Behavioral Theories of Learning

Skinner’s terminology provides that positive reinforcers are any form of encouragement like rewards, awards and goals and positive reinforcement is the act itself of receiving the reward or achieving the goal (Skinner B. F. , 1969). The definitions of operant conditioning provide that negative reinforcement is a mode of behavioral theory that as a result of experiencing a negative condition, a particular behavior is enhanced, strengthened or emphasized. (http://www. mcli. dist. maricopa. edu/proj/nru/opcond. html, 1999).A good example of positive reinforcement inside a classroom would be a teacher giving extra credits for students who would achieve a certain high average. How is this positive reinforcement? Students will become motivated to excel and give extra effort to achieve the award and in the process they get to learn more ultimately benefiting them in the end. A pre-school teacher giving candy to the brave little girl who will not cry and back out of her first day in s chool is also an instance of positive reinforcement.The school board giving an award or an additional benefit for the teacher of the month, this is another example of a positive reinforcement. Why is that? By promising to give a little extra something, the school encourages the teachers to improve their over-all teaching performance and by doing so, they are encouraging a little friendly competition among fellow educators. The learning curve is sure to climb the charts if all the teachers and students are motivated. How will that be achieved? It is simple.The teachers will be inspired to think of innovative teaching methods that will be effective on students and in turn the students learn more. Some teachers are not as approachable as others that is the reason why students don’t ask questions even though they did not fully understand the subject matter, as a solution, they can make themselves available to students for consultation. As a result, the school’s educational framework benefits because of cooperation and communication. Everybody gets a special kind of something in the end.The key word in positive reinforcement is benefit. One way or another, everyone receives something beneficial to himself and to others as well. An example of negative reinforcement inside the four corners of the classroom would be a teacher who warns students that if they fail the exam they would get an automatic failing grade. This is negative reinforcement because if a student wants to avoid getting a failing grade, he would study. His studying habits will be strengthened as a consequence of being threatened of getting a failing grade.The application of negative reinforcement can be most usually seen in the fields of education and reform. The use of fines, imprisonment is one such example of the use of negative reinforcement to warn of the negative consequences of associating with social ills (Skinner,1953). Negative Reinforcement as compared to punishment strengthen s a behavior because a negative condition is stopped or avoided as a result of such behavior while the latter weakens a behavior because of the introduction of a negative condition as a result of the behavior (mcli. dist.maricopa. edu, 1999). An example of punishment is when a student is caught cheating by his professor, the consequence would be detention or suspension. Another demeanor of a student which is very suitable for punishment is bribing a teacher in order for him to get an â€Å"A†. This offense should be dealt with seriously because it can affect the educational system not to mention the character and reputation of the school. Punishment endeavors to make the person realize the intensity of the offense that was committed and for him to reflect on his actions.All these will be in vain if an important goal of punishment is not achieved, which goal is for the person not to repeat the same offense ever again. The application of these kinds of reinforcement depends upo n the situation and the individual upon whom these will be enforced. Imagine expelling a student for being caught littering inside the school grounds. The use of these types of reinforcements would vary not only because of a particular scenario but the attitude and intent of the person involved would have to be taken into consideration as well. In positive and negative reinforcement, the responses and effects are unpredictable.The effect would be of course either positive or negative as well. Positive outcome results when the desired response or behavior is achieved by using a certain kind of reinforcement, however, this desired outcome is not always achieved. For instance, in positive reinforcement, the aim is improvement and encouragement but the psyche of the person being motivated or encouraged does not depend on the positive reinforcer. For instance, no matter what benefit the teacher promises the student but the latter is not moved by it, there would be no positive result.The results in negative reinforcement, the aim of which is education or reform, will not be accomplished when the expected reaction or behavior is not achieved. As in the example given above, when a teacher suspends or sends a student in detention for cheating but the latter does it again, negative outcome results. In the field of education, positive or negative enforcement or even punishment may be associated with each other not only because they are modes to elicit a certain response from a student but because of the result they so aspire.The means may be different but the desired end to be achieved is the same; to maximize the learning potential and more importantly to mold the student’s behavior for the better. References Skinner B. F. , 1969, Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Retrieved 04/03/09 from http://www. freeonlineresearchpapers. com/ Macopa Center for Learning and Instruction Retrieved 04/03/09 from http://www. mcli. dist. maricopa. edu/proj/nru/opcond. html Skinner B. F. , 1953, Science and Human Behaviour, New York: Macmillan. Retrieved 04/03/09 from http://www. freeonlineresearchpapers. com/

Jacksons Building Centres Essay

Introduction: A large to medium sized business such as Jacksons need quite a big Human Resources department. They perform a key role in the company’s day to day operations. This department cover many areas such as, recruitment and training, organisation at department levels and looking at competition, these are just a few aspects of the department but are all needed so make the business run efficiently. This Human Resource based project I am going to base on Jacksons Building Centres. The main aim of this study is to investigate the five main areas of Human Resources which are: * Human resource planning * Recruitment and selection * Training and development * Performance management * Motivational theory Human resource planning: In an ideal world businesses should plan ahead when it comes to human resources. A well-organized business will have forecasts and projections of its future staffing needs. These will then be matched to forecasts and projections about the local labour market, which means that the business can develop appropriate strategies for the recruitment, training and development of its staff. Projected Levels of Employment in Lincolnshire: Work Force Lincolnshire Total Number in Employment 219,085 % of all working age in employment 75.2 % of Male Full-Time 42.7 % of Female Full-Time 6.6 % of Male Part-Time 23.4 % of Female Part-Time 27.2 The types of jobs that are in decline in Lincolnshire: The two main types of jobs that are in decline in Lincolnshire are: * Farming – this is due to more to increased mechanisation so the ratio of work complete by machines to human is decreasing, thus less man power is needed. * Heavy Engineering – the majority of heavy engineering companies have left the area only leaving the largest which is Alstom. Due to Jacksons not being involved in these sectors the decline in certain areas of employment does not have an effect on the business. Technological advances, changes in social behavior, demographic shifts and economic conditions are driving fundamental changes in the structure of the labour market and the playing field on which competition is laid for labour. The competitiveness with other employers is affected by general labour market forces. Recruitment and Selection: Recruitment and Selection is a well-worn topic, whish is traded fully in all major texts. There is always a tension between getting the right person for a job and how much resource in terms of time and money is devoted to recruitment. The main ways in which Jacksons recruit is via Job Centres and Local News papers. This encourages people who live in the local area to apply for the job. The Selection Process for the management scheme: Requirements: – Between the ages of 18 and 24. – 4 GCSEs – 2 A Levels Application: * Approximately one hundred people apply for four positional available, * They then look for suitability for the position in Jacksons case Energetic and hard working, * They then select the definite no’s: * not complete application forms, * poor handwriting * poor literacy * They then look for the applicants that they like: * Sociability quality * Good Motivational qualities * A Spark! They then invite the selected applicants to an assessment centre where they undergo a series of tasks. They are first split up into groups of around twelve for around half a day where the do exercises based on: – Motivation – Sociability – Team Work During this time they look for the Contribution of the applicant or domineering and no contribution, within this they look for a balance between them. They then have a half an hour paper base study where they have to figure an appropriate solution to a given problem. From the assessment centre they narrow the candidates down to 2 or 3 which will be interviewed. The interview will be based and assessed on: – A Balanced approach – Halo Effect – Avoiding bias – Describe personalities – Numeracy Questions – Case study during interview (customer service problem) – Move away from Psychometric tests – Looking at objectives An interview report is then compiled. If the applicant is successful then they will be asked back to another interview with Branch managers and other high status employees. They will then offer 4 to 6 placements within a month to 6 weeks. Included in the next few pages are examples of the Application Form and the Employment Interview Report. Training and Development: Jacksons run a management trainee program which has been running for around twenty years. Jacksons say it has been a strong contributory factor in their continued success, providing their branches with a steady stream of capable Merchant Managers. The programme consists of two stages. The first lasts for two years, in which time trainees will gain a valuable insight into the running of a busy Builders Merchant. The programme will be agreed at the beginning of the course and is designed to acquaint the trainee with a merchant’s environment, as well as learning and developing valuable personal competencies, such as time-management, assertiveness and communication skills. Knowledge will be developed from grass roots level where the trainee will work in a number of departments, building up an understanding of both the products we sell and customers we deal with. Progress is assessed regularly, both verbally and by written appraisal. Upon successful completion of the first phase the trainee will move onto the second stage of the programme, where there will be more specific management development lasting up to one year. Transport/Warehouse Building Materials Plumbing and Heating Sales Plumbing Office Heating Office Ironmongery Bathroom Showroom Kitchen Showroom Jackson Hire Timber one month three months three months two months two months three months three months one month three months three months In addition to the above, you will also spend time in the following areas: a. Accompanying a Company Representative b. Accompanying a Lorry Driver c. A period in the Accounts Office As a trainee manager you will also take part in special projects such as trade shows, corporate promotions and careers conventions. You will also spend time working at one other branch. This gives you the opportunity to work with people from around the group. Motivational Theory: Training in motivation is important in helping learners develop self-regulatory skills to set their own goals and manage their own learning and performance. Evaluating motivational levels in a learning situation also allows the instructor to determine the clarity of their units’ directions, and measure the effectiveness of varying consequences to either success or failure of individual students (Driscoll, 2000). Keller adds curiosity and its measure and promotion are a key to promoting knowledge seeking behaviour (Keller, 1987). A prevalent model in motivational theory is credited to John M. Keller. The ARCS theory of motivation corresponds to each of the four letters of the acronym (Keller, 1984): A- Attention R- Relevance C- Confidence S- Satisfaction Attention Keller’s Attitude of Inquiry (1987) is a phrase used to describe the attention level desired to promote learning. He recommends varying presentation styles in order to maintain student attention (Keller,1983). Driscoll suggests presenting some materials through varying media, alternating lecture with demonstration, small group discussions, or class debates (2000). Relevance Instructors should relate lessons to their learners’ experiences by providing concrete examples and analogies. The more familiar something is, the more likely a student is to see it as relevant to their learning and use (Driscoll, 2000). Keller states that people enjoy learning more about things they already believe in or are more interested in (1987). Elementary teachers who used all four categories of ARCS found that relevance bore the strongest positive relationship to on-task behavior (Newby, 1991). Confidence Students gain confidence in their own abilities when experiencing success at challenging tasks (Driscoll, 2000). Students can be shown that seemingly unreachable goals can be attained through a series of organized, manageable sub goals and attainable small steps. Even failure can build confidence if the learner attributes failure to the poor use of strategies inherent to learning (Clifford, 1984). Satisfaction Students base satisfaction on the comparison of their achievements on balance with the achievements of those involved with them in the same learning environment (Keller, 1987). Elements increasing satisfaction can be verbal praise, incentives, and awards (Driscoll, 2000). The above four are the main sections that are obtained under the title ‘Motivational Theory’. Different Theories: Many theories have been established within the last one hundred years and it is not possible to consider each one of these. What is important in the study of motivation are the key names that have influenced today’s approach. Four major theories have remained at the forefront of motivational techniques and each one is linked to a different style of management they are: * Frederick Winslow Taylor * Douglas McGregor * Abraham Maslow * Frederick Herzberg. Performance management Performance Management refers to different strategies designed to get the best of a businesses work force. Different techniques are employed which attempt to relate performance with pay, or promotion or training. Such schemes are not always popular with workers. A method of creating fair individual and team will be used by the Human Resources department and this could be done by the SMART model: Specific use a clear language to describe exactly what is required Measurable identify numerical targets and outputs which can be counted and assessed Agreed agree these with the employee so that they take responsibility for their own output Realistic set targets that are attainable for each individual, according to their skills and competencies Time-related state specific dates when targets must be achieved and will be measured External Labour Market The external Labour market is important to the running of the Human Resources department of Jacksons. To attract people to the company they need to compete with other companies. This means that Jacksons have to be able to offer the best package for them to attract new workforces. One of the main things that Jacksons offer is the Management training course. This is a very sort after employment opportunity due to incorporating management and other valuable skills fitting for later employment opportunities. Another aspect of importance to the external labour market to the Human Resources department is the way jobs and such are advertised. This in many cases is what a potential employee is looking at. So the Human Resources department look at other companies methods and take the good points from them to increase efficiency of attracting potential employees.

Essay On Cinema Entertains As Well As Educates The Masses Essay

Free essays on corruption wikipedia in hindi for students india-myanmar strategic will the anti -corruption movement bring change to india? as of this writing, wikipedia contains over 41 million articles in english and ranks as one of the. Students should not be permitted to use cell phones in school using cell phones tags: argumentative persuasive argument essays :: 5 sources cited, 1319. Free essays on argumentative essays on domestic violence for students browse topics sign in the same question still remains, though, for many what is. Observation essay graphic organizer or unusual dbq graphic creative create an illustration of targeted behavior have completed the main idea study guides. Though you won’t be limited to these topics for the contest, you’ll see that our how would you feel about a computer grading your essays?. Spanish dictator francisco franco lay dying, and premiered in madrid’s conde duque theatre, even boasts an empty swimming pool, a symbol of sensual pleasures lost or unfulfilled i’m the author of the essay above. James ramsay, an essay on the treatment and conversion of african slaves in the british sugar colonies london, 1784, p 173 an examination of the. Social context also influences the way something is viewed, my investigation found cheating to be more widespread and essay on my mom is my best friend. Just be certain you write argumentative essay ap english use what you’ve examine and you’ll write argumentative essay ap english find smooth. Can we write there isessaywriter writes both admission essays and school argumentative essay topics an essay about english as a global language how. The results of the sat cr + math and/or act the quality of the personal essay one academic teacher or guidance counselor letter of recommendation. Below given are some helpful tips on how to write a good abortion argumentative essay feel free to use this manual at your convenience. Looking for effective and simple topics for your argumentative essay? television, violence and censorship society has been bombarded with violence from.

Challenges faced (Cultural, perceptional and religious perspective ) Research Paper

Challenges faced (Cultural, perceptional and religious perspective ) and acceptance of Islamic Finance in western (Non Islamic C - Research Paper Example Also discussed is the concern over Islamic finance allegedly supporting terrorism, and why some western countries equate Islamic finance with supporting terrorism. Some implications are highlighted and recommendations are then made based on the research as to how to deal with such issues and overcome the barriers to making Islamic finance more acceptable in Western countries. Although most Islamic banks are concentrated in Muslim countries, they are also to be found in many non-Muslim countries, especially in Europe and the U.S.). In addition, some conventional banks have also begun to offer Islamic financing schemes such as the HSBC Amanah division of HSBC Group established in 1998. Also, although several studies have been conducted on attitudes towards Islamic banking and the patronization of Islamic banks with reference to IFIs located in Muslim countries, some studies, albeit very few have also been conducted to gather the views and preferences of Western customers. A selection o f these IFIs located in Western countries is also the focus of attention and the few studies referred to above are mentioned. General perceptions of Islamic finance It proved to be difficult to ascertain the perceptions of Westerners towards Islamic finance due to a lack of studies in this area. Most studies have examined customers from Muslim and other developing countries. To give an example of one significant study, Erol & El-Bdour (1989) studied attitudes towards Islamic banking in Jordan. They used a nine-part question/statement instrument and showed that religious motivation was not such an important factor as a fast and efficient service, reputation and image, and confidentiality. Nonetheless, a general awareness of Islamic banks and their methods was evident. Sudin et al. (1994) conducted a more extensive study among both Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia. The three most important criteria for non-Muslims were firstly, friendliness of staff, secondly a fast and efficient s ervice, and thirdly the bank’s image and reputation. Another study on Malaysian customers showed that although most of them did not have a complete understanding of Islamic financial products, they did not differentiate between products from Islamic and conventional banks (Hamid & Nordin, 2001). In another study, Gerrard & Cunningham (1997) surveyed the attitude towards Islamic banking among Singaporeans where Muslims are in a minority. It was found that non-Muslims were generally lacking in awareness of Islamic banking. Furthermore, whereas Muslims were mainly motivated by religious reasons besides profitability, and had little interest in getting a high interest rate on savings, it was the opposite situation for non-Muslims. It is a similar situation in Turkey (Okumus, 2005). Even in non-Muslim countries like India where Muslims form a significant proportion of the country’s population, awareness of IFIs was low at the turn of the present century (Munawar & Llewellyn , 2002: 188). Less than half of the 720 persons interviewed knew that they even existed. This general finding of non-Muslims being more motivated by reasons other than religious ones could be the case in Western countries as well among non-Muslims that do use Islamic finance. However, during the past decade there has probably been an increasing awareness

Us history-Historical systems of power, goverance, and authority & Essay

Us history-Historical systems of power, goverance, and authority & Revolutionary change - Essay Example However, early 20th century had seen much of Africa colonized by the European powers except only Ethiopia and Liberia. There were some factors that motivated the European colonialism push into the African continent. This push was mainly influenced by economic, political, and social factors. Colonialism developed in the nineteenth century as a result of the downfall in the profitability of the slave trade that was being practiced during that time (Taiwo, 2010). Due to this failure slave trade was abolished which led to the subsequent expansion of the Industrial Revolution. The constraints of capitalist industrialization which included a high demand for raw materials and the imminent search for immediate markets where they could sell the processed products contributed greatly to the European scramble and partition of Africa. The main motivation that spurred the European intrusion into Africa was economic. During the scramble for Africa, there are some other factors that played an important role. The political motivation that was derived from inter-European power struggles impact was just the beginning of a big battle between the famous European states. Belgium, Britain, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and France were all competition for power. One way that they used to demonstrate their superiority was through the acquisition of various territories from around the world including Africa. The social factor was the third major element that made these nations come to Africa. Industrialization led to the growth of many problems in Europe. Many social problems such as unemployment, homelessness, and poverty developed because not all persons could be taken by the new capitalistic industries. As a result, the only way that was available for solving the problems was to acquire colonies and territories and settle their surplus population. This resulted to the creation of white settler

3 Monthly Business Plan Working as a Sales Consultant Essay

3 Monthly Business Plan Working as a Sales Consultant - Essay Example These days, with a correct business plan, a successful casino business can be established (Stukey 2011, p. 6). Objectives The purpose of this casino business plan to be established in Disbury Manchester includes the following: 1. To retain the existing and attract new clients. 2. To attract cooperate clients. 3. To increase profits made by the casino. Background Disbury Manchester is a place with a large population of people and a lot of youths and old people. The general economy of Disbury Manchester is good and with a prior knowledge of the existing casino business. That means that the general population knows about the gambling business and the casino business at Disbury Manchester would not be a new thing. In knowing ones target group, many casino have established specific clients for their business (Stukey 2011, p. 50). Clients play a very important role in any business and hence casinos with many clients that are financially stable are the best kind of clients to have. Disbury Manchester being a place where people have the spending power, such has been directed in the casino business too and has brought a lot of profits. By proper advertisement and marketing strategies, many casinos have ended up being successful. With a proper business plan, any casino business could maximize its management and increase its profits (Stukey 2011, p. 12). Statistical evaluation In any gambling scenario, if in having clients with a higher financial capability to spend, means the casino business would boom. Such would be attracted to the casino business following the means stated below. In addition, with proper advertisement and marketing, a given casino business would also boom If in a given day, operating 24 hours a day, and having an estimated client number of 150 in a day, the casino business could cash in approximately 3,000 Euros. Hence in a good month, it could get approximately 270,000 Euros. After paying its employees, it could remain with approximately 100,000 Euro s profit. Therefore, in 3 months, the casino business might make approximately 300,000 Euros profit. In order to cash in such profits, a number of things have to be kept in place. Ways of improving the casino business How to attract cooperate clients This can be achieved by intensifying on marketing and advertising campaigns. Proper marketing usually has the effect of attracting people to the gambling place. In addition, by offering free promotions, may still attract some cooperate clients. Identifying cooperate clients from competing businesses and offering better place in your casino may also be another way of attracting them (Stukey 2011, p. 60). Driving away your competitors could also be another means of attracting cooperate clients to the casino. With proper marketing and advertisement and hopes of the casino making profits, cooperate clients would not hesitate to flock into that organization. How to retain existing and attract new clients Ensuring that employees at the casino place are straight in the way they operate with clients may also help in retaining clients. A casino with workers that are friendly may have many customers flocking to their side than that which does not have (Stukey 2011, p. 45). Offering promotions to clients may also be beneficial in retaining existing clients and attract new clients since all people love free things. For example, one may come up with a way to reward clients who win certain amount of money, like giving gifts and vouchers (Stukey 2011, p.88). Having the proper target for the casino business could also have an impact on the number of clients one would wish to attract. In having a multiple market for your business like the age groups 20 to

Epidemiologic Analysis and Preventable Disease Essay

Epidemiologic Analysis and Preventable Disease - Essay Example One of such disease is heart disease. Heart disease is already an epidemic and threatens to become pandemic if not proactively prevented. It is not a communicable disease, but yet it is one which threatens a huge portion of the population. The purpose of this discussion is to approach the issue of heart disease from an epidemiological standpoint in order to analyze how data relating to the topic may be used in a healthcare setting with regards to decision making concerning limited healthcare resources. When saying that heart diseases is not communicable, it is meant that it is not like a bacterial or viral infection which is transferred from host to host or in an airborne manner. It is however, a disease which is more likely to occur in those who have a genetic predisposition for it. This does not necessarily mean that an individual with a family history of heart disease which actually get it. In fact, preventing heart disease is most important among those who have a family history of it. Some individuals may have more than one family member who has suffered form CHD, which elevates that individual’s CDH risk factor along with the ages of onset within the person’s family. By looking at a few different factors regarding patient history and lifestyle, physicians may establish a personal score for that individual which represents their likelihood of contracting CHD. The benefit that we have over CHD is that it is manageable and predictable (Supino et al, 2002, p.130). Heart disease can be prevented by following the guidelines of a healthy lifestyle which are balanced between diet and exercise as well as avoiding alcohol and tobacco. The chances of acquiring heart disease, are associated with overeating or high fat, high cholesterol diets. Those who live a sedentary lifestyle are also at a higher risk for heart disease. Stress or the improper handling of stress is also linked to heart disease. Certainly, lowering

Diverse Theatre Movement - Asian-American Theatre Research Paper

Diverse Theatre Movement - Asian-American Theatre - Research Paper Example These theater companies provided opportunities to different actors, writers and directors to pursue different genres of the Asian theater in America and they defined the Asian American theater for almost four decades, till now. By 1990s the number of Asian American theater companies grew up, with producers and directors experimenting with different artistic creations. Asian Americans have established their mark on the general American theater arena and are now appearing in roadway and regional theaters and also winning awards nationally and internationally. In the beginning most of the participants of the Asian American Theater were prominently from the East Asian descent, but in the 90’s and 2000’s many artists originating from South Asia and South East Asia started joining the community and making Asian American theater one of the most readily evolving and pioneering sectors in the American Theater. In today’s age of theater, Asian American theater companies ar e moving rapidly past stories, exploring the themes of generation gaps and cultural differences, and finding identity. These topics dominated the theater of the Asian American Community and pioneers like David Henry Hwang and Philip Kan Gotanda made these topics the principle theme of their plays during the 80’s and 90’s. In Hwang’s first play, F.O.B., a conflict between a Chinese immigrant and a Chinese American from the viewpoint of culture is explored, while another of his play shows the conflict between the ideologies of the East and the West between three generations of a Chinese American Family. Modern Asian American Theater is exploring different aspects of Asian American life, and expanding the horizon and definition of the Asian American life. According to the Asian American Theatre Revue website, as of today, there are more than 80 companies affiliated with the Asian American Theater across the United States of America. Many groups from these companies were experimenting with different genres such as comedy and improving, which were unheard of 30 years ago because of their commercial practicability. As Asian American artists became fascinated with different non-traditional genres and venues, many rebellious movements came into being and defied traditional themes such as drama occurring in the Asian American theater. According to Darryl Chiang, an interim executive director of the Asian American Theater Company: "The original way Asian American theater manifested itself was through very political pieces that explored what it means to be Asian American, specifically addressing identity, which today is not the most important issue† (Lau, 2) Lauren Yee, the author of Ching Chong has said that even though Asian Americans are looking at the past work, such as Shakespearean literature, because they feel as if the audience is familiar with Shakespeare and his plays. She comments that: "That's the only place authences are OK with a multicultural cast, like seeing an Asian daughter with a white father" (Lau, 2) Asian American Theater has been approached in a completely different way by some of the Asian American companies, one of which is the National Asian American Theatre Company. They are unique in a sense that all of their topics

Corporate Social Responsibility in Mitsubishi Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility in Mitsubishi - Essay Example However, Kotler and Lee (2004) defined CSR as the â€Å"commitment to improve community well-being through discretionary business practices and contributions of the corporate resources† (Kotler &Lee, 2004, p.3). In any case, the importance of CSR was established in the corporate world only at the beginning of the twenty first century. Big companies realized that profit making is no more an easy task, if they fail to contribute something to the community in which it operates. Some companies have good track record of exhibiting their social responsibility whereas some other companies are still neglect the needs of the community in which they operate. Mitsubishi Company is a reputed Japanese company as far as corporate social responsibility is concerned. â€Å"The origin of Mitsubishi goes back to 1870, when the founder, Yataro Iwasaki, started a shipping firm with three aging steamships† (Mitsubishi: Origin, 2010). After Second World War, the original Mitsubishi Company d isbanded to become separate independent companies as we witness today. The growth of Mitsubishi Company was along the growth of Japan. Whenever, Japanese economy faced troubles, Mitsubishi Organization also faced problems and vice versa. Mitsubishi selected London for opening its first international office in 1915 because of Japan’s better relationships with Britain at that time (Rudlin, 2000, p.8). Since then Mitsubishi opened many international offices at different parts of the world. â€Å"Mitsubishi International Corporation (MIC) conducts business in accordance with the three Corporate Principles established by its parent, Mitsubishi Corporation: corporate responsibility to society, integrity and fairness, and international understanding through trade†(Mitsubishi international corporation: Corporate Social responsibility, n. d). Even though, Mitsubishi is contributing heavily to the communities in which it operates, there are certain allegations also against them. This paper briefly analyses the case in favor and against Mitsubishi Company as far as corporate social responsibility is concerned. The case against Mitsubishi Robert Guest, British free-lance writer based in Hiroshima who contributes business and other articles to The Far Eastern Economic Review and The Independent, has mentioned that an Indian Worker Sue against Mitsubishi citing racial discriminations. The plaintiff alleged that â€Å"whereas Japanese employees at Mitsubishi are given English-language lessons at company expense, and Caucasian staff are provided with the best Japanese-language teaching available, he has been given no assistance whatsoever in his efforts to learn the Japanese language†(Guest, n. d). Racial discrimination is one of the major problems existing in the premises of most of the international companies. Globalization has brought many opportunities to the corporate companies to for international businesses; however, most of the companies like Mits ubishi, try to give more preferences to their local workers even while operating in overseas countries. Such business practices will always cause severe problems to a company if it decides to operate internationally. On 9 April 1996, the US Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Illinois against Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America Inc which claimed that over 300

Nursing Shortage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

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Politics and Administration Essay Example for Free

Politics and Administration Essay Introduction 186, 207, 221? Power Struggle between the pro-democratic and pro-conservatism One of the reasons that led to such a tragic end for Tiananmen Movement is the power struggle between the two camps of leaders, pro-democratic (Former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Zhao Ziyang) and pro-conservatism (Deng Xiao Ping). In 2009, a memoir was published based on audiotapes recorded by Zhao Ziyang, called Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang, he mentioned that he â€Å"didn’t want to be a General Secretary who opens fire on the people. † From this, we could clearly tell by that time, Zhao differed in opinion from Deng and other conservative leaders, like Li Peng on how to handle the student movement, i.e. whether to pursue a peaceful or a military solution. http://blog.foolsmountain.com/2009/06/03/tiananmen-1989-a-need-for-dialogue-20-years-later/ One very crucial turning point that we know is that by that time, the CCP General Secretary made a scheduled official visit to North Korea, which turned out to be a bad decision at the time of turmoil; this was because on April 26th CCP Central issued an editorial on Peoples Daily in the absence of Zhao Ziyang, which was titled Uphold the flag to unambiguously oppose any turmoil, denouncing that the patriotic student movement as a turmoil ignited by an extremely small handful of opportunists. http://www.alliance.org.hk/64/6420/?page_id=521 According to Wu Jiaxiang, a former aide and a leading political scientist in Beijing, Zhao Ziyang, before leaving for North Korea on April 21st, had instructed that no politburo meeting should be held in his absence but other CCP leaders, likle Yang Shankun Li Peng immediately convened a CCP Expanded Poliburo Meeting, then reported to Deng Xiaoping with meeting opinions, and then borrowed Deng Xiaopings mouth in stating that CCP should not fear bloodshed. And in Zhao Zhiyangs self account, recorded by Yang Jisheng, he claimed that it was li Ximing Chen Xitong who contacted Wan Li on the night of April 21st in request of convening a commissar meeting; that Wan Li relayed the info to Li Peng. Later, according to ________, Li Peng convened the meeting on the night of 24th, reported it to Deng Xiaoping on 25th, and was authorized to relay Dengs opinions to communist cadres; and that Li Peng took advantage of the occasion to draft a newspaper commentary for publication on April 26th. By the time Zhao returned to China after the scheduled visit, he found it was just too late to remedy the situation as hostilities between the government and the people have been greatly aggravated. Other than the mis-communication over the Peoples Dailys editorial, we may gain further insights into the power struggle between the party leaders by taking a look at a previous document obtained by CNN and written by Bao Tong, a close aide to Zhao Ziyang, describing in detail the events leading up to the crackdown on student protests in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. September 25, 1989 Comrade Hu Yaobang died on April 15, soon after which the student demonstrations began. I was extremely worried. Comrade Xiaoping pointed out in his speech on April 25 that the overwhelming priority in China is stability I completely agreed with his point; I also wanted to maintain stability and prevent turmoil. Specifically, I wanted to make an effort to reduce tensions and to avoid precipitating the tension into clashes. The Peoples Daily April 26th editorial, in my view, was harsh in language and lacked analysis and persuasiveness; I had my reservations about it. On May 19 and 20, the Central Committee announced the decision to send the military into Beijing and declare martial law; in my heart, I believed we made a terribly wrong move; I was afraid that we would be trapped in a very difficult situation, riding a tiger, hard to get-off. The Central Standing Committee collectively criticized Comrade Zhao Ziyang; I felt it was unfair. 1.1 It was I who first informed Comrade Ziyang that the April 26th editorial had aggravated the confrontational mood of students and people who had previously taken a neutral position. Comrade Ziyang returned to Beijing from North Korea on April 30th. As soon as he returned, I reported to him as follows: Students have been demonstrating in the streets since April 27th. There were so many of them that it was impossible to blockade; there were also lots of onlookers following them. Some government officials sympathized with the demonstrations. There were signs that the incident was escalating and expanding; there were a great number of students and others who resented the April 26th editorial and believed that it was hostile towards them. I spoke about my opinion of the editorial: the positive side of the editorial was that it presented Comrade Xiaopings thoughts that China must maintain stability and must not fall into turmoil. However, the editorial was written in a very harsh tone, did not adequately present reasons and lacked analysis. It also did not take into consideration the acceptance of people who were previously neutral. Since there were so many people who believed that the editorial was hostile to them, it was obvious that the editorial did not express its ideas clearly. Comrade Ziyang did not express his own opinions at that time. After a few days, he said to me: It seems that there are flaws in the editorial. Comrade Ziyang certainly formulated his opinions in his own way, but it was I who first reported to him about the editorial with this point of view. http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/22/tiananmen.document.01/ Students Uncollective Actions As discussed above, power struggle among the party leaders is one of the factors in leading to the unwanted tragedy of the June 4th Movement, but as I argue down below, the chaotic and unsystematic internal management of various student movements are by nature underlying factors to the tragedy. After the April 27 demonstration, the government commenced to open up dialogues with students, and the government seemed to take the initiative to adopt a more positive approach towards the student movement. The governments willingness to concede and negotiate have lit up the hope for the majority of students that the entire student movement might come to a peaceful end(Source: Book) Yet, almost by the same time, the leadership and organization of the movement among the student leaders became problematic. Not only did the student movement organizations hold different points of views towards the movement strategies, some of the student leaders also paid no respect to organizational claims, and much often instead, they themselves acted on behalf of their organizations. One fine example would be the case of Zhou Yongjun, who was the president of Beijing Autonomous Federation. He helped organize another big demonstration on May 4. However, without any consent from his fellows and colleagues, he announced the end of class strike without a clear resolution within the leadership. http://www.standoffattiananmen.com/2009/04/people-of-1989-zhou-yongjun.html In order to better describe the dividing powers among the student leaders during the late stages of June 4th Movement, Zhao (2001) simply grouped the student demonstrators by that time into three groups, which are called respectively Dialogue Delegation Group, Beijing Students Autonomous Group and the so-called charismatic group http://site.ebrary.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/lib/hkulibrary/docDetail.action?docID=10402626 As Zhao (2001) noted, the students that belonged to Dialogue Delegation Group were eager for the coming dialogue with the government. References Gonzales, Eduardo, L. and Gillespie, C.G. (1994). Presidentialism and Democratic Stability in Uruguay. In J. J. Linz and A. Valenzuela (Ed.), The Failure of Presidential Democracy, Comparative Perspective (pp. 151 – 178). Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press Hanan, D. (2007). Presidentialism, parliamentarism and semi-presidentialism: Incentives and disincentives in achieving multiple democratic goals. Retrieved from http://djayadihanan.blogspot.com/2007/12/presidentialism-parliamentarism-and.html Linz, Juan J. (1994). The Failure of Presidential Democracy. The Case of Latin America. In J. J. Linz and A. Valenzuela (Ed.), Presidential or Parliamentary Democracy: Does it Make a Difference? (pp.7).Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press Maeda, K. Nishikawa M. (2006). Duration of Party Control in Parliamentary and Presidential Governments: A Study of Sixty-Five Democracies, 1950-1998. Retrieved from http://www.bsu.edu/web/mnishikawa/MaedaNishikawa2006CPS.pdf Mainwaring, S. (1993). Presidentialism, Multipartiism, and Democracy, The Difficult Combination. Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 26 No. 2 (pp. 198 – 228) Mainwaring, S. Shugart, M. (1993). Juan Linz, presidentialism, and democracy: A critical appraisal. Retrieved from http://www.nd.edu/~kellogg/publications/workingpapers/WPS/200.pdf Power, Timothy and Mark J. Gasiorowski. (1997). Institutional Design and Democratic Consolidation in the Third World. Comparative Political Studies. Shugart, M. S., Carey, J. M. (1992). Presidents and assemblies: constitutional design and electoral dynamics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Valenzuela, A. (1994). Party Politics and the Crisis of Presidentialism in Chile: A Proposal for a Parliamentary Form of Government. In J. J. Linz and A. Valenzuela (Ed.), The Failure of Presidential Democracy The Case of Latin America (pp. 93). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press

Social and emotional develop Essay Example for Free

Social and emotional develop Essay To support social and emotional develop and to provide positive guidance As an early Childhood Teacher I promote social-emotional development in my classroom by embedding my teaching practices throughout the day. Remaining sensitive to children’s needs helps them feel secure and confident, and acts as a model for effective social behavior. For example, I usually ask questions to help children find a solution to a social conflict that helps them develop problem-solving skills. I also tend to every day read a story and engage children in a conversation about a socially challenging situation witch serve as a lesson in handling social problems as well as in literacy. Self I greet each child and their parents daily. I provide plenty of praise and encouragement to the children about their activities and accomplishments. This action lets the children know that they are loved, appreciated and special. I help children feel good about them selves and build high self-esteem. I use games, books, songs, finger plays, etc. to help the children learn to accept themselves and others. I provide materials and activities that are age-appropriate so that each child can experience success. I also spend time with the children individually and I make sure they get plenty of hugs and affection throughout the day. Social – I teach the children how to socialize with each other daily. I provide activities and space for the children to play together. We discuss sharing, taking turns and working together in small/ large groups. I interact with the children one-on-one daily and encourage them to interact with each other. I also use games, books, video tapes, songs, pictures, etc. to teach the children about positive social skills. Guidance I try to anticipate negative behavior and redirect it positively into other activities. I provide plenty of materials and space to help eliminate conflicts. I talk to the children whenever they exhibit inappropriate behavior and let them know that we should be kind to our friends. Only positive guidance techniques are used with the children in my care. CS III a – I help children learn to do simple tasks for themselves. Each child has a personal space to keep its belongings. We play games that highlight each child’s name and do self-portraits. I also play â€Å"mirror† games and provide cultural books and materials to help the children learn to appreciate themselves and others. CS III b – I believe that children’s behavior needs to be understood and guided in a positive manner. I do this by example. I tell the children what I expect of them and use positive words to guide their behavior. As a child, discipline methods were just the opposite of what I practice in my classroom. There was no such thing as guidance techniques. Today, I am knowledgeable of child development, and I practice appropriate guidance techniques daily. My children are valued and accepted for who they are. I also use redirection, active listening, proximity control, simple rules with positive consequences and valuing/praising appropriate behaviors to work with all children, including the difficult/challenging child. Reference Social-Emotional Teaching Strategies. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.tkcalifornia.org/teaching-tools/social-emotional/teaching-strategies/

Children Learn To Be Strong Children And Young People Essay

Children Learn To Be Strong Children And Young People Essay The main principle of building positive relationships is identified in the Early Years -Development Matters document is that children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships. Every child is a unique individual, a competent learner from birth who can be strong, capable, confident and self-assure. Children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and /or keyworkers. Parents are childrens first and most enduring educators. When parents and practitioners work together in Early Years settings, the results have a positive impact on childrens development and learning. Early years practitioners need to consider childrens age and stage of development as a factor when ensuring that the environment is safe and suitable for children. If you are able to build good relationships with parents, this is also a really positive thing, as parents will share information easier and take an interest in what their child is learn ing. The EYFS has as a statutory component the requirement for all children to be allocated a key person. A key person is someone who develops a close and genuine bond with a child, takes additional responsibility for the childs welfare and works closely with parents. A key worker acts as a surrogate attachment figure when the child is separated from parents and carers. This essay will recognise how positive relationships promote childrens well-being. And analyse the importance of a key worker system. It will explain the benefits of building partnership with parents for children learning and development. Describe how to develop positive relationships within the early years setting, making reference to principles of effective communication. The main principle of building positive relationships is identified in the Early Years -Development Matters document is that children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships. Effective communication plays a vital role in the early years settings. When effective communication is established, positive relationships can begin to develop between practitioners and young children. Good health and well-being is central to effective learning. Children are more likely to develop self-confidence, resilience and positive views about themselves when they are involved in a respected, safe and secure environment where their achievements and contributions are values and celebrated. Childrens relationships influence their well-being through development, and learning. Consistent, secure, responsive, and respectful relationships with caring adults are vital to childrens wellbeing. Through trusting relationships with adults, young children learn about their world and their pla ce in it. They learn the world is safe and responsive to their needs. Babies and young children learn to be strong and independent through loving and secure relationships with parents and carers. When children are looked after outside the home they can develop security and independence through having a key person to care for them. A keyworker such as a practitoner provides a reassuring link with home so that the children can cope with being separated from the special people in their lives. Positive relationships with children and young people are important because: à ¢-  When children feel comfortable with us they can separate more easily from their parents à ¢-  Children are more likely to participate in the play and learning activities if they are secure emotionally à ¢-  When children have strong relationships, they are less likely to show unwanted behaviour as we can recognise and meet their needs à ¢-  Childrens language develops more quickly because they feel con ¬Ã‚ dent talking to us à ¢-  Practitioners can plan more accurately as they understand childrens developmental needs and know their interests à ¢-  Practitioners are able to respond to children more e ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ectively because they can recognise their expressions and emotions. Children deserve to feel, and to be respected by all adults and other children. Children want and need positive, loving relationships with the people close to them. The Early Years Foundation stage has a key worker system in operation. Each child will be given a responsible member of staff which we refer to as a key worker. A key worker is a practitioner who is designated to meeting the individual needs of a child, and to build a positive relationship with their parents. The key worker system is essential for children to develop a close relationship and strong bond with a key worker who will be looking after them. A key worker is responsible for the settling in period. The key worker needs to form a bond with the children, especially babies in their care. Babies need to be with the same people each day to develop social relationships. This is why the Early Years standards have put a key worker system into action. A key worker will be nominated as the first point of contact for the child and family. In order for practitioners to understand the childs requirements and enable the child to become secure in their environment practitioners will have to build a relationship with parents in order to discover the childs routine an particular interests and needs the child may have. The keyworker system is especially important for young babies as they are totally dependent upon their careers, they can become anxious when separated from their parents. Erik Erikson devised a theory of psychology development. Erik Erikson believed that the quality of care of children in this age group receive depends on how well they develop trust in their careers. Erikson claimed that in the stage (birth-1year) the child will develop a sense of basic in the world and in his ability to affect events around him. The development of this depends on the consistency of the childs major caregiver. If the care the child receives is consistent, predictable and reliable then the child will develop a sense of trust, and will be able to feel secure even when threatened. However, if the care has been harsh, or inconsistent, unpredictable and unreliable then the child will develop a sense of mistrust and will not build confidence in the world around them. This child will constantly carry mistrust with him to other relationships. McLeod, S. A. (2008).   Successful development of trust will enable the child to feel safe and secure within their environment. Being consistent with childs routine and ensuring their individual needs are met will develop trust. Key workers should allow time for a one to one communication with individual children throughout the day to support their emotional well-being. All Early years settings will meet their own requirements of roles and responsibilities. The role of a key worker is to keep up to date with the childs development within the setting through observation, and sharing this information with the parents and carers. Responsibilities of the key worker include: Assessing the childs individual needs. Sharing information with parents on all aspects of their childs care. Meeting the entire childs need throughout the day in nursery. Physical needs-Nappy changing, skin care and bottle feeding. Emotional needs-Settling the child on arrival each session and comforting when distressed. Developmental needs- Planning learning with the individual child Spend time with individual children promoting their learning and development through play. The Ecological systems theory states that human development is influenced by the different types of environmental systems, Formulated by famous psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner. The micro systems setting is the direct environment we have in our lives. Your family, friends, classmates, teachers, neighbours and other people who have a direct contact with you are included in your micro system. The micro system is the setting in which we have direct social interactions with these social agents. Sarah Mae Sincero (March14, 2012). In early years setting, a childs microsystem would include their relationship with their key workers, friends, other staff members and the environment. Effective key worker should be committed to their role, by demonstrating to be a good communicator, needs to remain calm and confident throughout the day, able to make time to communicate with the parent and carers. Effective communication with children can develop positive relationships and develop a strong bond, it is therefore important for practitioners to communicate in an appropriate manner. Childrens learning and wellbeing are enhanced when families and childcare professionals work together in partnership to promote the best outcomes for children; quality care occurs when childcare professions understand each childs family, culture, community and when they use this knowledge to provide experiences in ways that are meaningful to the child. When parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on childrens development and learning. Early Years settings work to build parent confidence in what they do already at home and they offer idea to support and enhance this. Most significantly, they exchange information about children regularly or on a weekly bias with parents. They listen to what parents have to say about their own childs capabilities and interests, ad make use of these observations for future planning, encouraging parents to be active in the planning process. Parents and practitioners have a lot to learn from each other this can help them to support and extend childrens learning and development. Parents should review their childrens progress regular and contribute to their childs learning and development record. Parents can be helped to understand more about learning and development record. Young children flourish when the adults caring for them work together. Fa milies know their childs strengths, personality, moods and behaviours very well. When families and staff work together they can exchange information, and can focus on meeting each childs needs and supporting their development. When children see positive communication between their parents and staff, they begin to learn that it is important to build health relationships, for example children who see their parents communicating well and being friendly with staff, children will feel valued and important when in the care of their practitioners. Parents and carers who are positively involved with their children can help reduce mental health difficulties. In partnership, families and staff can share their experiences with each other and their understanding of how their bond is important to a child. For example (x) likes to cuddle on to a special teddy at sleep time at home, this experience should be offered in the care setting. Strong partnerships between early years practitioners, staff and parents are essential in early years settings and are one of the important relationships to develop. But too often, parents and program staff do not effectively communicate with each other, thereby limiting opportunities for developing open, respectful, and trusting relationships. Miscommunication, or limited communication between adults, can lead to situations that adversely affect all of the parties involved. Parents play an important role in the admission of their child to the early years setting. Working in partnerships will help meet the childs individual needs, through identifying information about a childs background to health and wellbeing such as illnesses, disabilities, allergies, likes and dislikes and emergency contact information. There are many way to involve parents within the setting such as arranging open days, an open day is a social opportunity for parents to communicate with other parents and early years staff this will help build parents confidence and self-esteem. Key workers should share their observations and assessments of the child with their parents and encourage parents to try out similar activities at home with their child. Outgoings in an early years settings is a good opportunity for parents to be involved in their childs learning and development, when the early years setting has organised an outgoing this will give parents the opportunity to take part and com e along and meet other children and staff. Parent evenings play a vital. Role in early years they will allow parents and keyworkers to discuss their childrens development progress. Parents should be invited to come to the setting to carry out workshops or activities on particular subjects, all parents are unique and come from different backgrounds, they can get the opportunity to be involved in promoting diversity by carrying out activities such as cooking food or demonstrating different clothing from different backgrounds. There are many barriers to parent involvement which must be recognised and overcome to promote involvement and partnership working. Parents with different languages may find it uncomfortable to communicate so staff members should aim to learn a few works and phrased in home languages to help them feel welcome. If a parent has low self-esteem and confidence they will not feel comfortable in joining in. practitioners should overcome this barrier by welcoming and su pporting parents in becoming involved in the setting. Parents have busy life and will not always have time to communicate with the staff at the setting when they are dropping or picking up their child, so practitioners should arrange times or regular parents evenings for parents to communicate in their available time. Positive relationships with children are important; practitioners act as role models and are effectively teaching children how to have positive relationships with other people as well. A positive relationship for a young child is very important as this increases their confidence and trust in other people. Positive relationships are made by first of all actively listening to the child and finding out their likes, and dislikes. Children at different stages have very different needs and interests and learn in different ways. Communication for children needs to consider different abilities and needs at different ages and this must be child-centred and age appropriate. Communication is a fundamental skill within a learning environment and is the main source of interaction amongst children, practitioners and staff in a learning environment. It is a mean of setting foundations to build positive relationships making children feel safe and to develop their self-esteem (feel good about themselves). In order for communication methods to be effective we need to have knowledge of relationships which is the main concept that drives positive behaviour. Actively listening to children, what they have to say is an example which can promote relationship in a learning environment. The importance of this form of communication is that it tends to help children to build their self-esteem, makes them feel valued and welcomed bec ause their views are being listened to by others. Verbal communication requires verbally encouraging children to respond to open question discussions which can promote positive relationships. Written communication in the form of comments, praise (certificates) highlighting achievements in good work can contribute towards positive relationships. The importance of this form of communication is that it keeps the children interested to take part, increase their concentration. Creates an effective learning environment and stimulates them to strive for success which contributes towards positive relationships in a learning environment. Regardless of the type of setting, the ability to communicate effectively is crucial for developing positive relationships with children, young people and their families. Communicating well involves the following: Giving your full attention- by maintain eye contact. Being aware of your body language use appropriate gestures and facial expressions. Listening- by showing response of nodding and smiles. Taking account of individual needs. Being sensitive to cultural differences in communication.   If the child speaks different language- use of photographs or other visual aids ma help. Hearing impediment- use sign language or visual aids to facilitate communication more effectively. Being confident build confidence in your communication skills by practicing how and what you want to communicate, and role modelling good communication skills. Conclusion Positive relationships are important because it helps a child to develop independence and build their self-esteem, positive relationships will help children feel confident, secure and be able to trust their relationships with adults. A strong connection between families and childcare providers is essential for building positive relationships. A Parents role is to talk with the people who care for your child on a daily basis about eating habits, behaviour, activities, learning of new skills, friends, or other happenings in your childs day. . As a parent you need to strengthen the bond between your child and her keyworker by helping to establish an attitude of trust. Mention the keyworkers name in conversation at home, and show interest in your childs interactions with her/him. As a practitioner, you should know the importance of working with parents and how these relationships can support childrens learning. Practitioners and parents need to develop a good two way communication in ord er to gain good effective positive relationship between the child and a practitioner.

sports management Essay examples -- essays research papers

Sports management is an area of professional endeavor in which a broad classification of sport affiliated careers exists. It is also an area of collegiate professional preparation. Careers in sports management are established in schools, collegiate sports programs, professional sports, amateur sports organizations, commercial sports establishments, sports arenas, etc. One factor of sports management is not only having athletes but also have a place to utilize their talents in. Facility management and marketing play a big role in the sports and computer industry. Facility management involves the co-ordination of the physical surrounding and related services with the user’s needs. In some cases, like privately owned gymnasiums, the facility itself is the service, while for other organizations, such as a boat club with a boat house, the facility is a storage place that aids the delivery of the service. Choosing the correct real estate for a sporting facility is vital to its succ ess. An apparent factor to contemplate is the number and proximity of prospective users. Use of a computer comes in an important role. You can use the computer to find the U.S. Bureau of Statistics printout on local government demographics to determine how many prospective users may be in the area. Other factors to take into consideration when building and managing a facility are the direct costs such as rent, utilities, insurance, physical satisfaction of the building, proximity to staff and suppliers, ...

Essay --

Although autopsies may be a dreadful decision to make, it also can also be a very important decision to make. â€Å"Autopsies imply that certain questions pertain not only to the end of a project but also to the beginning of the next one: What happened, what was learned, and how could this be done better next time, says Richard A. Prayson. Even if the cause of death seems clear, the person may have had a medical condition, which was not apparent during life. In situations like this, an autopsy would be very effective. The objective of this assignment is to give expand ones knowledge on autopsy. Prayson said â€Å"autopsy all began with â€Å"antamony". â€Å"Aristotle is considered the first anatomist, drawing a distinction between nerves and tendons, and describing how major arteries branched out into smaller blood vessels. A Greek physician who settled in Rome, Galen was the first anatomist to begin recording a complete picture of what lies beneath the skin. Flemish physician, Andreas Vesalius, performed detailed dissections, stripping away layer after layer of tissue to record the structure of the human body†. http://www.eternapathology.com/HistoryoftheAutopsy.html What is an autopsy? Autopsy is â€Å"an examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease.† http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autopsy Autopsy comes from the Greek autopsia, the act of seeing with one’s own eyes (Prayson, 4) . Autopsy is a scientific investigation of a deceased person’s organs and tissues (Prayson, 6). Pathologist use highly trained and skilled Associates and Pathologist Assistants to provide the highest level of expertise and experience to the performance of the autopsy (Finkbe... ...e wounds are believed to be from injections of narcotic painkiller Dermerol that he received three times daily for a year. In addition, also revealed was that the sing was reduced to minimal weight of eight stones one ounce just before his death. Charges were pressed against Michael’s cardiologist. Although the autopsy revealed how Michael Jackson died it also revealed other things. Dr. Christopher Rodgers also noted that in his autopsy report that Jackson's lips were tattooed pink, while his eyebrows were a dark tattoo. The front of his scalp was also tattooed black, apparently to blend his hairline in with the wigs he wore. The autopsy confirmed what Jackson told people who questioned why his skin tone became lighter in the 1980s. Jackson had "vitiligo, a skin pigmentation disease," Rogers said. "So, some areas of the skin appear light and others appear dark.

History of Parental Involvement in Education Essay examples -- Parent

History of Parent Involvement Prior to the 1850’s, before public education existed, parents and families were responsible for the education of their children. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s education in schools became wide spread. As public education grew and teachers became professionals many began to believe that professionals alone should be responsible for educating children (Stein and Thorkildsen). As years went by, families showed some concern about this new view on who should be in charge of their children’s education. Parents began to show their concern for this division in education in the 1987 when the National Congress of Mothers, the foundation for the Parent Teacher Association, was formed (Stein and Thorkildsen). Since 1987 many more steps have been taken in an effort to evaluate the importance of parent involvement in education and to encourage parents to be involved in their child’s schooling. Family Structure Parent involvement in a child’s schooling has proven to be beneficial to the child regardless of the situation. The amount of the effectiveness of the parent involvement is directly related to the structure of the family that the child comes from. A National Household Education Survey (NHES) from 1996 shows that children from dual parent homes are more inclined to excel academically and become involved in extracurricular activities. More so, they are not as likely to repeat a grade or be given a suspension, especially if their fathers show interest and become involved (Nord). In 38.5 percent of dual parent households parents actively help their child with homework three or more times a week (National Center for Education Statistics). In today’s ever changing society dual parent ho... ... EBSCO Database. Retrieved March 8, 2002 from Eric Database. U.S. Department of Education. (1991). Other middle grade resources, Parent involvement at the middle school level. National Committee for Citizens in Education. Retrieved February 18, 2002 from the World Wide Web: www.middleweb.com/ParntInvl.html This is a well designed web site that provides resources for parents and teachers of middle school aged children. Articles, news stories, diaries, chats, newsletters, and hot links are available on this web site. Wherry, J. (2002). Selected parent involvement research. The Parent Institute. Retrieved April 11, 2002 from the world wide web : http://www.par-inst.com/edresources/research/research.shtml This bit of selected research comes from the parent institute web site. The information provided on this page is supported by numerous references.

Prejudice Paper Essay

Through our own personal experience, Professor McAuliff would like us to use the topics we discussed throughout the semester to show an understanding of the concepts. Using my experience with prejudice I will be providing how what I learned in the social psychology textbook. Prejudice has been a very relevant topic I have related with throughout my life. In addition to reading and thinking about the concepts covered in the text, an important part of the learning process includes applying these concepts to your own life and experiences. Prejudice is a preconceived negative judgment of a group and its individual members (Myers). Prejudice is an attitude essentially that can be either positive or negative judgments. More than likely the prejudice someone is faced with is negative. Being that it is an attitude you also have to know about the ABC’s of attitudes. A is for the affect or feelings. B is for the behavior tendency or inclination to act. And C is for the cognitions or beliefs. They also help tie into stereotypes and discrimination. Stereotypes is a negative evaluation in which you generalize the personal attributes of a group. Discrimination is an unjustified behavior toward ones group. Whether it is conscious or automatic prejudice is your quick response to associations. â€Å"Although our [conscious] minds are in the right places and we may truly believe we are not prejudiced, our hearts aren’t quite there yet† (John Dovido, Time, 2009). With so many races in the world, it is often easy to see how quickly we are to label one another. Racial prejudice is Sco? 1 prime example of people labeled what a person should be. It goes far beyond enough for racial prejudice within the same groups some identify themselves with. People tend to point out what is wrong in their group before they admit their wrongs. In some groups you have anti- whatever the group is because a hatred developed from society. Prejudice is spread out throughout the world. Not strictly a racial epidemic it can be anything from youth disliking the elderly to genders disliking genders. It affects everyone the same especially from the negative side. When it is automatic your unconscious associations can be influenced by perceptions and reactions you have. Especially for gender prejudice, the gender role norms come into play. People have ideas on how men and women ought to behave. Often prejudice and stereotype do get confused in this area. Stereotypes only support prejudice beliefs and attitudes are separate. With more separation prejudice has social inequalities. They allow for one group to seek dominance over the other. Making groups break off into a particular status. Creating this social hierarchy that can create hostility amongst groups. Status is looked the most in regards to the negative feeling that appear in prejudice socially. Rich versus the poor is the most common social dominance orientation. The fact of the matter is people want to be on top of the hierarchy. Prejudice coming in so many forms is easy to grasp the idea of it being everywhere. Nothing beats facing prejudice for the first time. As an African American male I have been faced with plenty of different forms of prejudice. I can recall being discriminated against just for being not only black but intelligent within my own group of black people. My very own cousin would tease me and call me a â€Å"white boy†, which I am clearly not, because I was interested in school. I was the first of many of my cousins to graduate high school and instead of being proud me they would tell me I was uppity or not black enough for them. It is very hard when your very own Sco? 2 family doesn’t expect you. I wanted some much to conform to what they did but I wasn’t thety pe of person who wanted to live a life. My cousins definitely are your stereotypical black people. I have found myself in a different social class than them just because I have worked harder than they have to be something more than someone running the streets. I can agree with racial prejudice the author discusses in the textbook because it has yet to die out. However racial prejudice in the black community in my opinion is at an all-time high and very prevalent. Though we have changed since the 1940’s the anti-black prejudices haven’t. Social dominance is felt whether if it is whites being above blacks or other blacks be above other blacks. Prime example is how black rappers spend their money on material items instead of investing or saving just to compete with who have more money or more material items than they do. â€Å"†What you want, a Bentley? Fur coat? A diamond chain? All you blacks want all the same things†, a line from Kanye West’s song New Slaves. He plays off of the typical stereotypes imposed on the black community, usually considered as hood dreams. Condescendingly, he uses the term â€Å"blacks† as a euphemism and expands on this idea when he says â€Å"I know that we the new slaves† (rapgenius. com, Kanye West, 2013). Prejudice exists in our unconscious and conscious forms. It is a preconceived negative attitude that can affect some of our beliefs. It can arise in a social sources and lead people to split in groups. â€Å"Unequal status breeds prejudice† (Myers). Whether it is implicit or explicit all prejudice can mirrored from group to group. It may be a subtle action, but the small action that creates the worst problems. References Dovidio, John (2009). Prejudice Researcher. TIME. Sco? 3 Myers, D. G. (2013). Social Psychology (11th Ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. RapGenius. com (2013). Kanye West- New Slave Lyrics Sco? 4.

Canova’s “Perseus with Head of Medusa” Essay

This piece, made to replicate the Greek classical style, stands tall above entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This sculpture, created by Antonio Canova in marble, was done in the early 19th century. Historically, the tale of Perseus and how he killed the beast-woman, Medusa, is from eons before, however, the artist chose to recreate this scene from Greek mythology. In addition, Canova uses many techniques that were used by Greek sculptors, he use of detailed anatomy, a combination of stoicism and portrayals of anguish, stiff posture, contrapposto and the draping of the fabric around Perseus’ arms. Perseus stands rigidly, looking at the head of Medusa. His expression is unchanged. One leg bends toward her head, but it does so in a rigid, uncomfortable manner. He holds his sword out on his right, and her head on his left. Fabric is draped unnaturally off his left arm and it falls to the floor behind him. He has the ideal body, with perfectly sculpted and toned muscles. Perseus is naked, save a pair of very decorative and ornate sandals. His body is in a curve, with his spine. He appears to be a warrior, and he is triumphant in his defeat of Medusa. A feeling of pride overwhelms one when they look at him, however, it is hard to relate to him, because he does not feel real. He is humanized, but does not appear natural or normal. Medusa, or rather her head, is held by its hair in Perseus’ left hand. He holds it out from him, in disgust. Her face is writhing in pain, as she has been decapitated. Her snake-hair is very representational, and doesn’t look like real snakes. Still, however, her face does not illustrate the true anguish or pain that she must have felt. It is not naturalistic. She actually appears to be somewhat idealized. This piece evokes feelings of strength, power and pride, however, I do not feel it evokes emotion or sympathy towards either character. Neither feels very â€Å"real† or natural, and thus it is difficult to relate to the sculpture.

Employee Information System Essay

DAY I 7:40-8:40-Opening Program and Orientation| Computer Room| Richard E.Davide –Editor in Chief| | | THE TIDING’S| 8:40-9:40-Newswriting-Lecture| Computer Room| Mrs. Genna V.Polinar-School Paper Adviser| 9:40-9:50-Snacks| Computer Room| | 9:50-10:50-Workshop| Computer Room| | 10:50-11:50-Feature Writing-Lecture| Computer Room| Mrs.Genna V. Polinar-School Paper Adviser| 11:50-12:00-Tips of Writing Feature Articles| Computer Room| Richard E. Davide-Editor in ChiefFeature Writer| | LUNCH| | 12:30-1:30-Workshop| Computer Room| | 1:30-2:30-Editorial Writing-Lecture| Computer Room| Mrs. Genna V. Polinar-School Paper Adviser| 2:30-3:30-Workshop| Computer Room| | 3:30-3:40-Snacks| | | 3:40-4:40-Sports Writing-Lecture| Computer Room| Mrs. Genna V. Polinar-School Paper Adviser| 4:40-5:30-Workshop| Computer Room| | 5:30-6:30-Review of English Grammar and Correct Usage| Computer Room| Mrs. Lorena P. Malbacias-English Teacher| DAY 2 SECOND DAY July 14, 2013 7:30-8:30-Copy reading and headline Writing-Lecture| Computer Room| Mrs. Genna V. Polinar- School Paper Adviser| 8:30-9:00-Tips on how to Copy read| Computer Room| Adrian L. Melana-Copyreader| 9:00-9:10-Snacks| | | 9:10-10:10-Workshop| | | 10:10-11:10-Photojourn -Lecture| | Mrs.Genna V. Polinar –School Paper Adviser| 11:10-11:40-Workshop| | | | LUNCH| | 1:00-2:00-Editorial Cartooning-Lecture| Computer Room| Mrs.Genna V. Polinar –School Paper Adviser| 2:00-3:00-Workshop| Computer Room| | 3:00-3:10-Snacks| Computer Room| | 3:10-4:10-Lay outing of the school paper using Adobe / Portable Document Format-Lecture| Computer Room| Mr. Reagan V. DavidICT Teacher| 4:10-5:40-Workshop| Computer Room| | 5:40-6:00- Closing Program| Computer Room| Dianalou Jazon| | Prepared by: Genna V. Polinar School Paper Adviser Noted by: Edeliza F. Seguiz Principal I

Succubus Shadows Chapter 5

I stared at him, and the world stood still for a moment. â€Å"Wait†¦Seth was meeting Simone there?† Roman shook his head. â€Å"I wouldn't say that exactly. It was more like she sought him out. He looked like he'd been working there for a while when she showed up.† â€Å"And then?† My voice was very small. â€Å"Then, she walked over to him and shyly introduced herself as a fan, saying she recognized him from his website. Picture perfect demure coquette.† â€Å"And then?† â€Å"She said she wished she had a book with her to sign and asked if he'd sign a piece of paper instead. He said he would, and then she sat down, all apologetic for bothering him. She said she had a couple questions and hoped he wouldn't mind if she stayed for a few moments.† I noticed then that I was clenching my fists. With a deep breath, I released them. â€Å"Seth wouldn't strike up a conversation with a stranger like that. Not without being horribly uncomfortable.† â€Å"Yeah,† Roman agreed. â€Å"He definitely had some of that social awkwardness.† There was a wry note in Roman's voice that I didn't like. The two men had once been rivals for my affection, and apparently, Roman was still holding on to some bitterness – and a feeling of superiority. Roman could be quite charismatic when he wanted. â€Å"But she did a pretty good job at playing just as shy and nervous. I think it made him feel better.† â€Å"So she did sit down?† â€Å"Yup†¦and stayed for about a half-hour.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. My volume made Godiva jerk her head up from a nap. â€Å"Did she try to seduce him?† Roman's expression turned considering. â€Å"Not in the usual way. I mean, she wasn't as boring as usual. But she put him at ease enough that he relaxed and seemed to like talking to her. She wasn't overtly sexual, and he didn't look like he wanted to jump her. It was just†¦I don't know. A nice conversation. Although, it had a few of those annoying facts she likes to drop.† He paused. â€Å"Oh, and she went brunette.† That bothered me more than it probably should have. â€Å"But he sent her away, right?† â€Å"No, Maddie showed up, and he left with her – after telling Simone it was nice to meet her.† Oh, irony. Never, never would I have imagined I'd be so relieved to have Maddie show up and take Seth home. I also never thought I'd be glad his devotion to her would keep him from falling prey to another woman's charms. I took a step toward Roman, my fists clenching again. I didn't blame him as messenger; I was simply driven by my own fury. â€Å"What the hell?† I demanded. â€Å"What fucking game is she playing?† He sighed. â€Å"I don't know. Maybe no game at all. She likes coffee. I've certainly seen her buy it before. She could have ended up there by coincidence and thought he looked like a good catch. God only knows why.† I ignored the barb. â€Å"Oh, come on, Roman. You're not that stupid. Do you honestly think that in a city like Seattle, out of all the men here, it's a coincidence that she shows up and starts hitting on my ex? You know as well as I do that there aren't many coincidences in our world.† â€Å"True,† he admitted, setting the remnants of his dinner on the coffee table. The cats went for it. â€Å"Will you stop doing that?† I demanded. â€Å"They're not supposed to be eating that kind of stuff.† â€Å"Don't take your bitchy attitude out on me.† But he stood up and took the plate to the kitchen. When he returned, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood in front of me. â€Å"Look, you're right to a certain extent about coincidences. It is weird that she would hit on Seth. But think about this too: don't you think there are a few things around here a little more important than your ex-boyfriend? Jerome's theory makes the most sense, you know. Hell let him keep his job, but that doesn't mean they're letting the whole incident go. They're the ultimate grudge-holders. They'd want to assess the situation. That's why she's here.† â€Å"Except that she's not assessing anything! Unless you consider my friends' Pictionary skills.† â€Å"You should have seen them play Jenga.† â€Å"This isn't a joke. I need to figure out what her game is. You have to take me with you when you spy on her again.† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"I think that's a terrible idea.† â€Å"I can go invisible.† â€Å"She'll still sense you.† â€Å"You can hide my signature. You told me before that you could. Was that a lie?† Roman grimaced. Just before things had literally blown up between us, he'd asked me to run away with him, promising he could conceal me from the greater immortals. â€Å"I can,† he admitted. â€Å"But I just think you're asking for trouble.† â€Å"What am I risking?† â€Å"A lot. Whether it's Seth or Jerome, there's obviously something going on. Get tangled up in that, and you could be risking your life. I won't let that happen to you.† â€Å"Since when do you care what happens to me?† I asked incredulously. â€Å"Since you became my ticket to rent-free living.† And with that, he turned invisible, hiding his signature as well. â€Å"Coward!† I cried. My only answer was the front door opening and then shutting. He was lost to me, and I realized I'd again missed my chance to bring up my weird encounters from these last couple days. I tossed and turned again that night, but it had nothing to do with my fear of walking off the balcony or into Puget Sound. I was filled with rage, both at Simone for making the moves on Seth and at Roman for abandoning me. When I woke up in the morning, I took comfort in knowing I didn't need Roman to confront Simone. I could do that on my own. Of course, there were a few complications there, the first being I didn't know where Simone was. Her hotel was probably the logical place to start, though most succubi – even a bland one like her – wouldn't spend a lot of time hanging out there. Well, unless she had company – and I didn't really want to walk into anything like that. And anyway, I had one tiny commitment to attend to before I could go bitch-hunting. Maddie. I'd regretted my decision to go shopping with her the moment the words had left my mouth. Yet, somehow, I'd totally blocked out those feelings yesterday when I'd been sitting with Seth. A brief thought about the wedding had flitted through my mind†¦and then it had been gone. I'd spent the rest of the time laughing and talking with him as though there was no Maddie in the world. But as I headed over to the bookstore, where she and I had agreed to meet, I had to accept reality once more. Seth was no longer mine. He also wasn't Simone's. But I'd deal with that later. Maddie was waiting for me downstairs, but I used the excuse of needing coffee before we left, in order to dash up to the caf? ¦. I wanted to see if Simone was lurking. No matter her shape, I'd know if she was there. Yet, as I casually waited in line for my white chocolate mocha, I sensed nothing immortal. Seth was there, engrossed in his work, and never even saw me. Apparently, his muse was still going strong. I let him be and joined Maddie downstairs again. She had a list of eight store names and addresses. Most were dress shops, and I was skeptical that we could make them all before we were due into work. She was more optimistic, but then, that was typical of her. â€Å"No point in worrying right now,† she said. â€Å"We'll just do them one at a time and see where that gets us. Besides, the last few are bakeries, and we wouldn't want to eat a bunch of cake before trying on dresses.† â€Å"Speak for yourself,† I said, sliding into her passenger seat. â€Å"I'm not trying anything on.† She gave me a wry smile. â€Å"Aren't you? You're my bridesmaid, remember? We talked about it at the party.† â€Å"No,† I said swiftly. â€Å"I said and did all sorts of crazy stuff that night, but I never agreed to it. That I do remember.† Maddie's expression was still light, but I thought I heard a little hurt in her voice when she spoke next. â€Å"What's the big deal? Why don't you want to be one? You know I'd never dress you in anything horrible.† Why? I pondered the answer as she pulled into traffic. Because I'm in love with your future husband. I could hardly tell her that, of course. As it was, I could see my continuing silence was making her feel worse. She was reading it as a slight to our friendship. â€Å"I just†¦I just don't like all the, uh, fanfare that goes with weddings. There's so much planning and stressing about little details. I'd rather just sit back in the audience and watch you go down the aisle.† Well, actually, that was one of the last things I wanted to do. â€Å"Really?† Maddie frowned, but thankfully, it was more out of surprise than disappointment. â€Å"You're always so good at planning and little details. I thought you were into that.† That was a fair point. It was why I made such a good manager. â€Å"Yeah, kind of†¦but I mean, at the receptions, drunk guys always hit on the bridesmaids, you know? They think we're desperate because we're the ones not getting married.† Also not entirely far from the truth in my case. Maddie's smile returned. â€Å"Those are some pretty lame excuses.† They were indeed, but she said nothing more as we drove. After Maddie's initial failure with picking flattering wedding dresses, she now threw her faith completely into me to lead her to fashion success. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and I found myself slipping into style-advisor role pretty easily. In fact, if I was able to preoccupy myself with the objective parts of this process – flattering fit, color, etc. – it was easy to block out the big picture of her and Seth. The saleswomen working at the stores soon learned who was in charge here and backed off with their recommendations, simply fetching the dresses I indictated. I studied each one Maddie tried on, keeping my standards high. With so many stores to choose from, we could afford to be picky. â€Å"That one's good,† I said at our third store. It was corseted, narrowing her waist, and had a skirt that didn't flare. Those puffy ones always made the hips look bigger, though no one ever seemed to realize that. You had to be tall and thin to get away with that, not short and buxom like Maddie. She admired herself in the mirror, a look of pleasant surprise on her face. She was still drawn to ones that I didn't think were good choices, and this was the first of my picks that she really liked. The eager saleswoman jotted down the style number, and then Maddie started to turn around and try on the rest waiting in her dressing room. As she did, a dress on a mannequin caught her eye. â€Å"Oh, Georgina, I know what you said, but you have to try that on,† Maddie begged. I followed her gaze. The dress was slinky and sexy, floor-length violet charmeuse with straps that tied around the neck. You were wearing that color the first time we met. I averted my eyes. â€Å"Not ugly enough to be a bridesmaid dress.† â€Å"It'd look great on you. Everything looks great on you,† she added with a shake of her head. â€Å"Besides, you could wear that to other things. Parties and stuff.† It was true. It didn't scream bridesmaid. Not taffeta or bright orange. Before I could protest further, the saleswoman had already fetched one from the rack, guessing my size with that uncanny ability her kind had. So, reluctantly, I tried the dress on while Maddie went to her next option. The size wasn't perfect, but a little shape-shifting neatened it up where it needed to be. Maddie was right. It did look good on me, and when I stepped out, she took it as a done deal that I'd buy it – no, she offered to buy it – and would be in her wedding. The saleswoman, seeing an opportunity, and possibly getting back at me for my tyrannical attitude, had â€Å"helpfully† fetched two more dresses for me to try while I waited for Maddie. Maddie claimed she couldn't stand the thought of me waiting around with nothing to do, so I reluctantly took them into the dressing room. They too looked good, but not as good as the violet. I was returning them to the saleswoman when my eye caught something. It was a bridal dress. It was made of ivory duchess satin, the fabric wrapping around the waist and halter top. The skirt was draped, pulled into little tiers. I stared. It would have been a disaster on Maddie, but on me†¦ â€Å"Want to try it?† asked the saleswoman slyly. Something told me that bridesmaids covertly trying on brides' dresses wasn't a rare phenomenon around here. The desperate and mournful not-getting-married attitude in action. Before I knew it, I was back in the dressing room, wearing the ivory dress. You were wearing that color the first time we met. Seth had been wrong about that and corrected himself, but for some reason, the words came to me yet again. And the dress looked great. Really great. I wasn't overly tall but was slim enough that it didn't matter – and I filled out the top beautifully. I stared at myself in a way I hadn't with the other dresses, trying to imagine myself as a bride. There was something about brides and weddings that instinctively spoke to so many women, and I shared the impulse as well, jaded succubus or no. The grim statistics didn't matter: the divorce rates, the infidelity I'd witnessed so often†¦ Yes, there was something magical about brides, an image fixed into the collective subconscious. I could see myself with flowers in my hands and a veil on my head. There'd be well-wishers and joy, the giddy faith and hope of a beautiful life together. I'd been a bride once, so long ago. I'd had those dreams, and they'd blown away. I sighed and took the dress off, afraid I might start crying. There would be no wedding for me. No bridal hopes. Not with Seth, not with anyone. Those things were lost to me forever. There was only an eternity alone, no lifelong lovers, only those I shared a night with†¦. Unsurprisingly, I was kind of depressed for the rest of the day. Maddie bought the violet dress for me, and I was too glum to protest – which she read as acceptance of my bridesmaid fate. We made it through the rest of our dress stops but didn't get to the bakeries. By the end of it all, we had four candidates for her dress, which I regarded as good progress. My mood didn't abate at work. I holed up in my office as much as I could, seeking solitude and my own dark thoughts. When I finally made it home after that eternity-long day, I found the condo empty and was astonished at how much that hurt me. I wished with all my heart that Roman was around, and it wasn't even to talk about Simone or other immortal mysteries. I just wanted his company. I just wanted to talk to him and not be alone. He was an infuriating part of my life, but he was also turning into a fixed infuriating part of my life. With a gloomy eternity ahead, that meant something. I knew better than to wait up for him†¦but found myself doing it anyway. I lounged on the couch with Grey Goose and the cats, taking some small sweetness from those warm, furry creatures that loved me. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was on, which didn't cheer me up any. Like the masochist I was, I watched it anyway. At least, I thought I was. Because suddenly, the loud shriek of a car horn blasted into my ears. I blinked and jerked my head around. I wasn't on the couch. There were no cats, no vodka. I sat on the railing of my balcony, precariously positioned. The horn had come from below, on the street. One car had nearly swiped another, and the near-victim had honked in his outrage. I didn't exactly remember the trip out here. I did, however, remember the force that had drawn me – largely because it was still there. The light and the music – that feeling of comfort and rightness that was so hard to articulate hovered before me, off in the air. It was like a tunnel. No, it was like an embrace, arms waiting to welcome me home. Come here, come here. Everything will be all right. You are safe. You are loved. In spite of myself, one of my legs shifted on the railing. How easy would it be to step over, to walk into that sweet comfort? Would I fall? Would I simply hit the hard sidewalk below? It wouldn't kill me if I did. But maybe I wouldn't fall. Maybe I'd step into that light, into the bliss that could block out the pain that always seemed to surround me lately†¦. â€Å"Are you out of your fucking mind?† The driver that had nearly been hit had gotten out of his car and was yelling at the other. That driver got out and returned the insults, and a loud tirade began. One of my neighbors on the floor below opened his patio and shouted for them all to shut up. The argument, that jarring noise, brought me back to myself. Once more, the siren song faded away, and for the first time, I almost felt†¦regret. Carefully, I climbed off the rail and back to the solidity of the balcony. A fall might not kill me, but good God, it would hurt. I walked back into the condo, finding everything exactly as I'd left it. Even the cats hadn't moved, though they looked up at my arrival. I sat between them, absentmindedly petting Aubrey. I was scared again, scared and eerily attracted to what had just happened – and that scared me more. Despite the vodka tonight, my last encounter had proven alcohol wasn't to blame. No connection. Yet†¦it occurred to me there had been a common link all three times. My mood. Each time, I'd been down†¦sad about my lot in life, seeking reassurance that wasn't to be found. And that's when this phenomenon would happen, offering a solution and the comfort I thought was beyond me. That was bad news for me. Because if this thing was drawn to woe and unhappiness, I had plenty of it to go around.