Game design Essay

Introduction, my game concept is based around football and cars hence the name soccer cars. My game is targeted for both core and casual gamers as the game might be addictive to both groups of gamers rather than one. The concept will introduce a new experience to the gaming world, the basic idea for the game is to battle with cars whilst racing and trying to get to the finish line before your competitors with possession of the football. The gamer will need to use their strategic skills and mind games to defeat their opponent and forcing them off the track to gain an advantage and create opportunities they can use to win the game. The game will have different levels ranging from beginner to world class. The game will feature stages the gamer can unlock by winning racing and collecting coins along the way. The game is designed to be played on console to give the gamer a better experience and have better visuals on the game which is an advantage and they can also go online tom play against rivals from different places. Genre, the genre of my game will be a combination of two genres, to give the gamer the best of both worlds which will be sport genre and racing genre. Features, soccer cars will feature different cars to choose from, from high performance cars such as the Lamborghini and the Bugatti and will include different footballs to choose from such as the official world cup ball. My game will be 3D to give the gamer the feel of being in the game, it will be single player with the option to also play multiplayer. There would be audio and visual feedback to guide the gamer of what to do and where to go in order to win the race. There will be leader boards to show scores and show who is leading the ranks and also my game will the gamer to play their own music if they wish to and talk to their opponent online using a headset. Platform, the platform for my game will be console as it will be easier to play on a console as the gamer will take total control over the whole game and according to my research that I did gamers are likely to purchase games on console. Intended audience, as this is a new game my target audience will be between casual and simulation so that hard-core gamers will find a way to really enjoy the game, but also want to make sure to welcome newcomers to the racing/sports genre. It’s a game in that you have people who love racing and others who love sports hence the target audience will also include both male and female. It will also be targeted at console owners as this is the main platform for the game. Language, the language for the game will be English by default but if the gamer decides to change the language they can simply change it in the setting s to the language they prefer. Sound consideration, Core game mechanics Single/multiplayer, this game will have both single and multiplayer, this is because it will give the user a chance to challenge others and showcase their skills. The player will only be able to control their car so as to make the game fair and have a fair race between users. In single player situations the player can play against the computer car or if they wish they can race against the clock to see if they will make it to the finish line in time and set new records. In cases of multiplayer players can play online or offline the choice is theirs to make. General movement, the movement of the cars in the game are limited and the user can accelerate, brake, change gears, turn left and right and also can jump as there will be obstacle during the race. The movement made will be up to which buttons the user presses on the controller of the console. right1430683JUMP 00JUMP Control summary, These are the controls that are going to be used for this game and if the user does not feel comfortable with these they can switch them to their personal preference in the controller section in settings. Initial set up, when starting the game for the first time a video introducing the gamer to the game will 1 / 3 play, this will information about the game itself, what to expect and so on. After the video finishes the player will have a trial run to familiarize themselves with the game and the controls. After the trial run the user will be taken to the main menu where all the fun begins and they can personalise their profile including their car they start with and the game begins. Territories (environment), the environment of this game will be real life racing, I have done this so as to excite the user of the game. All the racing tracks and cars included are real life tracks and objects to enhance the excitement of the game itself and also as many of the users might be real life racing fans and will know the track well as they might have visited the track beforehand and give them a head start to their opponents. Health, Challenges, this game consists of many challenges which have to be completed by the user to win the race, these are, collecting coins along the way, finding the hidden coins for double points and lastly getting the ball to the finish line to win the race. Because there is also trial time race the user will have to race to the finish line within the time given or they will not complete the task. The user will also need an eye for details that would be shown on their screen as they might need to change gear, look at the map to see where things are or to see how far or behind they are from their opponent. The challenges will vary depending on what level the user is playing as they will be easier on beginner but will get harder as the levels go up all the way to world class. Scoring system, the scoring system will work when the user collects coins and every coin is worth X10 and when the player collects the double coins they will get twice as much but the bonus scoreis gi ven to the race winner, the runner up and third place position only and it will be classed as cash, the money will be given as followed. Position Points 1st 5000 2nd 2500 3rd 1500 Stage progression, depending on the type of race the player wants to play they can choose from career mode or just race if the player picks the career mode they will have to go through 5 levels which are: Beginner Amateur Semi-pro Professional World class After the player has completed all the levels and collected all the coins and unlocked all the tracks and cars they would have completed the career mode but can always play online against new competitor’s every time. 3042920124396500-313671127979000Covert adverts, just like in real life racing companies can advertise their businesses on the cars as shown below and also there will be billboards on which companies can also advertise themselves. This will be benefiting both ends the company and me. More adverts will be seen when the game is loading and these will more likely to be big companies such as Monster advertising their energy drinks. Covert advertisement will be seen during the whole race as the whole track will have logos of different companies with their posters and messages on them. 35476121330700Failure states trigger, my game will include failure states trigger. For certain races during the career mode if you fail to adhere with the task you will have to restart the race or if you wish to if you have passed any check points you can start from there although this will cost you coins to do. This mode does not work when playing â€Å"just race† mode it only works on career mode. left19973700. Win/lose screen statistics, win/lose statistics will be shown at the end of every race in visual 2 / 3 feedback the reason for this being that if the player wants to see all the information they will have all the time they need to do so. The information will be presented with the player’s name, how many coins they collected, penalties, total and will be in order from first to last with how much they have earned from the race. An example is shown on the left side. Flowchart Narrative/storyline Characters Main character, in this game the main character will be the player himself, they will be able to control their car and everything else surrounding them including car settings, audio settings and gameplay settings. The main character car will be a black ford mustang with monster covert advertisement, the car will include special features that the player can access by using their coins to purchase them. The character car will be the 3rd fastest car in the game after the Lamborghini and the Bugatti. In order to keep the car in top shape the player will have to service then car on a regular basis as if the car is not serviced it will not go as quick. The car will also have its own football and this will come as a package and if the player wishes to they can customise the car to their personal preference. This character car is based on the research I carried out on the best muscle cars for racing on track and will be the car to win the races. NPC, the NPC which is non-player character will be a ghost car also known as the computer player. This car will be racing the player and the player’s objectives will be to beat the NPC to the finish line only on single player and on some other races in career mode. If the player fails to do so they will have to restart the race till they beat they car to the finish line with the ball in possession and the NPC will also be able to disposes the player of the ball. Other objects, just like any other game there will be many different types of other objects and these may include, nitro on the track, tyres and spare parts for the cars and different footballs for the race. Other objects will be found all over the race and during the race as most of these will be random objects to make life harder for the player. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Decision Support System and Harvard Cooperative Society

Chapter 2: Information Systems and Knowledge Management From his office window overlooking the main floor of the Harvard Cooperative Society, CEO Jerry Murphy can glance down and see custom- ers shopping. 19 They make their way through the narrow aisles of the crowded department store, picking up a sweatshirt here, trying on a baseball cap there, checking out the endless array of merchandise that bears the Harvard University insignia. Watching Murphy, you can well imagine the Co-op’s found- rs, who started the store in 1882, peering through the tiny win- dowpanes to keep an eye on the shop floor. Was the Harvard Square store attracting steady traffic? Were the college students buying enough books and supplies for the Co-op to make a profit? Back then, it was tough to answer those questions precisely. The owners had to watch and wait, relying only on their gut feelings to know how things were going from minute to minute. Now, more than a hundred years later, Murphy can tell you , own to the last stock-keeping unit, how he’s doing at any given moment. His window on the business is the PC that sits on his desk. All day long it delivers up-to-the-minute, easy-to-read elec- tronic reports on what’s selling and what’s not, which items are running low in inventory and which have fallen short of forecast. In a matter of seconds, the computer can report gross margins for any product or supplier, and Murphy can decide whether the margins are fat enough to justify keeping the supplier or product on board. We were in the 1800s, and we had to move ahead,† he says of the $55 million business. Questions 1. What is a decision support system? What advantages does a decision support system have for a business like the Harvard Cooperative Society? 2. How would the decision support system of a business like the Harvard Cooperative Society differ from that of a major corporation? 3. Briefly outline the components of the Harvard Cooperative Societyâ €™s decision support system. Decision Support System and Harvard Cooperative Society Chapter 2: Information Systems and Knowledge Management From his office window overlooking the main floor of the Harvard Cooperative Society, CEO Jerry Murphy can glance down and see custom- ers shopping. 19 They make their way through the narrow aisles of the crowded department store, picking up a sweatshirt here, trying on a baseball cap there, checking out the endless array of merchandise that bears the Harvard University insignia. Watching Murphy, you can well imagine the Co-op’s found- rs, who started the store in 1882, peering through the tiny win- dowpanes to keep an eye on the shop floor. Was the Harvard Square store attracting steady traffic? Were the college students buying enough books and supplies for the Co-op to make a profit? Back then, it was tough to answer those questions precisely. The owners had to watch and wait, relying only on their gut feelings to know how things were going from minute to minute. Now, more than a hundred years later, Murphy can tell you , own to the last stock-keeping unit, how he’s doing at any given moment. His window on the business is the PC that sits on his desk. All day long it delivers up-to-the-minute, easy-to-read elec- tronic reports on what’s selling and what’s not, which items are running low in inventory and which have fallen short of forecast. In a matter of seconds, the computer can report gross margins for any product or supplier, and Murphy can decide whether the margins are fat enough to justify keeping the supplier or product on board. We were in the 1800s, and we had to move ahead,† he says of the $55 million business. Questions 1. What is a decision support system? What advantages does a decision support system have for a business like the Harvard Cooperative Society? 2. How would the decision support system of a business like the Harvard Cooperative Society differ from that of a major corporation? 3. Briefly outline the components of the Harvard Cooperative Societyâ €™s decision support system.

Beloved on Slavery

This is true because most of the major events in the story relate to some type of slavery. The slavery that drives the novel does not have to be strictly physical slavery. Morrison†s characters are slaves physically and mentally. Although they are former slaves, they are forever trapped by horrible memories. The type of slavery the novel initially depicts does not correspond to what really happened to slaves in the 1800s. At Sweet Home, Mr. and Mrs. Garner treated their slaves like real people. Mr. Garner is proud of his slaves and treats them like men, not animals. . . . they were Sweet Home men — the ones Mr. Garner bragged about while other farmers shook their heads in warning at the phrase. [He said,] â€Å". . . my niggers is men every one of em. Bought em thataway, raised em thataway. Men every one. â€Å"1 The things that occurred at Sweet Home while Mr. Garner is alive are rather conservative compared to what slaves actually suffered during this time period. Under the management of schoolteacher, things change dramatically. He turns Sweet Home into a real slave plantation. He treats and refers to the slaves as animals. He is responsible for the horrible memories embedded in Sethe and Paul D. Sethe feels the impact of slavery to its fullest extent. Slavery pushes her to kill her baby daughter. She feels that is the only way to protect her beloved daughter from the pain and suffering she would endure if she became a slave. The minute she sees schoolteachers hat, Sethe†s first instinct is to protect her children. Knowing that slave catchers will do anything to bring back fugitive slaves and that dead slaves are not worth anything, Sethe took matters into her own hands. On page 164 Sethe says, â€Å"I stopped him. I took and put my babies where they†d be safe. † Paul D asks, â€Å"How? Your boys gone you don†t know where. One girl dead, the other won†t leave the yard. How did it work? â€Å"They ain†t at Sweet Home. Schoolteacher ain†t got em,† replies Sethe. This one incident does not only affect Sethe, but it changes things for Beloved and Denver as well. Beloved loses her life to slavery. Her own mother sacrifices her existence in order to keep her out of slavery. As for Denver, she is indirectly affected by the horrors of slavery. She has to put up with living in a haunted house because her mother refuses to run away again. On page 15 Sethe says, â€Å"I got a tree on my back and a haint in my house, and nothing in between but the daughter I am holding in my arms. No more running — from nothing. I will never run from another thing on this earth. † Sethe becomes a slave again when she realizes who Beloved really is. She feels indebted to Beloved for taking her life. In an effort to gain forgiveness, Sethe decides to focus all her energy on pleasing Beloved. When once or twice Sethe tried to assert herself — be the unquestioned mother whose word was law and who knew what was best — Beloved slammed things, wiped the table clean of plates, threw salt on the floor, broke a windowpane. †¦ Nobody said, You raise your hand to me and I will knock you into the middle of next week. †¦ No, no. They mended the plates, swept the salt, and little by little it dawned on Denver that if Sethe didn†t wake up one morning and pick up a knife, Beloved might. 2 Then there†s Paul D, who replaces his â€Å"red heart† with a tin tobacco box. He refuses to love anything strongly and establish long term relationships because he is still hurting from losing his brothers and friends to schoolteacher. Schoolteacher also takes his pride and manhood away by forcing him to wear a bit. Paul D compares himself to a chicken. On page 72 he says, â€Å"But wasn†t no way I†d ever be Paul D again, living or dead. Schoolteacherchanged me. I was something else and that something else was less than a chicken sitting in the sun on a tub. † As a member of the chain gang he suffers another type of slavery because he is both a prisoner and a sexual servant. Even after he escapes and is a free man, Paul D is still a slave. He is a slave to his memory. Having been through so many horrible events, he has trouble finding happiness again. In her novel, Morrison uses the phrase, â€Å"Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another. † This applies to each and every one of her characters. Sethe will always be haunted by the memory of killing her own flesh and blood. It will be a long time until Paul D is ready to turn his tin box back into a red heart. While Denver finally ventures out of 124, she is not going to forget being shunned by the community and being held captive by her own house. As for Beloved, she is her own slave. Her constant dependency on Sethe makes her weak. Beloved needs to free herself from Sethe. Though it is hard, she needs to accept what has happened and move on. Beloved is about a group of people and how they deal with life†s hardships. Many issues in the story deal with control. There is a constant struggle for power throughout the novel. Each character fights to free him/herself from something or someone. The major theme in the story is freedom and how to acquire it. The critics are correct in saying that the novel is primarily about slavery, but they should mention that slavery means more than just being an indentured servant. Beloved on Slavery This is true because most of the major events in the story relate to some type of slavery. The slavery that drives the novel does not have to be strictly physical slavery. Morrison†s characters are slaves physically and mentally. Although they are former slaves, they are forever trapped by horrible memories. The type of slavery the novel initially depicts does not correspond to what really happened to slaves in the 1800s. At Sweet Home, Mr. and Mrs. Garner treated their slaves like real people. Mr. Garner is proud of his slaves and treats them like men, not animals. . . . they were Sweet Home men — the ones Mr. Garner bragged about while other farmers shook their heads in warning at the phrase. [He said,] â€Å". . . my niggers is men every one of em. Bought em thataway, raised em thataway. Men every one. â€Å"1 The things that occurred at Sweet Home while Mr. Garner is alive are rather conservative compared to what slaves actually suffered during this time period. Under the management of schoolteacher, things change dramatically. He turns Sweet Home into a real slave plantation. He treats and refers to the slaves as animals. He is responsible for the horrible memories embedded in Sethe and Paul D. Sethe feels the impact of slavery to its fullest extent. Slavery pushes her to kill her baby daughter. She feels that is the only way to protect her beloved daughter from the pain and suffering she would endure if she became a slave. The minute she sees schoolteachers hat, Sethe†s first instinct is to protect her children. Knowing that slave catchers will do anything to bring back fugitive slaves and that dead slaves are not worth anything, Sethe took matters into her own hands. On page 164 Sethe says, â€Å"I stopped him. I took and put my babies where they†d be safe. † Paul D asks, â€Å"How? Your boys gone you don†t know where. One girl dead, the other won†t leave the yard. How did it work? â€Å"They ain†t at Sweet Home. Schoolteacher ain†t got em,† replies Sethe. This one incident does not only affect Sethe, but it changes things for Beloved and Denver as well. Beloved loses her life to slavery. Her own mother sacrifices her existence in order to keep her out of slavery. As for Denver, she is indirectly affected by the horrors of slavery. She has to put up with living in a haunted house because her mother refuses to run away again. On page 15 Sethe says, â€Å"I got a tree on my back and a haint in my house, and nothing in between but the daughter I am holding in my arms. No more running — from nothing. I will never run from another thing on this earth. † Sethe becomes a slave again when she realizes who Beloved really is. She feels indebted to Beloved for taking her life. In an effort to gain forgiveness, Sethe decides to focus all her energy on pleasing Beloved. When once or twice Sethe tried to assert herself — be the unquestioned mother whose word was law and who knew what was best — Beloved slammed things, wiped the table clean of plates, threw salt on the floor, broke a windowpane. †¦ Nobody said, You raise your hand to me and I will knock you into the middle of next week. †¦ No, no. They mended the plates, swept the salt, and little by little it dawned on Denver that if Sethe didn†t wake up one morning and pick up a knife, Beloved might. 2 Then there†s Paul D, who replaces his â€Å"red heart† with a tin tobacco box. He refuses to love anything strongly and establish long term relationships because he is still hurting from losing his brothers and friends to schoolteacher. Schoolteacher also takes his pride and manhood away by forcing him to wear a bit. Paul D compares himself to a chicken. On page 72 he says, â€Å"But wasn†t no way I†d ever be Paul D again, living or dead. Schoolteacherchanged me. I was something else and that something else was less than a chicken sitting in the sun on a tub. † As a member of the chain gang he suffers another type of slavery because he is both a prisoner and a sexual servant. Even after he escapes and is a free man, Paul D is still a slave. He is a slave to his memory. Having been through so many horrible events, he has trouble finding happiness again. In her novel, Morrison uses the phrase, â€Å"Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another. † This applies to each and every one of her characters. Sethe will always be haunted by the memory of killing her own flesh and blood. It will be a long time until Paul D is ready to turn his tin box back into a red heart. While Denver finally ventures out of 124, she is not going to forget being shunned by the community and being held captive by her own house. As for Beloved, she is her own slave. Her constant dependency on Sethe makes her weak. Beloved needs to free herself from Sethe. Though it is hard, she needs to accept what has happened and move on. Beloved is about a group of people and how they deal with life†s hardships. Many issues in the story deal with control. There is a constant struggle for power throughout the novel. Each character fights to free him/herself from something or someone. The major theme in the story is freedom and how to acquire it. The critics are correct in saying that the novel is primarily about slavery, but they should mention that slavery means more than just being an indentured servant.

There are two essays in the information part Coursework

There are two essays in the information part - Coursework Example In management practices culture, communication and team work often form the cog of management, and the correct and positive interpretation and illustration of these translate into effective management. One could state factually that management is a vital human activity, and the fact that people through groups has pushed the increasing need for management. The major focus of this paper is to provide a critical discussion of the assumptions in management theories and models, and their implications in management practice. There are a number of reports showing certain managers who have achieved success in management without being privy to theoretical management knowledge, while on the other hand there are who have been to the highest class in management and even proposed theories in management, yet success in management practice eludes them. This is the paradox of the management theory and practice, underpinned by assumptions. In order to build a discussion on the thesis mentioned above the paper will proceed with an exploration of the assumptions that underpins management practice, but first it is important to understand the meaning of management, in a bid to build clarity in understanding. Management is described as both an art and a science that is used in achieving goals through people, and it is a function that makes sure that people perform roles that have been assigned to them. Hence, managers must ensure productivity and continuous improvement in production or service delivery (Brocklehurst, Grey and Sturdy, 2010). Considered on a wider scale management could be aptly defined as the process of developing and sustaining the environment where people, work in groups, effectively surmount provided aims. In this considered definition, management could draw a variety of meanings. First, managers are individuals who carry on managerial roles of planning, organising, staffing, leading and controlling an

My personality type Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My personality type - Essay Example My ESFP score will mean that as a leader, I will have the knack for persuading, motivating, and mobilizing members of the group he is because I enjoy spending time with others, understand other people, have good interpersonal skills, can understand the emotions of others, and respond to these emotions in a productive manner. My score in the ambiguity test means that, as a leader, it will be important not to deal with ambiguity by creating my own certainty. In addition, there is a risk that I could be dictatorial and averse to risk. With regards to my personality type B result, as a leader, I would be supportive, although it would also mean I would be the center of attention and, therefore, have centralized leadership. However, I would also be very persuasive because of my competitiveness. As an employee needing management, I would prefer to be allowed to experiment with new ideas, take part in brainstorming sessions because I can move from one idea to the next quickly, and be indepen dent and free, rather than secure and safe. In addition, I would not like to be entrusted with strictly defined and repetitive tasks. As a Type B personality, I would prefer to work directly with the managers to collaborate and not to be supervised. I addition, I would prefer not to be in an isolated job and work with others, as well as added responsibilities and increased interactions. However, my moderately low tolerance for ambiguity would require management to ensure that there was less certainty concerning expectations.

Writing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Writing - Research Paper Example The writers can create their accounts on the website and take classes according to their writing requirements. I like the website as a whole because of its chances that it provides to new writers. I recommend it to all the learners of writing, as it is very constructive. Writing.com is a supportive site for writers all over the world. The website works as a community of writers and readers where people can upload their writing content and collect comments from readers. Like FanStory.com, Writing.com also offers writing contests to its participants. The website offers its contributors various writing tools with the help of which, writers can create some writing piece with standard skills. The content that is published on Writing.com can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networking websites. As it is a supportive writing websites for new and old writers, I like this site. I recommend it for its writing tools that can be accessed and used by writers to polish their writing skills. Writersdigest.com is an encouraging website for writers. The writers are required to submit their written content and get it published. To make writing skills better, the writers are allowed to join online workshops for writing. This website is worthy of praise as writers are facilitated with many benefits such as online workshops, competitions, writing tips and so on. This website is recommendable because it smoothes the progress of writers towards being a skilled and accomplished writer. The website is a guide to grammar and writing. It facilitates its readers and viewers to get grammatical and writing support. The viewers can get help related to the full English language and grammar. The website also provides help for writing student papers such as research papers, essays, reviews, etc. as it gives guidelines as to how papers can be arranged and organized. I like this

Building Hisense brand equity through selected marketing programmes- A Thesis

Building Hisense brand equity through selected marketing programmes- A study on the relationship among brand equity, marketing mix elements and consumer respons - Thesis Example er to test the defined structural research framework and research hypotheses empirical research was conducted on the sample of Hisense consumers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and the multiple regression statistical method with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 11.0) are used to analyze the data. The concept of brand equity has received significant attention from both scientists and marketing practice, which resulted in a large number of articles and books on the subject (e.g. Aaker, 1991 and 1996; Aaker and Keller, 1990; Farquhar1990; Aaker and Biel, 1993; Keller, 1993; Agarwal and Rao, 1996; Yoo et al., 2000; Morgan, 2000; Rio, et al., 2001; Datta, 2003, Moore et al., 2002; Keller, 2003). The importance of brand equity consists of numerous benefits for companies that own brands. One of the benefits provided by high brand equity is the possibility of brand extension to other product categories. Generally, brand extension is defined as the use of an existing brand name for entry into a new product category (Aaker and Keller, 1990). When compared to new brand names, brand extensions have lower advertising costs and higher sales (Smith and Park, 1992). Successful brand extensions contribute to higher brand equity of the original brand (Dacin and Smith, 1994; Keller and Aaker, 1992); However, unsuccessful extensions may reduce the brand equity of the parent brand (Aaker, 1993; Loken and John, 1993). Aaker and Keller (1990) developed a model for consumer evaluation of brand extensions and a number of authors worked on generalization of this model (Barrett et al., 1999; Bottomley and Doyle, 1996; Sunde and Brodie, 1993). In addition, brand equity increases (1) willingness of consumers to pay premium prices, (2) possibility of brand licensing, (3) efficiency of marketing communication, (4) willingness of stores to collaborate and provide support, (5) elasticity of consumers to price reductions, and (6) inelasticity

Persistent Online Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Persistent Online Games - Essay Example Online gaming can involve both technological and social risks, which may cause harm to the subscribers by expending cost as well as time. Various online gaming hazards are related to the computer users, but the users are not aware about the harms caused to the computer. Online gaming raises technological risks such as ‘malicious software’, ‘viruses and worms’, ‘insecure game coding’ and ‘insecure games servers’ among others. In addition, online gaming raises social issues that include ‘identity theft’, ‘virtual mugging’ ‘cyber prostitution’, ‘social engineering’ and ‘virtual sweatshop’ among others (Hayes, 2008). The designers should give some support to the people by the help of general security practices and by gaming specific security practices. The moral responsibility of designers is to ensure the security in terms of privacy and traffic safety. Additionally, the designers are required to ascertain that online gaming violence is not involved in the games. However, the social risks as witnessed by users depend on individual grounds, as playing online games is based on their perceptions and actions (Hayes, 2008; Sicart, 2005). From the above discussion, it can be comprehended that online gaming is popular amid youths. Online gaming is also identified to cause certain harm to the subscribers in relation to technological and social risks. It has been recognized that subscribers have certain moral responsibilities in terms of maintaining privacy and minimizing violence. On social grounds, the users are accountable for their individual responsibility considering health and social

Treating Abused Adolescents by Eliana Gil Essay

Treating Abused Adolescents by Eliana Gil - Essay Example Gil begins the book by outlining the case of Jennifer, who was subject to sexual abuse from the age of 2. Having run away from home and several foster homes, she turned to prostitution and panhandling and becomes pregnant by the age of 13. Jennifer was a seemingly hopeless case as she had suffered too long and too deeply. Yet she dug deep within and found the courage to cope with her problems effectively. On this inspiring note, Gil proceeds to give an overview of the book. She describes the term â€Å"adolescence† and gives us a history of its roots, explaining how social and political movements and changes have influenced our perception and understanding of these individuals. Adolescence is a crucial developmental period in the life of the individual and traumatic events that disrupt normal development may have lifelong implications for the victim. This is therefore a serious issue and one that has been largely ignored because of existing misconceptions about adolescents who are in a delicate transitional phase, where they are neither children nor adults.

Behavior problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Behavior problems - Essay Example These graduate students were all part of the same master’s degree program and worked with parents of special needs children on a daily basis. The setting of the experiment was in a conference room in the university campus that was ideal for conducting the training workshops. The materials consisted of guide for paper training as well as several examples in form of pictures and videos. These questionnaires were filled by the subjects before as well as after the workshop so that data could be collected for further evaluation. Furthermore the measures for the study comprised of analyzing verbal, non verbal and written verbal behaviors. What were the results of the research? The results of the research indicate that all the participants of the study displayed the use of more support strategies above pre training levels when it came to role playing as well as written assessments. This was a result of mainly a concise3 hour training regarding communication skills.

Capitalism Essay Example for Free

Capitalism Essay A society is capitalist if most production is carried on by employees working with means of production (equipment and materials) belonging to their employer, producing commodities which belong to the employer. (Employees: those whose services are treated as commodities. Labour is a commodity like any other, an article of trade Edmund Burke, Thoughts on Scarcity, 1795. Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for a private profit; decisions regarding supply, demand, price, distribution, and investments are made by private actors in the free market; profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses, and wages are paid to workers employed by businesses and companies. This is what we mean by the system of Capitalism. Thinking about Capitalism, one directly is taken to the period of Marx and Engels where a distinction between Capitalist and Labour class was firstly and soundly made. Until then a capitalist continued to dominate the class hierarchy. Simple words suggest that a capitalist is a person in whose hands the entire power to production and the decision regarding the consumption vests. For ages capitalist class ruled the large part of the society. Even today, in several fields capitalists dominate other classes. Capitalism, as a deliberate economic system, developed incrementally from the 16th century in Europe, although proto-capitalist organizations existed in the ancient world, and early aspects of merchant capitalism flourished during the Late Middle Ages. Capitalism became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. Capitalism gradually spread throughout Europe, and in the 19th and 20th centuries, it provided the main means of industrialization throughout much of the world. Today the capitalist system is the worlds most dominant form of economic model. The term capitalist refers to an owner of capital rather than an economic system, but shows earlier recorded use than the term capitalism, dating back to the mid-seventeenth century. The Hollandische Mercurius uses it in 1633 and 1654 to refer to owners of capital. In French, Etienne Clavier referred to capitalistes in 1788, six years before its first recorded English usage by Arthur Young in his work Travels in France (1792). David Ricardo, in his Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1817), referred to the capitalist many times. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the great scholars of 18th century have continuously used the term ‘Bourgeois’ while talking about capitalist class. They raised points concerning the exploitation of Proletariats by the Bourgeois and asked the proletariats to fight for their rights. The Communist manifesto given by these scholars shows the distinction they have made between the two classes and the domination of powerful capitalist class in the society. Marx on Capitalism; How explain the possibility of Capitalism? Capital is money used to make money by buying commodities which are then to be sold to get an increased amount of money. How can money be used in this way? One answer is: by buying cheap and selling dear as prices fluctuate. This may explain how this or that individual makes money for a while, but since every gain made this way is someone elses loss, if those who gain that way now have an even chance of losing later, then it cannot explain the existence of a definite class of people who regularly make money. The explanation for the existence of such a class (capitalists) is that a limited set of people are in a position to buy a commodity which regularly yields an increase when they sell. This commodity is the service of the worker, which may produce commodities which exceed that service in exchange value (and only when when it does will the workers services be bought). The service of a worker is a commodity which has the special use of producing other commodities, which may have more exchange value than it has itself. There are other commodities (e. g. machines) which produce commodities, but (on the labour theory of value, which makes human labour the sole source of value) the exchange value contributed by a machine is simply a fraction of the cost in labour terms of making and working the machine. If over its whole working life it costs $3,000 and produces 3000 items, then it adds $1 to the value of each item. But the amount of labour a worker puts into what he produces over a lifetime may exceed the amount of labour needed to produce and maintain that worker. If some employer buys the workers services at their value i. e. for the equivalent of the labour needed to produce the worker then, since the workers product belongs to the employer, there will be an excess or surplus value, additional to the value of the wage, that the employer appropriates. Marx does not think that in the real world full value is always paid. But he conducts his argument on the hypothesis that full value is paid, for several reasons. First, he wants to make it clear that his analysis of capitalism does not rest on the assumptions that capitalists defraud the worker. Even if there were no cheating, capitalism could still exist. Second, he wants to show that even an idealized capitalism would be doomed to destruction (the argumentative strategy of proving the point for the hardest case: a fortiori it holds for other cases). Third, he wants to make it clear that it is in production itself, and not merely in the distribution of the product, that the capitalists profits originate; it is not accidental that most (though not all) capitals are used to finance production (not, e. g. , for buying non-human commodities and selling them unmodified). To argue that capitalism is a system of inequality and class conflict, Marx takes as his point of departure the idea that the dominant class, the bourgeoisie, controls capital, property, the means of production, and hence by extension all those (far more numerous than the bourgeoisie) who make up the laboring class (i. . , labor). Indeed, Marx sees an equivalence between capital, property, and the means of production, which are all concentrated in the bourgeoisie. More than this, Marx analyzes bourgeois power as aligned with fundamental forms of social organization and oppression: Hitherto, every form of society has been based . . . on the antagonism of oppressing and oppressed classes. . . . Society can no longer live under this bourgeoisie . . . its existence is no longer compatible with society (Marx, 2002, p. 209). Just as Marx links class power to political power, he links political power to industrial-economic power over the laboring classes. The bourgeoisies ability to control industry and economy had as its consequence bourgeois control of the political system. This dominance, according to Marxs logic, implies oppression of the majority of persons in society because capital will always seek to maximize its benefit. Marxs solution: revolution and dictatorship of labor, which Marx terms the proletariat. He does not deal with the result of such a dictatorship and seems to simply assume that the proletariat will exercise its own power in a just way. Capitalism and India; my viewpoint! (Socio-Economic) I am totally tuned in to the incentives, rewards, labour and profit motives of capitalism. It is not perfect. But it is historically absurd to deny that price and profit signals under capitalism have done a far better job of allocating scarce resources and sustaining long periods of economic growth than any other alternative. Communism proved itself to be a disaster wherever and in whatever name practiced. Remember the USSR? East Germany? Bulgaria? Romania? Albania? And the devastation of Cuba under Fidel Castro that his ageing brother Raul cannot fix? Socialism, too, has had its innings in the west as well as in the east, and failed. State-sponsored capitalism — once the hot East-Asian model — saw too much of the state, and relatively less of private capital, resulting in overarching ambitions, needlessly grandiose projects and poor long-term returns. Go to Dubai and see for yourself. And the mixed economy with the state occupying the ‘commanding heights’ meant one thing: too much of command with little or no height worth the name. So, if you were to closely observe the dirty, disordered canvas of economic progress during the 20th and 21st century, you should conclude that, for all its warts, capitalism has been the winner. It has sometimes caused pain; suffered from serious cycles; and often needed the clout of the state — such as we have seen from September 2008. It has also been quite resistant to sensible regulation. Even so, the basic institutions of capitalism have worked, not just in the US and the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and development) nations, but also many developing countries, of which India is one. And worked better than alternative mechanisms. That brings me to India. As we move on to the second decade of the 21st century, here’s my core hypothesis: India is geared to have significantly more of capitalism than what we have had up to now. And the more the better. Let us begin with agriculture. Nowhere is there a more intensely capitalistic venture than farmers choosing the crops that they sow, water, weed, harvest and sell. Since the late 1960s, economists have run thousands of regressions called supply response functions, which quantitatively determine what best explains crop acreage and output over long periods. What are the results? From the turn of the 20th century right up to now, crops were planted according to expected prices and/or profits — surrogated by the price signals of the previous few years. Of course, other variables mattered such as rainfall, irrigation and fertiliser use. But the driving force was profits. Capitalism, therefore, defines 17 per cent of India’s GDP, namely agriculture. Now to services, which accounts for 55 per cent of GDP. If you deduct the share of government services, there is still some 40 per cent of GDP, much of it in the private sector. This is huge. And many of the activities are driven largely by profits. Whether it be mobile telephony, retail trade, restaurants, real estate, storage, hotels, road transport or finance, each service — big, medium, small or holes in the wall — rises, shrinks, falls, re-grows or disappears according to supply, demand, costs and pricing. Even earlier anti-market behemoths such as public sector banks and insurance companies have become more attuned to prices and profits than anyone could have imagined in the mid-1990s. Thus, 57 per cent of India’s GDP is tuned to capitalism. What about industry, which accounts for 28 per cent of GDP? Some two-thirds of it is purely private. That is another 18 per cent approximately. Moreover, most public sector undertakings are more price-and-profit oriented than ever before. So, hello capitalism! It accounts for at least three-quarters of our GDP. It may be higher still. But 75 per cent will do for now. Contrary to what the CPI, CPI(M) and some ‘don’t confuse me with facts’ professors tell you, India is awash with capitalism. Like China, you turn any corner, and you will meet someone who wants to start some business or the other: a photocopying shop, an STD booth, a local agency for Dabur, Godrej or Hindustan Unilever, automobile spare parts — the list is endless. The state must allow these millions of capitalists to thrive. By creating essential infrastructure such as roads and power; by fostering basic facilities for education and training; by encouraging entrepreneurship through clean governance; and by creating level playing fields. These are tough tasks, but if the state succeeds in some fair measure, you can be sure that India’s millions of capitalists will make 9 per cent GDP growth look silly. We have it in us. In spades. Conclusion Over the centuries, capitalism and capitalist class has changed with time. It is worth adding that the impact of Capitalism on Society, economy, polity is huge. This has made it a multi-disciplinary subject of discussion. Domination of other classes of a society by a particular section of the society can never be justified and hence capitalism has been largely criticized by various scholars all over the world. The work of Marx on Capitalism is praiseworthy and is still followed today when issues regarding capitalism arise.

Impact of Hydrological Cycle on Earths Surface Processes

Impact of Hydrological Cycle on Earths Surface Processes The impact of a changing hydrological cycle on  Earth’s surface processes Introduction The hydrological cycle is the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration.(Website 1) Throughout this essay I will emphasise the importance of this cycle together with the factors that affect the water quality correlated with the climate change and the direct impact upon three Earth geological surfaces. The importance of the Hydrological Cycle Figure 1 : the hydrological cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, surface runoff, infiltration and transpiration and the transitions of water between the solid, liquid and gas phases) (website 2) This process is extremely important for the biosphere, as it sustains all the life on Earth. Although water is continuously recycled, recent studies confirm that direct or indirect human activities (fossil fuels burning, factory pollution, etc.) have a huge impact upon the environment and continuous pollution may cause serious changes on the hydrological cycle, affecting both water quality and the processes that take place on Earth’s surface. Factors that influence the water quality Rapid growth of population and heavy industrialisation coupled with a weak effort to find a more suitable way of waste disposal are the main factors that induce water pollution.( Hennigan, 1969) Figure 2: various sources of water pollution (website 3) Chemical pollution The chemical industry is one of the most important threats to water contamination. For example the most dangerous wastes that come from the fertilizer manufacturing plants are nitrogen and phosphorous and their varying chemical forms. Nitrates can increase eutrophication, leading to the promotion of algae and macrophytes growth affecting thus the water quality. As for humans, the health hazards related to nitrates present in water are considered to be infant methemoglobinemia and cancer appearance. Phosphates can affect the growth rate of aquatic plants that may fix atmospheric nitrogen. Under these circumstances, phosphate becomes the growth-limiting agent, and programmes to control eutrophication have generally sought to reduce available phosphate limits, to prevent excessive algal and macrophyte growth, with subsequent increase in nutrient retention. ( Bahadori et al,2013) Biological pollution Bacterial pollution of water is the most serious threat, as diseases can be transmitted very easily through the underground water system. It only can be removed by filtration through a thick layer of porous and permeable sediments, but this happens only in certain areas. If the biological hazard will occur in one spot, it will be transmitted several kilometres from the initial place through water circulation, affecting a large area. That’s why it is very important to have a sewerage system carrying the human wastes away from the source, or to have a piped water supply. Journal (American Water Works Association, 1957) Changes of the hydrological cycle affecting Earth’s surfaces The chemical or biological pollution of water can lead to changes in climate and temperature that can affect the Earth’s surface processes. Chemical Weathering Weathering is the chemical or physical process that changes the rock structures located on Earth surface. In order to occur, the rocks must be directly exposed to water and air. The weathering disintegration takes place at the sub-microscopic level, and therefore exposed rocks that contain complex pore systems, fracture surfaces and grain boundaries provide the perfect surface where the chemical weathering occurs. However, as the concentration of chemicals in the atmosphere increases, the process is accelerated. ( Siegesmund et al, 2002) Chemical weathering rate depends on three main factors: temperature, amount of surface area and availability of water or natural acid. So, the rocks in the tropical environments experience the most severe weathering.( Siegesmund et al, 2002) Figure 3: Cube dimensions versus surface area (website 4) Because water is a dipolar molecule, it is categorized as a good solvent being able to dissolve many chemical compounds.(Mahhafy) In addition to this effect, water aids decomposition through acid action, hydrolysis and oxidation. A good example is the weathering of silicate minerals by carbonic acid that forms by the interaction of water with carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The reaction is given below: 2KAlSi3O8+ H2O + 2H2CO3= Al2Si2O5(OH)4+ 2K+++4SiO2(aq)+ 2HCO3 Other minerals that dissolve easily in water are halite and calcite. In particular, structures made out of limestone and marble contain calcite and are prone to chemical weathering by dissolution.(for example marble tombstones ) Erosion Erosion refers to the transportation of rock particles and minerals from the initial location to another. It is different from weathering as it is a dynamic element. The main force that induces erosion is gravity and the main agents are: wind, rain, running water, and glaciers. As the temperature increases, the amount of rain is also increased so the transportation of sediments is faster. The result is the rapid erosion of the river banks, producing a wider channel. A good example of this process can found in the testimonies of Kansas residents. They stated that Cimarron River, which was a small meandering stream in 1914, began to increase after the flood from the same year. The channel at Point of Rocks was 66feet in 1874, but in 1916, a bridge of 644 feet was necessary to be built in order to cross the channel at that point. By 1939, the width was measured as being 1400 feet, so many houses were engulfed by the channel in 1944. (McLaughlin, 1947) Figure 4: Aerial view of Cimarron River in the vicinity of Point of Rocks(lower left corner at N) and Elkhart bridge (upper right center) (McLaughlin, 1947) Deposition The final step in the weathering-erosional system is deposition. The rock particles that are picked up and transported by an eroding agent will be deposited in a final location and the erosion agents will become deposition agents. The deposited sediments will then be arranged from largest to smallest, process known as horizontal sorting. The main factor that influence the sorting of the rocks is water. However if the flow is high, small particles like clay, sand and silt will be found in the depositional basin together with a large quantity of bigger sediment, including boulders, cobbles and pebbles.( The International Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 1997) Diameter(mm) Particle type 256 mm and up Boulders 64-256 mm Cobbles 2-64 mm Pebbles 0.0625-2 mm Sand 0.002-0.0625 mm Silt 0.002mm and smaller Clay Table 1 : The diameter of various sediments that can be found in depositional basins(Grotzinger et al, 2010) Conclusion The chemical and biological pollution of water is in a direct relation with the changes that occur in the processes on Earth’s surface. The release of toxic gases in the atmosphere contributes to the increase in temperature that directly affects the hydrological cycle. As the temperature is increased, the amount of water that is precipitated is also increased and surface processes such as weathering, erosion and deposition are accelerated causing rock decomposition, alteration of river banks or the high abundance of large sediments in the depositional basins. Bibliography Books and Journals Water Pollution Robert D. Hennigan BioScience Vol. 19, No. 11 (Nov., 1969) (pp. 976-978) Alireza Bahadori Malcolm Clark and Bill Boyd,2013. SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology Essentials of Water Systems Design in the Oil, Gas, and Chemical Processing Industries, Siegesmund, S., Weiss, T. Vollbrecht, A. (eds) 2002. Natural Stone, Weathering Phenomena, Conservation Strategies and Case Studies. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 205 The American Water Works Association, (April 1957) Pollution of Ground Water World Health Organization Report Journal Vol. 49, No. 4 (pp. 392-396) The International Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 1997.Rain erosion hazard evaluation by soil surface micro-topographic features A case of the soil loss plots at ChiangDao experiment station, northern Thailand. (pp. 45-58.) Thad G. McLaughlin, (Mar., 1947). The Accelerated Channel Erosion in the Cimarron Valley in Southwestern Kansas. Journal of Geology Vol. 55, No. 2 (pp. 76-93) Grotzinger, J, Jordan, T H, Press, F and Siever, R (2010). Understanding Earth (6th Edition) pp Webpages http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/water-cycle http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/earth/environment/water-pollution.jpg http://www.engr.uconn.edu/~lanbo/G229Lect06121Weathering.pdf

Greeces Policies to Improve Employment Rates

Greeces Policies to Improve Employment Rates Introduction In the attached article in the references, it is shown that Greece has succumbed to a low employment rate since the financial crisis that has affected them in 2007. It is reported that Greece has reached an all-time high unemployment rate of 28% in November 2013 and has not been improving as of late till the point in which the article was written in February 2014. The article also states the contrast of Greece’s unemployment rate to the average rate of unemployment in the euro-zone, which is more than double in percentile. In this assignment, I will be discussing the unemployment issues that currently impact Greece. Economic Concepts Identified Factors affecting unemployment in Greece will be discussed. The precise economic definition of unemployment consists of unemployment falling into one or more of these factors, without work even after actively searching for a job for four weeks, waiting to be called back to a job in which he or she has been laid off, or waiting to start a new job within 30 days. Firstly, we will look at the GDP rates of Greece. By identifying the historical and current GDP rates of Greece, we would be able to identify an inflationary (GDP increases) or a recessionary (GDP decreases over two quarters) economy. Using this information, it will explain certain levels of unemployment in Greece depending if it’s a recessionary or inflationary economy. Recessionary economy generally has a higher unemployment rate due to less resources being used, and inflationary would be vice-versa. Secondly, a few different unemployment rates will be used to provide further statistical analysis of unemployment in Greece. There are three rates that will be used the unemployment rate in general (percentage of labour force that is unemployed) , the long-term unemployment rate (unemployed people who have been unemployed more than 27 weeks), and the youth unemployment rate (unemployed people who are between 16-25 years old). Thirdly, the different types of unemployment will be explained and their subsequent effects on Greece. There are generally three types of unemployment, frictional, structural, and cyclical. Frictional unemployment stems upon the normal labour market turnover. Structural unemployment is unemployment due to changes in technology and the increase in foreign competitors which may affect the skills required and/or a change in location. Cyclical unemployment is unemployment that occurs during a recession. Lastly, we will be looking at the policies implemented by the government of Greece to curb this problem of unemployment. Application of Economic Concepts What Does GDP Indicate in Greeces Economy? Based on the graph attached above, Greece can be seen to have been going through a severe period of recession stemming from the global financial crisis in 2009. This also indicates that Greece is dipping towards the trough of their business cycle. In a recession, there is a slowdown in production output of the country. This is because the output per worker or productivity falls steadily causing an increase in production cost per product. This will in turn induce a dip in profits of firms which will inevitably reduce their labour force to compensate with their reduced output. This has caused a severe increase in unemployment rate from the crisis. Such unemployment caused by the recession is broadly labelled as cyclical unemployment. However, structural employment will also be affected as there will be businesses shifting out of Greece as it is not profitable to retain their business there, causing loss in job opportunity and employment. What does unemployment rates indicate in the Greece Economy? We will zoom in directly to the three rates of unemployment, unemployment rate of Greece currently (26.4%), long term unemployment rate (19.9%), and youth unemployment rate (51.5%). These various unemployment rates can be perceived to being cyclical in nature due to the recession. These rates are abnormally high due to the long recession and the fact that Greece has incurred a vast amount of debts and even required bailouts by the euro-zone. This is also an indication that the Greek economy is uncompetitive. Rising wages have not been matched by rising productivity. The lack of competitiveness has led to a fall in demand for Greek goods and a very large current account deficit (imports greater than exports) which has in turned caused many firms to close, reducing job vacancies and further increasing unemployment rate of the country. Youth unemployment and long term unemployment rates have remained constant due to the fact that the Greek economy has no vacancy for fresh or previously laid-off workers due to the low tolerance of low productivity (hiring these people imposes a great amount of risk. Policies the Greek government has undertaken to reduce unemployment While the origins of the significant recent rise in long-term unemployment are predominantly cyclical in nature, targeted policies to assist the long-term unemployed are likely to be necessary even once jobs recovery is underway. In the first place however, labour market and social policies have a key role to play in preventing the risk that the sharp jump in unemployment becomes persistent by promoting a quick reintegration of jobseekers into employment and enhancing their skills to enable them to move into more productive jobs when the recovery gathers speed (OECD, 2009). Unemployment benefits are available in Greece, but they are generally conditional upon insurance contributions. In terms of international comparison, benefits are low and take-up is limited (Karantinos, 2011). The main unemployment benefits provide income replacement at a flat rate of EUR 360 (slightly less than half of the current level of the minimum wage) for up to a maximum of 12 months of unemployment. Unemployment benefits are only available to those who have made unemployment insurance contributions and to those aged 45-65 under very strict conditions. Those who have never been in work (examples are unemployed young people without work experience) fall outside the system. Greece has stepped up efforts to assist the unemployed since the start of the recession. According to the latest Greek National Reform Programme (2014), the focus of employment policy is on a more efficient use of resources and reallocation of resources, in order to both improve labour market outcomes, and in particular youth labour market outcomes, and to enhance the economic sectors with growth prospects. The main rationale behind the policies currently being implemented by the public employment service (PES) is the boosting of job creation and job retention mainly through the reduction of non-wage cost. For this purpose, the PES has launched a series of policies. These policies have the double benefit that they encourage the access of unemployed persons to the labour market and discourage undeclared work. There is also a package of measures that is intended to facilitate the access of young people and newcomers to the labour market. These include: (a) a work experience programme in the private sector (b) a programme subsidising enterprises for the recruitment of young graduates up to the age of 35 years, (c) counselling and career orientation services, aiming at enhancing employment prospects, (d) programmes to enhance youth entrepreneurship, and (e) vocational and educational training programmes in priority areas of economic activity (construction, tourism, new technologies, etc.). Conclusion Basically in response to the newspaper article and current macroeconomic research, it shows that despite Greece’s policies to improve the unemployment rates, it has not improved much since the global financial crisis. In conclusion, the Greek economy faces two major challenges. The first is the need for strong economic recovery to increase job opportunities, and create constant job expansion mainly to facilitate the youth unemployment. The second is the need for policies to address labour market problems to increase the efficiency in matching of job seekers to new job openings and to assist in the labour market adjustment of the long-term unemployed, so as to prevent the high increase in unemployment from becoming structural. References BBC News,. (2014).  Greece jobless rate hits new record. Retrieved 13 October 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26171213 Greek National Reforms Programme 2014. (2014). Retrieved 13 October 2014, from http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/csr2014/nrp2014_greece_en.pdf Karantinos, D. (2011). Adapting unemployment benefit systems to the economic cycle, 2011.European Employment Observatory Review. OECD employment outlook 2009: Tackling the jobs crisis. (2009). Paris, France: Organization for Economic Cooperation Development. Stevis, M. (2014).  Greeces Older Men May Never Work Again.WSJ. Retrieved 13 October 2014, from http://online.wsj.com/articles/older-greek-men-feel-pain-of-job-losses-1407543506 Tradingeconomics.com,. (2014).  Greece Unemployment Rate | 1998-2014 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast. Retrieved 13 October 2014, from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/greece/unemployment-rate

Issues in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway Essay -- Woolf

Issues in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway revolves around several of the issues that preoccupied the Bloomsbury writers and thinkers as a group. Issues of androgyny, class, madness, and mythology run throughout the novel. While that is hardly an exhaustive list, these notions seem to form the core of the structure of the novel. Woolf herself, when envisioning the project, sought to produce â€Å"a study of insanity and suicide, the world seen by the sane and the insane side by side.† This issue of madness, in particular, gives the novel its form as we follow the twinned lives of Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa Dalloway. These preoccupations, occuring in the biographical and intellectual lives of the disparate members of Bloomsbury, revolved around Virginia framing the preoccupations and concerns of the text. In terms of the ambiguous gender identities running throughout the text (Clarissa’s frigidity towards her husband, her sexual view of women, and Septimus’s effeminite nature), there is a tendency towards the asexual or the androgynous in the...

An Essay on Chan -- essays research papers

An Essay Answering Questions From the Assigned Text by Faure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This essay will attempt to answer questions coming from the Bernard Faure text assigned in class. The questions are as follows: How does Hu Shih’s approach to Chan differ from D.T. Suzuki’s? Why was the scholarship of the Japanese on Zen not objective? What does Faure mean by the teleological fallacy? What does he mean by the two alternative approaches he suggests: structural analysis and hermeneutics?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How does Hu Shih’s approach to Chan differ form D.T. Suzuki’s? To answer this we must first recognize that Hu Shih emphasizes the historicism of Chan, meaning he places great importance on the historical aspect, while Suzuki aligns himself with the metaphysics aspect. Suzuki states that there are two kinds of people who can talk about Zen: The first(Suzuki), which is one who has a firm grasp on the concepts and greatly understands Zen, the other(Hu Shih), someone who is utterly unable to grab the concepts. Suzuki states that Hu Shih may know Zen historically, but that he does not actually know Zen. Suzuki says about Hu Shih that â€Å"it is not a historians business not talk about Zen.† Hu argues that ‘a historic approach to Zen cannot be reduced to the circumstances of its emergence and how it â€Å"transmits its situation of departure into a means to understand itself and others.’† Since Hu Shih is from the academic world , his approach to Zen is more factual, while ...

Corporal Punishment :: essays research papers

Dear Sir, I am writing in reply to the recent publication of an item on the topic of corporal punishment. I do not agree that it is needed to bring discipline back into our schools. It is assumed that a child who has been caned would be less likely to commit another offence , but this was never proved and , in fact , one theory holds that severe corporal punishment increases the likelihood of future offences. There are better ways to discipline students than hitting them. Some parents may believe that spanking a child may be beneficial but apart from being potentially dangerous physically, it can lower their self esteem, hinder their academic abilities and may even contribute to disruptive and violent behaviour. Some pupils may feel so afraid to go to school that they are tempted to play truant. Over the past few years we have become more and more obsessive over bringing our lives into the twenty first century and now , here you are telling us that we should bring back corporal punis hment, a system which is looked upon as old fashioned ! Discipline should begin in the home . Parents have and should accept the task of instilling in their children respect for right and wrong, respect for others and all the other basic lessons of living, working, playing and learning with others. They should try to teach him to control himself and take responsibility for his actions and their consequences .Unfortunately, because some parents find it difficult to do this from infancy , the teachers role is all the more difficult. Still, restoring this rule is not the way to resolve theses difficulties. Get to children in infancy and their early years and their lives will be shaped more fully for future growth. Restoring their teachers’ power to hit them across the bottom or knuckles doesn’t fit that picture. Forget corporal punishment. Roald Dahl’s book entitled â€Å"Boy† tells about the times when corporal punishment was allowed to take place in all sc hools. A passage from the book tells of how , aged nine, Dahl was caned six times for talking during prep. Even though he had had a perfectly good excuse he got the same punishment another child would probably have got for defacing school property or stealing. I think that this reinforces my earlier suggestion that teachers may take advantage of their authority and harass pupils they may have taken a dislike to.

Child Abuse and Maltreatment Essay

Child abuse is a global problem, which unfortunately happens in every society, culture and communities. The term â€Å"Child Abuse† refers to intended acts that result in physical or emotional harm to children. Child abuse covers a wide range of behavior from physical assault by parents or other adult caretakers to neglect of child’s basic need. Child abuse is a social problem that affects millions of children each year, children less than 3 years of age being the most frequent victims. (Edelman & Mandle, 2010) For this article, the author chose to discuss child abuse and maltreatment in preschool age children. There are many forms of child abuse such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and abandonment/ separation. In this age most common abuses are physical, sexual, emotional and negligence. As a health care provider when we are assessing a case of child abuse, we always need to check the background of the child’s family child, by checking parenting skills of caretakers, employment and education status of the parents, financial conditions at home and environment of the house (safe and clean for the child). We also need to check for any history of drug and alcohol abuse among family members, care taker’s personal limitations and certain cognitive or medical conditions (such as mental retardation or depression) of care takers, all these can effect child’s care tremendously. (Jarvis, 2011) Signs and symptoms nurses need to check for when they are assessing a preschool child for abuse are as follows: Physical Child abuse: Child has unexplained recurrent injuries, burns, fractures, bruises and bald patches. Child shows sign of fear and hesitation during physical exam (he is trying to pull himself away from examiner). Child has difficult time concentrating and shows self-destruction tendencies & aggression towards others. Child is wary of adults and injuries on the body are inconsistent with the child’s age and developmental phase. (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2012) Sexual Child Abuse: Child has unusual or excessive itching in the private areas. Genital or anal area is torn, stained or underwear has blood spots. Child’s genital or anal areas could be injured, due to bruising, swelling or infection. Child plays inappropriately with his toys and makes inappropriate drawing according to his age. Suddenly child starts thumb sucking or brings out discarded cuddly toys to play. Child also exhibits a sudden loss of appetite or on the other hand eats compulsively, he starts being isolated or  withdrawn from family/friends and becomes worried when clothing are being removed. Child frequently wets him/herself and often has nightmares. (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2012) Emotional Child Abuse: Parents or caretakers frequently yell, threaten or bully the child. They are ignoring the child as a form of punishment, giving him the silent treatment for his needs and also show no signs of affection and love (i.e. hugs kisses and tapping the back). Child shows severe sign of depression, extreme withdrawal or aggression towards other people. Child could be overly compliant with his caretaker orders, too well-mannered and too neat or clean. Child also displays extreme inhibition while playing. Child could have extreme attention seeking behavior or failure to thrive behavior. (Center of Child Protection and Family Support, 2012) Child Neglect: Child has poor personal hygiene, unkempt clothes and hair. Child stays constantly hungry and seems very thin compared to the peer age group. Child has many unattended physical problems or medical needs, eg dental work and glasses. Child is frequently absent from school and forgets his lunch. Child has no social relationship with other kids and shows destructive tendencies. (Center of Child Protection and Famil y Support, 2012) If children been abused by parents and care givers during infancy, toddler and preschool age. They show sign of developmental delay in displaying language, motor and social skills. Abused preschoolers respond to peers and other adults with more aggression and anger than do non-abused children. It is important for the nurse to understand certain cultural health practices that may be misidentified as child abuse. For example In Southeast Asian countries like Laos and Vietnam, people from Mien cultural beliefs in natural healing and use homemade remedies to treat most of the child disease. When a child suffers from restlessness, unremitting crying, agitation, constipation and loss of appetite, parents of the child use string of inner pulp (found in a special reed).The pulp is then dipped lightly in pork fat and lit. The flame is passed quickly over the skin above the pain site, which raises blisters on the skin or sometimes burn the skin which can easily misidentified as child abuse. To cover the blister and burn areas, they use Tiger Balm afterward. Only older person in the family can do this ritual to cure child pain. (McIntyre & Silva, 1992) To report the child abuse in California State, nurse needs contact the California Department of Social services  (toll-free number is 1- 800-422-4453) or call Sacramento county Child Protective Services – child abuse hotline at 916-568-6635. Any person who has knowledge of or observes a child whom he or she knows or reasonably suspects has been a victim of child abuse or neglect may report the known or suspected instance of child abuse or neglect. (California Department of social services, 2012) Description of report mechanism: Mandated reports of child abuse or neglect must include: †¢ The name, business address, and telephone number of the mandated reporter; †¢ The capacity that makes the person a mandated reporter; and †¢ The information that gave rise to the reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect and the source or sources of that information. If a report is made, the following information, if known, also must be included in the report: †¢ The child’s name, child’s address, present location and if applicable child’s school, grade, and class. †¢ The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the child’s parents or guardians. †¢ The name, address, telephone number, and other relevant personal information about the person or persons who might have abused or neglected the child. (California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, 2006) References: California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act: Reporting Rules for Health Care Providers, (2006). Retrieved from November 27, 2012 from: http://www.teenhealthlaw.org/fileadmin/teenhealth/teenhealthrights/ca/06_CA_ChildAbuseChapter.pdf California Department of social services. (2012). Child Abuse Prevention Services. Retrieved November 27, 2012 from: http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/PG1319.htm Center For Child Protection and Support,( 2012). Retrieved November 26, 2012 from: http://www.centerchildprotection.org/report_abuse.htm Edelman, C., Mandle, C. (2010). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span. (7th ed.). Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/books/9780323056625/S6/0 Jarvis, C. (2011). Physical Examination and Health Assessment (6). Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/books/978-1-4377-0151-7/id/B9781437701517000078_c00007 McIntyre, T., Silva, P. (1992). Beyond Behavior. Culturally Diverse Childrearing Practices: A busive or Just Different? Volume 4,

Charter Wedding bells Essay

Mary –Jo and her fiancà ©, Bobby Doe have decided to get married on November 30th 2014, which is in 3-month time. This Project will define, plan, execute and implement the wedding. It is important to be an event on which everybody can look back on with fond memories. The aim of the Project is to plan a wonderful wedding experience for both families and also for the wedding guests. The budget will be of $20,000 and the maximum number of quests will be 150. Project Objectives The entire wedding budget is set at $20,000. The reception will take place in a hall and the maximum number of guests is 150. It will be a legal and proper wedding ceremony. The wedding will take place in 3 months, in a reception hall. Major Deliverables Invitations and thank you notes Print Menus and Programs Order Favors Hire a photographer and videographer Transportation Ceremony-book Officiant Location Rental for ceremony and reception Decorations-flowers Book caterers, choose menu Order cake Arrange for a band/DJ/entertainment The following items are not covered by this Project and are the responsibility of the bride and broom: Bachelorette and bachelor party Wedding Dress Groom’s attire Bridesmaids’ dresses Honeymoon arrangements Writing the Wedding Wows Hair and make-up arrangements Wedding rings Proposed Process The Project Team will ensure accomplishment of the above by: *providing different choices of wedding/ceremony venues, catering arrangements, cake arrangements, wedding decorations, wedding music, transportation choices; *providing a breakdown budget; *researching different costs in relation to the budget; *analyzing the proposed choices in terms of costs and customer satisfaction. Related Products and Proposed Resource List Project Dependencies refer to the 3rd parties involved in planning and executing the Project, such as the caterers, the florists, the company providing the invitations/menus/programs/thank you notes, the band or DJ, the transportation company, the Ceremony Officiant. Proposed resources: www.torontoweddingbands.com www.royalcakesbyannette.com www.paulshannoncaterers.com/ www.matthewkozovskiphotography.com www.ashleamacaulay.com www.durhamweddingsource.com/ Project Customers The end customers will be the bride and groom and the families of the bride and the broom. Their expectations must be met and their feedback will be taken into consideration when booking/reserving or otherwise making any decision related to the present Project. Customer Requirements It has been determined that Mary-Jo and Bobby do not want a high-end wedding. It is desirable to have a wedding within the budget, with quality services that fit the allocated budget. All Major Deliverables must be organized and booked/reserved by the wedding day. No Major Deliverable should be postponed and/or delayed. Once a decision has been made, it should not be changed and/or altered. This will ensure a smooth and clear progression of the Project. Customer Needs/Key Attributes It is a known fact that planning a wedding is very stressful for the bride and groom. As such, this Project will help diminish the stress and ensure a linear course of events. The bride and groom will enjoy their Wedding day without worrying over different aspects of the event. Project Stakeholders The Project Sponsors are the bride’s parents, who are funding the wedding. They have set the budget, the maximum number of guests and the legality of the wedding. The Customers are Mary-Jo and Bobby Doe, who will make the decisions and approve the schedule. The wedding guests are not responsible for any decision and/or part of the wedding, however they should be taken into consideration when planning the wedding. They should have a lasting memory of the event. The Project Team will work closely with the Project Manager to ensure coordination and implementation of the decision made. They will also help with the research. Project manager The Project Manager is the mother of the bride, who will have full authority on the Project and over the budget, and terms of the present project. She will hire the Team Members, allocate the tasks to the Team Members, build a budget breakdown and a schedule. The Project Management will ensure the Project is on time and within the budget. Preliminary Schedule The below proposed Preliminary Schedule is to be submitted to the Project Customers for approval as soon as possible. September 1st to September 30th: Set wedding date; select and reserve the ceremony site; Select and reserve the reception location; Work on the guest list; Select and reserve a photographer, videographer, florist, DJ or musicians, and a caterer; Begin to plan the menu; Select and order wedding  invitations, announcements, thank-you notes. October 1st to October 31st: Finalize guest lists; mail the invitations; Choose a bakery and order wedding cake; Order any party favors; Decide on reception decorations and order or begin making them; Arrange for transportation on the wedding day. November 1st to November 29th: Keep a record of RSVPs and gifts received; Finalize menu for the reception; Obtain the marriage license; Finalize the wedding flowers with florist; Confirm reservations and details with photographer, caterer, DJ, videographer, baker and any other professionals, including any special photos wanted, specific music during a first dance. Preliminary Budget Reception: Spend 40% of the Wedding Budget on Reception. Total Budget: $20,000 x 0.4 = $8,000 available for the reception Example costs: site fees, catering costs, bar and beverages, wedding cake, etc. Music: Spend 10% of the Wedding Budget on Music Total budget: $20,000 x 0.1 = $2,000 available for music Example costs: ceremony music, cocktail hour music, DJ fees, etc Flowers: Spend 15% of the Wedding Budget on Flowers Total budget: $20,000 x 0.15 = $3,000 available for flowers Example costs: bridal bouquet, wedding party flowers, table centerpieces, etc. Wedding Attire: Spend 15% of the Wedding Budget on Wedding Attire Total budget: $20,000 x 0.1 = $3,000 available for wedding attire Example costs: wedding gown, dress alterations, wedding veil, lingerie, jewelry, shoes, hair, makeup, etc. Photography: Spend 10% of the Wedding Budget on Wedding Photography Total budget: $20,000 x 0.1 = $2,000 available for wedding photography Example costs: Engagement portrait, photography, videographer, wedding album, etc. Stationary: Spend 5% of the Wedding Budget on Stationary Total budget: $20,000 x 0.05 = $1,000 available for wedding stationary Example costs: wedding announcements, wedding invitations, postage stamps, wedding programs, table place cards, etc. Additional Expenses: Spend 5% of the Wedding Budget on Additional Expenses Total budget: $20,000 x 0.05 = $1,000 available for Additional Expenses Example costs: attendants’ gifts, marriage license fee, wedding day transportation, etc. Approval Requirements The Project Sponsor approved this Project Charter. The Bride approved this Project Charter. The Groom approved this Project Charter. Bibliography Gray, Clifford F., Larson, Erik W. – Project Management, 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2011. A guide to the project management body of knowledge, PMBOK guide, 5th Edition, PMI Inc. 2013. http://www.magnetstreet.com/wedding-planning-checklist http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/20000-wedding-budget-worksheet.html

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 17

I woke to the sound of Aubrey purring in my ear. Sensing my consciousness, she moved closer and licked the part of my cheek near my earlobe, her whiskers gently rubbing against my skin. It tickled. Squirming slightly, I opened my eyes. To my astonishment, light, color, and shapes came through to me – albeit in a blurred, distorted manner. â€Å"I can see,† I muttered to Aubrey, trying to sit up. Immediately, myriad aches and pains screamed all over my body, making the motion difficult. I lay stretched out on my couch, an old afghan tossed over me. â€Å"Of course you can see,† Jerome's cold voice informed me. Aubrey fled. â€Å"Though it'd serve you right if you couldn't. What were you thinking, looking at an angel in full form?† â€Å"I wasn't,† I told him, squinting at his dark-clad shape pacing in front of me. â€Å"Thinking, that was.† â€Å"Obviously.† â€Å"Lay off,† came Carter's laconic voice from somewhere behind me. Straightening up and peering around, I made out his fuzzy form leaning against a wall. Peter, Cody, and Hugh also stood nearby in the room. It was a regular, dysfunctional family reunion. I couldn't help but laugh. â€Å"And you were there, and you were there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Cody sat down beside me, his features materializing into sharp focus as he leaned in to study my face closer. Gently, he ran a finger along one of my cheekbones, frowning. â€Å"What happened?† I sobered up. â€Å"Is it that bad?† â€Å"No,† he lied. â€Å"Hugh was worse.† The imp made a nondistinct noise across the room. â€Å"I already know what happened,† snapped Jerome. I didn't need to see the demon's face in detail to know he was glaring at me. â€Å"What I don't understand is why it happened. Did you actually try to come up with the most dangerous situation possible? ‘Hmm, let's see†¦ dark alley, no one around†¦ ‘ That sort of thing?† â€Å"No,† I shot back. â€Å"I wasn't thinking of that. I wasn't thinking of anything except getting home.† I related the evening's events to the best of my ability, beginning with the footsteps, ending with Carter. When I'd finished, Hugh sat down in an armchair across from me, pensive. â€Å"Pauses, huh?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"The way you tell what happened†¦ you got hit, pause, then another one, pause, then another one. Right?† â€Å"Yeah, so? I don't know. Isn't that how fights work? Punch, draw back, get ready for another? Besides, we're talking about breaks of, like, a second or so. Not real breathing time.† â€Å"There was nothing like that for me. I had slashing too. It was an onslaught. A stream of blows, continuously. It defied understanding or ability. Definitely supernatural.† â€Å"Well, so was this,† I countered. â€Å"Believe me, I couldn't fight against it. It wasn't some mortal mugging, if that's what you're suggesting.† Hugh simply shrugged. Silence fell, and I gave the imp a sidelong glance to the best of my limited vision's ability. â€Å"They're looking meaningfully at each other, aren't they?† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Carter and Jerome. I can feel it.† I turned to Carter, suddenly wondering if my trip last night had been for naught. â€Å"I don't suppose you salvaged the shopping bag I had on me?† Walking over to my kitchen counter, the angel produced a bag and tossed it to me. My depth perception still off, I missed, and the bag bounced off the couch onto the floor. The book slipped out. Jerome snatched it up in an instant and read the title. â€Å"Fuck me, Georgie. Is this why you were out skulking in dark corners? This is what you nearly got killed for? I told you to lay off the vampire hunter investigating – â€Å" â€Å"Oh come on,† cried Cody, jumping up in my defense. â€Å"None of us believe that anymore. We know there's an angel doing this – â€Å" â€Å"An angel?† I heard heavy amusement and even a scoff in the demon's words. â€Å"No mortal did that to me,† I agreed hotly. â€Å"Or to Hugh. Or to Lucinda. Or to Duane. It was a nephilim.† â€Å"A nephi -what?† asked Hugh, startled. â€Å"Isn't that a character on Sesame Street?† Peter spoke up for the first time. Jerome stared silently at me for a moment, then finally demanded, â€Å"Who told you about that?† Not waiting for an answer, he turned toward the angel. â€Å"You know you're not supposed to – â€Å" â€Å"It wasn't me,† retorted Carter mildly. â€Å"I'm guessing she figured it out on her own. You don't put enough faith in your own people.† â€Å"I did find out on my own, though I had help.† I briefly detailed my string of leads, how one had led to another, from Erik to the book at Krystal Starz. â€Å"Shit,† muttered Jerome, after listening to my spiel. â€Å"Fucking Nancy Drew.† â€Å"Okay,† said Peter, â€Å"compelling chase or no, you still haven't told us what a nephilopogus is.† † Nephilim,† I corrected. Hesitantly, I looked at Jerome. â€Å"Can I?† â€Å"You're asking me for permission? How quaint.† Taking that as acquiescence, I began uncertainly, † Nephilimare the offspring of angels and humans. Like in that passage in Genesis. Where the angels fell and took human wives? Nephilim are the result. They have certain abilities†¦ I don't know all of them†¦ strength and power†¦ like Greek heroes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Or like major nuisances,† added Jerome bitterly. â€Å"Don't forget that.† â€Å"How so?† Hugh asked. I continued when Jerome didn't. â€Å"Well†¦ what I read said they used to cause strife and slaughter among humans.† â€Å"Yeah, but this one's not going after humans,† pointed out Peter. Carter shrugged. â€Å"They're unpredictable. They don't play by anyone's rules, and honestly, we're not really sure what this one's intentions are. It's playing a game, that's for sure, what with its attacks on random immortals and that note it sent Georgina.† â€Å"Two notes,† I corrected. â€Å"I got another one just before Lucinda died, but I was with Seth all night and didn't read it until the next day.† Hugh and the vampires turned to stare at me. â€Å"You were with Seth all night?† asked Cody, astonished. â€Å"Which one's he again?† Hugh asked. â€Å"The writer,† provided Peter. The imp regarded me with new interest. â€Å"What'd you do ‘all night' then?† â€Å"Can we not discuss Georgina's love life right now, fascinating though it may be?† Jerome gave me a speculative look. â€Å"Unless, of course, this Seth person is someone of strong moral character and principle whose life energy you plan on stealing soon in support of the greater cause of evil and its goals.† â€Å"Right on the first, not on the rest.† â€Å"Damn it. I need a drink.† â€Å"Help yourself.† Jerome wandered over to my liquor cabinet and sifted through its contents. â€Å"So how can we spot this nephilim ?† asked Cody, getting us back on track. I glanced uncertainly at Carter and Jerome. I didn't know any of the technicalities. â€Å"You can't,† the angel announced cheerfully. â€Å"They can hide their signature too, then. Like higher immortals. â€Å" He nodded back at me. â€Å"Yes, they have the worst characteristics of both their parents. Ample power and pseudo-angelic abilities, mixed with rebelliousness, a love of the physical world, and poor impulse control.† â€Å"How much power?† I wanted to know. â€Å"They're half-human, right? So half the power?† â€Å"That's the clincher.† Jerome looked much more cheerful with a glass of gin in hand. â€Å"It varies wildly, just as each angel has a different level of power. One thing is clear: Nephilim inherit a lot more than half their parent's power, though they can never exceed it. It's still plenty – which is why I've been trying to knock sense into all of you to stay clear. A nephilim could easily blow one of you out of the water.† â€Å"But not one of you.† Peter spoke the words more as a statement than a question, despite the uncertain note lacing his voice. Neither angel nor demon responded, and another piece clicked into place for me. â€Å"That's why you guys are going around with your signatures masked. You're hiding from it too.† â€Å"We're merely taking appropriate precautions,† Jerome protested. â€Å"It ran from you,† I reminded Carter. â€Å"You must have been stronger than it.† â€Å"Probably,† he agreed. â€Å"I was more concerned with you, so I didn't get a good sense. An angel in full form will freak most beings out – it'll kill a mortal – so I could have been stronger than it or not. Hard to say.† I didn't like that answer, not at all. â€Å"What were you doing there anyway?† The angel's trademark sarcastic smile appeared. â€Å"What do you think? I was following you around.† I started. â€Å"What? Then I was right†¦ that day at Erik's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Afraid so.† â€Å"My God,† said Peter, amazed. â€Å"You really were on to something, Georgina. At least about him stalking you.† I felt semivindicated, even if Carter obviously didn't seem to be the culprit anymore. Hugh had been right in accusing me of bias. I had really wanted Carter to be the responsible party for all these attacks, as a sort of payback for all the times he'd mocked me. His timely intervention in the alley only muddled my opinion of him now. Carter explained, â€Å"After realizing that first note was probably from this nephilim, I thought it'd be prudent to pop in once in a while since our friend here seems to have an especial interest in you. My intention was to catch him or her off-guard, not to help you, though I'm happy to have been able to. Plus, that day at Erik's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He looked over at Jerome. The demon threw his arms in the air. â€Å"Sure? Why not? Tell them. Tell them everything. They already know too much.† â€Å"Erik?† I prompted. â€Å"This thing, this nephilim†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Carter paused thoughtfully. â€Å"This being knows a surprising amount about us and about the immortal community.† â€Å"Well†¦ it's like you said, right?† asked Peter. â€Å"This nephilim would find one of us and follow him or her around.† â€Å"No. I mean, yes, that's possible, but evidence indicates this one knows much more than simple surveillance might give it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"For Chrissake,† Jerome snapped, â€Å"if you're going to tell them, tell them. Stop speaking in riddles.† The demon turned to us. â€Å"He's saying this nephilim is working with a leak. Someone's feeding it information about the immortal community here.† Cody caught the insinuation just as I did. â€Å"You think Erik's doing it.† â€Å"He's the strongest suspect,† admitted Carter apologetically. â€Å"He's been here for decades, and he has the talent to sense immortals.† â€Å"And to think, he spoke so well of you,† I murmured, feeling aghast. â€Å"Well, you're wrong. It's not him. Not Erik.† â€Å"Don't get huffy about it now, Georgie. He's not our only lead, just the most likely.† â€Å"And I don't like it any more than you,† the angel added. â€Å"But we can't dismiss any possibilities. We need to neutralize this nephilim threat soon. It's out of hand; we'll get outside involvement before long, and that's always a pain.† â€Å"Then why aren't you letting us help you?† I cried. â€Å"Why all the secrecy?† â€Å"Are you deaf? It's for your own protection. This thing could blast you to Armageddon!† Jerome downed the rest of his gin in a flurry. I didn't buy it. There was more than just our safety at stake here. Jerome still hadn't come clean. â€Å"Yes, but – â€Å" â€Å"The committee meeting is over,† he interrupted me icily. â€Å"Would the rest of you excuse Georgina and me?† Oh shit. I looked desperately at my friends, hoping they might stay and defend me, but they all scurried out. Cowards, I thought. None of them would cross Jerome when he spoke like that. Okay, I wouldn't have either in their shoes. Carter, I noticed, did not leave. The directive apparently did not apply to him. â€Å"Georgie,† began Jerome carefully, once the others were gone, â€Å"you and I seem to be facing off more often than not lately. I don't like it.† â€Å"It's not exactly facing off,† I noted, squirming uneasily, recalling his display of power at the hospital and threat to â€Å"stash† me somewhere. â€Å"We're just having differences of opinion lately.† â€Å"Differences that can get you killed.† â€Å"Jerome, this can't possibly just be about – â€Å" â€Å"No more.† A wall of power slammed into me, throwing me back against the couch. It was like one of those carnival rides where people stand along the sides of a round room that spins faster and faster until inertia pins everyone's limbs to the walls. Moving became agony. Even breathing was a struggle. I felt like Atlas, bearing the brunt of the world's weight. Jerome's voice boomed inside my head, and some brave part of me cursed his parlor tricks, even as the rest of me recoiled. I need you to listen to me for once without constantly interrupting. You cannot keep poking around here. Doing so calls attention to yourself, and you already have a lot more of it on you from this nephilim than I would like. I neither need nor want a new succubus. I've grown accustomed to you, Georgina. I do not want to lose you. I am more lenient with you than I should be, however. You get away with things no other archdemon would allow. I haven't minded indulging you thus far, but things can change – especially if you continue to be insubordinate. I can have you transferred somewhere else, away from this cozy delusion of a human life you've established. Or I can call Lilithin and report your behavior to her directly. I'm sure she'd he happy to do a little retraining with you. My heart stopped at the mention of the Succubus Queen. I had met her only once, when I first joined the ranks. That encounter, rather like seeing Carter in all his angelic glory, was not an experience I wanted to repeat anytime soon. Do you understand? â€Å"Y-yes.† Are you sure? The pressure increased, and it was all I could do to manage a weak nod. The psychic cage abruptly dropped, and I slumped forward, taking in deep breaths. I could still feel where his power had touched me, rather like a tactile version of the afterimage one sees with a camera flash. â€Å"I'm glad you understand, and I'm sure you'll also understand if I don't entirely believe you. It's part of the nature of our side.† â€Å"Is this†¦ is this the part where you stash me somewhere?† He chuckled softly. Menacingly. â€Å"No. Not yet at least. Frankly, I think you just need a little supervision to stay out of trouble. I'm also not entirely convinced you and the nephilim merely have a passing relationship.† A retort was on my lips, but I bit it off, my skin still burning. â€Å"I'd have one of your friends do it, but I don't doubt you could wrap any of them around your smallest finger. No, you need babysitting by someone who won't bend, who won't fall for your tricks.† â€Å"Tricks? Who then?† For a minute, I half thought he referred to himself until I noticed Carter's smug smile. Oh man. â€Å"You can't be serious.† â€Å"It'll ensure you toe the line, Georgie. What's more, it will keep you alive.† â€Å"You're practically our best lead at the moment,† Carter explained. â€Å"This nephilim has some interest in you, even though that interest seems to have shifted a bit from note-passing to assault.† â€Å"Carter will be ready if it tries to finish what he interrupted. He can also shield your apartment from prying eyes.† â€Å"But it'll sense him when we go out – † I tried weakly. â€Å"No more than you can now,† Carter reminded me. â€Å"And I'll be invisible. A ghost at your side. An angel on your shoulder, if you will. You won't even know I'm around.† â€Å"Jerome, please, you can't do this – â€Å" â€Å"I can, and I will. Unless, like I said, you want me to have a chat with Lilith ?† Damn him. The threat of Lilith was stronger than any potential stashing, and he knew it. â€Å"Good. If there's no further discussion then, I'll take my leave and let you two get situated.† Jerome glanced between us, dark eyes resting on me a moment. â€Å"Oh, by the way. Do check yourself out in a mirror at some point.† I scowled, thinking of Cody's scrutiny of my injuries. â€Å"Thanks for reminding me.† â€Å"What I'm reminding you of is that you're a succubus. Those bruises are a manifestation of believing you're human. You are not. You have to feel them, but you don't have to wear them.† With that, the demon vanished in an eye blink, leaving a faint smell of brimstone in his wake that I suspected was pure showmanship. â€Å"So, do I get the couch?† Carter asked me cheerfully. â€Å"Go to hell.† I left the room to go check out my reflection. â€Å"Hardly a nice way to treat your new roommate.† â€Å"I didn't ask for your – â€Å" I stopped halfway down the hallway. I'd spent the last couple of weeks suspecting Carter of murder and other terrible things; I'd spent the last half-century hating him as a person. Yet he'd just saved my life, and I hadn't uttered one word of thanks. I turned toward him, dreading what I now had to say. â€Å"I'm sorry.† He wore a look similar to the one Jerome had had when I asked his permission earlier. â€Å"Really? For just now?† â€Å"For not thanking you earlier. For saving me out there. I mean, I'm not happy about you shacking up here, but I am grateful for what you did then. And I'm sorry, too, if I haven't exactly been†¦ nice to you.† The angel's expression was unreadable. â€Å"Glad to have helped.† Not knowing what else to say, I turned and kept walking. â€Å"What are you going to do now?† he asked. I paused again. â€Å"Look at the damage and then go to bed. I'm tired. And I hurt.† â€Å"Aw, no slumber party games or popcorn? No makeovers?† â€Å"Don't take this personally, but you could use a makeover. You look like a refugee. Why†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I swallowed and rephrased my words as I studied him. â€Å"When I saw you out there, on the street, you were†¦ you were so beautiful. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen.† My voice came out as a whisper. Carter's face turned grave. â€Å"Jerome's the same way, you know. In his true form. Just as beautiful. Angels and demons come from the same stock. He chooses that John Cusack wannabe shape by choice.† â€Å"Why? Why does he do that? And why do you choose to look like a junkie or a bum?† The edges of the angel's lips turned slightly upward. â€Å"Why does a woman who claims she wants to avoid the attention of nice men choose a form that makes everyone around her do a double take and stare?† I swallowed again, lost in the far reaches of his eyes, but not in the same way I had been lost in Roman's or Seth's eyes. It was more like the angel could see all the way through me, through all of my facades, down to my soul or what remained of it. With great effort, I broke that scrutiny, turning back toward my bedroom. â€Å"No one is punished forever,† he told me gently. â€Å"Yeah? That's not what I hear. Good night.† I went into my bedroom, closing my door behind me. Just before it clicked, I heard Carter call, â€Å"So, who's making breakfast?†