The Return: Midnight Chapter 39

Elena clutched the child to her. Damon had understood, even in his dazed and confused state. Everyone was connected. No one was alone. â€Å"And he asked something else. He asked if you would hold me, just like this – if I got sleepy.†Velvety dark eyes searched Elena's face. â€Å"Would you do that?† Elena tried to keep steady. â€Å"I'l hold you,†she promised. â€Å"And you won't let go ever?† â€Å"And I won't let go ever,†Elena told him, because he was a child, and there was no point in frightening him if he had no fear. And because maybe this part of Damon – this smal , innocent part – would have some kind of â€Å"forever.†She had heard that vampires didn't come back, didn't reincarnate the way humans did. The vampires in the top Dark Dimension were Still†alive† – adventurers or fortune-seekers, or condemned there as a prison by the Celestial Court. â€Å"I'l hold you,†Elena promised again. â€Å"Forever and ever.† Just then his smal body went into another spasm, and she saw tears on his dark eyelashes, and blood on his lip. But before she could say a word, he added, â€Å"I have more messages. I know them by heart. But† – his eyes begged her forgiveness – â€Å"I have to give them to the others.† What others? Elena thought at first, bewildered. Then she remembered. Stefan and Bonnie. There were other loved ones. â€Å"I can†¦tel them for you,†she said hesitantly, and he gave a tiny smile, his first, just the corner of one lip up. â€Å"He left me a little telepathy, too,†he said. â€Å"I kept it in case I had to cal to you.† Stillfiercely independent, Elena thought. Al she said was, â€Å"You go ahead, then.† â€Å"The first one is for my brother, Stefan.† â€Å"You can tel him in just a moment,†Elena said. She held on to the smal boy in Damon's soul, knowing that this was the last thing she had left to give him. She could sacrifice a few priceless seconds, so that Stefan and Bonnie could say their own good-byes. She made some sort of enormous adjustment to her real body – her body outside Damon's mind, and found herself opening her eyes, blinking and trying to focus. She saw Stefan's face, white and stricken. â€Å"Is he – ?† â€Å"No. But soon. He can hear telepathy, if you think clearly, as if you were speaking. He asked to talk to you.† â€Å"To me?†Stefan bent down slowly and put his cheek against his brother's. Elena shut her eyes again, guiding him down through the darkness to where one smal light was Stillshining. She felt Stefan's wonder as he saw her there, Stillholding the little dark-haired boy in her arms. Elena hadn't realized that through her link to the child, she would be able to hear every word spoken. Or that Damon's messages would come in the words of a child. The little boy said, â€Å"I guess you think I'm pretty stupid.† Stefan started. He'd never seen or heard the child-Damon before. â€Å"I could never think that,†he said slowly, marveling. â€Å"But it wasn't much like†¦ him, you know. Like†¦ me.† â€Å"I think,†Stefan said unsteadily, â€Å"that it's terribly sad – that I never real y knew either of you very well .† â€Å"Please don't be sad. That's what he told me to say. That you shouldn't be sad†¦or afraid. He said it's a little bit like going to sleep, and a little bit like flying.† â€Å"I'l †¦remember that. And – thank you – big brother.† â€Å"I think that's al . You know to watch over our girls†¦.†There was another of the terrible spasms that left the child breathless. Stefan spoke quickly. â€Å"Of course. I'l take care of everything. You fly.† Elena could feel the grief slash at Stefan's heart, but his voice was calm. â€Å"Fly away now, my brother. Fly away.† Elena felt something through the link – Bonnie touching Stefan's shoulder. He quickly got up so that she could lie down. Bonnie was almost hysterical with sobbing, but she had done a good thing, Elena saw. While Elena had been in her own little world with Damon, Bonnie had taken a dagger and cut off a long lock of Elena's hair. Then she had cut one of her own strawberry curls, and placed the locks – one wavy and golden, one curling and red-blond – on Damon's chest. It was al they could do on this flowerless world to honor him, to be with him forever. Elena could hear Bonnie, too, through her link with Damon, but at first al Bonnie could do was sob, â€Å"Damon, please! Oh, please! I didn't know – I never thought – that anyone would get hurt! You saved my life! And now – oh, please! I can't say good-bye!† She didn't understand, Elena thought, that she was talking to a very young child. But Damon had sent the child a message to repeat. â€Å"I'm supposed to tel you good-bye, though.†For the first time the child looked uneasy. â€Å"And – and I'm supposed to tel you ‘I'm sorry,'too. He thought you'd know what that meant and you'd forgive me. But†¦if you don't†¦I don't know what wil happen – oh!† Another of the hateful spasms went through the child. Elena held on to him hard, biting her own lip until the blood came; at the same time trying to shield the little boy completely from her own feelings. And deep in Damon's mind, she saw Bonnie's expression change, from tearful penance to astonished fear to careful control. As if Bonnie had grown up al in an instant. â€Å"Of course – of course I understand! And I forgive you – but you haven't done anything wrong. I'm such a sil y girl – I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We don't think you're a sil y girl,†the child said, looking vastly relieved. â€Å"But thank you for forgiving me. There's a special name I'm supposed to cal you, too – but I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ He sank back against Elena. â€Å"I guess – I'm†¦getting sleepy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Was it ‘redbird'?†Bonnie asked careful y, and the little boy's pale face lit up. â€Å"That was it. You knew already. You're al †¦so nice and so smart. Thank you†¦for making it easy†¦But can I say one more thing?† Elena was about to answer, when abruptly she was jarred completely out of Damon's mind and back into reality. The Tree had slammed down another spider's leg set of branches, trapping them and Damon's body between two circles of wooden bars. Elena had no plans. No idea how to get to the star bal that Damon had died for. Either the Tree was intel igent, or it was wired to have such efficient defenses that it might as well have been. They were lying on the evidence that many, many people had tried for that star bal – and left behind their bones ground to sand. Come to that, she thought, I wonder why it hasn't gone for us, too – especial y for Bonnie. She's been in, and then out, and back in again, which I should never have let her do except that we were al thinking about Damon. Why didn't it go for her again? Stefan was trying to be strong, trying to organize something out of this disaster that was so stunning that Elena herself simply sat. Bonnie was sobbing again, making heart-wrenching sounds. Between both circular sets of bars a wooden network was spreading – too close-knit for even Bonnie to squeeze through. Elena's group was efficiently separated from anything outside the sand pit, and just as efficiently separated from the star bal . â€Å"The axe!†Stefan cal ed to her. â€Å"Throw me – â€Å" But there was no time. A rootlet had curled around it and was swiftly dragging it into the upper branches. â€Å"Stefan, I'm sorry! I was too slow!† â€Å"It was too fast!†Stefan corrected. Elena held her breath, waiting for the last crash from above, the one that would kil them al . When it didn't come, she realized something. The Tree was not only intel igent, but sadistic. They were to be trapped here, away from their supplies, to die slowly of thirst and starvation, or to go mad watching the others die. The best that they could hope for was that Stefan would kil both Bonnie and her – but even he would never get out. These wooden branches would come crashing down again and again, as often as the Tree felt necessary, until Stefan's crushed bones joined the others that had been mil ed to fine sand. That was what did it, the thought of al of them, trapped with Damon, making a mockery of his death. The thing that had been swelling inside Elena for weeks now, at hearing the stories about children who ate their pets, at creatures who delighted in pain, had, with Damon's sacrifice, final y gotten so big that she could no longer contain it. â€Å"Stefan, Bonnie – don't touch the branches,†she gasped. â€Å"Make sure you're not touching any part of the branches.† â€Å"I'm not, love, and Bonnie isn't either. But why?† â€Å"I can't keep it in anymore! I have to stand like this – â€Å" â€Å"Elena, no! That spel – â€Å" Elena could no longer think. The hateful demi-light was driving her mad, reminding her of the pinpoint of green in Damon's pupils, the horrible green light of the Tree. She understood exactly about the Tree's sadism to her friends†¦and in the corner of her eye she could see a bit of black†¦like a rag dol . Except that it was no dol ; it was Damon. Damon with al of his wild and witty spirit broken. Damon†¦who must be gone from this and al worlds by now. His face was covered with her blood. There was nothing peaceful or dignified about him. There was nothing the Tree had not taken from him. Elena lost her mind. With a scream that peeled raw and bleeding from her backbone and came hoarsely out of her throat, Elena grabbed a branch of the Tree that had kil ed Damon, that had murdered her beloved, and that would murder her and these two others she loved as well. She had no thoughts. She wasn't capable of thinking. But instinctively she held a high bough of the Tree's cage and let the fury explode out of her, the fury of murdered love. Wings of Destruction. She felt the Wings arch behind her, like ebony lace and black pearls, and for a moment she felt like a deadly goddess, knowing that this planet would never harbor any life ever again. When the attack flared out, it turned the twilight al around her to matte black. What a fitting color. Damon wil like this, she thought in confusion, and then she remembered again, and it slammed blistering out of her again, the Power to destroy the Tree al over this smal world. It shattered her from the inside but she let it keep coming. No physical pain could compare with what was in her heart, with the pain of losing what she had lost. No physical pain could express how she felt. The huge roots in the ground underneath them were bucking as if there was an earthquake, and then – There was a deafening sound as the trunk of the Great Tree exploded straight upward like a rocket, disintegrating to fine ash as it went. The spider's-leg bars around them simply disappeared along with the canopy above. Something in Elena's mind noted that very far away the same destruction was going on, racing to turn branches and leaves into infinitesimal bits of matter that hung in the air like haze. â€Å"The star bal !†Bonnie cried in the eerie silence, anguished. â€Å"Vaporized!†Stefan caught Elena as she sank to her knees, her ethereal black wings fading. â€Å"But we'd never have gotten it anyway. That Tree had been protecting it for thousands of years! Al we'd have gotten would have been a slow death.† Elena had turned back to Damon. She had not been touching the stake that ran through him – in seconds it would be the only remnant of the Tree on this world. She could hardly dare hope that there was a spark of life left in him now, but the child had wanted to speak with her and she would make that possible or die trying. She scarcely felt Stefan's arms around her. Once again, she plunged into the very depths of Damon's mind. This time she knew exactly where to go. And there, by a miracle, he was, although obviously in hideous pain. Tears were rol ing down his cheeks and he was trying not to sob. His lips were bitten raw. Her Wings had not been able to destroy the wood inside him – it had already done its poisonous damage – and there was no way to reverse that. â€Å"Oh, no, oh God!†Elena caught the child in her arms. A teardrop fel on her hand. She rocked him, scarcely knowing what she was saying. â€Å"What can I do to help?† â€Å"You're here again,†he said, and in his voice, she heard the answer. This was al that he wanted. He was a very simple child. â€Å"I'l be here – always. Always. I'm never letting go.† This didn't have the effect that she wanted. The boy gasped, trying to smile, but was torn with a horrible spasm that almost arched his body out of her arms. And Elena realized that she was turning the inevitable into slow, excruciating torture. â€Å"I'l hold you,†she modified her words for him, â€Å"until you want me to let go. All right?† He nodded. His very voice was breathless with pain. â€Å"Could you – could you let me shut my eyes? Just†¦just for a moment?† Elena knew, as perhaps this child did not, what would happen if she stopped badgering him and let him sleep. But she couldn't stand to see him suffering any longer, and nothing was real again, and there was no one else in the world for her, and she didn't even care if doing it this way meant she would fol ow him into death. Careful y steadying her voice, she said, â€Å"Maybe†¦we can both shut our eyes. Not for a long time – no! But†¦just for a moment.† She kept rocking the smal body in her arms. She could Stillfeel a faint pulse of life†¦not a heartbeat, but Still, a pulsing. She knew that he hadn't shut his eyes yet; that he was Stillfighting the torture. For her. Not for anything else. For her sake only. Putting her lips close to his ear, she whispered, â€Å"Let's close our eyes together, All right? Let's close them†¦at the count of three. Is that All right?† There was such relief in his voice and such love. â€Å"Yes. Together. I'm ready. You can count now.† â€Å"One.†Nothing mattered except holding him and keeping herself steady. â€Å"Two. And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Elena?† She was startled. Had the child ever said her name before? â€Å"Yes, sweetheart?† â€Å"Elena†¦I†¦love you. Not just because of him. I love you too.† Elena had to hide her face in his hair. â€Å"I love you, too, little one. You've always known that, haven't you?† â€Å"Yes – always.† â€Å"Yes. You've always known that. And now†¦we'l close our eyes – for a moment. Three. â€Å" She waited until the last faint movement stopped, and his head fel back, and his eyes were shut and the shadow of suffering was gone. He looked, not peaceful, but simply gentle – and kind, and Elena could see in his face what an adult with Damon's features and that expression would look like. But now even the smal body was evaporating right out of Elena's arms. Oh, she was stupid. She'd forgotten to close her eyes with him. She was so dizzy, even though Stefan had stopped the bleeding from her neck. Closing her eyes†¦ maybe she would look as he had. Elena was so glad that he'd gone gently at the end. Maybe the darkness would be kind to her, too. Everything was quiet now. Time to put away her toys and draw the curtains. Time now to get in bed. One last embrace†¦and now her arms were empty. Nothing left to do, nothing left to fight. She'd done her best. And, at least, the child had not been frightened. Time to turn off the light now. Time to shut her own eyes. The darkness was very kind to her, and she went into it gently.

Polvoron

I. Executive Summary The researchers Nikki Y Pulumbarit and Jessa P Alberto are both graduates with degrees in Hospitality Management at Mariano Quinto Alarilla Polytechnic College. The business plan entitled MILKYRON it is a variety of polvoron that has the mixture of fish and powdered milk. The product offer a healthful benefit to its clients through promoting consumption of fish specially fot the children who are not fond of eating fish. MILKYRON is very nutritious compared to the other polvoron offered int the market because it contain fish which is a good source of protein and also the milk which is rich in calcium.MILKYRON is very unique because of its flavor and its affordable price. The owners Nikki Y Pulumbarit and Jessa P Alberto are both financially capable on handling a business and the starting capital will be P 100, 000. 00. The mission of the business is to provide unique and healthful variety of polvoron and to consider foremost the satisfaction of the customer. The g oals and objectives of MILKYRON is to start the business on April 25, 2013 and by gaining good customer feedback, to encourage other teenager to build their own business too even they are young. Also to expand our knowledge and capability on handling the business.MILKYRON will be beneficial to its customer because it has the mixture of fish which is good source of protein and milk which is a good source of calcium it is nutritious yet affordable. The future product will be Fishy Yummy Yema also it has the mixture of fish. The business is registered at Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under Sole- Proprietorship. Sole Proprietorship is a type of business enetity that is owned and run by a single person. MILKYRON is manage by Nikki Y Pulumbarit as the general manager and Jessa P Alberto as the Assistant Manager.Product manager will be Nikki Y Pulumbarit responsible for over-all running of the business and responsible for securing contracts, financial/ accounting and marketing p urposes. Product Assistant Manager will be Jessa P Alberto responsible for securing employees compensation and responsible for customer service. The product MILKYRON will be marketable based on the data collected through survey answered by the respondents. According to the Age between 12-20 years old want to buy our product. In terms of Gender women are more likely interested on our product, the question â€Å"will you buy MILKYRON? most of the respondents answered that they will buy our product while the other are undecided. The survey also ask them that â€Å"what will be the best drink that will complement on our product? † most of them answered that water is the best complementary drink in MILKYRON. The business will located at Mc Arthur Highway Meycauayan Bulacan because most of the respondents answered that the perfect spot is on Commercial Area. MILKYRON has many competitors these are some, Goldilocks Polvoron, Sasmuan Polvoron who offered a natural kind of polvoron. This proves that our product is very unique because of the fish flavor itself.The price is very affordable it costs only P 5. 00 per piece. MILKYRON will be advertised through fliers, leaflets, tarpaulins and most of the time on social media sites like facebook and twitter. Organization / Person| Description| Purpose| JV Tarpaulin printing| Printing Services| Advertising| Globe Telecom| Mobile Phone Services| Customer Service and Advertising| Savemore Supermarket| Supply Shop| Ingredient Supplier| Engr. Benjamin Moronia Jr. | Financial Advisor| Financial Inquiries andProduct Consultant| K. Dot Computer Services| Computer Service Provider| Computer services|

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Special education student placement - Essay Example the students with disabilities attend the same schools as their grade peers in that the education programs seek to serve all the students as a single unit regardless of the needs of individual students. Inclusion classrooms have no major difference with the conventional general classroom with the only notable difference being in the individualized support given to students that require special needs. Inclusion provides a chance to students with disabilities to interact with their non-disabled peers. There are several advantages for adopting this placement over others: This is the exact opposite of the inclusion class, whereby students with disabilities are provided with individualized education programs. This is done in separate classes from other students and, therefore, allows their teachers to work and monitor these students closely (Katz and Mirenda 2002). This is a classroom where students with special needs spend a part of their class time receiving more individualized attention and help away from their general classrooms. In this placement, it is assumed that the students receive primary instructions from the general class while they receive their supplementary instructions from the resource room Katz and Mirenda 2002). Patterns of learning and development- This refers to the student’s academic ability level and needs. Teachers and parents alike should formulate a way in which the student best receives academic information. Cultural and linguistic factors- it is important to avoid stressing students with disabilities may suffer more if placed amongst other people of contradicting culture and language as theirs. It is, therefore, important to consider having their placement in an area or school that has a familiar culture to theirs (Gartner and Lipsky 1987). In order to achieve successful integration of students into the placement programs discussed above, parents and teachers should collaborate to make proper decisions. Factors such as their cultural

Conflict, violence and humanitarianism Case Study

Conflict, violence and humanitarianism - Case Study Example Nevertheless, the government has been trying to implement new laws on victims through compensation It has been in the forefront in fighting the rebel groups. It has been helping in settling the indigenous people who have been replaced by the war (Drake & Hershberg 2006). It has been asking for external help in order to overwhelm the group of rebels. Poor financing from the government has been making it very hard for it to face the guerilla groups. It has been compensating victims of violence in order to overcome extreme poverty. In addition, it has been in the forefront in pushing the government to sign the Victims and Land Restitution Law (Ballentine & Sherman 2003). The initiative aims at compensating four million people. Furthermore, it provides support to the affected people through building heath centers and schools (Fouskas 2007). The body has also been liaising with the private sector in order to encourage the organizations to participate in corporate social responsibility with the aim of improving the lives of the local population which has been mainly affected by the war (Öberg & Strà ¸m 2008). It entered Colombia in 1997. It has been supporting the victims of war through providing basic necessities (Bouvier 2009). In addition, it has been pressuring the government to sign peace deals and compensate the victims. Many of the people have been displaced, an aspect that has increased the demand for aid (Flämig & Leiner

Tourism in New South Wales Essay Example for Free

Tourism in New South Wales Essay Introduction:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  This paper seeks to answer given questions in relation to tourism   and   travel industry at New South Wales including evaluation the effectiveness of measures taken, difference of approach for Asian countries   affected by crisis, knowing   how to incorporate crisis management in an organization’s business strategic plans and   how to reduce damage from unseen contingencies. Questions and Answers 2.1. Do you think the measures taken by Tourism New South Wales were effective in helping the travel and tourism industry?   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The measures taken by the Tourism New South Wales (TNSW) were effective in helping the travel and tourism industry in the sense that the outcome was a minimized reduction inflow of total visitors to the state through careful management of the crisis.    It was further mentioned that TNSW succeeded in defusing the industry hysteria and ensured that the industry was adequately informed, which gave the industry directions how to conduct its short and medium-term strategy in response to the crisis.   As a result, the industry, did not abandon the region in question entirely, which could have led to a very damaging loss of face and presence in many of the markets (Gray and Fletcher, n.d.).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An analysis of the measures taken revealed concern rather than alarmed in terms of initial response taken by TNSW to address the crisis.   TNSW identified the crisis at the earliest time possible by tapping industry contacts and commentary by its regional officers in the affected areas. It helped to see the extent of the problem when government statistics on inbound tourism became available for decision making.   Since by that time, several media sources had been painting a bleak picture of the entire Asian-based tourism industry, which thereby created hysteria within the travel and tourism industry as a whole, TNSW has responded responsively accordingly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TNSW conducted its own analysis on the nature and extent of the crisis, and how it affected the travel and tourism industry on a country-by-country basis. By monitored the news reports for accuracy and senior levels, TNSW disseminated information through the press to paint a more comprehensive picture of what was actually happening as way of damage control to what the press has earlier reported. TNSW revived confidence and calmed down the hysteria generated through some speculative biased reports (Gray and Fletcher, n.d.).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Instead of being alarmed TNSW was able to provide leadership on how the industry should respond and to provide forecasts which it used to project the nature and extent of the recovery in all markets.   Based on forecasts made, it was able to see where it could take advantage opportunities and minimize the effect of industry threats (Kotler,1994; Kotter and Schlesinger,1991; Porter, 1980).   As part of its many tactical decisions, case facts mentioned the allocation of a larger portion of its budget to Asian region being diverted to other key growth markets such as the USA and Europe.   TNSW applied careful marketing investment decisions in Asia on the basis of analysis of which markets would recover first. It was able to observe which of the markets showed evidence of rebound while ensuring that it would not lose presence and awareness in those markets. How will the approach differ for the Asian countries affected by the crisis?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The approach will differ for Asian countries affected by the crisis in terms of giving priority where risks caused by the Asian crisis should be brought at the minimum by allocating more budgets for Asian countries than the rest that could produce more revenues or less amount of loss.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To implement this kind of strategy, those countries which could give earlier recovery in terms of more revenues or less amount of loss should be viewed in the proper values of currencies of each of the countries. To illustrate, some of the Asian countries have smaller devaluation of their currencies than others in relation to the US dollar or those which has shown smaller decline in number of visitors are less affected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Case facts say that the impacts of the crisis from Korea and Hong Kong were alarmingly low at the end to 1997, falling by about 90% from the previous year. Between the two Hong Kong has shown faster recovery. Japan in comparison showed smaller decline in number of visitors by about 6% in 1997, 19% in 1998 and 8% in 1999. Thus it was more proper to invest more in Japan that with Korea and Hong Kong.   Countries such as Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand appeared to have held up well in 1999 after their being badly affected during the crisis, thus these countries could receive higher budget allocation in 1999 and afterwards. TNSW could not just abandon Asian markets because they constitute about 40% of all NSW’s visitors (Gray and Fletcher, n.d.). 2.3. The travel and tourism industry is often exposed to uncertainty, risk and disaster. How important is to incorporate crises management in an organization’s strategic business plans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to incorporate crises management in an organization’s strategic business plans because failure to do would leave the country or nation unprepared to such eventuality and it is such a big risk to face in terms of loss revenues. In the case of New South Wales, the tourism industry income represents about 10% of the state economy and the government is also depending from the same industry to employ thousands of its people, thus the decision of TNSW is critical and very important to making its strategic plans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Incorporating therefore crises management to an organization’s strategic plans is the same as preparing for contingencies in the major part of the economic plans for New South Wales.   For a nation to lose big amount of revenues amounting to billions of US dollars and thousands of employment opportunities is also courting other problems for its people politically, socially and even psychologically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To incorporate crises management therefore in an organization’s strategic plans amounts being complete and realistic in preparing strategic plans (Churchill, Jr. and Peter, 1995; Cooper, L. 2000). Strategic plans are meant to attain objectives which include the characteristics of being specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. To prepare for any eventuality including possible crises is just being realistic with possible events in the future and therefore including crises management in strategic business plans of an organization is deemed part of well prepared strategic plan. 2.3. The unexpected can happen to an overseas market or group of markets. What should international strategic marketing plans incorporate to reduce damage from unseen contingencies?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To reduce damage from unseen contingencies, the following should be incorporated in the international strategic marketing plans:   (1) A contingency plan that could address all possible scenarios; (2) The contingency plan should allow management a sober analysis and interpretation of anecdotal and statistical information for decision making; (3) The contingency plan should allow dissemination of information to industry players to allow responsible decisions (Gray and Fletcher, n.d.);   (4) The plan should provide leadership in terms of how to respond properly with the contingency; and (5) The plan should have forecasts (Brigham and Houston, 2002;   Weston and Brigham,1993; Helfert, 1994) that could   project the nature and extent of the recovery in all markets should the contingency happen (Gray and Fletcher (n.d.). Conclusion and Recommendation   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper has shown how an organization responded to unseen crises that it may not have foreseen as per case facts.   A calculated response was however noted in addressing the Asian financial crisis effects on tourism and travel industry to NSW by TNSW’s employing the elements of analysis and interpretation of anecdotal and statistical information, dissemination of information to industry, providing leadership in terms of how to respond to the crisis and providing forecasts which projected the nature and extent of the recovery in all markets.    The crisis was essentially external to TNSW but company appears to have been prepared despite any indication in the case fact that it did not foresee the same. The response therefore is an indication of preparedness that must formally form part of organization’s strategic plans. In additional international strategic marketing plans should incorporate contingency plans to reduce damage from unseen contingencies and that such contingency plans must be workable under different conditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Organizations are therefore recommended to always be prepared and the best kind of preparation is integration of contingency plans on their strategic business plans. References: Brigham and Houston (2002) Fundamentals of Financial Management, Thomson South-Western, London, UK Churchill, Jr. and Peter (1995) Marketing, Creating Value for Customers, IRWIN,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sydney, Australia Cooper, L. (2000) Strategic marketing planning for radically new products, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 64 Issue 1, pp.1-15. Gray and Fletcher (n.d.) Tourism New South Wale’s Experience in marketing tourism during the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis Helfert, Erich (1994), Techniques for Financial Analysis, IRWIN, Sydney, Australia Kotler, P (1994) Marketing Management, Analysis Planning, Implementation and Control, London, UK Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. (1991) Choosing strategies for change, Harvard Business Review, pp.24-29. Porter (1980) Competitive Strategy, Free Press, London, UK Weston and Brigham (1993) Essential of Managerial Finance, Dryden Publishers   London, UK

The Role And The Function Of Leadership Management Essay

The Role And The Function Of Leadership Management Essay What makes a leader. What is leadership. What do leaders do. After 100 years of modern studies, these remain cogent questions. Many writers have offered either general or specific answers over the years, but the discussion continues unabated. People have not yet resolved these questions to the satisfaction of most, and the search for acceptable answers continues. Understanding the role and the function of leadership is one of the most important intellectual tasks of this generation, and leading is one of the most needed skills. The reason is simple. Leaders play a major role in helping us shape our life. Leaders define business and its practice. They determine the character of society. They define our teams, groups and communities. They set and administer government policy. In all walks of life, leaders behavior sets the course others follow and determines the measures used to account for group actions. Success in the new millennium, as in the past, will depend on how well leaders understand their roles, the leadership process and their own values and vision as well as those of their groups. Their behavior sets the course others follow and determines the values and other measures used to account for group actions. Understanding leadership is, like all of the important aspects of life, a thing of the mind more than of an objective reality. Traditionally, leadership has been thought of in terms of the heads, or chief officers of organizations, regardless of the tasks or functions they may perform. It is easy to think about leaders and leadership in terms of authority and headship and to talk about leadership as management. Management, as a role for heads of organizations, involves control over others behaviors and actions. For most people a position of leadership centers around the management role, its tasks and techniques-its technology. It conjures up ideas like controlling interpersonal relations, making decisions, aligning individual member actions and perceptions with corporate goals, planning, budgeting and directing the effort of the several followers engaged in the work with us. The manager role involves insuring that group activity is timed, controlled and predictable. The idea of business management is pervasive and powerful in society. It defines those human attributes which are thought appropriate to success in the formal corporation, like competition, ambition and financial astuteness. The Western myth of managerial man is one of the dominant myths of our age. The central feature of this concept is the idea of management. Since the early days of the twentieth century until today, management has been given prominence over other, some arguably more important, human activities related to emotional needs, wider family relationships and social or intellectual aspirations. For many people, management has become the metaphor of the twentieth and twenty first century, encompassing work, workers and work cultures. In accordance with www.businessdictionary.com, a leader is a person who holds a dominant or superior position within his or her field, and is able to exercise a high degree of control or influence over others. Eight major traits that differentiate leaders from non-leaders are: responsibility, integrity, ability to make decisions, ability to deal with facts, vision of the big picture, optimism, resilience and excellence. There are two types of leaders: transactional and transformational. Transactional leader approaches followers with an eye to exchanging one thing for another, while transformational recognizes and exploits an existing need or demand of a potential follower and looks for potential motives in followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower (Burns, 1972) In order to manage one-on-one communication effectively, a leader has to meet four basic criteria. They are: achievable, inspiring, measurable and shared. Since the result is probably the most important thing in any human activity, it is extremely important for a leader to be achievable. A good leader also has to be inspiring in order to make others achieve. Some people are leaders because of their formal position in an organization or a group, whereas others are leaders because of the way other group members respond to them. These two common forms of leadership are called assigned leadership and emergent leadership. Leadership that is based on occupying a position in an organization is an assigned leadership. Emergent leadership, in its turn, is not assigned by position; rather, it emerges over a period through communication of a leader with his followers. In our contemporary society in order to survive any business has to reshape itself to the needs of constantly changing world. It is not enough to just satisfy consumers needs and wants. In order to withstand severe market competition it has become important to follow consumers ever-changing requirements. Leaders reshape their teams using two ways: episodic and continuous change methods. Each method is used depending on the scale of changes needed and type of the environment a person works in. Also, different exhibition of leadership is needed to perform such changes. Continuous changes take place when a company or a team adapts to the external environment constantly and during a long period of time. Changes appear as endless modifications to working and production processes on micro levels. Working environment constantly evolves, trying to recognize, track and respond to changing market conditions, putting an emphasis on long-run adaptability. This, however, sometimes means organizations or teams inability to remain stable. Leader in this particular case plays a role of a sense maker who redirects changes, however does not play a role of a person who leads the changes in the company. Leadership is revealed through a success of the team in long-run. Episodic changes, on the other hand, are occasional, infrequent and discontinuous changes that dramatically alter the way of doing business inside the company or the team. During a short-run period a group of people strives to adapt to the external environment, being inert and unable to do this using continuous adaptation. Changes take place on macro levels and are usually very distant and global. Leaders are considered as one of the five triggers to such changes. They provide a strong sense of purpose of the change, are passionate, inspire others, making people follow them, and actually make changes happen. Principles of leadership excellence A Focus on Quality The leaders job is to encourage and sustain high-quality products and service to all who have a stake in the groups work. Excellence leadership incorporates ideas that energize and inspire followers to unified action to increase and maintain high-quality services and products. Leaders focus on high-quality performance in all aspects of work. They foster team approaches to task activity that delegate more discretion over the work to the team and to individuals. They set standards of conduct and performance that implement cultural values and behaviors. The leadership model includes encouraging the formation of traditions that foster and inculcate the core-value vision. Often it includes dramatizing the core-value vision in ways that explain and interpret it to organization members. This virtual leadership environment assumes a culture of excellence. Culture includes experience, expectation for the future and values that condition behavior. Without general agreement on acceptable behavior and the values context within which we operate, corporation members are free to follow divergent paths. Coherent, cooperative action is impossible where at least implicit agreement in a common culture is missing. Creating and maintaining a culture conducive to attainment of personal and team excellence goals is, therefore, a hallmark of leadership excellence in any organization. A Focus on Vision The principal mechanism for implementing values and purposes the leader desires is the vision statement. A vision statement is a short, memorable motto or statement that encapsulates the core values of the organization. Creating the statement is a personal task done primarily by the leader. The excellent leader adopts a core-value vision that emphasizes quality improvement values. The impact of vision setting is powerful. It pervades all else the excellent leader does. It is both part of the definition of the excellent leader and the mechanism for integrating context (culture) and technologies. It is the core idea binding the leader and the followers in a common purpose. A Focus on Service Also critical is the need for the leader to address questions of high-quality service in attaining corporate goals. In doing this, leaders act to prepare and then empower followers to be of service. This aspect of the service dimension is similar to the training and education programs managers and leaders have been doing routinely. Excellence leaders see value in helping followers broadly develop their capacity to be of service. They also emphasize high-quality, excellent service levels. The second aspect of the service dimension has to do with the service role of the leader toward followers. The leaders job is not only to encourage and sustain high-quality service by all stakeholders but to provide needed services to all those who have a stake in the groups work. Leaders serve coworkers as their needs arise, so they (the followers) can accomplish their set tasks. Leaders serve followers in ways that energize and inspire them to unified action. The service role casts the leader as a steward in relationships with coworkers. The stewardship role asks the leader to hold in trust the organization, its resources, its people and the common vision of the future. A Focus on Innovation Leaders foster innovation in groups. The leadership model sees the leaders role as transforming the self, followers and the institution to achieve the strategic vision. Leaders see their role as transforming the group. Leaders have a bias for change. They are alert to the expressed and implied needs of customers, employees and clients. They respect both the techniques and the pressures for change. Leaders develop their followers in appropriate ways to enhance them and improve their performance. Leaders love people. They expend large amounts of energy in seeking, developing and expanding the capacities of those around them. Leadership is in the business of making champions. Champions are group members imbued with the leaders vision and capable of moving an idea through all the development phases to full implementation. A Focus on Productivity Improvement Productivity improvement is also a part of the definition of the excellent leader. Leaders take responsibility for improvement in the productive capacity of the group and its members. These leaders have a results-oriented, not activity-oriented, service style. There is an uncompromising commitment to the customer. They inspire others to think, plan and act with the customers need in mind (Fairholm, Real Leadership: How Spiritual Values Give Leadership Meaning, 2011). Productivity, therefore, becomes a function of directed service. Excellence leaders encourage productivity through reward structures contingent upon the demonstration of desired productivity behaviors (Bernard Avolio, 1994). Leaders are focused on reward structures that encourage high-quality work. Leaders provide incentives for stakeholders to change to accommodate the vision values. Rewards in excellent leadership emphasize development of individual capacities and respect for group values, norms, work processes and productivity results. Skills needed for leadership excellence Excellent leadership appears to be an applied capacity. It is action-oriented, and it cannot be learned in classrooms. Of course, some leadership skills are acquired in the normal way through reading, studying and analyzing theoretical propositions and principles. And some leadership capacity is learned through observation of other leaders. But leadership excellence is learned most fully through leadership action. It is a dynamic process. One study of executives in Virginia (Fairholm, Values leadership: toward a new philosophy of leadership, 1991) identified eight categories of skills that seem to define the technology of excellence. They include: Ability to assess the situation Capacity to build on employee strengths Sensitivity to evolving trends Political astuteness Refined sense of timing Capacity to be inspirational Technical (job) competence Ability to focus on a few important things The factors that promote excellence in organizations across the nation include clarity of mission and vision and effective leadership at the top. Leaders select and support service champions (in-house entrepreneurs). They interact closely with both employees and customers. They understand cultures and structures, emphasize process over product and focus on human factors to get a high-quality product. These skills run counter to much of the content of professional business school curricula. These schools teach quantitative analysis and rational decision making as primary technologies. Evidence amassed in leadership excellence suggest otherwise. Unlike management, leadership excellence is more a political process of defining the situation, assessing the strengths of actors, sensing nuances in relationships and acting to focus group resources at the right time. Technical competence in the job to be done is less important than political sensitivity. Preparation for leadership excellence asks embryonic leaders to be political, to be sensitive to the feelings of others and to care about their followers as human beings, not as just cogs in the industrial machine. Leaders who focus too much on traditional managerial goals of tight control will fall short of attainable high-quality performance and can expect failure, even destruction. Quality improvement is a long-term values-change process. There are few quick successes. Attaining high quality requires total employee involvement at all levels in the organization. It is a matter of cultural change to give high priority to quality values and methods. It requires effort by everyone: workers, middle managers and those at the top. Each needs to play a role in changing the culture to value quality and in performing to attain it. Producing high-quality products or services also implies quality-of-work-life factors that are difficult to attain. Leaders need to create a culture that meets the needs of all stakeholders both within and external to the organization. They need to give employees something personally meaningful to commit to before they commit themselves to quality goals or anything else High quality will come only as we move from a situation where workers work because they fear economic deprivation, to a situation where they work because they want to improve themselves and make a difference in the world. It is an empowerment idea.

Hate Crimes in Canada Essay -- Racial Relations, Minority Victimizatio

According to Petrosino (2003: 10) hate crimes can be defined as "..the victimisation of minorities due to their racial or ethnic identity by members of the majority. " (p. 4) Hate crimes are also known as bias-motivated crimes because the crimes are motivated by a bias towards a person or persons including but not limited to those of a different gender, ethnic background, religion, or sexual orientation. Hate crimes are quite serious and have severe and long lasting-effects for the targeted victims. Due to the severe nature of the crimes many countries have strict laws in place to punish offenders. Hate crime is not widely discussed in Canadian society because it has not been a prominent issue until now. â€Å"..The extent of the problem in Canada was limited to a small number of persons, such activity could create a climate of malice and destructiveness to the values of our society (Cohen Report, 1966:24). As a result of the committee’s efforts, Parliament amended the Crimin al Code in 1970, thus rendering hate propaganda as a punishable offence (Law Reform Commission of Canada, 1986:7) There are several reasons why offenders commit hate crimes, they vary from case to case, however, one key element is fear which is caused by ignorance. The offenders fear the unknown and the competition they feel that exists, them vs. the ‘others’. When fear is accompanied by other factors it could potentially lead to a violent crime. â€Å"The Desmond 2 economic or social success some minorities have attained may result in increased feelings of resentment by members of the larger population. As Levin & McDevitt (1993:48) argue, resentment can be found to some extent in the personality of most hate crime offenders. It may be directed toward a part... ..., or might serve as an entire defence.† and aggravating circumstance is defined as â€Å"Circumstances that make a crime more serious in the eyes if others; in hate crime, for example, racism makes an assault more serious, resulting in a harsher sentence.† (McCormick. Siegel, 2007, p.114) Involvement of organized hate groups or their members, absence of motive and existing patterns of similar incidents in a particular area are signs that a bias-motivated crime may have occurred, this warrants further investigation. Often times the individuals are unaware that they are victims of a hate crime. It is not uncommon to have victims and offenders be a part of the same gender, race, sexuality or religion, it is not always about the common differences but the perpetrator's perception of ‘difference’.

Claude Monet: Grainstack (Sunset) Essays -- essays papers

Claude Monet: Grainstack (Sunset) Claude Monet's Grainstack (Sunset) is the painting I chose from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Monet was an impressionist painter in France, and did most of his work at his home at Giverny. Impressionism got its name from a painting that Monet painted, Impression Sunrise. Impressionist paintings are put into a category based on characteristics such as light that draws attention to objects, rough textures, and visual pleasure that the viewer receives upon looking at the paintings. Impressionist paintings are art for arts sake and focus on leisure and nature. These paintings are generally the most well known and popular paintings because of their attractive appearance. The Grainstack (Sunset) was painted between 1890 and 1891, and is a part of Monet?s first true series paintings. During the time of this series was painted, there was a lot of unrest going on in Europe. Many of the major cities were experiencing industrial growth, and it was causing the people to suffer from a magnitude of social problems. There were high rates of suicide, and anarchist groups. Over the years to follow, 1889 to 1894, there were at least 600 strikes involving 120,000 workers. There were bombings, raids, and wide spread fear across the country. It was during this time period that Monet was going to establish himself as one of the major painters of the country. As the viewer looks at this painting, they are taken into a rural scene. You notice first the grainstack as the major object in the painting. As you move around the painting, there are many striking areas of light. The sunset causes a brilliant display of colors around the scene. The sky is fading in the background as the sun sunsets. There is a small amount of blue still hanging in the sky, and under that a large portion of a yellow hue from the sun setting. As the suns sets further it cause a pink color above the land. The sunset has cause the grainstacks color to darken. You can see that the light left in the scene is on the other side of the stack. There is a shadow cast of the back side, making the stacks top dark brown, and the bottom a dark red. The rural scene in the Grainstack (Sunset), as well as the other grainstacks in his series paintings, all basically share many of the same characteristics. The haystacks are never overwhelmed by light. As in the Grainstac... ...ainting and finding out what is behind it makes the work a lot more interesting. Monet?s grainstacks have not only taught me about him as a painter and why he painted as he did, but also about France and what was going on during this period. His works are a beautiful representation of what life was like, and what Monet was experiencing right in his own backyard. Bibliography Hayes Tucker, Paul. Monet in the 90?s: Series Paintings. Boston Museum of Fine Arts; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Hayes Tucker, Paul. Monet in the Twentieth Century. Boston Museum of Fine Arts; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Frascina, Francis. Modernity and Modernism: French Painting in the Nineteenth Century. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. Gerdts, William H. Monet?s Giverny: An Impressionists Colony. New York: Abbeville Press, 1993. Copplestone, Trewin. The History and Techniques of the Great Masters: Monet. New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1987. Tomkins, Calvin. ?Monet?s Illusion.? Vanity Fair. July 1995, Vol. 58 Issue 7: pg. 96-102. Hurwitz, Laurie S. ?The Well Planned Spontaneity of Claude Monet.? American Artist. March 1996, Vol. 60 Issue 644: pg. 56-64. Claude Monet: Grainstack (Sunset) Essays -- essays papers Claude Monet: Grainstack (Sunset) Claude Monet's Grainstack (Sunset) is the painting I chose from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Monet was an impressionist painter in France, and did most of his work at his home at Giverny. Impressionism got its name from a painting that Monet painted, Impression Sunrise. Impressionist paintings are put into a category based on characteristics such as light that draws attention to objects, rough textures, and visual pleasure that the viewer receives upon looking at the paintings. Impressionist paintings are art for arts sake and focus on leisure and nature. These paintings are generally the most well known and popular paintings because of their attractive appearance. The Grainstack (Sunset) was painted between 1890 and 1891, and is a part of Monet?s first true series paintings. During the time of this series was painted, there was a lot of unrest going on in Europe. Many of the major cities were experiencing industrial growth, and it was causing the people to suffer from a magnitude of social problems. There were high rates of suicide, and anarchist groups. Over the years to follow, 1889 to 1894, there were at least 600 strikes involving 120,000 workers. There were bombings, raids, and wide spread fear across the country. It was during this time period that Monet was going to establish himself as one of the major painters of the country. As the viewer looks at this painting, they are taken into a rural scene. You notice first the grainstack as the major object in the painting. As you move around the painting, there are many striking areas of light. The sunset causes a brilliant display of colors around the scene. The sky is fading in the background as the sun sunsets. There is a small amount of blue still hanging in the sky, and under that a large portion of a yellow hue from the sun setting. As the suns sets further it cause a pink color above the land. The sunset has cause the grainstacks color to darken. You can see that the light left in the scene is on the other side of the stack. There is a shadow cast of the back side, making the stacks top dark brown, and the bottom a dark red. The rural scene in the Grainstack (Sunset), as well as the other grainstacks in his series paintings, all basically share many of the same characteristics. The haystacks are never overwhelmed by light. As in the Grainstac... ...ainting and finding out what is behind it makes the work a lot more interesting. Monet?s grainstacks have not only taught me about him as a painter and why he painted as he did, but also about France and what was going on during this period. His works are a beautiful representation of what life was like, and what Monet was experiencing right in his own backyard. Bibliography Hayes Tucker, Paul. Monet in the 90?s: Series Paintings. Boston Museum of Fine Arts; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Hayes Tucker, Paul. Monet in the Twentieth Century. Boston Museum of Fine Arts; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Frascina, Francis. Modernity and Modernism: French Painting in the Nineteenth Century. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. Gerdts, William H. Monet?s Giverny: An Impressionists Colony. New York: Abbeville Press, 1993. Copplestone, Trewin. The History and Techniques of the Great Masters: Monet. New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 1987. Tomkins, Calvin. ?Monet?s Illusion.? Vanity Fair. July 1995, Vol. 58 Issue 7: pg. 96-102. Hurwitz, Laurie S. ?The Well Planned Spontaneity of Claude Monet.? American Artist. March 1996, Vol. 60 Issue 644: pg. 56-64.

Critical Analysis of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Essay

Critical Analysis of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, is a story of the love between a man and his college professor, Morrie Schwartz. This true story captures the compassion and wisdom of a man who only knew good in his heart and lived his life to the fullest up until the very last breath of his happily fulfilled life. When Mitch learned of Morrie’s illness, the began the last class of Morrie’s life together and together tried to uncover â€Å"The Meaning of Life.† These meetings included discussions on everything from the world when you enter it to the world when you say goodbye. Morrie Schwartz was a man of great wisdom who loved and enjoyed to see and experience simplicity in life, something beyond life’s most challenging and unanswered mysteries. Morrie was a one of a kind teacher who taught Mitch about the most important thing anyone can ever learn: life. He taught Mitch about his culture, about trust, and perhaps most importantly, about how to live. One lesson Morrie teaches Mitch is about the view his culture has and how we, not only Mitch but also the rest of the world, should not believe what they say. Morrie tells Mitch: â€Å"Take my condition. The things I am supposed to be embarrassed about now — not being able to walk, not being able to wipe my ass, waking up some mornings wanting to cry — there is nothing innately embarrassing about them. It's the same for women not being thin enough, or men not being rich enough. It's just what our culture would have you believe. Don't believe it.† Morrie speaks these words of advice to Mitch during their eleventh Tuesday together, when they talk specifically about culture. Gradually, Morrie has come to accept his physical handicaps, just as he has come to accept his impending death. He complains that the culture is wrong to deem natural physical need as socially embarrassing, and thus he refuses to believe that his handicaps are shameful. In rejecting the values of the popular culture, Morrie creates his own set of customs, which accommodate the physical shortcomings popular culture finds disgraceful and embarrassing. As Morrie sees it, popular culture is a dictator under which the human community must suffer. He has already suffered enough from his disease, and does not see why he ... ...s that one must accept the possibility of one's own death before he can truly appreciate what he has on earth, as the sobering awareness that one day, it will all be out of reach, prompts the urge to appreciate and value what one can have only for a limited period of time, and to use every moment of that time doing something that one will not regret when the bird sings its last note. Morrie’s messages about life in this book were not solely directed fro Mitch; they are meant for anyone who is willing to take the time to listen. For me, there is not only one thing I learned from Morrie. I learned that I should not take life for granted because you never know when it will be over. Even though I have heard it many times I never really believed that what the media says is not necessarily true, until I read this book. Finally, I learned that love and compassion, not only for others, but also for oneself are essential in living a happy life. It does not matter if someone is rich, or if they are poor for that matter. The truth is that as long as you lived your life as best you could, you learned from your mistakes, and you are happy with yourself, then you lead a fulfilling life. Critical Analysis of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Essay Critical Analysis of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, is a story of the love between a man and his college professor, Morrie Schwartz. This true story captures the compassion and wisdom of a man who only knew good in his heart and lived his life to the fullest up until the very last breath of his happily fulfilled life. When Mitch learned of Morrie’s illness, the began the last class of Morrie’s life together and together tried to uncover â€Å"The Meaning of Life.† These meetings included discussions on everything from the world when you enter it to the world when you say goodbye. Morrie Schwartz was a man of great wisdom who loved and enjoyed to see and experience simplicity in life, something beyond life’s most challenging and unanswered mysteries. Morrie was a one of a kind teacher who taught Mitch about the most important thing anyone can ever learn: life. He taught Mitch about his culture, about trust, and perhaps most importantly, about how to live. One lesson Morrie teaches Mitch is about the view his culture has and how we, not only Mitch but also the rest of the world, should not believe what they say. Morrie tells Mitch: â€Å"Take my condition. The things I am supposed to be embarrassed about now — not being able to walk, not being able to wipe my ass, waking up some mornings wanting to cry — there is nothing innately embarrassing about them. It's the same for women not being thin enough, or men not being rich enough. It's just what our culture would have you believe. Don't believe it.† Morrie speaks these words of advice to Mitch during their eleventh Tuesday together, when they talk specifically about culture. Gradually, Morrie has come to accept his physical handicaps, just as he has come to accept his impending death. He complains that the culture is wrong to deem natural physical need as socially embarrassing, and thus he refuses to believe that his handicaps are shameful. In rejecting the values of the popular culture, Morrie creates his own set of customs, which accommodate the physical shortcomings popular culture finds disgraceful and embarrassing. As Morrie sees it, popular culture is a dictator under which the human community must suffer. He has already suffered enough from his disease, and does not see why he ... ...s that one must accept the possibility of one's own death before he can truly appreciate what he has on earth, as the sobering awareness that one day, it will all be out of reach, prompts the urge to appreciate and value what one can have only for a limited period of time, and to use every moment of that time doing something that one will not regret when the bird sings its last note. Morrie’s messages about life in this book were not solely directed fro Mitch; they are meant for anyone who is willing to take the time to listen. For me, there is not only one thing I learned from Morrie. I learned that I should not take life for granted because you never know when it will be over. Even though I have heard it many times I never really believed that what the media says is not necessarily true, until I read this book. Finally, I learned that love and compassion, not only for others, but also for oneself are essential in living a happy life. It does not matter if someone is rich, or if they are poor for that matter. The truth is that as long as you lived your life as best you could, you learned from your mistakes, and you are happy with yourself, then you lead a fulfilling life.

National cinema

The concept of national cinema in the age of globalization has several aspects to be debated upon. The matter demands attention specifically to be justified from the cultural point of view as well as commercial point of view. Firstly, the relationship between National identity and Cinema needs to be clarified. Each Nation or Country has some of its specific or salient traits in terms of its food, attire, language, sports, flora and fauna, country flag etc., which may be classified as the specific traits of a nationality, each of the said traits are restricted within the boundary of a nation and signifies the essence of   nativity. Cinema has commonly been analyzed as a medium of expression, specific to a geographically situated culture and within Cinema’s taxonomy, privilege has been granted to national cultures. The term National cinema is commonly used in film theory and film criticism to describe the films associated with a specific country, which   is hard to define, and its meaning is debated by film scholars and critics.A film may be considered to be part of the â€Å"national cinema† of a country based on a number of factors, such as the country that provided the financing for the film, the language spoken in the film, the nationalities or dress of the characters, and the setting, music, or cultural elements present in the film. To define a national cinema, some scholars emphasize the structure of the film industry and the roles played by â€Å"†¦market forces, government support, and cultural transfers. But, as cinema holds its root in the trade industry and it may be expressed in terms of exhibition and consumption, it calls for the importance of its trans-national exposure in this era of globalization. As a sequel, Cinema being an Industry, may be defined explicitly on economic terms, concerning basic infrastructures of production, distribution, exhibition on the capitalization and integration scale, as has also been depicted by Andrew Higson, 1997. It also involves patterns of ownership and control, size and constitution of workforce of the production unit, the size of domestic market, the degree of penetration of foreign markets , extent of foreign intervention ( from economic or cultural perspective) and the relative economic health of the industry. Thus, the history of ‘national’ cinema turns out to be portrayal of the history of a business seeking a secure position in the financial market with a view to maximize profits and generation of employment and hence, it is improper to assume that Cinema and film culture is bound by the national or state limits (Higson, 1997).   Ideally, any commodity when labeled national is bound to be primarily confined and positively contribute towards its place/state of origin. But in today’s era of liberalization /globalization, classification of Cinema cannot be restricted to any nation’s boundary. It would not be imprudent to mention here that ‘cinema’ originating from a specific country can only be termed as ‘national’ in true sense, when it projects the theme of nationhood, highlighting some national specific characters, ideologies, culture, traditions etc., without any sort of deviation from the same. But, in today’s world how many such films are released in the whole world is a million dollar question. The ultimate motive of Cinema which essentially goes transnational is to attain the status of popular Cinema, which is grossly different from so called, national theme cinema, hardly worthy of critical appreciation. Thus, it becomes imperative that it is not at all feasible to use the term national cinema in today’s global era where everything is transnational. Actually, there is only one Cinema of vertical integration, or the cinema which facilitates the production, distribution and consumption of films. Demarcation of   Cinema as ‘French’, ‘American’ or ’British’ concedes far too much to the misguided ideal of national culture. Although, all moves need not be portrayed of a nation, it is proved that when cinema goes global, at least up to some extent, it reflects the culture of its country of origin, the traditions, the economic and political scenario, across the transnational boundaries there by enriching the knowledge of the target audience across the global boundaries facilitating wider acceptance of the same. For instance, as per Scott MacKenzie, University of Glasgow, Canadian cultural and film critics have long debated how Canadian national cinema can be defined, or whether there is a Canadian national cinema. Most of the films shown on Canadian movie screens are US imports. If â€Å"Canadian national cinema† is defined as the films made in Canada, then the canon of Canadian cinema would have to include lightweight teen-oriented fare such as Meatballs(1979), Porky's (1983) or Death Ship (1980). Other critics have defined Canadian national cinema as a â€Å"†¦reflection of Canadian life and culture.† Similarly, France's national cinema includes both popular cinema and â€Å"avant-garde† films. French national cinema is associated with the auteur filmmakers and with a variety of specific movements. Avant-garde filmmakers include Germaine Dulac, Marie and Jean Epstein. Poetic Realism filmmakers include Jean Renoir and Marcel Carne. The French New Wave filmmakers include Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. The 1990s and 2000s â€Å"postmodern cinema† of France includes filmmakers such as Jean-Jacques Beinex. German national cinema was influenced by silent and sound â€Å"Bergfilm† (this translates to â€Å"mountain film†). During 1920s and early 1930s, German national cinema was known for the progressive and artistic approaches to filmmaking with â€Å"shifted conventional cinematic vocabulary† and which gave actresses a much larger range of character-types. During the Nazi era, the major film studio UFA was controlled by Propaganda Minister Goebbels. UFA produced â€Å"Hetzfilm† (anti-Semitic hate films) and films which emphasized the â€Å"theme of heroic death.† Other film genres produced by UFA during the Nazi era included historical and biographical dramas that emphasized the achievements in German history, comedy films, and propaganda films as quoted by Sabine Hake (2002). According to film scholar Marek Haltof, the Polish School of directors made films which can be described as the â€Å"Cinema of Distrust.† In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi and Barbara Sass made influentual films which garnered interest outside of Poland. At times, it proves highly tarnishing for the image of the country of origin of the Cinema, when the original piece of work is either, dubbed, subtitled or remade in the local languages, which attributes to wrong portrayal or misinterpretation on the part of the target global viewers and its impact may not be the same in all the nations, as foreseen. Thus, the national cinema need not be the best way to portray the nation trans-nationally. At the same time, if a cinema does well, internationally, its popularity and acceptance hold the nation high and sometimes it becomes a marketable brand. On the contrary, we may view the traveling of cinema effortlessly across the national borders as a powerful means of celebrating cultural diversity, transnational experiences and multinational identities. Even the impact of global cinemas falls on the production of local films, which definitely calls for a better standard, as far as the technical aspects are concerned. For example, reportedly, Boot-legged video cassettes of Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993) were available in subway stations in Moscow the day before the film was released in United States. Many Americans, as well as audiences in other nations, have developed a taste for Japanese anim’e and martial art films from Hong Kong. Hong Kong Cinema has influenced the style of Hollywood movies, ranging from the works of   Quentin Tarantino to the Wachowski brothers, if certain elements of American crime films have been appropriated by Hong Kong directors, ninja choreography is at home in Los Angeles, not only in movies but also in dance moves on MTV. Increasingly, we are seeing the emergence of hybrid. Indian films are screened in Africa, England and even United States often catering to diaspora audiences. But at the same time, there lies a risk of the local indigenous cinemas promoting national identities to be displaced. It may be inferred that though it is not feasible to categorize cinema as ‘national’ cinema in this era of globalization, it would certainly culminate to the fact that as cinemas goes trans-national the cohesiveness among the nations based on the portrayed common platform of thoughts or ideologies being conveyed through films/cinema. Also, the cinema personalities, figures happen to become popular and acceptable worldwide. If the concept of ‘modern nation’ is referred, we consider the entire area of reach of a film under the jurisdiction of one single nation, which reaps the benefit of the cinema. Hence, we may consider the national cinema as a global brand in the age of globalization, which enriches, entertains and caters to the intellectual needs of the target audience globally. Bibliography Author : Andrew Higson (1997) – ‘Waving the Flag’ : Construction a National Cinema in Britain, Publisher :Clarendon Press, Oxford Publication. Cinema and Nation , Contributors : Mette Hjort (2000), Editor, Scott Mackenzie, Publisher : Routledge, London Publication. Theorizing National Cinema, Edited by Valentina & Paul (June, 2006) Scott MacKenzie, University of Glasgow. National Identity, Canadian Cinema, and Multiculturalism. Available at: http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:tDs13p3Z-rkJ:www.uqtr.ca/AE/vol_4/scott.htm+national+cinema&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=20 German National Cinema, by Sabine Hake. London and New York: Routledge, 2002. Trade paper, ISBN 0-41508-902-6. Reviewed by Robert von Dassanowsky. Available at: http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/38/booksgerman.htm ^ Shelia Skaff. The cinema that is Marek Haltof's Polish National Cinema. Review of Marek Haltof's book Polish National Cinema. Available at: http://www.kinoeye.org/02/14/skaff14.php World Cinema Critical Approaches, Edited by Johnhill and Pamela Church Gibson, Oxford University Press Publication         

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (About this sound pronunciation (help ·info); born 8 July 1972) is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Presently he is cricket commentator and President of Editorial Board with Wisden India[1]. Born into an affluent Brahmin family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. [2] He started his career by playing in state and school teams.Currently, he is the 5th highest run scorer in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and was the 3rd person in history to cross the 10,000 run landmark, after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam Ul Haq. Wisden ranked him the sixth greatest one day international batsman of all time, next to Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Dean Jones and Michael Bevan. [3] After a series of playing in different Indian domestic tournaments such as the Ranji and Duleep trophies, Ganguly got his big-break wh ile playing for India on their tour of England. He scored 131 runs and cemented his place in the Indian team.Ganguly's place in the team was assured after successful performances in series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia, winning the Man of the Match awards. In the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he was involved in a partnership of 318 runs with Rahul Dravid, which remains the highest overall partnership score in the World Cup tournament history. Due to the match-fixing scandals in 2000 by other players of the team, and for his poor health, Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar resigned his position, and Ganguly was made the captain of the Indian cricket team.He was soon the subject of media criticism after an unsuccessful stint for county side Durham and for taking off his shirt in the final of the 2002 Natwest Trophy. He led India into the 2003 World Cup final, where they were defeated by Australia. Due to a decrease in individual performance, he was dropped from the team in the follo wing year. Ganguly was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004, one of India's highest civilian awards. He returned to the National team in 2006, and made successful batting displays.Around this time, he became involved in a dispute with Indian team coach Greg Chappell over several misunderstandings. Ganguly was again dropped from the team, however he was selected to play in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Ganguly joined the Kolkata Knight Riders team as captain for the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament in 2008. The same year, after a home Test series against Australia, he announced his retirement from international cricket. He continued to play for the Bengal team and was appointed the chairman of the Cricket Association of Bengal's Cricket Development Committee.The left-handed Ganguly was a prolific One Day International (ODI) batsman, with over 11,000 ODI runs to his credit. He is one of the most successful Indian Test captains to date, winning 21 out of 49 test matches. Soura v Ganguly is the most successful Indian test captain in overseas with 11 wins. [4] An aggressive captain, Ganguly is credited with having nurtured the careers of many young players who played under him, and transforming the Indian team into an aggressive fighting unit.

Time and Life

Everyone wants to be successful in their own, different way. It is a mutual dream shared by all, to be rich and famous. In my perspective being successful is much different, because money is not everything. To make goals and follow your dreams will lead you down the road to success. Their will be bumps along the way, and you might have to take the harder road, but if you are willing to work hard and never give up, you will be successful. Like everyone, I have many dreams and goals that I would like to see myself accomplish during my life. I want to go to a great college and discover myself, what it truly means to be me.Then I will decide what I would like to spend the rest of my life doing because I honestly believe that, at my age, I do not contain within me the experiences necessary to determine what I want to be or what I want to do with my life. Given the opportunity, I would go into the ? eld of science to study biology or engineering to ? gure out how and why things work, livin g or not. But who knows? I might end up in a totally different ? eld, because wherever my heart goes, I am sure to follow. I want to go to a top school to start with a strong support in the world and to use this foundation to build my life upon.If the building blocks of my future are too small, I will be con? ned to certain things and not others that I would be able to reach with a bigger, sturdier base in knowledge. This will create limitless opportunities that may result in a great job. I want a job that pays well enough so that I could support a family, if I so choose. I want enough money to pay for little things in life, those that create great memories, but not so much that it will go to my head and make me a person that has worked so hard just to see himself become corrupt and sel? h. Above all I want to thank my parents for starting me off in the right direction, they gave up so much for me, because they instilled these values in me and made me who I am today. They have helpe d me this far, and they will help me in the years to come. Without them I would be nothing, and I believe that this deserves much more than simple thanks. My decisions will affect my future, whether it be the near future or in the long run. Seeing as I cannot predict the future, I will just have to work hard and make the right decisions.The right thing is not always the easiest thing to do, but is necessary if you want to reach your goals. The only obstacle that I see in the way of my future is myself. I can do anything I want if only I put my mind to it. But if I make the wrong choice and slack off, it is only that much harder to reach your goals. Another thing between my future and myself is time. Everything changes over time so it is only natural to believe that my short-term goals will too. But the things time cannot change are life long goals.The things you see yourself doing when you sit down and think of all the wondrous things in this world that makes you think what a miracl e life really is. Life is a gift bestowed upon us, and it is our choice to determine where it goes. My goals are what make up my life, what keep me determined to ? ght for the next day and the drive behind everything I do. My family plays a huge part in who I am, and my values. I want more than everything in my life to be successful, and for those I care about to be successful in their lives too.

Problems Encountered Essay

It should be noted that flaws in every activity held within the organizations capacity is inevitable. As an organization covered and recognized under the jurisdiction of LNU, the Association of Political Science Students is expected to conduct and deliver activities consistent with that of the University or in consonance with its own personal interest. Provided however, that it will not disrupt the principles from which this University was founded. As the organization directs its activities, several problems erupted which hindered the same to deliver what is known as â€Å"best†. Problems in Performance, Preparation, Consistency and Criticisms existed. Problems encountered: 1) Performance Lack of cooperation and incompetence were encountered. For instance, annually, the Leyte Normal University as a whole celebrates its Founding Anniversary. The APSS, as an organization of, and in line with the celebration of the latter, conducted an exhibit labeled â€Å"Political Jungle†. During the conduct of the same, the APSS failed to deliver (although not entirely) what was being portrayed in the exhibit which resulted to criticisms not only by students but the Deans and teachers as well. With realization of failure, the APSS, specifically the committees involved felt drastic loss, low-morale and degraded at some point. 2) Preparation Lack of participation and readiness were encountered. To be more specific, the problems were encountered during when the APSS conducted a Lecture-Forum regarding the controversy on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). During the preparation of said event, the organizers due to lack of authority, if not, laziness failed to foster participation and cooperation amongst the Political Science Students needed in order to better realize the success of the event. With that occurrence, the organizers (committees) involved had trouble with all aspect in the preparation of the event, that is to say, the over-all appearance of the venue, logistics, etc. 3) Consistency and Criticisms Problem in the conformity of thoughts was encountered. It is common in every organization to argue on what concept to use whenever the latter conducts its activities provided that conformity is achieved. However, during the last activity held by the organization, that is, an exhibit entitled â€Å"Political Jungle†, the concept used was concluded by the majority of First year students independent of the higher years. Which eventually resulted to perplexity on the part of the former considering the fact that, the concept used to aid the event was poorly conceptualized – â€Å"The Naked Jungle of the Political Animals†. It left the activity and the APSS itself vulnerable to criticisms and confusion on the part of the individuals visiting the exhibit- – and it did.