were rules and agreements which

Arthur Millers play Essay Example for Free

Arthur Millers play Essay In the book of record that Mr Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in church on Sabbath day twenty-six times in seventeen month, sir. I must call that rare this can cause people be rebellious and there is also the fact that not everyone feels the same way about religion and forcing people would cause resentment between the community it self, and that is exactly what we find happening. Lets take the Walcotts. They blamed Martha Corey of being a witch. This was due to the fact that she had sold them a pig and it died. When they asked for their money back saying that she had given them a sick pig, she refused and said Walcott, if you havent the wit to feed a pig properly, youll not live to own many After that, the Walcotts claimed that they couldnt keep a pig alive for more than four weeks and so accused her of being a witch. The whole witchcraft business turned into something to settle old grudges. We even find Ann Putnam accusing Rebecca Nurse, who as we know was a very religious and god fearing woman. She accuses her because of her jealousy of Rebecca having so many children and grandchildren and not one of them died. She accused Rebecca of murdering her babies with her powers as a witch. So we find that the community was very much involved in accusing and taking advantage of these witch trials as a way of solving old grudges and to put it to use for their personal vendettas. There was also the mistake of John Proctor. He should have gone to the court and told them at the beginning what Abigail had told him, before the whole thing got so out of hand. The towns mumbling witchcraft. Oh, posh! We were dancin in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took a fright is all This shows that Abigail admits that there is no truth in the witchcraft rumour. By the time he went and told them, they had already thrown a lot of people in jail for witchcraft. For them to listen to Proctor would be admitting that they had made a mistake, and that in it self would mean that other problems would arise for them. Proctors affair with Abigail had also somewhat caused these witch trials. Abigail, due to her infatuation with Proctor had gone to the woods where she drank a blood charm to kill his wife and was discovered by Parris. That was the start of the rumours of witchcraft. There was also the mistake of Elizabeth Proctor. If she had not lied, the court would have been overthrown. Is your husband a lecher?! No sir She spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied! The lie caused the fact that Abigail had confessed to Proctor that she had been dancing and that there was no witchcraft done on them, to be dismissed as a lie told by Proctor. So once again the witch trials were back on. Rebecca Nurse seemed to be the only person who understood what was going on. I have seen them all through their silly season She knew that what Betty and Ruth were doing was just their childhood mischiefs. In fact Abigail, when talking to Proctor, had said She took fright, is all about Bettys condition. So we can see that not all of the community was bad. And of course we cannot forget the legal system the courts input into the trials, as they had held them. First of all the rule that if you confessed to witchcraft you would not be hanged but if you didnt then you will hang, is totally preposterous. This means that even if people were innocent, which we know they were, they would have to confess to save their lives. If people confess then it would be known that witchcraft is about in Salem and so there would be no talk of overthrowing the court. In fact even after finding out that the accusations of witchcraft had been a hoax they were not ready to admit mistake and went on further and executed some more people. I cannot think they would run off except they fear to keep in Salem anymore. Mark it, sir, Abigail had close knowledge of this town. This shows that Abigail had been lying. So the question is how much was it Abigails fault that these witch trials took place. After gathering sufficient evidence from the play, one cannot be certain and say that Abigail was to blame entirely because we know it is not entirely true. We know there were other factors and people who supported and played a big part in the trials. We also know that a lot of it was to settle old grudges and to deal with individuals personal vendettas. Still we cannot deny the fact that Abigail was the main reason for these witch trials. The drinking of the blood charm and dancing and heaven knows what else and then being discovered started the talk of witchcraft and after that, one after the other, the drastic events of the Salem witch trials unfolded. In my opinion I feel that Abigail was to blame somewhat although I would not blame her entirely. Living in a strict community and having seen terrible things happen in front of her as a child could definitely not have helped her behaviour and mentality. I myself would also hold responsible the court and people like the Putnams and the Walcotts and also Parris, to some extent, for the trials. Not really for being a cause for starting them as such, although I do think they played some part, but mainly for contributing to them after they had started. As for Abigail, her behaviour cannot be excused, yet we can try and understand why she did what she did. We know that a lot of it had to do with her obsession with Proctor but if we were to look just beneath the surface we would find that, at least in my opinion, that Abigail was somewhat mentally psychotic in some ways and really needed a good and loving home to support her after the murder of her parents to have prevented her from her terrible deeds. By Kausar Hussain 10S Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Introduction To The Media Industry Media Essay

Introduction To The Media Industry Media Essay As the media industry joins the ranks of others that are facing tremendous declines and losing advertising revenue, African Americans in the media have also faced extreme challenges. We as people often search for answers to create change in todays society, but stereotypes linger within our world placing a barrier on chances of unity and equality. One of the main sources of these stereotypes is the mass media. Stereotypes are commonly referred to as codes that give audiences quick, common understandings, (sometimes invalid) of a person or group of people mostly relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role, or occupation. African Americans are constantly viewed in ways that are false and over-exaggerated. From loud explicit curse words, to wobbly behinds and gold teeth, the mass media blinds America with false and negative images. From the beginning of television history, African Americans were shown as very dark, monkey-like characters without a tad of know-how except in the areas of housekeeping or singing and dancing. Stereotyping or labeling is a technique that attempts to arouse prejudices in an audience by labeling the object of the images as something the target audience fears, hates, loathes, or finds undesirable (Lester 134). These ideas become so clichà © that they begin to form daily thoughts and views and one is unable to look beyond them. The mass media, including movies, music, music videos, newspapers, magazines, television broadcasts, and forms of advertising, often portrays African Americans as hood, ghetto, threatening, and sexually explicit. This has transformed into lifestyles and insulting stereotypes in todays society. The inadequate coverage of African Americans due, in large part to the lack of depth in minority media ownership, has provided an opportunity in the nations current economic conditions. The media industry is taking major hits as revenues are dropping, readership and viewership totals are down, and the journalism and media industries are bumping along the same rocky roads as the automotive industry where thousands of jobs were lost in a matter of days. Framework of Study This study will include a mass research of the past century of African American appearances in the media. African- Americans image has evolved over time. Research will be focused on why and how this evolution process has taken place. This subject has been overlooked by society, and many do not understand that the process of an African-American being placed in the media was a very difficult one. Examples will be given on how African Americans were depicted in the media. Also, there will be an analysis of how audiences of the media react to blacks being the focal point, and why publishers and broadcasters show these images in the manner that they do. Graphs of the ratings of the different media releases will be compared by race of focal point to determine the impact that African-Americans had on society through the media. Also, common television sitcoms will be analyzed in order to explain how African-American images have changed over time. All sitcoms were reviewed through network television. The sitcoms range from the 1960s to the current television era. Also, the sitcoms will be analyzed to explain how the content has changed societys view on the lives and culture of African Americans. Statement of Problem Society has placed a negative image on African-Americans due to the techniques of the media used to portray them. These techniques are marketing schemes used to produce more total revenue. These negative ideas or beliefs place a role in the lives of many African-Americans. Stereotypes are formed and problems arise daily for black individuals. From ethnic name profiling to police brutality, African-Americans endure corrupt thoughts based on negative images displayed by the media. The only way to erase or reduce these negative images is if the media reverses the images it has created. Many marketing specialist believe that these images are entertaining and overlook the morals and values of its content. African-Americans are unfairly and unrealistically portrayed on television and other forms of media. Unfortunately, there are many who do fall victim to the stereotypes, and there are many more that experience prejudice and pain because of them. After watching some movies that are currently popular, it seems that the majority of current films that are aimed at an African American audience fill and support these negative stereotypes of African Americans. Luckily, there are some media broadcasts that allow variety of African Americans to be shown to society. The change in content of programming is currently allowing room for change of the long lived stereotypes. Rational Profiling, stereotyping, and negative imaging must be stopped. Even after decades have relinquished away since the time of slavery, racism and prejudices still linger in our society. The media is not making these images look any better. Social prejudices or programmed depictions of groups in a society have long pervaded and shaped social ethos, but it is through this awareness, that cultural humanity is able to dismantle and set aside such associations (Walker 545). The images in the media of African Americans have changed the lifestyles of todays black society. Due to lack of knowledge and being blinded the media, the African-American race has yielded to live up to the images shown to society. These stereotypes of African Americans being used by the media today and years ago are injuring the realistic image of black people and the way that both African-American and Caucasians view those of African heritage. Gender, Class, and Race Stereotypes in American Media Gender, class, and race stereotypes abound in contemporary society, much like they have done throughout human history. With the advent of the media, however, stereotypical assumptions have become so pervasive, and so diffused, that some call for a serious and purposeful scrutiny of the media contents. A full analysis will be conducted to enlighten others that the African-American culture differs tremendously from the way that the media displays it.

Revealing a Characters True Nature During a Moment of Crisis Essay

In literature, there are many examples of people who are placed in â€Å"fantastic† situations, which served to reveal much about themselves, as Dostoevsky suggests. There are also many instances in which people break down and do something completely uncharacteristic in these same situations, as a result of extreme suffering. One such example, is Gretchen, from Goethe's Faust. She was an ingà ©nue and thus revealed her true character at a crucial point in her life. She was not a murderer, yet she murdered. When all her misdeeds began to drive her mad, she became the most lucid in her discernment of good and evil. â€Å"Her last remarks saved her, as she cried out to God in repentance, she was forgiven. Receiving a spiritual awakening, though out of her mind with grief, she still recognized the devil. She sensed evil in Faust and finally realized that there was no love between them† (RoseDeClementi 3.2). Gretchen's deeds were just as despicable as his, but there was a difference; in her moment of truth, she repented and was redeemed. Faust knew that he was condemned to spend eternity in hell. In this instance, I believe that Dostoevsky was correct because Gretchen was portrayed as a victim of manipulation. Another example in literature of someone who revealed her true character, in crisis, was Antigone, from a story of the same name. â€Å"In the story of Antigone, (who was the daughter of Oedipus), more tragedy awaited her. Taking a stand for what she believed to be an injustice and offense against her god, she buried her dead brother which violated the law, thereby sentencing her to her own death; she was to be placed in a tomb alive and left for dead† (Rose-DeClementi 1.2). Her strong beliefs shaped her character which dictated her ac... ...his into consideration, I behaved responsibly. Even when I began to lose my composure with the hospital workers, who refused to take my friend in right away, my true character was revealed. Generally, crisis situations have a tendency to bring out the worst in me, as with most people. This disputes Dostoevsky's theory, which holds that the true nature of a person will be revealed during moments of crisis. My account, as well as the examples taken from literature, prove that Dostoevsky's theory, although valid, is not indisputable. Works Cited Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.1. 4 Sept. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 1.2. 10 Sept. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 3.2. 20 Oct. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.1. 25 Oct. 2010. Rose-DeClementi, Theresa. Personal journal 4.2. 6 Nov. 2010.

life :: essays research papers

In the Bible, a book meant to be the word of God, condemns such things as murder, adultery and theft. I find it hard to believe that an all-powerful, all-knowing, infinitely-good being that â€Å"created† this world and everything in it would allow any of these things to occur. He would not only condemn them in an ancient book, but abolish them altogether along with any other things evil. If God is supposed to be the â€Å"heavenly father† wouldn't he want and impose onto his children his goodness and weed out all evil? Aquinas also shows this non-existence through Objective 2 where he writes how it is expecting too much for something that can be accounted for be a few principles has been produced by many. There are other principles that can account for everything we see in our world supposing God did not exist. All things can be reduced to one principle, that of nature and therefore there is no need to suppose God's existence. Once more I agree with his rationale of this subject, for it is logical to believe in a simple, visible, measurable concept such as the principle of nature, instead of something so complex it is near in-conceivable, and not able to be seen or measured. Nature could have accounted for the gradual development of mankind and scientific theories have given us explanations for the existence of nature and proof of this gradual development. Our planet's creation has been explained as a result of â€Å"The Big Bang† and man's development from a single-cellular organism to the multi-cellular, intelligent man of today by evolution. I agree with both of Thomas Aquinas' Objectives and it is mainly because of these two arguments that I, myself do not believe in the existence of

Slips Of Fate -the Lottery Essay -- essays research papers

Slips of Fate In the short story 'The Lottery'; by Shirley Jackson, the author uses irony to expand on a theme of traditions that continue although they are ludicrous and barbaric. 'Like a lamb to slaughter'; comes to mind for both the characters in this story and the reader. The characters are honoring a tradition that is handed down to them from former generations. The reader is led through the seemingly normal and quaint little village, and is taken on a ride of ironic horror as they slowly grasp the eventual fate of one inhabitant of the village. The title 'The Lottery'; implies a contest with a winner of some kind, like a sweepstakes. When in reality the winner is actually the loser or person that will die by stoning. The village, by all appearances, seems to be a normal and ordinary place with its inhabitants meeting in a square with festival like intentions. However, the villagers know fully that when the drawing is over, one person in the community will die. Nonetheless, it is tradition. The atmosphere is casual yet anxious. Tessie Hutchinson arrives late because she 'clean forgot'; what day it is. It seems impossible to the reader that anyone would forget a day like lottery day. Her procrastination is logical but her excuse is lame. Mrs. Dunbar tells her son, 'I wish they'd hurry.'; Her anxiousness seems due to dread. She wants the dreaded hour over and done with. However, Mr. Summers states 'Let's finish quickly.'; as if there are other more important tasks that ...

The Battle of Passchendaele

The Battle of Passchendaele Officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele became infamous not only for the scale of casualties, but also for the mud. It was a combination of the Environment, Tactics and Poor Leadership that lead to the AIF’s losing the battle of Passchendaele. On 9 October 1917, British divisions, with the AIF in support, attacked towards Passchendaele village in terrible conditions.In the mud and rain the effort proved futile but the high command thought that enough ground had been gained to order an assault on 12 October. The Germans were fully prepared for the incoming attack, launched across an eleven mile front, small gains of land was only achieved during the attack. Then in the early days of August, the area was saturated with the heaviest rain the region had seen in thirty years. The area in Flanders became effectively a swamp.The weather at the site of this battle was dreadful; it was all muddy and sticky, after it had poured for days o n end. It was because of the harsh weather that many of the AIF troops got trench foot. As this was happening, the AIF was losing a lot of men that died or could not fight again because of the wounds that they had obtained. Third Ypres was intended as Sir Douglas Haig's Allied forces breakthrough in Flanders in 1917.The AIF lost this battle because of the poor leadership that the officers showed during the battle because of the position they were put in by the Germans. Plumer advocated continuing the attack immediately into Passchendaele ridge, arguing that the morale of the German troops was, for the present at least, broken, and that this combined with a shortage of forces would virtually guarantee Allied capture of the ridge.Haig however disagreed, choosing not to go along with the plans that he had made for the AIF. It was a combination of the Environment, Tactics and Poor Leadership that lead to the AIF’s losing the battle of Passchendaele. In conclusion the battle of Pa sschendaele was a failed attempt by the AIF as they lost a lot more men then the Germans. I have talked about the tactics, morale and the leadership. These parts of the battle were the most interesting to my eye.

Running Head: Organization Staffing

Steps to be undertaken by an organization that is committed to shattering the glass ceiling; An organization that is committed to shattering the glass ceiling should carry out the following steps:There should be Communication targeting women and science; women should participate in silence low women employees is a wastage on human resources.   It also limits the diversity of   research and development.   Women should participate in research / science at all levels.   Women should be appointed at different committee, as advised and man agreement team.   The proportion of 40:60 needs to be achieved.Women participants should be at the center of research policy. Gender equality should be emphasized.   Scientific research should be made accessible to ladies.   Conferences should be called for to focus on women and science.   Change should be visible.   The scientific mindset is also being changed.   Policies should be good for women in sciences men should not only cons ider fellow men.2.The most common discretionary and contingent assessment methods include:(1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Simulation exercise:   To stimulate is to do or make something, which looks read but is not real.   The members of staff are put in a situation this assumes the real workplace and the staff are supposed to do vital dimension for the real job.(2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sample of past work:   The staff members are supposed to sample an attitude that they carried out to some successful completion some times backs.   In assessing the capability to write, the candidate is supposed to bring a letter, report or even an article that he did in a current for period of job.(3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The interview:   Questions analyze   hypothetical work related call and focus is on relevant qualification.   Answers are based on expected perform once.   Questions can be sometime questions or probing or prompting.   Situational questions referees t o questions form the staff history and will enable prediction of his exported performance in the current job.   Probing or prompting questions are normally assessing the candidate’s ability to make quick decision to avoid memorizing expression for the interview.   Herbert (2005)(4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Written tests:   Various qualifications can be tested.   This is a screening criterion for a large number of applicants.   They can be knowledge tests, skill tests, thinking or conscious metal tests, knowledge tests relate to job performance knowledge before appointment.   Skill test relate to clinical skills, which include typing, coding, reading and filing.   Cognitive ability test measure verbal reasoning, solving a problem and the memory including quantitative reasoning.  Both written tests and interviews:   reduce the interview time where in the time is taken but test results can be used in evaluating the expected performance.Differences between wr itten tests and interviews:Written tests are good when the number of candidates is large which interviews may be time consuming given that candidates need to express themselves better.Written tests guarantees privacy where by answers   given are not spread to everybody while interview whereby the panel is large, diffusion may occur whereby other word parties may know the result.3.Initial Assessment methods:The initial assessment methods for starting my own business would include;Interviews: for a starter in business, interviews will focus on hypothetical cases whereby the applicants will be expected to replay what they could do given a real job situation.   Interviews also nationalize because questions are based expected performance compared to the actual performance probing questions will be very helpful because applicants may have had a leakage of the questions sudden tests the applicants ability to make sudden decision.Written tests:   This will enable the new recruits to b e tested on their qualification and can be used for screening to shortlist applicants.   Written taxes will enable me to test the applicant’s knowledge based on special skills required for job performance.   The clerical staff will also be tested on their ability to perform.   Verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and solving problem capability will also be determined.4. Investigation of validity for the verbal and computational skills test rating and assessment:To investigate the criterion related validity of verbal and computational skills would include;  Ã‚  Due to the severe hiring pressure all the applicants were hired regardless of their test scores.   Expected response is determined in advance for every qualification.   Asking similar questions ensures fairness and equality for all candidates.   All factors of verbal and computational skills are determined by the questions for the rating and accessing.   Expected answers all given some markers, which may be good, fair and poor as 8 – 10, 5 – 7, and 1 – 4 respectively.   Every one of the employed expected to meet one of the ranks.   Every individual is assessed to determine his or her verbal and computational ability.5.The use of a new predictor:This is what I would advise my boss regarding the new predictor;The validity coefficient is high for the current predictor.   It will be very necessary for the base rate to be low so that at least some of the candidates can qualify due to the low selection ratio.   This low base rate based on the sample chosen will capture some of he applicants.6.GUIDELINES FOR ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS:If I were the HR staffing for an organization, I would recommend the following regarding oral and written communication with the job applicants by members of the organization;  There should be some uniform calculation:   questions asked should be similar to allow uniform evaluation and this will also help in ma ny sing responses.  Oral and written communication skills should have limited lane allocations to ensure some for all questions is enable the interviewees and respondents express and excrescent questions in the right manner.  The content of oral and written communications skills evaluation that is functional or scientific to ensure relevance and problem solving with definite answers.Incase many question are to be asked written tests must be used so that applicants can have time to respond.  Incase confidentiality and privacy is required, written tests are more applicable to ensure that the written answers remains to those relevant ones.  Substance is very necessary to ensure that answers target the job performance7.ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO THE SALES APPROACH IN THE PRESENTATION OF THE JOB OFFERS:ADVANTAGESSales approach ensures relevance in relation to the response given by the respondents.   The applicants normally answers as if they have the job (in hypothesis) an d this is good for determining the expected performance.  Sales approach also reduces the amount of time and the responses can be evaluated for selection of successful applicants.   An analysis of responses can be made easy because expected answers are used as guidance.DISADVANTAGESSales approach in the presentation of a job offer does not allow adequate and sufficient screening of applicants because questions asked are normally guiding and does not allow the respondents to think and this may be helpful in determining the applicants capability is make urgent decision and choices.8.LEGAL STAFFING REQUIREMETNS:The legal requirements of staffing system management and steps I would take to ensure that managers in my company engage in legal staffing actions would include;  Formality the quality of being good and deserving praise aspect of the staffing system should have these values:  Competency:   positive factors which ensure that all applicants are quite qualified to the exp ected functions.   The management should only require those who are qualified with skills ability and knowledge to perform.Non – partnership:   New members of staff should be recruited and promoted with an objectives   view.   There should not be political or unnecessary bacchantic patronagesFree and fairness:   objectivity should be part of decision pertaining recruiting there should be no nepotism, tribalism, realism, politics or unnecessary pride cures.   Practices should reject a fair and true treatment of all complies candidate applicationsEquity:   there should be no unnecessary barriers limiting people to access employment.   Advertisements for job vacancies should be open Herbet (2004).9.COST AND BENEFITS FO VOLUNTARY TURNOVER MOST LIKELY TO VARY ACCORDING TO THE TYPE OF JOB:The following costs and benefits of voluntary turnover are most likely to vary according to the type of job;  Due to light numbers more interviews will be needed and this may req uire outsourcing which may be expensive for a small business entity.  Selection criteria may be fume consuming with huge volumes of both oral and written interviews, the education of answers as compared to the ranks given will need a lot of accuracy, devotion and specialist.  Voluntary number will enable all those who fail like they can contribute to the company’s human capital to them up and may be secure a place to prove their capability.   In staffing consideration have to be made regarding to ability, experienced and knowledge that is job related.  Ã‚  Vulnerary over is recommended by legal staffing requirements as may be dieted by the labor laws (Act.)10.POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH DOWN SIZING:The potential problems with downsizing as an organization’s first response to a need to cut labor costs include;  Comparison between related cost and employees ability to perform some of the people to be sacked may be old but still capable of productivity more than you ng qualified staff. Old staff may have accumulated high monitory salaries but their monthly contribution towards the company’s productivity may be incomparable due to accumulated expenses.  Retrenchment benefit will cost the company a lot in the short run.   These are payments to standard staffing as per law.   Those retrenched may sue the company if not paid fast enough.   Court cases will also be expensive to the company at there are no related benefits.  Downsizing may lead to a restriction of job descriptions whereby those few employees left may be expected to work more than before and this may result is go slow which might need more salary increments which it not affected may reflect in resignationsReferences:Herbert G.   And Timothy A (2005) Staffing Organizations 5 ED. PG 60 – 111.University of Wisconsin. MadisonHerbert G. (2004) Staffing Organizations 5ED. Pg 30 – 61 University of Wisconsin.Madison

Iron Crowned Chapter 17

We learned more about the full extent of Imanuelle's ability as Kiyo and I made our way with her on horseback to the Rowan Land. Her illusions were every bit as good as she'd demonstrated the first day, and I watched with grudging awe as she transformed Kiyo into Girard, Shaya, and – ack – Dorian. The illusions were perfect – and dangerous. I began to fully understand why she was such a good assassin. She really could be whomever she wanted, slipping into high security places without anyone knowing. I was a bit shocked when some part of my brain skipped right past employing her to detaining her. That part of my brain said getting rid of her would be safer for me in the future, and I immediately chastised myself for the idea. Imprisoning potential enemies was something Storm King would have done. â€Å"It's not all-powerful,† she said at one point. I think she was just making idle conversation now, having no clue of my concerns. We'd crossed into the Rowan Land now, and she'd dropped her tricks with Kiyo, settling on illusions of bedraggled peasants for all of us. â€Å"Doing it for three people takes more power. And even for myself, I can't hold up disguises forever.† She made a small face. â€Å"If I could, I'd be a spy instead. A lot less messy.† I said nothing but exchanged brief glances with Kiyo behind her back. He too had to have analyzed the implications of her abilities. I was also thinking that when we'd first tried to rescue Jasmine from Aeson, our plan had failed because a spy had betrayed us. There was every possibility now that Imanuelle could do the same, and I wondered if I'd been too quick to trust such an unknown quantity. I could only hope love for her brother would keep her loyal to his employer. Despite its name, the Rowan Land was dominated by cherry trees. Well, at least that was my impression whenever I crossed through it while journeying to other kingdoms. As we traveled further along roads that delved deeper into Katrice's kingdom, the cherry trees gave way to other plants and trees – including rowans. They were smaller than I'd expected and laden with berries of their own. This land was really quite nice, temperate and pleasantly warm, with beautiful green landscapes. It would be a shame if I did have to raze it to the ground. We saw signs of Katrice's castle long before the castle itself. Other travelers joined us on the road, those whose towns had been caught in the crossfire of war and now sought out food and shelter from their monarch. Most were on foot, and we passed them quickly, for which I was glad. I needed no guilt on this journey. We also began seeing soldiers, undoubtedly part of the increased security that Rurik had predicted. Some were traveling to and from the castle. Some were stationed along the way, carefully watching those of us who passed. I held my breath each time, waiting for Imanuelle's illusions to fail us. Along with acknowledging her power limits, she'd also told us some gentry were sensitive to her type of magic and could see through her spells. She'd told us this halfway through the journey. It was information that kind of would have been useful before setting out. But, although we were scrutinized, the soldiers allowed us to pass, and before long, the castle itself came into view. I paused a moment, admiring it in spite of myself. Dorian and I both had dark, blocky stone castles, like Norman strongholds left on barren English countryside. Maiwenn's home was elegant and fanciful, always reminding me of a Disney movie. Katrice's castle, however, could have been straight out of a postcard from Bavaria. It had strong, straight rectangular lines, its sides white and covered with windows. That sturdy boxiness was offset by graceful turrets rising from the center, almost delicate-looking with their pointed black roofs. The land had been rising as we traveled, so it wasn't a surprise to see the castle was situated high on one of the foothills leading off into pretty, snowcapped mountains. It had a sweeping view of the area we were approaching from, and a sturdy wall surrounded its immediate grounds. Here we came to a stop along with the others seeking admission. We formed a long, clustered line, making me nervous. â€Å"Why the backup? Are they refusing people?† I asked softly. â€Å"We don't usually have this many at our gates.† Kiyo peered ahead, his sharp eyes seeing what we couldn't. â€Å"No, they're letting them in, just doing a fair amount of questioning, which is slowing things down. And you're right – you never have this many because your lands haven't been attacked as much.† Good and bad, I thought. I'd kept my own people safe, but the war I was waging was devastating homes. It occurred to me I might not have to worry about Katrice. If these people discovered who was among them, I might very well be taken down by an angry mob. â€Å"Easy,† murmured Imanuelle. â€Å"Don't look nervous. I can't hide your expressions.† I schooled myself to neutrality, hoping I looked blank and exhausted. After almost an hour of restless waiting, our turn came. Four guards interrogated us, and we were quick with answers. For our cover story, we'd chosen a village that had been near a battle Dorian's armies had fought with Katrice's. Most of the residents had cleared out before the fighting, but a large part of the village had been destroyed. â€Å"Our house was burned to the ground,† Imanuelle said. She didn't even need the illusion of an older, rag-clad woman to be pathetic. Her demeanor and voice were filled with perfect, convincing despair. â€Å"Our crops were wiped out.† After a bit more questioning, they let us in, sending us toward what was essentially a gentry breadline. The inner grounds of Katrice's castle were packed with people – most soldiers – and we had to shoulder our way through the crowd to reach the corner where the poor and huddled masses were situated. Many appeared to have made this courtyard their temporary home. It looked like a well-used campground. Nonetheless, food was on hand, and I was relieved that these victims of war were being cared for. We hovered near the food line so as not to raise suspicion, all the while assessing the area. In particular, our attention rested on the main gates to the castle itself. It was the most heavily guarded spot of all, and I knew then that an outright assault would have indeed been long and bloody. Other soldiers moved through the door with little questioning, which was what we'd hoped for. Finding a relatively obscured corner between a tall tent and the wall, we ducked out of sight and let Imanuelle work her next spell. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A tingle ran over me, and the world blurred. When I could focus on my companions again, I saw myself looking at the guards who had admitted us. â€Å"Whoa, wait,† I said, assuming I probably looked like one of the gate soldiers as well. â€Å"Don't you think we might have a few problems if we run into our clones? Why didn't you make us look like random unknowns?† â€Å"Because if the other guards don't recognize us, we'll get questioned more,† Imanuelle explained. She studied her hands critically, a small smile showing pride in her work. â€Å"I don't think the ones at the gate are leaving their posts anytime soon. We shouldn't run into them.† She spoke confidently, but I had a feeling she was secretly thinking I hope. Everyone was too concerned with his or her own affairs to realize that three peasants had ducked away, and three soldiers had emerged. When the refugees saw us, though, they stepped quickly out of our way. No pushing this time. None of us needed lessons on how to behave. Whereas our initial entry had been weak and bedraggled, we now walked with the confidence and strength of those who ran this place. We barely hesitated as we moved to the castle's entrance, and those on guard stepped aside without comment. Being inside proved a bit more confusing. We'd received some information on the castle's layout, but we didn't know exactly where Jasmine was being held. We couldn't pause to deliberate, though. We had to keep moving like we had purpose or else attract attention. Soldiers and servants hurried around us, and we fell in step with some down a random hall. Kiyo, always fast-thinking, stopped a lone, young soldier. â€Å"Hey,† said Kiyo brusquely. â€Å"We've had reports that someone might try to rescue the Thorn Queen's sister.† The soldier's blue eyes widened. â€Å"What? We should alert – â€Å" â€Å"No, no,† Kiyo interrupted. â€Å"Keep it to yourself. We don't want to raise suspicion. The outside guard already knows and is on watch. We need to know if she's been moved or not. There were rumors that she had been.† I tried not to bite my lip. Kiyo sounded like he knew what he was talking about, but this was a dangerous moment. As I'd worried before, Jasmine might not even be held here. There was also a chance that this guard didn't know her location, and we'd have to keep playing this game with others. The more people we talked to, the riskier our mission became. â€Å"Not that I've heard,† said the soldier. â€Å"She's still in the dungeon.† I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd half-expected him to say she was in Cassius's bedroom. The dungeons weren't great either, but well †¦ it was no different than how I'd initially treated her. I waited for Kiyo to demand more details – how many guards were on her, where the dungeons were, et cetera. Instead he gave the soldier a curt nod and again warned him to be on alert but not to share his knowledge. â€Å"We needed more info,† I hissed to Kiyo as we continued walking down the hall. Whatever her faults, Katrice had good interior design sense. Floral paintings hung on the walls, and elaborate plants spilled out of vases. The beauty was lost on me, though. â€Å"Why'd you let him go?† â€Å"Because real guards would already know anything else we wanted to ask,† he replied. â€Å"Asking where the dungeons are would definitely be a tipoff that something was up.† â€Å"And I already know where they are,† said Imanuelle. Both Kiyo and I looked at her in surprise. â€Å"Downstairs,† she added. â€Å"Dungeons are always downstairs,† I pointed out. â€Å"Have you been to them?† asked Kiyo. She nodded and crooked us a grin. â€Å"Powerful leaders aren't the only ones with prices on their heads. Sometimes important prisoners need to disappear too.† I grimaced at her amusement but was grateful when she got us turned around. With a clear purpose, I grew more and more tense. This was it. What would we find? No one was giving us a second glance up here, but in the dungeons, we'd attract attention – especially when we busted out one of their prisoners. Our castle faà §ades might have been different, but Katrice and I possessed similar dungeons. Dark. Gloomy. Gray stone walls and torches. It was such a stereotype, but I supposed it helped dampen the hopes of any prisoners. Imanuelle led us confidently down flights of stairs and into a long, wide corridor. Jasmine's cell was easy to spot because six guards stood outside it – again, reminiscent of her earlier conditions at my place. â€Å"Good luck,† said Imanuelle, falling behind us. She was apparently holding true to her word that this was all on us now. The guards on duty were sharp-eyed and naturally noticed our approach, but none of them reacted with wariness or alarm. A couple displayed curiosity, wondering perhaps if orders had changed, but that was it. Kiyo and I had discussed several strategies on our journey and finally decided swift and surprising force would be the way to go. When we were still several feet away, I sent my magic out, pulling in the air like a deep breath and throwing it back at the guards in the form of a gale-worthy wind. It ruffled our hair and brushed our skin, but the blast literally threw the guards off their feet. There were cries of shock, and two went down right then and there from the impact of slamming against the corridor's end. The other four were up on their feet, three drawing copper swords. Fire appeared in the hands of the fourth. I should have expected Katrice would put magic-users on Jasmine, along with brute force. There was no other time to ponder that, though, because the guy suddenly hurled a fireball at us. I instinctually drew on the surrounding air again, along with its moisture, disintegrating the fire with little effort. Kiyo surged forward then, attacking one of the guards. I ran forward as well, my attention focused on another guard as I created a vacuum around him, pulling all air away from him. His eyes widened as he gasped and clutched his throat, trying to draw an impossible breath. I held the magic as one of his colleagues tried to attack me. I dodged the sword, largely because the iron dagger in my hand was making him keep his distance. The guy in the thralls of my magic finally passed out from the lack of oxygen, and I released him, letting him collapse unconscious to the floor. Before I could even deal with the other soldier by me, Kiyo leapt out and tackled him to the floor. I took this to mean Kiyo's first opponent was out of commission, leaving me with the magic user. Not having learned anything the first time, he hurled another fireball at me. I admired his control; too much would have incinerated everyone in the hall. But with my magic, swatting the fire away was an afterthought for me. He had no weapon out, and I stepped forward, pushing my athame to his throat. He cried out at the sting of the iron, offering no fight as I began drawing away his oxygen too. A realization glinted in his eyes. Illusion or no, he must have figured out who would wield air and water so easily – and hold onto iron. â€Å"Thorn Queen †¦Ã¢â‚¬  he gasped out, as the last of his air left him. I saw unconsciousness seizing him, but just before it did, he managed a weak flutter of his hand. No fire came, but I felt an intense wave of heat spread out. It didn't hurt me, but there was a physical power within it, one that rippled the air and made the walls tremble slightly just before he too collapsed to the floor. Kiyo and I stood there among the bodies – dead or alive, I didn't know – and glanced at each other and our surroundings carefully. Imanuelle still stood back but looked impressed. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I asked. â€Å"I'm guessing an alarm,† she said. â€Å"Fuck.† I turned toward Jasmine's cell and saw her huddled in the farthest corner, regarding me with large, wary eyes. Water was her true specialty; she had only slight control over air. Nonetheless, she would have felt the strength of the magic I'd used. Like the guard, she knew there were few who could do what I'd done – but her vision told her it wasn't me standing there. I was still under Imanuelle's illusion. Kiyo was already searching bodies and soon found a key. We opened the cell, but Jasmine didn't move. She didn't look too worse for the wear, but I knew some of the most terrible behaviors rarely left a mark. There was a small tear in her dress and a bruise on her arm that looked like the signs of a struggle, probably during her initial capture. I also noticed they'd left the fine iron chains on her that Girard had created to stunt her magic. My own safeguard had undoubtedly been useful for her captors. I gestured to the door, uneasy about what Imanuelle had said about an alarm. â€Å"Jasmine, come on. It's us. Me and Kiyo.† â€Å"And by me,† said Kiyo, pointing in my direction, â€Å"she means Eugenie.† Jasmine hesitated, looking between our faces. â€Å"How is that possible?† Imanuelle, who'd been watching the hall's entrance, turned hastily toward the cell. â€Å"How do you think? With magic. Look at yourself.† Jasmine's features rippled, and soon, we were staring at another Rowan soldier. Jasmine studied her hands in astonishment. The illusion showed no chains, but she would still be able to feel them. â€Å"Your iPod's playlist sucks,† I said when she continued to hesitate. â€Å"Would a gentry guard say that?† â€Å"Come on,† urged Imanuelle. She'd been confident she could get herself out of any danger here, but those odds were better if she wasn't in a hall that could easily be blocked off if a regiment came tearing toward the entrance. Jasmine must have decided this new development could be no worse than her present fate. She jumped up and left the cell, following as the rest of us made for the stairs. We reached the main floor without opposition, but once there, all was chaos. Soldiers were running in the direction we'd come from, and I wondered how long it'd take them to realize we were the only ones not going toward the dungeons. Except †¦ it turned out that wasn't the case. In the confusion, no one stopped us from exiting the front door, but the inner grounds were packed with soldiers. They were cramming terrified refugees into one well-guarded section, and the gates in the outer walls had been shut. â€Å"Fuck,† I said again. It still seemed like the only adequate way to sum up this situation. â€Å"We could jump to the human world,† said Kiyo. â€Å"Imanuelle can get out on her own.† I considered this. It was true. Imanuelle could change into a peasant or whatever and escape detection until an opportunity for escape popped up. Kiyo's abilities allowed him to transition with relative ease through the worlds without a gate. I could do it – but not without difficulty. And I needed to use an anchor to draw me back. I had a couple back in my home, but Jasmine had nothing like that. She probably couldn't jump at random from the Otherworld. I wasn't even sure if she could with an anchor – and the iron chains made it worse. We could both end up doing serious damage to ourselves. â€Å"We can't,† I said. â€Å"We've just got to hide out.† I turned to Imanuelle. â€Å"How are you doing? Can you turn us all to peasants again?† She nodded. â€Å"We've got to get out of sight, though.† Her confidence was a small blessing, at least. Imanuelle was keeping up four illusions now, and her strength had been a concern in all this, that and someone who would be able to see through – â€Å"It's her! It's the Thorn Queen!† The shrieking voice that suddenly drew all eyes to us didn't come from the soldiers. It came from an old woman among the huddled refugees. She reminded me of Masthera, with white hair and wild eyes. She was pointing at us, and there was something in her gaze †¦ some piercing quality that made me believe she could see straight through the illusions to us. â€Å"Damn,† said Imanuelle. There was both fear and hurt pride in her voice. Although this had been a possibility, I knew she'd secretly felt her powers were too strong for detection. Maybe the four of us had stretched her magic thin. Honestly, I wouldn't have thought that one shout would be enough to pull attention to us, not in the chaos out there. Yet, the woman's voice brought silence to those nearby. They turned to stare at us, and soon, others who hadn't heard her noticed the reactions and fell quiet as well. â€Å"Hush,† snapped a guard, finally breaking the confused silence. He was one of the ones keeping the civilians out of the way. â€Å"We have no time for this.† The old woman shook her head adamantly. â€Å"Can't you see? Can't you see them? It's the Thorn Queen and her sister! They're right there!† The guard's face darkened. â€Å"I told you, we – â€Å" His jaw dropped because that was when the guards who'd been on gate duty earlier approached. They came to a standstill, staring at us in complete shock. If we hadn't panicked over the alarm, one of us probably would have thought to change the illusion so we looked like the unconscious soldiers, not the ones we would have to pass by again. It was a bad, bad oversight, and now everyone could see us and our mirror images. The guard yelling at the old woman might not know what was going on, but he knew something was going on. â€Å"Seize them,† he said. He glanced uneasily at his true colleagues and decided to cover his bases. â€Å"Seize them too.† Other soldiers moved toward us unquestioningly. I sized up the numbers. We were good, but I didn't think Kiyo and I could take that many in melee. Jasmine came to that same conclusion. â€Å"Blow them up,† she said. â€Å"We can blow our way out of here.† By ‘we,' she meant ‘me,' and I knew she was talking about storms, not explosions. Some part of me had already known that was the answer. Barely even realizing it, I summoned all my magic, making the beautiful, sunny day in the Rowan Land quickly fade. Black and purple clouds tumbled across the sky at impossible speeds, lightning flashing so close to us that the ground trembled. Humidity and ozone filled the air, wind rising and falling. It had come about in a matter of seconds, and the approaching soldiers halted. The old woman's crazy claim was no longer so crazy in light of that magic. They were all realizing that no matter what their eyes said, the possibility was now very good that Eugenie Markham truly stood before them. And I might be a wartime enemy, one they needed to capture, but I was also Storm King's daughter, and that was not a title taken lightly. They knew what I could do, and it was enough to freeze up years of training. â€Å"Let us pass,† I said. I began slowly moving toward the gate, my three companions following a moment later. â€Å"Let us pass, or I'll let this storm explode in here. It's already on the edge. One breath, and I can let it go.† Thunder and lightning crackled above us, driving home my point. There were small screams from some of the crowd. â€Å"Do you know what that kind of storm will do in an area this small? To all of you?† â€Å"It will kill them,† a voice suddenly said. â€Å"Horribly.† I looked over toward the castle's entrance and saw Katrice herself standing there. Guards hurried to flank her, but she held up a hand to halt them. It had been a long time since I'd seen her. All of our antagonistic contact had been through messenger and letter. She looked like she had at our last meeting, black hair laced with silver and dark eyes that scrutinized everything around her. She was in full regal mode too, in silver-gray satin and a small jeweled tiara. But no †¦ as I studied her, I saw a slight difference. She looked older than the last time we'd been together. Leith's death and this war had taken their toll. I stared her straight in the eye, my adversary, the cause of so much recent grief in my life. I needed no storm around me because one was breaking out within, winds of fury and anger swirling around and around inside me. â€Å"Drop the spell,† I said to Imanuelle, without looking at her. I wanted to be face-to-face with Katrice, and honestly, it wasn't like my identity was a secret anymore. I felt another tingle, and a few gasps told me I wore my own form now. A small, tight smile crossed Katrice's lips. â€Å"Yes,† she continued, â€Å"you could unleash a storm here. You could destroy a large part of this wall, this castle. You could most certainly destroy all these people – which is what you're good at, right? You put on this lofty pose about protecting lives, yet somehow, death always follows you. You leave it in your wake, just as Tirigan did. But at least he had no delusions about what he was doing.† The comparison to my father increased the anger in me. The weather mirrored my reaction, the sky growing darker and the air pressure intensifying. â€Å"Go ahead,† said Katrice. â€Å"Show me your storm.† â€Å"You don't have to kill them,† said Jasmine beside me, voice low. â€Å"Just her.† Was she right? Was that all it would take? I could kill Katrice, no question. One unexpected bolt of lightning, and she'd be gone. If memory served, her magic was similar to Shaya's: a connection and control with plant-life. As a queen, someone with the ability to conquer a land, Katrice possessed that power to levels that dwarfed Shaya's. It was probably why the trees and plants here were so beautiful. It was also probably why we hadn't been attacked yet. This inner courtyard around the castle was cleared land, hard-packed dirt that facilitated travel for guards, merchants, and other visitors. If we'd been outside the walls, I would have likely had a forest marching on me by now. â€Å"You can do that too,† said Katrice, still trying to bait me. I couldn't tell if she was simply attempting to prolong her life or trying to catch me off guard for some other attack. â€Å"Kill me in cold blood. Just like you did my son. It's in your nature.† â€Å"It's not cold blood in wartime,† I growled. â€Å"And your son deserved it. He was a weak, cowardly bastard who had to lie and drug women to get what he wanted.† This made her flinch slightly, but she didn't hesitate to return the arrow. â€Å"But he did get what he wanted. He got you. He couldn't have been that weak.† Those words stung, but before I could respond, a young man slipped into place beside her. His resemblance was so strong to her and Leith that there could be no question of his identity: Cassius, her nephew. The rage within me doubled. Seeing him reminded me of what he'd most likely done to Jasmine. My reason was slipping, replaced by pure fury. â€Å"You should have let this go,† I told Katrice, my voice perfectly level. â€Å"You should have accepted Leith's death as punishment for what he did. An even slate. Lives have been lost because of you. More will be now.† One bolt. One bolt, and she was dead. Hell, I could probably take out Cassius with it too. â€Å"Eugenie,† said Kiyo. â€Å"Don't. Don't do it.† â€Å"What else am I supposed to do?† I breathed, out of the others' earshot. â€Å"I warned you before there would be consequences. Please listen to me this time,† he begged. â€Å"There will be again.† â€Å"What do you expect me to do?† My voice was louder. I didn't care who heard. â€Å"This is wartime. I kill their leader. I win. Otherwise, I let hell loose in here, and these people die. Which do you want, Kiyo? Pick – or else find another way.† He didn't respond, but Katrice's tight smile grew at seeing dissent within my ranks. â€Å"No options but death. You are Tirigan's daughter. I'm glad now that Leith didn't get you with child. His plan seemed wise at first, but it's better my exalted bloodline isn't mingled with yours – though the gods know how much Leith tried. He told me about it. Often. Ah, well. I suppose we'll know soon how Cassius fared †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her gaze lingered slightly on Jasmine beside me. Imanuelle had dropped all our disguises. â€Å"Eugenie – † Jasmine tried to speak, but I didn't want to listen. â€Å"Are you trying to get yourself killed?† I demanded of Katrice. Each word was harsh, almost impossible to get out. I was changing my mind about the lightning. I was remembering how I'd killed Aeson, literally blowing him apart by ripping the water from his body. There were so many ways to kill her, so many ways to bring about humiliation. Katrice gave a small shrug, and despite that smug attitude, I saw a pang of regret in her eyes. â€Å"I have a feeling I'll die one way or another today. I just want everyone to know the truth about you before I do.† I froze. I'd told Kiyo to give me another option, and he'd had none. But there was one other. â€Å"The truth,† I said slowly, reaching toward my backpack, â€Å"is that you aren't going to die today. But you'll wish you had.† I can only assume what happened next was born out of pure emotion, out of the anger and despair her words about me and Jasmine had evoked. Situational adrenaline probably played a role too, and †¦ well, maybe there was something in my genes after all. I pulled the Iron Crown from my backpack. Katrice turned white, all cockiness gone. Those who recognized the crown displayed similar fear, audible and visible. Others just stared curiously. â€Å"No,† she gasped. â€Å"No. Please don't.† I think until that moment, she hadn't truly believed I had the crown. I also think that had I demanded it, she would've named whatever terms of surrender I wanted. But I didn't want simple surrender. I wanted suffering. I wanted her to suffer, just as I had. So many ways to bring about humiliation †¦ I placed the crown on my head, and somehow – maybe it was part of its magic – I knew exactly what to do. The iron athame was still in my hand, and I crouched down with it. Katrice dropped to her knees too, but it was in supplication. â€Å"Please,† she begged again, tears in her eyes. â€Å"Anything. I'll do anything you want.† â€Å"You're right,† I said. â€Å"You will.† I slammed the blade down – and pierced the land's heart.

Digital PCS: The Future of Wireless Phone Service

In the past few years the use of mobile phones has increased tremendously. At one time only available to the rich and elite business executives, the luxury of mobile phones can now be used by a wide group of people in different financial situations. Mobile phones are a necessary convenience. They provide instant communication access wherever mobile phone service is offered. There are two options for mobile phone service: analog, and digital PCS. Analog is the more expensive option and has long been the standard for mobile phone service. Digital PCS is the newest form of phone service. It works by converting human speech into software codes and converting them to audio signals before the codes reach the listener. Because it is software based it provides a perfect platform for a variety of advanced wireless features. Digital PCS is the future of mobile phone service and the soon to be de facto standard for wireless phone service. People can choose digital PCS service for many reasons, though affordability might be the initial attraction. Because of competition by many companies price is always being driven down. Also, the many different customizable price plans offer an affordable package for any type of budget. Companies, which offer digital PCS service are always looking to lure new customers, and therefore are in constant review of their plans always trying to make sure they are treating their customers properly. This eventually leads to the best product for the customer. If there is any drawback to digital PCS it is that the service is still fairly new. Digital PCS systems need to be laid from the ground up. They are physically hard-wired from community to community. While designing a system like this takes much longer, the outcome is worth it. Hard-wired systems provide for a stronger signal, and better connection. Because the implementation of the system takes long, it is difficult to spread digital PCS service quickly. But the service is expanding rapidly and soon, it will cover most of the country. Another drawback is that people cannot use Digital PCS phones in the more common analog environments. Much of the country is already equipped with analog services so it is better to purchase a dual band Digital PCS service phone that has analog service on it also. While these dual band phones are expensive, they provide connections in both analog and digital environments. Since digital PCS is based on wireless software it allows a robust variety of applications to be used with the service. This allows your phone to expand its capabilities. These applications enable you to be reached at all times. Phones using digital PCS service include caller ID, voice mail, paging, enhanced battery management, and encryption systems. These applications make the phone a powerful communication system. Caller ID is a feature that alerts you to what number is calling. When your phone rings the display units flashes the incoming number of the caller. On some phones you can program the name with the number, so the next time that number calls the name flashes along with the incoming number. This feature is useful since the owner can preview who is calling the phone before he even takes the call. People can evaluate the importance of the call and see if their time is important enough for the person who is calling them. Another feature that makes digital PCS superior is interactive voice mail. Interactive voice mail is a voice mail system that alerts you when voice messages are received. Traditional voice mail systems require the owner to keep calling in order to check if new messages are on the system. On a digital PCS system, when the person receives a voice mail, a signal is sent to the phone and the phone alerts the owner of the new mail. This method prevents the waste of unnecessary airtime or personal time checking the voice mail. Digital PCS phones are always in signal contact with the service provider. When the phone is turned on, a signal is always sending information to and from the phone. The signal indicates to the phone how to regulate power. This leads to a longer battery life since the phone can â€Å"sleep† when peak energy is not needed. Battery information is always reported on the display unit, thus allowing the owner to know well ahead when the battery is about to go weak. This allows the owner of the phone to know whether or not to charge the phone or carry a new battery. Digital PCS sends signals in ISO-3 digital format. This means that calls made from a digital PCS phone are encrypted and cannot be scanned or eavesdropped on. Digital voice transmission enables you to feel confident when discussing personal information over your digital PCS phone. Since many people use mobile phones, to conduct business this element is crucial to their goal of protecting sensitive information Alphanumeric paging is one of the best features of digital PCS service. This paging allows someone to send a page with regular text. Also it enables you to receive specially formatted Internet information, such as news and stock quotes. Also having alphanumeric paging allows someone to email the phone, and depending on the phone, a response can also be sent. This feature provides access to electronic mail when one is not near a computer. E-mail has become very important for many people, so having access to email is very essential. This feature also eliminates having to carry a separate pager for your alphanumeric paging needs. Digital phones are the future. They provide services that analog mobile phones could never provide. From an engineering standpoint alone, phones using digital PCS are more advanced and capable of amazing applications. But it is the convenience that digital PCS phones provide which make them a better option for people who are on the move. From a system level, they are designed from the ground up, providing the best connection and signal performance. Digital PCS is software based thus providing better applications such as caller ID, voice mail, enhanced battery management, paging, and encryption systems. They save time by providing on demand information including alerting the owner immediately when a voice mail is received, and when the battery of the phone will expire. They are affordable in cost because many companies are in competition to provide the best service. This provides the customer with ample choices to evaluate. Digital PCS phone service is reliable, robust and affordable. It allows a person to be able to be reached at all times. It is the future and the soon to be standard for wireless communications. Digital PCS, the future of mobile phones is here.

Customer Supply Chain Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Customer Supply Chain - Assignment Example It has been noted that corporate and business level strategy has often overlooked the manufacturing function (Kotha and Orne, 1989). Indeed, Skinner (1969) claimed the focus of corporate strategy on a firm's business mix and short-term profitability had eroded the manufacturing infrastructure and its potential link with long-term profitability. Meanwhile, business level strategy has focused primarily on product positioning (Mintzberg, 1988) and has generated only limited discussion on how to actually produce a product or service that fits the prescribed Position (i.e., Porter's value chain (1985) and Kotha and Orne (1989). Now, however, banks are implementing a new type of supply chain management, where the firm views the supply channel as a whole system instead of concentrating on each part of the process. The bank focuses on all efforts, from the development of new products to their launch and successful implementation for the valued customers. This allows more communication to exist within the organisation and problems to be more easily identified. (DeCovny 2003) I shall show that implementing effective supply chain management is an advantage for banks that provide services. ... (Andraski, 1998) A case study from the Banking industry will be used to reinforce the importance and value of supply chain management in the service sector. I shall evaluate implementation steps and the benefits and limitations of supply chain management. Finally, a discussion of our conclusions on the subject of supply chain management in the service industry is provided (Ellram, 1991) Supply chain management has emerged as one of the major areas for companies to gain a competitive edge. Managing supply chains effectively is a complex and challenging task, due to the current business trends of expanding product variety, short product life cycle, increasing outsourcing, globalisation of businesses, and continuous advances in information technology. The Internet has contributed to both the increasing needs and opportunities for improved supply chain management. With the Internet, companies in a supply chain can be connected in real time with information and knowledge shared continuously, new products and services can be designed to fit special market segments, and new supply chain structures can be developed to serve customers in a more direct manner. When a company faces the pressure of excessive inventory, degraded customer service, escalating costs and declining profits, or a poor return on assets, its supply chain is out of control. On the other hand, when a company moves in to new markets or new technologies, it must have its supply chain prepared for the new business challenges and opportunities. Although there are many new supply chain concepts and fads designed to exploit the advantages of the Internet, successful companies understand that the right supply chain strategy is dependent on a number of factors: - The strategy needs to be tailored to meet