Ethics in International Business Research Paper

Ethics in International Business - Research Paper Example Ethical development is more of an intrinsic process and it cannot be captured through the printed literature. Knowledge of ethical theories and practical experience enable an individual to face the critical situations, in personal life or in business situations and enable one to determine which ethical characteristics need to be adopted. Ethics in international business will not accrue through learning theory alone. A number of practicalities are involved as the international business platform is most volatile on many counts. But one thing is certain. It is in the interest of all concerned, international businessmen, policymakers and politicians involved in business decision making, to learn and execute ethical practices. Accountability and ethical principles need to go in tandem which will contribute to the overall welfare of the global business community in particular and global family of humankind in general. International business has the potential to enhance the country’s capacity to produce goods as well as to export or import them. The Friedman Doctrine is aptly described by Campbell Jones (2005). He dissects the doctrine into three parts and writes, â€Å" First, Friedman explicitly recognizes that capitalism is marked by conflict of interest†¦this conflict of interest is clearly expressed between business and labor†¦.increasing profit is the responsibility of business, and protecting the interests of labor is the responsibility of labor leaders. Between these two groups, there is an unassailable conflict of interest which is a matter of politics and this cannot be wished away by economists or business ethicists.†(p.98) Describing the position of the state and about the social responsibility of the organizations, he elucidates, â€Å" Second, Friedman does not think that the state is a bad thing that should be done away with as if capitalism could continue without the state†¦.Indeed, one of the reasons that Friedman is conc erned about business people exercising functions of ‘social responsibility’ is that these business people have not been democratically elected for the purposes of representing the community at large, are, therefore, unlikely to represent the broader interest.†(p.98) And on the ethical issues relating to business, he does the tightrope walking and states, â€Å"Third, Friedman expands on the earlier noting that business can engage in competition, ‘so long as it stays within the rules of the fame†¦the desire of business will be to make as much money as possible, ‘while conforming to the basic rules of society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom.†(p.99) This coverage is comprehensive. Milton Friedman (1970) offers detailed comments and expands his arguments, â€Å"Presumably, the individuals who are to be responsible are businessmen, which mean individual proprietors or corporate executives. Most of the discussion of social responsibility is directed at corporations, so in what follows I shall mostly neglect the individual proprietors and speak of corporate executives.† (The New York Times)This needs further clarifications. A corporate executive is an employee of the owners of the business and his primary and direct responsibility is to them.  Ã‚  

Proud to Be a Malaysian Essay Example for Free

Proud to Be a Malaysian Essay I am proud to be a Malaysian because of so many reasons. Firstly, Malaysia is surprisingly beautiful. We have beautiful islands and also the biggest caves in Southeast Asia. Not only that, Malaysia has the tallest twin tower in the world (KLCC). We also have the highest and the longest canopy walk in the world in more than 100 million years old of the tropical rain forest (Taman Negara). Forests are well preserved and the wildlife here is abundant with many protected endangered species. Besides that, Malaysia has modern and efficient public transportation with different types of train, taxis and the best airport in the world, KLIA. Our Malaysia Airlines won the Best Cabin Crew Awards a few times. Malaysians are really friendly and understanding. In my opinion, the most beautiful thing in Malaysia is our variety of culture, belief, and the scrumptious food. We are unique, as we can still get along well even though we’re a multi-racial and multi-cultural country. There are the indigenous tribes, Malays, Chinese and Indians but we get along like close siblings. We also have the freedom of religion and equality in education, which is good. There are also many languages spoken by all Malaysians, the famous one being ‘Manglish’ (Malay + English), and the most famous word being ‘lah’. Malaysia is really truly Asia because of its unity in diversity that can be seen in the various festival celebrations by all the races in Malaysia. Therefore, we have many public holidays, which I’m sure we all love. Also, these festive holidays are participated in by all Malaysians, we usually have open houses whereby everyone is invited to attend, regardless of their background. When it comes to food, there is no other place in the world that can be compared to Malaysian food. It is obvious as we have different races and 14 states where every state has its own specialities. The Malaysian food is so diverse and yummy that the main reason why I wouldn’t migrate to another country is because of the food here. Aside from the traditional sports like wau, gasing and sepak takraw, Malaysia takes part in popular sports such as bowling, badminton, football, hockey and squash. The world number one for badminton, Lee Chong Wei, is from Malaysia, so is the world number one for squash, Nicol David. Because of Malaysia’s location, it is free from natural disasters, the worst we experience is the annual flash floods during the monsoon seasons and also the earthquake tremors from neighbouring countries. Malaysia also has cheap petrol, which explains the number of cars people own here. Even though the government subsidises the cost of petrol here, we have the cheapest petrol rates in Asia. Malaysia may not be great, but Malaysia is my home, and thats more than enough of a reason to love it. Even if we can’t compare to other countries, â€Å"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush†.

Lack of Reason in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- GCSE Coursework Shake

Lack of Reason in Shakespeare's Othello William Shakespeare presents the character Othello as an excellent leader in the play, Othello. The hero has strength, charisma, and eloquence. Yet Othello cannot reason. The battlefield and Senate are, at least in Othello, depicted as places of honor, where men speak truly. In addition, the matters of war and state are relatively simple; no one lies to Othello, all seem to respect him. He never even has to fight in the play, with the enemy disappearing by themselves. This simplistic view does not help him in matters of the heart. His marriage is based on tall tales and pity and his friendships are never examined; he thinks that anyone who knows him love him. Thus the ultimate evaluation of Othello must be that, although he leads well and means well, he lacks good judgment and common sense. This becomes most plainly obvious in his final two speeches, where even though the play ends properly, and in a dignified way, Othello never fully realizes or takes responsibility for what has hap pened. These two last orations of Othello are noble in speech and purpose, but lack comprehension. He uses the first to attack himself for his horrible deed; certainly this is the first reaction of anyone who has wrongly killed his beloved. He delivers condemnation upon himself with eloquence and anguish. The latter speech he gives in his final role as a leader, directing the men who remain about how to deal with what has happened and showing them he has purged the evil. In his initial self-loathing and remorse at realizing the truth of Desdemona's innocence, Othello is genuinely anguished. "This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven, / And fiends will snatch at it." (V.2.325-326) It is clear t... ...this, Othello dies not as a tragic hero, but as someone destroyed by circumstance and evil. But the superficiality of his marriage and the fact that if he had only been honest to his wife and lieutenant he would have found out the truth point in another direction. Othello could lead, but he could not reason. Works Cited and Consulted Armstrong, Edward Allworthy. 1946. Shakespeare's imagination; a study of the psychology of association and inspiration. London: L. Drummond. Gardner, Helen. â€Å"The Noble Moor.† Othello Critical Essays. Ed. Susan Snyder. New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1988 Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice." The Signet Classic Shakespeare. Ed. Alvin Kernan. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1998. Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.

Baderman Island Essay

Baderman Island is a vacationers dream, beautiful landscaping on the shore of the Kelsey river. The island offers three different hotels to choose from. For the more active, the island offers golf or a leisurely stroll through the immense botanical garden. To help a visitor immerse themselves into the tranquility of the island one can enjoy a relaxing visit to the Oasis Spa. On the surface this appears to be paradise, upon further investigation one can find many small problems Baderman should face if they would like to have a strong return customer base. Disappointment was caused by a faulty transportation system around the island and minor electrical issues. These nuisances absolutely need to be dealt with immediately. Baderman is reviewing the hiring policies and goals for employees, investing in the future of Baderman by investigating new methods in the hiring process. The company will be following the strict guidelines provided by government agencies. The company will also update the recruitment strategies and attempt to employ the best candidates available. Hiring Policies and Goals†¢Follow EEOC guidelines, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, military status or other categories that are considered protected by federal, state or local law. †¢Ensure that the hiring of individuals is based on equal rights and allow for the advancement of employees based on merit, skills, and performance. †¢Provide public announcements for open positions within the organization. †¢Provide benefits, compensation, training and other employment privileges on an equal opportunity basis. †¢Interview all candidates that meet the minimum requirements as posted in the job announcement. †¢Allow for internal and or external posting of positions based on business need. †¢Evaluate managers and supervisors on their compliance to the hiring policies of the company. Hiring ProcessHiring Manager is responsible for the constant growth of the company. Continuous development is dependent upon the recruitment of qualified individuals by supervisory staff. The following process must be followed when hiring new and internal employees. The following process must be followed when hiring new and internal employees. Before posting an open position the impact of the budget must be considered. A request must be sent to the general manager of the department for approval. Managers must submit a detailed job description with customization necessary for the particular job, and include an ergonomics assessment necessary for the job in question. The island has no issues with hiring relatives of an employee. However, a manager may not interview, hire or supervise any of his or her family membersLegal Compliance of StrategiesBoardman Management Group (BMG) recruiting and hiring strategies are clearly stated, on their human resource web page, that they have good awareness of legal issues related with recruiting and hiring process. The human resource department of BMG recognizes the importance of diversity in the organization and being compliant with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines. Boardman Management Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer, which means that they cannot base difference in pay on an employee’s age, sex, race, or other protected status. By keeping the goal of equal pay for equal work in sight, BGM is working within the guidelines that are overlooked by the EEOC. The organization also ensures that advancement of employees is based on merit, skills, and performance; however, in the event of favoritism has been suspected, BGM has contracted a legal counsel to help ensure all EEOC guidelines have been upheld. When legal disputes occur, companies are given the opportunity to settle with the employee with the assistance of a mediator or on his or her own. The EEOC will sometimes offer the services of a mediator, who will not represent either of parties, but only help open up communications between them. The BGM Human Recourse Manager would notify his or her legal counsel for the  appropriate action, which could be handled through the EEOC or may require further legal attention. Recruitment StrategiesBaderman Island Resort is a unique opportunity for employees’. Recruits who would want a rewarding job in a relaxed atmosphere, with a successful highly qualified management team Baderman is the place. Baderman Island’s employment management team Boardman Management Group human resources (BMG-HR) has a challenge in recruiting staff that are willing to live on an island have a genuine desire to treat guests and visitors warmly and professionally, function as a team player, and have the personal discipline to do what is needed. Even though the atmosphere on the island is relaxed and carefree for the benefit of the guests, staff must understand that it takes hard work and personal determination to bring this tone to guests and visitors. With these goals in mind Baderman’s recruitment must focus on methods that bring quality employees to the island. BMG-HR must respect and acknowledge individual attributes and values that each employee brings to the job during the recruiting process as well as the professional skills exhibited. The marriage between personality and ability to perform a selected job is a balance that has to be met in order for the employee to offer his or her best to all guests and visitors. In order for Baderman Island Resort to continue to contact and hire a high performance staff they might consider broadening their recruiting area so there will be a larger pool of high quality staffing options to draw from. Higher quality staffing options means less employee turnover, fewer dissatisfied employees and customers, and a customer satisfaction rate which will increase Baderman’s bottom line. A couple recruiting strategies that Baderman might want to consider to increase it’s staffing pool would be: job fairs, off-season weekend invitations to lure potential job candidates to take a closer look at the Island and keeping a potential staff file for future needs. Currently, BMG-HR recruitment process’s are well thought out and meets  federal and state regulations but the process should be implemented on an as needed basis. Recruitment plans that cover future needs should also be set in place to cover potential growth, loss of employees, or other changes within the organization. Treating recruitment of potential employees like a marketing campaign that would suggest to them that the company values all staff members should be considered also. The strategy here would be to woo candidates with the idea that Baderman Resort is an excellent place to work and employee satisfaction is as important as any other goal Baderman Resort’s may have. Because the Resort is a service orientated organization it makes sense that happy and content employees will make for happy and content customers. Staffing StrategiesThe Baderman Company is well on its way to expanding its local business and in the international market. Baderman’s customers come to the resort expecting to relax and enjoy the activities and amenities. Excellent customer service and qualified personnel is extremely important, therefore, hiring the right individual’s is a key component to Baderman’s success. Baderman has also paid attention to the comments of guests and realized the importance of communicating with them, thus bi-lingual candidates are given utmost consideration. Because of past issues, employees must be screened appropriately and possess adequately skills to perform their job efficiently. Working for a company that provides an atmosphere of relaxation and enjoyable activities is appealing to prospective employees. Baderman wants to ensure that new employee’s will reap the benefits of this work environment yet understand that their contribution is what keeps it flourishing. Baderman knows the resort industry requires employees of various skills and knowledge at every level of the company. This includes hotel management, sales and marketing representatives, customer service providers, and cleaning and maintenance of the facilities and grounds. Baderman will use many avenues for its staffing strategy. It will ensure top management is qualified employees with appropriate experience in growing companies. Top management must be familiar with local, state and government  laws and be committed to ensuring the company is in compliance at all times. It will allow these individuals to help strategize on how to meet the company objectives and provide the resources to enhance the business through future trends and technology advances. Bonus incentives will be offered to help motivate these individuals as well as a lucrative long-term incentive to help share in the company’s growth. Baderman will provide an above average pay scale and career advancement for middle management. They will be offered yearly bonus packages for meeting company budgets and opportunities to grow within the company depending on the management of assigned teams in meeting company objectives. They will also be trained on compliance issues and challenged to meet, and exceed them at all times. Because of the importance placed on a manager to lead those reporting to a middle manager, HR will provide yearly courses to enhance his or her knowledge of supervising. The management teams will also be provided coaching throughout the year to support the challenges they are faced with. Baderman will work towards helping the frontline positions by providing temporary housing on the island for these employees as well as transportation to and from the local ports. Since these type of positions are the lowest paying yet will make up most of the workforce, this will also help the surrounding communities. These employees will also be given educational and training opportunities to help increase their job skills and allow them to grow within the company if that is the desire of the employee. Baderman management is stressing the importance of communication with the guests. Baderman is offering language classes to the employees, enabling them to communicate in the customer’s native language. Because French and Spanish are languages that many of Baderman’s guests speak, bilingual employees will be given additional compensation for their contribution to a multi-lingual environment. All employees who support Baderman’s core values which include a â€Å"strive for  excellence† customer service attitude, produce quality product, a high standard for work ethics, a team player, honest and have integrity, being a leader in all aspects of their conduct will be recognized formally and through compensation, plus medical benefits, internal and external training programs, career path incentives, educational reimbursement, family benefits and personal growth opportunities. ConclusionBaderman boasts itself on the fact that the island is an international tourist destination. However, the lack of language skills has caused major issues and undue stress for the customers. Baderman has implemented language training classes for the employees but what the island should do is invest in customer service agents who are fluent in several languages in order to place the customer needs to the forefront, thus lessening customer dissatisfaction. HR realizes the importance of diversity and has implemented an organization wide diversity-friendly attitude and welcomes all talented, committed employees as per EEOC guidelines. The goals Baderman’s recruitment and staffing strategy will focus on recruiting quality employees stressing the customer satisfaction. Hiring the right individual’s is a key component to Baderman’s success. References Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2004). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. New York: The McGraw−Hill Companies. University of Phoenix (2005). Baderman Island. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CIST/VOP/Business/BadermanIsland/BadermanIsland/BIinternet/library/index.html

Analyse the effects of domestic and global free trade Essay

Analyse the effects of domestic and global free trade and protection policies on the Australian economy Free trade is the unrestricted purchase and sale of goods and services between countries without the imposition of protection such as tariffs and quotas. This enables economies to focus on their core competitive advantage(s), thereby maximizing economic output and fostering income growth for their citizens. Australian exports rose from $66.6 billion in 1990-91 to $300.4 billion in 2012-13, with an average growth in export volumes of 4.6 per cent per annum since 1990-91. This is reflective of Australia’s proactive actions to phase out protection since the 1970s. The major effects of domestic and global free trade and protection policies on the Australian economy are structural change, competitiveness and efficiency, unemployment, living standards and economic growth. A move to trade liberalisation since the 1970s in Australia has drastically changed the structure of the economy. Structural change involves changes in the patterns of production that reflect changes in technology, consumer demand, global competitiveness and other factors. Protection polices affect the natural change in the structure of an economy, often leading to a decline in globally competitive industries. In 2011-12 Australia’s net tariff assistance was $1.1 billion, a very small percentage of GDP (less than 0.1%). Tariff levels in Australia have fallen from a massive 36% in 1968-9 to 1.8% in 2011, thus illustrating why Australia is one of the most open economies in the world. However, this has caused both positive and negative effects; the positive being that Australian industries have become more competitive and efficient as they are forced to focus on their comparative advantage; the negative is that heavily protected industries have suffered decline and job losses. Australia’s rural and manufacturing industries have suffered sustained negative growth over the past decade due to a reduction in domestic protection policies. On the contrary, the minerals and metals industry has grown significantly over this period. The removal of protectionism can jeopardise employment, especially in import competing industries and low-skilled labour industries. For example, Toyota and Holden will close their manufacturing operations partly due to tariffs on imported cars being reduced from a previous 50% to 5% in 2010, ending Australia’s car manufacturing sector by 2017. However, removing protectionism should lead to new employment opportunities and up-skilling of  the workforce into new and emerging growth sectors such as Biotech and Green Engineering industries etc. Australia’s composition of exports was relatively equal in 1989-90 with 33% being minerals and metals, rural 23%, services 20% and manufacturing 13%. As of 2012-13, minerals and metals dominated Australia’s composition of exports at 57%, whilst rural exports dropped to 12%, with a general decline in others. This not only shows the large impact of the mining boom on the Australia’s composition of exports, but also how a move to free trade has influenced the structure of the economy, especially agriculture and manufacturing. Globalisation has been both a benefit and a hindrance as regional trade blocs and other agreements work on a ‘most favoured nation’ principle, making export-competing industries suffer all around the world in small economies, and limiting the advancement of global free trade. Because Australia has a high level of agricultural trade (12% of total exports), and is a relatively small economy, they suffer disadvantages as a result of protectionist policies of other nations and trading blocs. One of the most infamous trading blocs in relation to agriculture is the European Union. The EU for several decades has subsidised agricultural production through the Common Agricultural Policy. Additionally, farmers receive significant subsidies in other areas of the world, such as the US, Japan, Korea and Switzerland. In 2012, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) estimated that the removal of China and Korea’s wine tariffs would increase the export revenue of the Australian wine industry by $47 million. Unfortunately, there has been poor progress in reducing agricultural protection in recent years. In fact, if global trade liberalisation was achieved by the WTO’s Doha Round, it could have boosted Australia’s agricultural exports by US$9 billion by 2020; thus displaying how highly protectionist economies and trade blocs adversely affect the Australian economy. Since Australia’s first free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand in 1983, Bilateral and Multilateral FTA’s have been a great advantage and focus in securing economic prosperity for Australia. Australia’s two-way trade in goods and services was A$616 bn in 2012. Australia has seven FTAs currently in force with New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, US, Chile, ASEAN (with New  Zealand) and Malaysia. Together, these countries account for 28% of Australia’s total trade, which displays the great benefit of bilateral FTAs to the Australian economy. Additionally, there are four bilateral FTA negotiations currently in place, two of which are substantial trading partners; China, being Australia’s largest export market (A$78.7 bn) and Japan, being Australia’s second largest export market (A$49.8 bn). The Japanese Free Trade Agreement has been negotiated, and will be a great benefit to the Australian economy, especially the agricultural sector, for example tariffs on beef and dairy exports will be reduced from 38% to 23.5% over 20 years. Australia’s main multilateral agreement is the AANZFTA which came into effect in 2010, and covers 20% of Australia’s trade in goods and services and effectively creates a free trade area of over 600 million people. This agreement is forecast to boost the Australian economy by US$19 bn during the decade following its implementation in 2010. These examples of Australia’s FTAs show the positive effects of global free trade on the Australian economy. As Australia continually lowers protection levels and trade barriers, there will be both positive and negative effects, leading to a long term decrease in the current account deficit. When protection is lowered, there will be a short term increase in the CAD, as tariffs and quotas wil l be waived leading to higher export volumes. However, since less protection leads to a more competitive economy, the CAD will decrease in the longer term as exports will generally increase. The government’s reluctance to lower trade barriers up until the 1970-80s is arguably the reason for Australia’s lower competiveness and higher CAD, being a deficit of $23 bn in 2012, and $10 bn in the fourth quarter of 2013. Australia’s growth in exports reached 6% in 2012, double the average rate over the last 10 years. However, this has not contributed to any decrease in the CAD, as export prices declined by 10.2%, and Australia’s terms of trade decreased by 10.7% mainly due to the slowing of the mining boom. As protection levels reduce, hopefully the competitiveness of the Australian economy picks up during this period of structural change, leading to a long term decrease in the CAD. The effects of domestic and global free trade, although mostly negative in the short term, will increase Australia’s competitiveness and benefit the Australian economy in the long term. Unfortunately, many regional and unilateral protection polices still remain in p lace, disadvantaging the  economy in many ways, and limiting the advancement of global free trade.

Operation Barbarossa essays

Operation Barbarossa essays At the height of his power, Adolf Hitler had the world by the throat. His reign of terror was known in every country around the globe. His strengths as a leader were based mainly in politics; charisma mixed with intelligence. People would follow his lead, run blindly into battle, commit atrocities the likes of which the world had never seen, and not think twice about it. An uncanny ability to sway millions to follow, does not however constitute ability as a military general. Hitlers eventual decline begun with the invasion of Russia, code named "Operation Barbarossa". After this military blunder, the tide of the war began to sway, and the power of Nazi Germany decreased with each passing day. Why did Operation Barbarossa fail so terribly? Hitlers generals had tried desperately to talk him out of it, but he was convinced Russia would fall to the Werhmarcht (German Army). Breaking his non-aggression pact with Stalin, to invade Russia was the most costly mistake Hitler ever made. It se ems that fate is not without irony, as it would be the advancing Russians that eventually brought Germany to its knees. The ultimate ideological goal for Operation Barbarossa was to destroy Communist Russia, but Germanys original intent for invading Russia was to gain control of the oil and wheat regions in the Crimea territory. At this point in the war shortages of petrol, oil, and lubricants were hindering German war efforts. The strategy for invasion however was flawed with many lapses, and uncertainties. The German Army High Command, the German Armed Forces High Command, and even Hitler himself had contradictory ideas. This combined to lead to a number of blunders, unresolved conflicts, and unmet objectives. Hitler was basing his invasion on his delusional belief that the bulk of the Soviet forces could be trapped and destroyed by the time his armies reached the Dneiper River. He also was certain that Stalins "Great ...

Mars essays

Mars essays In 1962, the United States President, John F. Kennedy, spoke at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Kennedy promised to put an American on the moon by the end of the 1960s. (The History) On June 16, 1969 Kennedys dream promise was kept. The United States placed two men on the surface of the moon. (Apollo 11) By the year 2001, a few months short of 32 years later, no other body has had humans as guests. Why not? The vast wealth of knowledge which could be gained by a manned exploration of Mars is probably one of the better reasons to go. By further exploration of Mars the field of Comparative Planetology could be expanded. One of the procedures which could be performed my explorers sent to Mars is drilling samples out of the Martian ice caps. This process is done on Earth in order to get a climatic history. This information would be extremely useful when looking at Mars. We would finally know why the water which once rushed over Mars and created the great cannels of Mars have become frozen. Other important information which could be found on Mars deals with the vulcanism. We could more easily study to see when and why vulcanism ceased on Mars. (Collins 84) Opponents argue that this would just be all too costly. They claim that the money could not be found for such a venture.(Easterbrook 91) Well In answer to the money problem one comes to a totally new point, the economy. This spending of money would not break the United States government, it would stimulate the United States Industrial fields. The money spent on a Mars mission would not merely be spent in space, it would be spent in the United States. All of the money spent here would also push the United States industries to make better products. The companies would be pushed to create such dependable products in fields such as aerospace and avionics. Of course we would see the same effects seen after NASAs crowing achievement, putt...

Ninth Grade Math Course of Study

Ninth Grade Math Course of Study When students first enter their freshman year (ninth grade) of high school, they are confronted with a variety of choices for the curriculum they would like to pursue, which includes which level of math courses the student would like to enroll in. Depending on whether or not this student chooses the advanced, remedial, or average track for mathematics, they might start their high school math education with either Geometry, Pre-Algebra, or Algebra I, respectively. However, no matter which level of aptitude a student has for the subject of math, all graduating ninth grades students are expected to comprehend and be able to demonstrate their understanding of certain core concepts related to the field of study including reasoning skills for solving multi-step problems with rational and irrational numbers; applying measurement knowledge to 2- and 3-dimensional figures; applying trigonometry to problems involving triangles and geometric formulas to solve for the area and circumferences of circles; investigating situations involving linear, quadratic, polynomial, trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and rational functions; and designing statistical experiments to draw real-world conclusions about data sets. These skills are essential to continuing education in the field of mathematics, so its important for teachers of all aptitude levels to ensure that their  students fully comprehend these core principals of Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, and even some Pre-Calculus by the time they finish the ninth grade. Education Tracks for Mathematics in High School As mentioned, students entering high school are given the choice for which education track they would like to pursue on a variety of topics, including mathematics. No matter which track they choose, though, all students in the United States are expected to complete at least four credits (years) of mathematics education during their high school education. For students who choose the advanced placement course for mathematics studies, their high school education actually begins in seventh and eighth grades where they will be expected to take Algebra I or Geometry before entering high school in order to free up time to study more advanced maths by their senior year. In this case, freshmen on the advanced course start their high school career with either Algebra II or Geometry, depending on whether they took Algebra I or Geometry in junior high. Students on the average track, on the other hand, begin their high school education with Algebra I, taking Geometry their sophomore year, Algebra II their junior year, and Pre-Calculus or Trigonometry in their senior year. Finally, students who need a bit more assistance in learning the core concepts of math may choose to enter the remedial education track, which starts with Pre-Algebra in ninth grade and continues to Algebra I in 10th, Geometry in 11th, and Algebra II in their senior years. Core Math Concepts Every Ninth Grader Should Graduate Knowing Regardless of which education track students enroll in, all graduating ninth graders will be tested on and expected to demonstrate an understanding of several core concepts related to advaned mathematics including those in the fields of number identification, measurements, geometry, algebra and patterning, and probability. For number identification, students should be able to reason, order, compare and solve multi-step problems with rational and irrational numbers as well as understand the complex number system, be able to investigate and solve a number of problems, and use the coordinate system with both negative and positive integers. In terms of measurements, ninth grade graduates are expected to apply measurement knowledge to two- and three-dimensional figures accurately including distances and angles and a more complex plane  while also being able to solve a variety of word problems involving capacity, mass and time using the  Pythagorean theorem  and other similar math concepts. Students are also expected to understand the basics of geometry including the ability to apply trigonometry to problem situations involving triangles and transformations, coordinates, and vectors to solve other geometric problems; they will also be tested on deriving the equation of a circle, ellipse, parabolas, and hyperbolas and identifying their properties, especially of quadratic and conic sections. In Algebra, students should be able to investigate situations involving linear, quadratic, polynomial, trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and rational functions as well as being able to pose and prove a variety of theorems. Students will also be asked to use matrices for representing data and to master problems using the four operations and the first degree to solve for a variety of polynomials. Finally, in terms of probability, students should be able to design and test statistical experiments and apply random variables to real world situations. This will allow them to draw inferences and display summaries using the appropriate charts and graphs then analyze, support, and argue conclusions based on that statistical information.

Geography Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Geography - Research Paper Example The flat lands are in the western part of the country and a coastline on the northern western and southern parts. France is mostly affected by oceanic influences and is situated in the south part of the temperate zone (Steves & Smith, 2008). At the west of France maritime climatic conditions are witnessed. Rainfalls are always brought by westerly winds from Atlantic. Brest experiences a lot of cool summers and a lot of rains. There are hotter and rigorous winters in the interior parts of France. Every July Paris witnesses temperatures of 18 degrees Celsius and January is as cool as 2 degrees Celsius. Attitudes in France influence the climate mostly when the winters are cold or sometimes prolonged. During the winter there is a lot of snow in the affected areas. Villages in the high valleys experiences more than 50 days of snow every year. Agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to France economy as it contributes to 3 % of the GDP. France farms exports more agricultural food produce than the entire Europe Union nation. It is the only country that has enough food to their citizens (Thomson & Chandler, 2005). France is among the leading producers in wheat, sugar, wine and beef. Sixty one percent of the total productive agricultural area is under cultivation, pasture accounts for 35 % and 4 % contains the vineyard (Thomson & Chandler, 2005). Most productive farms in France are in Northern part with vegetable farms of Brittany and the great commercial vineyards of the Languedoc, Burgundy among others. France is the fourth leading industrial power and accounts for 26 % of GDP and approximately 25 % of the labor force (Audiganne, 2010). Manufacturing sector accounts for 16 % construction accounted for approximately 4 % and energy for 3 % GDP in 2001. Manufacturing sector contribute three quarters of total exports of goods and services. The government controlled industries such as aeronautics,

Hrd Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Hrd Practice - Essay Example Information was gathered and notes taken through personal discussions with HRD personnel, management and a number of personnel affected by these systems. Data on attrition rates, performance appraisals, and career development was garnered from the meticulous records maintained by the ORTD. This data was allowed to be drawn for study only and not allowed to be used in this report. The main findings included in the following report are that ABC has a clear view of its mission and objectives and HRD strategy is visibly and strongly linked to the overall plans. The two areas studied are well developed and effectively used. This report offers some recommendations to further strengthen these. This report is written at the conclusion of a study of Human Resource Development (HRD) practices in an existing company (ABC, at their request). Theoretical inputs received during class and the thinking of various experts was compared with actual practice, to develop deeper understanding of HRD. HRD embraces a large range of activities aimed at bringing out the best in each individual to meet organizations' objectives this study was limited to two areas, Career Development and Performance Appraisal. ABC adopts a paternalistic approach and shows total involvement in the welfare of the employee both on and away from the workplace. In all dealings with employees the company makes a conscious attempt to integrate feelings, priorities and welfare of the employees' family. ABC also has well thought out medium and long term plans for growth and consolidation and its efforts at career planning and development are fully integrated into them. Manning and skill level requirements of the organisation as it evolves and grows in the next five years are written and HRD responds to this through its activities of recruitment, training and development of in-house human resources. Lateral recruitment at higher levels is rare. 2.0 Industry Studied - Overview 2.1 Background The Organisation selected for study is a large company, employing about 3,600 personnel. The company manufactures fertilizers, PVC and Cement and is essentially chemical technology driven. The company is very successful in its performance as is

The effects of Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 on the accounting profession Research Paper

The effects of Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 on the accounting profession - Research Paper Example Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 was one such measure intended to set standards to guarantee the accuracy of financial reports published by organizations irrespective of big or small. This paper briefly explains the impacts of Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 on accounting profession. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 (SOX) mandates creation of an internal control structure, and assessment of its effectiveness. This control structure involves controls on internal financing reporting and auditing (Bergen, 2005). Many companies have reported that the introduction of SOX and the increased internal control structure was more expensive than anticipated. The external costs have been increased a lot for many companies because of SOX and this increase especially at in a period of recession was too difficult for the companies to handle. At the same time, most of the costs needed to strengthen the internal control were one-time expenses only and the corporate and the investor public would be beneficial from that in the long run. Section 409 of SOX mandates that a company must disclose to the public any information that is of material value that affects the organizations financial condition or operations. This section was a real challenge for the accounting professionals since most of the companies used Excel spreadsheets for keeping much of their financial data and linking these data in a timely manner with the financial reporting systems were too much difficult. The non compatibility of ordinary Excel spreadsheets with the other financial reporting systems forced the companies to change their accounting software to the much advanced and expensive software like SAP and Oracle or to incorporate new technologies such as off the shelf applications and spreadsheet templates with macros to convert data into a format that can be readily integrated into the organization’s financial reporting system (Jyoti, 2005). Earlier some of

A Study of Performances Improvement on IT Project Management Workers Dissertation

A Study of Performances Improvement on IT Project Management Workers ..A Case Study of China's C Information Technologies Co - Dissertation Example Moreover, Maslow’s motivational theory is used in understanding the motivation for improved performance within C Information Technologies Ltd. More importantly, the evaluation and discussion of factors affecting the performance of individuals and the strategies used by companies to improve performance are analysed and discussed within the paper. Introduction and Background The human resource function of contemporary organizations has revealed an increased focus on performance management for IT employees. Wikina (2008, p. 19) explains that this is attributed to the increased competitiveness within various markets and the changes in work activities which emanate from the advancement of information and communication technology. Performance management involves employee evaluation within the IT department which acts as a guideline for the needs of employees for skills, knowledge and abilities that will allow them to improve their productivity and performance at the work place (Gheo rghe & Hack, 2007, p. 17). China is a very competitive and rapidly growing economy especially within the IT sector. In addition, companies operating in China have experienced tremendous changes in the recent past which are related to the changing business environment and the demand for IT expertise. It is because of these challenges that most organizations and companies within China have demonstrated an increased regard for performance improvement for IT staff through employee development and training. This paper presents a report on the investigation on performance improvement among IT project management workers within C Information Technologies Ltd. The Chinese company acts as a case study for this investigation which is aimed at achieving a deeper understanding of the process of performance management as it is applicable within this company. More specifically, the study will achieve an analysis and evaluation of the characteristics of the company’s IT staff such as skills and attitudes towards work. This analysis will be conjugated with a study on the various factors which affect the performance of the C Information Technologies Ltd.’s IT staff with a view of determining the need for improvement. Furthermore the paper explores past literature on the topic to analyse and discuss the factors affecting performance management and the best strategies of improving the performance of the IT project workers within the IT industry. More significantly though is the fact that this study applies scientific methodology approach in meeting the following research questions and objectives. Objectives of the Study 1. To explore upon the theoretical framework on incentives and motivation of IT project staff which contributes to improved performance 2. To find out the important factors which affect job performance of IT project staff 3. To determine the most effective techniques and strategies in performance management which will improve the performance of IT pr oject staff within C Information Technologies Ltd. Research Questions 1. What are the performance characteristics of IT project staff within C Information Technologies Ltd? 2. What theoretical framework describes the motivations and incentives behind the level of performance among the c C Information Tec

Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven Essay

Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven - Essay Example Before â€Å"The Raven,† none of Poe’s writings â€Å"garnered him much recognition in the literary world.† However, â€Å"The Raven† was â€Å"hailed by critics as a work of genius, earning Poe a respected reputation as a serious writer† (Iorillo). The work became one of the most recognizable poems of the twentieth century, and Iorillo attributes this to Poe’s meticulous skill, stating that he â€Å"was a deliberate, precise wordsmith.† The setting of â€Å"The Raven† is a good example of Poe’s precise execution of language, with his images combining to create an atmosphere that is quintessentially Gothic. Iorillo states, â€Å"Poe was not the first Gothic writer but he is undeniably one of the most potent.† The term â€Å"Gothic literature† is defined as â€Å"literary style popular during the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. This style usually portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other ‘dark’ subjects† (Taylor). The Gothic setting of â€Å"The Raven† is evident from the very beginning of the poem. The poem begins to paint its setting by describing the night as a â€Å"midnight dreary,† creating suspense, misery and dread even before the finish of the poem’s first line. The next image Poe presents is â€Å"a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.† Poe’s diction heightens the mysterious and eerie setting by using the words â€Å"curious† and â€Å"forgotten† to describe the book that the narrator is reading as the poem begins. As the narrator peruses the pages of his â€Å"curious† book, he hears a noise outside his door, which he dismisses as an unwelcome visitor. The next stanza further enhances the poem’s Gothic setting as the narrator clearly recalls the â€Å"bleak December† night when he first encountered the raven. He tells us how he recalls the burning wood in his fireplace as each â€Å"separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the

Strategic managemnet of burger king Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic managemnet of burger king - Essay Example Between financial year 2009 and 2010, the company experienced net negative growth in its total revenues due to the negative 4 percent dip from it’s US and Canadian businesses. The EMEA region and Latin America had 8 and 10 percent positive revenue growth within the period (Burger King Holdings 2010). Not surprisingly, within this period it is the same EMEA and Latin America regions that had 44 new restaurants opened in contrast to 24 restaurants being shut in the US and Canada region. To mitigate this trend the corporation continued to invest in a U.S. and Canada re-imaging program, deployment of new restaurant equipment and developed innovative products. The company’s worldwide sales growth has been on a general downward slope from the third quarter of 2008 and moved into negative territory from the second quarter of 2009 to date (Burger King Holdings 2010). We shall use the rest of the paper in seeking to explain why Burger King has been experiencing a decline in reve nue especially in the US. The PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) factors have long being used to explain the macro environment of a business which has to be factored in the development of any corporate strategy. The political front has been favourable for the fast food industry in the US with no major legislations or regulations that would hinder growth of the industry taking place. We therefore rule this out of Burger King’s problems. In contrast, the economic environment has never been worse for major US corporations like Burger King. Costs are going up at the producer level but companies are unable to match this up with corresponding increase in prices because of the current high inflation and high unemployment i.e. economic recession. Burger King’s applied two strategies here. First it reduced its offering on its $1 menu by removing a slice of cheese and then raised the price of its double cheeseburger from

Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven Essay

Poetry Analysis on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven - Essay Example Before â€Å"The Raven,† none of Poe’s writings â€Å"garnered him much recognition in the literary world.† However, â€Å"The Raven† was â€Å"hailed by critics as a work of genius, earning Poe a respected reputation as a serious writer† (Iorillo). The work became one of the most recognizable poems of the twentieth century, and Iorillo attributes this to Poe’s meticulous skill, stating that he â€Å"was a deliberate, precise wordsmith.† The setting of â€Å"The Raven† is a good example of Poe’s precise execution of language, with his images combining to create an atmosphere that is quintessentially Gothic. Iorillo states, â€Å"Poe was not the first Gothic writer but he is undeniably one of the most potent.† The term â€Å"Gothic literature† is defined as â€Å"literary style popular during the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. This style usually portrayed fantastic tales dealing with horror, despair, the grotesque and other ‘dark’ subjects† (Taylor). The Gothic setting of â€Å"The Raven† is evident from the very beginning of the poem. The poem begins to paint its setting by describing the night as a â€Å"midnight dreary,† creating suspense, misery and dread even before the finish of the poem’s first line. The next image Poe presents is â€Å"a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.† Poe’s diction heightens the mysterious and eerie setting by using the words â€Å"curious† and â€Å"forgotten† to describe the book that the narrator is reading as the poem begins. As the narrator peruses the pages of his â€Å"curious† book, he hears a noise outside his door, which he dismisses as an unwelcome visitor. The next stanza further enhances the poem’s Gothic setting as the narrator clearly recalls the â€Å"bleak December† night when he first encountered the raven. He tells us how he recalls the burning wood in his fireplace as each â€Å"separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the

Evaluating Speaker Credibility Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating Speaker Credibility - Assignment Example Her observations in her job as a policewoman greatly influence her beliefs such that it makes her trustworthy in speaking about the issue. 2. Citing evidences from the US Supreme Court cases helps enhance her persuasiveness. On the other hand, the evidences may not be effective in defending her opinions especially in delivering her speech. If she does not seem confident in delivering all the facts that she was able to gather, her advocacy may be stronger and more trustworthy. Death penalty for juveniles is a critical issue. Her confidence in delivering the facts demonstrates her own beliefs. If she looks hesitant, then, it only shows how unsure she is of her own findings and beliefs. 3. Darlene’s experiences in the juvenile crime unit contribute to her credibility to speak about the topic, as much as the evidences she obtained based from the US Supreme Court. Although she may appear hesitant in presenting these facts, the obvious reason that she had been through close encounters with the victims of such issue is already enough for her to become sincere in her convictions. Her responsibility, which is believed to arrest law offenders, also allows her to be an advocate of a law that recognizes human rights. 4. In order to convince people that one is credible to speak of an issue or even just his own opinion, he must be well-aware of these evidences and therefore must be confident in delivering them to the public. Darlene must study in detail the facts that she should present. She should also be able to connect the facts presented into different areas that also concern the issue in order to strengthen her convictions. This would give the audience the idea that she knows exactly what she is talking

Charles Dickens Essay Example for Free

Charles Dickens Essay Examine the presentation of the three spirits and Marleys ghost in A Christmas carol and show the differences and similarities in their appearance, attitude towards Scrooge and the effect upon him. Consider also the spectre in The Signalman In a Christmas carol by Charles Dickens, the four ghosts are all described differently. They all help to change scrooge into a nicer person. The ghosts all act disparately and look disparately. Scrooge has a different effect on each one of the ghosts, two of the ghosts he likes and one of the ghosts he dislikes. Scrooge is also treated dissimilar, some ghosts care for him, and others are forceful. The ghost of Marley appears first, he is described as In his pigtail, usual waistcoat, tights and boots; the tassels on the latter bristling, like his pigtail, and his coat-skirts, and the hair upon his head. Marley also had a chain around his middle, which was long and wound about him like a tail. The chain was made of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deed and heavy purses wrought in steel. Marleys body was transparent, so Scrooge could see the 2 buttons on his coat behind. He also had a handkerchief wrapped around his head and chin which held his jaw up. The ghost of Christmas past turns up next. He is described as a strange figure-like a child; yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium. Which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view, and being diminished to a Childs proportions. The ghosts hair hung about its neck and down its back. His hair was white, as if with age; but his face wasnt old, and didnt have any wrinkles in it. He had long and muscular arms, like his hands. Its legs and feet were delicately formed. The ghost wore a white tunic, and round its waist was a lustrous belt. It held a branch of fresh green holly in its hand; and in singular contradiction of that wintry emblem, had its dress trimmed with summer flowers. The strangest thing about the ghost was that from the crown of its head sprang a clear jet of light, which by all was visible to see and was doubtless the occasion of its using, in its duller moments, a great extinguisher for a cap, which it now held under its arm. The next ghost was the ghost of Christmas present, he was clothed in one simple deep green robe, which was bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely on the figure, that its capacious breast was bare, as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice. His feet was also bare, and on its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath with shining icicles. Its dark brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, its sparkling eye. Its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanour, and its joyful air. Around the ghosts middle was an antique scabbard; but there wasnt a sword in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust. The last of the ghosts to meet Scrooge was the ghost of Christmas yet to come. You couldnt see any of its facial features because it was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its face, its head and its form, and left nothing of it visible, save one outstretched hand. Because of this it would have been difficult to detach its figure from the night, and separate it from the darkness by which it was surrounded. The spectre in the signalman by Charles Dickens isnt described very well in the story, all we know is that the spectre is a man and he has a sleeve over his arm. His voice was hoarse with shouting halloa, below there! In the Christmas carol, Marley is a friendly ghost and he is very nice, he enjoys being in the company of Scrooge, Scrooge says you were always a good friend to me. He obviously cares about Scrooge because he wouldnt have gone there to warn him about the three ghosts and what would happen to him if he kept hating Christmas. Marley was the only true friend Scrooge has had. The ghost of Christmas past is nice, friendly and reasonable. The ghost cared for Scrooge, he once asked him whats the matter? Even though he is nice and friendly, he forces Scrooge into seeing things that he doesnt want to see. For example Scrooge says leave me, take me back, haunt me no longer. But the relentless ghost pinched him in both arms and forced him to observe what happened next. The ghost of Christmas present is a kind and jolly ghost. The ghost and Scrooge were cheerful when they visited homes. The spirit stood besides sickbeds, and they were cheerful and they were patient in their greater hope, by poverty and it was rich. The ghost makes Scrooge more relaxed around him, he isnt frightened, and he is calm in the ghosts presence. Like the ghost of Christmas past, this spirit is also forceful and makes him see what he doesnt want to see. The ghost of Christmas yet to come doesnt speak at all, this ghost is the one Scrooge is scared of most. Scrooge feared the silent shape so much that his legs trembled beneath him, and he found that he could hardly stand when he prepared to follow it. Scrooge is frightened of him the most because he doesnt know what his personality is like; with the other ghosts they were kind and caring. This ghost just points to places. But when Scrooge saw his grave then he got worried and cried hear me! I am not the man I was, I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this if I am past all hope? When Marley visits Scrooge, he is scared at first, because he doesnt know who it is, until the ghost got a bit closer, Scrooge was surprised to see his old friend, when Marley walked off to the window it beckoned Scrooge to approach, which he did.

Essay --

7) Knowledge Management and Six Sigma: Exploring the Potential of Two Powerful Disciplines, Paige Leavitt 1) Six Sigma should not be viewed as a quality program that is commissioned to reduce defects but as a methodology that helps companies better meet the needs of their business. KM shares this goal. 2) Voice of the customer in the DFSS process is also a potential area for a collaboration of ideas. â€Å"In Design For Six Sigma, knowledge of the customer-centric requirements is a key input †¦ to the design process,† said O’Dell. â€Å"And if you could use knowledge management tools to better understand what the customer is saying to sales people and service people, that information comes back to the folks who can make a difference in the design process.† 3) APQC's Lessons Learned "The problems, issues, and opportunities in organizations are not about reducing defects; they are about responding to new opportunities, using the voice of the customer knowledge," said O'Dell. "With both Six Sigma and KM, I’m telling you that you’re going to get more of what you want - if you begin to open the conversation to a different way of thinking about solving some of these problems over the long term. Because both Six Sigma and KM have tremendous power, they also have some issues that they need help with." Professionals in both arenas can learn from each other. Six Sigma can learn from KM how to recognize knowledge, as well as processes. Joseph Hofer-Alfeis from Siemens said, "Six Sigma is oriented to the quality of products and processes. If you think of a knowledge-intensive business, 'Six Sigma for knowledge quality' -- the quality of the proficiency, the quality of knowledge flows, and the quality of description knowledge -- should also be a ... ...nage the targeted process (e.g., an insurance sales agent or supervisor), while otherswork to support the process (e.g., an information technology expertwho provides support to the insurance claimsprocess).Unique project teamsare put together for each of the projects, and disbanded after these projects are completed, handing off resulting improvement-actions to process owners—people who routinely operate the processes. 5) Although each project has different objectives and specific tools employed, overall these projects follow a standardized, structured five-phase project management approach known as ‘‘DMAIC’’ for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control phases (Schroeder et al., 2008). 6) Project leaders are trained in the use of practices for collecting, combining, and synthesizing the knowledge of team members for use in process improvements (Hoerl, 2001).

The First World War (WWI) :: World War 1 I One

World War 1 World War 1 was called â€Å"The Great War†, â€Å"The war to end all wars†, and â€Å"The first modern war†. It had many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinad of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace in the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia. Germany who was allied with Austria-Hungary also declared war on Serbia. Russia who was allied with Serbia had to declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary. When Germany invaded France and Belgium, Great Britain declared war on Germany. World War 1 had begun. As the German Chancellor, Bethmann-Hollweg said, â€Å"Once the dice are cast nothing can stop them.† Indeed once the dice were cast on World War 1 nothing stopped them until 22 million people had died. Besides the assassination of the archduke there were four other reasons for the start of WW1. 1. Militarism- the building of large armies. All the nations in Europe at that time were engaged in what today could only be called an arms race. As soon as one nation built a new weapon, all the others followed suit. 2. Alliance System- The building of alliances to strengthen the borders of a country. In theses alliances if one country went to war all the other countries in the alliance were forced to go to war also. 3. Imperialism- The practice of colonizing other lands by large European nations. 4.Nationalism- The feeling of Patriotism in a country that makes it compete with all other counties in the area in all areas. In my opinion WW1 was an unnecessary global conflict in which 22 million people needlessly lost their lives. I think that this conflict could have be prevented or stopped in 2 ways. One if the Serbian leaders had more closely guarded the car that carried Archduke Ferdinad. If the assassin had not been able to get near the car perhaps the

Maritime Policy Essay

Maritime policies are set and managed so as to ensure the safety of ships while on the open seas. Furthermore maritime policies also have control over ports and the policies for docking, shipments, monies, what can be imported or not. Liabilities and values are managed and in some respects so are ethics. The policies are to designate water rights and boundaries. Shipping has inherent risks associated with the trade that needs to have emergency plans in place should something go wrong. There are environmental factors to take into consideration. 1 Add to this list, insurances, warranties and the laws that bind and by far, but not even the least, hazmat with the MSDS sheets of chemicals being transported, inspections, proper loads and bills of lading. Piracy isn’t much of an issue in today’s modern times but yet there are policies on piracy though much of this is outdated back to 1800-1900. Let us start with the safety aspect of shipping. Safety always starts and ends with the human element. Without human intervention there is no guarantee of proper safety procedures being followed. Granted there are no guarantees anyway but a plan to follow is by far better than not having one. Maritime safety policies offer a protection not only to humans but to the environment and each territory or country has its own maritime safety policies and their own policies in general. In following safety as put in the policies this can also promote economic development and activity. 2 If safety procedures set forth in each policy are adhered to then the smooth sailing into and out of ports and countries, taking into account the shipment, humans and wildlife and water handling as well as obeying water boundaries and the knowledge of these policies per each are of sailing then one can be fairly presumptuous in a smooth transaction. Smooth transactions will enable a stable and economical trade for a long time. Funny how safety and policies are a direct relation to simply sailing right? On top of written policies as mentioned, maintenance is also a huge safety concern. Without proper and timely maintenance of sea faring vessels, catastrophes can happen, shipments can be late which can in turn affect contracts of imports or exports which of course goes straight into the economics of shipping. As mentioned, the MSDS of chemicals is hugely, astronomically important in safety! The MSDS sheets give an abundant amount of information relating to any and all chemicals with regards to properties, explosiveness, stability, storage, shipping, proper handling, exposures to human and animals, what to do in case of accidents, medical issues and who to call for questions and answers. MSDS furthermore gives information as to protective wear and the immediate emergency criteria. While the MSDS (material safety data sheet) is one of the most important aspects in the USA for chemicals, even if they don’t seem dangerous, transport and safety factors, other countries will also have their own individual regulations for shipments containing dangerous chemicals. These regulations must be followed as well. This is to ensure safety precautions from both levels. Simply not following, even the MSDS instructions can cause severe issues. Explosions can happen, people and animals may become ill or death may occur. Long term lasting effects may happen to both humans and wildlife. If the safety practice is not followed with regards to whatever is being transported, whomever did not follow the instructions will be held liable and an end result can mean cancelled contracts, economic loss and soured politics with one person or country or even company. You must see the broad picture and how all of this relates to successful shipping, economics, policies and in general to the world. The economics of shipping is like a well oiled machine when operated correctly and with the use of good teamwork throughout all ports, countries and waterways and once again the following of policies at each port, within each territory. Economic welfare consists of the sum of consumers’ surpluses and producers’ surpluses plus or minus any relevant externalities. 3 The economy also requires a strong organizational skill of the shippers, producers and purchasers, not necessarily meaning consumers. The transportation of goods being shipped must be organized in respects to sea, air and freight transport, the production of making and delivering the goods, the ability to produce contracts in a timely manner, even the ability to put together a contract and keep it. Economics also requires the knowledge of knowing port fees and taxes in the other ports being frequented. Market trends will also play a large part in a successful economic empire. If you do not know the ever changing markets and the different economies at each port then the dismals failings are easily found in the shipping industry. This will slide right into the sociological factors of shipping. So how does this part of the shipping management work? How does it prosper? The entire shipping industry, to run in a smooth way uses all of the above but then there is an ultimate management of it all. The human resources management, the industry management, the social management, it all plays a huge part. The items in which are shipped, the taxes and prices of the different items all vary. The weight allowed for each ship, rail car or air transport matter in all ways. Social change denotes this. Social change can also be a dangerous happening to an industry if not prepared. When social change happens, this is similar to the industry changing and the industry and companies must be ready to absorb losses and be prepared to switch gears at a moments notice in their decisions of what to ship to who and when. Contracts may have to be renegotiated and in some cases when they can’t be then there is once again the absorption of the possibility of losing monies, contracts, and in worse case scenarios, allies from other countries. Maybe contracts won’t renew or no new contracts accepted. 4 The sociological side of a shipping industry and all involved are yet again directly correlated with the ecological aspects. There is an ecological factor to also take into consideration, both of the environment side and the human side. The environment side is in relation to protecting the seas, plant and animals within and against leakages that poor maintenance and unnecessary pollutions can cause. If maintenance is not done in the fashions that need to be, ships can fail at sea, shipments can be late. This is a small factor in the ecological side. The bigger problems are with lack of maintenance causing a fuel spill or oil spill then the natural inhabitants of the sea are affected, plant life is affected thus in the end so is the human life. Humans, whether spending the time to cleanup up or from suffering from the damages in a physical way, it is all apart of the ecology. On the human side, and back to the sociological side, which is a direct line to discrimination in today’s world, is the interdependence of the people. This means the people who work together in close quarters and those who work on the ports in far away countries or locally. Interdependence is a vital role in today’s world. If one person discriminates against another, that person loses an interdependence thus making for an unhappy person and in the end this can result in suits being filed. The interdependence of companies relies on maintaining a good policy and ethics as well. On the psychological level of this, companies who cannot maintain all the aspects of maritime policies lose their internal interdependence thus causing the loss of business and potentially causing conflicts that no one ever needs. Conflicts, no matter how small, have too many variables that affect to many avenues. The normal human resources departments of any business must have a good grip on the social aspects of management as well. This doesn’t just include the inter office workings but also all the working at sea, in the air or ground transportation involved. With regards to all the different ports and lanes that a shipping company must deal with there is always the word monopoly that comes to mind. Just like any other person who owns businesses, they are not allowed to corner the market and create this monopoly. Large shipping empires that have attained a level of success would love to monopolize. In a monopoly they would have the most control thus thinking that they have the most power which is an obvious factor to the God complex and this mentality can backslide back hundreds of years to a piracy level. Piracy in any form is not healthy for any economy worldwide. Another issue, especially since the 911 attack, is the threat of terrorist activity. These two play a part in negotiating contracts and between the US and other countries contracts can be quite difficult in forming before they are signed. Hand in hand with this can also be the social aspect. Considering the many parts to a shipping contract, not all parties are going to agree, not all parties are going to easily find the synergy needed to help one another and if a contract is negotiated wrongly, this can, in an astute way cause a port war which can engage much more than the initial port issue thus quickly embroiling itself into wars of territorial or world wars. The security involved policies is to prevent against this form of uprising and thus security issues are addressed in contracts as well. Our history shows that it doesn’t take much to cause a full fledged war as it is, so a good democratic person, or many, with a political mind and good business sense partnered with common sense may be a good one to deal with the different contracts and ports. The biggest issue seems to be the limits of liability. How much liability is each player going to accept if a shipment goes wrong? The factoring of circumstances that control this will help make this decision but in the end no one ever wants to be liable. We must work with and against liability issues such as warranties, lost or late shipments, unexpected happenings, transportation failures and the like. Someone has to be liable at all times and this liability shifts constantly from one person or company, to another. In the end someone has to pay for the negative liability caused. Another, much harder issue to deal with is the contract of intermodal transport. The ships provide transport but contracts also have to be written for the air and land travel as well. Who is responsible and the timeliness factor and costs at each port. Who becomes responsible when arriving at a port and suddenly the shipment isn’t available per unexpected intervention? This becomes a frustrated contract and thus many people lose in this instance. Intermodal transport requires high organization from many variables. Time, type of shipment, weight of shipment, cost of the transport, who can better do the transport with quality and quantity are all important roles. When transportation details are being negotiated, no matter if land, sea, air or a culmination of them all, it is imperative that all operates as expected. When something fails, it affects facets of the industry itself as well as families and all inbetween. With any maritime traveler there is a large and sometimes very emotional, ongoing issue in direct relation the sociological factoring and that’s the families of these travelers. There is a lot of time spent at sea, more so than at home by a wide margin. Even though wives, and sometimes husbands may marry a sea traveler, accepting that lifestyle can be a time of intense and long term distraught. Families have been interrupted and torn apart, simply because the other partner is not there as often as the other one wants them to be. While one partner is striving to provide the economical balance for the family, both parties must also have their own brand of political reasoning in order to maintain that family status. Now it seems crazy that a seafaring family would have politics within their home but it is definitely inevitable to a much higher degree than normal family politics as much more is at stake and much bigger changes happen. The one contract at this point that is generally easier to dissolve is the marriage contract and this happens frequently. â€Å"In this New World [of globalization] there is no room for national industrial policies and shipping is no exception. National shipping policy is dead – or it should be. † (Sletmo, 2001, p 334). While Sletmo may state that specific policies do not broaden the economics of the shipping industry but yet the government keeps making policies does not mean that the whole shipping industry policy is dead or needs to be dead. There are many policies that we may be unaware of that indeed do not strengthen the economics of this industry. The policies were put there for a reason and even if it is the policy on piracy it remains. This is a check and balance system that will always be ever changing. Can you imagine what would happen if all references to piracy were exonerated in maritime policies? Bounce right back to history of The Boston Tea Party or of the days of pirates stealing ships and cargo and the deaths involved, the families destroyed. It is a requirement to have the government involved to a degree. To have policies in place is needed. This is the only way, even in a globalized world, to survive whether it be industrial of nature or not. National shipping policy is not dead; just not agreed upon as much. From the Federal standpoint of maritime laws, shipping policies will remain in place as it desperately needs the protection that it affords. This protection encompasses regulation safety issues, contracts, ecological and sociological issues, water borders, individual countries port rules and much more. Policies affect the world wide shippers to some degree, even if only contemplating the policies in the USA. With larger shippers from Germany, Japan, Netherlands, China and Hong Kong present, it is imperative to have policies in place, especially when considering the past issues of wars between the USA and some of these countries. There is no room for error, no margin for a lack of agreed upon policies to maintain a profitable shipping policy. These countries must get along; one slip can create chaos and the loss of the economy even more so than ever, the loss of allies, and an uprising. This can even inadvertently and directly affect our stock markets and jobs world wide. If one thinks about the logical, in-depth reasons for policies, one will also recognize that many of the USA products, to include our actual ships, come from other countries. Without a policy in place for protection then shipping ports begin to lose. Without a policy, taxes may not be agreed upon, shipments may not be considered as satisfactory, maybe someone would decide to usurp someone else’s authority thus the possibility and likelihood of angering a different country or a specific port. It is somewhat recognizable that there will be a never ending aspect to problems that can happen and their effects which only go to prove that yes, policies, in all arenas of shipping need to be made under all circumstances. There is an abundant amount of pressure in shipping. One specific example is where we obtain our ships. Most of the ships the USA or other countries uses or owns are built in Germany. With Germany building the ships we buy or lease there is the maintenance and warranty to consider. Without proper maintenance a warranty is void, with a voided warranty, as with anything, tempers flare as each party believes another to be responsible. When proper maintenance of a ship is adhered to per policy then generally it leaves little to no room for argument when it comes time to file against a warranty. Warranties in everyday life, for little items are sometimes hard enough to get honored as it is; imagine enforcing a warranty for a multi million dollar freight ship. It becomes obvious how important it is to follow the shipping policy of just maintenance alone. Once again, think of the broader picture of maintenance and how it is related to safety as already discussed. Another example of shipping is actual the lower cost of labor for production in countries such as Japan and China. What if one day the shipping industry was paying 10 cents on the dollar for the labor to produce the items for shipment and then the next day that labor cost shot up to 50 cents on the dollar because of a suddenly strained atmosphere between countries? This rise would affect everything involved with contracts, timeliness, allies, shipments, sociological factors and who knows what else may happen that we don’t see. In summary, yes there are many policies for both the USA shippers for sea, land and air shipping but there are also policies for ports and countries abroad. There are many contracts to consider, many safety precautions to follow. There is a lot of political and economical pressure from all parties involved in the shipping industry and without policies in place there is no way that the shipping industry would survive. This lack of survival would affect all of us, world wide. Companies, persons, ports and countries would do as they saw fit, each persons view would be different and there would be nothing in place to prevent severe consequences from happening. While nothing is ever perfect in our imperfect world, the world of maritime policies must be complete in every aspect and almost perfect. Policies are ever changing as needs arise and in the end, if terms cannot be agreed upon to form a new policy then this can go anywhere from losing a contract before it is signed, to losing part of an economy to a full out war. Globalization demands policies at all levels. The statement of there being no room for industrial shipping policies is a huge fallacy. Make room for the policies needed for the safety, economical, political reason on all levels throughout the world, that, or have a mess on hand that will be a hard cleanup. List of References MSc in Maritime Security, Safety and Enviromental Management (2005) http://www.deu. edu. tr/DEUWeb/English/Icerik/Icerik. php? KOD=6756http://www. maritimesafetymanagement. com/AboutMSEM/AcademicProgram/Unit3SafetyandEnvironmentalManagement1/tabid/723/Default. aspx Maritime Transport Policy (2006) Barrott, Jacques http://ec. europa. eu/transport/maritime/doc/maritime_transport_policy_en. pdf pg 2 Gross, Richard (2004) Economic Welfare and Maritime Economics (http://web. deu. edu. tr/smbm/RGoss. pdf Scollick, Andy. Maritime Regional Sustainability http://web. pml. ac. uk/globec/structure/fwg/focus4/symposium/posters/S5-P8. pdf Norfolk Southern Railway Co. v. Kirby, 125 S. Ct. 385 (2004). Federal Maritime Jurisdiction Pushes Inland http://www. olemiss. edu/orgs/SGLC/National/SandBar/4. 1maritime. htm SLETMO, G. K. 2001. `The End of National Shipping Policy? A Historical Perspective on Shipping Policy in a Global Economy`, International Journal of Maritime Economics, 2001, 3, (333-350). Sletmo (2001) The Economic Effects of Shipping policies http://www. porteconomics. nl/docs/the_economic. pdf Shipping Management Plan VS 1 (2003-2005) http://www. amsa. gov. au/shipping_safety/great_barrier_reef_and_torres_strait/gbr_review_report/Documents/shipmgt1. pdf The New York Times ( 1919) http://query.nytimes. com/mem/archive-free/pdf? _r=1&res=9504E7D6163AE03ABC4C51DFB3668382609EDE&oref=slogin National Shipping Fleets and Access to Shipping Markets (1950-1960) http://www. unescap. org/ttdw/Publications/TFS_pubs/Pub_1988/Pub_1988_Ch5. pdf Law of the Sea. Murdoch University (1901-1988) http://weblaw. edu. au/display_page. phtml? WebLaw_Page=Law+of+the+Sea Traveling by Sea. Traveling Advice for Shipping and Ports (2008) http://www. smartraveller. gov. au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/shipping_and_ports Department of Transport. Shipping and Ports (2007) http://www. dft. gov. uk/pgr/shippingports/ State of Connecticut Maritime Policy (2006) http://www. ct. gov/dot/cwp/view. asp? a=2314&Q=309828 Maritime Affairs (2008) http://ec. europa. eu/maritimeaffairs/ Ferguson, Allen R. Refom on Maritime Policy: Building blocks of an Integrated Program http://www. cato. org/pubs/regulation/regv17n2/reg17n2-ferguson. html BioMarine: Integrated Maritime Policy (2008) http://www. marinelink. com/Story/BioMarine:+Integrated+Maritime+Policy-213236. html Maritime Areas of Practice http://www. klgates. com/practices/ServiceDetail. aspx? service=77 The Transportation Institute http://www. trans-inst. org/EuropeanMaritimePolicies. htm Word count=3069

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 2~3

Chapter 2 Death Warmed Over She heard insects scurrying above her in the darkness, smelled burned flesh, and felt a heavy weight pressing down on her back. Oh my God, he's buried me alive. Her face was pressed against something hard and cold – stone, she thought until she smelled the oil in the asphalt. Panic seized her and she struggled to get her hands under her. Her left hand lit up with pain as she pushed. There was a rattle and a deafening clang and she was standing. The dumpster that had been on her back lay overturned, spilling trash across the alley. She looked at it in disbelief. It must have weighed a ton. Fear and adrenaline, she thought. Then she looked at her left hand and screamed. It was horribly burned, the top layer of skin black and cracked. She ran out of the alley looking for help, but the street was empty. I've got to get to a hospital, call the police. She spotted a pay phone; a red chimney of heat rose from the lamp above it. She looked up and down the empty street. Above each streetlight she could see heat rising in red waves. She could hear the buzzing of the electric bus wires above her, the steady stream of the sewers running under the street. She could smell dead fish and diesel fuel in the fog, the decay of the Oakland mudflats across the bay, old French fries, cigarette butts, bread crusts and fetid pastrami from a nearby trash can, and the residual odor of Aramis wafting under the doors of the brokerage houses and banks. She could hear wisps of fog brushing against the buildings like wet velvet. It was as if her senses, like her strength, had been turned up by adrenaline. She shook off the spectrum of sounds and smells and ran to the phone, holding her damaged hand by the wrist. As she moved, she felt a roughness inside her blouse against her skin. With her right hand she pulled at the silk, yanking it out of her skirt. Stacks of money fell out of her blouse to the sidewalk. She stopped and stared at the bound blocks of hundred-dollar bills lying at her feet. She thought, There must be a hundred thousand dollars here. A man attacked me, choked me, bit my neck, burned my hand, then stuffed my shirt full of money and put a dumpster on me and now I can see heat and hear fog. I've won Satan's lottery. She ran back to the alley, leaving the money on the sidewalk. With her good hand she riffled through the trash spilled from the dumpster until she found a paper bag. Then she returned to the sidewalk and loaded the money into the bag. At the pay phone she had to do some juggling to get the phone off the hook and dialed without putting down the money and without using her injured hand. She pressed 911 and while she waited for it to ring she looked at the burn. Really, it looked worse than it felt. She tried to flex the hand and black skin cracked. Boy, that should hurt. It should gross me out too, she thought, but it doesn't. In fact, I don't really feel that bad, considering. I've been more sore after a game of racquetball with Kurt. Strange. The receiver clicked and a woman's voice came on the line. â€Å"Hello, you've reached the number for San Francisco emergency services. If you are currently in danger, press one; if the danger has passed and you still need help, press two.† Jody pressed two. â€Å"If you have been robbed, press one. If you've been in an accident, press two. If you've been assaulted, press three. If you are calling to report a fire, press four. If you've – â€Å" Jody ran the choices through her head and pressed three. â€Å"If you've been shot, press one. Stabbed, press two. Raped, press three. All other assaults, press four. If you'd like to hear these choices again, press five.† Jody meant to press four, but hit five instead. There was a series of clicks and the recorded voice came back on. â€Å"Hello, you've reached the number for San Francisco emergency services. If you are currently in danger – â€Å" Jody slammed the receiver down and it shattered in her hand, nearly knocking the phone off the pole. She jumped back and looked at the damage. Adrenaline, she thought. I'll call Kurt. He can come get me and take me to the hospital. She looked around for another pay phone. There was one by her bus stop. When she reached it she realized that she didn't have any change. Her purse had been in her briefcase and her briefcase was gone. She tried to remember her calling card number, but she and Kurt had only moved in together a month ago and she hadn't memorized it yet. She picked up and dialed the operator. â€Å"I'd like to make a collect call from Jody.† She gave the operator the number and waited while it rang. The machine picked up. â€Å"It looks like no one is home,† the operator said. â€Å"He's screening his calls,† Jody insisted. â€Å"Just tell him – â€Å" â€Å"I'm sorry, we aren't allowed to leave messages.† Hanging up, Jody destroyed the phone; this time, on purpose. She thought, Pounds of hundred-dollar bills and I can't make a damn phone call. And Kurt's screening his calls – I must be very late; you'd think he could pick up. If I wasn't so pissed off, I'd cry. Her hand had stopped aching completely now, and when she looked at it again it seemed to have healed a bit. I'm getting loopy, she thought. Post-traumatic loopiness. And I'm hungry. I need medical attention, I need a good meal, I need a sympathetic cop, a glass of wine, a hot bath, a hug, my auto-teller card so I can deposit this cash. I need†¦ The 42 bus rounded the corner and Jody instinctively felt in her jacket pocket for her bus pass. It was still there. The bus stopped and the door opened. She flashed her pass at the driver as she boarded. He grunted. She sat in the first seat, facing three other passengers. Jody had been riding the buses for five years, and occasionally, because of work or a late movie, she had to ride them at night. But tonight, with her hair frizzing wild and full of dirt, her nylons ripped, her suit wrinkled and stained – disheveled, disoriented, and desperate – she felt that she fit in for the first time. The psychos lit up at the sight of her. â€Å"Parking space!† a woman in the back blurted out. Jody looked up. â€Å"Parking space!† The woman wore a flowered housecoat and Mickey Mouse ears. She pointed out the window and shouted, â€Å"Parking space!† Jody looked away, embarrassed. She understood, though. She owned a car, a fast little Honda hatchback, and since she had found a parking space outside her apartment a month ago, she had only moved it on Tuesday nights, when the street sweeper went by – and moved it back as soon as the sweeper had passed. Claim-jumping was a tradition in the City; you had to guard a space with your life. Jody had heard that there were parking spaces in Chinatown that had been in families for generations, watched over like the graves of honored ancestors, and protected by no little palm-greasing to the Chinese street gangs. â€Å"Parking space!† the woman shouted. Jody glanced across the aisle and committed eye contact with a scruffy bearded man in an overcoat. He grinned shyly, then slowly pulled aside the flap of his overcoat to reveal an impressive erection peeking out the port of his khakis. Jody returned the grin and pulled her burned, blackened hand out of her jacket and held it up for him. Bested, he closed his overcoat, slouched in his seat and sulked. Jody was amazed that she'd done it. Next to the bearded man sat a young woman who was furiously unknitting a sweater into a yarn bag, as if she would go until she got to the end of the yarn, then reknit the sweater. An old man in a tweed suit and a wool deerstalker sat next to the knitting woman, holding a walking stick between his knees. Every few seconds he let loose with a rattling coughing fit, then fought to get his breath back while he wiped his eyes with a silk handkerchief. He saw Jody looking at him and smiled apologetically. â€Å"Just a cold,† he said. No, it's much worse than a cold, Jody thought. You're dying. How do I know that? I don't know how I know, but I know. She smiled at the old man, then turned to look out the window. The bus was passing through North Beach now and the streets were full of sailors, punks, and tourists. Around each she could see a faint red aura and heat trails in the air as they moved. She shook her head to clear her vision, then looked at the people inside the bus. Yes, each of them had the aura, some brighter than others. Around the old man in tweeds there was a dark ring as well as the red heat aura. Jody rubbed her eyes and thought, I must have hit my head. I'm going to need a CAT scan and an EEG. It's going to cost a fortune. The company will hate it. Maybe I can process my own claim and push it through. Well, I'm definitely calling in sick for the rest of the week. And there's serious shopping to be done once I get finished at the hospital and the police station. Serious shopping. Besides, I won't be able to type for a while anyway. She looked at her burned hand and thought again that it might have healed a bit. I'm still taking the week off, she thought. The bus stopped at Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square and groups of tourists in Day-Glo nylon shorts and Alcatraz sweatshirts boarded, chattering in French and German while tracing lines on street maps of the City. Jody could smell sweat and soap, the sea, boiled crab, chocolate and liquor, fried fish, onions, sourdough bread, hamburgers and car exhaust coming off the tourists. As hungry as she was, the odor of food nauseated her. Feel free to shower during your visit to San Francisco, she thought. The bus headed up Van Ness and Jody got up and pushed through the tourists to the exit door. A few blocks later the bus stopped at Chestnut Street and she looked over her shoulder before getting off. The woman in the Mickey Mouse ears was staring peacefully out the window. â€Å"Wow,† Jody said. â€Å"Look at all those parking spaces.† As she stepped off the bus, Jody could hear the woman shouting, â€Å"Parking space! Parking space!† Jody smiled. Now why did I do that? Chapter 3 Oh Liquid Love Snapshots at midnight: an obese woman with a stun gun curbing a poodle, an older gay couple power-walking in designer sweats, a college girl pedaling a mountain bike – trailing tresses of perm-fried hair and a blur of red heat; televisions buzzing inside hotels and homes, sounds of water heaters and washing machines, wind rattling sycamore leaves and whistling through fir trees, a rat leaving his nest in a palm tree – claws skittering down the trunk. Smells: fear sweat from the poodle woman, rose water, ocean, tree sap, ozone, oil, exhaust, and blood-hot and sweet like sugared iron. It was only a three-block walk from the bus stop to the four-story building where she shared an apartment with Kurt, but to Jody it seemed like miles. It wasn't fatigue but fear that lengthened the distance. She thought she had lost her fear of the City long ago, but here it was again: over-the-shoulder glances between spun determination to look ahead and keep walking and not break into a run. She crossed the street onto her block and saw Kurt's Jeep parked in front of the building. She looked for her Honda, but it was gone. Maybe Kurt had taken it, but why? She'd left him the key as a courtesy. He wasn't really supposed to use it. She didn't know him that well. She looked at the building. The lights were on in her apartment. She concentrated on the bay window and could hear the sound of Louis Rukeyser punning his way through a week on Wall Street. Kurt liked to watch tapes of â€Å"Wall Street Week† before he went to bed at night. He said they relaxed him, but Jody suspected that he got some latent sexual thrill out of listening to balding money managers talking about moving millions. Oh well, if a rise in the Dow put a pup tent in his jammies, it was okay with her. The last guy she'd lived with had wanted her to pee on him. As she started up the steps she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye. Someone had ducked behind a tree. She could see an elbow and the tip of a shoe behind the tree, even in the darkness, but something else frightened her. There was no heat aura. Not seeing it now was as disturbing as seeing it had been a few minutes ago: she'd come to expect it. Whoever was behind the tree was as cold as the tree itself. She ran up the steps, pushed the buzzer, and waited forever for Kurt to answer. â€Å"Yes,† the intercom crackled. â€Å"Kurt, it's me. I don't have my key. Buzz me in.† The lock buzzed and she was in. She looked back through the glass. The street was empty. The figure behind the tree was gone. She ran up the four flights of steps to where Kurt was waiting at their apartment door. He was in jeans and an Oxford cloth shirt – an athletic, blond, thirty-year-old could-be model, who wanted, more than anything, to be a player on Wall Street. He took orders at a discount brokerage for salary and spent his days at a keyboard wearing a headset and suits he couldn't afford, watching other people's money pass him by. He was holding his hands behind his back to hide the Velcro wrist wraps he wore at night to minimize the pain from carpal tunnel syndrome. He wouldn't wear the wraps at work; carpal tunnel was just too blue-collar. At night he hid his hands like a kid with braces who is afraid to smile. â€Å"Where have you been?† he asked, more angry than concerned. Jody wanted smiles and sympathy, not recrimination. Tears welled in her eyes. â€Å"I was attacked tonight. Someone beat me up and stuffed me under a dumpster.† She held her arms out for a hug. â€Å"They burned my hand,† she wailed. Kurt turned his back on her and walked back into the apartment. â€Å"And where were you last night? Where were you today? Your office called a dozen times today.† Jody followed him in. â€Å"Last night? What are you talking about?† â€Å"They towed your car, you know. I couldn't find the key when the street sweeper came. You're going to have to pay to get it out of impound.† â€Å"Kurt, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm hungry and I'm scared and I need to go to the hospital. Someone attacked me, dammit!† Kurt pretended to be organizing his videotapes. â€Å"If you didn't want a commitment, you shouldn't have agreed to move in with me. It's not like I don't get opportunities with women every day.† Her mother had told her: Never get involved with a man who's prettier than you are. â€Å"Kurt, look at this.† Jody held up her burned hand. â€Å"Look!† Kurt turned slowly and looked at her; the acid in his expression fizzled into horror. â€Å"How did you do that?† â€Å"I don't know, I was knocked out. I think I have a head injury. My vision is†¦ Everything looks weird. Now will you please help me?† Kurt started walking in a tight circle around the coffee table, shaking his head. â€Å"I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.† He sat on the couch and began rocking. Jody thought, This is the man who called the fire department when the toilet backed up, and I'm asking him for help. What was I thinking? Why am I attracted to weak men? What's wrong with me? Why doesn't my hand hurt? Should I eat something or go to the emergency room? Kurt said, â€Å"This is horrible, I've got to get up early. I have a meeting at five.† Now that he was in the familiar territory of self-interest, he stopped rocking and looked up. â€Å"You still haven't told me where you were last night!† Near the door where Jody stood there was an antique oak hall tree. On the hall tree there was a black raku pot where lived a struggling philodendron, home for a colony of spider mites. As Jody snatched up the pot, she could hear the spider mites shifting in their tiny webs. As she drew back to throw, she saw Kurt blink, his eyelids moving slowly, like an electric garage door. She saw the pulse in his neck start to rise with a heartbeat as she let fly. The pot described a beeline across the room, trailing the plant behind it like a comet tail. Confused spider mites found themselves airborne. The bottom of the pot connected with Kurt's forehead, and Jody could see the pot bulge, then collapse in on itself. Pottery and potting soil showered the room; the plant folded against Kurt's head and Jody could hear each of the stems snapping. Kurt didn't have time to change expressions. He fell back on the couch, unconscious. The whole thing had taken a tenth of a second. Jody moved to the couch and brushed potting soil out of Kurt's hair. There was a half-moon-shaped dent in his forehead that was filling with blood as she watched. Her stomach lurched and cramped so violently that she fell to her knees with the pain. She thought, My insides are caving in on themselves. She heard Kurt's heart beating and the slow rasp of his breathing. At least I haven't killed him. The smell of blood was thick in her nostrils, suffocatingly sweet. Another cramp doubled her over. She touched the wound on his forehead, then pulled back, her fingers dripping with blood. I'm not going to do this. I can't. She licked her fingers and every muscle in her body sang with the rush. There was an intense pressure on the roof of her mouth, then a crackling noise inside her head, as if someone were ripping out the roots of her eyeteeth. She ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth and felt needlelike points pushing through the skin behind her canines: new teeth, growing. I'm not doing this, she thought, as she climbed on top of Kurt and licked the blood from his forehead. The new teeth lengthened. A wave of electric pleasure rocketed through her and her mind went white with exhilaration. In the back of her mind a small voice shouted â€Å"No!† over and over again as she bit into Kurt's throat and drank. She heard herself moaning with each beat of Kurt's heart. It was a machine-gun orgasm, dark chocolate, spring water in the desert, a hallelujah chorus and the cavalry coming to the rescue all at once. And all the while the little voice screamed no! Finally she pulled herself away and rolled off onto the floor. She sat with her back to the couch, arms around her legs, her face pressed against her knees, ticking and twitching with tiny convulsions of pleasure. A dark warmth moved through her body, tingling as if she had just climbed out of a snowbank into a hot bath. Slowly the warmth ran away, replaced by a heart-wrenching sadness – a feeling of loss so permanent and profound that she felt numbed by the weight of it. I know this feeling, she thought. I've felt this before. She turned and looked at Kurt and felt little relief to see that he was still breathing. There were no marks on his neck where she had bitten him. The wound on his forehead was clotting and scabbing over. The smell of blood was still strong but now it repulsed her, like the odor of empty wine bottles on a hangover morning. She stood and walked to the bathroom, stripping her clothes off as she went. She turned on the shower, and while it ran worked down the remnants of her panty hose, noticing, without much surprise, that her burned hand had healed completely. She thought, I've changed. I will never be the same. The world has shifted. And with that thought the sadness returned. I've felt this before. She stepped into the shower and let the scalding water run over her, not noting its feel, or sound, or the color of the heat and steam swirling in the dark bathroom. The first sob wrenched its way up from her chest, shaking her, opening the grief trail. She slid down the shower wall, sat on the water-warmed tiles and cried until the water ran cold. And she remembered: another shower in the dark when the world had changed. She had been fifteen and not in love, but in love with the excitement of touching tongues and the rough feel of the boy's hand on her breast; in love with the idea of passion and too full of too-sweet wine, shoplifted by the boy from a 7-Eleven. His name was Steve Rizzoli (which didn't matter, except that she would always remember it) and he was two years older – a bit of a bad boy with his hash pipe and surfer smoothness. On a blanket in the Carmel dunes he coaxed her out of her jeans and did it to her. To her, not with her: she could have been dead, for her involvement. It was fast and awkward and empty except for the pain, which lingered and grew even after she walked home, cried in the shower, and lay in her room, wet hair spread over the pillow as she stared at the ceiling and grieved until dawn. As she stepped out of the shower and began mechanically toweling off, she thought, I felt this before when I grieved for my virginity. What do I grieve for tonight? My humanity? That's it: I'm not human anymore, and I never will be again. With that realization, events fell into place. She'd been gone two nights, not one. Her attacker had shoved her under the dumpster to protect her from the sun, but somehow her hand had been exposed and burned. She had slept through the day, and when she awoke the next evening, she was no longer human. Vampire. She didn't believe in vampires. She looked at her feet on the bath mat. Her toes were straight as a baby's, as if they had never been bent and bunched by wearing shoes. The scars on her knees and elbows from childhood accidents were gone. She looked in the mirror and saw that the tiny lines beside her eyes were gone, as were her freckles. But her eyes were black, not a millimeter of iris showing. She shuddered, then realized that she was seeing all of this in total darkness, and flipped on the bathroom light. Her pupils contracted and her eyes were the same striking green that they had always been. She grabbed a handful of her hair and inspected the ends. None were split, none broken. She was – as far as she could allow herself to believe – perfect. A newborn at twenty-six. I am a vampire. She allowed the thought to repeat and settle in her mind as she went to the bedroom and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. A vampire. A monster. But I don't feel like a monster. As she walked back from the bedroom to the bathroom to dry her hair, she spotted Kurt lying on the couch. He was breathing rhythmically and a healthy aura of heat rose off his body. Jody felt a twinge of guilt, then pushed it aside. Fuck him, I never really liked him anyway. Maybe I am a monster. She turned on the curling iron that she used every morning to straighten her hair, then turned it off and threw it back on the vanity. Fuck that, too. Fuck curling irons and blow dryers and high heels and mascara and control-top panty hose. Fuck those human things. She shook out her hair, grabbed her toothbrush and went back to the bedroom, where she packed a shoulder bag full of jeans and sweatshirts. She dug through Kurt's jewelry box until she found the spare keys to her Honda. The clock radio by the bed read five o'clock in the morning. I don't have much time. I've got to find a place to stay, fast. On her way out she paused by the couch and kissed Kurt on the forehead. â€Å"You're going to be late for your meeting,† she said to him. He didn't move. She grabbed the bag of money from the floor and stuffed it into her shoulder bag, then walked out. Outside, she looked up and down the street, then cursed. The Honda had been towed. She'd have to get it out of impound. But you could only do that during the day. Shit. It would be light soon. She thought of what the sun had done to her hand. I've got to find darkness. She jogged down the street, feeling lighter on her feet than she ever had. At Van Ness she ran into a motel office and pounded on the bell until a sleepy-eyed clerk appeared behind the bulletproof window. She paid cash for two nights, then gave the clerk a hundred-dollar bill to ensure that she would not, under any circumstances, be disturbed. Once in the room she locked the door, then braced a chair against it and got into bed. Weariness came on her suddenly as first light broke pink over the City. She thought, I've got to get my car back. I've got to find a safe place to stay. Then I need to find out who did this to me. I have to know why. Why me? Why the money? Why? And I'm going to need help. I'm going to need someone who can move around in the day. When the sun peeked over the horizon in the east, she fell into the sleep of the dead.