Homosexuality Laws In Various Muslim Countries Religion Essay Example

Homosexuality Laws In Various Muslim Countries Religion Paper In this article, homosexualism in the Quran, Sharia, Islamic Societies, and Islamic Countries is exhaustively described. In the Quran, five poetries are provided: They refer to homosexualism as lewdness , the act of immorality. These poetries oppose the males penchant of males over females, particularly when Allah has created females to be their ideal psyche couples ; hence, they identify homophiles as ignorant. In the Islamic law, homosexualism is expectedly considered as a jurisprudence misdemeanor, nevertheless many Islamic Schools of Thought have different sentiments sing its penalties. Some say that homophiles should be punished as an fornicator, while others leave the penalty up to Allah. In order for the act to be punished for criminal conversation, it MUST be proven with four informants or a physical/screen testing. The history of homosexualism in Islamic societies discuss how love and desire in homosexualism may be allowed, nevertheless sexual intercourses cross the sexual boundaries set by Allah. In assorted modern Islamic states ( such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, etc. ) , the penalty really carries a decease punishment. In others ( such as Bahrain, Algeria, etc. ) , the penalty is imprisonment or all right. The article concludes to province the homophile s defence of their actions disputing that the Schools of Thought are ill-defined in their sentiments and that the Quran does non stipulate any penalty. I chose this article because it gave me a good thought sing how homosexualism is treated in assorted states, and besides how the Schools of Thought warrant the act that conflicts with assorted people s beliefs. Mission Islam. ( 2010 ) . Islam and Homosexuality. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.missionislam.com/knowledge/homosexuality.htm This article discusses a assortment of information sing Islam and homosexualism: Islam s position and position, poetries from the Quran and Hadith, the out facet of homosexualism, and buggery and sapphism. The Islamic Society of North America besides explains the ground for Islam s jurisprudence against homosexualism: It is physically harmful for the person, and it is socially and spiritually scandalous. On sapphism and buggery, a few poetries are provided that discuss what happens to the person that commits them. The article returns to explicate that the common construct of perpetrating self-destruction to get away the penalty of being a homophile does non break the state of affairs, as self-destruction is perfectly FORBIDDEN. Alternatively, if a homosexual is sincere of his wickedness, he should atone to Allah. The facet of homosexualism that is forbidden is an existent sexual intercourse, nevertheless this article emphasizes in deepness of Allah s clemency, forgiveness, and ways t o subject to him for his counsel and aid to bring around such feelings. As the poetries in the Quran that quote about homosexualism are frequently mentioned, poetries of the Hadith will be discussed here: It summarizes that work forces should non look at physical parts of another adult male, and should non lie under one screen have oning no unmentionable ; the same regulation applies to adult females. This shows how Allah condemns homosexualism in the Quran and Hadith. A long overview of homosexualism accepted in a few topographic points ( such as U.S ) and encouragement to express oneself is described in this article. It emphasizes how this behaviour is promoted, and how Muslims must non allow the credence return over their beliefs and what Allah forbids. It mentions that Allah can non alone alter the state of affairs by merely prohibiting it ; nevertheless Muslims would necessitate to lend by distributing the message to advance proper values. The article stopping points by re-men tioning Islam s position on homosexualism, which, by now we know to be considered sinful. However, it besides mentions that we are non homosexual by nature, but through our environments because it is a pick, non what we are born with. I chose this article because I was really funny sing the badness of penalties of a homosexual. This article, without uncertainty, went into deepness sing this ; in fact, they are overstated throughout the article, so it is decidedly apparent that these Acts of the Apostless are punishable by Allah and considered as a profound error. We will write a custom essay sample on Homosexuality Laws In Various Muslim Countries Religion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Homosexuality Laws In Various Muslim Countries Religion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Homosexuality Laws In Various Muslim Countries Religion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Robinson, B.A. ( 1997 ) . Islam and homosexualism: All point of views . Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.religioustolerance.org/hom_isla.htm In this article, Robinson discusses how spiritual beliefs on the five chief faiths frequently studied worldwide are based on disclosure of their Bible, tradition, logic and ground, and a personal religious experience. He touches on two aureate motions: the Liberal and the Conservative. Without a uncertainty, we already understand that the Liberal involves the logic, ground, and personal experiences ; these involve much of scientific discipline and research, which is normally identified as the other side of the ocean with faith. The other aureate motion that Robinson references is the conservative motion, which doubtless involves the Bible disclosure and spiritual tradition. From reading the article, it is really easy to separate the difference between the two. One motion is more modern than the other, which explains how and why people feel what they do about homosexualism. In the broad motion, the faiths do non needfully hold with homosexual behaviour, nevertheless see it as an act that is fixed and exists. With the conservative motion, faiths decidedly do non hold or back up the behaviour in any manner or signifier ; hence, they regard it as a chosen way and unnatural. Robinson farther discusses how faiths can play a function in finding such determinations as these, to go a homosexual. Because faith is so profoundly involved and considered, many conservativists of these chief worldwide faiths portion similar positions with respects to God s instructions and Torahs on the act. I chose this article because it goes into deepness as to how faith plays a function, and how it balances both sides: the broad and the conservative. It summarizes precisely what one would necessitate to cognize about both universes with respects to credence of the behaviour, socially and sacredly. The Religion of Peace Guide: Guide to Understanding Islam. ( 2006 ) . What Does the Religion of Peace Teach AboutaˆÂ ¦Homosexuality. Retrieved December 10, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/026-homosexuality.htm This article clearly outlines Islam s place when it comes to homosexualism. It provides the same verses that the Holy Quran quotes on the topic ; nevertheless it explains them in deepness so that it is comprehensible to the reader. In the first poetry, it explains how homosexualism is punishable by decease, narrating the narrative of Sodom and the rain of rocks upon homophiles. The 2nd poetry compares the wickedness to assorted other wickednesss committed by personhood, to be the worst of the sexual wickednesss ( such as criminal conversation ) . Many mentions may debate amongst homosexualism and adultery otherwise. What is different about this beginning is that it besides discusses homosexualism in Paradise ; of class, the same regulations would non be applicable to this celestial topographic point ( as the Quran refers to homophiles in Eden as scattered pearls ) . This article besides provides a few poetries from the Hadith that aim to unclutter the difference between criminal c onversation and homosexualism, as many persons regard the sexual Acts of the Apostless to be the same. It farther returns to explicate the penalties in assorted states that have really happened, nevertheless in farther item than the article above. It remarks on the consciousness of homosexualism raised because of Muslims, for their on-going attempts to extinguish it. I chose this article because I felt the demand to carefully understand what the quotation marks in the Quran and Hadith were stating. It was easier to understand this article ; nevertheless it was hard to accept the terrible penalties that are undergoing in assorted Muslim states worldwide. They were more descriptive and even addressed the inquiry as to how they should be persecuted. In a manner, I personally believe there must be a less-violent option to restrict this behaviour. Investigating Islam. What is Islam s position of homosexualism? Retrieved December 10, 2010, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.islamic.org.uk/homosex.html In this article, it goes more into accent of sinning and how to travel about altering the behaviour in assorted ways that involve our inner and outer attempts. This article besides suggests that those who are homosexual may non acknowledge anything incorrect with the behaviour, as they perchance are non sing the act from a spiritual position. Sexuality is an single pick that can be controlled if the head is put to it. The complexness of accommodating to alter in behaviour is besides emphasized ; it is hard to acquire into the rhythm as backslidings may happen. As this is non the lone act that is harm in Islam, this article proceeds to discourse how these attempts to alter can use to any out act against Islam ( such as imbibing intoxicant ) . I chose this article because it to a great extent addresses on the power of the head and its ability to alter an action of ours. I appreciated how it took a more humanistic position and was non every bit rough as the other articles. It involved the person and attempts that many of us aim to do. Most significantly, I chose this article because I respected that it underlined the imperfectness of us all as Allah s creative activities.

Banded Sea Krait Facts (Laticauda colubrina)

Banded Sea Krait Facts (Laticauda colubrina) The banded sea krait is a type of venomous sea snake found in the tropical water of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Although this snakes venom is ten times more potent than that of a rattlesnake, the animal is nonaggressive and only known to bite in self defense. The most common name for the species is the banded sea krait, but its also called the yellow-lipped sea krait. The scientific name Laticauda colubrina gives rise to another common name: colubrine sea krait. While the animal may be called the banded sea snake, its better to call it a krait to avoid confusion with true sea snakes. Fast Facts: Banded Sea Krait Scientific Name: Laticauda colubrinaCommon Names: Banded sea krait, yellow-lipped sea krait, colubrine sea kraitBasic Animal Group: ReptileSize: 34 inches (male); 56 inches (female)Weight: 1.3-4.0 poundsLifespan: Unknown. Most snakes can reach 20 years of age under ideal conditions.Diet: CarnivoreHabitat: Indo-Pacific regionPopulation: Stable, probably numbering in the thousandsConservation Status: Least Concern Description A banded sea krait can be distinguished from other krait species by its yellow snout and from true sea snakes by its flattened body and nostril position. Sirachai Arunrugstichai / Getty Images The banded sea snake has a black head and black-striped body. Its upper surface is blue-gray, with a yellow belly. This snake can be distinguished from related kraits by its yellow upper lip and snout. Like other kraits, it has a flattened body, paddle-shaped tail, and nostrils on the sides of its snout. In contrast, an aquatic sea snake has a paddle tail, but a rounded body and nostrils near the top of its head. Banded sea krait females are substantially larger than males. Females average 142 cm (56 in) in length, while males average 87 cm (34 in) in length. On average, an adult male weighs about 1.3 pounds, while a female weighs around 4 pounds. Habitat and Distribution Banded sea krait (Laticauda colubrina) distribution. Sn1per Banded sea kraits are semiaquatic snakes found in shallow coastal waters of the eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean. While juvenile snakes spend most of their time in the water, adult kraits spend about half their time on land. The snakes hunt in water, but must return to digest their food, shed their skin, and reproduce. Banded sea kraits exhibit philopatry, which means they always return to their home islands. Diet and Behavior The head and tail of the banded sea krait look similar, which helps deter potential predators. Placebo365 / Getty Images Banded sea kraits are perfectly adapted to hunt eels, supplementing their diet with small fish and crabs. The snake has never been observed feeding on land. The kraits slender body helps it weave through corals. The snakes tail may be exposed, but the threat from predators is reduced because the tail looks much like the head. Banded sea kraits are solitary nocturnal hunters, but they travel with hunting parties of yellow goatfish and bluefin trevally, which capture prey fleeing from the snake. Banded sea kraits display sexual dimorphism in hunting behavior. Males tend to hunt moray eels in shallow water, while females hunt conger eels in deeper water. Males tend to make multiple kills on a hunt, while females typically only take one prey per hunt. Most animals leave sea kraits alone, but they are preyed upon by sharks and other large fish and sea birds when the snakes surface. In some countries, people catch the snakes to eat them. Venomous Bite Because they spend so much time on land and are attracted to lights, encounters between kraits and humans are common but surprisingly uneventful. Banded sea kraits are highly venomous, but only bite in self-defense if grabbed. In New Caledonia, the snakes have the common name  tricot rayà ©Ã‚  (stripey  sweater) and are considered safe enough to play with children. Bites most often occur when fishermen try to untangle the snakes from fishing nets. The venom contains a powerful neurotoxin that can cause hypertension, cyanosis, paralysis, and potentially death if left untreated. Reproduction and Offspring Banded sea kraits are oviparous; they return to land to mate and lay eggs. Mating occurs in September through December. Males chase the larger, slower females and entwine around her. The males rhythmically contract to produce what are called caudocephalic waves. Copulations takes about two hours, but the mass of snakes may remain entwined for several days. Females deposit up to 10 eggs in a crevice on the land. Only two nests have ever been discovered, so little is known about the how the hatchlings find their way to water. The lifespan of the banded sea krait is unknown. Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the banded sea krait as least concern. The species population is stable and the snake is abundant throughout its range. Significant threats to the snake include habitat destruction, coastal development, and light pollution. While the snake is a human food source, the threat from overharvesting is localized. Coral bleaching may impact the banded sea krait, as it may result in diminished prey abundance. Sources Guinea, Michael L.. Sea snakes of Fiji and Niue. In Gopalakrishnakone, Ponnampalam. Sea Snake Toxicology. Singapore Univ. Press. pp. 212–233, 1994. ISBN 9971-69-193-0.Lane, A.; Guinea, M.; Gatus, J.; Lobo, A. Laticauda colubrina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T176750A7296975. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T176750A7296975.enRasmussen, A.R.;and J. Elmberg. Head for my tail: A new hypothesis to explain how venomous sea snakes avoid becoming prey. Marine Ecology. 30 (4): 385–390, 2009. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0485.2009.00318.xShetty, Sohan and Richard Shine. Philopatry and Homing Behavior of Sea Snakes (Laticauda colubrina) from Two Adjacent Islands in Fiji. Conservation Biology. 16 (5): 1422–1426, 2002. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00515.xShine, R.; Shetty, S. Moving in two worlds: aquatic and terrestrial locomotion in sea snakes (Laticauda colubrina, Laticaudidae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 14 (2): 338–346, 2001. doi:10.1046/j.14 20-9101.2001.00265.x

Appropriateness of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy Essay

Appropriateness of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy - Essay Example The motivating factors to changing tourism industry within Edinburgh have been the idea of changing social, economical, and cultural perspectives of the industry. Through changing tourism industry, the previously known season and leisure industry has turned into a rich, diverse, and all-year round thereby attracting many tourists, which has eventually transformed Edinburgh in many different ways and perspectives. From the concepts of the aforementioned facts, the following analysis attempts to create an understanding of the appropriateness of strategies applied in a bid to attract tourists within Edinburgh. The appropriateness of Edinburgh tourism strategy is evaluated in terms of suitability, acceptability, and feasibility. Synopsis of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy Many transformations have taken place within Edinburgh tourism industry over the past two decades. Nonetheless, this has not been by accident. After realizing the significance of tourism industry, Edinburgh decided to de velop an effective strategy, which was to enhance the industry in a bid to attracting more visitors and income from the industry. Edinburgh tourism industry developed an effective strategy aiming at making the industry better for the next centuries. The strategy revolved around increasing number of visitors as well as income per visitor. The first step taken by Edinburgh in developing an effective tourism industry strategy was to create a vision, which was aimed at making the business within the industry an all seasoned. Evidently, an all seasoned industry was going to increase the number of visitors as well as income obtained. Edinburgh had two main aims that the strategy aimed at achieving through the vision; increasing tourism value as well as enhancing image and reputation of the city in respect to tourism. Three main objectives was developed and stated concisely in a bid to ensuring that the aims were obtained. These objectives included to increase number of visits, average spe nding of the visitors, as well as reducing seasonality across the industry of the sector. The main essence of the Edinburgh tourism industry was to achieve and maintain marketing segments mix that had the capacity and capability of delivering good high yield, all seasoned business activities, and promoting ‘virtuous circle’ (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). In addition, the Edinburgh tourism strategy considered some of the track records of success in a bid to making them better and greater. Over the past two decades, Edinburgh has been able to attain specific benefits and success in terms of growth in both the number of visitors as well as the income obtained from the same. It is through future investments that Edinburgh embarked on to achieve specific aims and objectives in the tourism industry. The strategy developed for Edinburgh tourism was to maintain momentum of the growth that has been achieved for the last two decades for the next decades to 2020 and even b eyond. Investing into the future as defined by this strategy involved continuous reinvesting in existing products as well as innovating in new product developed and other new forms of marketing. Marketing mix was an important aspect of the strategy aimed at making the tourism industry better and greater. Investing into the future also involved obtaining more resources such as human resource through enhanced employment strategies (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). The Edinburgh tourism strategy also identified strengths and challenges in attaining such visions, aims, and objectives. Product strengths

The importance of Ethics to Sustainable Growth in Engineering Essay

The importance of Ethics to Sustainable Growth in Engineering Enterprise - Essay Example In the instances where security measures are inadequate, the consequences are usually catastrophic. Although the threats are becoming more sophisticated, some organizations have managed to mitigate the impact by regularly reviewing their security capabilities and capacities so as to identify areas of vulnerability. In coming up with the cyber security measures to protect the information and the IT resources, organizations and individuals are required to understand the risks they face so that the right interventions can be put in place. This has therefore necessitated research on various malware programs like Trojan horse, spyware and worms from a scientific perspective. Empirical studies have also been carried out to help identify the relevant strategies that can be used to alleviate and eventually eradicate the threats originating from the cyber space. Based on the previous research, it had been anticipated that the future attacks and threats would be characterized by a combination malware with strong cartography. In the last couple of years, there has been the emergence of a new form of malware in the cyber spaces and it has put organizations at increased risk of suffering attacks. Ransomware has emerged to be a source of threat both to individuals and organizations. It has drawn the attenti on of almost all the IT system security specialists, practitioners and researchers. Empirical and evidence based studies continue to be carried to help understand the new emergent threats to allow organizations be prepared to mitigate its impacts. Teer, Kruck & Kruck (2007) notes that ransomware perpetrators are able to victimize the internet users and organizations by hijacking the files stored, encrypting them before demanding payment in exchange for the decryption key. The threat functions by exploring the system vulnerabilities and seizing control over the victim’s file and computer systems until the demanded payment is made. In the last two years alone, several

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Company Law - Essay Example Act 1985 codified this criteria by dictating that directors owe a duty of care to act in the best interests of both the members and the employees of the company.3 In the context of the problem company, Backup was persuaded to advance a loan to EL by Connie and Darshani, two of EL’s directors who also happen to be on the board of directors of the parent company ISL. There is clearly a question of a conflict of interest in that Connie and Darshani have the interests of the parent company and two subsidiaries, which may be competing interests. Moreover, in assessing the duty of care owed by Connie and Darshani and the remaining directors of Backup, the standard of care is relevant. That standard is the measured by reference to the reasonable skill and care that is generally expected of a business man possessing the relevant skills and training.4 The directors of Backup appeared to have reservations about the utility of the loan after hearing of EL’s impending financial problems from Connie and Darshani. Even so, they went against their own business instincts and acted for what appeared to be the best interest of the parent company and each of its subsidiaries. Although Connie and Darshani may have been confronting a conflict of interest, their position as directors of the parent company, a shareholder in EL, a subsidiary provides a means by which they may escape liability. In Re Southard &Co Ltd T where Templeton LJ said that: â€Å"A parent company may spawn a number of subsidiary companies, all controlled directly or indirectly by shareholders of the parent company. If one of the subsidiary companies, to change the metaphor, turns out to be the runt of the litter and declines into insolvency to the dismay of its creditors, the parent company and other subsidiary companies prosper to the joy of the shareholders without any liability for the debts of the insolvent subsidiary.†5 Drawing on the reasoning by Templeton, LJ in Re Southard &Co Ltd T Connie and

Evaluating Organisation Values and Structure

Evaluating Organisation Values and Structure Organization culture can be defined as a functional element of a business that comprise of organizational values, experiences and beliefs and the cultural norms of the organization. The specific collection of these values and attributes are shared by the employees within an organization and are controlled according to the level of interaction between them. The main protectors of organizational cultures are the employees within the organization and the stakeholders outside the organization. Thus this report discusses the key aspects of organizational culture and behaviour and also covers basic theories related to organizational management. Organizational values can be attributed to the beliefs and ideas of the individuals within the organizations regarding the strategic goals. The organizational values are conveyed right from the top of the organizational pyramid to the bottom. As far as organizational culture is concerned, there are various factors comprising of the organizational culture. These factors include employees, creation of values, growth, commitment, motivation and future emphasis. Organizational values and culture influences the kind of behaviour individuals carry within a work place. Thus these are the basic concept regarding organizational culture and values. It is a well known fact that an organization cannot succeed without a sound organizational culture and positive behaviour of the individuals comprising the organization. There are various factors that influence the behaviour of individuals and are an important part of the organizational culture. All these phenomenons and other activities such as coordination, task allocations which are collectively directed towards achieving the organizational objectives consist of the organizational structure. Most of the organizations have organization structures comprising of the clustered entities. The structure of an organization depends of its objectives and the strategies which are formulated to achieve these objectives. Organizational structure enables giving responsibilities for different business operations to various business entities such as department, workgroup or team, individuals and many more. If an organization doesnt have a sound structure, there are chances that it might face difficulties in achieving its objectives. We shall now discuss organizational structure and culture in more detail. Organizations witness different cultures because they consist of different types of individuals. The culture within an organization has direct implications on its performance and also reflects its values and beliefs. If there is no alignment between the organizational culture and the companys business strategies, the company will struggle to work with full potential and satisfy the objectives of its stakeholders. There are many types of organizational cultures as suggested by various academic scholars. First of all, there can be Collaborate organizational culture which is found where the workplace is open and friendly and employees share lot of things among themselves. Next is the Create culture wherein the workplace is dynamic, entrepreneurial and innovative and experimentation is considered to be the driving factor for development. Then we have the Control culture wherein the organization is very structured and formal and employee behaviour is governed by the set rules and procedur es. Finally, we have Competitive culture which is observed in the results seeking organizations with employees being highly competitive, goal-oriented and productive. Thus these are different types of organizational cultures which have direct or indirect effects of business performance. The main factor of organizational structure and culture that drives the performance is leadership. Leadership is characterized by the focus on internal business environment, organizational effectiveness and business results. Thus all the organizations thrive to create a sustainable and robust culture that ensures future viability of the business and enhanced performance. Figure 1 explains the main factors of organizational culture and its impact on performance. Figure1: Organizational Culture and Performance Factors influencing Individual behaviour Individual behaviour within a workplace is influenced by various factors such as emotions, culture, persuasion, values, norms, ethics and personal attitudes. The main factor influencing human behaviour is the work environment and organizational culture. For example, if an employee is highly motivates within a workplace, he/she would develop a positive approach towards work and the productivity will increase along with the profits. On the other hand, if an individual faces issues such as ignorance, demoralization, corruption and unethical behaviour, this will have a negative impact of the individuals behaviour. Moreover the individuals abilities and skills, perception and personality also help in determining his/her behaviour within an organization. Thus there are the main factors that affect an individuals behaviour within an organization. Organizational Theories There are various organizational theories in academic literature using which the organizations survive in the competitive market. The foremost organizational theory is the contingency theory which suggests that whenever the company management takes important decision, they should consider all the aspects of the companys current performance and act accordingly. Next is the systems theory which considers the organizations in a broader perspective and helps in interpreting the market and anticipating the needs of customers. Then we have the scientific management theory which helps in accurate measurement and monitoring of organizational tasks and also the strategies developed in order to achieve these goals. Finally there is the human relations theory which supports the idea of trade unions and government regulations. According to this theory, more emphasis is given to employees and their potential in the organization. The main culture and subculture within an organization plays an important role in the company and is also vital for its success or failure. Thus these are the basic organizational theories that play a significant role in organizational management. These theories help in every aspect of organizational management as they help is management operations such as sales forecast, performance monitoring, decision making, enhancing the business networks and so on. Thus we shall now discuss about management theories and organizational culture of two organizations namely Google and Microsoft. Google have very different and unique approaches towards management. The main management approach of Google is effective employee handling and motivation by providing a wonderful experience at work. All Google employees are called as Googlers and the whole organizational culture of Google is very unique. For example, employees have the liberty to comment on the companys strategies or give suggestions to the top management personals. The company management principles consider all its employees equally important for the success of the company. Googlers were allowed to carry their pets at workplace, were given free lunch and snacks and other amenities. Thus one can clearly suggest that Googles zero percent employee turnover rate is an excellent testament to its respectable organizational culture. Moving onto Microsoft, managers here are described as Mentors and employees as Pupils. Mentors in Microsoft carry high profile with a wealth of knowledge and experience whereas pupils are encouraged to be hard-working and enthusiastic to take risks. Microsoft has been successful over the years by using a sound organizational structure. The company is managed by 10 Board of Directors who are elected every year. The company is sub-categorized into various teams that handle critical aspects of business. All the employees of Microsoft share the same values and beliefs and the expectations they have from the company. These shared views affect the companys performance, decision making and also team performance. Employees are allowed to grow within the company as a part of the strong organizational culture Microsoft has. Thus over the years, Microsoft has successfully used its organizational culture and resources in order to achieve its business objectives. Thus these are the different approaches towards management of two organizations namely Google and Microsoft. There is one thing common between the two companies as far as the role of technology in organizational culture is concerned. Both the companies are equipped with latest technological gadgets that make it easy for them to give good performance, analyze markets, anticipate future forecasts and many more. One can clearly comment that indeed the organizational culture and sound approaches towards organizational management are the basic elements needed by the organization to have an edge over its rivals. Thus we shall now discuss about various leadership styles and their effectiveness in leadership approaches. Importance of different leadership styles Leadership style can be defined as the effective behaviour of leaders towards achieving team objectives and management of the team. It can also be considered as the way of giving direction to others, implementing strategies and motivating individuals. There are numerous leadership styles discussed in the academic history. We shall now discuss about different leadership styles and their importance in organizational performance. The first is autocratic style where all the decision making authority lies with the leader. Here the leader doesnt pay much attention to the suggestions given to him/her and all the initiatives taken are the leaders responsibility. The only advantage here is that the leader possesses extreme wealth of knowledge and experience which is used to achieve organizational goals. Next is the Participative style wherein the leader consults his/her group of team before making decisions. This is very advantageous as far as team performance is concerned. This style also he lps members of the team to self motivate by taking active part in team discussions. Democratic leadership style ensures that the leader takes the final decision but consults a couple of individuals regarding the decision making process. This leadership style is a sign of strength as it helps in earning the respect from employees. Finally we have the free reign leadership style, wherein employees are allowed to take their own decisions. However the responsibility of the decision lies on the leaders shoulder but this helps the employees to analyze situations and determine the strategies. Here the tasks are generally completed based on the priority factor of an individual task. Thus these are some of the leadership styles that the leaders in real world carry with themselves in order to complete tasks or achieve organizational goals. There are various factors that influence the different leadership styles within the organization. These include available time, responsibility, and possession of information, knowledge of employees, internal conflicts, and stress levels, type of objectives and finally the rules and regulations of the organization. All these factors highly influence the leadership styles in a way that there is lot of uncertainty that same style would be used for the whole process of achieving organizational objectives. Thus these are the main issues regarding different leadership styles and their effectiveness. Motivation Theories In order to discuss the application of motivational theories within a workplace, we shall first discuss about different types motivational theories. The first is the incentive theory wherein a tangible or an intangible reward or benefit is given to the employee after completion of a particular task or exceptional services. According to this theory, the reward given to the employee will motivate him/her to continue giving exceptional service to the organization and develop positive attitude towards work. Next is the need motivational theory suggesting that the needs and wants of a human being reflect the type of performance given by them. The fulfilment of one need motivates individuals to work harder in order to fulfil the next need or a want. Over the years, there has been very strong relationship between the motivation theories and management practices in organizations. Motivation theories are the driving factors that positively influence the performance of individuals and hence the company. On the other hand, management theories cover effective administration as well as the business. Both these theories are interrelated and work together. For example, a manager motivates an employee by giving certain benefits or rewards for hard work and as a result the productivity of the employee goes up and so does the profits of the company. In this case, the manager applied motivation theory and the whole process comes under the management theory which includes using relevant resources in order to meet the objectives or get the work done. Moreover, if a sound motivation theory is not applied then the overall process of management has chances of not meeting the expected outcomes. Thus one can clearly suggest that indeed, the motivat ion theories have sound influence on the management theories within any given organization. Thus we shall now try to evaluate the nature and work behaviour of groups or teams and also discuss the factors that lead to their failure or effectiveness. Team effectiveness and failure A very common practice observed within many organizations is the formation and working in teams. Working in team enables completion of goals with team efforts and condensing bigger objectives into smaller individual tasks. Teams can be formed within an organization with different departments, rank of employees, based on projects and also based on abilities of individuals. In the case of team efforts, the whole team is responsible for completion of the given task and if one member underperforms then it can affect the performance of the whole team. Thus specific groups are formed in order to complete the given task in a specific manner which a single individual cannot perform. Groups or teams have different natures or behaviours which influence their performance. The team or group can be ambitious, enthusiastic, hard-working, motivated, inexperienced, disorganized and many more. All these factors directly or indirectly lead to the team effectiveness or failure. The factors or behaviour of the team that leads to its effectiveness are high morale, motivation, energetic, high experience, well coordinated and hard working. For example, if a team has these factors then it can easily coordinate and work hard collectively in order to achieve team goals. On the other hand, factors such as individual concerns, lack of coordination, dissatisfaction among members, over ambitious leader, low morale and lack of experience can lead to the team failure within an organization. For example, if a team has less experience and coordination among team members, then it is obvious that the performance cannot be enhanced and thus leading to the team failure. Thus these are the main factors that affect the whole performance of the team and which lead to the team effectiveness or failure. We shall now analyze the role of technology on team functioning within an organization. Impact of Technology on Team Functioning In todays world, almost all the businesses are loaded with technology and make the full use of technological equipments in order to run their administration tasks. Technologies such as e-mails, mobile phones, Blackberry, groupware, computers and laptops have played significant role in improving team performance. For example, if team members are not at a same place, they can still have a communication via the e-mail. Mobile phones have brought a big revolution in the world of technology which helps team members when they are out of the office, on the road or otherwise unavailable. Groupware helps the team members to plan important meetings and collaborate in a virtual environment which can be accessed from all parts of the world. Finally computers and laptops allow team members to use internet and perform various business tasks very easily. Thus these are the main factors that have a deep impact on the team functioning. There are so many other technological factors that influence the team performance. For example, there has been extensive advancement in the technological gadgets such as video conferencing, web cam, fax, printers, scanners and many more have direct or indirect influence on team functioning. As far as information technology is concerned, it helps the team to perform back-end operations such as monitoring sales forecast, managing customer database, conducting business through websites, using various software and many more. Information technology plays a vital role in todays organizations and is the determining factor for the success or failure of the organization. The development of information technology over the years is showing no signs of slowing down. A region-wide Wi-Fi and nanotechnology are the latest inventions that boost all the aspects of business functionalities. Thus these are the main impacts of technology on the team as wells as business functioning. Conclusion Thus one can clearly suggest from all the above discussions that indeed a sound organizational culture and organizational structure plays the determining factor for the success or failure of the organization. In this competitive business environment, all the companies are constantly trying to improve their organizational culture so that they can have an edge over their competitors. Employees are a very important aspect of organizational culture and thus there are various factors that influence individual behaviour at the workplace. Thus these organizational theories underpin all the basic principles of management. The example of Google and Microsoft explained that how a sound organizational culture helped the companies to progress toward their desired goals. An organization consists of various individuals and these individuals can work together forming various teams among themselves. As we have seen, there are many factors that affect the team performance and thus a positive organizational culture will always have a positive impact on the team performance. Finally, the use of technology in recent years has been the driving factor in the effective working of a team or an individual or a company.

Mary Shelley Essay

When he first arrives at Inglestadt, he goes to visit one of his tutors, hoping to make a good first impression and appear eager and willing to learn, showing both his enthusiasm for the subject and respect for his future tutor. However he is met with a stout man with a â€Å"repulsive countenance† who informs Victor, upon hearing his list of previous reading, that â€Å"every instant that you have wasted on those books is utterly and entirely lost. † This is a huge anticlimax for Victor and this immediately manipulates the sympathy of the reader in Victor’s favour. This is important as the sympathy for Victor must be strong enough for the reader not to feel utterly repulsed by his later transgression. It will also provide Victor with deniability, as he has been mistreated by his tutor and possibly feels the need to prove that the research carried out by his first inspirers was not in vain. Victor has a very close relationship with his mother before her premature death; some interpreters may even go as far as to imply that he suffers from the Oedipus complex, and holds passionate feelings towards her. Whether this is deliberate, or simply a common misconception, it undoubtedly renders Victor more worthy of the sympathy of the reader. Victor suffers almost constantly from what a modern reader might well describe as â€Å"mood swings†, but I believe that the original intention of Shelley was to condemn him as an un-confessed manic-depressive. Shelley uses provocative language to good effect when manipulating the compassion of the reader towards Victor. This is shown when he finds the lifeless cadaver of his beloved Elizabeth on their wedding night and almost collapses whilst exclaiming â€Å"Great God! Why did I not then expire! † This technique is widely used in gothic fiction as it is very proficient in influencing the sympathy of the reader in any way the author wishes; in this case in Victor’s favour. Frankenstein’s creation is shunned and persecuted from the very day of its re-resurrection up until the day of its bereavement. The absolute epitome of this discrimination is when its own creator, to whom the creation owes his very existence to, turns against it on the night of its animation and is horrified by what he has done â€Å"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? † Frankenstein’s creation was offered no choice of whether it was to be re-awakened or left to lie in peace where its components were originally laid to rest. This evokes sympathy in a reader as numerous people were brought up in poor homes and large families and can perhaps empathise with the creation’s sense of incompatibility in society. When Frankenstein and his creation meet in chapter 10, many different literary techniques are used to established sympathy in favour of Frankenstein’s creation. One technique used is dramatic setting, â€Å"the surface is very uneven, rising like the waves of a troubled sea. † The words troubled sea carry connotations of formidable weather and a faint sense of woe. This sets the scene for a miserable and desperate confrontation between creator and creation, and I think the sympathy is at this point transferred to the creation, as he has had to cross the sea of ice without the help or comfort of any man-made aids, and probably with little sustenance of real nutritional value. Another technique used during Frankenstein’s meeting with his creation is emotive language, for example â€Å"Devil, do you dare approach me? † This fierce greeting shows us just how anguished Frankenstein is but somehow renders his creation more worthy of the reader’s sympathy; this is possibly because he doesn’t really know that he has done anything wrong, he has just responded to the way people have treated him. In inference, I think that Mary Shelley intended for the sympathy of the reader to be evoked in favour of Frankenstein rather than his creation, but for the issue to be largely open-ended. I believe that when the novel was written, Frankenstein’s creation would have been feared rather than disliked particularly; but in today’s superficial society, it would be almost unanimously hated just for being different. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section. Download this essay Print Save Here’s what a teacher thought of this essay 4 star(s).

Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 17~18

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Jonathan Livingston Reaper Amy wore an oversized, tattered â€Å"I'M WITH STUPID† nightshirt and Local Motion flip-flops. Her hair was completely flat on one side and splayed out into an improbable sunburst of spikes on the other, making it appear that she was getting hit in the side of the head by a tiny hurricane, which she wasn't. She was, however, performing the longest sustained yawn Clay had ever seen. â€Å"Ooo ahe-e, I aya oa a,† she said in yawnspeak, a language – not unlike Hawaiian – known for its paucity of consonants. (You go ahead, I'm okay, she was saying.) She gestured for Clay to continue. Clay cued the tape and fiddled with the audio. A whale tail in a field of blue passed by on the monitor. â€Å"There's someone outside, Captain.† â€Å"Does he have my sandwich with him?† Amy stopped yawning and scooted forward on the stool she was perched upon behind Clay. When the whale tail came down, Clay stopped the tape and looked back at her. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Play it again.† He did. â€Å"Can we get a feeling for direction?† Amy asked. â€Å"That housing has stereo microphones, right? What if we move the speakers far apart – can we get a sense where it's coming from?† Clay shook his head. â€Å"The mikes are right next to each other. You have to separate them by at least a meter to get any spatial information. All I can tell you is that it's in the water and it's not particularly loud. In fact, if I hadn't been using the rebreather, I'd never have heard it. You're the audio person. What can you tell me?† He ran it back and played it again. â€Å"It's human speech.† Clay looked at her as if to say, Uh-huh, I woke you up because I needed the obvious pointed out. â€Å"And it's military.† â€Å"Why do you think it's military?† Now Amy gave Clay the same look that he had just finished giving her.† ‘Captain'?† â€Å"Oh, right,† said Clay. â€Å"Speaker in the water? Divers with underwater communications? What do you think?† â€Å"Didn't sound like it. Did it sound like it was coming from small speakers to you?† â€Å"Nope.† Clay played it again. â€Å"Sandwich?† he said. â€Å"Sandwich?† â€Å"The Old Broad said that someone called her claiming to be a whale and asked her to tell Nate to bring him a sandwich.† Amy squeezed Clay's shoulder. â€Å"He's gone, Clay. I know you don't believe what I saw happened, but it certainly wasn't about a sandwich conspiracy.† â€Å"I'm not saying that, Amy. Damn it. I'm not saying this had anything to do with Nate's† – he was going to say drowning and stopped himself – â€Å"accident. But it might have to do with the lab getting wrecked, the tapes getting stolen, and someone trying to mess with the Old Broad. Someone is fucking with us, Amy, and it might be whoever is recorded on this tape.† â€Å"And there's no way the camera could have pulled a signal out of the air, something on the same frequency or something? A mobile phone or something?† â€Å"Through a half-inch of powder-coated aluminum housing and a hundred feet of water? No, that signal came in through the mike. That I'm sure of.† Amy nodded and looked at the paused picture on the screen. â€Å"So you're looking for two things: someone military and someone who has an interest in Nate's work.† â€Å"No one – † Clay stopped himself again, remembering what he'd said to Nate when the lab had been wrecked. That no one cared about their work. But obviously someone did. â€Å"Tarwater?† Amy shrugged. â€Å"He's military. Maybe. Leave the tape out. I'll run a spectrograph on the audio in the morning, see if I can tell if it's coming through some kind of amplifier. I've got nothing left tonight – I'm beat.† â€Å"Thanks,† Clay said. â€Å"You get some rest, kiddo. I'm going to hit it, too. I'll be heading down to the harbor first thing.† † ‘Kay.† â€Å"Oh, and hey, the ‘kiddo' thing, I didn't mean – ; Amy threw her arms around him and kissed the top of his head. â€Å"You big mook. Don't worry, we'll get through this.† She turned and started out the door. â€Å"Amy?† She paused in the doorway. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Can I ask you a†¦ personal question, kinda?† â€Å"Shoot.† â€Å"The shirt – who's stupid?† She looked down at her shirt, then back at him and grinned. â€Å"Always seems to apply, Clay. No matter where I am or who I'm with, the smoke clears and the shirt is true. You gotta hang on to truth when you find it.† â€Å"I like truth,† Clay said. â€Å"Night, Clay.† â€Å"Night, kiddo.† The next day the weather was blown out, with whitecaps frosting the entire channel across to Lanai and the coconut palms whipping overhead like epileptic dust mops. Clay drove by the harbor in his truck, noting that the cabin cruiser that Cliff Hyland's group had been using was parked in its slip. Then he turned around and caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye as he drove past the hundred-year-old Pioneer Inn – Captain Tarwater's navy whites standing out against the green shiplap. He parked his truck by the giant banyan tree next door and humped it over to the restaurant. When Clay came up to the table, the hostess was just seating Cliff Hyland, Tarwater, and one of their grad students, a young blond woman with a raccoon sunburn and straw-dry hair. â€Å"Hey, Cliff,† Clay said. â€Å"You got a minute?† â€Å"Clay, how you doing?† Hyland took off his sunglasses and stood to shake hands. â€Å"Please, join us.† Clay looked at Tarwater, and the naval officer nodded. â€Å"Sorry to hear about your partner,† he said. Then he looked back down at his menu. The young woman sitting with them was watching the dynamic between the three men as if she might write a paper on it. â€Å"Just a second,† Clay said. â€Å"If I could talk to you outside.† Now Tarwater glanced up and gave Cliff Hyland an almost imperceptible shake of the head. â€Å"Sure, Clay,† Cliff said, â€Å"let's walk.† He looked to the junior researcher. â€Å"When she comes, coffee, Portuguese sausage, eggs over easy, whole wheat.† The girl nodded. Hyland followed Clay out to the front of the hotel, which overlooked the harbor fueling station and the Carthaginian, a steel-hulled replica of a whaling brig, now used as a floating museum. They stood side by side, watching the harbor, each with a foot propped on the seawall. â€Å"What's up, Clay?† â€Å"What are you guys working on, Cliff?† â€Å"You know I can't talk about that. I signed a nondisclosure thing.† â€Å"You got divers in the water, people with underwater coms?† â€Å"Don't be silly, Clay. You've seen my crew. Except for Tarwater, they're just kids. What's this about?† â€Å"Somebody's fucking with us, Cliff. They sank my boat, tore up the office, took Nate's papers and tapes. They're even messing with one of our benefactors. I'm not even sure they don't have something to do with Nate's –  » â€Å"And you think it's me?† Hyland took his foot off the seawall and turned to Clay. â€Å"Nate was my friend, too. I've known you guys, what? Twenty-two, twenty-three years? You can't think I'd do anything like that.† â€Å"I'm not saying you personally. What are you and Tarwater working on, Cliff? What would Nate know that would interfere with what you're doing?† Hyland stared at his feet. Scratched his beard. â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"You don't know? You know what we're doing – figure it out. Listen, I know you guys are using a big towable sonar rig, right? What's Tarwater looking at? Some new kind of active sonar? If it didn't have a hinky element, he wouldn't be here on site. Mines?† â€Å"Damn it, Clay, I can't tell you! I can tell you that if I thought it was going to hurt the animals, or anyone in the field for that matter, I wouldn't be doing the work.† â€Å"Remember the navy's Pacific Biological Ocean Science Program? Were you in on that?† â€Å"No. Birds, wasn't it?† â€Å"Yeah, seabirds. The navy came to a bunch of field biologists with a ton of money – wanted seabirds tagged and tracked, behavior recorded, population information, habitat, everything. Everyone thought the heavens had opened up and started raining money. Thought the navy was doing some sort of secret impact study to preserve the birds. Do you know what the study was actually for?† â€Å"No, that was before my time, Clay.† â€Å"They wanted to use the birds as delivery systems for biological weapons. Wanted to make sure they could predict that they'd fly to the enemy. Probably fifty scientists helped in that study.† â€Å"But it didn't happen, Clay, did it? I mean, the data was valuable scientifically, but the weapons project didn't pan out.† â€Å"As far as we know. That's the point. How would we know, until a seagull drops fucking anthrax on us?† Cliff Hyland had aged a couple of years in the few minutes they'd been standing there. â€Å"I promise, Clay, if there's any indication that Tarwater or the navy or any of the spooky guys that come around from time to time are involved with trying to sabotage you guys, I'll call you in an instant. I promise you. But I can't tell you what I'm working on, or why. I don't exactly have funding coming out my ears. If I lose this, I'm teaching freshmen about dolphin jaws. I'm not ready for that. I need to be in the field.† Clay looked at him sideways and saw that there was real concern, maybe even a spark of desperation in Hyland's eyes. â€Å"You know, your funding might be a little easier to come by if you weren't based in Iowa. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's no ocean in Iowa.† Hyland smiled at the old dig. â€Å"Thanks for pointing that out, Clay.† Clay extended his hand. â€Å"You promise you'll let me know?† â€Å"Absolutely.† Clay left feeling totally spent. The great head of steam he'd built up through a night of fitful sleep had wilted into exhaustion and confusion. He got in his truck and sat while sweat rolled down his neck. He watched tourists in aloha wear mill around under the great banyan tree like gift-wrapped zombies. Cliff Hyland's eggs were still steaming when he returned to the table. Tarwater looked up from his own breakfast and moved his snow-white hat away from Hyland's plate, as if the rumpled scientist might splash yolk over the gold anchors in a fit of disorganized eating. â€Å"Everything all right?† The young woman at the table fidgeted and tried to look invisible. â€Å"Clay's still a little shaken up. Understandably. He and Nathan Quinn have been working together a long time.† â€Å"Lucky they made it this long without self-destructing,† Tarwater said. â€Å"Slipshod as they run that operation. You see that kid that works for them? Not worth grinding up for chum.† Cliff Hyland dropped his fork in his plate. â€Å"Nathan Quinn was one of the most intuitively brilliant biologists in the field. And Clay Demodocus may very well be the best underwater photographer in the world, certainly when it comes to cetaceans. You have no right.† â€Å"The world turns, Doc. Yesterday's alphas are today's betas. Losers lose. Isn't that what you biologists teach?† Cliff Hyland came very close to burying a fork in Tarwater's tanned forehead, but instead he slowly climbed to his feet. â€Å"I need to use the restroom. Excuse me.† As he walked away, Hyland could hear Tarwater lecturing the junior researcher on how the strong survive. Cliff dug his mobile phone out of the pocket of his safari shirt and began scrolling through the numbers. Clay was just dozing off in the driver's seat when his mobile trilled. Without looking at the display, he figured it was Clair checking up on him. â€Å"Go, baby.† â€Å"Clay, it's Cliff Hyland.† â€Å"Cliff? What's up?† â€Å"You've got to keep this under your hat, Clay. It's my ass.† â€Å"I got you. What is it, Cliff?† â€Å"It's a torpedo range. We're doing site studies for a torpedo test range.† â€Å"Not in the sanctuary?† â€Å"Right in the middle of the sanctuary.† â€Å"Jeepers, Cliff, that's terrible. I don't know if my hat is big enough to hold that.† â€Å"You gave me your word, Clay. What's with ‘jeepers'? Who says ‘jeepers'?† â€Å"Amy does. She's a little eccentric. Tell me more. Does the navy have divers in the water?† CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Heinous Fuckery Most Foul â€Å"Jeepers,† said Amy. She was at Quinn's computer. Streamers of digital videotape were festooned across her lap and over the desk. â€Å"Oh, that's heinous fuckery most foul,† said Kona. He was perched on the high stool behind Amy and actually appeared to be trying to learn something when Clay came in. â€Å"They've been simulating explosions on the lee of Kahoolawe with a big towable array of underwater speakers, measuring the levels. The speaker array is what's in that big case we've seen on their boat.† â€Å"We have a couple of explosions on the singer tapes, but distant,† Amy said. â€Å"Nate thought it might be naval exercises out at sea.† â€Å"Speaking of tapes?† Clay picked up a strand of tape. â€Å"This isn't my rebreather footage, is it?† â€Å"I'm sorry, Clay. I didn't get the video, but I pulled the audio off before this happened. Want to see the spectrograph?† Kona asked, â€Å"You think those voices in the water be navy divers?† Clay looked at Amy, raised an eyebrow. â€Å"He wanted to learn.† â€Å"Cliff says there're no divers in the water, that his operation is it, militarily, in the sanctuary anyway. But he might not even know.† Amy wadded up the videotape and chucked the resulting bird's nest into the wastebasket. â€Å"How can they do that, Clay? How can they put a torpedo range in the middle of the humpback sanctuary? It's not like people won't notice.† â€Å"Yeah, she's a big ocean. Why here?† Kona said. â€Å"I have no idea. Maybe they don't want there to be any mistake about whose waters they're blowing up ordnance in. If they blow them up in between a bunch of American islands, maybe there can't be any misinterpretation about what they're doing.† â€Å"Lost now,† Kona said. â€Å"Does not compute. Danger. Danger. Control room needs herb.† The Rastafarian had affected an accent that seemed an excellent approximation of how a stoned robot might sound. â€Å"Submarine warfare is all about hide and seek with other submarines,† Clay said. â€Å"The crews are autonomous when they're underwater. They make decisions on whether they're being attacked and whether to defend. Maybe if the navy just shot torpedoes off in the middle of the open sea, someone might misinterpret the action as an attack. It's damn unlikely that a Russian sub is going to be cruising up to Wailea for brunch and misinterpret an attack.† â€Å"They can't do that,† Amy said. â€Å"They can't let them set off high explosives around the mothers and calves. It's just insane.† â€Å"They'll go deep and say it doesn't bother them. The navy will guarantee they won't blow up anything shallower than, say, four hundred feet. The humpbacks don't dive that deep in this channel.† â€Å"Yes they do,† Amy said. â€Å"No they don't,† Clay said. â€Å"Yes they do.† â€Å"There's no data on that, Amy. That's specifically what Cliff Hyland asked me about. He wanted to know if we were doing any research on the depth of humpback dives. Said that it would be the only thing the navy would care about.† Amy stood up and shoved the wheeled desk chair away. It bounced off Kona's shins, causing him to wince. â€Å"Ease on up, sistah.† â€Å"Amy, this wasn't my idea,† Clay said. â€Å"I'm just telling you what Hyland told me.† â€Å"Fine,† Amy said. She pushed her way past Clay and headed for the door. â€Å"Where are you going?† â€Å"Somewhere else.† She let the screen door slam behind her. Clay turned to Kona, who appeared to be studying the ceiling with great concentration. â€Å"What?† â€Å"You makin' up that submarine war story?† â€Å"Kind of. I read a Tom Clancy book once. Look, Kona, I'm not supposed to know stuff. Nate knew stuff. I just take the pictures.† â€Å"You think the navy sink your boat? Maybe make something bad happen to Nate?† â€Å"The boat, maybe. I don't think they could have had anything to do with Nate. That was just bad luck.† â€Å"The Snowy Biscuit – all this getting under her skin.† â€Å"Mine, too.† â€Å"I'll go put the calm on her.† â€Å"Thanks,† Clay said. He walked to the other side of the office, slumped in his chair, and pulled his editing tools up on the giant monitor. A half hour later he heard a tiny voice coming through the screen door. â€Å"Sorry,† Amy said. â€Å"It's okay.† She stepped into the room and stood there, not looking as glazed as he would have expected if Kona had put the calm on her in an herbal way. â€Å"Sorry about your tape, too. The camera was making crunching noises on playback, so I sort of rushed taking it out.† â€Å"Not a problem. It was your big rescue scene. It just made me look like an amateur. I got most of it on the hard drive, I think.† â€Å"You did?† She stepped over to the monitor. â€Å"That it?† Frame stopped, the whale tail from the edge, black marks barely visible. â€Å"Just going through it to see if there's anything else the audio picked up. The camera was running the whole time you were saving my bacon.† â€Å"Why don't you let it rest and let me take you out to lunch.† â€Å"It's ten-thirty.† â€Å"What, you're Mr. Rigid Schedule all of a sudden? Come out to lunch with me. I feel bad.† â€Å"Don't feel bad, Amy. It's a huge loss. I†¦ I'm not dealing well myself. You know, to keep this work going, we'll be needing some academic juice.† Amy just stared at the frozen image of the whale tail, and then she caught herself. â€Å"What? Oh, you'll get someone. You put the word out, you'll have Ph.D.'s knocking the door down to work with you.† â€Å"I was thinking about you.† â€Å"Me? I'm crap. I don't even have a bona fide hair color. Ink on my master's isn't even dry. You read my resume.† â€Å"Actually, I didn't.† â€Å"You didn't?† â€Å"You seemed intelligent. You were willing to work for nothing.† â€Å"Nate read it, though, right?† â€Å"I told him you were good. And if it's any consolation, he thought the world of you.† â€Å"That's how you hire? I'm smart and I'm cheap – that's it? What kind of standards do you guys have?† â€Å"Have you met Kona?† She looked back at the monitor, then at Clay again. â€Å"I feel so used. Honored, but used. Look, I'm thrilled you want to keep me on, but I'm not going to bring you funding or legitimacy.† â€Å"I'll worry about that.† â€Å"Worry about it after lunch. Come on, I'll buy.† â€Å"You're poor. Besides, I'm meeting Clair for lunch at one.† â€Å"Okay. Can I borrow Nate's – uh, the green truck?† â€Å"Keys are on the counter.† Clay waved over his shoulder toward the kitchen. Amy took the keys, then started out the door, caught herself, then ran back, and threw her arms around the photographer. â€Å"I really appreciate your asking me to stay.† â€Å"Go. Take Kona with you. Feed him. Hose him off.† â€Å"Nope, if you're not coming, I'm going solo. Tell Clair hi for me.† â€Å"Go.† He looked back at the computer, looked past the window at the brilliant Maui sun, then shut the computer down, feeling very much as if nothing he did mattered or would ever matter again.

Wireless and Mobile Technology essays

Wireless and Mobile Technology essays Wireless and mobile technology have been around for a surprisingly remarkable duration. In 1940, a well-known actress, Hedy Lamarr, and film composer, George Antheil, discussed over dinner a scheme that would permit armed, radio-controlled torpedoes the ability to travel undetected by jamming enemy transmissions. They would patent the invention in 1942 that would later form the basis for what would be known as spread-spectrum communications. Their invention becomes even more incredible when it is taken into consideration that it came before the advent of digital electronics. Now, over 60 years later, spread-spectrum communications has been adapted to today's electronics to allow for an inexpensive way to communicate over long distances, wirelessly. Development of wireless radio technology, through spread-spectrum communication, was a decelerated process throughout the early 1940's when the United States Navy decided to buy into the technology but then decided not to use it and kept it a secret. It was not until the late 1940's that the concept of a cellular phone came to light. A company, which would later be known a Motorola, created a lightweight handheld two-way radio for the United States Army during World War II. After the war, in 1946, AT It wasn't until 1973 when Martin Cooper, an employee with Motorola, used the first handheld cellular phone to contact rival, Bell Labs. In 1970, a professor with the University of Hawaii built up...

Baptista and Petruchio Essays

Baptista and Petruchio Essays Baptista and Petruchio Paper Baptista and Petruchio Paper Essay Topic: The Taming Of the Shrew Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare is often called a romantic comedy. It was written during the Renaissance period and set in Padua, Italy. The play focuses on courtship and marriage. Especially highlighting how Elizabethan marriages were arranged mainly for money, land and power. Money was a large factor in marriages and often evidence of the dowry was required prior to the acceptance to marry from the father. The notion of love and romance was a factor in some marriages, however it was very different from our thoughts on love and romance today. This could be linked with the drastic change in the treatment of women overtime. Throughout the play we see evidence of the love and romance, especially from the youngsters such as Lucentio, but also see how love may not always turn out how expected. At the start of the play we are introduced to the main characters these include the Minola family, Lucentio, Tranio, Gremio and Hortensio. The topic of conversation is about marriage, where Baptist Minola will not allow Bianca, his youngest daughter to marry until her elder sister Katherina has found a husband. Act 1, Scene 1 shows how Elizabathean marriages come about, and who is in charge. Unlike todays romance and marriage the father, of the bride controls who and how the pre-nuptial and marriage plans happen. The fact that Taming of the Shrew starts with talk of courtship and marriage encourages the opinion of that the play is a romantic comedy, but as the play continues we see various evidence that this is untrue. The notion of love and romance is almost dismissed from the start when we see how that how Baptist controls the whole affair of marriage. We see how the daughters are to take little part in the agreement of marriage. Taming of the Shrew revolves around the antics of finding a partner for Katherina, as she has the reputation of being a shrew, and unappealing to the men; unless you were of gentler, milder mould.. as said by Hortensio, we see clearly how the ideal Elizabethan woman was the silent kind. At the end of Act 1, scene 1, we see how Lucentio has fallen in love with Bianca, and swapped places with his servant Tranio, in an attempt to woo Bianca, but at the same time the allow Tranio to bargain with Baptist. This seems to be our first example of romance, however, Lucentio may seem love struck and full of romance but the underlying theme of the scence still money. This is always a major theme throughout the play, as is the behaviour of Elizabethan women. Gremio shows how little they think of Katherina and also how money is so important when they say Thou her father is very rich, any man is so very a fool to be married to hell The above lines are a taster of what is to come, and gives us an insight into just how financial gain is such a major element of marriage. The power of the men is also shown in this scene, Baptist is not only passed the duty of finding Katherina a man, but also is bargaining profusely to get the best deal on his young, modest daughter Bianca. Scene 1, gives us clues to how the play will continue in unromantic deception and bargaining. Not only have we seen little romance, towards the women, but we see how and disliked woman is treated with extreme contempt. Scene 2 introduces us to Petruchio, a friend of Hortensio, has come to Padua to marry a rich woman. He is told of Katherina, but at the same time warned of her shrewish nature. However, Petruchio is not dissuaded by the reputation Katherina has; I come to wive it wealthily in Padua, if wealthily then happily in Padua. Petruchios attitude shows how is willing to marry solely on the basis of money. He comes across as confident and determine, but at the same time unromantic in his values. Act 2 sees the meeting of Baptista and Petruchio and in turn Petruchio and Katherina. To see how Shakespeare looks on the union of the two as a comical event from the start. There is little romance involved in this union and any kind words towards Katherina are laughed at; good sir. Pray have you not a daughter Called Katherina, fair and virtuous? Are Petruchios first words to Baptista, who replies, I have a daughter, sir, called Katherine. Baptista pointedly dismisses the idea of Katherina being virtuous and fair. This is comical to us, but at the same time shows us the contempt in which Katherina is treated. We see how Petruchios pleasant words towards Katherina are in fact reverse psychology he continually through out the play refers to her as mild and fair when he knows she is the opposite. We are getting a taster of the cruel mind games that Petruchio has planned for his future wife. The annoyance that he stirs in Katherina is comical, but when we look at how hollow these compliments of love are, we again see how the play shows no true commitment to the notions of romance. When ever it is used we see signs of trickery and bargaining, even the acceptance of marriage from Katherina is a trick despite her protesting Petruchio convinces Baptista to start the marriage plans I will unto Venice, to buy a apparel gainst the wedding day. Provide the fest father and bid the guest. Katherina has refused but Baptista could not be happier; Good send you joy, Petruchio, tis a match. The speedy proposal and agreement of marriage was extremely fast, by the first meeting Petruchio and Katherina were to be married on the following Sunday. This again highlights how love within a marriage was very unimportant. Love presumably was forced or pretended for the sake of a happy marriage.

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Review - Article Example or agricultural usage, the resultant man caused fire event releases massive amounts of bio-mass particulates and aerosols into the atmosphere above Amazon. The pressing concern is how this pollution is affecting cloud formations and how the loss of those clouds may be causing a shift in the weather patterns that could threaten the entire Amazonian ecosystem. Scientists Ilan Koren, and Lorraine Remer from the Weizmann Institute collaborated with Karla Longo from the Brazilian Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies to construct a research model to better understand how smoke changes clouds in the Amazon. Smoke changes the size and number of cloud droplets, which affects the cloud density and the visual â€Å"brightness† of cloud formation. In theory this smoke layer, stabilizes and creates layers within atmosphere that directly suppresses updrafts that fuel cloud formation. Clouds are better at reflecting sunlight back into space than smoke, the scientist’s hypothesis considers that fires in the Amazon likely allow more solar energy than normal to enter the Earth’s climate system and are contributing to far reaching examples of climate change. The scientists collected data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) system at NASA’s Goddard Space Center. The MODIS satellite data was compiled and analyzed over an 8 year period (from 1998 to 2006). The research initially focused on how smoke influenced clouds on a day to day basis. But, as the study progressed the scientists noted that since 2000, there were large fluctuations in the density and proliferation of smoke between the years. Some years were relatively clean, and in other years the atmosphere was being highly polluted by the smoke from the man caused fires. When this was noted the scientists bi-furcated the research and looked at additional MODIS data from AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) to look at look at the daily and monthly averages in the number of

HistoryEconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HistoryEconomics - Essay Example In order to ensure economic development of the region and employment, the state governor should support local manufacturers and mines investing in new technological development and innovative methods of environmental protection. It is possible to reduce taxes for developing companies and stipulate that the saved costs are spent on new environmentally-friendly technologies. The state can help local organizations to develop effective methods of pollution reduction and provide local companies with specialists and researchers able to develop state-of-the-art solutions for them. The local government should ensure that the standards and regulations allow local companies to work effectively (Pothey and Savins 46). In the case of each market sector of the region, the state should examine the specific economic, institutional, and technical incentives and barriers that have encouraged and discouraged recycling.