Birth Control Controversy

Contraception is a critical issue for women of all ages and social class because the decision to have a baby impacts a woman’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Contraception is also very costly and is an expense that a woman primarily shoulders. Not every employer’s health insurance plan provides benefits for prescription contraceptives and devices. A personal survey of 50 adults with varying types of insurance plans, asked if their health insurance plans provided coverage for birth control, Viagra, or abortion.Everyone surveyed maintain that his plan provides coverage for Viagra, a sexual enhancement drug, and abortion. The same survey showed that 26% of the insurance plans do not provide benefits for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved prescription contraceptives or devices for the solitary purpose of preventing pregnancy (personal communication, 2010). Not providing coverage for birth control, yet providing coverage for other types of prescription drug s, services, and devices, is discriminatory against women and has a negative impact on an employer’s and the government’s economics.The federal government should mandate that all health care plans provide coverage for FDA approved contraceptives because not providing them is discriminatory against women. Preventive Health Care and Finance Women that plan their pregnancies usually obtain pre-natal care and take better care of themselves and unborn child. Moreover, women who have planned their families put enough distance between each pregnancy so not to put a strain on their physical, mental, and emotional welfare. This is better for both mother and child.Furthermore, to obtain FDA approved prescription birth control, women must first be seen be a licensed physician and have an examination. That examination includes a Pap smear, breast exam, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. Without the motivation of obtaining contraception, women may not schedule an exam that could detect, and treat, potentially life-threatening diseases. Early detection of disease, such as cervical and breast cancer, is vital to making a full recovery.Family planning devices and prescriptions should be a benefit that all health insurance plans provide because more than half of the pregnancies that occur within this country are not planned. The United States has the highest rate of accidental pregnancies of the entire industrialized world. Of those pregnancies, only half come to term. The other pregnancies end because of spontaneous abortion, also known as miscarriage, or the woman elects to have an abortion (Roan, 2009).With insurance provided birth control these statistics can decrease considerably. Lack of coverage, and the out-of –pocket expense for birth control, is a factor in the high rate of unintended pregnancies because women are going without birth control, or opt for less effective methods for family planning. Women spend approximately two-thirds of their lives in an attempt to avoid pregnancy, but still a majority of women experience an unplanned pregnancy by the time they reach age 45 (Vargas, 2002).Women are primarily responsible for preventing pregnancy and rely on prescribed contraceptives and devices because there is no effective form of over-the-counter birth control available for women’s use. The most effective form of birth control, other than abstinence, is oral contraceptives, which is better known as â€Å"the pill. † With insurance, co-payments for the pill range from $10 to $50 per month (Andrews, 2010). Without insurance coverage, the expense of the pill can range from $20 to $75 per month. Over a 25-year period this could amass from $6,000 to well over $20,000 (Guttmacher, 2010).Therefore, women are paying upwards of 68% higher health care expenditures than their male counterparts (Zolman, 2002). In comparison, the only form of birth control used by men is a condom, and they are available witho ut prescription and not costly. Pictured above are different types of birth control available. All, except condoms, require a prescription and are used by women. Photo courtesy of Dawn Stacey Sexual Discrimination Some health insurance plans exclude contraceptives because it views them as quality of life drug and not medically necessary.If a doctor deems a woman to have a clinical need for contraception, such as recurring headaches, endometriosis, acne, or irregular menstruation, an insurance company may choose to authorize benefits. However, Viagra is one quality of life drug that insurance plans cover without question (Vargas, 2002). Viagra is an oral treatment that a doctor prescribes exclusively to men who suffer from erectile dysfunction. Covering expenses for one quality of life drug, aimed for the improvement of men’s sex lives, and denying benefit of another quality of life drug, intended to prevent pregnancy for women, is undoubtedly discriminatory.The Equal Employme nt Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sustain employers are legally bound to provide a full range of family planning options if other forms of preventive health prescriptions and devices are part of their benefits package. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 says it is unlawful when employers â€Å"fail or refuse to hire or discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin† (Zolman, 2002, p. 8). Health and prescription coverage is part of the compensation and terms of employment as mentioned in Title VII. To provide further clarification, the United States government added an amendment in 1978 called the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), and it reads â€Å"†¦women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment related p urposes, including of receipt of benefits under fringe benefit programs† (Vargas, 2002, p. 9).The current regulations for health insurance governance vary and are subject to different protocol. The Employment Retirement Security Act (ERISA) is a federal law that oversees self-funded insurance plans. A self-funded insurance plan, also known as self-insured, is a plan that an employer provides and pays for from a self-established fund. ERISA oversees the compliance of procedure, such as providing insurance information and instructions on how to file grievances, however; it does not require employers to provide specific benefits (Zolman, 2002).Within ERISA is a loophole that self-funded insurance plans have used to avoid following mandates that may be in effect through state legislation. Fully insured health plans contract through insurance brokers, are subject to state insurance mandates, and are not governed by ERISA (Zolman, 2002). The Equity in Prescription Insurance and Cont raceptive Coverage Act (EPICC) is a federal contraceptive prescription and device mandate that has gone before Congress on several occasions but has not been successful in passing into law.Nevertheless, there have been 27 states that have passed there on version of EPICC since 1998 (Andrews, 2010). However, requirements for coverage vary from state to state and self-funded insurance plans are exempt from complying. Throughout the last decade there have been several lawsuits filed against employers unwilling to include prescription contraception benefits. The first such case was Erickson versus Bartell. In 2001, Jennifer Erickson brought a lawsuit of sexual discrimination against Bartell Drug Company for failing to provide birth control in a prescription drug benefit package.Federal Judge Lasnik determined that Bartell Drug Company was in violation of Title VII and the PDA (HRMagazine, 2005). Sadly, the majority of employers who exclude prescription contraceptives choose to wait for legal action before changing policy. In those cases, society loses as precious taxpayer dollars are spent. Employer Expenses Many people have the misconception that it is expensive for an employer to provided prescription contraceptive benefits and that the employer should be able to limit available benefits to help keep health insurance premiums to a minimum.A study conducted by the Washington Business Group on Health concluded that employers experience greater direct and indirect financial losses when an employee becomes pregnant. The indirect expenses include the employee’s absence for doctor’s appointments, fatigue, or illness. Indirect costs can also include reduced productivity, and the need to train another person to fulfill the pregnant employee’s position when absent. Direct costs can reach well above $10,000 for expenses related to pre-natal care, delivery, and one-year of infant pediatrics (HRMagazine, 2005).

IELTS Tests

Task 1:Â  The bar chart below shows the percentage participation of men in senior development in three companies between 1980 and the year 2010. Summarize the information by selecting and report in the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 wordsThe diagram illustrates the changes in proportion of male seniors in three giants including IBM, Microsoft and Apple over 30 years from 1980 to 2010. In sum, the three firms experienced an upward trend in terms of this indicator. Originally, in 1980, IBM had only approximately 2% of senior positions occupied by men with no significant change in the next 5 years. Afterwards, this number surged to over 10% in 1990 and 26% in 1995, surpassing that of 2 other companies. In 2000, the percentageaugmented reaching over 30% and even doubled exceeding 60% in only 5 years later.Therefore, IBM obtained the highest enhancing pace in hiring males for senior levels. Regarding Microsoft, the period from 1980 to 2000 witnesse d a gradual increase in men involvement percentage in senior positions from roughly 7% to approximately 17%. Nonetheless, the statistic noticeably soared to nearly 45% in 2000. Last to be mentioned, in 1980, there were 15% of Apple high positions taken in charge by males. This was followed by a light fluctuation during 20 years and finally ended at about 25% in 2010.This conversion turned Apple into the company having the lowest man participation in senior board comparing to IBM and Microsoft.Task 2: Some people think that everyone has the right to use freshwater as much as they want; some others believe that freshwater should be tightly controlled by governments worldwide because it is a limited resource. Discuss both views and give your opinion.It is popular that water creates creature. Nevertheless, the essential and priceless freshwater sources are being vanished due to the humans’ massive use. This fact has lead to a discussion that whether water sources should be libera lly accessed or put under strict control of authorities. To begin with, as water touches every parts of our daily life, protecting and conserving it should be among country’s top priorities. The government is able to determine fresh water network manage to distribute clean water effectively to the community.Additionally, the government can allocate an adequate quantity of water to individuals to ensure human and ecological health. This can help us to prevent water shortage and its tragic consequences. Furthermore, authorities can guarantee the water quality and reassure citizens especially to avoid the influence of environmental pollutants and contamination worries.On contrary, it is also argued that everyone and all animals have equal chance to take advantage of Earth natural resources including water. This also plays a crucial role in forming the base for a modern and advanced society. Moreover, restrictions on consuming water can result in the unavailability of this resour ce to underprivileged people as the corruption and the despoliation. The situation may be worse since water dispute can threaten national or world wide security.For what has been mentioned, I agree that regarding water as a national security issue can help to protect the resources. Nonetheless, it is critical that law and policies are fair and assure individuals’ basic right. Besides, communities should come together to promote awareness of water reservation.

The changes in the global pattern of tourism

The global pattern of tourism has changed drastically over the last fifty years. Changes such as the number of global tourist arrivals, distances travelled, and the cost of travel have meant that ‘tourism' is today one of the world's most important industries. There are a number of reasons for this change, for example, technology and social situation. In the seventeenth century, doctors recommended benefits of water, which triggered the building of spas. People began taking relaxing trips to these spas. When the industrial revolution struck, huge changes in transport took place, such as better rail links in the United Kingdom. These railway lines provided links to expand. Also, people began to earn more money, and with disposable income, annual holidays became increasingly popular. During World War 2, people were not allowed on beaches. Once the war had finished, people celebrated by going to the beach. This made seaside resorts become much more popular. In 1970, the jet plane carried 307 million passengers. By 2006, this had increased to a huge 2. billion! This shows just how much tourism has increased in the past half century. In 1950, international tourist arrivals were only 20 million. In 2005, it was measured to be over 700 million! Europe in particular was responsible for a considerable amount of this increase, approximately 400 million. In 2005, there were 441,528 thousand international tourist arrivals. The Mediterranean was responsible for 36% of this number. This shows that southern Spain is a very popular tourist destination. I think this is due to the climate in the Med. The Mediterranean is well known for its hot, dry summers, which naturally attract visitors. Most arrivals here are on holiday for leisure purposes, rather than business. It is not just in Europe, however, that tourism has increased. In 1990, the world saw 439 million international tourist arrivals. In 2005, this has increased to 806 million. This shows an average annual increase of 3. 3%. There are many reasons for this increase. Economic factors, such as rising incomes, decreasing costs of the flight itself – due to the expansion of budget airlines. Also, many airlines have introduced reward schemes, or loyalty bonuses, which are appealing to the customer. Social factors, such as the increase of the number of days paid leave workers can take. This gives people more spare time for a holiday. Many students in recent years, after finishing school, which to take a ‘gap year' to go travelling, before going to university, or getting a job. Finally, there are also political reasons for which tourism has increased. Some governments invest heavily in advertising campaigns to encourage tourism. Also, international sporting events, such as the world cup or the Olympics, attract millions of people from all over the globe. Forecasts from the World Tourism Organisation are showing an approximate 650 million increase in global arrivals between 2007 and 2020. Another noticeable change is the distance people are travelling to go on holiday. In 1841, Thomas cook introduce the first ever package holiday, from Leicester to Loughborough, which was only 12 miles away. These travellers attended temperance meetings. Fifty years ago, tourist arrivals in the Middle East and Africa were virtually none existent, as the travel links simply were not there. I believe one of the main reasons that tourist arrivals have gone up so considerably is due to the travel links expanding. Thanks to the invention of the train, Thomas Cook was able to expand his holidays. However, in 1970, with the invention of the jet plane, mass tourism began. There was no limit to where people could go on holiday, so the distances travelled dramatically increased here. People travel to places such as Spain, specifically the Mediterranean, as it is only 725 miles, which is approximately a 2 hour flight. Today; people can travel literally across the world, from London to Sydney, a distance of 10,552 miles. The third main change in the pattern of tourism over the last fifty years is the cost of travel. People first began taking holidays after the industrial revolution, as they had disposable income. Although prices for travel such as trains were cheaper in the 1950's, people have a much higher income in today's society, so they are much more affordable. In the early 1990's, the first budget airline was introduced. They offered low cost flights in exchange for passenger services, such as in-flight meals and extra leg room. This appealed to many working class people, who wished to go on holiday for less. Flights on budget airlines can be extremely cheap, especially if you fly on an unpopular time and date. You can purchase some flights from the UK to Ireland as cheap as 1p plus VAT. Return flights to Spain can be as cheap as i20. Package holidays also made holidays more appealing to people who were not as well off as some. They combine the cost of flight, accommodation and travel, and are usually with a group of several other tourists. Package holidays range from your typical relaxing fortnight on the beach in Majorca, to cockroach races in Brisbane! At the story bridge hotel in Brisbane, every January 26th, they race cockroaches! This tradition began in 1981, when to drunken men argued that the cockroaches from their part of town were fastest. Today, people literally come from all over the world just to race there cockroaches! Also, many people today choose to go on â€Å"all inclusive† holidays. This is when the holiday resort provides all food and drink in the price. This is appealing to people as when on holiday, many people do not wish to cook or worrying about finding places to eat. All inclusive holidays start from just i290 to Ibiza; this makes luxury more affordable for the working class. Recently, ecotourism has become more popular. This is when people travel to less economically developed countries such as Kenya, or India. They volunteer once in the country, often doing conservation work. Flights to these areas are not very expensive, as they are less popular. Fifty years ago, few people travelled far to go on holiday, as it was so expensive. Overall, these are the three key changes in the pattern of tourism. A dramatic increase in the number of global tourist arrivals, an increase in the distance travelled, and cost of travel being more affordable, have meant that tourism is very different today than it was fifty years ago. I feel that the main catalyst for increasing tourism in general, was the invention of the jet plane. Carrying 2. 1 billion passengers in 2006, it is clearly responsible for a large part of transporting these tourists. Of course, another reason for the patterns in tourism is the fact that people are earning more money. Thanks to this disposable income, more people can afford to treat themselves to a holiday. I also feel there are now more incentives to go on holiday today, such as these â€Å"package†, or â€Å"all inclusive† holidays, as these save the consumer money. Fifty years ago, people used to travel 12 miles down the road to go on holiday, today they travel to the other side of the world. I feel this shows just how big these changes in the pattern of tourism are.

Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 6

Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example The fan YouTube video shows Jolie meeting her many fans. The video shows Jolie signing autographs for her eager fans. The visual & sound video shows fans were taking pictures of their idol. Meanwhile, Jolie’s bodyguards ensure Jolie’s safety and security. Several comments affirmed one of the Jolie fans fainted, dispelling the accident claim. The initial news reports indicated the fan met an avoidable fan accident. By staying away from the places where Jolie frequents, fan accidents can be literally avoided. With a large fan crowd, the fans must expect it is more difficult to step beside Jolie. For the faint of heart, it is highly advisable to stay away from Jolie’s path. In order to avoid being crushed by other Jolie fans, one fan insisted they must not rush towards their idol. Jolie agreed to have an avid fan her picture (Primary). The Jolie fan’s YouTube video showed both Jolie and husband Brad_Pitt greeting their fans. The video scene was taken during the 2014 film_Independent Spirit Awarding ceremony. Some video viewers commented they did not like Jolie’s question. Other fans opined Jolie’s question was meant to be funny. Another fan insisted Jolie’s questioning seemed seriously uttered. Another video videor emphasized some fans treat Jolie as a movie goddess (Primary). The YouTube video shows another fan’s coverage of Jolie doing humanitarian work. The scene shows Jolie carrying carry a young African boy. The fan uploaded the video to show she is proud of Jolie’s humanitarian work. In another scene, Jolie is seen visiting some bedridden refugees. Another scene showed Jolie was crying as she felt some individuals succumb to the harsh realities of life. The fan likes how Jolie would go visit the children of native African community. Jolie’s humanitarian efforts affirms Jolie goes out her way to beneficially improve the lives of the world’s poor families. Many

Network security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Network security - Essay Example This firm is emerging as a huge business set-up with a head office located in New York. In the past few years, TAS has got massive popularity and now it has 10 stores in the area. The staff of TAS comprises more than 500 people. In order to connect its different stores the business has implemented a wide area network (WAN). However, the internal activities are performed by using local area network (LAN), which is established by using cables and other hardware devices. The implementation of this network has brought a number of advantages and improvements to business, however; in order to run its business operations effectively the firm has implemented an effective security mechanism. The firm has mixed a wide variety of security techniques to improve its network security. In this scenario, the business uses different security techniques to ensure the maximum security of its network. This paper discusses some of the important aspects associated with its network security. ... In addition, the absence of a network security can create many security challenges for a firm for instance a competitor or a hacker can gain access to private or vital information, which can destroy the entire business or personal information related to a specific system or data loss. In this scenario, an organization can implement effective network security when its employees and staff members have knowledge of network security. In simple words, in an attempt to ensure effective network security system users must follow organization’s security guidelines (Kaminsky, 2012; Ray, 2004; Laudon & Laudon, 1999). Athlete’s Shack (TAS) makes use of a wide variety of security techniques to ensure the security of its network and business data. Some of the important techniques are outlined below: Username and Password Based Access: Each employee is provided with a username and a password which they use in order to access and use the system. For this purpose, they have an IT Centre , which is responsible for determining the access type for the organization’s employees. Firewalls A firewall can be implemented in both hardware and software format as they are designed to stop illegal access to or from a private network. In addition, firewalls stop illegal Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, in particular intranets (Indiana University, 2012; Rouse, 2007). Since the different stores of the Athlete’s Shack (TAS) are connected using the Internet so they have implemented firewalls to secure their computers and network. Antivirus Software An anti-virus program stops viruses from entering into the computer network. In this scenario, TAS is using the latest version of Avira Antivirus1 that is very

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every Essay

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every major battle during the Persian Wars (490-79 BC) - Essay Example The Persian Empire under the rule of Xerxes and Darius were defeated. There was a series of battles which took place in the Persian Wars, some lost by the Greeks, and some won. Following is a short account of how the Greeks managed to win most of the battles in the Persian Wars.1i The Siege of Naxos took place in 499 BC. This battle marks the start of the Persian Wars which lasted for about fifty years. The Milesian tyrant Aristagoras had the full support of Darius the Great of the Persian Empire in the futile attempt to take over the island of Naxos in the name of the Persian Empire. This attempt of Aristagoras however failed horribly. Aristocrats who had been exiled from the island of Naxos and were looking for a way to go back to their land contacted Aristagoras. Aristagoras saw this as an opportunity to make his position in the Miletus stronger. For assistance in this matter, Darius the Great and Artaphernes the local satrap were consulted and plans were made to conquer Naxos. The Persians agreed to g on the mission of conquering Naxos and a force of 200 triremes was assigned to Megabates. The mission however soon turned out to be a complete disaster. On the way to Naxos, Aristagoras and Artaphernes broke out into a quarrel and the Naxians were informed a bout the oncoming force beforehand, quite possibly by Artaphernes. Upon the arrival of Persians at the gate of Naxos, they encountered Naxos as a city which was prepared to the fullest to undertake and go through a siege. The attackers were obliged to attack in spite of the great defense as they had travelled a long way but after four months of no success in the battlefield they ran out of money and resources and had to retreat back to Asia Minor. Aristagoras sensed that after this disaster he would no longer be appointed to rule and so he turned the people of Ionia against Darius the Great and rebelled against him. The Ionian Revolt and the failed attempt to conquer Naxos angered Darius

Reaction response12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction response12 - Essay Example Video chats offer the opportunity for persons to evaluate sincerity of individuals by evaluating their behavior. However, the major challenge of the online interaction is the inability to understand individuals extensively. Online environment offers a platform for mischief and lies because the interaction is minimal and evaluation of the truthfulness of the information presented cannot be guaranteed in the process. In fact, online platform has opened the opportunity for fraud and mischief because of the ease of hiding the truth and presenting a different self-image (Beverly and Thomson 94). From the episode, the image presented online, and the actual self-image differed significantly. The challenge with the online platform is the challenge of verification of the information present. In the episode, the two men were forced to travel and meet the lady face to face in order to verify some of the information presented online. Consequently, security of the individuals in the online platform may be an issue of concern. Security and trust are issues affecting online interaction with fraud and privacy invasion in the contemporary society being exceedingly common. The episode highlights why security is vital in the online interaction

Interpretation and criticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interpretation and criticism - Essay Example At the time when Sontag wrote this, pop art was very popular, which had room only for experience, but hardly much for interpretation. This was also a fall-out of the fact that art critics just before this time were very eager to categorize every work of art into certain theories and pre-conceived notions, which made way for a very forced manner of looking at things. It is also true that music needs to be analyzed in order to be learned, and this involves the dissection of their beloved medium for music lovers who also yearn to master it. But after one has absorbed the technicalities of music, they become a sort of second nature, and do not hinder the love and appreciations of the art form. In fact, when one is aware of how exactly the music is made, the enjoyment becomes keener. It is just a matter of going through the difficult transitional learning phase without losing interest or ardor. From our discussion here it is clear that analysis and interpretation are necessary in order to appreciate and gain an understanding of art. But it is important to do this while keeping fresh the immediate experience that art provides, so as to fully enjoy it and not impose any meanings that even the artist may not have intended in the first place. Athol

Knowledge management and knowledge engineering Assignment

Knowledge management and knowledge engineering - Assignment Example I know these topics because I have interacted with them and understand their characteristics or aspects. The topics I have information about are a company’s annual report, the weather of my location, the weather of another location and the content of a television news program. These topics only present data that has been contextualized. The primary characteristic that distinguishes knowledge and information is my interaction with a situation. Situations in which I interact with a topic and confirm the available information lead to the creation of knowledge about the topic. Situations in which I have contextualized data are informing situations. The series of readings can be transferred into knowledge through the processing and contextualization of the readings. The readings are processed according to the weather. The processed data is then contextualized to information. The information is compared or related to previous information in order to confirm the likely weather event. Activities in knowledge acquisition should be extraction, structuring and organization of knowledge from a source. Knowledge validation should involve the monitoring of a database in order to ensure that previous data is adequate and reliable. Knowledge representation should involve the representation of data into a form that is understandable. Inference should involve the derivation of conclusions based on premises that are assumed true. People affiliated to knowledge management conduct the studies.

Geodemographic report using SPSS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Geodemographic report using SPSS - Essay Example Combining the dynamics of human population with the spatial and locational differences enabled researchers to comprehend the characteristics of population in different locations. Based on the demographic data, marketers target particular communities for various purposes ranging from marketing to politics. Essentially, geodemography is the comprehension of complicated socio-economic information by the use of structured statistical methods (Brimicombe, 2007). SPSS is one of the most commonly employed computer programme to analyze statistics and its manual of this programme stands as one of the most high-ranking books in sociology. Some of the other functions performed by this programme include deploying surveys, extracting data, analysis of text and collaboration and usage. SPSS is a relatively user-friendly programme that is in practical use to undertake research. It facilitates mining information from questionnaires and converting it into totals and percentages. In addition, it allow s statistical calculations to be performed that help in estimating the significance of results. 2. Aim of The Area Classification The objective of my classification is to identify areas within the local authority (Worthing in West Sussex) where it is most suitable to start a charity campaign by targeting wealthier areas. This report contains the methodology, analysis and results of an independent appraisal and evaluation of the community in Worthing, West Sussex placed under wealth analysis. The goal of my classification and research was to identify different socio-economic and demographic areas within the local authority in Worthing, West Sussex. Based on this information, the community can then be segmented into different socio-economic strata. The charity campaigners can then easily differentiate between the wealthy and impoverished areas. The chances of receiving donations will escalate by targeting the affluent segment of society as indicated by studies on the matter (Gertner, 2008). Alternatively, the accumulated funds can be invested for the welfare of the underprivileged section of the society. The specific aims of the research are: 1. To identify income disparities; 2. To find out the level of qualifications and education in the community; 3. To provide financial support to the unemployed and boost the number of people in employment; 4. Increase the amount of volunteers in social care and promote a wider range of volunteer activities that people can undertake after adequate training and support; 5. To shift resources and change cultural norms away from wealth constituted in a few hands to a more equitable distribution of wealth. 3. Methodology and Practical Work In order to carry out a statistical analysis of the population segments in the target area, the statistics were gathered from the 2001 Aggregate Statistics Datasets. These data sets also had digital boundary data included with them in order to facilitate geodemographic concerns. The statistics were obtained by specifying the applicable district, county, region and country which in this case was Worthing in West Sussex. The major statistics were chosen from the Key Statistics dataset tables and were moved using a query designed in Microsoft Excel. This was followed by extracting the digital boundary for the target area. Excel was then used to calculate the percentage

Juvenile Focus Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Focus - Article Example Among such programs and strategies, include a package on guiding discipline in schools released by the collaborations between the departments of Justice and Education. In another strategy, the country’s National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice has developed a course on mental health and juvenile justice called the â€Å"Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaboration for Change,† which as the name suggests, involves collaboration between different stakeholders on various juvenile issues. Overall, the author advances the important role that all stakeholders should play by collaborating with each other to address juvenile delinquency. Realizing that addressing juvenile delinquency requires the collaboration of all stakeholders from individual families to communities and to different government agencies, the author provides rationale for collaboration between different stakeholders, which makes the article important for anyone to read. By addressing issues on children and youths, the future of this country and the world, the article is important makes for an interested read for other people in order to acquaint themselves with the different approaches and the various ways they could get involved in the issue of juvenile delinquency. The article is easy to understand since the author uses simple language that is understandable without using jargon. In addition, the article is well organized as the author uses headings to present each item under discussion.

The sixth sense - review Essay Example for Free

The sixth sense review Essay I think that the sixth sense falls into a mystery-thriller. Mystery because at the start you wonder whats wrong with Cole, but half way though we find out his problem that he can see dead people, and then we wonder how he can be helped and will Malcolm be able to help him. Near the end there is an unexpected twist, and you find out Malcolm has been dead all along. The audience needs to believe that Malcolm has been dead all the time; otherwise we would know Cole could see dead people all along and most of the scenes would be pointless. Some bits of the film are scary and can make u jump, thats why it falls into a thriller. The film is meant to trick the audience all the way through with loads of twists and turns. The film could make people think maybe just for one second, are their dead people walking around that we cant see? And is there any one who could see dead people? At the beginning of the first scene it looks as if Coles mum and Malcolm have been having a conversation, because they are facing each other and appear to be looking at each other, we also think they have been having a conversation by the way they have been sitting, it looks like they have been sitting there for a while and they are nice and comfortable, but we actually dont see them talking. When Cole comes home Coles mum goes to great him, and they start to tell each other about there days that didnt really happen, like there dream days. While Cole and his mum talk about there dream day Malcolm smiles, this tell us that he knows what they said they did in there days arent true but its a nice thing to do, it also shows Cole and his mum have a good relationship. This scene is important for later on when Coles mum gets accused for beating him, this scene proves she would never hurt him and they have a good relationship. As Coles mum leaves the room she says you have got an hour this makes the audience assume that Malcolm and Cole have an hour to talk, but what she really means is Cole has an hour until dinner. The Camera helps deceive us because Coles mum turns around as she says, you have got an hour making it look like shes talking to Malcolm. After Coles mum leaves the room Cole and Malcolm play a game, Malcolm says its a mind reading game and if he reads Coles mind correctly Cole takes a step forward, but if he reads him mind wrong Cole takes a step back, if Cole get to the chair were Malcolm is sitting, he sits down and talks to Malcolm, but if he gets to the door he can go. We dont think anything unusual about Malcolm getting some of the questions about Cole right because he must know some background information about Cole as part of his job. We think Cole and Malcolms relationship is good and Malcolm is trying to build up Coles trusts with him, we think that have a normal Doctor client relationship. Cole says Malcolm is nice but he doesnt think Malcolm can help him, he says you cant help me Malcolm and Cole talk about Coles life at school, when his dad left and about Coles mum going to see someone like Malcolm but he didnt help her, and thats why Cole thinks Malcolm cant help him. Its important we think Cole and Malcolm have a normal Doctor client relationship so that we think Malcolm is a normal Doctor. We now know that Cole can see dead people because when hes in the hospital with Malcolm he says, I can see dead people. When Cole sees ghosts it is usually dark and it gets cold, it gets cold when the ghosts are angry, we no this because after the school play Cole says to Malcolm when they get mad it gets cold . When Cole talks to Malcolm it doesnt get cold and u cant see his breath, this shows that Malcolm is not angry and does not no hes dead, also if it got cold and we could see Coles breath when hes around Malcolm we would no Malcolm was dead half way threw, and we are not meant to find out until the end. At the begging of the restaurant scene we see Anna sitting down with her back to the camera, and Malcolm walking towards her threw the restaurant, then there is a close up on Malcolm standing right at the table looking directly at Anna, then he sits down and says Im sorry Anna she then looks straight ahead at him hes looking to his right as he talks, there is no eye contact, direct eye contact is made as the camera moves closer, Malcolm straight away after saying sorry to Anna starts talking about Cole, as the camera moves in they again avoid eye contact, there is a close up on Malcolm still talking to Anna about Cole. The camera pans round the weightier buts the cheque on the table, we see Anna and Malcolm both go to grab it Anna takes the cheque quickly making us think she is angry with Malcolm and doesnt want him to pay for it, as Anna signs the cheque the camera bends behind Malcolm, as it does so Malcolm apologises for the way he has been acting, Anna is mostly looking down signing the cheque and putting her things in her bag, as Malcolm is apologising Anna looks up making people think that she is agreeing with him, but she is really looking up because someone was laughing she looks down sadly again and says happy anniversary . During the whole scene we do not see them directly talking to each other and having a proper convocation. We think Anna is angry with Malcolm because he was late, and when he comes he just says sorry and then he starts talking about Cole, then he says sorry to her properly. As she leaves she says happy anniversary in a sarcastic way, this then means Malcolm forgot it was there anniversary what is another reason why Anna would be angry. This would make Anna think that she is second best and that her and Malcolm dont have a very good relationship. This scene adds to our belief that Malcolm is alive and not dead. We know Malcolm and Anna dont talk much because Malcolm is already dead. But the film leads us to believe that they dont talk much, because Anna is angry with Malcolm because Malcolm was late and Malcolm dont really no what to say, because he is an a difficult position. Anna doest really talk she just looks down at the ground making it look like she is angry. When Malcolm does talk he just starts talking about Cole and nothing else. The camera makes it look as if they are looking at each other, but theyre not because Anna cant see Malcolm. Anna sighs after Malcolm is finished talking, this makes up think that Anna is fed up and has had enough. The two scenes help our belief of Malcolm being alive because, it looks as if Malcolm is interacting with other people and other things, leaving the audience with no reason to doubt Malcolm being alive. It is important that we believe Malcolm is alive other wise, if we knew he was dead from the start most of the scenes would be pointless and would be boring for the audience. At the end of the film we realise Malcolm is dead when we see him talking to Anna, and all the deceptions Cole gave of dead people we see with Malcolm. We see flash backs of the two scenes and we realise that Malcolm never talked to anyone and that he didnt interact with anything, and the only person who could see and hear him is Cole.

Information System In Allied Bank

Information System In Allied Bank Allied bank was the first bank to be established in Pakistan. It started out in Lahore by the name Australasia Bank before independence in 1942; was renamed Allied Bank of Pakistan Limited in 1974 and then Allied Bank Limited in 2005. Allied Bank was the first Muslim bank to have been established in Pakistan. Established in December 1942 as the Australasia Bank in Lahore with a paid-up share capital of Rs. 0.12 million under the Chairmanship of Khawaja Bashir Bux, the Bank attracted deposits equivalent to Rs. 0.431 million in its first eighteen months of business. Today, with its existence of over 60 years, the Bank has built itself a foundation with a strong equity, assets and deposit base. At the time, the Banks total assets amounted to Rs. 0.572 million. Today, Allied Banks paid up Capital Reserves amount to Rs. 10.5 billion, deposits exceed Rs. 143 billion and total assets equal Rs. 170 billion. It offers universal banking services, while placing major emphasis on retail banking. The Bank also has the largest network of over 800 online branches in Pakistan and offers various technology-based products and services to its diverse clientele. Vision: To become a dynamic and efficient bank providing integrated solutions and the first choice of bank for all customers. Mission: To provide high tech innovative solutions to meet customer requirements To create sustainable value through growth, efficiency and diversity for all stake holders To provide a challenging work environment, and reward dedicated team members To play a proactive role in contributing towards the society Values: Integrity Excellence in service High performance Innovation and growth Areas of Business: Allied bank is operating in all major cities of Pakistan. It has a network of 700 branches. Information Systems at Allied Bank Limited Information systems used at ABL differ from department to department and complete specifications of systems used in Customer Retail Banking Department will be mentioned in the later part of the report however, the IS used in Allied bank serves the common purpose of faster communication between all stake holders, updating of transactions process on daily basis, provision of better customer service, faster execution of data, easier access and communication to the central branch and other branches countrywide etc. However, Allied Bank used manual systems before 2002. The reasons for making the shift to automated information systems are summarized below: The need for converting from manual to automated systems: Personnel at Allied Bank are of the view that both manual and automated systems are effective ways of message entry and transmission but manual data systems have certain cons as compared to their counterpart the automated data systems. Manual data systems are slow and tedious as compared to automated systems. Moreover, there are more chances of human error occurring in the usage of manual systems as compared to automated systems and this error removing is crucial to the efficient functioning of the Allied Bank. Moreover, manual data systems are less secure and tampering with data is possible via their use and to minimize that risk Allied bank shifted to the use of automated Data systems in 2002. Moreover, Mr. Shahzad Shahid, Product Manager-Liabilities, was of the view that this change will result in cost reduction in the long run. Management Information System used at ABL The MIS used at Allied bank Limited is Oracle Database 10g. Oracle Data base 10g has completely transformed the outlook and operations of ABL. It has transformed the structure such that now ABLs IS does not consist of fragmented machineries working individually to attain goals but they now function as a fused collection of servers, storage devices, and systems to meet the changing processing needs of ABL. This resulted in dramatic cost reduction, overall efficiency and enhancement in the quality of customer service. It has also reduced hardware costs by efficient networking and amalgamating of functions performed by various servers and systems. Cost reduction also took place because Oracle 10g eliminated the need for the purchases and upgrading of management softwares and tools and third party interventions as it was a complete management solution in itself. Oracle 10g also enabled Allied Bank Limited in efficient and wider data base storage, high and faster accessibility of data, faster performance, secure data transferring and cheaper application development. Salient features of Oracle 10g from which ABL is benefiting from are described below in great detail:  [1]   Oracle 10g served as a very attractive investment for Allied Bank Limited as it cut down significant costs of Allied Bank on hardware because Oracle 10g provide the technology of Oracle Real Application Clusters which enabled the creation of communication clusters via use of just 3-4 PCs which become more easier to administer and run and are more efficient as compared to functioning of sole systems. Oracle 10g also enabled Allied Bank to cut down its costs on storage devices which prove to be a big cost for banks to store humongous amounts of daily transactions and data. However, this problem was solved by the use of Oracles automatic storage management which not only enabled the pooling of PCs but also enabled pooling of storage devices to the communication cluster as per required. This choice of addition of storage devices to clusters made the data transformation, collection and storage cheaper, easier and efficient. Oracle 10g has enabled Allied bank to save on its database management costs as its database administration is either completely automatic or much uncomplicated. This has enabled Allied bank to save its costs on the training of new database managers. Oracle 10g has its own cluster administration softwares which monitor, manage the performance of clusters and thus eliminates the needs for extra utility and program softwares. Oracle uses Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control and Management Packs to monitor clusters performance efficiently. Oracle 10g uses GUI tools and utilities for increasing the power and efficiency of the clusters. Oracle 10g also introduces self-administration in the databases through use of programs such as Automatic Storage Management, Automatic Memory Management, Automatic Optimizer Statistics Collection, Automatic Workload Repository, Automatic Database Diagnostics Monitor, Automatic SQL Tuning, Segment Advisor, Automatic Workload Management, Automatic Disk-Based Backup and Recovery to meet the changing processing, data transforming and storing demands. Thus, Allied Bank has benefited greatly from its shift from Manual systems to the automated Oracle 10g system. The benefits reaped are unparalleled in terms of cost reduction, efficiency, data disseminating and decision making. Allied Bank in addition to the use of Oracle 10g uses softwares such as Unibank, however it is planning to change its banking software from Unibank to Temenos t-24 in the mid of 2010. Shift from Unibank to Temenos T-24 When Allied bank shifted to automated Information Systems in 2002, it started using softwares such as UNIBANK .This software held answers to the management of all the chaos created by the use of manual systems.  [2]  Unibank was a branch centric cash management software which held answers to the banking problems of the time thus it was called the core banking solution. Unibank gave faster and safe electronic access to banking transactions and functions. Unibank enabled Allied Bank to: Evaluate the latest record of all account transactions taking place in the branch Exchange information with other departments of the branch such as finance and accounting Monitoring and management of deposits and withdrawals simultaneously Electronic transfer of data from one branch to another Provision of e-statements for the employees making their jobs easier. Secure data control and transfer. Electronic monitoring and management of employee payrolls Need for Temenos T-24 Although Unibank seemed to be the answer to all the banking problems at that time however due to changing technological trends, higher uncertainty in the environment, shift towards centralized functioning and policies, Allied Bank has decided to shift from Unibank to Temenos T-24. The reason being that, Unibank was branch centric software and due to this reason data could be lost or misplaced if server crashed at any particular branch. Moreover, considering the uncertain political situation in Pakistan, there was high possibility of raids and fires and due to this the threat of data loss was eminent thus a shift is being planned and implemented from Unibank to Temenos T-24 as we speak. This shift will be implemented in all the branches countrywide within a period of 6 months. The reason for shifting to Temenos T-24 is that it is centralized software with the central server in Kashmir Road Branch in Lahore. This central server acts as a hub and daily transmissions are not only recorded in branches but in the central hub too, thus making the information more secure. Moreover, designated user ids/passwords, bio-metric systems add to the security of information. All the transactions and operation take place in real time. Policies are designed at the central server in Lahore and are applicable to all the branches country wide thus making the operations uniform and consistent in all the branches.  [3]   Temenos T-24 in addition to providing all the functions that Unibank provided, offers a more secure platform and new and efficient data bases. Moreover, Temenos T-24 is partners with Microsoft and has adopted MS platform to make the functioning of the software more user-friendly and easy. Moreover, one of the reasons for adopting Temenos T24 by ABL is that its cost of owner ship is very cheap as compared to the benefits it provides. Moreover, it uses established programs such as HTTP, XML so that functioning it not an entirely new experience but adds on to the previous knowledge of the employees. Moreover, it has an edge over Unibank as it eliminates the need for end-of-day banking and is a true 24/7 banking system, which heaves away burden from the employees and enables employees and customers to access updated information at all times. Department: Commercial and Retail Banking Overview The Commercial Retail Banking Group (CRBG) offers a variety of asset and liability-based retail products to its customers. The Groups main focus has been on introducing various financing and investment products for its valuable clients, and contributing to the steady growth of the financial industry. CRBG consists of 4 geographic groups and is further divided across 27 regions in Pakistan. Each region is responsible for providing a quality service to its own customer-base. In recent years, the Group has been working to find alternate ways to bank for customers, and has installed more ATMs to its already strong and largest ATM network. The department offers the following product and services to its customers Internet Banking Online Banking Profit Rates ATM Network Unclaimed Deposits Deposit Account SME Agriculture Other Services Corporate Leasing The department has a total of 6000 employees all over Pakistan, the information flow and the data transfer rate thus is very high and poses a great challenge for the Information System of the department to maintain and keep it secure. Functional Hierarchy of the Department Technical specifications Allied Bank after its privatization has been following a pro I.T policy. The switch from the manual system to a more automated Information System requires certain infrastructure (PCs, Softwares etc) and ABL in this regard didnt compromise on quality; they have a contract with Digital World Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. (DWP) to provide state of the art computers with the best softwares to run the M.I.S system. The CRBG dept of ABL has the following I.T infrastructure: Hardware Specifications Personal computers- 14 in total Consisting of 9 desktop PCs and 5 laptops Desktop PCs Specs: Intel Pentium 4 2.5ghz, 512MB RAM, 80 GB hard-disk Laptop PCs Specifications: Intel Dual Core2 2Ghz, 2gb RAM, 160GB Hard-disk HP Printers 3 in total 2 HP LaserJet 1010 Colored Printers, 1 HP Desk-jet Black and white printer HP Digital Scanner IBM P5 Mainframe Server Specifications: Four 1.65GHz 64-bit POWER5 processors L2 cache: 1.9MB (2-way); 3.8MB (4-way) L3 cache: 36MB (2-way); 72MB (4-way) 32GB of 266MHz DDR1 memory Two 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports Optional 2 Gigabit Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 4x InfiniBand ® adapters Two USB, two HMC and two system ports Software Specifications Application Software CRBG department Employees uses the following application softwares; Microsoft Office 2007 2010 McAfee Anti-Virus 2010 Adobe Reader 8 System Software The departments computers were found to be using the following system softwares; Operating System: Windows XP for Desk-top PCs and Windows Vista for the Laptops. Windows NT server for mainframe server. Core Banking Solution The software currently in use is UNIBANK, however T24 has been introduced in one branch in LAHORE. Query Software ABL employees generate queries through these softwares, for example if I want to view a customers demographics I will put in a query in the Discoverer Viewer which will then seek the data from the Central Database Discoverer Viewer It is just for viewing of data, Discoverer PLUS The queries here can even be edited and employees have limited access to this software Network Type Allied bank is using the client/server network because the employees easily share the data and its cheaper than others and maintainable. All the data is saved in Central Database (CBS) and employees can easily access it. This type of computing system provides an easy access and efficient flow of data, which increase the functionality of organization. End-User and training In this era of cut-throat competition and diminishing profit margins Banks are becoming more lean, service oriented and efficient. As mentioned before Banks in order to keep this trend of efficiency going upward are adopting new information systems and updating the existing ones however one barrier to this are the employees, there is already a shortage of computer literate people in Pakistan and for this reason when new softwares or In our case a new CORE BANKNG SOLUTION is introduced it requires rigorous training session to train the employees so that they are able to use the software. The effectiveness of core banking systems is directly related to the skills and knowledge of those operating them; therefore training is an essential investment and not an expense. The training session have been divided into three stages When we talk of the end user its the employees themselves here, they use the information available and make different queries accordingly as mentioned before currently the Core Banking Solution (CBS) namely Unibank is being change to Temenos and this requires that the support and operations staff be trained to use this CBS. For this reason different training sessions have been organized by the Bank and the Temenos technical team itself. Apart from this Temenos, to support the contracted BANKS, also provides the following courses to their employees: Open Training Courses Bespoke Training courses End User Training (EUT) Training consultancy for design and development of EUT courses eLearning and Computer Based Training (CBT) The Train the Trainer approach The benefits of attending these training programs include dedicated premises and training equipment, and the added advantage of minimizing interruptions for the duration of training course. Information Intakes and Flow CRBG has information flow daily from all over Pakistan, the department has the responsibility to effectively manage the liabilities of the Bank. The information accessible by this department through the Information system includes: Daily Monitoring of Deposits The deposits intakes and off takes during the day Maintaining a minimum balance of funds ATM monitoring Monitoring the downtime of each ATM Monitoring which area has a consistent network/server issues Customer Demographics ABLs information system is linked to NADRAs system for verification of Customers IDs CRBG has access to all the information of its customers and employees as it is responsible for managing the liabilities section Account Opening Run Rate The accounts opened each day along with their balances Employee Check in Check out time Through monitoring of this data employee efficiency can also be measured. Query Regarding an Employee Employee Record Information Flow We observe TRANSACTION PROCESSING SYSTEM functional in this department apart from the Office Automation Systems, all the activities and transactions done throughout the chain of command in this department is recorded first at the Branch level then after EODs (End of Day) are Run all the data of that days transactions are transferred to the ORACLE CENTRAL DATABASE located in ABL HEAD-QUARTERS LAHORE. Real-time Monitoring is being done of this information flow by the department, once the days information is saved in the ORACLE CENTRAL DATABASE in their respected fields and tables, it can be accessed through the DISCOVERER VIEWER/PLUS Software the next day by creating a query for it. Issues with the Information System To function effectively as an interacting, interrelated, and interdependent feeDatabase Administratorck tool for management and staff, MIS must be useable. The five elements of a useable MIS system are: timeliness, accuracy, consistency, completeness, and relevance. The usefulness of MIS is hindered whenever one or more of these elements are compromised. The IS at Allied Bank, although effective to a great extent, has certain weaknesses as we found out: From a branch centered approach, the bank has moved to a centralized system. Transactions at the branches, previously used to be stored and processed at the branches only. It was only at the day end, that all data and information was relayed to the head office. Now, however, this practice has changed. Branches only facilitate interactions with customers, whereas the information is directly send to the head office and is processed there in real time. The problem with this is the time lag that results subsequently. Data flow from the point of transaction to the head office, back to the point of transaction is a longer and hence a slower process. Also the security procedures inbuilt in the new software, Temenos, make processing slower. In the new IS, cash transactions taking place go from a Temenos account head to a buffer account and then to the customers account. Previously, the cash transactions were directly debited/ credited to the customer account. Buffer accounts created, although increase the overall security; make the processing of data slower. Too much reliance on information systems also means that in the scenario when server crashes down, or gets hanged, banking transactions will be completely disrupted. Security Measures and Backup One of the major concerns of organizations using information technology to carry out their business processes is how to secure the data against internal and external threats. With modern advancements, mitigating information security threats has become an ongoing battle. Viruses, worms, hacker attacks, spam, phishing, and instant messaging attacks are just some of the problems. Data bank faces risk of security breaches not only at the hands of customers and outsiders, but also from the employees working within the organization. Therefore it is highly crucial to build security parameters to detect whatsoever threats there might be and also to ensure data safety. At Allied Bank, data security is the thing that cannot be compromised at all. For this reason, the MIS department has taken stringent measures to ensure data security. The Corporate and Retail Department which deals primarily in confidential data of bank customers has taken numerous steps to avert security threats. Employees have individual Ids and passwords that they use to log-in to the system database. But this does not mean that all the employees have same access to the data and information. There are proper hierarchy levels: which implies that there are gatekeepers at each level, supervising who access what data! Password protection is there to prevent just everybody from viewing confidential data. Moreover, Allied Bank uses SSL certified encryption to secure its data channels. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral. SSL is an industry standard and is used in the protection of online transactions with customers. Encryption of data exchanged by customers and the bank ensures that data security, even if breached on its way, will make decrypting and understanding the data difficult. Anti-virus and anti-spam packages like McAfee Anti-Virus are also installed to secure data against viruses, spam, etc. There is also a Disaster Recovery System in place, in case of fire, raids, and other unforeseen and unexpected events. The backups are stored at both hot and cold sites. The head office in Lahore is the hot site. It is the central database of Allied Bank where all the transactions taking place in the eight hundred or so branches are recorded and updated on a real time basis. The cold sites are at the twenty seven regional offices all over Pakistan. These cold sites are updated at appropriate intervals, on a weekly basis sometimes. In accordance with the State Bank of Pakistan regulation, data and information of three years is stored and maintained at these cold sites. Also, USBs are widely used as potable storage devices. Future Plans Allied bank is planning to replace the current Core Business Solution Uni Bank with Temenos. This transformation is in its phase I. The software is being tested in one branch near the Head Office in Lahore. This testing phase will end on June 30th. Training of employees is being conducted and further more sessions are in the pipeline Allied bank plans to introduce Temenos in 107 branches out of the whole network of 800 braches within six months. Implementation in further branches is still unplanned. Allied Bank has opened its branch in Kashmir and plans to extend its network and reach in the remote areas of the country. Recommendations The disaster recovery system at Allied Bank is inappropriate to bear the load of 800 branches. There is one common hot site of all the branches at the Head Office and cold sites at the regional offices, 27 in number. But we feel that these backups are too less, keeping the current security scenario in view where banks have even been raided and burned by mobs. Therefore the backups should be set up at places other than the bank branches. The training period for a batch of 50 people is three weeks on average. We feel that this is insufficient as the new banking system Temenos has far complex procedures as the user interface is not friendly. Proper temperature controls are needed for the server to operate efficiently. We feel that the current infrastructure is insufficient to support the system. References http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/topics/0,295493,sid14_tax299811,00.html http://tldp.org/HOWTO/SSL-Certificates-HOWTO/x64.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster_recovery http://info.ssl.com/article.aspx?id=10241 http://www.occ.treas.gov/handbook/mis.pdf http://www.temenos.com http://www.abl.com.pk http://www.oracle.com

Globalization of the Computer Industry

Globalization of the Computer Industry Introduction: The topic we have chosen for poster presentation is â€Å"Globalization of Computer Industry† and its very important in today`s world because now days everything is done with computer and now days nothing can be done without computers in international business. Globalisation is a highly significant issue around the world. In the Academic Context Neo Liberal Economist are in support of globalisation and open markets but some scholars are against it because of its strong effect on workers, language, local companies and social institutions. According to Berger, et al., (1999) globalisation refers to â€Å"Tendencies towards the integration across borders of markets for labour, capital, goods and services and emergence in all of these markets of a common set of actors†. The Four aspects of Computer industry are goods and services, labour, capital and technology. In goods and services it includes providing good services to customers, increasing per capita income of the country and e- commerce activities. In labour it includes providing employment to labours and in capital it includes foreign exchange and other modes of investment and in technology it includes artificial intelligence and new types of technology. The personal computer industry is one of the leading industry in the world with world class companies that expand in the main regions of the world . Since 1980 it is the most relevant segment in the electronic industry both in terms of industry organisation and innovation of new pattern of firms and also in the growth. The reason why we have chosen this topic is that it is very important and now a days business cannot progress without computers as everything is done on computers. Importance of Globalisation of computer Industry: The computer industry is the most dominant industry in the world due to the market leadership of international business machines. It was the IBM that created the computer with basic standard that ruled most of the world`s market. IBM also operated on the basis of product development , manufacturing responsibilities by plants globally and also on the basis of global rendering optimal. According to Longlois (1992) after the successful Apple II and to capture growing market , IBM created an open, modular architecture that give access to suppliers to develop components with the operating system and core CPU. Japan and Korea were less successful as global producers but were main suppliers of flat panel displays and memory chips. According to Survey conducted by Mc Millan et al (1999) the most relevant factor in determining where to do business are infrastructure(18%), political stability (17%), availability and skilled labour (17%), tax incentives(10%), closer to suppliers and customers ( 16%) and unskilled labour is only (3%). Trends in Computer industry: The main trends in computer industry are mass customization that means it results in faster respond to shift in demand for particular software and components than usual product lines. Outsourcing means companies are outsourcing to Asian countries to reduce cost like IBM outsourced the components like printed circuit boards and disk drives to reduce costs. E- commerce activities means it helps in increasing the demand for customization, compare price online and to make changes to products. These trends have an relevant effect on the computer industry. The current trends in computer industry are demand dynamics, market and distribution trends , new business plans , new technology and product directions. Impact of computer Industry Downfall: The examples of changes are Dell dismissed 5000 workers in Austin area but increased employment outside US. Compaq dismissed 8500 workers in Texas and 1750 workers in Europe . Apple reduced its work force but added worked to new company owned stores. Trends of industry downfall from dismissing workers are consolidation, Outsourcing and shift regional production to Asian countries to enter global market and to shift production to low cost countries. Conclusion: Globalization of computer industry is motivated by two factors and in that first one is to reduce cost in a highly priced globalised world and second one is to the ability to reach the global market. Due to globalization of computer industry prices become less for computer users and also technology diffusion have moved fastly . Last but not least globalization helps to maintain a competitive and creative industry environment by focusing on core capabilities and also help in achieving economies of scale. References: Berger, Suzanne, Sturgeon, Timothy, Kurz, Constanze, Voskamp, Ulrich and Wittke, Volker. (1999),†Globalisation, Value Networks and National Models†, MIT IPC Globalization Working Paper 99-000. â€Å"Dell Transfers Desktop Production to China† Asia Port daily new ,25 September.p.40. Pletz, John.(2001).† Dell computer`s Future Growth Will Occur Outside Of Texas, Chairman says,† Austin American Statesman,25 May. Longlois ,Richard.(1992),† External Economies and Economic Progress: The Case of the Micro Computer Industry† Business History Review, 66(1): 1-50. McMillan, Margaret, Pandolfi, Selina and Salinger, Lynn, B.,(1999),†Promoting Foreign Direct Investment In Labor- Intensive, Manufacturing Exports in Developing Countries,† CAER II Discussion Paper No. 42, Harvard Institute For International Development. Fowler, Tom.(2001). â€Å"Compaq Doubles Up on Local Layoff Plans,† Houston Chronicle, 10 August, p.1. (http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wq2f4hx) Accessed on 2nd May 2010. (http://web.mit.edu/ipc/www/globalization.html) Accessed on 3rd May 2010.

Media Violence in Childrens Lives Essay -- essays papers

Media Violence in Children's Lives During the past decade, America has witnessed an alarming increase in the incidence of violence in the lives of children. On a daily basis, children in America are victims of violence, as witnesses to violent acts in their homes or communities, or as victims of abuse, neglect, or personal assault. The causes of violent behavior in society are complex and interrelated. Among the significant contributors are poverty, racism, unemployment, illegal drugs, inadequate or abusive parenting practices, and real-life adult models of violent problem-solving behavior. At the same time that there has been an increase in the number of reported violent acts directed at children, there has been an increase in the amount and severity of violent acts observed by children through the media, including television, movies, computer games, and videotapes, and an increase in the manufacture and distribution of weapon-like toys and other products directly linked to violent programming. In response, Governing Board appointed a panel of experts to guide the development of initiatives and resources to assist teachers and parents in confronting the issue of violence in the lives of children. This position statement addresses one aspect of the proble -- media violence -- and is the first in a series of projects the Association plans to address this important issue. We have chosen to address the issue of media violence first because, of all the sources and manifestations of violence in children's lives, it is perhaps the most easily corrected. The media industry ought to serve the public interest and ought to be subject to government regulation. The responsibility of adults and of public policy to protect children from unnecessary and potentially harmful exposure to violence through the media and to protect children from television content and advertising practices that exploit their special vulnerability (Huston, Watkins, & Kunkel, 1989). Television and other media have the potential to be very effective educational tools for children. Research demonstrates that television viewing is a highly complex, cognitive activity, during which children are actively involved in learning (Anderson & Collins, 1988). Therefore, supports efforts to use media constructively to expand children's knowledge and promote the development of positiv... ... Vol 1: Summary report. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams, and imitation in children (C. Gattegno & F.M. Hodgson, Trans.). New York: Norton. (Original work published 1951) Piaget, J. (1963). The origins of intelligence in children. (M. Cook, Trans.). New York: Norton. (Original work published 1936) Rule, B., & Ferguson, T. (1986). The effects of media violence on attitudes, emotions and cognition. Journal of Social Issues, 42, 29-50 Simon, P. (1989, August 21)). Coming soon: An act that should reduce television violence. Newsday. Singer, D., & Singer, J. (1984). TV violence: What's all the fuss about? Television & Children, 7(2), 30-41. Singer, J.L., & Singer, D.G. (1986). Family experiences and television viewing as predictors of children's imagination, restlessness, and aggression. Journal of Social Issues, 42, 107-124. Singer, J., Singer, D., & Rapaczynski, W. (1984). Journal of Communication, 34(2), 73-89. Tuscherer, P. (1988). TV interactive toys: The new high tech threat to children. Bend, OR: Pinnaroo Publishing. Van Dyck, N.B. (1983). Families and television. Television & Children, 6(3), 3-11.

Little Brother Music :: essays research papers

Little Brother: The Listening Describing this CD in three words would be personal, stylish, and free. Not â€Å"free† like it comes with your purchase of fifty dollars or more at Best Buy but â€Å"free† as in no boundaries or limitations. When I first put this album in my CD player and pressed play I was completely entranced by the sounds that followed. That was back in 2003 and still to this day you might catch me blasting songs in the morning or humming their tunes to sleep at night. If I try to put my finger on why this ONE album can last so long with a person as picky with music as me it would come down to how well the two rappers, Phonte and Big Pooh, convey every aspect of their lives into their lyrics. Not only can they describe fully the pressures of having a growing family and a low paying job, but also let loose stories about groupie love, haters getting put in their place, and partying until daybreak; all this with clever wordplay that puts them in a class of their own! I wouldn’t call them underground hip-hop because they don’t make a conscious effort to be different. They’re not considered mainstream because their focus isn’t just on making music to be rich. They’re just an alternative, and it is refreshing to hear someone strive to be the best at what they do artistically, not by how well they can market themselves. At a business level, we all know the importance the actual beat plays with finicky listeners. Even the songs with sub-par lyrics and rhyme schemes can still become a hit when a famous producer is behind the scenes. Luckily, production is another criteria Little Brother controls so well. Their producer, and third member of the group, is named 9th Wonder for more than just the cool moniker: he represents his own unique sound not yet overused and exploited by the masses. With a pension for taking old school samples and churning out beats unbelievably hypnotic and hard-hitting, 9th lays the backdrop perfectly for each a nd every bit of musical art on Little Brothers’ first major release. Taking a different direction than sampling producers like Kanye West and Just Blaze, he has been steadily gaining fame ever since he produced the song â€Å"Threats† on Jay-Z’s final record, â€Å"The Black Album†. Because

Peter Singer, The Visible Man analysis Essay

In a democracy, it is important that the government has less privacy than the people so that the government does not acquire too much power, this is because democracies are only possible when the people are in power, the right to privacy leads to power, and democratic governments answer to the people, so the people should be able to monitor their government. In The Visible Man, Singer insinuates that internet surveillance technology may help democracy to flourish, because it can help the population monitor the government and corporate entities. It is true that access to information on the government is important. Singer also suggests that the government should use social media to surveil citizens because being watched may cause us to act ethically. I disagree with that assertion, because the government is not a person, it is a power structure that must not be allowed secrecy, lest it use its power for the wrong purposes. It is important that the citizens watch the government closely in order to prevent tyranny. Read more: Constitution mini q answers essay A true democracy is only possible when most of the population has control over the government. If the government abuses its power by ignoring the will of the people, then a democracy is impossible. Democracies are a rare occurrence because of the tendency of corrupt people to seek power. It is therefore extremely important for the members of a democracy to maintain ever vigilant regarding their government. If the government had a right to privacy, it would be impossible for the citizens to watch for signs of tyranny or corruption. When the people are blind to the actions of their government, the government is given free reign to enact oppressive laws, abusive foreign policies, ecologically unsound corporate regulations, etcetera. The right to privacy leads to power. In order to empower the population of a nation, they must have the freedom to act without fear of being abused by those in power. When the government is given too much power to see into  the lives of the people, it tends to abuse this power and use it to hunt down petty criminals and innocent people who give them an excuse to accuse them of breaking a law. Laws are not inherently moral, and breaking laws is not inherently immoral. Laws exist because the government wants them to, but if the people choose to be civilly disobedient by breaking laws that they feel are oppressive, they should be able to feel safe doing so. For instance, the war on drugs has harmed many innocent people. Drug addicts are not helped by going to jail for life, they need to be rehabilitated and led how to live a healthy life. Addictive substances are a social problem not a moral failure of the people who fall victim to addiction. The government punishes people with the disease of addiction in incredibly abusive ways. When crack cocaine was first introduced, the sentencing for possession of crack was ten times that of cocaine. This was based on an unscientific claim that crack was ten times as dangerous as powder cocaine. Due to this fluke, there are still people serving life sentences in prison for succumbing to a cheap addiction. This is an example of the government’s failure to use its power constructively. If the people feel the need to withhold information from the government in order to avoid unfair punishment, I believe we have that right. The government does not have the right to pry into our lives and find all of our illegal activities because illegality does not equate t o immorality. In Saudi Arabia, it is illegal for women to leave their homes without being accompanied by a man. Does this mean that the government has a right to arrest women for being unaccompanied? In doing so they sacrifice the autonomy of their citizens and violate human rights. Similarly, our government arrests teenagers for smoking marijuana, putting these youths at a disadvantage by giving them criminal records, getting them kicked out of school, and interrupting their studies with jail or prison time. In Texas, a teenage boy faced life in prison for baking cannabis oil into brownies. The authorities counted the entire weight of the brownies as marijuana, rather than measuring the amount of oil that he used to bake them. Because there was flour, sugar, milk, chocolate, eggs, and other ingredients in the brownies, the weight was enough to charge him with a life sentence if it had all been marijuana. This law was put into place to prevent drug dealers from hauling huge amounts of marijuana, and the government is using it to ruin a young boys life. These are examples of the  government’s misuse of power, and why the people must at all costs deny the government of too much power. Democratic governments answer to the people, are owned by the people, and are funded by the people. A democratic government is a service to which the people subscribe, and pay a yearly fee to keep in place. Because the government is owned by the people, the citizens have a right to know what the government is doing. Hiding federal activities from the people is unacceptable, because those activities are funded by taxes, which are paid by the people. If it is acceptable for the federal government to withhold information from taxpayers, then it should be acceptable for us to refuse to pay taxes. Why would we subscribe to a service if we are unaware of what it is that they do? We should not be required to pay for something if we do not know what we are paying for.   Residents of a democratic nation have the right to ‘sousveillance’; a term coined by Singer. However, the government should not have that same right when it comes to surveilling the population. Social media should remain a free forum to express political opinions, expose injustice, converse with friends, and share experiences without fear of the government. The only reason it would be acceptable to violate someone’s right to privacy, is if they are seriously suspected of harming another individual, because when someone violates another’s rights, their rights become null and void. It is important for the people to watch the government to prevent tyranny, and it is important for the government to allow its citizens privacy to allow open and free communication. The reasons for this dynamic are the fact that democracies only flourish when the people are in control of the government, the right to privacy leads to power that the government has abused in the past, and the people should have the right to monitor the entity to which they pay taxes. In all, democracy is difficult to maintain and requires the civic involvement of its citizens, or else tyranny is likely to ensue.

Religious participation Essay

Women ar much than presumable to attend church, and more likely to severalize they belong to a church, thusly their pietyism emphasises commitment and membership (Jacklin 1970s) however this pointedness was criticised by early feminist who conceptualise women also exhaust a unwavering religious belief and its absurd to scan their religiosity only extents to commitment and membership, these detailors represent as they argon trying to lot a good example for their family by means of providing another form of secondary socialisation.another(prenominal) source for womens more interestingness in religion is receivable to a concept introduced by Miller and Hoffman who offer that because of differential socialisation, girls being socialised to be passive and to act more tralatitious and conservative, therefore their more religious. Due to things much(prenominal) as gendered language and subjects at schools e. g. sister cargon women are warmed into the traditional nucl ear family ideologies and acting as utensil of Parsons warm bath theory pickings on the expressive role.Another reason is a biological reason collectible(p) to males higher testosterone levels religion doesnt provide them with satisfactory answers during quantify when they require salvation e. g. absolute scantiness therefore their more likely to squeeze a pro-active approach such as crime. A second reason mentioned by Miller and Hoffman id differential roles and thats the fact women have different positions to men in companionship, women in paid wee are given over a second-class stance even after the womens vent movements in the 1970s, prejudice is still absolute within rationalised culture of paid work e.g. women cant exceed their glass ceiling therefore all the high powered jobs are male occupied. Due to this females are discriminated over against in a socially plummy manner as they are again given the traditional family roles e. g. women get a 9 month maternity set aside compared to men who get 2 weeks women with stereotypical views are given the expressive role involving the private sphere. However these points have been criticised as the economy over the past years has become increasingly more feminised just like other aspects of society and the superstructure e.g. education, these have been refereed to as the gender-quake. Neo-Marxist Zertsky would argue that women are acting as part of the safety-valve in order for the exploitation of the subject-class to continue, this is way capitalist society controlled by the oppressor has enforced such ruling-class ideologies into peoples lives. Another reason for womens more involvement in religion is due to primary socialisation, role models.They were probably raised(a) by a mother who hardened emphasis on religion, due to heart marginalised and going through a crisis of action as they were in a m of uncertainty (not knowing how to raise their chills) therefore through the theodicys of religion which acted as a tonic of self-confidence for them they were given a guide. Another fact to have is that women simply live longer and so men, therefore during times of loneliness they become to religion as it provides them with a sand of community, and those who migrate to other countries religion allows heathen transition (Bruce).Marxist feminist Beauvoir recognises the dirty situation of women in society and argues they are being doubly-exploited. Beauvoir believes that religion provides a theodicy of dispirivelege for women providing them with a sacred canopy and acting as a bulwark against anomie (Berger) is a postmodern society. Stark and Bainbridge argue due to the compensation that religion provides, exchange theory, women flavor more secure about living on earth as they circumvent their gratification.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 34

I dont work divulge more or less those things, Elena answe cherry- tearing in the aforesaid(prenominal) way Damon had talk and for the same reason. I dont think beca role if I do Ill go insane. further if I go insane, what grievous will I be to Stefan? I couldnt champion him. Instead I block it t place ensemble stunned with w on the altogethers of iron and I keep it let out(a)-of-door at any cost.And you can bitage that? Damon asked, his enunciate thrill s mildly.I can because I name to. mobilize in the beginning when we were arguing close to the ropes around our wrists? Meredith and seemly had questions. moreover they k immature that I would wear duress and crawl aft(prenominal) you if that was what it to a faultk. Elena c tout ensemble mavind to case at Damon in the crimson darkness and added, And youve given yourself away, clock later time, you fargon. She slipped arms around him to touch his vulcanized backb iodin, so that he would nourish no doubt rough what she compressedt.That was for you, Damon said harshly.Not re anyy, Elena replied. Think about it. If you hadnt agreed to the Discipline, we might have run out of town, save we could neer have helped Stefan after that. When you wash up nap to it, e realthing, on the whole youve d maven, youve done for Stefan.When you cast galvanic pile down to it, I was the one who regularise Stefan here in the stolon place, Damon said tiredly. I figure were fitting about even now.How many times, Damon? You were possessed when you permit Shinichi talk you into it, Elena said, tone exhausted herself. Maybe you hire to be possessed again near a lighttle so you regard as how it feels.Every cell in Damons body seemed to flinch away from this idea. except aloud he unless said, in that locations something that everyone has confounded, you complete. About the prototypical story of how dickens br new(prenominal)s killed each separate simultaneously, and became v ampires because theyd d allied with the same miss.What? Elena said sharply, reversaled out of her tiredness. Damon, what do you mean?What I said. Theres something youve all unloaded. Ha. Maybe even Stefan has missed it. The story gets t gray and retold, hardly nobody catches it.Damon had turned his slip away. Elena moved closer to him, scantily a bit, so he could smell her perfume, which was attar of roses that shadow. Damon, tell me. identify out me, pleaseDamon started to turn toward her And it was at that guerilla that the liftmen stopped. Elena had on the whole a secondly to wipe her face, and the curtains were being drawn.Meredith had told them all the myth about Bloddeuwedd, which shed got from a story-telling globe. tout ensemble about how Bloddeuwedd had been make out of flowers and brought to life by the gods, and how she had betrayed her hubby to his death, and how, in punishment, she had been fate to spend each night from midnight to dawn as an owl.And, a pparently, at that place was something the myths didnt mention. The f perform that she had been doomed to live here, banished from the Celestial Court into the deep red twilight of the Dark Dimension. entirely things considered, it was logical that her parties started at six in the evening.Elena found that her bear in mind was parachuting from subject to subject. She accepted a goblet of dim Magic from a slave as her look wandered.Every woman and near of the men at the party were wearing cute attire that changed saturation in the sun. Elena matte quite modest after all, everything out of doors seemed to be pink or carmine or wine-colored. Downing her goblet of Magic, Elena was sparingly affect to keep herself going into automatic party-mode behavior, greeting citizenry shed met earlier in the week with cheek kisses and hugs as if shed loven them for years. Meanwhile she and Damon worked their way toward the mansion, sometimes with, sometimes against the tide of const antly moving pot.They do it up one steep set of white (pink) marble stairs, which sported on either side banks of glorious no-count (violet) delphiniums and pink (scarlet) wild roses. Elena stopped here, for two reasons. star was to get a new goblet of dusky Magic. The first had already given her a good glow although of public life everything was constantly glowing here. She was hoping that the second cup would help her forget everything that Damon had brought up in the litter except the key and help her suppose what shed been fretting over originally, to begin with her thoughts had been hijacked by middling and Merediths talk.I expect the best way is merely to ask someone, she told Damon, who was suddenly and silently at her elbow.Ask what?Elena leaned a lesser toward the slave whod just supplied her with a rattling goblet. May I ask where is Lady Bloddeuwedds primary(prenominal) saltation hall?The liveried slave looked surprised. Then, with his head, he made a gesture all around. This plaza to a lower place the canopy has gained the name the Great Ballroom, he said, arcuate over his tray.Elena stared at him. Then she stared around her. infra a giant canopy it looked semipermanent to her and was hung all around with pretty lanterns in shades that were raise by the sun the smooth grass lawn stretched away for hundreds of yards on all sides.It is looseger than a football game field.What Id worry to know, Bonnie was asking a fellow worker thickening, a woman who had clearly been to many of Bloddeuwedds personal matters and knew her way around the mansion, is this which room is the main ballroom?Oh, my deah, it depends on what you mean, the guest replied cheerfully. Theahs the Great Ballroom out of doors you must have seen it while climbing the big pavilion? And because theahs the clean-living Ballroom inside. Thats lit with candelabras and has the curtains drawn all round. Sometimes its called the Waltz Room, since all that is played in thither is valsees. barely Bonnie was still caught in horror a heavilyly a(prenominal) sentences back. Theres a ballroom outside? she said shakily, hoping that in some manner she hadnt harkd right.Thats it, deah, you can see finished that fence theah. The woman was telling the truth. You could see finished the wall, because the walls were all of glass, one beyond an new(prenominal), allowing Bonnie to see what seemed to be an illusion done with mirrors lighted room after lighted room, all filled with people. Only the decease room on the bottom floor seemed to be made out of something solid. That must be the White Ballroom.But through the glacial wall, where the guest was pointing oh, yes. There was a canopy top. She remembered vaguely pas verbalise it. The otherwise thing she remembered wasThey dance on the grass? That wondrous field of grass?Of cut through. Its all especially excuse and rolled smooth. You wont trip over a forage or hummock of set up . Are you sure youre feeling quite advantageously? You look rathah pale. Well the guest laughed as pale as anyone can look in this light.Im fine, Bonnie said dazedly. Im justfine.The two parties met later and told each other of the horrors that they had unearthed. Damon and Elena had discovered that the ground of the outdoor ballroom was almost as hard as rock anything that had been buried on that point before the ground was rolled smooth by bowed down(p) rollers would now be packed down in something alike cement. The only place that anyone could dig there was around the perimeter.We should have brought a divine, Damon said. You know, someone who uses a forked stick or a pendulum or a bit of a missing persons robes to home in on the correct sector.Youre right, Meredith said, her look clearly adding for once. Why didnt we bring a diviner?Because I dont know of any, Damon said, with his overboldest, most ferocious barracuda smile.Bonnie and Meredith had found that the insid e ballrooms flooring was rock very beautiful white marble. There were dozens of floral arrangements in the room, precisely all that Bonnie had stuck her scummy hand into (as unobtrusively as likely) were solely brush aside flowers in a vase of water. No soil, nonhing that could vindicate using the term buried in.And besides, why would Shinichi and Misao put the key in water they knew would be propel out in a few age? Bonnie asked, frowning, while Meredith added,And how do you find a loose floorboard in marble? So we cant see how it could be buried there. By the way, I checked and the White Ballroom has been here for years, so theres no chance that they dumped it under the building stones, either.Elena, by now drinking her third goblet of downcast Magic, said, All right. The way we look at this is one room scratched onward the list. right off, weve already got half of the key look how easy that was Maybe that was just to comb-out us, Damon said, raising an eyebrow. T o get our hopes up, before dashing them completelyhere.That cant be, Elena said desperately, glaring at him. Weve come so far farther than Misao ever imagined we would. We can find it. We will find it.All right, Damon said, suddenly deucedly serious. If we have to pretend to be staff and use pickaxes on that soil outdoors, well do it. But first, lets go through the entire house inside. That seemed to work well last time.All right, Meredith said, for once sounding dependable at him and without disapproval. Bonnie and I will state the upstairs floors and you can take the downstairs ones mayhap you can make something of that White Waltz Ballroom.All right.They set to work. Elena wished that she could calm down. Despite most of trio goblets of Black Magic oscillating inside her or perhaps because of them she was seeing accepted things in new lights. But she must keep her mind on the quest and only on the quest. She would do anything anything she told herself, to get the key . Anything for Stefan.The White Ballroom smelled of flowers and was garlanded with large, opulent blooms in the thick of abundant greenery. Standing arrangements were placed to shield an area around a fountain into an intimate recession where couples could sit. And, although there was no visible orchestra, music poured into the ballroom, demanding a response from Elenas susceptible body.I dont suppose you know how to waltz around, Damon said suddenly, and Elena realise that she had been swaying in time to the beat, eyeball closed.Of course I do, Elena telled, a slim offended. We all of us went to Ms. Hopewells classes. That was the equivalent of charm school in Fells Church, she added, seeing the funny side of it and laughing at herself. But Ms. Hopewell did love to dance, and she taught us every dance and movement she thought was deckful. That was when I was about eleven.I suppose it would be absurd for me to ask you to dance with me, Damon said. Elena looked at him with wha t she knew were large and puzzled eyes. Despite the cuted scarlet soak, she didnt feel like an irresistible witch tonight. She was too wrought up to feel the magic woven in the cloth, magic which she now realized was telling her she was a dancing flame, a release elemental. She alleged(a) that Meredith must feel like a quiet stream, flowing swiftly and steadily to her destination, but sparkling and glinting all the way. And Bonnie Bonnie, of course was a sprite of the air, meant to dance as lightly as a feather in that pearle hoist dress, barely subject to gravity.But abruptly Elena remembered certain glances of admiration she had seen directed toward herself. And now suddenly Damon was susceptible? Yet he didnt imagine she would dance with him?Of course I would love to dance, she said, realizing with a slight shock that she hadnt noticed before, that Damon was in flawless white tie. Of course, it was on the one night when it might hinder them, but it made him look like a prince of the blood.Her lips quirked slightly at the title. Of the bloodoh, yes.Are you sure you know how to waltz? she asked him.A good question. I took it up in 1885 because it was known to be riotous and indecent. But it depends on whether you are speaking of the peasant waltz, the Viennese Waltz, the Hesitation Waltz, or Oh, come on, or well miss another dance. Elena grabbed his hand, feeling tiny sparks as if shed stroked a cats fur the wrong way, and pulled him into the swaying crowd.Another waltz began. medical specialty flooded into the room and lifted Elena almost off her feet as the small hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her body tingled all over as if she had rummy some sort of celestial elixir.It was her favorite waltz since childhood the one shed been brought up on. Tchaichovskys Sleeping apricot waltz. But some child part of her mind could never help but pairing the sweet sweeping notes that came after the thundering, electrifying beginning together with th e words from the Disney movie versionI know you I danced with you once upon a dream.As always, they brought tears to her eyes they made her heart sing and her feet want to fly rather than dance.Her dress was backless. Damons prompt hand was on her bare skin there.I know, something whispered to her, why they called this dance riotous and indecent.And now, certainly, Elena felt like a flame. We were meant to be this way. She couldnt remember if it was an old quote of Damons or something new he was just barely whispering to her mind now. Like two flames that join and merge into one.Youre good, Damon told her, and this time she knew that it was him speaking and that it was in the present.You dont need to patronize me. Im too happy already Elena laughed back. Damon was an expert, and not just at the precision of the steps. He danced the waltz as if it were still riotous and indecent. He had a firm lead, which of course Elenas human readiness could not break. But he could interpret litt le signals of her own, about what she cute and he obliged her, as if they were ice dancing, as if at any scrap they might twirl and leap.Elenas stomach was slowly break up and taking her other internal organs with it.And it never once occurred to her to think what her high school friends and rivals and enemies would have thought of her melting over classical music. She was let off of petty spite, petty shame over differences. She was through with labeling. She wished that she could go back to show everyone that shed never meant it in the first place.The waltz was over all too soon and Elena wanted to push the Replay press release and do it from the beginning again. There was a moment just when the music stopped where she and Damon were looking at each other, with equal exaltation and yearning and And then Damon bowed over her hand. There is more to the waltz than just moving your feet, he said, not looking up at her. There is a swaying grace that can be put into the movements, a natural spring flame of joy and oneness with the music, with a partner. Those are not matters of expertise. Thank you very much for big(a) me the pleasure.Elena laughed because she wanted to cry. She never wanted to stop dancing. She wanted to tango with Damon a real tango, the kind you were supposed to have to get married after. But there was another missionary stationa necessary mission that had to be completed.And, as she turned, there were a whole crowd of other things in front of her. Men, demons, vampires, beastlike creatures. All of them wanted a dance. Damons tuxedoed back was move away from her.DamonHe paused but did not turn back. Yes?Help me We need to find the other half of the keyIt seemed to take him a moment to measure the situation, but then he understood. He came back to her, and taking her by the hand said in a clear, ringing voice, This girl is mypersonal assistant. I do not desire that she dance with anyone other than myself.There was a restless murmurin g at this. The kind of slaves that got taken to balls of this sort were not normally the kind that were forbidden to interact with strangers. But just then there was a sort of shelve at the side of the room, eventually pressing toward the opposite side where Damon and Elena were.What is it? Elena asked, the dance and the key both forgotten.Who is it, Id ask, rather, Damon replied. And Id answer our hostess, Lady Bloddeuwedd herself.Elena found herself crowding behind other people to get a glimpse of this most extraordinary creature. But when she actually saw the girl standing alone in the doorway to the ballroom, she gasped.She was made out of flowers Elena remembered. What would a girl made out of flowers look like?She would have skin like the faintest blush of pink on an apple blossom, Elena thought, staring unashamedly. Her cheeks would be slightly deeper pink, like a dawn-colored rose. Her eyes, enormous in her delicate, perfect face, would be the color of larkspur, with flag itious feathery black lashes that would make them droop half-shut, as if she walked always half in a dream. And she would have yellow hair as pale as primroses, falling down almost to the floor, wound in braids that were themselves incorporated into thicker braids until the whole mass was brought together just above her delicate ankles.Her lips would be as red as poppies, half-open and inviting. And she would give off a scent that was like a bouquet of all the first blossoms of spring. She would walk as if swaying in the breeze.Elena could only remember standing, gazing after this vision like the dozens of other guests around her. Just one more second to drink in such loveliness, her mind begged.But what was she wearing? Elena heard herself say aloud. She could not remember either a stunning dress or a glimpse of lustrous apple-blossom skin through the many braids.Some sort of gown. It was made out of what else? Flowers, Damon put in wryly. She was wearing a dress made of every kind of flower Ive ever seen. I dont understand how they stayed put maybe they were silk and secure together. He was the only one who didnt seem bedazzle by this vision.I wonder if she would talk to us just a few words, Elena said. She was longing to hear the delicate, magical girls voice.I doubt it, a man in the crowd answered her. She doesnt talk much at least until midnight. Say Its you Howre you feeling?Very well, convey you, Elena replied politely, and then quickly stepped back. She recognized the speaker as one of the young men who had forced their separate on Damon at the end of the Godfathers ceremony, the night of her Discipline.Now she just wanted to get away unobtrusively. But there were too many of the men, and it was clear that they were not about to let her and Damon go.This is the girl I told you about. She goes into a trance and no matter how shes marked she doesnt feel a thing blood running down her sides like water and she never flinched Theyre a original a ct. They go on the road.Elena was just about to say, coolly, that Bloddeuwedd had strictly forbidden this kind of barbarism at her party, when she heard one of the young vampires saying, Dont you know, I was the one who persuaded Lady Bloddeuwedd to ask you to this get-together. I told her about your act and she was most interested to see it.Well, scratch one excuse, Elena thought. But at least be nice to these young men. They might be helpful in some way later.Im afraid I cant do it tonight, she said, quietly, so that they would be quiet themselves. Ill apologize to Lady Bloddeuwedd directly, of course. But it just isnt possible.Yes, it is. Damons voice, just behind her, astounded her. Its quite possible given that someone finds my amulet.Damon What are you saying? sleek over What I have to.Unfortunately, about three and a half weeks ago I lost a very important amulet. It looks like this. He brought out the half of the fox key and let them all take a good look at it.Is that what you used to do the trick? someone asked, but Damon was far too clever for that.No, many people saw me do the act just a week or so ago without it. This is a personal amulet, but with part of it missing, I simply dont feel like doing magic.It looks like a little fox. Youre not a kitsune? someone too clever for their own good, Elena thought asked next.It may look like that to you. Its actually an arrow. An arrow with two green stones at the arrowhead. Its a virile charm.A female voice somewhere in the crowd said I shouldnt think you need any more masculine charm than you have right now and there was laughter.