Thursday, November 28, 2019

Topic American History- Winthrop, Hutchinson Political Morality In We

topic: American History- Winthrop, Hutchinson Political Morality In Webster's dictionary, morality is defined as "principles of right and wrong in conduct; ethics." The principles of morality have countless times evolved over the ages. In earlier times, death was an easy penalty for many crimes. These crimes today are considered minor and are penalized with a slap on the hand. Is this considered wrong? Who is the correct authority to consult on what is right or wrong? In today's society, two major factors concern how the way members of society act and behave. The first is our national government. Members of our government in positions of authority decide everything in our lives in the form of laws which determine our behavior. One of the most important documents written by our government is the Declaration of Independence. The monarchy was taking away power from the colonists and putting more demands on. In return, the colonists declared their fr eedom from their tyrant. In this document, it states, "All men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The great men who wrote this down had a strong sense of morals. They believed that men were given rights by God that no one could take away. This is essential to the issue of morality because it determines the rights- that are agreed upon all- are wrong. This brings us to religion. Religion is a major contributor to how we think and act because it mirrors our beliefs in what we hold as right or wrong. An example of this is the native tribes of africa and South America where a number of tribes practice cannibalism. While this is considered a sin in most christian religions, the tribes have evolved into cannibalism as a way to survive in life and have no objections to their eating habits. The problem arises when the line between government and reli gion is crossed. While religion does not have to power to punish one physically, but rather soulfully of one has sinned. The government has the power to sentence punishment, yet should have no power concerning God. Many different religions have evolved all over the world and in the process, have people have been prosecuted in their faith. The first settlers in the new world came here to avoid prosecution from the powerful church/government of that time. Specifically, the Church of England headed by the king. Puritan leaders led their followers to a place where they could express their religion with no fear of other faiths. One such leader was John Winthrop. John Winthrop was a powerful Puritan governor in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. He believed that this was a calling from God for him to lead the new religious experiment-a covenant with God to built a model for mankind. "We shall be a city upon the hill." declared Winthrop. As governor Winthrop held cons iderable power. He distrusted the commoners and thought democracy was the "meanest and worst" forms of government. Anyone who brought trouble or had indifferent thought were severely punished to "save their soul." As one of his extensions of his powers he banished Roger Williams, a popular Salem minister with radical ideas and an unrestrained tongue, and Mistress Anne Hutchinson, A strong willed women who challenged the authority of the clergy by stating the truly saved need not bother to obey the laws of God or man. Several problems arise throughout this banishment. I am for a democratic society in which one can express his or her thoughts without the fear of prosecution. They did not have the luxury of this. The need for the expressment of ideas is essential for a growing environment. If no growth is made, then expansion of the community is halted to a standstill. The limit of new idea's must have a point, though. In recent news, the Unabomber has issued a ulti manium with his manuscript. In the past, such a request would have been rediculous. In his manuscript he expresses his view on the evils of technology. While a citizen is entitled to free speech and press, threatening murder is not such an option.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Free Essays on Fashion Magazines Affect on Teenage Girls

Reading fashion magazines can detrimental to teenage girls because such magazines can lower a girl’s self-esteem. Teenage girls see images of beautiful women in these magazines and think to themselves â€Å"I wish I could look like that, beautiful and skinny.† The truth is only there are few women who actually look like that, compared to the rest of the female population. And also the women don’t look that perfect to begin with. The images shown in these fashion magazines are airbrushed, altered, and fixed. This thinking that models are the ultimate beauty and that we should all strive to look like them is what can cause eating disorders in teenagers. They see a perfect-bodied woman and think about how perfect their life must be, and then go to dangerous lengths to be skinny. Some girls will do anything to try to reach this unattainable perfect body. Even though they may not think so, the teenagers self esteem goes down with their weight. Eventually, they will gain the weight back from the crash dieting or binging and purging, and then feel worse than before. We should have people of every size in fashion magazines, and then maybe girls will learn that everyone is different, and perfection is inevitably unattainable.... Free Essays on Fashion Magazines Affect on Teenage Girls Free Essays on Fashion Magazines Affect on Teenage Girls Reading fashion magazines can detrimental to teenage girls because such magazines can lower a girl’s self-esteem. Teenage girls see images of beautiful women in these magazines and think to themselves â€Å"I wish I could look like that, beautiful and skinny.† The truth is only there are few women who actually look like that, compared to the rest of the female population. And also the women don’t look that perfect to begin with. The images shown in these fashion magazines are airbrushed, altered, and fixed. This thinking that models are the ultimate beauty and that we should all strive to look like them is what can cause eating disorders in teenagers. They see a perfect-bodied woman and think about how perfect their life must be, and then go to dangerous lengths to be skinny. Some girls will do anything to try to reach this unattainable perfect body. Even though they may not think so, the teenagers self esteem goes down with their weight. Eventually, they will gain the weight back from the crash dieting or binging and purging, and then feel worse than before. We should have people of every size in fashion magazines, and then maybe girls will learn that everyone is different, and perfection is inevitably unattainable....

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Marketing Communication Activities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing Communication Activities - Essay Example There, are three most important features that define marketing communication landscape namely media fragmentation, audience fragmentation and restricted budgets. Therefore, companies must be able to understand how these changes shape the industry in which they operate and provide an effective respond in order to remain relevant and competitive. This paper will start by analyzing how different forms of fragmentation such a media and audience affects the marketing communication landscape in a theoretical perspective. It will then examine how Ford Motors is responding to the recent changes having been brought about by media and audience fragmentation, as well as restricted budgets. Media and audience fragmentations are arguably the most widely observed impacts of digital media. Digital media has led to the emergence of many forms of media through which information can be accessed and disseminated which, in turn, has made consumption more distributed (Yim 2003, p.114). Whereas some peopl e are happy about the changes brought about by digital media, some are wary of its consequences. However, the widely acknowledged fact is that fragmentation brought about digital media has particularly affected the traditional forms of media most of which have become bleak as the audience moves towards the digital age. Webster and Ksiazek (2011, p.14) argue that fragmentation is a product of the interaction between audiences and the media. In this regard, socialist Anthony Giddens formulated a theory known as the ‘theory of saturation’ in 1984 in an attempt to explain the function of the media setting (Wbster 2011, p.41). The theory hypothesized that the media setting is jointly constructed based on the interaction between agents and structures-something Gidddens... This essay starts by analyzing how different forms of fragmentation such a media and audience affects the marketing communication landscape in a theoretical perspective. It then examines how Ford Motors company is responding to the recent changes having been brought about by media and audience fragmentation, as well as restricted budgets. It is stated that marketing is indeed a very important activity that no company can do without. This is because it is through marketing that consumers are informed and persuaded to buy the products offered by a company. Without marketing probably targeted consumers may not know of the existence of a product or services offered by a company. However, the growth of the digital media in recent years has impacted hugely on the various traditional marketing communication modes adopted by different companies for reaching out to the audience such as TV, radio, and newspapers. This is because the growth of digital media has resulted in media and audience fr agmentation, which have shaped the marketing communication landscape. In this regard, the emergence of new media forms such as the Internet and PVR has shifted advertisers from the traditional modes of advertising because few people still rely on these traditional media for information. This has forced many companies to respond appropriately to changes in order to remain relevant and competitive as has been witnessed with Ford. Certainly, it’s an appropriate response has made it remain one of the giant automobile companies in the U.K.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Tourism - Activity Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Competitiveness in the Tourism Industry - Case Study Example By these approaches and management strategies, tourism providers would be in a position to establish themselves as sustainable destinations providing quality and meaningful business and pleasure experiences to tourists (Berridge, 2007). The first step in realizing these goals is to enlist the services of an experienced tourism management team, which would integrate their expertise and research experiences in the running of the activities of a tourism destination. A tourist provider’s services should, therefore, meet the global definition of tourism experiences with regards to the global economic, social, and cultural contexts and experiences. The 15 Cs Framework, outlined by Fyall et al ('Destination marketing: a framework for future research' in Kozak and Andreu (editors), Advances in Tourism Research: Progress in Tourism Marketing (2006) Elsevier, Oxford) could be used as pillars by tourism providers for basing their management strategies and policies for tourists’ ex periences. Included in the 15 Cs are customers, change, culture, commodification, crisis, complacency, complexity, communication, consolidation, control, creativity, channels, cyberspace, and collaboration (Fyall et al., 2006). By considering these 15Cs, some tourism providers have been able to achieve some degree of success in the examination and addressing of the issues and challenges encountered in their endeavor to improve tourists’ experiences. These destinations have also been cognizant of the fact that collaboration among the industry’s stakeholders is a key strategy in solving the challenges and other issues brought about by the increasingly demanding tourists (Shaw & Williams, 1997). This paper explores some of the management strategies that tourism providers use to manage tourists’ experiences. Tourism Experiences Management Strategies Examples of tourist providers that have attained success in improving tourist experiences via incorporation of the ele ments of Fyall’s 15Cs abound, the Disneyland Resort Complex in Anaheim, California is a rather effective cases study. This resort complex is under the ownership and management of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division of the giant Walt Disney Company. There are several attractions at Disneyland Resort Complex that have helped it manage and expand tourists’ experiences. These attractions include theme parks such as the original theme park that Walt Disney personally built in the 1950s and the Disney California Adventure Park. This latter park opened on February 8, 2001, is specifically designed and intended to celebrate the history and the culture of the Golden State (Sandler, 2007). Besides the theme parks, the Disneyland Resort Complex also manages tourists’ experiences by other services such as outdoor retailing, dining, and entertainment activities in its Downtown Disney, which is located between the entrance promenade of the Disneyland Resort theme parks and the Disneyland Hotel. The Disneyland Resort Complex also has numerous resorts, including the Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, and Disneyland Hotel. Important to the success of these facilities in the management of tourists’ experiences are Disneyland’s operations, which lay a lot of emphasis on consumer satisfaction.  Ã‚  

Monday, November 18, 2019

The development of a marketing plan Personal Statement

The development of a marketing plan - Personal Statement Example The business entrepreneur desires to launch a new business of interior decoration. The business segment of interior decoration is highly competitive in nature. The entrepreneur would not be able to successfully run its business without the help of an appropriate marketing plan. Tastes and preferences of the individuals change drastically, when it comes to interior decorations. Thus, the mogul would face high expenses in business innovation and manufacture process. Moreover, the discounts offered by the potential rivals (Wal-Mart, Home-Depot) in the market would create price pressures on the entrepreneur. The cost of inputs (catalogue resources like pottery barn) used in interior decorations are also increasing with time. So, if the entrepreneur aspires to run its new business successfully he must set up an appropriate marketing plan for the business (SBA, 2013). The entrepreneur would never be able to fruitfully market its business services if the goals and objectives of the marketing plan are not set at the beginning. The goals and objectives of the marketing plan for the interior designing business are:- The desired objectives of the business plan should be measurable in terms of target. The target of 15% growth in sales and 10% growth in profit should be achievable in reality. The target should be attained in a span of say 5 years from the date of inception of the business. It is considered that the above mentioned objectives for the marketing plan are not only specific but also achievable for the business (Westwood, 2005). The interior designing business should offer excellent services to the business clients. The designing should not only be a mark of class, but should also be superior in terms of quality. The company should maintain admirably designed retail outlets and should offer other complementary services that would impress the clients. The

Friday, November 15, 2019

Compassion Fatigue Analysis Health And Social Care Essay

Compassion Fatigue Analysis Health And Social Care Essay Nowadays, natural disasters, warfare, violent crime, acts of terrorism, domestic violence and child abuse are circumstances that significantly impact life in modern society (Bush, 2009). These events necessitate professional counselors to effectively treat the trauma associated with these personal and societal crises. When counselor are therapeutically engaged with a child or adult who has been traumatized or encounter with the trauma survivor, he or she may be at risk to intrusive thoughts, avoidance, negative affect and impaired psychological functioning (Chrestman, 1995). Therefore, counselors are vulnerable to compassion fatigue. The concept of compassion fatigue emerged only in the last several years in the professional literature. It represents the cost of caring about and for traumatized people (Adams et al., 2006; Figley, 2002). 1.1 Definition of compassion fatigue Some authors identified compassion fatigue as a state in which a counselor lacks of emotional strength, exhaustion, experience languor, and loss of vitality and energy (Alkema, Linton, Davies, 2008). In other words, it may be understand as a sense of being tired of helping others and finding it difficult to act out of compassion. Additionally, some experts view compassion fatigue as a hazard associated primarily with mental health clinicians and with first responders to natural and human made disaster such as China earthquake and incident of 9/11 (Boscarino, Figley, Adams, 2004). Among the helping professions, genetic counselors clearly do witness much pain and suffering, and may fall prey to compassion fatigue (Udipi, Veach, Kao, LeRoy, 2008). According to Fidley (1993) as cited in Figley (2002), compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress (STS) can be define as the natural consequence behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other-the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person. As Figley (2002) pointed out, compassion fatigue is identical to secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) and is the equivalent of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Figley, 2002). Moreover, compassion fatigue is also recognized as secondary traumatization, secondary traumatic stress disorder, or vicarious traumatization within professional literature (Figley, 2002; Hofmann, 2009). 1.2 Historical Background of Compassion Fatigue The study of traumatic events and their subsequent impact on human beings has grown considerably over the past two decades. Since the early 1980s, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (APPENDIX A) has recognized both acute and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) as identifiable mental health concerns (Alkema et al., 2002). Besides that, according to the notion stated in criterion A1 of the PTSD diagnosis, it clearly indicates that people can develop the symptoms of PTSD without actually being physically harmed or threatened with harm (Alkema et al., 2008; Figley, 2002). That is, people can be traumatized simply by learning about the traumatic event. However, according to a review of the traumatology literature, it come to a conclusion that nearly all of the hundreds of reports focusing on traumatized people exclude those who were traumatized indirectly or secondarily and only focus on those who were directly traumatized, that is, the victims (Craig S prang, 2010; Figley, 2002). As a result, after more than a decade of negligence of the indirect traumatized people, it is important to consider the least studied aspect of traumatized stress, which is secondary traumatic stress (STS) or later, compassion fatigue. The term compassion fatigue was used as far back as 1990, the news media in the United States used compassion fatigue to describe the publics lack of patience, or perhaps simply the editors lack of patience, with the homeless problem, which had previously been presented as an anomaly or even a crisis which had only existed for a short time and could presumably be solved somehow. Later on in 1992, Joinson first used the term in print, in discussing burnout among nurses who deal with hospital emergencies, counselor, emergency workers and other professionals who experience STS in the line of duty (Dominguez-Gomez Rutledge, 2009). That same year Jeffrey Kottler (1992), in his book, Compassionate Therapy, emphasize the importance of compassion in dealing with extremely difficult and resistant patients. Additionally, compassion fatigue has been studied by the field of traumatology, where it has been called the cost of caring for people facing emotional pain (Boscarino et al., 2004; Hofman n, 2009). Furthermore, one of the first earliest references in the scientific literature regarding this cost of caring comes from Carl G. Jung in The Psychology of Dementia Praecox. In this text, Jung discusses the challenges of countertransference the therapists conscious and unconscious reactions to the patient in the therapeutic situation. In his text, he pointed out that therapist can treat their patients with schizophrenia by participates in the delusional fantasies and hallucinations with the patient. Nevertheless, he warns that this participation in the patients darkly painful fantasy world of traumatic images has significant deleterious effects for the therapist; especially when the therapist has not resolved his/her own developmental and traumatic issues (Craig Sprang, 2010; Figley, 2002). 1.3 Statistic of compassion fatigue on counselors Throughout the years, the number of natural and technological disasters was on the rise, therefore, studies of the effects of disaster events on both the victims and the disaster responders increased (Boscarino, Adams, Figley, 2006; Bush, 2009). Many researchers focus on those professionals who provide therapy to victims of trauma such as trauma counselors, crisis workers, nurses and other caregivers who become victims themselves of secondary traumatic stress (STS) or compassion fatigue (Bourassa, 2009; Coetzee Klopper, 2010; Figley, 2002). Studies which focus on examine the psychological impacts of providing mental health counseling to the disasters victims had found out that counselors were psychologically affected by their work, whether or not they personally experienced the disaster (Martin et al., 2010). For instance, as Myers and Wee (2005) pointed out, nearly three-quarters (73.5%) of counselors were rated as being at risk of compassion fatigue, which include moderate risk (23.5%), high risk (29.4%), and extremely high risk (20.6%) in their study of the psychological impact on counselors who work with the trauma survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing (Myers Wee, 2005) Furthermore, Meldrum et al. (2002) found that 27% of a sample of Australian mental health professions who worked with traumatized individuals reported extreme stress from this type of work (Meldrum, King, Spooner, 2002). In a research article that have been done by Arvay and Uhlemann (1996) using a sample of 161 trauma counselors in British Columbia, they found out that 24% of the counselors interviewed perceived life as stressful. Sixteen percent reported high levels of emotional exhaustion, 4% reported levels of depersonalization and 26% reported feeling ineffective at work in terms of professional accomplishment (Arvay Uhlemann, 1996). Fourteen percent of the sample reported traumatic stress levels similar to PTSD. In their article, Arvay and Uhlemann (1996) also pointed out that the impaired counselor was in his or her early 40s, held less than a masters degree and was more likely to work for an agency than in a private setting. Additionally, Sprang et al. (2007) also found out that young female with higher educational degree and less experience in clinical settings predicted elevated levels compassion fatigue in the studys sample of 1,121 mental health providers (Sprang, Clark, Whitt-Woosley, 2007). 1.4 Causes of compassion fatigue According to Figley (2002), compassion fatigue occurs when one is exposed to extreme events directly experienced by another and becomes overwhelmed by this secondary exposure to trauma. Thus, counselors who always listen to reports of trauma, horror, human cruelty and extreme loss of their clients are at high risk of experience compassion fatigue. In effective counseling, controlled reactivation of the traumatic memories is promoted by many interventions or forms of psychotherapy due to in the prevailing opinion among psychotherapists; working through the traumatic events is beneficial to the client (Craig Sprang, 2010; Kinzel Nanson, 2000). For instance, in behavior therapy, clients are asked to confront with stimuli relating to the traumatic events through returning to a crime scene (in vivo) or imagining the events of the crime (in sensu) (Craig Sprang, 2010). However, psychotherapy work with torture victims is potentially harmful to the therapist and can lead to compassion fatigue although working through the traumatic events experienced by a sufferer of PTSD seems to be beneficial to the client. Undeniably, empathy allows counselors to relate to others in their care and to have a sense of what their clients are feeling. Moreover, it also helps the counselors to put the clients experiences into perspective and understanding how the clients are being affected by the incidents which the counselors are trying to mediate (Meadors et al., 2009). In brief, in an effective counseling, empathy understanding is necessary. Besides that, counselors, by the very nature of their work, are called on to be compassionate toward their clients on a daily basis (Meadors et al., 2009; Pickett, Brennan, Greenberg, Licht, Worrell, 1994). However, the more compassionate and empathetic a counselor is toward the suffering of the traumatized person, the more vulnerable that counselor is to compassion fatigue. It is due to compassion fatigue is based on the idea of a syndrome resulting specifically from empathizing with people who are experiencing pain and suffering; counselor can become overwhelmed a nd may begin to experience feelings of fear, pain and suffering similar to that of their clients (Figley, 2002; Meadors et al., 2009). As Alkema et al. (2008) pointed out, the common situations of counselor that can lead to compassion fatigue include 1) listening to stories of child abuse; 2) working with suicidal ideation, 3) interacting with the terminally ill; 4) responding with humanitarian aid in situations like disaster, poverty, or war; 5) caring for families with an injured or dying child; 6) providing support for survivors of rape; and 7) providing services for bereaved families. It is important to note that the sense of being overwhelmed or vulnerability to compassion fatigue is subjective, meaning that what overwhelms one counselor, may not necessarily overwhelm another. Additionally, even one story that overwhelms the counselors ability to make sense of the event, can lead to compassion fatigue symptoms (Alkema et al., 2008; Bush, 2009). Therefore, it is essential for the counselor to recognize compassion fatigue symptoms in themselves and their coworkers in turn to provide any emergency aid if needed. 1.5 Symptoms of compassion fatigue The symptoms of compassion fatigue vary in intensity depending on counselor characteristics and the characteristics of the client population. The resulting symptoms of compassion fatigue typically have an acute onset and are usually associated with a particular event (Stamm, 2005). Symptoms may include: being afraid, having intrusive images enter the persons attention, having trouble sleeping, or avoiding situations that remind the individual of the event (Tehrani, 2010). Moreover, compassion fatigue can have negative impact on spiritual development of counselor due to in some cases, counselor are psychologically bombarded by the traumatic recollections, emotional suffering, and psychological pain brought by their clients into session. A counselor might begin doubting his/her values, might express anger or bitterness toward God, and begin withdrawing from fellowship (Udipi et al., 2008). Furthermore, the range of counselor behaviors indicating compassion fatigue can include spending less time with clients, being late and absent from work, making professional errors, being hypercritical of others, making sarcastic and cynical comments about clients and the organization, abusing chemicals, and keeping poor records (Stewart, 2009; Tehrani, 2010). In addition, compassion fatigue also can manifest as physical symptoms such as rapid pulse, sleep disturbance, fatigue, reduced resistance to infection, weakness and dizziness, memory problems, weight change, ga strointestinal complaints, hypertension, and head-aches, backaches, or muscle aches (Meadors et al., 2009) According to Stewart (2009), for people exposed to primary stressors (i.e., client) and for those exposed to secondary stressors, there is a fundamental difference between the pattern of response during and following the traumatic event. Researches indicate the symptoms of secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) or compassion fatigue is nearly identical to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), except that PTSD symptoms are directly connected to the sufferer (e.g., client), yet STSD symptoms is associated with a exposure to knowledge about traumatizing event experienced by the people who care (e.g., counselor). Moreover, as Fidley (2002) pointed out, symptoms of compassion fatigue can be divided into categories of intrusive, avoidance, and arousal symptoms. Table 1: Compassion fatigue symptoms Intrusive Symptoms Thoughts and images associated with clients traumatic experiences Obsessive and compulsive desire to help certain clients Client/work issues encroaching upon personal time Inability to let go of work-related matters Perception of survivors as fragile and needing the assistance of the caregiver Thoughts and feelings of inadequacy as a caregiver Sense of entitlement or specialness Perception of the world in terms of victims and perpetrators Personal activities interrupted by work-related issues Avoidance Symptoms Silencing Response (avoiding hearing/witnessing clients traumatic material) Loss of enjoyment in activities/cessation of self-care activities Loss of energy Loss of hope/sense of dread working with certain clients Loss of sense of competence/potency Isolation Secretive self-medication/addiction (alcohol, drugs, work, sex, food, spending, etc.) Relational dysfunction Arousal Symptoms Increased anxiety Impulsivity/reactivity Increased perception of demand/threat (in both job and environment) Increased frustration/anger Sleep disturbance Difficulty concentrating Change in weight/appetite Somatic symptoms 1.6 Measuring compassion fatigue It is essential to assess for compassion fatigue symptoms in the caregiver especially for counselors who work with those traumatized clients (Hofmann, 2009; Stamm, 2005) Thus, certain reliable instrument is needed to use to measure the degree of compassion fatigue in counselors. It is mainly due to through the scoring of the instrument, it can give the counselor valuable feedback or insight of their vulnerability level to compassion fatigue (Adams et al., 2008; Stamm, 2005). Besides that, an examination of the history of the counselor is also a critical step in treating compassion fatigue as researchers have found that a personal history of a traumatic experience can contribute to the experience of compassion fatigue (Adams, Figley, Boscarino, 2008). Thus, compassion fatigue counselors can assist their co-workers to examine the role that their previous traumatic material has on making them vulnerable to the experience of compassion fatigue. For instance, the Professional Quality of Life Scale: Compassion Satisfaction and Subscales (ProQOL) have been widely used in assessing secondary/vicarious trauma (Bride, Radey, Figley, 2007). Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) ProQOL is a 30 item self-report measure to assess the dimensions compassion satisfaction, burn-out and compassion fatigue (APPENDIX A). The compassion satisfaction dimension (CS) measures pleasure derived from being able to do the daily work well where higher scores on this scale represent a greater satisfaction related to ones ability to be an effective caregiver. Besides that, the burnout dimension (BO) in this scale is associated with feelings of hopelessness and difficulties in dealing with work. Higher scores are related to higher risk for burnout. Moreover, the compassion fatigue dimension (CF) relates to work-related secondary exposure to extremely stressful events. High scores indicate that ones are exposed to frightening experiences at work. The alpha reliabilities for the scales are 1) Compassion Satisfaction alpha = .87, 2) Burnout alpha = .72 and 3) Compassion Fatigue alpha = .80. Additionally, the construct validity upon which the test is based is well established with over 200 articles noted in the peer-review literature. Using the multi-trait multi-method mode for convergent and discriminant validity the scales on the ProQOL do, in fact, measure different constructs (Adams et al., 2008; Bride et al., 2007). 1.7 Consequences of compassion fatigue Researches have indicated for those counselors who have the greatest capacity for feeling and expressing empathy are at the greatest risk from experiencing secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue (Alkema et al., 2008). Furthermore, it has been recognized that counselors suffering from compassion fatigue may be engaged in impaired or unethical practice. Those counselors may become worried with their patients/clients and exhibit signs and symptoms that are not beneficial to optimal patient/client care. It can negatively affect the ability to provide services and maintain personal and professional relationships (Craig Sprang, 2010). When a counselor is suffering from compassion fatigue, he or shes ability to listen with empathy becomes compromised, the counselor may unconsciously avoid the traumatic material brought by the client in an effort to maintain the integrity of the counselors world view (Alkema et al., 2008; Bride et al., 2007). For instance, the counselor will tend to remain silent when he or she is unable to attend to the clients traumatic material. Instead, the counselor will redirects the conversation to less disturbing material that is more pleasant to them (Alkema et al., 2008). Moreover, as Adam et al. (2006) pointed out, counselors who are suffering from compassion fatigue may hurt their clients by placing their own needs above the needs of the clients. They may tend to avoid the discussion of the traumatic content as a means of protecting themselves from further exposure. According to Bride et al. (2006), avoidance of clients traumatic issue in counseling comprise a degree of unethical practice as it further isolates the client in his or her psychological pain and suffering. As a result, the counseling alliance may be damage and will lead to further suffering for the client and puts the counselor itself at risk for injuring other clients. Besides that, it is important to note that counselor with compassion fatigue is more likely to develop a sense of isolation, exhaustion and professional dissatisfaction. Therefore, compassion fatigue has the potential to rob the professional of his or her sense of well-being if left unaddressed (Alkema et al., 2008; Crai g Sprang, 2010; Figley, 2002). PREVENTIONS AND INTERVENTIONS After years of clinical practice, counselors are being confronted with tragedies of life and depression (Hofmann, 2009). Therefore, they are at high risk of accumulated pain and sadness. Thus, if without an appropriate way or the time to have positive experiences, it will increase the risk of compassion fatigue and distancing (Kinzel Nanson, 2000; Newsom, 2010). For that reason, the need for some kind of structured prevention, support, and strengthening processes is necessary in order to help the counselor to deal with indirect traumatization. Among the intervention methods, debriefing sessions are a good way to help a counselor with compassion fatigue decompress and normalize what they are experiencing (Kinzel Nanson, 2000; Pickett et al., 1994). During debriefing session, traumatic incident is discussed in a structured group meeting. Through debriefing, it can help the counselor to address the immediate psychological impact that he or she experienced from the client. Thus, through discussing and seeking assistance from other colleagues and caregivers who have had experience with trauma and have remained healthy and hopeful, it can assist the counselor to alleviate the traumatic symptoms (Pickett et al., 1994). In addition, the importance of regular professional supervision, before and after traumatic events, has been identified as essential, as is continuing education and training (Kinzel Nanson, 2000; Meadors et al., 2009). It is due to for the purpose to promote long-term coping with the consequences of the traumatic events, continuity of the supervision and training program is necessary. Moreover, the aim of supervision is to explore and reduce the impact of the painful client material on the counselors thinking and emotions. In the United Kingdom, personal supervision is a professional requirement for counselors and it may be provided by a clinical supervisor, manager, or peer (Kinzel Nanson, 2000). According to pre-existing studies, it had been recognized that self-hypnosis have beneficial effects on immune control, enhanced mood and well-being (Martin et al., 2010; Mottern, 2010; Ruysschaert, 2003). Besides that, clinical experience with clients and therapists reports also indicated that ones can recovering and lowering their overall level of stress through self-hypnosis (Martin et al., 2010). Therefore, self-hypnosis is an effective tool to help counselor in preventing compassion fatigue or in promoting compassion satisfaction. In stress management, counselors ability to let go do play a very important role in stress-resistance or resilience. Figley (1995) also sees let-it-go as an important aspect in the reduction of compassionate stress. Therefore, in effective counseling, it is important for the counselor to find ways to create some distance from the emotional pain that they experienced from their clients. According to Morttern (2010), practicing self-hypnosis in a regular basis is important step in promoting self-awareness and temporarily distancing oneself from the outside world. For instance, it is possible for the counselor who suffered from compassion fatigue letting go of intrusions and thoughts indirectly by imagining thoughts as clouds, coming and going, and just noticing what happens (Mottern, 2010). Furthermore, counselors have to increase their own self awareness and live a healthy, balanced lifestyle in order decreases their vulnerability from compassion fatigue (Figley, 2002; Prati Pietrantoni, 2009). For instance, counselors can increase their self awareness by knowing their own triggers and vulnerable areas and learn to defuse them or avoid them (Bride et al., 2007). Besides that, counselors have to realize that normal responses to abnormal situations is true for helpers as well as victims. Thus, they should allow themselves to grieve when bad things happen to others (Figley, 2002). Moreover, it is essential for the counselors to set boundaries for themselves by develop realistic expectations about the rewards as well as the limitations of helping (Prati Pietrantoni, 2009). In brief, they have to become aware of any irrational beliefs that impair their well being throughout the helping process. Last but not least, diversions and recreation that allow the counselor to take mini-escapes from the intensity of their work is absolutely essential to avoid from compassion fatigue (Alkema et al., 2008). Researches indicate that those that have the ability to turn their thoughts about work off are more resilient throughout their career (Alkema et al., 2008; Figley, 2002). For instance, counselors can express their feelings through writing in a journal, music or art. CONCLUSION Counselors enroll themselves in the helping profession because they want to assist other in need. Yet, counselors can become so overwhelmed by the exposure to the feelings and experiences of their clients and leave them vulnerable for compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue, if left untreated, can spark a deterioration of personality and generate a decline in general health of the counselors. Thus, it is of vital importance to treat the helpers or counselors with compassion fatigue so that it do not reach a absurd situation where clients/victims are treated and helped, but those who help them experience such burnout that they can no longer function as mental health care providers or even continue their own life patterns as usual. Therefore, counselors and every mental health professionals must note and address the prevention steps in order to prevent compassion fatigue. In brief, compassion fatigue is a serious problem among members of the helping professions, but counselors will be a ble to get through it by acknowledging it, and staying connected to the good in their own life.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Home Schooling Provides Parents More Control :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Home Schooling Provides Parents More Control For most students, school begins with the first bell of the day and ends with the last, but for 228 pupils in the Smallville school district and roughly 1.5 million nationwide, the structure of a typical school day is anything but typical. These are home-schooled students, and their reasons for dropping out of standard educational systems are almost as varied as the hours which they keep. While some families want more time together, others focus on the special needs of children, and still others hope to instill values that they feel are not addressed in public or even private schools. Nearly all seek more control over the education of their children. "With home schooling, you can take your child's learning style and develop curriculum that fits how your child learns best. You're not trying to put a square peg in a round hole," said Sheri Cramer, whose ninth-grade son Jordan recently left public schooling to enroll under a new part-time policy adopted by the Lakota Board of Education last August. Under the policy, home-schooled students can enroll in up to two classes in the district each year and take part in extracurricular activities while maintaining their home-schooled status. "Through the policy, Jordan gets the best of both worlds †¹ he can still take part in school activities, but can work at his own pace and get individual attention also," says Cramer. It is this individualization that draws families to home schooling. "Because of the direct one-on-one interaction, you can tell if material is too boring or too difficult for your child and can make adjustments to that," says West Chester CHEC(Christian Home Education of Cincinnati) support group leader Susan Schechter, who has home schooled her two children for eight years. "I've always felt that I was able to do with home schooling what most teachers would like to do if they had the time and money." While expenses are not always a problem for home schoolers, they receive no financial aid from the government, and come from mostly single-paycheck families so that one parent can teach at home. "The idea is for parents to participate and share the skills they have with others so that we (home schooling families) don't have to hire as many teachers," says Schechter. For the majority of home schoolers, the primary teacher is the parent, though many are involved in home-schooling co-ops for special classes or hire private tutors for difficult subjects.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 25

~Part III Hunters Chapter 25 All Dressed Up Tommy stormed around the loft collecting beer cans and breakfast plates and carrying them to the kitchen. â€Å"Bitch!† he said to Peary. â€Å"Shark-faced bitch. It's not like I have any experience at this. It's not like there's Cosmo articles on how to take care of a vampire. Bloodsucking, day-sleeping, turtle-hating, creepy-crawling, no-toilet-paper-buying, inconsiderate bitch!† He slammed an armload of dishes into the sink. â€Å"I didn't ask for this. A few friends come over for breakfast and she goes bat-shit. Did I make a fuss when her mother came over with no notice? Did I say a word when she brought a dead guy home and shoved him under the bed? No offense, Peary. Do I complain about her weird hours? Her eating habits? No, I haven't said a word.† â€Å"It's not like I came to the City saying, ‘Oh, I can't wait to find a woman whose only joy in life is sucking out my bodily fluids. Okay, well, maybe I did, but I didn't mean this.† Tommy tied up a trash bag full of beer cans and threw it in the corner. The crash reverberated through his head, reminding him of his hangover. He cradled his throbbing temples and went to the bathroom, where he heaved until he thought his stomach would turn inside out. He pushed himself up from the bowl and wiped his eyes. Two snapping turtles regarded him from the tub. â€Å"What are you guys looking at?† Scott's jaw dropped open and he hissed. Zelda ducked under the foot of fouled water and swam against the corner of the tub. â€Å"I need a shower. You guys are going to have to roam around for a while.† Tommy found a towel and wrestled the turtles out of the tub, then stepped in and ran the shower until the water went cold. As he dressed he watched Scott and Zelda wandering around the bedroom, bumping into walls, then backing up and slumping off until they hit another wall. â€Å"You guys are miserable here, aren't you? No one appreciates you? Well, it doesn't look like Jody's going to use you. Whoever heard of a vampire with a weak stomach? There's no reason for all of us to be miserable.† Tommy had been using the milk crates he'd carried Scott and Zelda in as laundry baskets. He dumped the dirty laundry on the floor and lined the crates with damp towels. â€Å"Let's go, guys. We're going to the park.† He put Scott in a crate and carried him down the steps to the sidewalk. Then went back up for Zelda and called a cab. When he returned to the street, one of the biker/sculptors was standing outside of the foundry, blotting sweat out of his beard with a bandanna. â€Å"You live upstairs, right?† The sculptor was about thirty-five, long-haired and bearded, wearing grimy jeans and a denim vest with no shirt. His beer belly protruded from the vest and hung over his belt like a great hairy bag of pudding. â€Å"Yeah, I'm Tom Flood.† Tommy set the crate on the sidewalk and offered his hand. The sculptor clamped down on it until Tommy winced with pain. â€Å"I'm Frank. My partner's Monk. He's inside.† â€Å"Monk?† â€Å"Short for Monkey. We work in brass.† Tommy massaged his crushed hand. â€Å"I don't get it.† â€Å"Balls on a brass monkey.† â€Å"Oh,† Tommy said, nodding as if he understood. â€Å"What's with the turtles?† Frank asked. â€Å"Pets,† Tommy said. â€Å"They're getting too big for our place, so I'm going to take a cab over to Golden Gate Park and let them go in the pond.† â€Å"That why your old lady left all pissed off?† â€Å"Yeah, she doesn't want them in the house anymore.† â€Å"Fucking women,† Frank said in sympathy. â€Å"My last old lady was always on me about keeping my scooter in the living room. I still have the scooter.† Obviously, in Frank's eyes, Tommy should be carrying Jody out in a crate. Frank thought he was a wimp. â€Å"No big deal,† Tommy said with a shrug, â€Å"they were hers. I don't really care.† â€Å"I could use a couple of turtles, if you want to save cab fare.† â€Å"Really?† Tommy hadn't relished the idea of loading the crates into a cab anyway. â€Å"You wouldn't eat them, would you? I mean, I don't care, but – â€Å" â€Å"No fucking way, man.† A blue cab pulled up and stopped. Tommy signaled to the driver, then turned back to Frank. â€Å"I've been feeding them hamburger.† â€Å"Cool,† Frank said. â€Å"I'm on it.† â€Å"I have to go.† Tommy opened the cab door and looked back at Frank. â€Å"Can I visit them?† â€Å"Anytime,† Frank said. â€Å"Later.† He bent and picked up the crate containing Zelda. Tommy got in the cab. â€Å"Marina Safeway,† he said. He would be a couple of hours early for work, but he didn't want to stay at the loft and risk another tirade if Jody returned. He could kill the time reading or something. As the cab pulled away he looked out the back window and watched Frank carrying the second crate inside. Tommy felt as if he had just abandoned his children. Jody thought, I guess not everything changed when I changed. Without realizing how she got there, Jody found herself at Macy's in Union Square. It was as if some instinctual navigator, activated by conflict with men, had guided her there. A dozen times in the past she had found herself here, arriving with a purse full of tear-smeared Kleenex and a handful of credit cards tilted toward their limit. It was a common, and very human, response. She spotted other women doing the same thing: flipping through racks, testing fabrics, checking prices, fighting back tears and anger, and actually believing salespeople who told them that they looked stunning. Jody wondered if department stores knew what percentage of their profits came from domestic unrest. As she passed a display of indecently expensive cosmetics, she spotted a sign that read: â€Å"Melange Youth Cream – Because he'll never understand why you're worth it.† Yep, they knew. The righteous and the wronged shall find solace in a sale at Macy's. It was two weeks until Christmas and the stores in Union Square were staying open late into the evening. Tinsel and lights were festooned across every aisle, and every item not marked for sale was decorated with fake evergreen, red and green ribbon, and various plastic approximations of snow. Droves of package-laden shoppers trudged through the aisles like the chorus line of the cheerful, sleigh-bell version of the Bataan Death March, ever careful to keep moving lest some ambitious window dresser mistake them for mannequins and spray them down with aerosol snow. Jody watched the heat trails of the lights, breathed deep the aroma of fudge and candy and a thousand mingled colognes and deodorants, listened to the whir of the motors that animated electric elves and reindeer under the cloak of Muzak-mellowed Christmas carols – and she liked it. Christmas is better as a vampire, she thought. The crowds used to bother her, but now they seemed like†¦ like cattle: harmless and unaware. To her predator side, even the women wearing fur, who used to grate on her nerves, seemed not only harmless, but even enlightened in this heightened sensual world. I'd like to roll naked on mink, she thought. She frowned to herself. Not with Tommy, though. Not for a while, anyway. She found herself scanning the crowds, looking for the dark aura that betrayed the dying-prey – then caught herself and shivered. She looked over their heads, like an elevator rider avoiding eye contact, and the gleam of black caught her eye. It was a cocktail dress, minimally displayed on an emaciated Venus de Milo mannequin in a Santa hat. The LBD, Little Black Dress: the fashion equivalent of nuclear weapons; public lingerie; effective not because of what it was, but what it wasn't. You had to have the legs and the body to wear an LBD. Jody did. But you also had to have the confidence, and that she'd never been able to muster. Jody looked down at her jeans and sweatshirt, then at the dress, then at her tennis shoes. She pushed her way through the crowd to the dress. A rotund, tastefully dressed saleswoman approached Jody from behind. â€Å"May I help you?† Jody's gaze was trained on the dress as if it were the Star of Bethlehem and she was overstocked with frankincense and myrrh. â€Å"I need to see that dress in a three.† â€Å"Very good,† the woman said. â€Å"I'll bring you a five and a seven as well.† Jody looked at the woman for the first time and saw the woman looking at her sweatshirt as if it would sprout tentacles and strangle her at any moment. â€Å"A three will be fine,† Jody said. â€Å"A three might be a bit snug,† the woman said. â€Å"That's the idea,† Jody said. She smiled politely, imagining herself snatching out handfuls of the woman's tastefully tinted hair. â€Å"Now let's get the item number off of that,† the woman said, making a show of holding the tag so that Jody could see the price. She sneaked a look for Jody's reaction. â€Å"He's paying,† Jody said, just to be irritating. â€Å"It's a gift.† â€Å"Oh, how nice,† the woman said, trying to brighten, but obviously disgusted. Jody understood. Six months ago she would have hated the kind of woman she was pretending to be. The woman said, â€Å"This will be lovely for holiday parties.† â€Å"Actually, it's for a funeral.† Jody couldn't remember having this much fun while shopping. â€Å"Oh, I'm sorry.† The woman looked apologetic and held her hands to her heart in sympathy. â€Å"It's okay; I didn't know the deceased very well.† â€Å"I see,† the woman said. Jody lowered her eyes. â€Å"His wife,† she said. â€Å"I'll get the dress,† the woman said, turning and hurrying away. Tommy had only been in the Safeway once before when it was still open: the day he applied for the job. Now it seemed entirely too active and entirely too quiet without the Stones or Pearl Jam blasting over the speakers. He felt that his territory had been somehow violated by strangers. He resented the customers who ruined the Animals' work by taking things off the shelves. As he passed the office he nodded to the manager and headed to the breakroom to kill time until it was time to go to work. The breakroom was a windowless room behind the meat department, furnished with molded plastic chairs, a Formica folding table, a coffee machine, and a variety of safety posters. Tommy brushed some crumbs off a chair, found a coffee-stained Reader's Digest under an opened package of stale bear claws, and sat down to read and sulk. He read: â€Å"A Bear's Got Mom!: Drama in Real Life† and â€Å"I Am Joe's Duodenum†; and he was beginning to feel a pull toward the bathroom and the Midwest, both things he associated with Reader's Digest, when he flipped to an article entitled: â€Å"Bats: Our Wild and Wacky Winged Friends† and felt his duodenum quiver with interest. Someone entered the breakroom, and without looking up, Tommy said, â€Å"Did you know that if the brown bat fed on humans instead of insects, that one bat could eat the entire population of Minneapolis in one night?† â€Å"I didn't know that,† said a woman's voice. Tommy looked up from the magazine to see the new cashier, Mara, pulling a chair out from the table. She was tall and a little thin, but large-breasted: a blue-eyed blonde of about twenty. Tommy had been expecting one of the box boys and he stared at her for a second while he changed gears. â€Å"Oh, hi. I'm Tom Flood. I'm on the night crew.† â€Å"I've seen you,† she said. â€Å"I'm Mara. I'm new.† Tommy smiled. â€Å"Nice to meet you. I came in a little early to catch up on some paperwork.† â€Å"Reader's Digest?† She raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh, this? No, I don't normally read it. I just spotted this article on bats and decided to check it out. They're our wild and wacky winged friends, you know?† He looked at the page as if to confirm his interest. â€Å"For instance, did you know that the vampire bat is the only mammal that has been successfully frozen and thawed out alive?† â€Å"I'm sorry, bats give me the creeps.† â€Å"Me too,† Tommy said, throwing the magazine aside. â€Å"Do you read?† â€Å"I've been reading the Beats. I just moved here and I want to get a feeling for the City's literature.† â€Å"You're kidding. I've only been here a few months myself. It's a great city.† â€Å"I haven't had a chance to look around much. Moving and everything. I left a bad situation back home and I've been trying to adjust.† She didn't look at him when she talked. Tommy assumed at first that it was because she found him disgusting, but after studying her he realized that she was just shy. â€Å"Have you been to North Beach? The Beats all lived there in the fifties.† â€Å"No, I don't know my way around yet.† â€Å"Oh, you have to go to City Lights Books, and Enrico's. And the bars up there all have pictures of Kerouac and Ginsberg on the walls. You can almost hear the jazz playing.† Mara finally looked up at him and smiled. â€Å"You're interested in the Beats?† Her eyes were wide, bright, and crystal-blue. He liked her. â€Å"I'm a writer,† Tommy said. It was his turn to look away. â€Å"I mean, I want to be a writer. I used to live in Chinatown, it's right next to North Beach.† â€Å"Maybe you could give me directions to some of the hot spots.† â€Å"I could show you,† Tommy said. As soon as he said it he wanted to retract the offer. Jody would kill him. â€Å"That would be wonderful, if you wouldn't mind. I don't know anyone in the City except the other cashiers, and they all have home lives.† Tommy was confused. The manager had said that she had recently lost a child. He assumed that she was married. He didn't want it to appear that he was trying to make a move on her. He didn't really want to make a move on her. But if he were still single, unattached†¦ No, Jody wouldn't understand. Having never had a girlfriend before, he'd never been tempted to stray. He had no idea how to deal with it. He said, â€Å"I could show you and your husband around a little and the two of you could have a night on the town.† â€Å"I'm divorced,† Mara said. â€Å"I wasn't married very long.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Tommy said. Mara shook her head as if to dismiss his sympathy. â€Å"It's a short story. I got pregnant and we got married. The baby died and he left.† She said it without feeling, as if she had distanced herself emotionally from the experience – as if it had happened to someone else. â€Å"I'm trying to make a new start.† She checked her watch. â€Å"I'd better get back up front. I'll see you.† She stood and started to leave the room. â€Å"Mara,† Tommy called and she turned. â€Å"I'd love to show you around if you'd like.† â€Å"I'd like that. Thanks. I'm working days for the rest of the week.† â€Å"No problem,† Tommy said. â€Å"How about tomorrow night? I don't have a car, but we can meet in North Beach at Enrico's if you want.† â€Å"Write down the address.† She took a slip of paper and a pen from her purse and handed it to him. He scribbled the address and handed it back to her. â€Å"What time?† she asked. â€Å"Seven, I guess.† â€Å"Seven it is,† she said, and left the breakroom. Tommy thought: I'm a dead man. Jody turned in front of the mirror, admiring the way the LED fit. It was cut down to the small of her back and had a neckline that plunged to the sternum, but was held together at her cleavage with a transparent black mesh. The saleswoman stood beside her, frowning, holding larger sizes of the same dress. â€Å"Are you sure you don't want to try the five, dear?† Jody said, â€Å"No, this one is fine. I'll need some sheer black nylons to go with it.† The saleswoman fought down a grimace and managed a professional smile. â€Å"And do you have shoes to match?† â€Å"Suggestions?† Jody asked, not looking away from her reflection. She thought, I wouldn't have been caught dead in something like this a few months ago. Oh hell, I'm caught dead in everything now. Jody laughed at the thought and the saleswoman took it personally and dropped her polite smile. An edge of disgust in her voice, she said, â€Å"I suppose you could complete the look with a pair of Italian fuck-me pumps and some maroon lipstick.† Jody turned to the dowdy woman and gave her a knowing smile. â€Å"You've done this before, haven't you?† After a visit to the shoe department, Jody found herself at the cosmetics counter where an ebullient gay man talked her into â€Å"doing her colors† on the computer. He stared at the screen in disbelief. â€Å"Oh my goodness. This is exciting.† â€Å"What?† Jody said impatiently. She just wanted to buy some lipstick and get out. She'd satisfied her shopping Jones by reducing the woman in evening wear to tears. â€Å"You're my first winter,† said Maurice. (His name was Maurice; it said so on his badge.) â€Å"You know, I've done a thousand autumns, and I get springs out the yin-yang, but a winter†¦ We are going to have fun!† Maurice began piling samples of eye shadow, lipstick, mascara, and powder on the counter next to the winter color palette. He opened a tube of mascara and held it next to Jody's face. â€Å"This one's called Elm Blight, it approximates the color of dead trees in the snow. It complements your eyes wonderfully. Go ahead, dear, try it.† While Jody brushed the mascara onto her lashes, using the magnifying mirror on the counter, Maurice read from the Winter Woman's profile. â€Å"‘The Winter Woman is as wild as a blizzard, as fresh as new snow. While some see her as cold, she has a fiery heart under that ice-queen exterior. She likes the stark simplicity of Japanese art and the daring complexity of Russian literature. She prefers sharp to flowing lines, brooding to pouting, and rock and roll to country and western. Her drink is vodka, her car is German, her analgesic is Advil. The Winter Woman likes her men weak and her coffee strong. She is prone to anemia, hysteria, and suicide. † Maurice stepped back from the counter and took a deep bow, as if he had just finished a dramatic reading. Jody looked up from the mirror and blinked, the lashes on her right eye describing a starlike Clockwork Orange pattern against her pale skin. â€Å"They can tell all of that from my coloring?† Maurice nodded and brandished a sable brush. â€Å"Here, dear, let's try some of this blush to bring up those cheekbones. It's called American Rust, it emulates the color of a 63 Rambler that has been driven on salted roads. Very winter.† Jody leaned on the counter to allow Maurice access to her cheeks. A half hour later she looked in the mirror, rotated now to the non-magnified side, and pursed her lips. For the first time she really looked like a vampire. â€Å"I wish we had a camera,† Maurice gushed. â€Å"You are a winter masterpiece.† He handed her a small bag filled with cosmetics. â€Å"That will be three hundred dollars.† Jody paid him. â€Å"Is there somewhere I can change? I'd like to see how I look with my new outfit.† Maurice pointed across the store. â€Å"There's a changing room over there. And don't forget your free gift, dear, the Needless Notions Lotion Collection, a fifty-dollar value.† Maurice held up a plastic faux-Gucci gym bag full of bottles. â€Å"Thanks.† Jody took the bag and sulked off toward the changing room. Halfway across the store she picked up the sound of the dowdy saleswoman from evening wear and turned to see her talking to Maurice. Jody focused and could hear what they were saying over the crowd and Christmas Muzak. â€Å"How did it go?† asked the woman. Maurice grinned. â€Å"She went away looking like a Donner Party Barbie.† The woman and Maurice exchanged a gleeful high five. Bitches, Jody thought.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Selection of Quotes by Seretse Khama

Selection of Quotes by Seretse Khama I think that the trouble we now face in the world is caused mainly by the refusal to try and see another man’s point of view, to try and persuade by example - and the refusal to meet a rather passionate desire to impose your own will upon others, either by force or other means.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, from a speech given in Blantyre in July 1967. It should now be our intention to try to retrieve what we can of our past. We should write our own history books to prove that we did have a past, and that it was a past that was just as worth writing and learning about as any other. We must do this for the simple reason that a nation without a past is a lost nation, and a people without a past is a people without a soul.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, speech at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, 15 May 1970, as quoted in the Botswana Daily News, 19 May 1970. Botswana is a poor country and at present is unable to stand on its own feet and develop its recourses without assistance from its friends.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, from his first public speech as president, 6 October 1966. We are convinced that there is justification for all the races that have been brought together in this part of Africa, by the circumstances of history, to live together in peace and harmony, for they have no other home but Southern Africa. Here we will have to learn how to share aspirations and hopes as one people, united by a common belief in the unity of the human race. Here rests our past, our present, and, most importantly of all, our future.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, speech at the national stadium on the 10th anniversary of independence in 1976. As quoted in Thomas Tlou, Neil Parsons and Willie Hendersons Seretse Khama 1921-80, Macmillan 1995. [W]e Batswana are not desperate beggars...Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, from his first public speech as president, 6 October 1966. [D]emocracy, like a little plant, does not grow or develop on its own. If must be nursed and nurtured if it is to grow and flourish. It must be believed in and practiced if it is to be appreciated. And it must be fought for and defended if it is to survive.Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana, speech given at the opening of the fifth session of Botswanas third National Assembly in November 1978. Lefatshe ke kereke yame. Go dira molemo tumelo yame.The world is my church. To do good my religionInscription to be found on Seretse Khamas grave.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

A Bird in The House essays

A Bird in The House essays 1) Meaning of the chapter: -Connects back to Piquette's life -"loons" used as a metaphor to describe the lack of attention and belonging e.g. Piquette did not go to school and stayed home at all times 2) Major Event: - Piquette going forth to the Connors cottage - first time Piquette showed that she can relate 3) Major Conflict: -Piquette does not fit in with the Connor family e.g. Mother thought that Piquette had lice; Grandmother McLeod refused to go to the cottage with her and Vanessa's father orders her to get along with Piquette. Vanessa also only "uses" Piquette as an 4) Explain what we learned about the family: Grandmother McLeod is prejudice against people of lower class. - Beth is the typical mother in response to thinking that Piquette would be a bad influence on her child BUT once Beth got to know stay -Ewen Connor is considerate, kind, and showed compassion to Piquette. - Vanessa tried to be friends with Piquette 5) Functions of the Characters outside of the family: -Piquette shows that some people go through life not really 6) Explain what and how Vanessa learns about life: Vanessa learns that not all people are not as lucky as she is to have a family, home, -Vanessa finds it hard to cope with the change of having one of her fathers patience's as an acquaintance. - Vanessa learns that sharing intimate moments with another will bring them closer together in spirit. - Vanessa learns a great deal about the nature and life. 7) Explain the significance of the last sentence of the chapter: Piquette can relate to the loons better than anyone else because both loons and her have no sense of belonging nor hope ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Olympia Machine Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Olympia Machine Company - Case Study Example However, there are weaknesses in the current compensation plan. Regardless of the large volume of sales, there are high fixed selling expenses and also common measures that determine salary increases of the salespeople have not been established by the management. Some of the key issues that any new compensation plan must address include how to poise a balance between capital equipment and sales. A salesperson must be able to not just take any order that comes along but sell. Secondly, a weighted plan that allows a salesperson to assess what pays off and what does not should be addressed, in order for him or her to be more resourceful. Finally, there has to be a common standard where salary increases for all like employees should be known. This is of importance since the management is able to weigh how prolific a salesperson is. In the point system, together with a salary, a salesperson is given bonus points in relation to his or her performance in the sales activities. However, with this system, detailed reports about the performances of the salespeople are required thus increasing the organization’s overhead cost. In this plan, a salary, expenses and a commission on sales were taken into consideration. This way, the salespeople had security because they were assured of a salary and were still motivated due to the commission rates incurred on several products. However, this would mean that the commission plan with specifications would result to a cut in current salary base for most salespeople. The bonus plan involved giving the salespeople an opening to earn bonuses from their sales, without putting a boundary past a target. They also received the same salary as before. However, upholding a liable sales-expense-to-sales ratio would go against the Company’s philosophy of upholding such. I would therefore recommend the

Friday, November 1, 2019

Operations Management - Managing Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operations Management - Managing Quality - Essay Example Here are my recommendations for improving the speed and quality of loan requests department. Firstly, we should amend the loan approval procedure for consumers by categorizing consumers in two categories. First category should be of new customers or the people availing this service from us first time. Consumers availing this service from us second time or more should be constitutes the second category. The checking criteria for providing loan to the customers of first category should be very strict while people from second category should be provided loan to nearly previous amount of money checking the client's relationship with the bank in previous transaction or transactions. I also suggest changing the payment method of the loan underwriters from time period basis to the combination of time based salary plus incentive with respect to number of loan requests processed. In this way the loan underwriters will try to complete maximum number of loan requests in order to gain more incentive. Complexities and deficiencies in quality measurement are, in part, associated with the intricacies in defining quality and the varied application of the term. The term quality stands for a high level of quality in an economic terms but the term quality to explain fitness for purpose is the one that is most pertinent to the development of performance indicators for contracts.