Monday, September 30, 2019

Diversity and Cross Cultural Differences in Work places Essay

Diversity and Cross-Cultural Differences in Workplaces Introduction            Different people have different mental structures due to the diverse type of personality and cultural background. The study of psychology has enabled people to know about the mental functioning of others making it easier individuals and groups to understand one another. Since people must interact in the day-to-day activities, there is need to harmonize this differences and create an environment where every member feel a sense of belonging. Psychological counseling plays an important role in preparing individuals to be more appreciative the cultural and personality difference existing between people. Psychology counseling is a field of psychology focusing on the personal and interpersonal working and on the emotional, social and health related issues of individuals and groups of people. This paper addresses issues arising from interaction of people with differences culture and behaviors. It also focuses on criminal investigation process in the psychological perspect ive.            Key words: psychopathology, personality, behavioral therapy, individualistic, diversity Diversity and Cross-Cultural Differences in Workplaces            Every individual is characterized by a unique pattern of thoughts, behaviors and feeling that contribute to individual’s psychological structure. Despite the fact that each individual is unique in personality resulting in diversity in peoples’ way of lives, people have always found themselves in crowds- be it in schools, places of worship, or any other social, political or economic gathering. Leininger and McFarland (2006) writes that the need to coexist in harmony compels persons to sometimes subordinate individual goals so that they can accomplish the goals of a group. Those individuals who are not mentally ready to accept the cultural and personality diversity between different people often find it hard to coexist with others.            Psychopathology has enabled counseling psychologist to understand the various aspects of one’s mental structure including genetic and biological issues. Psychologists are able to identify people who undergo atypical or disordered development from those with normal or typical development. It is paramount for coworkers to be aware of their colleagues’ mental structure so as to engage in the right way with them. This is crucial for the creation and maintenance of a healthy and productive working environment that is composed of persons with diverse personalities. In such a set up where workplace colleagues have to cope with different personality traits, one may find it hard to maintain a stable mental behavior and physical emotions and may suffer from maladjustment in case one is in a new environment. Counseling psychologists help such persons to alleviate distress and improve their wellbeing (Woolfe & Dryden, 1996). They also provide patients with assess ment and treatment of psychological issues.            Through behavioral analysis, one is able to systematically analyze another person’s or one’s own behavior so as to know cause of certain behaviors and consequently improve social interaction. Bad behaviors can be corrected or good behaviors adopted or through behavioral therapy. This is a method that is used bypsychotherapists and psychiatrists to treat mood disorders an anxiety usually caused by variables such as; social phobia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. According to Lesilie (2008), behavioral treatment techniques include;Role playing, discussing about coping mechanisms, breathing and relaxation method, activities to promote focus, modifications to anger, pain or fear, social skills training, positive reinforcement.            These methods focus on individuals shaping their behavior to cope with the environment. When individuals with behavioral disorders try to change their behaviors to suit that required in the workplaces, they often find themselves struggling to relate with the others and this leads to seclusion and isolation. On the other hand behavioral therapy should focus aiding individuals acquire control over their own behavior and blending it with the requirements of the workplace. This is important because one manipulates the environmentand learns to control their own behavior without compromising their personality which is vital for maximum productivity. With one’s own personality, the reception of stimuli and the response is not affected and therefore there are no negative consequences influencing the next occasion in the brain (Lesilie, 2008).            Persons who find it hard to conform to workplace ethics due to cultural mismatches should set standards for assessing their own performance and progress in behavioral therapy. Techniques such as self-management, self-control and self-regulation are used to monitor one’s progress (Woolfe & Dryden, 1996). Behavioral modification procedures are not procedures to punish those people with different behaviors but they are techniques to eliminate non-conforming working behaviors and also facilitate cross-cultural understanding. The make the workplace to feel better and builds a sense of satisfactory. For psychologists to offer the relevant advice to a person suffering from mental disorder, they must first find out the patients’ personality and understand how they think, feel, relate, influence and get influenced by others.            For applied social psychologists to attend to a patient they must try to adopt the personality of the patient so that they can employ the best techniques to treat a patient without affecting the patients personality. In this perspective the psychologist is able to develop development strategies that are aimed at improving the important aspects, programs and policies for the patient to have a positive recovery. Psychologists should aim at eliminating the negative attitude that a patient may have towards colleagues or the workplace. This is aimed at improving intercultural understanding and to offer a neutral platform where no culture is viewed as less or more important than the other. With cross-cultural understanding people will tend to be more committed to working together improving productivity.            Nevertheless, cultural competence is healthy for the growth of an organization that comprises of people from diverse cultures (Leininger & McFarland, 2006). This should not be overshadowed by the tendency to express cultural superiority over others but should demonstrate the ability to effectively engage in cross-cultural dialogues without intimidating or negating another person’s culture. This requires one to appreciate social psychology and be in a position to balance between positive and negative criticism on another person’s culture. Since not all people are equipped with the understanding of social psychology, training on cultural competence should be conducted to avoid such problem from arising. Some cultures are individualistic while others are communists and this play a big role in defining how coworkers exist. This necessitates the need for effective cross-cultural team-building and training.            As colleagues engage in affairs of the workplaces, each and every one of them is entitled to a certain opinion which one would like to support. If such a situation gets tense, certain body changes occur such as breathing rates and emotional changes if certain people are intimidating others for decisions to go their way. Such a phenomenon may result in one becoming uncontrollable or violent. Biological psychology is concerned with balancingwhat the mind is processing and the effects it has on the body. It analyses how ones behaviors and thoughts are affected by the brain and neurotransmitters. Various neurotransmitters have different effects on the body. For instance, neurotransmitter dopamine is responsible for movement and learning. Varying quantities of excess or too little of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the body results in disorders such as schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease respectively. (Woolfe & Dryden, 1996).The comprehensive nature of bio-psy chology encompasses diversity and cross-cultural aspects of an organization. A bio-psychologist will reconcile individuals or groups of people that are not in agreement resulting in abnormal behaviors. When addressing such a conflict a bio-psychologist figures out in which area of bio-psychology the problem is. The following are the main areas of bio-psychology; sensation and perception, emotion, learning and memory, motivated behavior and control of movement (Woolfe & Dryden, 1996). Through these areas, bio-psychological problems and concerns are addressed.            Another area of psychology is the forensic psychology – an area that deals with the relationship between psychology and law. When a crime occurs, a criminal investigative process takes place in order to determine the offender, motive and to allow the right punishment if any to be given to the offender. The investigation involves investigative psychologist who explores the relationships between the offender and the nature of the crime that has been committed. The investigation process has the following major areas; investigating the crime, gathering evidence, use of technology, search and seizure, arresting and charging the offender who may also undergo detention and interrogation (Simon, 2012). Throughout this process forensic psychologists are involved as they help to establish a connection between an offender and the crimes committed. Essentially the forensic psychologist offers the following services during investigation process: evaluating the risks of r eoffending by the offender, child custody evaluation, recommending the length of the sentence to be handed to the offender, competence evaluation and testimony as an expert witness.            Simon (2012) says that throughout this period from crime commission to when the sentence is passed, a forensic psychologist will engage with the suspected offended in an attempt to get insight on the motive behind the offence. In some cases, the offender may be suffering from a mental disorder and it is the duty of the psychologist to psychological expertise to provide analysis and recommendations in the criminal case. In addition a psychiatrics’ examination is required to determine whether the offender/suspect suffers from a mental illness an opinion that is taken to be of very high value by the court since it might require the court to charge the offender as a mentally challenged person and this also influences the type of prison the offender is to serve the sentence. In conclusion psychological is an aspects great and delicate influence on the diversity and cross cultural differences existing in workplaces. Coworkers should work towards enhancing intercul tural understanding and acceptance. References Leininger, M.M. & McFarland, R.M. (2006). Culture Care Diversity and Universality: A Worldwide Nursing Theory. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett. Lesilie, C.J. (2008). Principles of Behavioral Analysis. Hove, UA: Psychology pr.Simon ,D. (2012). In Doubt. The Psychology of the Criminal Justice Process. Cambridge, CB: Havard University Press.Woolfe, A, & Dryden, W. (1996). Handbook of Counseling Psychology. Oxfordshire, OS: Carfax International Publishers. Source document

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Psychology and Christianity Integration Paper Essay

Psychology and Christianity: two subjects that have seem to become almost impossible to talk about hand in hand. Psychology has become one completely different subject than Christianity (theology) and both have lost all contact with the other. Psychology is strictly a science and Christianity is solely based on faith and religion and the two can not be integrated together. The real question is why? Why can’t psychology and Christianity be integrated and used together as one? This paper will give some dictionary definitions of both subjects, will provide definitions based on the authors opinion, and will discuss the authors viewpoint on the integration of the two. The American Heritage dictionary defines psychology as â€Å"the science that deals with mental processes and behavior† (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000) and defines Christianity as â€Å"the Christian religion, founded on the life and teachings of Jesus† (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). As you could see, both definitions used the words science and religion placing both subjects in their own categories. In modern days, religion and science can not be compared but rather contrasted. The integration of the two does not make sense for those who believe there should be empirical evidence for everything or people who are dependent on the Christian religion and this is where society runs into a problem. The author of this paper, however, believes there should be no problem integrating the two. In her eyes, psychology is the study of the mind and behavior, not necessarily a science but more a study. She does not use the word science because she understands that there are things in the field of psychology that have no empirical answer and therefore can not necessarily be a science, because all things science can be tested and proved. Being a Christian, she believes Christianity is a name for the faith in her Lord Jesus Christ. Because she is a Christian, her window to the world has been shaped through the Word,  her experience and what she knows to be true. In her eyes, God is the creator of the Earth and the Heavens and all things work because of Him. She believes that all things can be integrated with Christianity (theology) because God brought everything to this world. She has confidence in the fact that psychology and Christianity can be integrated. She sees the faults that can come of it but she also does not see a reason for complete separation. According to the American Heritage Dictionary (2000) defines integration as making something a whole, unifying different things as one. The author of this paper understands the integration of psychology and Christianity like this†¦psychology is the head (mind) and Christianity is the heart (soul) but neither one can work without the other. Because of the progression of the world, with technology, science and the need to prove all things empirically, faith has, in a way, been pushed away and not as important, but this is wrong. God is the one that has placed people on this Earth to provide progression and advances and without Him all things would not be possible. So, in order to fully understand these different non-theological subjects it is important to understand that faith and religion are the reason for all other subjects and that integration is actually completely necessary. But there are limitations to this. The advances of science and technology have molded the human mind into thinking that there is a need for proof because are very few things that cannot be proven and why would believe in something that cannot be proven when there are so many things that have been empirically proven? This is where the idea of integration gets messy because there is no experiential way to prove the existence of God and his all-mighty power. But this argument can be debated even further. Let’s take a peek at the idea of the unconscious mind. Clearly this is a psychology topic but why can’t it be related to faith because indeed the unconscious mind has not been completely proven. There is proof that there is such thing as the unconscious but no tangible proof of what goes on and what controls the unconscious. For example, there is no way to prove or disprove the topic of ones dream. A scientist can set someone up to an EEG and measure their brainwaves while they are dreaming but there is no way to prove or measure the content of  their dream. This is much like faith. One can be tested on the existence of their faith and religion but there is no true way of proving it; but there is also no true way of disproving it. So what now? Well in the eyes of the author there is no answer. Either you believe in the possibility of integration or you do not, and a majority of people who do have had an experience that has allowed them to see the true importance of said integration. The other problem that arises with integration is that some Christians are overly explicit with their beliefs. This is bad because people, in these days, are afraid of explicit people so these type of Christians are shut out by people in the scientific realm, because yes God created science but for those that do not understand that going after it in that way turns them off. Psychology has its domains and Christianity has its domains but there is some overlap†¦it is when to approach that overlap that gets messy. There is also the secular stand of â€Å"Christians being hypocrites.† There is a chance that psychology and Christianity have become so separated because some Christians do not want to be judged by other Christians. Back in the day, Christians would go to their pastors for help but now, because of fear of judgement, Christians want an outside view, a psychologist. Now, in this context, it is hard for integration. But this is not what integration needs to mean. Integration is simply unifying two things as one. Understanding that God created the Earth and the Heavens and that all things are made and work in God’s power allows for integration to happen.   So what do we need to do? Do we need to come up with both a psychological and theological definition for integration? No. We simply need to come to the conclusion that Christians will believe in Christian ways and scientists will believe in scientific ways and how both understand integration will be dependent on each individuals life, experience and truth. Because on both ends of the spectrum, there are unanswered questions and there will always be unanswered questions. Questions like who is God? what is sin? how do we measure God’s truth? who says Scripture is true? what does faith look like? what is the unconscious? how do we measure the content of dreams? how do we  measure the idea of â€Å"seeing the light?† These are all important questions but questions that without extreme progression and world advances will not be answered. That type of progression will not exist in the lifetime of this author so what she has concluded is that God created the world and the Heavens and that he creates all things in it. Therefore, in order for science to work, in order for psychology to work, there must be an acceptance of it being God’s world. Because if there is no God, there were did all this stuff come from?

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Identify the key challenges for implementing public policy in modern Essay

Identify the key challenges for implementing public policy in modern Britain - Essay Example The general economic crisis, which has amazed many West-European countries in 80-90-ies years, has forced them to reconsider the social policy. "The social state" has appeared to be unable to cope with new problems of public management (social deviations, "new poor", growth of criminality, etc.). The concept of "the social state" was replaced by neoliberalism that demanded the redefinition of the purposes of the state and the "rational" management. The social conditions of political practices have radically changed, having caused new political forms, and new professionals of their manufacture (experts, social workers) (Ham, 1984, p87). Each form of public policy is directed on the social problem and has its "public" (a category of social counterparts). However the problem, no less than a social category, is not something certainly and unequivocally given, but the results of designing of agents of public policy. The Researches of public policy in the West aspire to separate in the independent discipline, speaking on behalf a name of a science about "the state in operation". However, declaring itself as a science about "public action", it in practice, often departs from the model of knowledge accepted in the academic world and takes the form of set of techniques or check lists, intended for the persons making the decision, i.e. solves the problems of public management. A greater part of the responsibility for that lays on Anglo-Saxon tradition as, since the fiftieth years, the researches of public policy in the USA are based on concept "government" and have almost exclusively pragmatical character(Ham, 1984, p94). Studying of public policy goes back to the standard of distinction between policy (a policy as the program of actions) and politics (a policy as a system of sights). The problem of public policy is considered here in aspect of increasing inability of the modern state to solve socia l problems of the population. The state is ostensibly

Friday, September 27, 2019

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A PROBLEM BY MOUSTAFA BAYOUMI Essay

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A PROBLEM BY MOUSTAFA BAYOUMI - Essay Example 9/11 is an incident the changed not only the course of history but uncountable lives. It gave the world a reason and a new direction to be vigilant. But most of all, 9/11 also became a crusade, a holy war, a war to purge the world of the evil that changed the way Americans looked at things. Everything has been tinged in the shade of suspicion since them. The world has been torn asunder in two, Us or Them which can be taken as a euphemism for the World or the USA. The US war on terror that started out as the war against those who caused the country the mighty suffering of 9/11 has been spilled from the battlefields and war zones into the houses of ordinary people. It has been seeped into the lives of ordinary people, people who had nothing to do with the atrocities committed on the fateful day of 9/11. aside from taking the war on terror to the arid lands of Tora Bora and or the fertile banks of Tigris and Euphrates, United States have initiated a war on its on ground and in the heart of one of the greatest cities in the world; Brooklyn, New York. Moustafa Bayoumi's How Does It Feel To Be A Problem, is an endeavor to delve deep into a war United State has waged against some of its own citizens and how the mounting paranoia at Pentagon has shattered the lives of some of the innocent bystanders that got caught in the crossfire. Bayoumi has utilized copious amounts of ethnographic data using the lives of some of the collateral damage the war on terror has caused. Using the first hand account of the lives of seven young Arab-Americans, Bayoumi explores the dark crevices of this new war, whose victims are indicted and trialed only because of their ethnicity and religion, hence coining the new term Islamophobia. Using a very simple and heartwarming dialect, Bayoumi tells us of the struggles these seven innocent people whose crime was to be from the same creed and ethnicity that was at war with the United States. Their lives are the testament of this new breed of hate crimes and racial segregation that has swept not only all across America but also has taken the whole world into its ugly clutches. After painstakingly interviewing and observation, Bayoumi draws a very intimate narrative of the lives of seven young Arab-Americans who may have Arab blood in their veins but are American by all aspects and narrates of how their worlds turned upside down after 9/11 when their ethnicity became the reason for them being ostracized and profiled not only by the populace but the state itself. How Does It Feel To Be A Problem, tells of the paranoia that gripped United States after 9/11 and the how it gave birth to a new breed of racial profiling and hate crimes, where everything that has anything to do with the East has been eyed with fear and suspicion. How Does It Feel To Be A Problem, introduce us to Rasha, Sami, Lina, Akram, Yasmin, Omar, and Rami, all young, all American-Arabs who either spent their entire lives in United States or moved here for the prospect of a better future. All of them belongs to Brooklyn, NYC, home to the largest number of Arab Americans in the United States and also termed as "Mecca of Arab America" (Brooklyn

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Final Essay on Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final on Law - Essay Example The concerns of a structural functionalist include the ability of the system to meet its needs as well as any form of dysfunction in it or how the feedback mechanism reflects a system’s efficiency. Moreover, he is interested in changes that are lasting and become part of the institution as well as culture and the location of authority in the system as the key in the identification of decisions and their nature (Powers 153). In understanding the perspective of a structural functionalist with respect to the criminal justice system, it is important to note that the latter is underpinned by several principles. The first principle is that society can be viewed as a system rather than as a cacophony of individual choices and actions. Second, society is being held together by values and culture that its members share and hold together. The third principle is that the institutions within society play a role in stabilizing it. Finally, change is ever present in a social system, but thi s takes place slowly and is driven by the abandonment and dropping of institutions that are flawed and do not contribute to or are not in harmony with an efficient social system (Garner 324). The framework of the criminal justice system

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

U.S. History Origins 1816 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

U.S. History Origins 1816 - Essay Example In olden days, ships were the only mean of transport from one continent to the other. Explorers like Amerigo Vespucci and others explored the world on ships and went to many different and diverse places. Europe has many differences as compared to the Africa and America. The major reason that the New World is separated from the Old World is that the ocean between the Europe and America was considered to be vast and endless. The maps at that time were depicted to have no knowledge of the Western Hemisphere (Elliott, 24-67). On the other hand, Asia stretches for long and it was considered that the continent that was discovered by the explorer Amerigo Vespucci was a part of the Asia not a separate continent. People thought, it was in appropriate to initiate trade with the similar continent through another part of the continent. The Native Americans (People residing in New World) were fully adapted to the local foods and were environment. None of them ever tried to cross the borders of th e region and they were adapted to the wind life of the New World. The people utilized the bone tools and live in the Stone Age while the Europe advanced much in technology. Results of Separation of the New World and the Old World The results of the separation of the New World and the Old World encouraged the European colonies to localize in the region and settle there with the domesticated crops and animals. The natives of the New World are less likely to go and leave the native place due to the social and communication separation between the residents of the new world and the old world. They were far from the known technology at that time. The native were unable to gain knowledge from the other world parts and thus they have fixed knowledge about how to hunt and what to hunt for them to eat. The new world natives are far from the societal laws and regulation and communal systems that were followed by the old world countries at that time. They have no knowledge of arts and behavior and remain uncivilized due to the communication gap between the new world and old world countries. The native of the new world have no knowledge about the domestication of the animals and plants for their food and thus have no knowledge about the medication in case of illness and had food scarcity is case of droughts. Some tribes were settled on the banks of the rivers to have the constant supply of food and water. The natives of the new world were less likely to build large houses and lead their lives in open sky or in small canopies that can be easily transported from place to the other. The natives of the new world survive on hunting the forest’s wild animals and women in the tribe collect the edible plants and fruits available in the forest and the surroundings. While, the old world countries survived mostly on the domesticated plants like the most crops and the domesticated animals like cows, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, etc. Domestication of the plants and animals play ed an important role in the development of the technology and the food resources (De la Vega, 78-88). Before the domestication of animals and plants, people used to survive on hunting and collecting wind plants and fruits from the forests. The natives of the new world worried more about the food while the old world concentrated on the exploration and enhancement of technology. There are several reasons for the

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Marking dissertation proposla Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Telemarketing in the Hong Kong Insurance Industry - Essay Example Due to the market liberalization that was engulfing the insurance sector in the region during the 1990s, many foreigners have ventured into insurance and the reinsurance business. It is imperative to note that many of the companies that moved into Hong Kong were mainly from the West, especially from the UK as well as the United States of America. As it was expected, this created an environment within this market or sector that was largely characterized by heightened competition as presented by Clutterbuck. As a result, it became apparent that companies within this industry needed to explore other marketing modes if they were to remain in the business and competitively impact on it. Hence, it is against this backdrop that telemarketing should be construed as a feasible option to help in the option of market amongst the various players within this industry. Telemarketing is a form of reaching the ‘would be’ clients by telephone according to Rosenzweig, and Boone and David. Why is it important? – Why is it the important topic to investigate from a theoretical and/or practical perspective? State how the dissertation will help your personal development objectives; career development objectives; your organization’s objectives (where appropriate) and meet the Henley objectives.   It is every business entity’s drive to increase its profit earnings. To achieve this, a business organization needs to conduct an exhaustive study of its surrounding environment and get information on how operations are executed. On the other hand, the business environment is quite dynamic. In this regard, operating businesses, irrespective of their line of operation, need to take into account these aspects.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Advertising - Essay Example Youth are persons between the ages of 18 and 30. People falling under this age bracket are significantly attracted to digital music (Ferguson 43). Youth likes watching music, and are involved in downloading of popular tunes. Therefore, youth is the best target group that the advertisement will be aiming. Giving out purchase incentives in some of the Lindsay Ell music downloads is one of the best promotional strategies for Viral Vinyl Records to use in marketing its music. At Viral Vinyl Records, the marketing department has understood trends prevailing within the music market. The company has researched on the music industry history, current situation and major trends in the market. Therefore, Viral Vinyl has a clear picture on both the current and expected dynamics of music sales. The record company has done good analysis on the competition and also analyzed customers’ attitude towards genres like jazz, blues and rock music. This analysis has helped to identify target groups, especially when selecting on the proper strategies of reaching the selected groups. Viral Vinyl will conduct its advertisement processes through social media channels where there is a growing interest for Lindsay Ell music. Viral Vinyl Records target group is the music lovers, especially those who love rock, jazz and blues. The company is targeting social media followers and keeping them up to date on Lindsays activities, especially by informing potential fans about the cities hosting live concerts. In order to understand what Lindsay fans expect, the company will encourage interactive sessions through social media. This way, Viral Vinyl Records will have a better strategy in marketing the music and attracting more customers to buy its tunes. The process of passing intended message to a targeted group, which in this case is the youth will be instrumental in facilitating achievement of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Online Shopping Essay Example for Free

Online Shopping Essay Online shopping or online retailing is a form of electronic commerce allowing consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet without an intermediary service. An online shop, e-shop, e-store, Internet shop, web-shop, web-store, online store, or virtual store evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services at a bricks-and-mortar retailer or shopping center. The process is called business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping. When a business buys from another business it is called business-to-business (B2B) online shopping. The largest online retailing corporations are E-Bay and Amazon.com, both of which are based in the US. History In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser.[1] It opened for commercial use in 1991. In 1994, other advances took place, such as online banking and the opening of an online pizza shop by Pizza Hut.[1] During that same year, Netscape introduced SSL encryption of data transferred online, which has become essential for secure online shopping. Also in 1994, the German company Intershop introduced its first online shopping system. In 1995, Amazon.com launched its online shopping site, and in 1996 eBay appeared. Customers Online customers must have access to a computer and a method of payment. Generally, higher levels of education, income, and occupation of the head of the household correspond to more favorable perceptions of shopping online. Also, increased exposure to technology increases the probability of developing favorable attitudes towards new shopping channels.[2] In a December 2011 study, Equation Research found that 87% of tablet users made an online transaction with their tablet device during the early holiday shopping season. Logistics Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the retailer directly or by searching among alternative vendors using a shopping search engine. Once a particular product has been found on the website of the seller, most online retailers use shopping cart software to allow the consumer to accumulate multiple items and to adjust quantities, like filling a physical shopping cart or basket in a conventional store. A checkout process follows (continuing the physical-store analogy) in which payment and delivery information is collected, if necessary. Some stores allow consumers to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. The consumer often receives an e-mail confirmation once the transaction is complete. Less sophisticated stores may rely on consumers to phone or e-mail their orders (though credit card numbers are not accepted by e-mail, for security reasons). Payment Online shoppers commonly use a credit card to make payments. However, some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as: * Billing to mobile phones and landlines[4][5] * Cash on delivery (C.O.D., offered by very few online stores) * Cheque/ Check * Debit card * Direct debit in some countries * Electronic money of various types * Gift cards * Postal money order * Wire transfer/delivery on payment * Invoice, especially popular in some markets/countries, such as Switzerland Some sites will not accept international credit cards. Some require both the purchasers billing address and shipping address to be in the same country in which the site does its business. Other sites allow customers from any country to send gifts anywhere. The financial part of a transaction might be processed in real time (for example, letting the consumer know their credit card was declined before they log off), or might be done later as part of the fulfillment process. Product delivery Once a payment has been accepted the goods or services can be delivered in the following ways. * Downloading: This is the method often used for digital media products such as software, music, movies, or images. * Drop shipping: The order is passed to the manufacturer or third-party distributor, who ships the item directly to the consumer, bypassing the retailers physical location to save time, money, and space. * In-store pick-up: The customer orders online, finds a local store using locator software and picks the product up at the closest store. This is the method often used in the bricks and clicks business model. * Printing out, provision of a code for, or emailing of such items as admission tickets and scrip (e.g., gift certificates and coupons). The tickets, codes, or coupons may be redeemed at the appropriate physical or online premises and their content reviewed to verify their eligility (e.g., assurances that the right of admission or use is redeemed at the correct time and place, for the correct dollar amount, and for the correct number of uses). * Shipping: The product is shipped to the customers address or that of a customer-designated third party. * Will call, lCOBO (in Care Of Box Office), or at the door pickup: The patron picks up pre-purchased tickets for an event, such as a play, sporting event, or concert, either just before the event or in advance. With the onset of the Internet and e-commerce sites, which allow customers to buy tickets online, the popularity of this service has increased. Shopping cart systems * Simple systems allow the offline administration of products and categories. The shop is then generated as HTML files and graphics that can be uploaded to a webspace.the systems do not use an online database. * A high end solution can be bought or rented as a stand-alone program or as an addition to an enterprise resource planning program. It is usually installed on the companys own webserver and may integrate into the existing supply chain so that ordering, payment, delivery, accounting and warehousing can be automated to a large extent. * Other solutions allow the user to  register and create an online shop on a portal that hosts multiple shops at the same time. * Open source shopping cart packages include advanced platforms such as Interchange, and off the shelf solutions as Avactis, osCommerce, Shopify, Magento, Zen Cart, VirtueMart, Batavi, PrestaShop, E-Junkie, Clickbank, Fetch, DPD, Pulley, BitBuffet, Dbox, PayLoadz, FastSpring, Cerizmo, Digital Content Center, byteCommerce, PHPurchase.[6] * Commercial systems such as BigCommerce can also be tailored to ones needs so the shop does not have to be created from scratch. By using a pre-existing framework, software modules for various functionalities required by a web shop can be adapted and combined. Online shopping Like many online auction websites, many websites allow small businesses to create and maintain online shops (ecommerce online shopping carts), without the complexity that involved in purchasing and developing an expensive stand-alone ecommerce software solutions. Design Customers are attracted to online shopping not only because of the high level of convenience, but also because of the broader selection, competitive pricing, and greater access to information.[7][8] Business organizations seek to offer online shopping because it is much lower cost compared to bricks and mortar stores, offers access to a world wide market, increases customer value and builds sustainable capabilities.[clarification needed] Information load Designers of online shops are concerned with the effects of information load whether consumers can be given too much information in virtual shopping environments. Information load is a product of the spatial and temporal arrangements of stimuli in the webstore.[10] Compared with conventional retail shopping, the information environment of virtual shopping is enhanced by providing additional product information such as comparative products and services as well as various alternatives and attributes of each alternative, etc.[11] Two major dimensions of information load are complexity and novelty.[12] Complexity refers to the number of different elements or features of a site, often the result of increased information diversity. Novelty involves the unexpected, suppressed, new, or unfamiliar aspects of the site. The novelty dimension may keep consumers exploring a shopping site, whereas the complexity dimension may induce impulse purchases. Consumer needs and expectations A successful webstore is not just a good looking website with dynamic technical features, listed in many search engines.[13] In addition to disseminating information, it is about building relationships and making money. Businesses often attempt to adopt online shopping techniques without understanding them and/or without a sound business model, producing webstores that support the organizations culture and brand name without satisfying consumers expectations. User-centered design is critical. Understanding the customers wants and needs and living up to promises gives the customer a reason to come back and meeting their expectations gives them a reason to stay. It is important that the website communicates to the customer that the company cares about them.[13] Customer needs and expectations are not the same for all customers. Age, gender, experience, culture are all important factors. For example, Japanese cultural norms may lead users there to feel privacy is especially critical on shopping sites and emotional involvement is highly important on financial pensions sites.[9] Users with more online experience focus more on the variables that directly influence the task, while novice users focus on understanding the information.[14] To increase online purchases, businesses must expend significant time and money to define, design, develop, test, implement, and maintain the webstore.[13] It is easier to lose a customer than to gain one and even top-rated sites will not succeed if the organization fails to practice common etiquette such as returning e-mails in a timely fashion, notifying  customers of problems, being honest, and being good stewards of the customers data.[13] Because it is important to eliminate mistakes and be more appealing to online shoppers, many webshop designers study research on consumer expectations.[15] User interface An automated online assistant, with potential to enhance user interface on shopping sites. The most important factors determining whether customers return to a site are ease of use and the presence of user-friendly features.[16] Usability testing is important for finding problems and improvements in a web site. Methods for evaluating usability include heuristic evaluation, cognitive walk through, and user testing. Each technique has its own characteristics and emphasizes different aspects of the user experience.[16] Market share E-commerce B2C product sales totaled $142.5 billion,[3] representing about 8% of retail product sales in the United States.[17] The $26 billion worth of clothes sold online represented about 13% of the domestic market,[18] and with 72% of women looking online for apparel, it has become one of the most popular cross-shopping categories.[19] Forrester Research estimates that the United States online retail industry will be worth $279 billion in 2015.[20] There were 242 million people doing online shopping in China in 2012.[21] For developing countries and low-income households in developed countries, adoption of e-commerce in place of or in addition to conventional methods is limited by a lack of affordable Internet access. Advantages Convenience Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home. Other establishments such as internet cafes and schools provide access as well. A visit to a conventional retail store requires travel and must take place during business hours. In the event of a problem with the item it is not what the consumer ordered,  or it is not what they expected—consumers are concerned with the ease with which they can return an item for the correct one or for a refund. Consumers may need to contact the retailer, visit the post office and pay return shipping, and then wait for a replacement or refund. Some online companies have more generous return policies to compensate for the traditional advantage of physical stores. For example, the online shoe retailer Zappos.com includes labels for free return shipping, and does not charge a restocking fee, even for returns which are not the result of merchant error. (Note: In the United Kingdom, online shops are prohibited from charging a restocking fee if the consumer cancels their order in accordance with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Act 2000).[22] Information and reviews Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturers packaging will be available for direct inspection (which might involve a test drive, fitting, or other experimentation). Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how-to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy. Some stores even allow customers to comment or rate their items. There are also dedicated review sites that host user reviews for different products. Reviews and now blogs gives customers the option of shopping cheaper organise purchases from all over the world without having to depend on local retailers. In a conventional retail store, clerks are generally available to answer questions. Some online stores have real-time chat features, but most rely on e-mail or phone calls to handle customer questions. Price and selection One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors (though some local search engines do exist to help consumers locate products for sale in nearby  stores). Search engines, online price comparison services and discovery shopping engines can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service. Shipping costs (if applicable) reduce the price advantage of online merchandise, though depending on the jurisdiction, a lack of sales tax may compensate for this. Shipping a small number of items, especially from another country, is much more expensive than making the larger shipments bricks-and-mortar retailers order. Some retailers (especially those selling small, high-value items like electronics) offer free shipping on sufficiently large orders. Another major advantage for retailers is the ability to rapidly switch suppliers and vendors without disrupting users shopping experience.. Disadvantages Fraud and security concerns Given the lack of ability to inspect merchandise before purchase, consumers are at higher risk of fraud on the part of the merchant than in a physical store. Merchants also risk fraudulent purchases using stolen credit cards or fraudulent repudiation of the online purchase. With a warehouse instead of a retail storefront, merchants face less risk from physical theft. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption has generally solved the problem of credit card numbers being intercepted in transit between the consumer and the merchant. However, one must still trust the merchant (and employees) not to use the credit card information subsequently for their own purchases, and not to pass the information to others. Identity theft is still a concern for consumers when hackers break into a merchants web site and steal names, addresses and credit card numbers. A number of high-profile break-ins in the 2000s has prompted some U.S. states to require disclosure to consumers when this happens. Computer security has thus become a major concern for merchants and e-commerce service providers, who deploy countermeasures such as firewalls and anti-virus software to protect their networks. Phishing is another danger, where consumers are fooled into thinking they are dealing with a reputable retailer, when they have actually been manipulated into feeding private information to a system operated by a malicious party. Denial of service attacks are a minor risk for merchants, as are server and network outages. Quality seals can be placed on the Shop web page if it has undergone an independent assessment and meets all requirements of the company issuing the seal. The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of the online shoppers; the existence of many different seals, or seals unfamiliar to consumers, may foil this effort to a certain extent. A number of resources offer advice on how consumers can protect themselves when using online retailer services. These include: * Sticking with known stores, or attempting to find independent consumer reviews of their experiences; also ensuring that there is comprehensive contact information on the website before using the service, and noting if the retailer has enrolled in industry oversight programs such as trust mark or trust seal. * Before buying from a new company, evaluate the website by considering issues such as: the professionalism and user-friendliness of the site; whether or not the company lists a telephone number and/or street address along with e-contact information; whether a fair and reasonable refund and return policy is clearly stated; and whether there are hidden price inflators, such as excessive shipping and handling charges. * Ensuring that the retailer has an acceptable privacy policy posted. For example note if the retailer does not explicitly state that it will not share private information with others without consent. * Ensuring that the vendor address is protected with SSL (see above) when entering credit card information. If it does the address on the credit card information entry screen will start with HTTPS. * Using strong passwords, without personal information. Another option is a pass phrase, which might be something along the lines: I shop 4 good a buy!! These are difficult to hack, and provides a variety of upper, lower, and special characters and could be site specific and easy to remember. Although the benefits of online shopping are considerable, when the process goes poorly it can create a thorny situation. A few problems that shoppers potentially face include identity theft, faulty products, and the accumulation of spyware. Whenever you purchase a product, you are going to be required to put in your credit card information and billing/shipping address. If the website is not secure a customers information can be accessible to anyone who knows how to obtain it. Most large online corporations are inventing new ways to make fraud more difficult, however, the criminals are constantly responding to these developments with new ways to manipulate the system. Even though these efforts are making it easier to protect yourself online, it is a constant fight to maintain the lead. It is advisable to be aware of the most current technology and scams out there to fully protect yourself and your finances.[20]. One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Most companies offer shipping insurance in case the product is lost or damaged; however, if the buyer opts not to purchase insurance on their products, they are generally out of luck. Some shipping companies will offer refunds or compensation for the damage, but it is up to their discretion if this will happen. It is important to realize that once the product leaves the hands of the seller, they have no responsibility (provided the product is what the buyer ordered and is in the specified condition). Lack of full cost disclosure The lack of full disclosure with regards to the total cost of purchase is one of the concerns of online shopping. While it may be easy to compare the base price of an item online, it may not be easy to see the total cost up front as additional fees such as shipping are often not be visible until the final step in the checkout process. The problem is especially evident with cross-border purchases, where the cost indicated at the final checkout screen may not include additional fees that must be paid upon delivery such as duties and brokerage. Some services such as the Canadian based Wishabi attempts to include estimates of these additional cost,[23] but nevertheless, the lack of general full cost disclosure remains a concern. Privacy Privacy of personal information is a significant issue for some consumers. Different legal jurisdictions have different laws concerning consumer privacy, and different levels of enforcement. Many consumers wish to avoid spam and telemarketing which could result from supplying contact information to an online merchant. In response, many merchants promise not to use consumer information for these purposes, or provide a mechanism to opt-out of such contacts. Many websites keep track of consumers shopping habits in order to suggest items and other websites to view. Brick-and-mortar stores also collect consumer information. Some ask for address and phone number at checkout, though consumers may refuse to provide it. Many larger stores use the address information encoded on consumers credit cards (often without their knowledge) to add them to a catalog mailing list. This information is obviously not accessible to the merchant when paying in cash. Hands-on inspection Typically, only simple pictures and or descriptions of the item are all a customer can rely on when shopping on online stores. If the customer does not have prior exposure to the items handling qualities, they will not have a full understanding of the item they are buying. However, Written and Video Reviews are readily available from consumers who have purchased similar items in the past. These can be helpful for prospective customers, but these reviews can be sometimes subjective and based on personal preferences that may not reflect end-user satisfaction once the item has been received. Because of this, many consumers have begun going to real-world stores to view a product, before purchasing online, a practice known as showrooming[24] (using the store as a showroom for the online merchant). Brick-and-mortar merchants have responded with various countermeasures. For example, Target has requested distributors give them equally low prices, or alternatively, exclusive products available at their store only.[24] Product suitability This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help  improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012) Many successful purely virtual companies deal with digital products, (including information storage, retrieval, and modification), music, movies, office supplies, education, communication, software, photography, and financial transactions. Other successful marketers use drop shipping or affiliate marketing techniques to facilitate transactions of tangible goods without maintaining real inventory. Some non-digital products have been more successful than others for online stores. Profitable items often have a high value-to-weight ratio, they may involve embarrassing purchases, they may typically go to people in remote locations, and they may have shut-ins as their typical purchasers. Items which can fit in a standard mailbox—such as music CDs, DVDs and books—are particularly suitable for a virtual marketer. Products such as spare parts, both for consumer items like washing machines and for industrial equipment like centrifugal pumps, also seem good candidates for selling online. Retailers often need to order spare parts specially, since they typically do not stock them at consumer outlets—in such cases, e-commerce solutions in spares do not compete with retail stores, only with other ordering systems. A factor for success in this niche can consist of providing customers with exact, reliable information about which part number their particular version of a product needs, for example by providing parts lists keyed by serial number. Products less suitable for e-commerce include products that have a low value-to-weight ratio, products that have a smell, taste, or touch component, products that need trial fittings—most notably clothing—and products where colour integrity appears important. Nonetheless, some web sites have had success delivering groceries and clothing sold through the internet is big business in the U.S. Aggregation High-volume websites, such as Yahoo!, Amazon.com and eBay, offer hosting  services for online stores to all size retailers. These stores are presented within an integrated navigation framework. Collections of online stores are sometimes known as virtual shopping malls or online marketplaces. Impact of reviews on consumer behaviour One of the great benefits of online shopping is the ability to read others reviews, which could be from experts or simply fellow shoppers on one product and service. The Nielsen Company conducted a survey in March 2010 and polled more than 27,000 Internet users in 55 markets from the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America to look at questions such as How do consumers shop online?, What do they intend to buy?, How do they use various online shopping web pages?, and the impact of social media and other factors that come into play when consumers are trying to decide how to spend their money on which product or service. According to that research,[25] reviews on electronics (57%) such as DVD players, cell phones or PlayStations and so on, reviews on cars (45%), and reviews on software (37%) play an important role and have influence on consumers who tend to make purchases and buy online. In addition to online reviews, peer recommendations on the online shopping pages or social media play a key role[26] for online shoppers while researching future purchases of electronics, cars and travel or concert bookings.[27] On the other hand, according to the same research,[25] 40% of online shoppers indicate that they would not even buy electronics without consulting online reviews first.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Farenheit 451 Essay Example for Free

Farenheit 451 Essay While Clarisse and Mildred are both very different people, they work together to help Montag see the truth behind his unhappiness in the society. Clarisse believes in sitting and taking time to watch the world go by. She takes time to see the world and all of its beauty. On the other hand, Mildred lives a fast life letting the world pass her by. She always has a purpose for doing something. For example, she doesn’t just go for walks or looks at things for fun. Clarisse and Mildred are both opposite but, help show Montag the truth about the society. Clarisse is a non-conformist who helps show Montag true happiness in life. Clarisse does not conform to the society. She doesn’t believe in the fast life they live. Clarisse pays attention to little things and has a personal interest in Montag. Clarisse symbolizes the hope for the future of society. Finally, Clarisse’s life centers on the little things that make life worthwhile. For example, she says I rarely watch the parlor walls or go to races or fun parks. So I’ve lots of time for crazy thoughts† (Bradbury 9). The quote shows how she is different from the people in the society. She would rather go walking around looking at the beauty of nature than participate in the mind-numbing and barbaric rituals the society participates in. Next, Clarisse also plays a role in the development of Montag. In the beginning Montag meets Clarisse walking home from work. She asks him many questions that make him think about his life. In the end she asks him if he is happy. At first he blows off the question stating of course he is happy but the more he thinks about it he realizes his unhappiness in the society and in his marriage. Clarisse helps jump start his transgression and helps him find his true fate. Mildred is a conformist whose cold and lifeless ways show Montag the truth behind his unhappiness. Mildred is a very important character and plays a major role in the story. First, Mildred symbolizes how the rest of the society acts. Even though Montag and Mildred are married they have a special bond that most married couples share. Mildred is very cold to Montag and does not open up. For example, Montag says â€Å"He felt his way towards his open, separate, and therefore cold bed† (Bradbury 12). The quote means that even though Montag and Mildred are married they have no meaningful connection to each other. Mildred does not open up to Montag to share personal feelings or let him open up to her. Mildred acts this way because she does not like to think. For example, when Mildred goes to bed she has to listen to music so her mind is occupied. If she’s not occupied then she might actually find out how unhappy she is. Mildred helps show Montag how unhappy he really is. Whenever Montag would try and talk to Mildred she would always ignore him and dodge the questions. She would make him feel like their relationship was built on lies and that they really did not love each other. Finally, neither of them could remember where they meet. One of the most important things in a relationship and Mildred nor Montag could remember it. This Furthers Montag’s reasoning that he is not happy. Mildred’s distant ways help show Montag how unhappy he really is. Clarisse and Mildred are both opposite but, help show Montag the truth about the society. Clarisse likes to talk to people and have conversations with them. Also, she takes time to see the world and all of its beauty. On the other hand, all Mildred does is watch the parlor walls. If she does do something it is for a reason not just for fun. While Clarisse and Mildred are both very different people, they work together to help Montag see the truth behind his unhappiness in the society.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Single Child Policy In China

The Single Child Policy In China In 1978-1979 the Chinese government installed an ambitious program of market reform following the economic stagnation of Cultural Revolution. In mid 70-80 china was home of quarter of the worlds population who were having just 7% of world land. More than two third of the population were under the age of 30 years. The baby boomers of the year 1950-1960 were entering their reproductive years. So it was getting important to control the population for the economic reform and to an improvement in living standards, so they introduced one child policy. (Massachusetts medical Society, 2005) This policy consists of different set of rules and regulations .government governing the size of families, sometimes late marriages, child bearing and family planning. This also restricts to couple to one child for one couple but it still allow few cases like twins, rural couple , ethnic minorities and couples who are both only one children themselves. By this policy china controlled more than 250 million births between 1980 and 2000(BBC September, 2012) and about 400 million by 1979-2011(People Daily online, October 2011) This policy is a controversial issue within and outside the china, because how it was implemented, good and bad consequences of the negative social concerns. Due to this policy there were other problems and concerns rose which are against human rights. Forced abortions were increased, female infanticide and under reporting of female birth. These are the main reason of gender imbalance in china, but still after the survey done by Pew Research Center roughly 76% of people living in china accept this policy.(Pew Research Centre ,2012) As now we know about the policy and its implementation, merits and demerits, so now I have to take a clear stand is that policy is ethically justifiable or not and I will go with that is this policy is not ethically justifiable but there are a lot of examples which are proven that with this policy china has controlled population of country so I will be comparing both of the sides of the policy with final conclusion against this policy. First I will discuss about the demerits of over population. Over population is a condition where an organism number exceed the carrying capacity. This is a direct link between human population and its environment. The main reason for the over population is increase in birth and decline in mortality rate. The current population of china is 1319175364 which make china the first most populated country of the world. (US Census Bureau, 2012) China represents a full 20% of world population so every one in every five people on the earth is a Chinese.(Washington Institute of China Studies ,2007) So due to over population because other different problems also like: Healthy Living this is the one of the main concern of the people who is living there because the health resources are limited like fresh air, fresh pure clean water, and greenery which people all people are not getting. Equal opportunities-people living in china to them when comes to access some of the things like public sector jobs, examinations few people dont get those opportunities because either they are not rich enough to support or some other factors. Access to medical treatment- as china is growing up faster the amount of people getting sick and getting congenital disease are also increasing which is also directly related to the cost of treatment, government cant provide those expensive treatments to everyone so a lot of poor people die because of no access of hospital or clinics. Controlling big population- it is not an easy job for the government of china to control 1.5 billion people; police always have hard time when there is any riot, national events going on. Traffic problem. Due to over population need of vehicles on the road is increasing which is creating big heavy traffic jam on the road, and government always try hard to provide public transport but due to more number of passengers travelling that also become hard. Good quality higher education- As families had more number of children at their home which sometimes is also a problem i.e. children cant get good higher education reason behind this is education nowadays is expensive and parents cant afford all their kids the same education. Violation of human rights- like different activities happening often in china which violate human rights like female feticide, gang rapes, abortions.(Bridgeport.edu ,2012) So now I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of one child policy. Advantages The growth of the population decreases: if there was no one child policy in china the population of china must be 2.4 billion today. By this Chinese people are getting more benefits like: Free/cheap health checkups. Their kids are getting god or best education. Women get extra three month maternity leave. Parents have good bond with children, like it will be easy to divide time with one child and it makes it easier to know each other and needs. Disadvantages They dont have any siblings and there is nothing like cousins called in china because everyone is child of the family. Forced Abortions: As we all know abortion are legal in china but having forced abortion is against human rights. Female Infanticide: People kill their daughter because they think they will have only one child and if thats a female then who will take family business and bring up family to generations. 87% of all married women use contraception and abortion which is also not healthy for the females health condition. Ethical Perspectives The one child policy raises many ethical concerns one individuals own liberty, collective rights and state sovereignty. We all understand that will less population there will less environment degradation and pollution but according to me whose rights are more important individual or collective? This one child policy in china asks questions towards the individual rights and collective rights in the community. As per Lockes view in any of the society an individual have the basic human right and more important their negative liberty and rights or the freedom to have choices for self development without other interference.(William Uzgalis John Locke,2006) This one child policy provide community growth which may provide higher quality of life i.e. can be serve malnutrition, good care of medical illness and social and economic problems are uncommon. Communitarians: As we all know china is a communist country so they have only one peoples party ruling the whole big nation. The communitarian argument is derived from Jean Jacques Rousseav Communitarian argue the survival of the community must be protected because individual member depend on it for their self identity, the organization of collective action and the production of public goods So this lighten the view that state of nature as they have not yet developed the capacity to reason . So a communitarian would for the individual thinks, thoughts, individual rights and autonomy for the benefits of the community. (Modern China, 465, 1987) Utilitarian Approaches: It is an ethical theory in which there are basically more happiness and reduced suffering which is based on the word utility. So as per china one child policy peoples behavioral choices are counted and those choices reflect their course of action. By increasing the pleasure and minimizing the pain china is using utilitarian approach perfectly. International Human Rights: Chinas one child policy is seems to be based on utilitarian approach. They argue that policy is installed according to the fairness standards as every family is entitled to have one child and in addition to this those families are getting financial incentive like bonus, better housing options and three months maternity leave which as per rule to international provisions of human rights but on the other side as per policy only one child is allowed per couple so communitarian would be against of those who claim individual reproductive right against the policy of single child.(American Political Science Review,2001) Western Asian Preferences of Individual Rights: China one child policy is mostly offended by the violation of human rights and laws. They argue that as western countries have their own official languages as a mean to protecting communal harmony and Identity similarly Chinese government has the right to implement of population related policies is the responsibility of each and every country and should take a stand into account the economic, social and environmental diversity with respect to all religious and ethical values at international conference on population development in (cairo 1994). This policy also disturbs the fundamental human right of every couple to decide freely the number and spacing of their children. Chinese government relative this policy as Duty to act responsibly in a manner which will benefit their family and community as whole (Population and Development review, 1996) Success and flaw of Chinas One Child Policy Chinas population is both the countrys greatest weakness and strength. China is world 3rd largest economy and 2nd largest exporter. The more population in china makes it cheap labor which attracted a lot of foreign investment. This policy accelerated chinas economic growth in past 2 decades which also helped to create highly educated skilled and more efficient work force. It was reported in 2001, there were almost 20,000 forced abortions and sterilization occurred to the people of Huai ji in Guangdong province of china because those people were not following the rules of this policy.(Telegraph Media Group,2012) After that in 2002 china stopped the physical force to force for the abortion, but still there are news on regular basis of abortion and violence. Even there is news about the killing of the babies during the pregnancy of eight months or its more horrifying of killing of baby during labor in birth canal or immediately after birth. Tons of thousands of children with birth defects, disabilities are handed over to state funded orphanages that often have poor facilities which now become house of adoption of girls for the rich western people. In 2001 there was official 55,000 adoptions registered. So what do you think are these children guaranteed a better life but I am pretty much sure that they will lose all traces of their Chinese identity? (Wei Guo Zhang, 2006) In addition to this one child policy also disturb the male -female birth rate ratio. The sex ratio in main land china is 118: 100. So this means there are 18 extra boys for every 100 girls born which compared to global natural baseline of 103:100. Even the state population and family planning commission admit this problem and think this will create big problem in coming future i.e. finding partner by the time they will reach adulthood or reproductive age. As according to survey there will be 30 million more men than women in 2020. (BBC, 2012) Since 90s there is other problem rising weather this single child will be over pampered. There have been seen many over pampered children in society with poor social communication and cooperation skills. As in upper text I mentioned about the over pampered children, so now here I am going to focus on the policy positive and negative effects of single child . As per (Quoss and Zhao,1995) parents are usually the most important socialization agents in their young age. This gives an impact on their child to learn about social relationship. In addition to this parent- child relationship are complicated cultural, ideological, political, economic and social factor but main can be psychological, cultural and structural to understand parent child relationship. It is assumed those children are the empty vessels which are filled with parents socially defined values. So mostly children learn from parents attitude and behavior. If child is not recognized as an active social person this means he is influenced by parents. These changes in the family structure and size have some major effects i.e. shorting of family tree, weakening of cooperation in the groups and the changes in the way how parents treat their children. According to Cardwell wealth- Flow theory (1982, 1976) the wealth from younger to older generations is related to high fertility rate same as wealth flow from the older to the younger generation is related to low fertility rate. But in China they have only one child there is nothing like that seen which either improve or spoil the parent -child relation. The nations one child policy has lead to the reduced number of births which have highlighted children value in the family and caused more flow of family resources towards that only child. Chinas successful implementation of population control policy shortened the way to Cordwells equilibrium of wealth flow and birth rate declination. Population and Socio Economic Development This over growing population even one child will be creating big problems by 2040. There will be four main challenges faced by Chinese population. Agriculture : Food challenge: It will be a problem of producing sufficient grain for the expending population, as country is growing faster, people are moving to cities and no one is doing more agriculture and because of population explosion there will not be enough spaces to grow crops which will give Chinese community a very hard time in upcoming years. Employment Challenge: It is one of the main signals to economic performance which is correlated with income distribution, poverty and social stability. Before rural people used to depend on agriculture but now its hard to depend as living standards are getting high and 40% of rural labor are not fully utilized or they are under employed and need to be re employed.(Taylor and Banister 1991 ; Shen and Spence 1995) Urbanization challenge: fast pace industrialization and urbanization will be a drastic change in rural-urban population shift. The speed of urbanization was very slow in 1970s as compared to other developing counties (shen, 1994). A large number of towns and small cities are immerged to bigger cities. Old cities are rapidly expanding .Shanghai. increased its urban area from 141 to 230 square kilometer; rapid urbanization resulted in the arable land available Homosexuality In china Associated with One Child Policy. There is also one other problem arising in china because having a single child and that child being homosexual. Homosexuality is legal in china since 1997, but this created a lot of problems in Chinese local community. Chinese couples try and do a lot of efforts to have a son in their family and what if that son is homosexual that can be a big major tragedy in the family. Many gay and lesbian commit suicide because its not much common in there. Zheng estimates there is about 27-30 million homosexual people living in china from which 18-20 million are gay man and 9 to 10 million are lesbian women. So homosexuals are not accepted by social customs at home or at work place. This creates two other different problems: They dont have freedom to enjoy their personal life -> It is seen that gay man and gay women get married to each other as homowives under a formal union they have normal marriages but allowing each other to conduct their homosexual relation outside. Many stories came up how gay man starting loving each other. some said they cant find the right female partner so they changed their self to homosexuality or bisexual and other say the girls dont want to leave parental house as they are the only daughter who want to stay with family.( The New York Times,2012 ) The Effect of China one child policy 30 years To control the population china government and Chinese people did very hard work and much sacrifice to limit the population growth with one child per family. So in condition to hold this population growth there is a heavy reliance on long term contraception with IU device and sterilizations together accounting for more that they dont have any other options except which they heard from health workers recommend for family planning. This helped in 25% decreased in abortion rates. This policy is reduction in the total fertility rate before between 1970-1979 the fertility was 5.9 to 2.9 but after this its less stabilized at approximately 1.7. There are some signals that may be the traditional thinking for boys will change. As a survey done by National family and Reproductive Health reports say 37 percent of young urban women said they have no preference with the sex of the kid either its male or female but on other side 45 percent said the ideal family is one boy and one girl. Ratio of old age Dependency The rapid decrease in birth rate with stable and improved life it led to increased proportion of old people in the community. In 1965 the population of 65 year old people was 5% in 1982 which now is 7.5 percent which is expected to be 15 percent by 2025. (World Bank, 2012) Thats one reason in urban areas the couple who themselves are single children are allowed to have other second kid. The future of chinas one child policy: The Chinese government is facing an important challenge, first will be the need to balance the basic population right of reproduction with population growth. 10 million people are adding to Chinese population every year which is equal to the population of Belgium. Relaxation of this policy can be considered because of baby bomber are getting older, but increased wealth and freedom is not allowing government to relax this policy. End of Cheap Labor: Professor Cai Feng- a Chinese labor economist estimated there will a downfall in the labor force by 1.5 percent points by 2015 and will decrease further in 2016-2020. A fast pace decline of the labor force will cause shortages and rapid increase in wages which will be weaken the chinas export industry in the international marked effecting economic growth .(BBC,2012) Conclusion: The people republic if china and its one child policy remains an international concept as in means of regulation, human rights, birth and fertility, national duties, ethics and principles. In 30 years of this policy china have created dramatic results of controlling population and limiting total fertility rate at 1.7 births per women. It also helped to control the problems which can be occurred with over population. On the other side this policy also created drastic effect on highly unbalanced sex-ratio between male and female. Many couples cant find the suitable match for each other. There is an increase in female infanticide and more use of contraceptive methods. An increased social and economic demand on small families due to aging is also common. According to Xinhua the national press agency of china china have paid a lot of political and social cost for this policy but still it resulted in social conflict, high administrative cost and let to gender imbalance too(Xinhua, 2012). My reaction to this one child policy is that they should not make it very strict at the starting. Second child in family bring the fine of $3500 which is almost equal to the income of 10 year of a poor farmer. Many Chinese women commit suicide under the pressures of one child policy(Amnesty International,2012) . Some rich people who can afford $3500they have two kids in family which is not equal to other resident of china. For poor if they cant pay the fine they have to pay their fines with 200kg of rice. Families in Guangzi province are afraid of breaking rules because they are already poor and this gives them hard time paying the fine. This is the reason of disturbance in sex ratio. I think Chinese government should educate people to the benefits of having lesser children but not to force them for abortion. Couples should have their own freedom they whether they want children or not. The Government should educate people and promote to have more female babies to equal the uneven sex ratio. There is a high divorce rate involving women whose one child turn out to be a girl however the laws have changed by those women have to suffer physical assault at home. It is clearly see there are many advantages and disadvantages of chinas one child policy but when it comes to health, law and ethics it is not justified because of many dilemmas on the ethical ground.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Free Yellow Wallpaper Essays: Womens Subordination :: Yellow Wallpaper essays

Women's Subordination in The Yellow Wallpaper  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   "The Yellow Wallpaper," written in 1892 by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a chilling study of insanity. It is a bitter story of a young woman driven to insanity by a "loving" husband-doctor, who imposes Mitchell's "rest cure."1 This short story vividly reflects a woman in torment. This story starts out with a hysterical woman who is overprotected by her "loving" husband John. She is taken to a summer home to recover from a nervous condition. She is told to rest and sleep; she is not even allowed to write. "I must put this away,--he hates to have me write a word." This shows how controlling John is over her as both husband and doctor. She is "absolutely forbidden to "work" until" she's "well again." Here, John seems to be more of a father than a husband. Like the husband in Ibsen's A Doll House, John is being the dominant person in the marriage: a sign of typical middle-class. Although the narrator feels desperate, John tells her that there is "no reason" for how she feels; she must dismiss those "silly fantasies." In other words, John treats her like a child and gives her reason to doubt herself. "Of course it is only nervousness," she decides. She tries to rest, to do as she is told, like a child, but suffers because John does not believe that she is ill. This makes her feel inadequate and unsure of her own sanity. He "does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him." She feels that she should be "a good girl" and appreciate the protective love John offers to her. "He takes all care from me, and I feel so basely ungrateful not to value it more. . . . He took me in his arms and called me a blessed little goose. . . . He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well." In telling her to keep well, John just expresses more doubt about her having any real illness. She tries to discuss her feelings, but this brings only a "stern reproachful look" and she goes back to bed. "Really dear you are better," John says over and over.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Marxist Formula in Emechetas The Joys of Motherhood Essay

The Marxist Formula in Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood "Marx states that we are truly free only when '[people] place themselves in a position to control their own historical destiny'"(Slaughter 25). Britain's imperial colonization of Africa triggered vast change within the tribal civilizations thriving on the continent prior to European occupation. For the Africans, these changes altered every level of their culture: language, religion, as well as ancient tribal customs. But one of the most devastating aspects of the British colonization in Africa was the European economic system: capitalism. Capitalism left many Africans reeling from its destructive impact on tribal economies. Nowhere is this more evident than in The Joys of Motherhood, Buchi Emecheta's tale of the British occupation of Nigeria in the 1930s and 1940s. Emecheta's skillfully constructed story uses various literary devices to develop empathy for her characters suffering at the hands of the English. However, underlying these literary techniques -- and boosting the storyà ­s political objectives -- exists a Marxist economic analysis of the colonial system. Emecheta's Marxist examination provides an outline f or illustrating how imperialistic capitalism alienated Africans from their culture, and from one another, causing irreparable damage to the social fabric of Nigeria. The Marxist argument in The Joys of Motherhood demonstrates how the root of the characters' downfall is the socioeconomic shift from the tribal economic paradigm to the exploitative, capitalist system used by the British. However, Emecheta also criticizes her tribal culture's oppressive hierarchy, illustrating the Ibo treatment of slaves and of women. So although European colonialism... ...Marx and the Sources of Critical Theory. New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield, 1981. Jameson, Fredric. Marxism and Form: Twentieth-Century Dialectical Theories of Literature. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1974. Magubane, Bernard, and Nzongola-Ntalaja, eds. Proletarianization and Class Struggle in Africa. Contemporary Marxism Series. San Francisco: Synthesis, 1982. Richter, David. The Critical Tradition: Classic and Contemporary Trends. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford, 1998. Selden, Raman, and Peter Widdowson. A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory. 3rd ed. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1993. Slaughter, Cliff. Marxism, Ideology and Literature. London: Macmillan, 1980. Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. New York: Garland, 1999. Wallerstein, Immanuel. Africa: The Politics of Independence. New York: Vintage, 1961.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

A Skit on Dr Apj Abdul Kalam

Grade 6 Fill in the blanks with appropriate words: IWhen a child enters school at his/her first level, he/she is not _____________ to __________ his/her mother’s hand. He/she is in a ____________ state of mind. He/she exhibits emotions of ___________ and ____________. The teacher welcomes the child _______________. This first step of the child is a great change in his life. When he/she enters the class, he/she has been compared to a ___________ and the class has been compared to a ___________ (pupa).It is here that the child, with the help and teachings of his teacher, gains ___________ over time and they are now compared to young ___________ who are ready to step into the _____________. IIChoose the correct answer 1What happens every year? Athe children leave the teacher to move on to the next class. Bthe teacher tells the children to go away. Cthe children are not happy with the teacher. Dthe children are sad to leave their mothers at home. 2 The teacher is amazed to see suc h a miracle. By the word miracle she means Ahow the children have grownBchildren leaving her and going away. Chow children grow into confident young children ready to move on to the next class. Dwonders what she has done to the children 3 By the term rustling of their wings she means Ashe can hear the rustling of the butterfly’s wings. Bthe butterflies make too much noise as they fly. Cthe flying of the birds. Dthe voices of children and their movement as they move out. 4 The teacher feels proud and is in a mood of celebration because Ashe is happy that these naughty children are leaving her. Bshe is eagerly waiting for the new batch of children.Cshe is happy that the children have successfully moved on with life. Dshe loves to celebrate. ALLITERATION:It means repetition of the same initial sound in words that appear in close proximity. Some examples: 1Betty bought some butter2Luke Luck likes lakes. But the butter was bitterLuke’s duck likes lakes. So she bought some b etter butterLuke Luck licks lakes. To make the bitter butter better Luck’s duck licks lakes. Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes. Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes. 3 Mo mi mo me send me a toe, Me me mo mi get me a mole, Mo mi mo me send me a toe,Fe me mo mi get me a mole, Mister kister feet so sweet, Mister kister where will I eat? IIIWrite a paragraph on ‘Experiences of my first year in school’. Ask your mother/father/other family members the following questions to write about your first year in school: 1What was your reaction on your first day to school? Where you scared/happy/reluctant to go? 2Did you want to go to school the next day? 3How many days did it take for you to settle down in class? 4How would you speak of your teacher when you returned home? 5What did your teacher tell your parents about you? What were the areas you needed to work more at? 7What type of a bonding did you share with your teacher? 8What were your feelings when you lef t your teacher after the academic session? 9How long did you take to adjust in the new class? 10For how long did you stay in touch with your first teacher? 11Do you still remember the teacher? METAPHOR: Stating one entity is another for the purpose of comparing them in quality. For e. g. in the poem a child’s first year at school is compared to metamorphosis, the life cycle of a butterfly. Young children have been referred to as caterpillars.Read the statements that contain metaphors. Then tick the option with the correct answers: 1Ramesh was a wall; he saved every goal against his team. This metaphor compares Ramesh to a wall because ________ Ahe was very strong Bhe was very tall Che kept returning the balls Dhis body was made of cells 2We were not left with much food because Manohar had eaten most of it. He is such a hog. Manohar has been compared to a hog because he _____ Alooked like a hog Bate like a hog Csmelled like a hog Dwas as smart as a hog 3The old man had no chan ce to run. The speeding car, a bolt of lightning, hit him hard.The car has been compared to a bolt of lightning because it was _______- Avery fast Bvery bright Cnot fond of fleas Dvery old 4He refused to listen to anybody. He is such a mule. The metaphor compares him to a mule because he was _________ Aalways eating oats Bable to do hard work Craised on a farm Dvery stubborn 5she could leave her little son with anyone and he didn’t trouble them. He is such an angel. The child has been compared to an angel because _____ Ahe is cute Blooks like an angel Che does not trouble anybody at all Dthe mother calls him an angel He has so much energy in him that he can work non-stop for hours. He is really a horse. He has been compared to a horse because ______ Ahe resembles a horse Bhe has the energy and stamina of a horse Che is as big as a horse Dhe loves horses Quiz of Prefixes 1What does the word unhurt mean? Ahurt badly Bhurt Cnot hurt 2If you take away the prefix im from impolite, then the root word is polite. AtrueBfalse 3if you add the prefix un to the word wrap, what is the correct spelling of the new word? AunrapB unnwrap C unwrapD unwrapp 4What do you do if you re-read a book?Aread it again B read it for the first time C don’t read it 5if you take the prefix il away from the word illegal, what is the right word? Allegal B legal Clegall 6If you add the prefix im to the word mature, what is the correct spelling of the new word? Aimature Bimmature C neither of these 7Is the word illogical spelt correctly? Ayes B no 8The prefix re used in the words reopen and reapply means: Anot B again C wrong 9If you misjudge someone, you: Adon’t judge them B judge them wrongly C judge them again 10To not approve of something means that you:Aunapprove B disapprove C disapprove Given below is a list of some statements. How often do the following prove to be true to you? Mark the statements as a) always b) usually c) sometimes d) never †¢I feel very comfo rtable sharing my secrets with my father/mother. †¢My mother is not very educated. I am embarrassed to introduce her to my friends. †¢Given a choice, I’d love to spend time with my parents. †¢I consult my parents whenever I am in a fix. †¢I could give up my favourite activity to take care of my parents. †¢I can discuss my personal problems with my father. I don’t feel embarrassed to express my feeling for my parents. †¢I hate my parents when they do not allow me to have my way. †¢I feel that my parents love my sister/brother more than me. †¢I’d rather celebrate my birthday with my parents than with my friends. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow: Enid Blyton was born in London in 1897, the eldest of three children. She began her career as a teacher, but soon turned to journalism, and often wrote about education. She then began to write children’s books. Her first book was a collection of poems for children.In the late 1930s, just before the Second World War, she started publishing Noddy stories for very small children and adventure stories such as The Famous Five and The Secret Seven for older children. Not long after this she began writing her school series, like Malory Towers and The Naughtiest Girl. Enid Blyton’s stories carry a clear message of right and wrong. Generations of children have enjoyed and continue to enjoy her work. She wrote over 600 books during her career of forty years. She died in 1968 at the age of seventy-one. 1Enid Blyton is best known for being a a)teacherb) writerc) journalist Her first book was a collection of a)Noddy storiesb) adventure storiesc) poems 3)Name four series of books written by Enid Blyton. 4)What is the message in Enid Blyton’s books? 5)When was Enid Blyton born and when did she die? 6)Frame sentences with these words from the passage: a)careerb) adventurec) message 7)Right and wrong is a common English phrase. Join pai rs of words from this list with and to make four phrases. Blackgoodherebuttereverywherewhitebadredtherebreadjam 8)Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words in brackets: a)This bag is _____________ than the one we saw in the other shop. expensive) b)May and June are the __________ months of the year. (warm) c)My _________________ storybook character is Harry Potter. (favourite) 9)Circle the correct words: a)Rita has (much/many) friends in Dubai. b)Very (few/less) people attended the meeting yesterday. c)I have finished reading (many/most) of the book. d)Salma does not like sweets and _____________ (rarely/usually) eats them. e)My family __________ (often/seldom) visits the cinema as we are all fond of watching films. f)I take my pet dog for a walk ___________ (every/twice) a day.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 15

The night before the wedding, I stood staring out the window of my bedroom. A beautiful quarter-moon shown through the ornately paned glass. It felt like the entire nighttime world was teasing me, calling out: Come play. Come hunt. Come disappear into the darkness. My skin prickled whenever a hint of the night air breezed through, and my nostrils flared at the thousand and one scents it carried. I am not meant to stay captive inside at night†¦. I had thought I was miserable in the park hunting squirrels, but here I was trapped by my word, by my guilt, by these stupid walls, by a family of humans under a spell, by my brother. Mrs. Sutherland came in earlier that evening. She didn't say much, just patted my hand and pinched my cheek, telling me not to worry, the wedding would soon be over and then we all – we all – could get back to the normal happy business of being a family. Little did she know that after Damon was through with them, the Sutherlands would never be able to be normal or happy again. A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. I turned and tightened the nice silk smoking jacket Winfield had loaned me, wondering if Mrs. Sutherland had left something behind. But then the door cracked open and a pink, mischievous face poked through. â€Å"Bridget,† I half-groaned. I looked around me desperately, as if some sort of exit would suddenly appear that I could escape through. She giggled and suddenly shoved her way in, slamming the door behind her, leaning against it like she had just shut out an invading army. â€Å"Stefan,† Bridget said in what she probably thought was a sexy, dulcet tone. She was dressed in a chiffon robe with giant chenille cabbage roses. Underneath, instead of a simple nightgown, she wore a complicated corseted dress made of bright pink silk with a rose-red sash that left her shoulders and neck bare. â€Å"Bridget,† I said warningly, backing up. My head hit one of the beams of the four-poster bed. â€Å"I thought maybe we could start the honeymoon early,† she whispered, pushing herself into my arms. â€Å"Uh – † I stammered. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were heavy-lidded. Despite Damon's compulsions, she was also under the sway of her own emotions, stirred to amorous feelings for the man she was about to marry. She pushed me – with remarkably strong arms – down on to the bed and fell upon me, crushing me under wave after wave of silk. Her breasts heaved over the corset, and I could feel her warm skin through my robe. I had a perfect view of her bare white neck. Her heart pumped quickly, giving her skin a hot, rosy glow and filling my senses with her blood. I could smell it all over her, salty and warm and human. A shiver went through my body as her chest pressed against mine, and I could feel the pain begin along my jaw. Such a sweet pain – and it had been such a long time since I had had human blood†¦. It couldn't hurt, part of me said. She wouldn't mind me biting her, even without compulsion. It didn't have to be painful, and she might even enjoy it. Before I knew what I was doing I had pressed my lips to her shoulder, just to feel the skin, to take a little lick†¦ She felt me moving beneath her and misinterpreted it, kissing me harder and getting into a more comfortable position, entwining her legs in mine. â€Å"No!† I managed to get control of myself and shoved her off me. I didn't mean to do it so forcefully, but even in my weakened state I was still several times stronger than a human. She fell to the end of the bed, against one of the posts, looking shocked. And then she began to cry. â€Å"You†¦ don't want me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she wailed, fat droplets of tears rolling down her cheeks. â€Å"Bridget, no, I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My fangs retracted and I was aching with the pain and my need for blood. â€Å"It's just†¦ we're getting married tomorrow, Bridget. Just one more day. If we wait until it's†¦ uh†¦ proper, it will be even more special. Just think, we'll have completed a†¦ beautiful day†¦ with you in your beautiful, uh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Cream brocade with Flemish lace on the sleeves and bodice and an ivory satin sash with a veil of matching ivory silk flowers,† she sniffled. â€Å"Right.† I touched her elbow delicately and tilted her chin up so she had to look at me. She wiped the tears off her face with a piece of her robe. â€Å"Let my first night with you be with that image of you in my mind, my blushing bride.† She nodded, sniffing again, giving me a faint smile. â€Å"All right.† Then she giggled again, back to her old self, and flounced off the bed and to the door. â€Å"Good night†¦ lover,† she cooed before exiting. As soon as she was gone I fell back on the bed, muffling a groan in my pillow. It did nothing to abate my frustration. I stood, pacing from the window to the door, wanting to leave, to escape, to hunt, to do something. But I had no choice, no option. I was trapped in this room, in this situation, in the terrible in-betweenness of being neither a human nor a monster. I ripped the pillow straight in two, feathers exploding around the room like a white powder keg. Damn you, Damon, I thought violently, for putting me in this position. And damn you, too, Katherine, for beginning all this.