The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 27

Elena felt confident and just a little light-headed as they set out for the Silver Nightingale's gala. However, when the four of them arrived on litters – Damon with Elena, Meredith with Bonnie (Lady Ulma being forbidden by her doctor to go to any festivities while she was pregnant) – at the Honorable Lady Fazina's palatial home, she was struck with something like terror. The house was truly a palace, in the best of story-telling tradition, she thought. Minarets and towers soared above them, probably painted in blue and lavish gilt, but turned lavender by the sunlight, and looking almost lighter than air. To complement the sunlight, torches had been lit on either side of the path of the litters up the hill and some chemical had been added – or some magic used – to make their lights shine in varying colors so that they changed from golden, to red, to purple, to blue, to green, to silver, and these colors shone true. They took Elena's breath away, as the only things that were not tinged with red in the whole world that she could see. Damon had brought a bottle of Black Magic with him and was almost too high-spirited – no pun intended, Elena thought. As their litter stopped at the top of the hill, Damon and Elena were helped out and down a hallway that cut out much of the sunlight. Above them hung delicate, lighted paper lanterns – some larger than the litter they'd been in a moment ago – brightly lighted and fancifully shaped which gave a festive, playful air to a palace otherwise so magnificent that it was a little intimidating. They passed by lighted fountains, some of which had surprises – like the line of magical frogs that constantly leaped from lily pad to lily pad: plop, plop, plop, like the sound of rain on a rooftop, or a huge gilded serpent that coiled among trees and over the heads of visitors, winding from there to the ground and then back up to the trees again. Then again, it was the ground that would turn transparent with all manner of magical schools of fish, sharks, eels, and dolphins cavorting, while in the dim blue depths far below loomed the figure of a gigantic whale. Elena and Bonnie hurried quickly over this portion of the path. It was clear that the owner of this estate could afford any kind of extravaganza her heart desired, and that above all things what she enjoyed the chiefest was music, for in each area, splendidly – sometimes bizarrely – dressed orchestra were playing, or there might be only one famous soloist, singing from a high gilded cage perhaps twenty-five feet above the ground. Music†¦music and lights everywhere†¦ Elena herself, although thrilled by the sights, sounds, and glorious scents coming from huge banks of flowers as well as from the guests, both male and female, felt a slight fear like a small rock in her stomach. She had thought her dress and diamonds so elaborate when she had left Lady Ulma's estate. But now that she was here at Lady Fazina's†¦well, there were too many rooms, too many people, as fancifully and finely clad as herself and her sister â€Å"personal assistants.† She was afraid that – well, that that woman over there, dripping jewels from her delicate three-tier diamond and emerald tiara to her delicate diamond-circled toes, made her own unadorned hair look dowdy or laughable, at such a grand affair. Do you know how old she is? Elena almost jumped to hear Damon's voice in her head. Who? Elena replied, trying at least to keep her envy – her worry – out of her telepathic voice. And am I projecting that loudly? she added in alarm. Not all that loudly, but it never hurts to tune it down. And you know perfectly well â€Å"who†: that giraffe you were eyeing, Damon replied. For your information, she's about two hundred years older than I am, and she's trying to look around thirty, which is ten years younger than when she became a vampire. Elena blinked. What are you trying to say? Send some Power to your ears, Damon suggested. And stop worrying! Elena obediently increased slightly the Power to what she still thought of as her burst ear nodes, and conversations suddenly became audible all around her. †¦oh, the goddess in white. She's just a child, but what a figure†¦ †¦yes, the one with the golden hair. Magnificent, isn't she?†¦Oh, by Hades, look at that girl†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Did you see the prince and princess over there? I wonder if they'd swap†¦or – or – do a quartet, dear? This was more like what Elena was used to hearing at parties. It gave her more confidence. It also, as she allowed her eyes to sweep more boldly across the opulently costumed crowed, caused her to feel a sudden surge of love and respect for Lady Ulma, who had designed and overseen the construction of three glorious dresses in only a week. She's a genius, Elena informed Damon solemnly, knowing that through their mindlink he would see who she meant. Look, Meredith already has a crowd around her. And†¦and†¦ And she's not acting much like Meredith at all, Damon finished, sounding slightly uneasy. Meredith didn't seem uneasy in the least. She had her face turned deliberately to show off a classical profile to her admirers, but it wasn't the profile of level-headed, serene Meredith Sulez at all. It was a sultry, exotic girl, who looked as if she might very well be able to sing the Habanera from Carmen. She had her fan open and was gracefully, languorously fanning herself. The soft but warm indoor lighting made her bare shoulders and arms gleam like pearl above the black velvet dress, which seemed even more mysterious and striking than it had back at home. In fact, it seemed to have stricken one devotee to the heart already; he was kneeling before her with a red rose in his hand, so hastily picked from one of the arrangements that a thorn had pricked him and blood welled from his thumb. Meredith didn't seem to have noticed. Both Elena and Damon felt for the young man, who was blond and extremely handsome. Elena felt sorry†¦and Damon felt hungry. She certainly seems to have come out of her shell, ventured Damon. Oh, Meredith doesn't ever really come out, Elena replied. It's all playacting. But tonight I think it's the dresses that are doing it. Meredith is dressed like a siren, and so she's acting all sultry. Bonnie's dressed like a peacock and†¦look. She nodded down the long hallway that led to a huge room in front of them. Bonnie, dressed in what looked like real peacock feathers, had a crowd of her own followers – and that was just what they were doing: following. Bonnie's every movement was light and birdlike and her jade bracelets clinked together on her small rounded arms, her earrings chimed with each toss of her head, and her feet seemed to twinkle in golden sandals in front of her peacock train. â€Å"You know, it's strange,† Elena murmured, as they reached the large room and at last sound was muted so she could hear Damon's physical voice. â€Å"I didn't realize it, but Lady Ulma designed our dresses at different levels of the animal world.† â€Å"Hm?† Damon was looking at her throat again. But fortunately at that moment a handsome man dressed in formal Earth clothes – tuxedo, cummerbund, and so on – came by with Black Magic in large silver goblets. Damon drained his in one gulp and took another from the gracefully bowing waiter. Then he and Elena took seats – on the outside of the back row, even if this was a rudeness to their hostess. They needed to be free to maneuver. â€Å"Well, Meredith is a mermaid, which is the highest order, and she's acting like a siren. Bonnie is a bird, so that's the next highest order, and she is acting like a bird: watching all the boys display themselves while she keeps laughing. And I'm a butterfly – so I suppose I'll be a social butterfly tonight. With you beside me, I hope.† â€Å"How†¦cute,† Damon said heavily. â€Å"But what exactly makes you think you're supposed to be a butterfly?† â€Å"Well, the designs, silly,† Elena said, and she lifted her mother-of-pearl and gold and diamond fan and gave him a tiny butterfly rap on the forehead with it. Then she opened it to show him a masterly sketch of the same design as her necklace on its front, decorated with tiny dots of diamond, gold, and mother-of-pearl where they would not be harmed by the folds. â€Å"You see? A butterfly,† she said, not displeased with the image. Damon traced the outline with one long, tapering finger that reminded her so much of Stefan's that it hurt her throat, and stopped at six stylized lines above the head. â€Å"Since when do butterflies have hair?† His finger moved to two horizontal lines between the wings. â€Å"Or arms?† â€Å"Those are legs,† Elena told him, amused. â€Å"What kind of thing with arms and legs and a head has six hairs and wings?† â€Å"A tipsy vampire,† suggested a voice above them and Elena looked up, surprised to see Sage. â€Å"May I sit with you?† he asked. â€Å"I couldn't manage a shirt, but my fairy godmother did conjure up a vest.† Elena, laughing, scooted over a seat so that he could take the aisle seat by Damon. He was much cleaner than when she had last seen him working around the house, although his hair was still in long wild unruly curls. She noted however, that his fairy godmother had scented him with cedar and sandalwood, and provided him with Dolce & Gabbana jeans and vest. He looked†¦magnifique. There was no sign of his animals. â€Å"I thought you weren't coming,† Elena said to him. â€Å"You can say that? Garbed as you are in celestial white and gold? You mentioned the gala; I took your wish as a command.† Elena giggled. Of course, everyone was treating her differently tonight. It was the dress. Sage, murmuring something about his latent heterosexuality, swore that the image on her necklace and fan was a phoenix. The very polite demon on her right, who had deep mauve skin and small, curling white horns, deferentially submitted that it looked to him like the goddess Ishtar, who had apparently sent him to the Dark Dimension a few millennia ago for tempting people to sloth. Elena made a mental note to ask Meredith whether this meant tempting them to eat sloths, which she knew were some kind of wild animal that didn't move around much, or something else. Then Elena thought that Lady Ulma had called the dress a â€Å"goddess dress,† hadn't she? It was certainly a dress you could only wear if your body was very young and very close to perfection, because there was no way to fit corsetry into it or even to drape it to minimize an unflattering feature. The only things under the dress were Elena's own firm young physique and a pair of scant, soft flesh-colored lace underwear. Oh, and a spray of jasmine perfume. So it's a goddess I feel like, she thought, thanking the demon (who stood and bowed). People were taking their seats for the Silver Nightingale's first performance. Elena had to admit to a longing to see Lady Fazina, and besides, it was too early to try for a restroom trip – Elena had already noticed that guards were posted at all the doors. There were two harps on a dais in the middle of a great circle of chairs. And then suddenly everyone was on their feet and clapping, and Elena would have seen nothing, if the Lady Fazina had not chosen to walk down the same aisle Elena and Damon had taken. As it was, she paused right beside Sage to acknowledge the roar of acclamation, and Elena had a perfect view of her. She was a lovely young woman, who to Elena's surprise looked hardly older than twenty, and was nearly as small as Bonnie. This diminutive creature obviously took her sobriquet very seriously: she was dressed entirely in a gown of silver mesh. Her hair was metallic silver, too, swept high in front and very short in back. Her train was barely attached to her, by two simple clasps at the shoulders. It floated horizontally behind her, constantly in motion, more like a moonbeam or a cloud than like real material until she got to the central dais and ascended it, then walked once around the tall uncovered harp, at which point the suspended part of the cape fell softly and gracefully to the floor in a semicircle around her. And then came the magic of the Silver Nightingale's voice. She began by playing the tall harp, which seemed even taller in comparison to her small body. She could make the harp sing under her fingers, coax it to cry like the wind or make music that seemed to descend from heaven in glissandos. Elena wept throughout her first song, even though it was sung in some foreign language. It was so piercingly sweet that it reminded Elena of Stefan, of the times they had been together, communicating by only the softest words and touches†¦ But Lady Fazina's most impressive instrument was her voice. Her tiny body could generate an extraordinary volume when she wanted it to. And as she sang one poignant, minor-tuned song after another, Elena could feel her skin break out into gooseflesh, and a trembling in her legs. She felt that at any moment she might fall to her knees as the melodies filled her heart. When someone touched her from behind, Elena started violently, brought back too quickly from the fantasy world the music had woven around her. But it was only Meredith, who despite her own love for music had a very practical suggestion for their group. â€Å"I was going to say, why not start now, while everyone else is listening?† she whispered. â€Å"Even the guards are out of it. We agreed on two by two, yes?† Elena nodded. â€Å"We're just having a look around the house. We may even find something while everyone is still here, listening, for nearly another hour. Sage, maybe you could sort of liaise between the two groups, telepathically.† â€Å"It would be my privilege, Madame.† The five of them set out into the Silver Nightingale's mansion.

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Employee Resourcing Essay Their business approach and culture is very different from other competitors. Examples of their different culture are; no dress code, flexible working hours and spending lavishly on the recruitment process. Around 700, mostly young employees work under Trilogy and its Director of college recruiting Mr. Jeff Daniel expects the employees to â€Å"commit their expertise and vitality to everything they do†. Trilogy has an expensive and aggressive employee recruitment strategy that includes training at the companys Trilogy University. The new employees joined will undergo an intensive training program at their in-house training facility known as â€Å"Trilogy University†. Recruiters tend to select the ambitious, over achievers with entrepreneurial instincts from the campus recruitment method being the fresher’s in the job market. Trilogy’s recruitment interviews are said to be very intense at the same time an interview day will end with lot of adventure and fun activities for both recruiters and interviewers, which makes a strong bond between new comers and the managers. For Trilogy recruiting is not just a high priority its a company-wide mission. Its mission is to recruit the best of the best?. For that reason Trilogy uses very costly recruiting techniques: The Company spent $13,000 per hire with 262 college graduates were selected from short listed 4000 candidates, and this short listing was from 15000 applications! Q1. Identify some of the established recruiting techniques that underlie Trilogy’s unconventional approach to attracting talent? The company Trilogy, aggressively pursues the least experienced people in the job market. At many college campuses island wide, in career fairs and computer-science departments, looking for students who represent what Daniel calls whom are expected to totally commit their expertise and vitality in everything they do†. In other words, he looks for young, talented over achievers with entrepreneurial ambition – people. The top managers, including CEO of the company, conduct the first round of  inter views, letting all applicants know that it would be hard, but rewarding experience.

The Family Structure as a “Mythical Force” in the Fate of the Heroines Essay Example for Free

The Family Structure as a â€Å"Mythical Force† in the Fate of the Heroines Essay In the long history of Chinese Literature, the role of women has always been very limited to isolated cases only. These limitation and restriction refer of course not only to women fictionists, poets, and other writers but also to women characters in fiction, poems, and other writings. As a matter of fact, it is said that women’s literature has been badge by critics as inferior and mediocre in the context of a larger Chinese literary theory. This can be attributed to the many and varied restrictions imposed on women not only in mainstream and classic Chinese literature but also in Chinese society[i]. At the onset, China has been portrayed by both Chinese and foreigners as a country which is known to have observed two of the most women-biased practices in the world. First is a place where there is a palpable patriarchal family system where women are assigned and restricted to traditional domestic roles. Second is a place where 1949 revolution and post- Mao reforms has thwarted marriage and family life altogether[ii]. Traditional China is known to have a government that reserve officialdom and educational opportunities exclusively for men. Women would only have an opportunity to learn through family ties and clans. For the most part of the population such as the peasant, the artisans, and the merchants, most of the women would not even have an opportunity for education as opposed to the members of educated elite where women have a chance to at least learn little things like playing a musical instrument, learning how to paint, and learning how to play chess. However, girls are only limited to learn such things as compared to their brothers who go to schools and taught by private tutors. This disparity is attributed to two reasons. First, there is no such thing as lure of wealth and fame for the family that accompanied girls’ involvement in civil service examinations and official career. Second, the Chinese society dictates that the primary and foremost role of a woman is to fulfill her prescribed functions in the family as a wife, a mother, and a daughter-in-law. For the most part in the history of China, women’s lives have been devoted to the preparation for and actual undertaking of these traditional roles in their own nuclear family and most especially the family of their husbands[iii]. At an early age, young girls are undertaking an exclusive feminine training program. This is followed in a very strict manner from one family to another. At the age of seven, the girl must be separated from her brothers and other male relatives. She will then be send in her own apartment where her only company would only be her nurse, her maidservant, and the female members of the family like mothers and sisters. At the age of ten, he will then be taught various and important domestic arts such as sewing, weaving, embroidering, and supervising household. In her middle late teens, her marriage will then be arranged by her parents and will have to devote her life to her husband, parents-in-law, and children[iv]. Marriage in China is not the kind of marriage that we know it today. It is an alliance of two families rather than an alliance of two lovers. The bride and the groom desires and choices were taken into consideration only if they are not contrary to the concern and interest of the family[v].   There is a high range of parental involvement in the marriage choices of their children. As a matter of fact, parents often initiate the matchmaking most especially in urban areas. It is also said that mothers have exercised more influence in their children’s marriages than fathers as a general rule[vi]. Women have the greatest burden in them because they are expected to behave in certain fashion and to have the perfect qualities of a wife. In general, a bride is expected to have accomplished her three major responsibilities. It is believed that to fall short of these expectations would bring disgrace to herself, her parents, and to her clan. First of these three obligations would be to perform domestic duties. This would include cooking, sewing, embroidering, taking care of children, and other domestic roles that she is taught and expected to learn and practice by heart and soul such as Mrs. Wenqing in A Posthumous Son by Ye Shaojun. Second of these obligations would be to attend to the needs and comfort of her husband and other elders. This is understood as not only doing domestic roles but also to be there for the husband in times of both physical and emotional needs. The third and the most important of all are the bearing and the raising of a male descendant[vii]. It is the fulfillment of the last obligation that a woman’s position and authority in the family is greatly hinged. It is believed that having a son is highly important because it is the only way to assure the continuity of the family line. If she can’t have a natural son, she would adopt from other family members and relatives. The family could also hire a concubine where the father could bear a child with. The child will then become a member of the family with the first wife as the acting mother of the child. He will then be incorporated in the first family as an heir as if he is a natural son of the first couple.     Throughout the lifetime of a married Chinese woman, she is totally confined within the sphere of her residence and her domestic roles. She can only have occasional trips to temples, scenic spots, and house of a relative but for the most part of her life she is confine in the four corners of the house of her husband[viii]. Not only are women depicted in this kind of roles and predicament in the society but also in literature. There are a lot of criticisms over the silencing of women not only in everyday life situations but also in literature[ix]. In particular, a Chinese household is represented primarily by a long string of ancestors that is traced back from one senior male to another senior male. This lineage is defined by the relationship of a father to his son and from brother to brother. In this sense, women are generally outsiders. They are only necessary for so long as they can reproduce sons and heirs. Otherwise, they are aliens in the husband’s family. After she is married to her husband, she is to retain her natal surname because she is expected to maintain links of her birth family to secure political alliances. This is only for this purpose, other than this; she is also an alien to her birth family as well. This means one thing, the woman is only recognized as a member of the family and as a blood relative for so long as they are beneficial to the ties. In other words, she is really an outsider to their personal lives. Daughters are only considered as a temporary member of his father’s household because she is expected to be married to her husband. Moreover, daughter also does not have a share in her father’s land and other properties[x]. In the stories that will discussed in the next paragraphs, it is evident that the role of women in the domestic sphere and the positions that they occupy in the household and in the family results not only to their inferiority but also to their demise and fall. This pre-determined roles that they have which is both imposed by the society and defined by patriarchal ideologies is the very reason why women in traditional China ended up to their graveyards and their misfortunes. This is also true in literature, the prescribed roles that women have in the household outline their troubles, grief, and fate. The roles that they have to fulfill for the benefit of the family are seldom appreciated and were never enough for their male counterparts. These demise and misfortune that they experienced and will experience could be explained not only because of their imposed traditional roles but also to their relationship with men especially their husbands. Women’s powerlessness coupled with men’s authority is the main reason why women’s lives fall apart. Because of these two factors, women are sent to their fall. First, they are unable to decide for themselves because of the prescribed roles imposed by the society. Second, they are unable to defy the norms because of a patriarchal authority and power that they are made to succumb to. These two factors work hand in hand to oppressed women not only in the society but also in literature. The heroines in the four stories that are to be discussed next will contextualize the abovementioned claim that this paper is espousing. At the onset, women are expected to accomplish all the three obligations that she is expected to have. The third and the most important one which is already mentioned earlier would be to produce an heir. In A Posthumous Son, the wife’s predicament started when she is unable to produce a son after several attempts. The first child was a daughter. The second up to the seventh one is also a daughter which saddened the mother and angered the father. It is evident that the Chinese tradition dislikes daughters. In Mr. Wenqing’s opinion: â€Å"But the third one was also a girl. This was getting a bit irritating. We’re not gardeners, what can we do with all these flowers, even if they do look pretty; as far as keeping us company in our old age is concerned, we don’t need that many! And then the fourth one was also a girl! I can’t help feeling that there must be something wrong with the way your body works, if it can only produce girls and nothing else. What’s the point in producing the same thing time after when what we need is some variety[xi]†. This quote suggest more than the dislike of daughters but also of attributing the entire fault to the woman. This statement by the father asserts his authority over the woman. Moreover, it also reasserts the responsibilities of the woman to produce a son. It is evident that all throughout the story the only concern of both the mother and the father was to produce a son and nothing else. As a matter of fact, the mother has already compensated her attention towards her other kids because of her desire to produce an heir. However, this desire is not wholly for her sake but only for the sake of the husband. It is evident that she is willing to undergo several pregnancies which are dangerous to her health just for the sake of fulfilling her obligation to her husband. â€Å"Nevertheless she did not give way to despair, since she retained her faith in her child-bearing capacity. Once more she pleaded him, ‘Please wait one more time, just this once! If there’s no change this time, I won’t stand in your way any longer. I don’t want to make things worse for either of us[xii]’† Furthermore, this story also affirms the earlier assertion that the role of a woman is reduced to their abilities to accomplish the very important obligation of hers which is to produce an heir. Otherwise, they can be replaceable and will be considered as a stranger or an alien in the household. The husband has in fact considered replacing her and has replaced her with another woman which can give him a son. â€Å"Only girls, never anything else! You can’t blame me, I’ve been as patient as any man could be, I’ve got no choice but to get another woman.[xiii].† This suggests that the relationship of husband and wife in the Chinese household is really all about having an heir and never about love and support. This is also true in the story Slaves’ Mother in which the father hired a concubine. Moreover, he was even willing to spend a fortune just for him to have a son with the second mother. This responsibility outlines the worth of the woman. In which case, it depresses her when she cannot fulfill them because this responsibility is equal to her life and her survival. As a matter of fact, it is evident that in the story she was likewise devastated as her husband when she found out that she cannot produce anything else but daughters. When she was still unable to produce a son, she was so sad that she wept almost always. Finally, when she was able to give birth to a son, it was believed that she was able to restore her dignity. Together with this, she has also restored her position in the household as a wife replacing the concubine’s role. â€Å"The senior’s wife dignity was from this point on restored, and all were unanimous in her praise. ‘Fortune’s caught up with her now,’ they agreed. She herself was very clear and now she was fully entitled to make demands[xiv].†This means that the fulfillment of the obligation is the only factor why she enjoyed that position. When the son died, she went back to her original demise. The death of the son even further caused the demise and the fall of the entire family when her husband died or committed suicide in the river. In this kind of situation, the woman’s reason for living is reduce to her functions and not to her essence as a living being. The story is a commentary of two things. First, women’s roles in the household are always upheld to the extent that it becomes the very essence of her existence. Second, the man can do whatever he pleases and can alienate the woman as long he wanted provided that she is unable to fulfill her responsibilities. The demise of the woman will have to result to the fall of the whole family which is a reaffirmation of the secret power that the woman has in the family which is seldom appreciated and recognized. Another story entitled the Slaves’ Mother by Rou Shi as mentioned earlier is also a commentary on how a woman is expected to fulfill her responsibilities both as a wife and a producer of an heir. However, the story added another element to the role of the woman, that is, breadwinning. But everything still boils down to her obligation to provide an heir to another man. The wife’s predicament in this story is different from the first story in the sense that she is not fertile to produce nothing but daughters. Her demise lies in the fact that her husband cannot earn a living because of his disease. This shifts the burden of breadwinning to the wife which was likewise left without a choice. This story is a commentary on the role of the wife to the household as different to the prescribed as far as it is in relation to his original husband. Instead of just being a wife, the woman is attributed a different role, that is, to earn a living for the husband and the child. In the words of the husband: â€Å"There is nothing for it. If we go on this way we’ll even be selling our little cooking pots before long. Looks as though you’ll have to provide the solution. No use your staying and starving with me.[xv]† This is a blunt admission on the part of the man that he can no longer support the family which is supposed to be his responsibility. In this sense, the role of the woman is uplifted to a higher level than the man but is still hinged unto the main obligations that a woman should take part in as the society. But this does not last for very long because the woman was still restricted to her traditional role as a wife in her second husband’s household. She was still expected to produce a son which she was able to accomplish. However, even with this, she was still brought to her failure by losing both sons away from her. When she gave birth to the second son, she was longing for the first. When she was finally with the firs son, she was longing for the second. This can be explained through the previous line of thought already mentioned earlier. The very essence of a woman’s role has become the very essence of her existence. Without the fruits of his responsibilities which are her sons, she cannot survive. Her worth is measured through her ability to produce an heir. In the story, even if the woman has successfully undergone the responsibility in an easy manner, still she lost both sons. The firs son was lost because she was not able to take care of him due to her being away from her. The second son was lost because he was simply not destined to be hers since she was just a second wife. Secondly, the authority of the first husband is also evident as she was unable to defy his orders when he ordered she had to be sold to another man for the family to be able to eat. This is another factor to the fall of the woman in the story. It is evident that everything the husband told her is a matter of compliance on the part of the wife. She was willing to leave her two-year old son just to fulfill the orders of the husband. She was willing to endure the pain of giving birth to another child because her husband told her so. Even at the end of the story, the husband was still very authoritative. â€Å"Neither she nor her husband spoke. As night fell his drooping head straightened up and she said: ‘Cook us a meal’[xvi].†

A cellular network

A cellular network A cellular network is a radio network made of number of radio cells, each severed by fixed positioned based station. These cells stations cover several different areas and provide large radio coverage. In order for this to happen a variable number of portable transceivers can be used in any cell and moved through one cell during transmission. The use of multiple cells means that if the distributed transceivers are mobile and moving from one point to another point they should change also from cell to cell. This mechanism could be different according to the type of network and change of circumstances. In this case clear coordination between base station and mobile station is must in order to avoid communication interruption. The most common example of cellular Network is a cell or mobile phone, which is a portable telephone that could be dialled or receives calls through base station or transmitting tower. Radio waves transfer signal to and from mobile phone. The coverage area of service provider sometime is split into small cells in order to prevent signal losses and also a large number of active phones in the area. The range of signals could be different in cities and rural areas. All base stations are connected to mobile phone switches centre, which connect to a public telephone network or to another mobile company switch. As the mobile consumer moves from one cell area to another cell, the switch automatically commands the handset and a cell site with a stronger signal (reported by each handset) to switch to a new radio channel (frequency). When the handset responds through the new cell site, the exchange switches the connection to the new cell site. Modern cell phones networks use cell as radio frequencies are limited, shared resource, base stations and handsets change frequency and use low power transmitters in order that limited number of radio frequency can be used at the same time by many users with less interferences. To distinguish signals from a varieties of different transmitters, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA) has been developed. Advantage of cellular Network over other alternative solutions is: Increase capacity. Power usage reduced. Huge coverage area. Interference from other signals reduced. Reference paper 10 The evolution of the cellular Network started to flourish during the last years in which several different systems were developed; as a result we have first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G) cellular networks and the trend is continuously increasing. The first generation (1G) was used from 1970-1980 and now is retired. In 1990 the second generation (2G) of Networks were launched such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Personal Communications Service (PCS), and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN) and so on. The second generation (2G) of networks replaced the (1G) and became very popular with digital processing, enabling wireless transmission of voice as well as data and have different Variety of new features such as a Push to Talk, Short Messaging service(SMS), caller ID, conference calling, voice mail, email messaging and so on. After the ongoing success of 2G, carriers to respond to the worldwide demand of the speed trend, they developed a robust interim generation of cellular Networks which is the 2.5G such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD) and so on. This upgrade increase bandwidth needed to support a diverse variety of new applications including large email messages resourceful web browsing, navigation, basic multimedia faxing and different data at typical dialup speed. This generation of network become popular and supported many firm’s workers. Carriers continuously competing to add further enhancement to the new generation of Networks and from as a result we have the third generation (3G) with increased bandwidth to DSL with range of 144 Kbps to 2+Mbps are produced to provide support for more demanding multimedia applications such as video conferencing, voice over (VOIP), full motion video and streaming music to support television programs (satellite radio) and faster file downloads. GSM IT is standard mobile telephone system used across Europe and created in 1982. Global system for mobile communication (GSM) is one of the second generation (2G) of mobile Networks promoted by the GSM association, became the most popular standard mobile phone in the world with over 3 billion customers in more than 212 countries. GSM is a cellular Network and this means that mobile phones connect to it by searching for cells or nearest site. GSM has five different cell sites and its presents everywhere makes international roaming very common between phones operator; also allow mobile users to use their device in many parts of the world and change carriers without changing phones. On the other hand GSM benefits Network operators who have the possibility to choose equipment from any worldwide vendors using GSM. Features of GSM are: Low cost alternative to voice calls. Text messaging. Worldwide emergency telephone number (112/999), which connects international travellers to emergency service without knowing the local emergency service number. The GSM standard enhanced their services adding the general pocket radio service (GPRS), higher speed data transmission using enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE). GSM Network operates in a number of different frequency ranges with continuously enhanced full rate coder-decoder (CODEC). One of the key features of GSM is the SIM card or subscriber identity model, which contains the user’s subscription information and phone book. Finally the GSM system and service are governed by ETSI standard, which is a European telecommunication service institute. BTS BSC MSC GMSC VLR HLR Access Network MS BSS SMSS OMC EIR AUC OMSS ISDNPSTN GSM Sub Systems architecture GSM is a part of 2nd Generation systems. GSM’s purpose was to provide a circuit switched telephony service to mobile users. GSM uses Time Division Multiple Access. GSM has a different core network than 2.5 Generation and 3rd Generation infrastructure. The Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) or Synchronous Digital Network (SONET) standards provide a conventional transmission line in fixed connections as like from BSS to SMSS interfaces. Inside of the core network, Mobile Application Part signalling (MAP) is used. Functionality of Various Modules of the GSM System There are three subsystems in GSM network .These are: Base Station Subsystems (BSS) Switching and Management Subsystems (SMSS) Operation and Maintenance Subsystems (OMSS) Base Station Subsystems (BSS) In GSM networks, the access network plays a very important role to connect terminals to the network. The access network BSS is connected to the core network. The main purpose of BSS is to set the connection between a Mobile Station and the Base Station. The first component of a BSS network is the Base Transceiver Station (BTS), which is responsible from air interface and creating a bridge between the network and the Mobile Station (MS). The second component is the Base Station Controller (BSC), which is responsible from all the Base Transceiver Stations (BTS). Simply it is responsible to allocate and release channels at air interface. Base Station Subsystems are connected to SMSS and OMSS. Switching and Management Subsystems (SMSS) SMSS is divided into two components. These are Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) and Gateway Mobile Switching Centre (GMSC). MSC is responsible for all the base stations which are connected onto Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) over Base Station Controller (BSC). The GMSC is responsible from the external fixed network line. Whenever there is a phone call, it comes in or goes out from GMSC. All the incoming calls are directed to Home Location Register (HLR) to detect and look at the profile of subscriber in order to determine if the subscriber is able to make a phone call or not . If the call is accepted it goes to MSC, then from MSC the call goes into Visitor Location Register (VLR), VLR knows the location of mobile stations. Simply we can say that the VLR is responsible from the access network and also from MSC too. Operation and Maintenance Subsystems (OMSS) Operation and Maintenance Subsystems (OMSS) is mainly responsible for the security of the network. For example, if the phone is stolen or if the subscriber didn’t pay his bill. One of the important data bases in OMSS are Equipment Identity Register (EIR) and the Authentication Centre (AUC). Ref 11 wiki Universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) Universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) is one of the third generation (3G) mobile telecommunication technologies, which is also being designed in a (4G) technology. The name UMTS is introduced by ETSI and is usually used in Europe but adapt other names outside the continent, instructed by 3GPP and is a part of a global ITU IMT-2000 Standard. The most common form of UTMS Network uses Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (IMT direct spread) as the underlying air interface. The idea that lies behind the UMTS is to create a network component which is close to GSM/GPRS and also to be able to operate under this existing GSM/GPRS Network (GERAN). UMTS has an additional Access Network to GERAN. All the components in this new access network are totally different than the components in GERAN access network. As it is mentioned before UMTS can work with both Circuit Switch (2G) and Packet Switch domain (2.5G 3G), therefore there are two access networks. One of these is called Radio Access Network (GERAN) and the second one is called UMTS Terrestrial Access Network (UTRAN). Showing UTRAN infrastructure The GSM network is a circuit switched network, which means, that there are no IP, high data rate or multimedia messages. UTRAN is a packet switched network, where everything is based on IP address, high data rate and many other facilities are available. In GSM infrastructure, we have got a Mobile Station (MS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and Base Station Controller (BSC). But this infrastructure is totally different in UTRAN infrastructure. In UTRAN, there is user equipment (UE) which is the same as Mobile Station in GERAN/BSS. Another component is Node B (NB). The Node B is the base station as BTS and this Node B (NB) is controlled by Radio Network Controller (RNC). RNC is the same as BSC in GERAN/BSS. The main differences are higher data rates, enhanced security, new protocols and signalization for enhanced service factors. These are all provided by the new components in an access network of UTRAN/RNC. UMTS there are two core networks and two access networks. The advantage of UMTS is that it is very flexible. UMTS supports both circuit switch and Packet Switch Networks. One core network is designed for CS domain and the other one is designed for PS domain. Circuit switch is for the old generation mobiles but still in use. CS domain is not based on IP; we can simply say that CS domain is needed for GSM network. Packed switch domain is based on internet protocol (IP) and has different new protocol and signalling. PS domain enables high speed data rate as a result of this is that video messaging and all these other internet based and high speed data rates can be obtained. PS domain is needed for GPRS and UMTS. In UTRAN/RNS, user wants to make a call. In this case the user equipment (UE) searches for the nearest Node B and sets the connection. Once the connection is set the call is transferred from Node B (NB) to Radio Network Controller (RNC), From RNC the call goes to PS domain Core Network in GERAN/BSS. Mobile Station (MS) searches for the nearest Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and from here the MS is directed to BSC, if the call is IP based from BSC then the call will be directed to PS domain core network, if the call is not IP based than it goes to CS Domain core network. UMTS Block Architecture Iub – This interface happens between the Node B and RNC. RNC is using I-ub interface to control one or more Node B. The I-ub interface is standardized interface; there is also a signalling protocol which uses NBAP. Iur – This interface happens between the Radio Network Controllers (RNC). Iur helps the RNC to pass its information or data to another RNC. After this process, the user equipment is transferred to new RNC; the signalling protocol uses Radio Network Subscriber Application part (RNSAP). There are two Iu interface for both PS and CS core networks, one for Iu CS another one is for Iu PS. Iu CS This interface happens between UTRAN/RNS and the circuit switch core network domain. Iu-CS carries voice and signalling between UTRAN/RNS and PS domain core network. The signalling protocol is called RANAP. Iu PS This interface happens between UTRAN/RNS and the packet switch core network domain. This core network is designed for UMTS and GPRS. Iu–PS carries voice and signalling between UTRAN/RNS and PS domain core networks. The signalling protocol is RANAP.

Islam in the Era of Globalization Essay -- Outsourcing, Offshoring, Fre

A primary question imposes itself. Do we muslims represent an umma in the contemporary world? What is meant by the question is not the umma as known in the political geography asa nation recognized by international law, but the umma is meant here as a concept of universal communal based on self awareness of the concerned entity about its identity on side, and the acceptance of the distinctive identity of the muslims on the other side. Muslims are supposed to be a doctrinal or ideological universal community, united through the entire world by their faith in thinking, feeling and action. They all believe in and they are all committed to Islam and its values of doing good and spreading it. However the concrete reality is that natural barriers such as geography and ethnicity in addition to political, economic and cultural barriers, under colonialism and post colonial era have obstructed the supposed unity of the umma. Nevertheless, the challenges and dangers muslims have been facing in the contemporary world ought to revitalize the awareness of unity and integrity of the muslim communal body. From another angle, the entire world is witnessing an era of globalism through its speedy communications, and transportations with all its negatives and its positives. This may be an opportunity for the muslims to surmount the barriers and gain some kind of unity at least in their thinking and feelings. The negatives of globalism may add to the challenges, which they must face together ,within the limited effective armament muslims may have in the contemporary world. Feeling as one â€Å"Umma† We have to feel genuinely as one umma in a rational mature well organized way so that our relationships work together in coordination and harmony within oneself. Muslims do not live in a vacume. They live in a world full of people with various backgrounds. An umma consciousness ought not to engulf or negate other muslim existential relations in the contemporary world. Islam being the message of â€Å"The Lord of the Universe†-allows and urges constructive natural relations between muslims and whomever they come across for whatever legitimate purpose. Through Islam we must make the best of our potential abilities. The identity of the muslim individual, group and umma can be perceived and universally recognized through truthfulness, honesty and helpfulness rather than throu... ...ily, freedom of faith and religion; health , education, political and socio-economic rights. They should be unhesitant supporters of religious and ethnic minorities and all victims of oppression and exploitation. Conclusion It goes without saying that each country with a muslim majority should be a role model for defending and securing human rights. We as an Umma have a long way to go through in order to assure itself within itself and the complex contemporary world. Whatever the long way it starts with a few steps in the right direction. Let us set ourselves as an umma in the right direction with regards to feeling, thinking and acting, starting from individual groups and going through the whole umma.Deeds should represent our ideals ,since they are the obvious and concrete expression of our identity ,beliefs, and concepts. Europe fostered in modern times an ideology of nationalism and the struggle for it has been able to provide during the recent decades the â€Å"Euro-community† as an enlightening , conceptual and practical model of persistent hard worked for unity. Analysis of an article written by DR. Hameed Anwar in "Islam Today" published 1998

Blending of Past, Present, and Future in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death Salesman essays

Blending of Past, Present, and Future in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman      Ã‚  Ã‚   The most significant and challenging aspect to Death of a Salesman is its structure. In reading and watching the play it may appear at first that Miller is relying on the tried but true "flashback" technique in dramatizing the events of the play. In reality, Miller is actually attempting something much different. He is actually trying to fuse the past, present, and future into, what David Biele has aptly termed, a "constant state of NOW." It's not too unlike the Buddhist notion of living in the "eternal present" - meaning, whether we are conscious of it or not, everything that happens, happens now. If you are remember something in the past you are remembering it now. If you are dreaming of something in the future you are doing in now. Miller describes that state as this: I've never been able to make time real for myself. I can't remember whether something happened two weeks ago or three years ago. Or when I was in England the last time. The calendar doesn't seem to exist in my head. It all melts together. It always has. It's probably a form of insanity. I thought I would try to write that way - simply melt the days, the months and the years, because I really do believe that we move through the world carrying the past and that it's always alive in the back of our head. We are making constant references between what we see now and what we saw then, between what we hear now and what we heard then ... one asks a policeman for directions: as one listens, the hairs sticking out of his nose become important, reminding one of a father, brother, son with the same feature, and one's conflict with him or one's friendship come to mind, and this all over a period of seconds while objectively taking note of how to get to where one wants to go. The play then becomes an attempt to dramatize the way, to Miller at least, that the mind actually works. In fact, he originally thought of calling the play, "The Inside of His Head." He wanted the resulting form to "carry the whole freight of a man's life," moving the play forward not chronologically, in a "narrow discreet line, but as a phalanx, all of its elements moving together simultaneously.

Old Spice Essay

This essay covers persuasive techniques used in the video commercial for Old Spice deodorant, as well as the messages that lie in the heart of the very commercial. The essay will try to explain the techniques and effects of persuasion on targeted audience, while at the same time referring to style and language. A great emphasis is put on humor, as it is the main technique of persuasion used in the very commercial. The commercial that is the subject of this work is Old Spice’s â€Å"The man your man could smell like† 33 second long video, which increased Old Spice sales as much as 106% at one point. In order to explain and understand this phenomenon, attention should be drawn to persuasive techniques used by advertisers to subconsciously influence targeted audience, while analyzing main messages itself. First, let us take a look at the concept of the commercial itself. The product, Old Spice deodorant, is presented to the audience by a physically attractive, stereotypically masculine African American, the narrator and the only character in the commercial, stereotyped to the point of exaggeration. Presented image leaves us with the idea of a parody. The main character is addressing the audience in second person, leading them through the commercial. One of the most interesting things about his narration is that, although the product itself is aimed at men, the commercial is not directly addressed to them. The narrator speaks to women, which is undoubtedly one of the factors of the popularity of this commercial, as it gives an unexpected twist to it, taking into consideration the well-known fact that most commercials of this type feature a stereotypical macho model, who addresses that men should aspire to look and act like him. By looking at some of the commercials of the type, especially at the older Old Spice commercials, a common persistent pattern can be noticed, which is now made fun of, the reason being the company’s attempt to try and abandon their outdated image. The narrator is, as mentioned before, an exaggeratedly stereotypical masculine persona, overly confident and arrogant to the degree that makes his personality unrealistic and humorous. He is trying to sell the product by selling himself, stating that any ordinary man could come at least close to what he was, just by using the same deodorant. The unintentional humor comes from his exaggerated personality and randomness of the commercial’s plot. First, we see the man in the bathroom, three seconds later he is on a boat, holding an oyster containing two tickets, which are soon replaced by diamonds and at the very end, he is on a horse. What makes this concept interesting and humorous is that he keeps eye contact with the audience through every second of the commercial, while describing everything that he is doing and everything that is seen on the screen, thus stating the obvious. The advertisement is not saying anything about the actual product, and is instead focused on selling the commercial rather than the product, which in this case is understandable as Old Spice is an established and popular brand. Advertisers count on the sense of humor of both men and women, whilst using an attractive man to occupy women’s attention. Targeted audience, as aforementioned, is the younger population of heterosexual men and women who share a particular sense of humour. By using mockery and a sort of parodying of the commercial, mixing it with sex appeal and personality, advertisers have created a persuasive and informative advertisement that is not aimed at a broader audience, as the above mentioned factors, do not appeal to older generations. Having a particular sense of humor is crucial to understanding this commercial, as it would otherwise face the risk of being labeled derogatory and sexist. Advertisers have applied the â€Å"sex sells† rule of advertising on this commercial, with the change of men being objectified rather than women, and mixed it with humor in order to create a desirable effect. Before turning to analysis of other techniques, it is important to mention the use of language and sentences as well, which cannot really be seen as a persuasive technique but is a powerful tool in manipulating audience. Sentences in the commercial are brief and straight to the point. The narrator is confident and he knows what he is talking about- no stops in between the sentences, no improvisation and no commas, which, aside with random images, helps to create the desirable dynamic effect. Dynamic commercial embodies the dynamic lifestyle led by the targeted audience, which consists of young people who are always on the move and trying to keep up with the modern world. As for the style and tone of the author, it is important to mention that the narrator states his point of view up-front, the language is forceful and persuasive, making the narrator sound arrogant and powerful, even superior to the audience he is talking to. He is even making fun of the audience, which is, however, not to be taken seriously, taking into account that the parodying tone is present from the very beginning and it is clear that the intention is to make fun of the male and female stereotypes, rather than the audience. After analyzing the messages, style, tone, and use of humor, an emphasis should be put on persuasive techniques, in order to understand the effect this commercial has on the audience. The second persuasive technique that can be read is â€Å"repetition†. Even by inattentive listening to the commercial it is clear that some of the words and sentences are repeated in order to reinforce the main point. At the very beginning, the narrator draws women’s attention by inviting them to compare their man with him, by repeating repeatedly â€Å"back at your man, now back to me†. This technique is used to state the obvious, and is meant to be a certain â€Å"wake up call† to all the women whose boyfriends and husbands are not as attractive, wealthy, confident and manly as the narrator is. Apart from â€Å"humor† and â€Å"repetition†, one of the persuasive techniques used in this commercial is â€Å"beautiful people†, an extremely common technique in ads that uses good looking models to attract attention of the viewers by implying that they will look like them if they use the product. In this instance, Isaiah Mustafa, an American actor, is used to draw the attention of female audience, by promising that their â€Å"man† would look like him if they used the product. Somewhat connected to the mentioned â€Å"beautiful people† technique, is â€Å"snob appeal†, another technique that uses beautiful, confident models to suggest that â€Å"the use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle†. Not only the narrator in this commercial is attractive and confident, but he is also well dressed, wealthy and powerful, owning a boat and having the power to turn an oyster into diamonds, and is again implying that the use of the advertised product, Old Spice deodorant, made all the mentioned things possible. All of the mentioned techniques- humor, repetition, beautiful people and snob appeal, are just some of the well-known, common techniques used by advertisers in order to trick the targeted audience into buying the advertised product. Behind the effect and success of those techniques lays the complex human psychology and the role of the subconscious, which the advertisers understand very well. Most people never pay attention to the manipulation they are subdued to every day by consuming media, but the crude truth is that the manipulation is ever present- in advertising, media and political speeches. The success of the Old Spice commercial lays behind the canny techniques of persuasion used by the advertisers, and although the parodying in this case is not accepted by everybody, and there are people who argue that the commercial is derogatory and shallow, advertisers undoubtedly got what they wanted- popularity and publicity.

Man Vs Nature Conflicts

Humanity's progress, particularly since the mid-19th century, has been largely the result of our ability to get and use what planet Earth has to offer. All told, the food we eat, the timber we cut, and the water we draw amounts to an astounding one-third to one-half of global ecosystem production. But humans are part of nature, and like every other species on the planet, we depend upon healthy ecosystems for our survival. Nature provides us essentials like clean water, food, medicines, even recreational retreats.Intact ecosystems also help regulate our weather and climate. But these systems are extremely fragile, and we're only now beginning to understand the myriad interactions and interdependencies that sustain them. And we know that once they are gone, there are no replacements. Changing our behavior and needs to preserve these Earth's ecosystems will be neither easy nor inexpensive. But if we are to feed, clothe, and care for ourselves into the future, taking drastic steps will b e essential. . Man- Nature interactionMan and nature interact dialectically in such a way that, as society develops, man tends to become less dependent on nature directly, while indirectly his dependence grows. This is understandable. While he is getting to know more and more about nature, and on this basis transforming it, man's power over nature progressively increases, but in the same process, man comes into more and more extensive and profound contact with nature, bringing into the sphere of his activity growing quantities of matter, energy and information.Why exactly do we humans have such an incredibly large influence on other species and the natural world? We are unique among animal species in that we survive and reproduce in a wide variety of environments through cultural adaptations. In contrast, other species are primarily able to survive and reproduce due to biological adaptations that result from eons of natural selection and biological evolution. The cultural adaptation s of humans have allowed them to colonize nearly every ecosystem type on Earth. In addition, cultural innovations have allowed the human population to grow exponentially for millennia.Such sustained population growth is unparalleled by any other species on the planet. The population of a typical species grows until it reaches the carrying capacity of its environment, then levels off or declines. In other words, it grows until it is fully utilizing the available resources, such as food and space. At this point mechanisms such as disease and starvation keep the population from continuing to grow. However, we humans have responded to resource scarcity with cultural practices and technologies that increase the availability of resources.We raise our food on farms and live in multi-story apartment buildings, increasing the carrying capacity of the environment for humans. This growth eventually requires yet more cultural adaptations to increase resources, and the alteration of the natural environment and the rate of cultural evolution is accelerated. Currently the global human population is large enough and the technologies that allow humans to manipulate the environment are potent enough that human-caused alterations to the biosphere are causing the extinction of innumerable wildlife species.If present trends continue, there will be an eventual crash in the human population that will bring great suffering and cause widespread environmental damage. This is the root cause of the modern environmental crisis. This deals with how we got into the present situation from the perspective of cultural interactions with wildlife and wild lands – coflicts conflict can be explained as the struggle between two class or group. In this essay we can see the differences that are a raised between man and nature.Since nature from the birth of earth the nature had a major role playing in every single aspect of living life on earth. as man develops slowly by improving day by day th e destruction of nature started. Man learned to develop the seed which helped both the environment by improving it's greenery and man by his efforts. Man vs nature conflict occurs when a particular character is opposed to natures forces. It is the conflict between nature itself, and mankind as we continue our relentless expansion, coupled with our overwhelming lack of compassion for any other form of life.A prime example of one such battle is that which currently rages in The Serengeti National Park. Currently, the Tanzanian government, despite earlier reports to the contrary, intends to pave the road which runs across 50 km of the park. The annual migrations in this region involve more than 1. 5 million animals, primarily wildebeests and zebras. These annual migrations are considered one of the great natural wonders of the world. The paving of this road would have dire consequences, both to the migrating herds and the local environment itself.The effects could be devastating to the natural balance throughout the area. The road would bring increased traffic, almost certainly resulting in massive loss of life to the herds. But as tragic as this would be, it is not the sole repercussion that would ensue A. overexploitation The exploitation of natural resources started to emerge in the 19th century as natural resource extraction developed. During the 20th century, energy consumption rapidly increased. Today, about 80% of the world’s energy consumption is sustained by the extraction of fossil fuels, which consists of oil, coal and gas.Another non-renewable resource that is exploited by humans are Subsoil minerals such as precious metals that are mainly used in the production of industrial commodities. Intensive agriculture is an example of a mode of production that hinders many aspects of the natural environment, for example the degradation of forests in a terrestrial ecosystem and water pollution in an aquatic ecosystem. As the world population rises and e conomic growth occurs, the depletion of natural resources influenced by the unsustainable extraction of raw materials becomes an increasing concern deforestation.Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. [1] Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use. Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the increasing number of people that live in urban areas. It predominantly results in the physical growth of urban areas, be it horizontal or vertical. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008. [1] By 2050 it is predicted that 64.1% and 85. 9% of the developing and developed world respectively will be urbanized.Urbanization is closely linked to modernization, industrialization, and the sociological process of rationalization. Urbanization can describe a specific condition at a set t ime, i. e. the proportion of total population or area in cities or towns, or the term can describe the increase of this proportion over time. So the term urbanization can represent the level of urban development relative to overall population, or it can represent the rate at which the urban proportion is increasing.MARKET PRESSURES increase in commercialization, intensification and privatization of local economies, growing integration of national and global economies, economic reforms refer to market pressure. The list of such conflicts is extensive. One needs only turn on the news or read a local paper to find stories of such conflicts between man and nature. It is impossible to affect one link in the chain which comprises a given environment without incurring disastrous ramifications. Human beings are the ultimate embodiment of this destructive potential on the planet.Our encroachment upon†¦and in far too many instances outright destruction of†¦ various delicate habitats is well documented and comes in a variety of forms. These include: population growth impinging upon an animals natural habitat, destruction of the environment itself through pollution of the air, soil and water, disruption of migratory patterns, over fishing and hunting, deforestation and poaching. Mankind as a whole is the single greatest contributor to ecological imbalance on the planet. Why resources are under pressure?  · Increase in the sophistication of technology enabling natural resources to be extracted quickly and efficiently.E. g. , in the past, it could take long hours just to cut down one tree only using saws. Due to increased technology, rates of deforestation have greatly increased  · A rapid increase in population that is now decreasing. The current number of 7. 132 billion humans consume many natural resources.  · Cultures of consumerism. Materialistic views lead to the mining of gold and diamonds to produce jewelry, unnecessary commodities for human life or advancement.  · Excessive demand often leads to conflicts due to intense competition. Organizations such as Global Witness and the United Nations have documented the connection.Non-equitable distribution of resources.CONSEQUENCESThe Holocene extinction, sometimes called the Sixth Extinction, is a name proposed to describe the extinction event of species that has occurred during the present Holocene epoch (since around 10,000 BC). The Holocene extinction includes the disappearance of large mammals known as megafauna, starting between 9,000 and 13,000 years ago, the end of the last Ice Age. This may have been due to the extinction of the mammoth that had maintained grasslands that became birch forests without the mammoths.The new forest and the resulting forest fires may have induced climate change. [3] Such disappearances might be the result of the proliferation of modern humans which led to climate change. These extinctions, occurring near the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary, are sometimes referred to as the Quaternary extinction event. The Holocene extinction continues into the 21st century  · Erosion is the process by which soil and rock are removed from the Earth's surface by exogenetic processes such as wind or water flow, and then transported and deposited in other locations.Industrial agriculture, deforestation, roads, anthropogenic climate change and urban sprawl are amongst the most significant human activities in regard to their effect on stimulating erosion.CONCLUSIONConversely, to be honest, we are the species that holds the ability to have the greatest positive effect upon this worlds ecosystems. We have it within us to either save or destroy. The ability and the choice is ours. We as a species need to acquire an environmental conscience an awareness before our own shortsightedness and apathy doom us and our fellow denizens of this world to extinction.

Best Day Ever Essay

â€Å"Brandon, I just don’t think it’s wise of you to take your car your freshman year of college,† my mother said every time we passed a state. My mom and I had been taking turns driving a car my father bought me in Texas back to Georgia. . Although I would have loved to spend my Saturday with friends back at home, driving my new car from Texas to Georgia on a Saturday wasn’t that bad. I was just so determined to show off my brand new silver 2010 Toyota Camry LE, I didn’t care what anyone said because that car was coming with me to Valdosta State University fall of 2012. I woke up on Sunday anxious to drive my car to church and show it off to all my friends. I was still a bit tired from the night before, after driving all day and downloading tons of songs to add to my playlist that was entitled â€Å"Toyota Tunes†. â€Å"Brandon, while you’re in church, I want you to pray and ask God what you think you should do with your car,† my mother said towards my closed door while I was getting dressed. â€Å"Okay, Mom, but my mind is pretty much made up,† I replied instantly. After I finished getting dressing, I waited for my mother in my car to finish getting dressed in the house. Being behind the wheel of your first car is one of those capturing moments many people get to feel at least once in their life. All I could think about while awaiting my mother’s arrival was all the friends I’d have in college with my cool car. I had visions of girls way out of my league not liking me for who I was, but for what I drove. An d for the funniest reason, I was content with that. As I pulled out of the driveway, my heart began to race and my fingers started to sweat from the grip I had on my steering wheel. Nothing had ever felt so sweet than to watch my neighbors look at me after getting their Sunday paper and see whose car it was I was driving. â€Å"I want you to say the morning prayer in your new car,† my mom said after turning down the gospel music she had blasting through my speakers. The morning prayer was something my mother and I would do whenever she would drop me off at school or another morning activity. It was also our way of airing out any dirty laundry we had with each other by saying our problems aloud to God and whoever else was around to listen. â€Å"Alright mom, I’ll pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I come before you today asking for your protection through these highways and streets. I also pray that you can give my mother an ease of mind and let her know that I will be safe my freshman year with my car. She should have nothing to worry about because she should believe that You will protect me every mile I drive no matter where I drive. If she doesn’t believe that, then maybe that’s something You and her should discuss. In Jesus’ name, Amen.† â€Å"Amen,† she said in an unpleasant manner. â€Å"Disobeying your mother is not of God, Brandon†, she said when we pulled up to the church â€Å", But this is your car and you’re a grown man. Just don’t be surprised if God gives you a sign telling you that you should listen to me on this one. After church, I told my mom that I would take her home, pick up some friends and hang out at one of my good friends’ house for a bit. â€Å"How long will you be out? Because you leave for school in three days and there are still a lot of things you need to do before you go.† â€Å"I’ll be back by ten, I promise,† I said as I grabbed my keys off the counter to get my friends. This would now be my official first time driving my car alone. This was the moment I’ve been awaiting since my father first told me he bought a car for me fresh off the lot in cash. My mother waived at me from the window shaking her head. You ever get that feeling that something is about to happen, but you don’t know what it is. With a very strange gut feeling beginning to occur, I waived back to my mom while wiping the sweat off my hand â€Å"Bittersweet Symphony† by The Verve was my first song of choice. The song is actually about 6 minutes, which is about as lon g as it took for me to get to my friend Marquell’s house. â€Å"Come outside. I’m right around the corner,† I told him over the phone, not mentioning my new car. When he came outside, the look on his face was priceless. â€Å"So this was the ‘little something’ your dad got you for graduation!?† The minute he climbed into the passenger seat, he instantly turned my radio to his Sunday easy listening channel he would always turn to in his beat up Camero. On our way to my friend Diamond’s house, she called me and asked if we could pick up some snacks for the movie we were going to watch when we got to her house. On my way to the store with my friend Marquell, we had the most intellectual conversation on which television shows expanded our minds the most when we were children. â€Å"I don’t care what you say†, Marquell said with confidence,† If it wasn’t for Captain Planet, I wouldn’t be the eco-friendly man I am today. Maybe if you watched more Captain Planet and less He y Arthur, you wouldn’t have all these air fresheners in your car polluting the Earth.† We both took a little time to acknowledge all the Hawaiian Breeze air cleansers I had dangling from my rear-view mirror, as we were approaching a stop light. â€Å"But you can’t tell me my ride doesn’t smell like pineapples and happiness though,† I said to cut the lighthearted tension me and my best friend created. As we pulled into the front of the gas station to get snacks, an old lady behind me honked her horn, attempting to tell me to clear the tail of my car into the parking space so she could get passed. The minute I tapped on the gas pedal, little did I know that my entire outlook on life would change. That was that moment that I got that explanation for that gut feeling. My car had gone into an instant throttle, running clear into the curb in front of me. â€Å"Oh shit, bruh,† my friend Marquell said in disbelief,† I think you fucked something up.† We stared at each other for a moment, not believing the careless mistake I made. The collision happened on the passenger side, so when Marquell got out the car, he was the first one to see the impact damage. When he jumped out the car and looked at my bumper, the face he made at the damage superseded the face he made when he saw my car the first time. â€Å"Tell me it’s not that bad please!† I said at the top of my lungs. I could tell it was already bad by seeing pink fluid running underneath my car when I got out. I honestly don’t think there is enough paper in the world to write the words of unhappiness that flowed from my mouth like an eruption of every foul term I could fathom There was a huge fracture in the middle of the bumper which effected the brake fluid tank to rip open. This also affected the radiator tank, as well. The first person I called was my father to let him know what happened. After that, I called the mechanic he connected me with. The last call I had to make was to my mother, to ask her to come pick me and my friend, Marquell up. This phone call was even harder to make than to my father. The phone only rang once followed by my mother’s voice saying in a subtle tone, â€Å" Before you say anything, know that I told you so before you left†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Personal Philosophy of Nursing Essay

Belief is the reflection of values that guides one to plan and set goals in their personal and professional Life. With this in mind, and that caring is the essence of nursing practice, my career path goals were outlined and focused on concept of education , health and care. My perspectives and beliefs about nursing as a profession have been gradually developed throughout the years by the influence of many, mentorship, education and by long years of clinical experience. Beliefs Nursing. Nurses help and care for the sick or well, and promote health with skills, expertise and knowledge. The American Nurses Association (ANA) defines nursing as â€Å"the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.† We nurses are focused and educated to provide the most holistic care to individuals and family with actual and/or potential health problem. (ANA, 2009). Our commitment is to assist individuals/clients efforts to reach their optimal health potential. Client. Client can be the individual, family, group, organization or communities that have innate abilities, resources, experiences and values that guide decision-making regarding health issues.† (University of Kansas School of Nursing, 2001). Kings’ theory emphasizes the importance of clie nt participation in the decision-making and deal with choices, alternatives and outcomes of care (cited by Parker, 2006). Nurses need to understand how individual/clients choose and accept responsibility when they are their health decision-maker. Health. Health is the client optimal state of wellness. The World Health Organization defines health as â€Å"a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.† Leininger defined health as â€Å"state of well-being that is culturally defined, valued, and practiced and reflects the ability of individuals or groups to perform their daily role activities in culturally expressed, beneficial and patterned ways (cited by Parker, 2006). The individual/ client health is intrinsic interacted with his/her environment. Environment. Newman defines environment as â€Å"all internal and external factors or influences surrounding the identified client or client system (cited by Parker, 2006).† Martha Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings proposed that the client and their environment are integral with one another in a continuous process (Blais et al, 2002). When nurses apply Rogers’ theory in their practice, they holistic focus on the person as a whole and promote and integrate care between the client and his/her environment. It is my belief that environment greatly influences a client’s health and her/his perception of health and it is in continuous and creative changes. My career goals were outlined in the perspective of changes and advancement of my profession and a more competent professional nurse. Goals Short-term. My immediate short- term goals as soon as school is over, is to be oriented as day House Supervisor in the facility where I work. It will be a cross-training position, since I am not planning to leave the clinical area anytime soon. This new position will be parallel to my actual position as telemetry charge nurse. My second goal is to finish St David HCA academy leadership classes by the end of this year. I believe that these short-term goals will pave my career path and give me the foundation to accomplish my long-term goals Long-term. I have two long-term goals that I am planning to accomplish by 2012. First, I am planning to be Austin Community College Nurse School’s clinical instructor assistant to start in January of 2010. Also, next year, I would like to apply and be accepted in a â€Å"Developmental Teaching Program† that the University Of Texas (UT), with the collaboration of St David HCA and Seton Hospital, organized to help and assist employees who are interested in advancing their education into a master’s program and be involved with teaching. Each hospital accepts fifteen qualified employees per semester and the program consists of three teaching classes at master level. Planning my career and setting up goals beyond being a bedside nurse was not an easy step. It was finalized/ concreted by the influence and support of friends and my family Critical Analysis Beliefs. My beliefs about nursing were influenced especially by my husband and by one of my lifetime friends. Both taught me that nursing is a profession that one never stops learning and learning is the only way to acquire knowledge to improve and excel as a professional. I also have an enthusiastic mentor that instructs and encourages me to expand my knowledge in other areas of nursing rather than just being a bedside nurse. My beliefs in my career, also, have been greatly influenced by my mother who continuously reminds me to always put myself in the patient’s place before any decision or judgment is done. Through it, she taught me what compassion and true care means. Besides the people mentioned above, there are many others that in one way or another influenced and shaped my beliefs about nursing. Career Choice. Nursing has been my only profession. I got my ADN diploma through Florence Nightingale Nursing School, the only England Nurse School in my country. So, once in the U.S, I went back to nursing school and got my ADN. My career choice happened long before I even finished high school. My father was very sick for a long time and very often I would go with him to the hospital for doctors’ appointments or just to the emergency room. During those times my heart would go to those sick people lying down on the ground outside the hospital waiting for an available doctor or a nurse to see them, and, most of the time it would not happen so soon. Some of these people would stay for a day or two in the heat, hungry, thirsty, dirty and in pain. Against my mother orders, (because we did not have much), I started to bring food, and water to those people and I would apply butter to their wounds to keep them wet ( I had seen the old women in the farm doing it). When I really decided to go the nurse school, I was not sure about it. I told my mother that would try it because I did not want to be anything back then. Once I started nursing school, I was totally in love with it. Indirectly, my father led me to my current career path that I feel fulfilled me as a professional. Current Career Path. I have been a nurse for six years. Since my graduation, I have been working as a telemetry nurse/charge nurse. But through these years I have been working in all med/surg floors, step-down ICU and ER. I like cardiology the most. It is a fast pace unit and can be very challenging. In this unit I am able to advise and encourage patients on health maintenance and disease prevention, and that I work with a team that together provides optimal care to those with cardiac diseases. All these years as an ADN I was comfortable as it was until two years ago, when my husband and my mentor encouraged me to advance my education at least to the BSN level. And, I am glad that I did it. The RN-BSN bridge program was essential in expanding my knowledge and therefore improved my nurse practice. Impact of RN-BSN Program on Nursing and Career The Texas Tech University health Sciences Center School of Nursing program has had a great impact in my profession and career path. Through this program I have been learning more about evidence-based practice, theories and nursing practice than I did in all those years in the ADN schools. Now, for example, when I look at a medication(s), read or do a procedure on a patient , I am more aware of the importance of research and evidence-based practice and why I (we) do things in certain order or way. â€Å"By exploring concepts such as: evidence-based practice, professional development, life-long learning, community health, nursing theories, research, mentorship, current issues facing nursing and many more I now see nursing form a larger perspective (Harmon, 2009).† This program expanded my knowledge, enhanced my practice and thus, effectively improves my patient’s outcomes. Through this program I became a stronger and more complete nurse. It taught me the discipline of nursing practice is guided by theories and models that can be applied to my daily practice. Nurse Model Jean Watsons theory of caring has profound impact in the practice of nursing. Caring is central to nursing; it is the central focus of practice. Foster, 2008 states that †¦Ã¢â‚¬ caring is to preserve human dignity, is to preserve humanity in systems and in society, increasingly awakening in nurses and nursing to realize they have a critical role in sustaining human caring and humanity itself, especially in instances where it is threatened.† Caring in my daily nurse practice underlies human values and beliefs that are essential in an individual/client or/and family basic needs. â€Å"The nursing response is a specific expression of caring nurturance to sustain and enhance the ‘other’ as he or she lives caring and grows in caring in the situation of concern (Buldin, 2005).† Through the theory of caring, I am more sensitive to express feeling of care and allow my clients, family and/or coworkers to express their own feeling of care. â€Å"Nursing can expand its existing role, continuing to make contributions to health care within the modern model by developing its foundational caring healing and health strengths that have always been present on the margin (Cara, 2003).† Caring is not a momentum, but a personal response. Conclusion My beliefs regarding the nursing profession and my goals were paved by people that continue and will continue to greatly and positively influence my personal and professional values. Through this career patch, caring is my daily vision and my response to those that come to my care. References American Nurses Association, 2009. Considering Nursing? Retrieved March 28, 2009 from http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/StudentNurses.aspx American Nurses Association, 2009. What is Nursing? Retrieved March 28, 2009 from http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/StudentNurses/WhatisNursing.aspx Blais, K.K., Hayes, S.J., Kozier,B. & Erb,G., 2002. Professional Nursing Practice: Concepts and Perspectives. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Cara, C., 2003.A pragmatic View of jean Watsons’s Caring Theory. International Journal for Human Caring Vol 7(3). Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy- ttuhsc.edu/ehost/pdf?vid=9&hid=5&sid=91639aaf-72f3-4082-a574‘6e5a3d0caaaa%40 Buldin, S., 2005. Nursing as Caring Theory: Living Caring in Practice. Retrieved march 30, 2009 From http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezproxy.ttuhsc.edu/spb/ovidweb.cgi?&S=GOPEFPHIG GD DPCDNNCGLPHPLGBLCAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.15.16.46%7c12%7csl_10 Foster, L. R., 2007. Tribute to the Theorist. Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezproxy.ttuhsc.edu/spb/ovidweb.cgi?&S=GOPEFPHIG GDDPCDNNCGLPHPLGBLCAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.15.16.18%7c3%7csl_10 University of Kansas School of Nursing, 2001. Mission, Philosophy, Organizing Framework, and Curricular Threads. Retrieved March 28, 2009 from http://www2.kumc.edu/son/vorientation/concept.html Harmon, V., (2009, Spring). Baccalaureate Nursing practice Course Syllabus: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing Undergraduate Program Philosophy. Retrieved March 18, 2009 from http:webtc6.ttuhsc.edu