Marriage and Aunt Jennifer Essay

Adrienne Rich’s poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ is about how Aunt Jennifer is becoming fragile and potentially old, but Rich used the idea of Aunt Jennifer’s tapestry and the tigers as some form of release, as the poem suggests that she is tightly governed by her husband. The phrases ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’ and ‘sits heavily’. Later on in the poem, in the last stanza, Rich uses the ring as a metaphor again, ‘still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by’. By using the word ‘ringed’, he enforces the idea that Aunt Jennifer is trapped, almost binded to a certain way of life because of her marriage to that particular man. ‘A Marriage’, by Carol Rumens is a rather confusing poem at first, but the more times you read it, the more you understand the poem, and begin to develop some ideas on who is speaking and the situation they are in. The husband in the marriage seems to be away a lot, but his wife does not seem to mind. She is the stereotypical housewife, and feels content just washing and cleaning the family home. There is a sense of self contained togetherness in the second stanza, where the persona speaks about ‘a picture of marriage as a whole small civilisation’. On the surface, it sounds like a perfect marriage. The children also seemed to be of the sensible sort; they had their teenage years and went away, and now they come back, presumably because they liked it at the home. The marriage is described as traditional, as the couple seem to be ‘trusting the old rules’, hoping they will keep the relationship together. The husband’s ego seems to be growing however, and is putting a strain on the relationship between the husband and the persona. The persona doesn’t like how the husband treats his wife; she may potentially be his mistress and also be jealous.

Storm Born Chapter Eighteen

It was like deja vu. Two fights, two blackouts, and two â€Å"mornings after† back in my own bed. Talk about tedious. Only this time, I wasn't alone in bed. I knew Kiyo was with me even before I opened my eyes. I recognized his smell, the way his arms wrapped around me. They held me with delicacy now, not with the fierceness that usually seized him. â€Å"You don't quit,† I murmured, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. â€Å"Even wounded, you're still trying to get me back in bed.† â€Å"I've already got you here.† He lay on his side, his eyes staring into mine. Smiling, he ran a hand over my hair, smoothing it back. â€Å"I was so worried about you.† I snuggled against him, slowly dredging up memories from last night. â€Å"I was worried about you too. What happened? Why wouldn't you change back?† â€Å"I did†¦eventually.† Well, that was obvious. I waited expectantly, needing more. â€Å"Being a kitsune isn't just about the novelty of turning into a fox. It's more than that. It's like†¦I also can turn into – I don't know – a fox god. No. That's not right. I don't know how to describe it.† â€Å"A superfox?† His soft laughter vibrated against my forehead, and he kissed the skin there. â€Å"That's not quite right either. The foxes of the Otherworld are like the progenitors of mortal foxes in this world. They're stronger, more powerful, wilder. I can change into one of those, but to do so†¦I almost have to give up my humanity. They're too animal, too†¦I don't know, primordial. When I'm a normal red fox, I'm still pretty much the same as I am now unless I've been in that form for a really long time. Then the human part starts to go. But for your ‘superfox,' I'm already gone in one transformation. I can hang on to only a few human instincts – like that I had to fight that thing and that I had to protect you.† I took all this in, frowning. â€Å"But that doesn't explain why you didn't change back.† â€Å"It takes time to go in and out of that form. The change is more than physical. I have to give up my human nature to go in, my fox nature to come out. Both are hard. That's why it took me awhile to even help in the first place. I had to make a quick call, even though it left you undefended. I thought I'd do more damage in the other form.† â€Å"Yeah, you did do a pretty good job. But you sure scared me there.† I fell silent, recalling those terrible moments of uncertainty while I bled all over myself. â€Å"When did you finally change back?† â€Å"Not long after you passed out, I think.† â€Å"That would explain why I'm still alive.† He nodded. â€Å"You lost a lot of blood. You needed ten stitches.† I blinked. â€Å"Did you take me to a doctor?† He grinned. â€Å"You bet I did.† It took me a moment to catch on. I pulled back the covers and lifted the skirt of one of my racier and rarely used nightgowns – how'd I get dressed in that anyway? – and saw black stitches standing out starkly against my skin, off to the side of my stomach. â€Å"You did this?† I exclaimed. â€Å"You stitched me up? Without a doctor?† â€Å"I am a doctor. I do this all the time.† â€Å"Yeah†¦to cats and dogs. Not to people.† â€Å"It's exactly the same. We're animals too.† I eyed the stitches uneasily. The skin around them was red. â€Å"Was everything sanitized?† He made a disparaging sound in his throat. â€Å"Of course it was. The standards are the same. Come on, stop worrying. It was either that or let you bleed to death in the car. I had a kit in the back and used it.† â€Å"How'd you have enough light out there?† â€Å"The overhead lamp still worked.† I couldn't believe he'd stitched me up in a smashed car with a vet's kit. Improvisation at its best. â€Å"Did the car actually start?† â€Å"Sort of†¦I got us back to the freeway before it died. I found your cell phone and called Tim.† â€Å"Poor Tim. When I first told him I was a shaman, I think he thought it was as fake as his own Indian charade.† â€Å"Wait – he's not actually Indian? I've been trying forever to figure out what tribe he's from.† â€Å"He's from the tribe of Tim Warkoski. It's ridiculous, but – â€Å" The air in the room rippled, pressure building. I had to blink a few times to ensure the shimmering around us wasn't in my head. Kiyo propped himself up, alert and wary. The pressure abruptly faded. A rift from the Otherworld opened up in front of us, and suddenly Dorian stood on a small table in the corner. Not unexpectedly, it promptly broke under his weight, making a horrible crashing sound as its pieces and contents fell to the floor. To his credit, he sidestepped the disaster rather gracefully, easily landing both feet on the floor. I winced, seeing the anchor ring lying among the debris. I'd set it on the table, not considering the consequences of Dorian arriving exactly where it lay. â€Å"What the hell – † Kiyo started to climb out of bed, but I was in his way. I laid a restraining hand on his chest. â€Å"No, it's all right. He's here for our next lesson. Jesus†¦I can't believe it's that time already.† I'd lost a lot of time since the car. Dorian wore his usual simple but fine clothes, covered by another elaborate robe. This one was black satin, edged in silver and small seed pearls. If the present circumstances surprised him, he didn't show it. He kept his face typically unimpressed and sardonic. His smile twisted as he regarded us. â€Å"I can come back later if it's more convenient. I do so hate to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no,† I said hastily, sitting up and swinging my legs over the bed's edge. The movement uncomfortably tugged the skin around my stitches. â€Å"We were just, um†¦resting.† Dorian arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You rest in that?† I glanced down, flushing. I'd worn this exactly once when Dean and I had gone to Mexico for a weekend. The nightgown was pale green, its top and bottom hems ornamented with elaborate green leaves and tiny pink flowers. The mid-thigh-length skirt was sheer chiffon. Note to self: Never let Kiyo dress me again, unconsciousness notwithstanding. Tim chose that moment to walk in, summoned by the noise. â€Å"Eug, what†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His mouth dropped – and not just because of me. I looked around at us all: me in my nightgown, Kiyo bare-chested, Dorian in his extravagant robes, and Tim in his Native getup. â€Å"God,† I muttered, standing up, â€Å"we look like the Village People.† I pulled the terry cloth robe over me, wondering how I always seemed to be half-naked lately. Tim continued to stare, wearing the shocked look of one who has just walked in on his parents having sex. â€Å"Everything's fine,† I told him. He still didn't move, and I waved a hand in front of his face. â€Å"Hey, wake up. Think you can make some breakfast?† He blinked. â€Å"It's three in the afternoon.† I gave him a pathetic look. The familiarity of it seemed to snap him back to normal. He could never resist it. That, or he felt he owed me food for the free rent. â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Eggs and toast.† â€Å"Healthy or unhealthy toast?† I considered. â€Å"Healthy.† â€Å"Are your, uh, friends eating too?† I glanced at the other two men. â€Å"I'd love to,† replied Dorian with a cordial half-bow. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Famished,† said Kiyo, eyes still narrowed on Dorian. â€Å"Thanks, Tim, you're the best.† I practically pushed him out the door. â€Å"Charming man,† remarked Dorian politely. He glanced around. â€Å"And a charming room.† The broken table aside, the room's other contents included: a pile of laundry, the wicker chair, a case of ammunition, a dresser, and a small desk with my laptop and a half-finished puzzle of the Eiffel Tower. The room didn't have a lot of space, so everything had been jammed in. It all seemed so chintzy compared to the opulence of his bedroom. Kiyo also got out of bed, wearing just a pair of jeans. â€Å"You want to tell me again what's going on?† â€Å"I already did.† I opened my dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt that said I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT on it. â€Å"We're doing my next lesson.† â€Å"She can't do it today,† Kiyo told Dorian. â€Å"She was in a fight last night.† â€Å"Unless I'm mistaken, she gets in a fight every night.† â€Å"This one was bad. She was injured. Didn't you see the stitches?† â€Å"My humble eyes had better things to occupy themselves with than her stitches.† â€Å"Hey, guys?† I snapped. â€Å"I'm still here, you know. Stop talking about me in the third person.† Kiyo walked over and touched my arm. â€Å"Eugenie, this is crazy. You need to go back to bed.† â€Å"Today's lesson will not require physical exertion,† said Dorian primly. â€Å"There, you see?† I said. â€Å"I've got to keep going with our deal.† Kiyo looked darkly from me to Dorian. â€Å"Your ‘deal' doesn't seem to be doing a lot of good. I thought it was going to keep your would-be rapists away.† I had turned my back to them, opened the robe, and started pulling my jeans on. I froze, considering. â€Å"The fachan wasn't trying to rape me,† I said slowly. â€Å"He wanted to kill me.† â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"He tried to throw me through a windshield. That's not very romantic.† â€Å"A fachan?† asked Dorian. I shed the robe and nightgown and pulled the shirt over my head before turning back around to face them. I gave Dorian the short version of what had happened. He stood up from where he'd been leaning against my desk and strolled over to the window, hands clasped behind his back. â€Å"A fachan,† he mused. â€Å"Here. Curious.† â€Å"Not really. Not compared to anything else that's happened to me,† I reminded him. He pointed out the window. â€Å"You live in a desert. Fachans like bodies of water. You have a lot of enemies, my dear, but I doubt any fachan would hate you enough to show up here of his own volition.† â€Å"What are you saying?† asked Kiyo. â€Å"That someone went to considerable trouble to summon him here. Someone with either a lot of raw power or simply an affinity for water creatures.† â€Å"Who could do that?† I asked. â€Å"Any number of people. Maiwenn could.† Kiyo took a few dangerous steps toward him. â€Å"Maiwenn didn't do that.† Dorian smiled, unfazed by Kiyo's intimidating presence. They were the same height, but Dorian's frame was lean and slim, Kiyo's broader and more muscled. â€Å"You're probably right,† Dorian said after several tense moments of silence. â€Å"Particularly since she's been so under the weather lately.† Kiyo's face grew darker. I glanced back and forth uneasily, uncertain as to what I was in the middle of. â€Å"Do you guys know each other?† Dorian extended a hand to Kiyo, cool and collected. â€Å"I know of you, but I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I am Dorian, king of the Oak Land.† Kiyo grudgingly took his hand. â€Å"I know who you are.† â€Å"This is Kiyo,† I said. â€Å"Delightful to meet you. You're a†¦kitsune.† Dorian said the word in an odd tone. It wasn't exactly disrespectful, but it clearly implied they were not equals. I grabbed both their arms and steered them out. â€Å"No pissing contests. Come on. It'll only take Tim about five minutes to whip up the food.† Whatever antagonism existed between Kiyo and Dorian, it took a break as the gentry king entertained himself with the rest of my house. He was like a kid, unable to keep his hands off of everything. Well, everything that wasn't made of plastic or an iron affiliate. My living room was a veritable wonderland, with everything conveniently piled up in junk heaps for him to explore. â€Å"What's the purpose of this?† He held a fluorescent pink Slinky, tossing it from side to side so he didn't have to touch the plastic extensively. My impression was gentry could touch the taboo substances in small doses with minor discomfort; prolonged exposure grew much more uncomfortable. Charge it up with power, and it could kill them. â€Å"It doesn't really have a purpose,† I decided. â€Å"You just sort of†¦play with it when you're bored.† He tossed it back and forth, watching it spring up in arches. â€Å"Let me see it,† I said. I held it, closing my eyes. My focus was back now with the excruciating pain vanquished. I concentrated on the Slinky, putting a small piece of my essence into it. I handed it back. â€Å"Wrap it up and take it with you. It'll be my anchor.† He grinned. With so many other distractions, we eventually had to drag him to the kitchen table when the food was ready. â€Å"Haven't you ever been in the human world before?† I asked, once we all sat down. â€Å"There you go again, assuming we all just traipse over here for no good reason.† â€Å"So you haven't.† â€Å"Well, actually, I've vacationed here a number of times. Not in this desolate place, of course, but several other nice spots.† I rolled my eyes and slapped butter on my toast. It was made of good, hearty bread, chock-full of whole wheat and about a billion other grains. You could use this stuff as sandpaper. I doused my coffee with sugar and cream, gulping it to chase down some ibuprofen. I might not be dying anymore, but myriad aches and stiffness filled my body. I didn't think I could handle regularly getting into high-magnitude fights every other night. When the whole prophecy thing had surfaced, I had joked that I preferred attempts on my life to sexual advances. I didn't really believe that anymore. At least when the bad guys wanted my clothes off, it bought me some time. That fachan, however, had had no intentions short of crushing me. And he'd done a pretty good job of doing that. I had never fought something so massive before. Most of my fights, before this all started, had been with spirits and elementals. I could take them out with barely any effort. The fachan had been in a different league. The spirit army from the other day had also been new. Dorian's words rang back to me. The fachan had been deliberately sent. But by whom? One of the many who had a grudge against Odile? Someone like Maiwenn who wanted the prophecy to fail? Maiwenn herself? This latter thought bothered me. She'd seemed more or less trustworthy, despite her bland personality. If she turned into an enemy, it was going to create some serious friction between Kiyo and me. We finished breakfast, and Dorian declared we had to go outside for our lesson. I took one look at him and the scalding sunshine and saw imminent disaster for that perfect, alabaster skin. Figuring he wouldn't want my prissy, vanilla sunscreen, I dug him out a wide-brimmed cotton hat of Tim's that looked only mildly ridiculous. â€Å"Are you going to be able to do this?† I asked, leading Dorian out to my back patio. Tim had left for drumming practice, but Kiyo followed us, still watchful. â€Å"Your magic's weaker on this side.† Dorian draped his elegant robes over a lawn chair. â€Å"Not me who needs to do the magic. And really, I doubt you will either. Not in the way you're thinking of. Hmm†¦yes, this area may work better than I'd hoped.† He surveyed the patio area and the small grassless yard surrounded by a stucco wall. Dragging up another chair, he set it near the center of the patio, facing the house, and beckoned me to it. I sat down. â€Å"Now what? More meditation?† He shook his head. â€Å"Now we need a bowl of water.† â€Å"Kiyo? Can you grab us one? There's a big ceramic bowl in the back of one of my cupboards.† Kiyo silently complied, looking as though leaving us alone for even one minute would result in Dorian trying something. I found that protectiveness endearing, albeit a bit over the top. And then Dorian did try something. â€Å"What are those?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Think of them as†¦learning aids.† He had produced a handful of silken cords from the deep pockets of his robe, all in different colors. â€Å"What are you – no. You are not serious.† He had moved behind my chair and grasped my hands. I jerked away. â€Å"You're trying to tie me up?† â€Å"Not for sinister purposes, I assure you, although if you'd like to experiment with them later, I'd be happy to show you their various and sundry uses. For now, simply trust me that they'll be useful.† I continued to regard the cords warily. He shook his head, smiling. Moving behind me, he gently ran his hands down my arms. â€Å"You still don't trust me. And yet you do. An interesting mix. You fear me but want to connect with me. Do you remember what I said the night we met?† He knelt down, speaking softly in my ear. â€Å"This is exactly the way it will be when you come to my bed. You'll surrender yourself, and though it'll scare you, you'll exult in it too.† â€Å"I think you're imagining more to our charade than there is. And I don't really see myself feeling exultant over being tied up.† â€Å"Have you ever tried it?† His fingers slowly slid back up to the sleeves of my shirt, like butterflies on my skin. It was†¦nice. I shrugged him off. â€Å"No. And I don't need to. Besides, whatever your kinky intentions are, it doesn't matter. I've got something going with Kiyo.† â€Å"Ah. Of course you do. From what I hear, he's always ‘got something going.'† I stiffened. â€Å"Don't try to cause trouble.† â€Å"I'm attempting nothing of the sort. Just stating a fact. A man with human blood is just as appealing to our women as you are to our men.† â€Å"I already know about Maiwenn.† â€Å"I see. What do you know?† â€Å"The truth. They used to be involved. Now they're not.† â€Å"Ah. And that doesn't bother you? Especially considering it's likely she'll try to kill you someday?† I turned around as much as I could and glared at him. â€Å"I meant it: Don't try to pick a fight. I trust Kiyo, and I like Maiwenn. End of story. Now if you're going to tie me up, just get it over with.† He rose from his crouch, the sensuality gone from his voice as he began the business of binding me. â€Å"I'd never dream of picking a fight. Your pet fox in there will break my neck if I so much as look at you the wrong way.† â€Å"Don't act like you're actually afraid of him. You can supposedly bring down buildings.† I relaxed back in the chair and let him tie my hands together behind me. He took a long time in doing it, like he was weaving or braiding. â€Å"Why, Eugenie, are you saying you'd wager on me in a fight? I'm touched. Very touched. Although, I do hear foxes have very sharp claws. How are those scratches on your back, by the way?† Kiyo walked out just then, carrying the bowl of water. He froze when he saw Dorian tying a cord above my breasts and around my upper arms. â€Å"What's this?† â€Å"An awakening,† said Dorian. â€Å"It's fine,† I said. â€Å"Set the water over there.† Kiyo did so and then stood next to me, arms crossed and eyes on the gentry king. Again, Dorian took his time in tying my upper body. He used multiple cords, and able to see better this time, I realized he had indeed woven them into an intricate pattern. Aesthetic and functional. â€Å"There.† With a last tight knot, he straightened up and regarded his work. â€Å"Not bad. It seems I haven't forgotten how to tie a decent knot after all. One more thing, and we're set.† â€Å"One more thing† turned out to be a blindfold. â€Å"No way,† I said. â€Å"Eugenie, my sweet, your outraged protests are adorable, but they only continue to slow us down. If you want me to help you, then let me. If you don't, then take me to one of those places where human women wear revealing clothing and quickly lose their virtue through alcohol.† I let him blindfold me, feeling uneasy. I trusted Kiyo and sort of trusted Dorian, but the other bindings had already unsettled me. I didn't like being trapped or in someone else's control. The bright world went dark as fabric covered my eyes. â€Å"This is all giving me a bad feeling,† Kiyo said nearby. â€Å"On the contrary,† said Dorian, â€Å"it's giving me a very warm, very pleasant feeling. But I suppose we should return to the lesson at hand, hmm?† â€Å"Is this the part where you explain the bondage getup?† I asked. â€Å"Or where I find out you just did it for fun.† â€Å"No, no. As hilarious as that would be, I do have my reasons. Now. I'm going to pick up this bowl of water that Kato so kindly fetched – â€Å" â€Å"It's Kiyo,† came the irritated response. â€Å"So sorry. Anyway, I'm going to set it somewhere out here in this miniature wasteland, and you will tell me where it is.† â€Å"Oh. I get it. I'm supposed to, like, work on my non-visual senses? Listen to where you set it?† â€Å"You won't use any of your physical senses at all.† I heard him walk away, presumably with the water, but I couldn't tell where he set it. He paced and paced in circles, kicking rocks and scuffing his shoes so I was clueless by the time he returned to me. When he spoke next, his words were right by my ear again. â€Å"Now, given freedom, even with just a blindfold, you'd be inclined to move and want to use something – anything – to find the water. You'd turn around, sniff the air, whatever. Now you have to accept that all of that is gone. You cannot rely on what you usually can. You are trapped and powerless – more or less. Give in to that. Open yourself up to whatever comes. Find the water.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"By reaching out to it. Tap into a sense other than the usual five. Remember the exercises we did last time, about reaching beyond yourself – in this world, not the spirit one.† â€Å"I thought magic was inborn. Isn't that what separates humans and gentry?† â€Å"It is inborn. And your inner magic summons and controls storms. To do that, you must summon and control the appropriate elements. And to do that, you must be able to find them. Hence, you focus outward.† â€Å"How do I do that?† â€Å"Just concentrate. But relax too. Think about the water. How it feels, what it's like. Spread your consciousness out around you, but don't go into a trance and let your spirit slip out. That'd be cheating.† â€Å"How long does it take?† â€Å"As long as you need.† He retreated, and I sat there and waited for some revelation. Okay. Somewhere around me was a bowl of water. And something inside of me was supposed to be able to sense it. I wouldn't have believed any of it if the living room on the other side of the patio door didn't stand as proof of my supernatural powers. But I hadn't had to think to cause the storm. This was different. All I mostly felt at first was my own body. Dorian's binds didn't hurt me, but they were snug. The stitched-up cut stung a little. The back of my head ached. My leg muscles felt stretched and inflamed. I slowly took inventory of every part of me, assessing how each one felt. I could feel the beat of my own heart, the steadiness of my breathing. After that, I started concentrating on the stuff around me. I heard someone, Dorian maybe, slide up a chair and sit down. A plane droned overhead. One of my neighbors kept a bird feeder, and sparrows regularly chirped and squabbled around it. The harsher cries of less melodic birds sounded in the distance. My street had few houses and was removed from real traffic, but a block or so away, a car started and then drove off. I thought about water, its appeal growing as the sun beat down. I had put on my own sunscreen and was grateful for it. Still, I could feel sweat pouring off of me. Water would be cool, refreshing. My mom's house had a pool, and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to dive into that crystal-blue surface. I thought about the bowl of water, thinking of its cool temperature, the wetness on my skin. I tried to feel it, to call to it. â€Å"There,† I said at last. I don't know how much time had passed. Awhile. â€Å"Where?† asked Dorian. â€Å"Four o'clock.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"She means over there,† I heard Kiyo say. Presumably he pointed. â€Å"No,† said Dorian. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Was I close?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Not even a little?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Damn it! Get me out of this.† I wriggled against my constraints. â€Å"Hardly.† Dorian's voice held mild surprise. â€Å"We must try again.† â€Å"Oh, dear lord. This might be even more boring than the meditation,† I grumbled. â€Å"Can I at least get something to drink?† He hesitated. â€Å"Actually, I think your odds will increase if you're thirsty.† â€Å"Oh, come on – â€Å" â€Å"Here we go,† said Dorian. I heard him get up and walk around again, and once more, I couldn't tell where the bowl ended up. When he returned to his chair, I tried again. More time passed as I concentrated my little heart out. At one point, I heard someone get up and move toward the door. â€Å"Who is that?† â€Å"Me,† said Dorian. â€Å"I'm bored.† â€Å"What? You're my teacher.† â€Å"The kitsune will call if you need me.† â€Å"I don't believe this,† I said when he was gone. â€Å"Hey, this was your idea,† said Kiyo. I heard him shift in a chair, getting comfortable. I was on the verge of my next guess when Dorian came outside again. â€Å"There. Nine o'clock.† Kiyo must have pointed again. â€Å"No,† said Dorian. He made me do it again, and by then, I was furious. My poor muscles, already put through enough, were locking up from lack of movement. The heat was unbearable. To make matters worse, Kiyo asked if Dorian wanted something to drink and then went inside. He returned, and I heard the sound of a two-liter of pop opening, followed by the filling of two glasses. After that, they started carrying on casual conversation. â€Å"Eugenie will be at my Beltane ball,† Dorian explained, â€Å"as my special guest.† â€Å"Sounds great.† â€Å"Your enthusiasm is palpable.† â€Å"Just not my thing, that's all.† â€Å"Ah, pity. Because if you wanted to come, I'd be happy to extend the invitation.† â€Å"I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble.† â€Å"It's no trouble at all. You could come with Eugenie. I always make special arrangements for dignitaries' entourages and servants.† â€Å"Will you two shut up?† I asked. â€Å"I'm working here.† They fell silent. Water, water. I needed that goddamned water so that Dorian would untie me and I could return to air conditioning. I'd also drink a gallon of water while I was at it. Maybe two or three. In fact, when I found that stupid bowl, I'd dump it over my head. Sweat pooled along the hem of my shirt and where the cords and blindfold pressed against my skin. I'd probably sweated away the sunscreen and would burn. As if my body hadn't been through enough. Where the hell was that water? Why couldn't I find it? I thought again about my mom's pool, vowing I'd pay her a visit tomorrow. God, it was so hot. I just wanted to be cooler. Water, water, water. I felt like Helen Keller. Or maybe one of those people in the Lakota sun dances where excessive heat exposure induced hallucinations. Maybe I could imagine the water. I sighed, and then, somehow, I felt coolness touch me. It was a reprieve from the heat. I straightened up as much as I could. Had I done it? Was this what it felt like to touch the water? The third time was the charm. Yes. There it was again. Like cool, moist air blowing at me from the east. I could taste its dampness, hanging around me like humidity in the sauna. I inclined my head in the direction I'd sensed the cool air. â€Å"I've got it. Three o'clock.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"The hell it isn't!† I heard Dorian get up. He sighed. â€Å"I think we'd better quit for the day.† â€Å"But I swear I had it! I could feel it! I was thinking about water so hard.† â€Å"I know you were.† He undid the blindfold, and I looked up. Billowing clouds, colored like lead, inked out the sky. Wind blew at me from the east – not imagined after all – picking up in strength. Great, heavy drops fell around us, landing with loud splashes. Water at last.

Intergovernmental Immunities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Intergovernmental Immunities - Essay Example At the macro level, we have the national government while at the micro-level, we have the state or provincial governments. These levels of government co-exist with â€Å"an established division of governmental powers; legislative, executive and judicial.†1 Federal governments hinge on the idea involving â€Å"territorial divisions of authority, typically entrenched in the constitution which neither a sub-unit nor the center can alter unilaterally† (Follesdall 2003). This form of government is different and should be distinguished properly with the decentralized authority in unitary states where the central government has direct authority to revoked at will legislation governing the government. â€Å"What a legislature can do under a unitary system of government may be denied to either the central or regional governments and, sometimes as s  92 of our Constitution2 shows, to both the central and regional governments.†3 As Dicey pointed out, "The object for which a federal state is formed involves a division of authority between the national government and the separate States. 4 According to Dicey, the ceding of the some of the powers States to the national government created so many limitations upon the authority of the States. However, he also noted that such ceding of powers does not carry with it the right of the national government to â€Å"have the opportunity of encroaching upon the rights retained by the States.†5 It is, therefore, an acknowledged fact that the parameters of the powers given to the national government and those, which are retained by the States, should be subjected to â€Å"rigorous definition."  Nonetheless, separation of powers as what is espoused by the principles of federalism does not necessarily purport a total abdication of powers where there is total and complete immunity of intergovernmental sectors and its instrumentalities.  

Planning in SWA Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Planning in SWA Group - Essay Example This has resulted in the organization’s services been leased. The planning model that the organization intends to use is the rational model of planning (Mullins, 2010). This involves identifying the problems they are encountering, formation and evaluation of their criteria’s of planning along with the creation and implementation of alternative solutions (Murphy and Willmott, 2010). This model is mainly used in the planning of towns and their systems of transport and this paper will elaborate how SWA group manages planning. The organization will start by confirming, describing and laying out the details of the problem being encountered. This will involve first identifying the problems at hand and then defining a possible solution to begin making changes. The solution is then analyzed for the purpose of checking whether it adequately solves the problems at hand. This involves the management’s ability to come up with more creative designs, schemes and breakthroughs. This model facilitates the decision making process to become a group process since ideas will have to be shared. The organization’s competitors such as Brennerplan and the Taylor Siefker Williams group of design have experienced success in their activities due to the influences of their group decision making processes (Morgan, 2006). The decisions that result from group decisions are normally well thought of with their repercussions being evaluated. Many, diverse opinions are also offered with the best alternatives being selected to efficiently solve the issues in question. After the identification and analysis of the problems being experienced, the organization embarks on the generation of different solutions to the problem (Mullins, 2010). This will involve the suggestion and selection of up to three solutions to solve the problem along with their implementation to the problem’s site. This will involve their efforts in revitalizing the slums and developing planned u nits in the towns. Such activities will be carried out in groups for the purpose of achieving the different solutions to these problems. The emergence of alternative solutions for the organization enables the management to apply rationality in selecting the best possible solutions. The organization collects information using their available technology for the purpose of discovering alternatives to their problems. These alternatives will undergo evaluations to determine their levels of success or failure before being implemented. The analysis will provide final solutions to their problems. It will include activities such as carrying out an examination of the sites in question to determine their sensitivity and appropriateness. This assists in evaluating the consequences of the solutions they have chosen to implement. The organization will also consider the various options they have of evaluating their different solutions. This will be done before the implementation of final solutions to the sites. The organization’s competitors use different models that the management will also have to evaluate. This will be done to determine their efficiency in solving the problems before discarding them. Once the best decision has been selected, their application to the problems site will then be implemented. The above steps form the heart of the decision making

The History Of Industrialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The History Of Industrialization - Essay Example This changed during the Gilded Age as businessmen like Carnegie adopted vertical integration thereby eliminating all middlemen in the process. Instead of meat being handled by different individuals, a single businessman engaged in all the trades from cattle breeding to retailing meat. This led to the emergence of corporations such as the giant steel empire of Carnegie which brought them huge profits. Others such as Rockefeller adopted horizontal integration (purchase of competing companies in the same industry) thus eliminating competitors. Rockefeller purchased all independent oil refineries creating a monopoly in the market named the Standard Oil Company. Such investors were referred as robber barons as they did everything they could to earn profits. Corporations produced powerful tycoons such as Carnegie, Rockefeller and Frederick Weyerhaeuser (timber industry) and consequently business malpractices. Rockefeller was the richest man, Carnegie the fourth richest and Weyerhaeuser the seventh richest. These and other wealthy businessmen formed trusts to monopolize the production of goods. This prompted the U.S government to pass legislation such as the Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890 and the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 to curb such malpractices and corruption. The Interstate Commerce Act was to eliminate discrimination against small shippers by railroads while the Anti-trust Law was to curb monopolies. Speculations by tycoons often led to an economic crisis such as the panic of 1893.

Contribution of Education Law to Social Equality Essay

Contribution of Education Law to Social Equality - Essay Example from increasing the intelligence of people and imparting skills in people for a more productive country, education, and education law also aims at increasing the level of social equality in society. Social equality is seldom achieved by different countries, however, education law ensures to achieve equality in education, which might in return influence other spheres in a country. Nonetheless, social equality is a state whereby all the people in a society are entitled to equal allocation of resources, equal treatment, and opportunities. Social equality therefore, succeeds in removing any kind of barriers, which stand in the way of equality. These barriers might include factors of ethnicity, race, gender, economic status, and religion, which present some people with more opportunities than others. However, social equality should not be mistaken for socialism. While socialism advocates for people to have equal wealth, social equality encourages equal treatment for all people, as well as equal access to opportunities for everyone, despite their position in society (Ross 2009). According to Wilson (1975), education is an opportunity in society. Therefore, the education law in society should serve the purpose of ensuring justice and fair distribution of educational opportunities in society. If this is practiced, then the benefits in a country, which result from education, will be shared equally among all the citizens of a country. In cases where the education law of a country is biased and does not allow for the equal access of education for all its citizens, it is likely that there will not be social justice and social equality in such a country. This is because only a portion of the population will be entitled to the benefits of education, while locking out others (Wilson... The author of the paper declares that educational law is crucial in a country, as it determines whether there will be a considerably high level of social equality or not. Good education laws should adopt policies, which promote the equal access to education by all the children in the country, without any discrimination based on ethnicity, or gender, among other discriminatory forms. Education is an opportunity, which leads to future benefits of a person, with regard to personal development, and financial well-being. These two factors are among those that define a person’s social status. Therefore, if the law of education allows for equal access to education for all, this might help a country to achieve a high level of social equality in future. The paper makes a conclusion that the government funds education in the country, and various education Acts guide the education system in the UK. In an effort to promote social equality for all, the authorities in England expect every parent to take their children to schools, once they reach the rightful age for schooling. Failure to do this attracts a fine from parents. Therefore, while the local authorities are responsible for schools, parents are responsible for ensuring the attendance of their children. There is a uniform curriculum for all schools, therefore, equality is maintained, as this ensures there are no disparities in knowledge. The UK follows the United Nations tenets for human rights, therefore, considers everyone as having a right to education.

THE NOTION OF CHILD-INCLUSIVE MEDIATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

THE NOTION OF CHILD-INCLUSIVE MEDIATION - Essay Example This approach definitely has its merits. Attaching considerable importance to the voice of the child is highly important during mediation processes and leads to reduced conduct problems among children.1 This also facilitates both the parents and the jury to acknowledge in a better way the child’s experiences, concerns, and desires2 and how to design parental responsibilities in accordance with those experiences later. But even after myriad benefits offered by the child-inclusive notion, the opponents of this mediation approach deny its credibility and argue that openly dragging children into the middle of the hot mess created by the parental conflict could inflict a wide variety of deteriorating effects on the raw minds of the young children. This could also make them experience divided loyalties, suffer from anxiety and confusion as they may feel overburdened by offering their opinions.3 In addition to this, a child may feel disappointed when he/she expresses his/her views bu t realizes later that those views were not listened to.4 This essay aims at contemplating the arguments both in favor and against of child-inclusive strategy by exploring research literature in an attempt to evaluate the credibility of the argument that child-inclusive mediation is flawed and misguided. In order to validate discussion, the relevant research is also presented with special reference to the rights of the child. A growing body of research could be found presently related to the concepts of child-inclusive and child-focused mediation both of which are child welfare oriented strategies but stand in stark contrast to each other in terms of practical procedure. While child-focused intervention encourages parents to address the child’s needs without any direct involvement of the children,5 the child-inclusive intervention includes separate consultation by a specialist with the children.6 Mediation is important because otherwise post-separation court visits, legal affa irs, and acrimonious family disputes together inflict a profoundly devastating influence on the minds of innocent children related to aggression, impulsivity, delinquency, depression, peer difficulties, and academic achievement.7 It is further claimed that for about 10% of all divorcing couples, the unremitting animosity will shadow the entire growing up years of their children.8 General consensus is that long-standing, unresolved, and harsh conflicts prove to be highly risky for not only the parents but for the children also9 and it has been repeatedly suggested that family disputes which are tried to be resolved by involving courts take considerably more time than which are resolved through the aid of cost-effective10 mediation. Ineffective communication between parents following separation readily fosters flawed parenting which leaves the child stuck in the middle of chaos11 and it is advised that the quality of parenting provided by both parents following separation and divorce is as important as conflict in determining children’s outcomes.12 Mediation is effective in this regard because not only it seeks to resolve chronically bitter family disputes but also provides opportunities to exit the legal system at the earliest point possible.13 Though the basic aim of child inclusive practice is to enable parents to become bigger, stronger, wiser, and kinder,14 there is much conflict regarding which mediation approach should be used and the issue is hotly debated so as to find out which way would produce least ruthless effects on the children. It is widely believed that the voice of the child is important and should be heard during times of parental

Moment and equilibrium Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Moment and equilibrium - Lab Report Example The aim of the experiment is to verify the equilibrium of force on a beam experimentally and analytically using the concepts and equilibrium and finding the reactions of the left and right weights (Lee, 2010). Taking measurements by several people would mechanically give dissimilar values since each individual may stretch the string by diverse tension. To minimize is by stipulating the circumstances that could lead to the error. Taking into consideration of errors presented by the instant working environment. There is need to take into account for or shield the experiment from shakings, drafts, variations in temperature, electronic sound or other effects from neighboring apparatus (Lee, 2010). This error can happen when there is some length or distance between the measuring balance and the indicator used to attain a measurement. If the viewers eye is not directly aligned with the indicator and scale, the interpretation may be extraordinary (Lee,

Computerize Enrollment Essay Example for Free

Computerize Enrollment Essay This Chapter presents the proposed study all about. It also shows the problem that the proponents encountered during the research of the proposed study. Show the difference of the proposed system to the existing system. Introduction Most of educational institutional establishment today specially on those schools with specialization in teaching in the line of technologies are using computerized systems. It can help establishments or businesses to give more quality service to their customers. This can result in a system with well-integrated processes that can perform much faster and more accurate than a manual system. Enrollment is the process of inputting and verifying data of student to register on a particular school. The Enrollment System is used so the school will have a record of information of a student, tracking or retrieving of their information will be possible. The verifying of payments and browsing of student bills is also the used of an enrollment system. Enrollment System is an example of computer generated process. This will lessen the workload and provides accurate information needed of the school. As the result this will not only benefit the students but also the employees of a certain establishment. The Enrollment System is very essential for a school. In the case of AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE FAIRVIEW CAMPUS, they are using a manual system composed of a pen and an application form. The student or an applicant definitely having some erasures, and an illegibly hand writing that makes the information inaccurate. Verifying of the inaccurate information will lead to some errors in the process of the enrollment. Above our observation, human interventions will highly involve in this type of system. As a result, this may involve errors and redundancy of data resulting troubles in organization. Background of the Study The AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE FAIRVIEW CAMPUS is an educational institution specialize in the line of technologies, giving quality education since 1990 they make their make name by the student who make the â€Å"I love you Virus† since then AMA has standards of giving the a best education in the line of Information Technology. The AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE FAIRVIEW CAMPUS has a population estimated of 400+ students from different courses and year level that currently studying this semester. AMA COMPUTER COLLEGE FAIRVIEW CAMPUS are using an acquaint system applicants or students constantly having a hard time filling up application forms and take a lot of time in the enrollment process. With the large population of students employees had to do a lot work. Statement of the Problem The proponents aimed to develop and sought to answer the following specific problems 1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: 1.1 Name; 1.2 Age; 1.3 Gender; 1.4 Year Level; 1.5 Course; 2. What is the problems encountered in the existing system? 3. What is the possible solutions to avoid the problems in the existing system? 4. What is the difference of the existing system between the proposed system. 4.1; Accuracy 4.2; Convenience 4.3; Usefulness 4.4; Speed 4.5; User-friendly Hypothesis The proponents to have an analysis if there is a significance difference between the existing system and the proposed system in terms of accuracy, convenience, usefulness, speed, and user-friendly interface. Significance of the Study The study declare that the proposed system can be a great help to the following: Students. The proposed system can help the students to have a less time, effort on the enrollment process. Employees/Professor. The proposed system can help the employees less the work load and save a lot of time that were needed in the enrollment process Reputation Significance. The proposed system will improve the reputation of the school by leveling the kind of system to other universities. Scope and Delimitation of the Study The Study focuses on how the students and employees have a benefit of saving a lot of time, giving a less effort, reducing of human errors, accuracy and speed of deriving information. The Study is limited service when it come to online access of the users, compared to the Online Enrollment System of the University of Santo Thomas that users can access online. Definition of Terms To Understand the different terminologies that were used in the proposed study, the proponents had provided the following terminologies. Enrollment. is the process of entering and verifying data of student to register on a particular school. Computerized System. A process or operation integrated by using a computer or other devices. Online System. A process or operation that powered by the world wide web and accessible to any users that has an internet connection.

Machiavelli’s story Essay Example for Free

Machiavelli’s story Essay He wrote to medic embellished with magnificent words together with extrinsic allurements wishing the Medic’s honor should give him the position of the office that he definitely was stuffing of. He contemplated and made assumptions of himself being humble and low before the concerns of the princes, pretending to have understood the needs of people. He also thought that the book was a present to the prince to entice him in order to be given a vacancy in the new government. He even recommends to the prince to intelligently and diligently read and consider the book as in the Prince will end up learning Machiavelli’s extreme desire for prince to attain the greatness that fortune and other attributes promise. Machiavelli figured that the principalities are all hereditary to power and its acquisition is accustomed to live under the prince by either fortune or ability. He anticipated that the prince should keep the corrupt government continue to rule for the benefits of the few him included against to which what it was. His story from is was ultimately different from what it should be. For instance, Duke of Ferrara in Italy who could not have withstood the attacks of the Venetians in 1984 nor those of Pope Julius in 1910 unless of the establishment of dominions. For hereditary prince has less cause to and less necessity to offend to happen that he will be more loved but the vice versa caused him to be more hated as it was reasonable that Machiavelli’s subject naturally disposed him off from the prince, his motives was derived to no existence of change and his own definition of change was the one that leaves the toothing for another to keep the corrupt government from one generation to another that impossibly didn’t happen. Machiavelli’s story was defining change as the deception of the willing election of the new ruler hoping to better themselves expectation that could hardly rise from the inherent difficulties from the new to be principalities. He figures solidarity as hardship that he must put upon his new acquisition in order to satisfy those who elected Medic into power. Machiavelli egocentrically viewed himself as the core pillar for the success of Medic’s government, thus he must be given the position on this regime to excel. He beliefs not that Borge Cesare lost power by malignity of fortune that he acquired during the ascendancy of his father. In Machiavelli’s story, he didn’t imagine to care about the so called enemies whom he injured in seizing principality and he is not even considering the essence for them to feel satisfied as the way the expected or hopped when they were electing you into power. Instead Machiavelli suggested for the strong measures to be taken against them, feeling not bound to them anymore and they are profound to be oppressed by the use of the strong forces under the command of the leader in charge. This was totally different from even the theoretical view of Medic when he came into power. His mission and vision was to have equality among all those who elected him, stop/ eradicate corruption and that is why he disputed the gift from Machiavelli that was vividly giving him a clue towards the corrupt government to benefit the a few including Machiavelli. Medic wasn’t gullible for the public properties as the story of Machiavelli portray him as somebody who is gullible, selfish/mean, corrupt and egocentric. Basing on Machiavelli’s story, he viewed that the hold of accustomed hereditary pass of power was a prudent courtesy from the ancestors and anybody doing contrary to it was like transgression towards the ancestors. In order to deal prudently with circumstances as they arise and for the care to maintain Medic in state Machiavelli must be in the cabinet in the government and if not so something sinister will happen to deprive Medic extra-ordinary from power, which was untrue and didn’t happen. Reference: 1. The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli, Translated By George Bull Published By Penguin Books Ltd (1995).

What Were The Characteristics Of Reaganomics Economics Essay

What Were The Characteristics Of Reaganomics Economics Essay The basis for Reaganomics can be traced back to the late 1960s and 1970s when after two decades of steady growth and very low inflation the US economy suffered from exceptionally high inflation along with a very slow growth rate, a phenomena that became known as Stagflation. The continuously high unemployment rates throughout the 1970s were another feature of stagflation. This was caused by a number of different factors namely the failure of the dominant post-war Keynesian policies to deal with the rising inflation and unemployment which primarily were focused on the demand management side of economics through expansionary fiscal and monetary policies. Furthermore the Keynesian belief that unemployment and inflation were mutually exclusive based on the Phillips Curve led to persistent efforts to promote artificially low levels of unemployment through increasing government spending and establishing price controls which worsened the soaring inflation rates. In addition to the Keynesians failures to deal with the domestic issues the US economy faced competition from industrial and developed countries such as Britain, France, Germany and Japan for the first time since the end of second world war. The US benefited from massive expansion of its economy during and after the war years whilst other nations suffered from substantial damages to their infrastructures. However by the mid 1960s the European and Japans economies had recovered and had developed technologically more advance and productive economies compared to America. During the period 1950 to 1973, fixed capital stock in the United States grew at an annual rate of 2.9% a rate that would prove impossible to achieve once stagflation dominated the economy. In contrast, Britain, Germany, Japan and France had annual average growth rates in capital stock of 4%, 6.1%, 7.6% and 4.5%, respectively (Marc Eisner , 1995). As well as increased international competition the external shocks to th e US economy in the 1970s such as the oil crisis of 1973 where price of oil quadrupled, along with higher commodities prices caused an even greater pressure on price levels. The economic and social difficulties caused by the combinations of these factors led to a major demand for a shift in economic policies and was the main promise of Ronald Reagans 1980 election campaign. In February 1981 the new administration revealed its Program for Economic Recovery. This program was based on a mixture of different theories namely Monetarism which calls for the Federal Reserve to limit the growth of the money supply in order to curb inflation and Supply Side policies that require a reduction in taxes to increase the incentive to work, save and invest. (John Palmer 1982). These became to be known as Reaganomics and its basic elements were; controlling inflation by restricting the supply of money, reducing income and capital gains marginal tax rates, reducing regulation and intervention in markets and reducing government expenditure whilst increasing defence spending. The objective of Reaganomics was relatively clear, it was designed to increase saving and investment s which combined with deregulation and having healthier markets would lead to a higher economic growth. Reducing government expenditure and controlling the supply of money was assumed to not only bring inflation down but also to reduce the ever increasing government deficit. The success of the program largely depended on the success of all of its individual elements. The administration believed by restricting the supply of money, the rate of increase of total spending in the economy, nominal GNP would go down and this was a necessary condition for reducing inflation. In order to curb inflation and spending whilst reducing unemployment at the same time there had to be a degree of control over inflationary expectations and a significant rise in productivity to counter the rise of labour costs. The administrations commitment to monetary control and balancing the federal budget would help to correct the inflationary expectations whilst the increase in productivity would be achieved by the increase of nations savings to encourage private and productivity-raising investments as a result of tax cuts and elimination of government deficit. Furthermore the stimulus to productivity and production resulting from such tax cuts would increase the national income which in turn would offset the revenue loss that lower tax rates cause. (Herbert Stein, 1988) Thus the failure of any individual element of the program would lead to the collapse of the whole program or at the very least significantly reduce its desired effect on the economy. Restoring price stability by curbing inflation therefore was one of the major priorities of the Economic Recovery Program. This was based on the monetarist view that a steady reduction in money supply growth whilst managing inflationary expectations effectively would be the best way to reduce inflation. The Reagan administration hoped to achieved this without causing a painful transition period of high unemployment and loss of output therefore it was essential for businesses, workers and investors to fully have confidence in governments ability to succeed and thus react accordingly. Although neo-Keynesians argued monetary restrain would almost certainly lead to a further increase in unemployment and would push the economy into a recession as prices and wages are sticky or sluggish and relatively unresponsive to monetary policies in the short run. (32) However according to the Rational Expectations school of thought individuals would realise and anticipate the benefits of a well adver tised monetary policy and would be willing to accept lower wages and prices for their goods and services and hence would avoid any unpleasant consequence of a drop in output levels. (31). The administration believed the war against inflation would be relatively short and pain free. Thus the Federal Reserve under the leadership of Paul Volcker attempted to decrease inflation rates by controlling the adjusted monetary base which is the total amount of currency in circulation or in the commercial banks deposits in the Federal Reserve. This was done by controlling the reserves supplies to the banking system through the Federal Reserves purchases and sales of government securities and the amount it required banks to maintain in reserves against their deposits. The Federal Reserve also controlled -albeit to a lesser extent- the money supply especially the narrower form of money (i.e. M1) such as currency and checkable deposits. (R.E) As a consequence the inflation fell from its double digits peak in 1980 to below 4% by the summer of 1982, however this success in curbing the inflation had a devastating impact on the economy. The tight credit control led to further increases in interest rates as investment fell. The gross national product fell by more than 2.5% whilst unemployment rates peaked at 11% in 1982. It seemed clear Reagans ambitious plans to reduce inflation and maintain a healthy economic growth simultaneously had failed. (State Blue book). Although by July 1982 the Federal Reserve eased up its tight grip on the money supply and the expansionary fiscal policies by the administration led to the recovery from the recession. The economy grew by 6.8% by 1984 with unemployment figures dropping to 7.4% first and then to 5.4% in 1988 whilst the GNP also increased, standing at 4.5%. Inflation remained low for the remainder of Reagans administration dropping to as low as 1.1% in 1986 before standing at around 4% towards the end of the decade. However despite this positive economic figures its important to take into account the external factors that created a far more favourable economic environment throughout the 1980s compared to the previous decade. The main cause of inflation in the late 1970s was the high food and energy prices partly caused by the oil crisis of the 1973 and the Energy crisis of 1979 (in the wake of the Iranian revolution) however as a result of the sharp decrease in demand for oil in developed countries and the virtual collapse of OPEC, the oil prices decreased by two third between 1980 and 1985. (state source). Moreover expansionary fiscal policies such as federal subsidies for farmers and an inflated dollar despite having a negative impact on the budget deficit, contributed to price stabilisation as food prices fall and imports became cheaper. the collapse of OPEC, food surpluses, the debt inflated dollar and measurement corrections in the role of home ownership sots in calculating the Consumer Pri ce Index accounted for 52.3% of the reduction in inflation with the remainder attributable to the rescission induced unemployment rates. (end with a conclusive sentence?). Balancing the budget was another top priority of the Reagans administration however throughout his two term as president the deficit continued to grow as a result of the loss in government revenue caused by the Economy Recovery Tax Act of 1981 and the largest peace time defence spending since the Second World War. (Midterm report). The deficit that was under 35% of the GDP in 1980 had increased to over 55% of the GDP by the end of the decade. The idea that having an unbalanced budget would have damaging consequences for the economy was another monetarist element of the Reagans administration. This was a clear rejection of the Keynesian view that stated the government could stimulate the economy by increasing its deficit which in turn allows it to increase expenditure and investment in the private sector resulting in an increase in aggregate demand, total output and employment levels as long as the economy isnt performing at its maximum capacity hence outweighing the costs of financin g the deficit. In contrast the monetarist insisted on the need for a balanced budget claiming that even though government on one hand could give money to people through higher expenditure it would have to take an equal or higher amount back to finance its debts. The administration therefore attempted to decrease the deficit and eventually balance the budget by as early as 1984.It intended to do this by reducing government expenditure as a percentage of the GDP from 23% to 19.5%. (industrial book) In its Program for Economic Recovery it introduced substantial cuts in state aid programs such as Medicaid, food and nutrition programs, extended unemployment benefits and housing assistance whilst reducing subsidies for new energy technologies, public service employment and student aids. (Mid term). Although the effectiveness of such cuts in expenditure and the target of balancing the budget by 1984 turned out to be extremely optimist and unrealistic. The administration failed to achieve its objective mainly because of its inconsistent policies. For instance whilst trying to reduce the deficit it introduced the Economic Recovery Tax Act in the summer of 1981 reducing marginal income tax rates by 25% causing a major loss of revenue for the governmen t. The administration argued such revenue loss would be offset by a rise in savings, investments and output levels however as the economy entered a recession in 1981 mainly due to its tight monetary policy the deficit continued to rise. Furthermore the government increased defence spending steadily throughout the decade, in 1982 the defence budget rose by $7.3b and later by $33.1 in 1986. (R.E). The governments failure to reduce its deficit had severe consequences for the economy especially during the 81-82 recession. The major problem with the deficit was the financial cost of financing the debt itself, this was estimated to be close to $184.2b or 14.7% of the budget in 1990. (s.bb) The administration attempted to raise funds by selling securities such as government bounds which due to their secure nature and high rates of return attracted investors and capital. However this had a negative knock on effect on the economy too since by extracting billions of dollars per year from the national saving pool which had already been in decline since the 1950s (shrinking to 2.4% of GDP in 1988 from 7.8% in the 1970s) the government took away scarce capital from the private sector leading to the crowding out phenomena. This is when the government and the private sector compete for the same limited capital available in the market hence causing a reduction in the expansion of businesses and firms. This loss of capital further translates into higher interest rates and lower levels of investment which in turn leads to a loss of competitiveness and reduction in the output levels, subsequently increasing unemployment and pushing the economy deeper into the recession. Overall it had quickly become apparent that the administrations goal of balancing the budget was clearly unrealistic. Despite its desire to reduce the deficit the introduction of tax reductions and increasing the defence spending more than offset any gains made from the cutbacks in the federal expenditure. The centrepiece of Reagans tax cuts was the Economic Recovery Act signed into law in 1981.

Billy Collins: A Great American Poet Essay examples -- Poetry Analysis

â€Å"I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3); so begins a poem titled â€Å"Introduction To Poetry† by Billy Collins. â€Å"Introduction To Poetry† is, in fact, the introduction to a collection of poetry called Poetry 180, a program started by Collins during his time as poet laureate for the United States. The aim of this program is to get people, especially teenagers, interested in or reconnected with poetry. Collins selected an assortment of poems that are just fun to read and not meant to be discussed; he says in the forward to the collection, â€Å"High school is the focus of my program because all too often it is the place where poetry goes to die† (xvii). Collins was honored with the title of poet laureate in 2001 because of his own outstanding poetry. Billy Collins is considered by some to be the greatest American poet since Robert Frost because he connects with his read ers, he makes the mysterious ordinary, and he portrays the ordinary as mysterious. Billy Collins has been called â€Å"accessible without being [mundane]† (Pool, par.1). Collins is relatable because he takes situations that most people have been through and puts them into words that are at the same time comic and thought provoking. (Collins once said, â€Å"The perfect poem for me to write would be a poem in which the reader couldn’t tell at any point whether the poem was serious or humorous†). In the poem â€Å"Forgetfulness†, Collins describes the frantic feeling that comes when a fact floats out of the brain. The person experiencing this tragic but everyday occurrence struggles to bring it back, but â€Å"the memories [the person] used to harbor decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain, to a little... ...riousness of this 10-year-old dealing with morality for the first time.† Words, objects, and events take on a deeper meaning through Billy Collins. Collins’ poems aren’t preachy or meant to teach a lesson; their purpose is to help readers be exposed to different ways of seeing things. Collins seems to go through life with his head slightly tilted; he finds amusement in both the ordinary and mysterious, and has a gift for being able to portray his insights in a way readers find accessible and often witty. Nothing is too lofty or insignificant for Collins to write about; he once said, â€Å"I think my work has to do with a sense that we are attempting, all the time, to create a logical, rational path through the day. To the left and right there are an amazing set of distractions that we usually can’t afford to follow. But the poet is willing to stop anywhere.†

Life in The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essay -- Tolstoy Death Ivan Ilych Ess

Life in The Death of Ivan Ilyich      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, the story begins with the death of the title character, Ivan Ilyich Golovin.   Ivan's closest friends discover his death in the obituary column in chapter one, but it is not until chapter two that we encounter our hero.   Despite this opening, while Ilyich is physically alive during most of the story's action he only becomes spiritually alive a few moments before his death.    The life of Ivan Ilyich, we are told, "had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible" (Tolstoy, Ch. 2).   In analyzing this description of Ivan's life, we see that Ivan has always done what is expected of him in the eyes of others (wife, co-workers, employers, etc.).   While Ivan believes his life has run easily, pleasantly, and decorously like it should, we see that in reality it is an unfulfilled life.   Ivan's closest associates are more worried about who will be next in line for promotion now that he is gone, and at his funeral they are more concerned over a bridge game than grieving for the loss of a friend, "The more intimate of Ivan Ilyich's acquaintances, his so-called friends, could not help thinking also that they would now have to fulfill the very tiresome demands of propriety by attending the funeral service and paying a visit of condolence to the widow" (Tolstoy Ch. 1).    Ivan's wife is also self-centered and exhibits great disdain for her husband, who she considers more of a nuisance and hassle than anything else.   Ivan's last days are spent in terrible physical agony, as he uncontrollably screams and moans in pain.   When Ivan's friends come to pay their respects to his widow, we see in her comments to them that she never reall... ...y view this as a Christian worldview, one that embraces the afterlife, I see it as a man looking forward to inevitable death because even if it came late he figured out a meaning to life.   In so doing he may not have had the opportunity to relive his life as no man does, but he found peace and fulfillment in his acceptance of his end.   Existentialism argues in the concept of the "eternal return" that an individual to be most fulfilled should live a life that, having to repeat it over identically for all eternity, would be a concept that would be embraced.   If Ivan had the chance to come back he would not enjoy living the same life over, but given another chance to build a new one he would surely construct one that is different.    WORKS   CITED   Tolstoy, L.   The Death of Ivan Ilyich.   Available: http://faculty.stcc.cc.tn.us/bmcclure/links2/ilyich.htm, 1886.

Home Depot’s Bumpy Road to Equality Essay

Internet/Case Study Assignment: 1. If Home Depot was correct in that it was not discriminating, but simply filling positions consistent with those who applied for them (and very few women were applying for customer service positions), given your reading of this chapter, was the firm guilty of discrimination? If so, under what theory? Yes, Home Depot was accountable of discrimination towards women due to their standards of hiring by reinforcing gender stereotyping; causing them to be guilty of disparate treatment. The disparate treatment in this case was due to women being treated differently in comparison to their male co-workers in regards to promotions, pay, and hiring. Female applicants who felt discriminated were mainly those who applied for jobs within Home Depots West Coast Division. They felt they were being overlooked during hiring and bypassed in connection with promotions, salary, and job assignments opportunities within the workplace. Home Depot, however, felt they did nothing wrong and stated the unfairness of what they were being accused of was due to most female job applicants having experience as cashiers, so they were placed in similar positions, such as, cashier positions, clerical duties, customer service, and so forth. In addition, their explanation for the high turnaround in percentage of male employees within the home repair, plumbing, carpentry departments, etc†¦ were due to male applicants expressing interest in those type of skilled employment. 2. How does this case illustrate the application of new technology to solving issues that have never been tied to technology? Can you think of other ways technology might be used to address diversity/EEO/affirmative action issues? Home Depot was able to tie technology by solving issues by introducing a Job Preference Program, which provides in-store computer kiosks that allow employees to check job opportunities within their workplace and the skill requirements for each position. This system helps employees upgrade their skills. In addition, Home Depot offers a web-based learning program which allows employees to increase their product knowledge and eligibility for new  positions. The Job Preference Program has helped the company eliminate discrimination and other barriers within the recruitment process. Since its roll-out in 1999, the program has reduced employee turnover and in a single year, female and minorities have attained management positions increased by 28 to 30 percent from earlier periods. This system has also shown to be a huge success among managers as they feel they are now able to prescreen adequately qualified applicants. Technology can also be used to address diversity/EEO/affirmative action issues by having a systematic process in place which can help with gathering, analyzing and documenting information about particular jobs, and personnel information including but not limiting to disciplinary actions as well as promotional considerations. For example, a systematic analysis can specify each workers job description entailing their salary base range, this way employees don’t feel underpaid but satisfactorily compensated amongst their peers performing their same duties. By having such technology in place a company can avoid fines, penalties and costly litigation of unhappy employees feeling discriminated and pursing legal actions. In addition, technology can address some diversity by providing employees with online trainings which will enable them to apply to new positions within the workplace and track their preparation and job skills; causing maximum strategic development. Furthermore, with the ease of technology, employers can have the capacity to monitor working conditions to ensure each job is being performed successfully and satisfactory. Technology can also help with affirmative action’s, by doing so, companies can develop tutorial guides which can help employees with a variety solutions to problems within their working environment. Tutorial guides can help improve workforce diversity, by assisting and addressing how one can handle issues among the workplace, for example, directing employees how to affectively respond to relationships between coworkers of other ethnicity, race, religion, etc.., and how to cope with personality conflicts; among others criteria’s within the workforce. Technology can also help with developing a systemic job analysis tool which can be resourceful to help with useful information for HRM practices. A systemic job analysis will provide useful plans for coordination, for example, determining job qualifications for recruitment purposes, developing training programs, developing performance appraisals rating forms, determining pay rate  factors, and performance standards for productivity improvement to name a few. All in all, technology can only get better with time by utilizing these tools within the workforce by complying with compliances and avoid lawsuits and penalties in the future.

Compare the ways the contrast between two fathers and their daughters are made interesting in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘An Inspector Calls’ Essay

‘Romeo and Juliet’ was written in the 16th century by William Shakespeare and ‘An Inspector Calls’ was written nearly 400 years later in the early 20th century by J.B. Priestley. In both of these plays the relationships of fathers, Lord Capulet and Arthur Birling and their daughters, Juliet and Shelia, are portrayed as being a typical father daughter relationship with seemingly very caring but slightly controlling fathers. In ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Lord Capulet seems to be very caring and considerate towards Juliet when speaking to Paris, a man that Lord Capulet would like Juliet to marry due to his status and financial position. This is shown when Capulet says â€Å"hopeful lady of my earth†, this infers Juliet means the world to him, it implies she is as precious to him as he created her and is very proud of her. It also shows that as she is his only child he wants nothing other than the best for her. We can also see that Capulet wants the best for his daughter when he is explaining to Paris how he wants him to â€Å"woo her† and to â€Å"get her heart†. This shows that Capulet wants Juliet to be in love with the man she is going to marry and wants to get married to him for her own emotional reasons and not just because her father wants her to. Many girls in the 16th century were forced into marriages they didn’t want to be in; many didn’t have a choice of whom they were going to marry but in Juliet’s case she did have some say which was a very rare occurrence. At the start of ‘An Inspector Calls’ we believe that Arthur Birling truly loves his daughter and he would do anything for her and support her in many ways. We can see this when he says â€Å"Sheila means a tremendous lot to me† over the engagement dinner with Gerald. It is portrayed that he truly has her best interests at heart and only wants the best for her. Although, as Birling later reveals that he wants Sheila to marry Gerald not only for her benefit but also for his, as Gerald’s father’s business (Crofts Limited) is Birling’s top rival and Birling knows that by his daughter marrying Gerald his business will thrive and exceed its current position. We can see this when Birling says â€Å"lower costs and higher prices† Birling is over joyed with Shelia’s choice as he can see the future business potential. So as we can see at the start of both of these plays both fathers only want the finest for their daughters and are trying to get them to marry into wealthy and well respected families. Change. The first time we see Juliet and Lord Capulet together is in Act 3, Scene 5, of the play when Juliet is about to tell her father that she doesn’t want to marry Paris. Lord Capulet walks in and witness’ Juliet crying, he thinks he is about to deliver good news which will stop her tears, but as he soon finds out she is crying because she doesn’t want to marry Paris. He is outraged. The audience can see this when Lord Capulet implies he will â€Å"drag thee on a hurdle thither† this shows that he is not going to take no for an answer and he is going to make Juliet marry Paris wither she likes it or not. He also refers to Juliet as a â€Å"curse† this proves that he is totally disgusted with Juliet that his own daughter is going against what he is telling her to do, and that all she is doing is bringing bad luck to the Capulet house hold, he is trying to make her feel so awful for not marrying Paris, in order to that she may change her mind. Even though Lord Capulet liked to give the impression that he was giving Juliet some choices in who she marries when he said to Paris â€Å"Within her scope of choice† we later find out that really Juliet had no choice and the decision was made for her. We thought that Lord Capulet was a kind and caring father but as we now can see he is not the person originally portrayed, when people do not do as he wants he turns into an strong willed man that will try to make them do it whether they like it or not . In ‘An Inspector calls’ Birling and Sheila’s relationship seems to be very childlike, this is shown when he says â€Å"Are you listening, Sheila?† and her reply is â€Å"I’m sorry, Daddy†. This shows that even though Sheila is growing up into a woman Birling is still talking to her like she is a child and is refusing to let her grow up. Birling is also very dismissive of Sheila; we witness this when he says â€Å"nothing to do with you, Shelia. Run along†, the way in which he speaks to her is quite belittling and we are made to believe that although she is his daughter, women are second class to men, he truly believes that she is not worthy of being spoken to with regard to the inspectors visit. Birling is a very single minded man who does not take kindly to opposition to his beliefs. This is seen when he says â€Å"we’ve had experience – and we know† this shows he is no longer prepared to discuss the topic any further, when discussing war with his son Eric. Birling has very similar expectations for his daughter as Lord Capulet has for Juliet, they both want their daughters to marry into good families however with a certain degree of control, we know this because Capulet says â€Å"within her scope of choice†, he is allowing her a certain degree of choice in whom she marries although it is clear that he would want to have the final say in who she married and therefore her choices are limited. Juliet clearly feels she is treated like a child too as she has no intention of marrying Paris as she is already in love with Romeo whom is a Montague. As the inspector questions each of the characters about a woman, Eva Smith (also known as Daisy Renton) who has apparently committed suicide. Each of characters have had some involvement with the young girl and may each of played a part into the her death. It is clear to see that Shelia’s personality goes from one of being immature and talked down to, to strong and mature, she accepts that she may have been partly responsible for the suicide of Eva. For the first time Birling is shown in his true light and Shelia she sees her father as being very opinionated and stubborn and refusing to accept any responsibility for his part in Eva’s death, as a rich employer to those in society who are not as wealthy, he has a duty of care. Birling also realises that his hopes and dreams may not become reality although he still refuses to accept any responsibility with regards to the death Eva, at the end of the play he cracks jokes about whole situation and about the way that possibly they have all been had over, although Shelia and Eric are remorseful, Birling mocks them when they are feeling so awful. When Capulet finds out his only daughter has taken her own life because she wanted to be with the man she loved, Romeo; not Paris, he seems to learn a lesson from his mistakes, this is shown in the quote â€Å"O brother Montague† (Romeo’s father) this conveys that now his actions have led to the death of a family members, Romeo also takes his own life and therefore there have been deaths on both sides which cause him to want to end rivalry between the Capulets and the Montagues. The word â€Å"brother† suggests that not only does he now want to take his rivals on as friends he sees them as almost family. This makes the audience feel sad for both families because for them, peace came at a very high price which both have paid but at the same time the audience would feel proud that both families have put their differences aside and came together to support each other. Ultimately the huge contrast between Lord Capulet and Birling is that although both men strive to be the successful men of their time and are trying to achieve the best for their daughters, Lord Capulet learns from his pushiness into trying to marry off his daughter to better the family name and Birling does not learn, even when someone has died and his daughter feels partly to blame he refuses acknowledge this or any part he himself may have had in the death of Eva Smith, or the feelings of his family. Juliet was a strong enough person to take matters into her own hands and hatch a plan to marry Romeo. Shelia shows that she is a more sensitive person by feeling guilt in her part of the death of Eva. The comparison of contrast between the two relationships became interesting and apparent when in each play someone died. Lord Capulet reflected on his actions and was able to offer an olive branch to his enemy in the hope that he could become a better person following the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Birling still continued to be the single minded and stubborn man he started off as by not learning or realising that his actions have had consequences for others and especially his own family.

Gucci Brief

GUCCI GROUP N. V. (A) [pic] BUSINESS BRIEF Gucci is one of the most glittering names in the luxury world. The trademark of red-and-green striped webbing & GG logo became known worldwide. Gucci have $3 billion in hand to expand their business. By keeping in view this case study I suggest that Gucci should move towards multi-branding. Because Desole was confident that Gucci’s creative team would be able to recreate its magic at YSL. And the future of Gucci really lies with multi-brand groups. Gucci faced the challenges from LVMH. LVMH considered adding Gucci to his stable of brands but balked at the asking price of $350 million. So, Gucci is not secure if Gucci not acquire the multi-brands than, any other company may acquire it. Gucci retained deep roots in Italy, and it was a remarkably international company, even before becoming a multi-brand group. Gucci’s core customer was a wealthy, somewhat conservative & older woman. These customers are fashion & style oriented customers. Style oriented customers are more brand loyal than fashion-concious customers. When Gucci start multi-branding these customers are ready to buy these products with the brand of GUCCI. Gucci acquired Sanofi Beaute, it split into two companies YSL ready-to-wear and accessories, & YSL Beaute which managed the fragrance & cosmetics brands. The Sanofi Beaute transactions transformed Gucci into a multi-brand group with $3 billion in cash. It shows that multi-branding is profitable for Gucci. Because when Gucci provide the shoes and cosmetics with their own brand after acquiring the already existing powerful brands of these products. Gucci’s customers are more willing to buy these products. The future of Gucci is secure with the multi-brand group. It increases the profitability and market share of Gucci.

Belonging in As You Like It Essay

The need to belong can cause us to develop comforting relationships, powerful social groups, productive workplace teams, and inspiring religious and national bonds. But it can also be responsible for hurtful and damaging behaviour when those who are unable or unwilling to adapt are forced to conform or are completely excluded. These two aspects of belonging are evident in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and Kevin Costner’s film Dances with Wolves and W. H. Auden’s satiric poem ‘The Unknown Citizen’. Shakespeare makes us aware of the contrasting qualities of the natural harmonious forest (where everyone seems contented and loving) and the corrupt, pompous court, controlled by the usurper Duke Frederick with his use of symbolic juxtaposition and allusion to. His fury over his daughter’s close relationship with Rosalind (the daughter of the displaced Duke Senior) reinforces their close bond. Celia describes the two of them with a harmonious image from the natural world: â€Å"coupled and inseparable.. like Juno’s swans†. Dramatically, Shakespeare emphasises their closeness by including their good-hearted banter, and having them adopt disguises before entering the forest. Their supportive relationship gives them strength, so that instead of feeling grief as a result of their expulsion from court, they focus on the positive. Celia’s comments help us to see court and forest as binary opposites when she declares â€Å"now go we in content to liberty and not to banishment. † Shakespeare shows us how belonging in a close relationships can bring strength, but how this exclusivity may also be seen as a threat by others. Another text which shows a surprising response to exile is Kevin Costner’s Academy award-winning film â€Å"Dances with Wolves†. In it the main character, John Dunbar voluntarily exiles himself, leaving both his own white American culture, and also the senseless Civil War that he had been fighting in, determined to see the west â€Å"before it has gone†. Even though he had been compelled by tradition, expectation and a sense of duty to serve loyally, he finds himself drawn to establish stronger links with the Dakota Sioux Indians, who were commonly viewed as â€Å"thieves and beggars†. Like Celia in As You Like It, he does not view his exile as banishment, but as an opportunity to escape a restrictive and corrupt society in order to gain a sense of freedom and find spiritually renewal. In addition to Dunbar’s first person narration, the film uses a number of mis-en-scene elements, such as costuming, dialogue and symbolic motifs to show the way John Dunbar is gradually accepted into the Sioux culture. Early in his exile, we see him dressed in full uniform, and hear him using military jargon as he describes â€Å"burying excess ordinance† and trying to â€Å"mount an adequate defence†. After his initial encounters with the Lakota Indians his new-found sense of belonging is evident as he begins to speak their language, and is greeted courteously. A change of identity is indicated by his altered appearance, as he becomes clean-shaven, begins wearing a red shirt and trades his army hat for a knife. The film shows a montage of incidents in which Dunbar adopts Sioux customs, such as eating raw buffalo heart. Dean Semler, the cinematograph-er, uses a red filter and passionate music to depict Dunbar’s sorrow when he is separated from his new friends. Finally, Dunbar’s assimilation into the Lakota culture is evident when he becomes able to speak fluently in Lakota, and falls in love with Stands With a Fist. â€Å"I’d never known who John Dunbar was. But as I heard my Sioux name (â€Å"Dances with Wolves†) called out again and again, I knew who I really was†. Costner’s film shows us that humans have a need for relationships, but that we can belong within many different relationships, groups and cultures. Just as Celia and Rosalind establish new relationships in exile and are not troubled by their exclusion from court, Dunbar is restored and fulfilled by his acceptance into a more meaningful and supportive Lakota culture. In contrast to Dunbar’s experiences of belonging, the character of Jaques in â€Å"As You Like It’ shows us that belonging can be impossible for people who are very independent and highly individual. Although he goes into exile willingly he does not accept Duke Senior’s analogy that adversity, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head†. For Jaques, unlike Dunbar, living in exile does not bring rewards and happiness. He insists that he loves to be miserable and to ‘suck melancholy from a song as a weasel sucks eggs†. Shakespeare’s use of such images from nature is very effective in suggesting that, unlike most people, Jaques does not find the experience of being in exile with others either comfortable or necessary. This is evident from his use of highly emotive words to express his dislike of the world around him and his wish to â€Å"Cleanse the foul body of the infected world†. Inevitably his critical, judgmental character makes him an outcast ridiculed for his tears for a wounded stag. Jaques’ depressive nature makes it difficult for him to view life positively as he reveals in his speech on the seven Ages of Man, which finishes with the tragically negative repetition of ‘sans’ (meaning ‘without’) to emphasise the desperate plight of the elderly â€Å"Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything†. When the opportunity arises to return to court, with Duke Senior reinstated, Jaques rejects the idea as he prefers to remain in the ‘abandoned cave’ rather than returning with the others to the trivial pomp of the court. His sense of moral superiority, his inflexibility and his preference for being sombre prevent him from valuing the notion of belonging. Whereas characters like Jaques and Dunbar have the option of choosing whether to belong or not, the ‘unknown citizen’ in W. H. Auden’s satiric poem has been forced to fit in to a tightly run capitalist bureaucracy. The poem takes the form of a eulogy written on the tombstone of this ‘perfect’ member of society, who is only known by his serial number, JS/07 M 378. Auden adopts a formal, prosaic tone to praise the man’s achievements: â€Å"when there was peace, he was for peace When there was war, he went. † The tone of congratulation is clear as the monument praises JS’s life and praises him for being quite ‘normal’. In appearing to praise this ‘saint’ Auden is actually mocking the way those around him in the 1930s blindly relinquished their individuality to the ‘Greater Community’ and he condemns the consumer society which exerts so much control over its citizens. Auden’s oem is laced with irony as the monument extols the virtues of JS who â€Å"had everything necessary to the Modern Man A phonograph, a radio, a car and a Frigidaire. † In this capitalistic conservative society, people are valued for conformist behaviour. The ultimate irony is conveyed in the patronising final lines: â€Å"Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we sh ould certainly have heard. † To belong in such a society, Auden suggests, requires people to abandon any search for freedom and happiness as these are, in the authorities’ view, insignificant and irrelevant. Whereas Shakespeare provides Jaques with the opportunity of maintaining his individuality by not belonging, Auden’s speculative vision of the world allows very little opportunity for those who choose not to belong. In contrast to the magical transformative qualities of the forest of Arden in which marriages and reunions abound, Auden’s sterile society depicts the negative behaviour of mindless conformity where individual names are lost, and people are only valued if they can conform to the government’s expectations. The need to belong can force us to adopt conformist behaviour, and can even force humans to live a life of deceit and pretence, as Jaques commented: ‘All the world’s a stage and we are merely players’. Belonging can, on the other hand, provide us with comfort, security, affection and self-worth. The need to belong is certainly both a gift and a curse.

Amazon.com

Amazon’s model is not suited for their perpetual growth in coming years. Amazon must consider investing some of its substantial cash reserves to diversify its portfolio of businesses to help protect them against the ever-changing technological and consumer patterns by creating new avenues for revenue growth. Amazon posted a small but unexpected loss in the second quarter of 2013, as it continues to spend heavily on fulfillment centers and digital content. Amazon.com lost $7 million, 2 cents a share, after earning $7 million, 2 cents a share, a year earlier. Amazon can roll out an online payments option that lets shoppers make purchases on websites by logging in with their regular Amazon accounts. Their very own service such as PayPal. By doing this they will benefit their company the most because in the past customers had to separately enter their account details for each purchase made at one of Amazons third-party retailers. Now, Amazon could enable companies to make millions of Amazon customers their customers by inviting online shoppers with Amazon credentials to access their account information safely and securely with a single login. This alternative will also enable Amazon to have a better control on their customer base. The only drawback of this alternative is that Amazon will encounter competition from services such as PayPal.