Bureaucracy Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Bureaucracy Policy - Essay Example ilization of anti-bureaucratic sentiments and the claim that it is time to say good-bye to bureaucracies and bureaucrats just another round in a perennial debate and ideological struggle over what desirable forms of administration and government are--that is, a contest for control of the size, agenda, organization, competences, moral foundations, staffing, resources, and outcomes of the public sector? If so, how helpful is the literature on "bureaucracy" in analyzing current administrative challenges, compared to the diagnoses and prescriptions presented by reformers over the last twenty-five years? The paper acknowledges that there have been important changes in public administration and, even more so, in the way administration is portrayed. Yet it questions the fashionable ideas that bureaucratic organization is obsolescent and that there has been a paradigmatic shift from (Weberian) bureaucracy to market organization or network organization. (1) In contrast to decades of bureaucracy bashing, the paper argues that contemporary democracies are involved in a struggle over institutional identities and institutional balances. It also argues that for those interested in how contemporary public administration is organized, functions, and changes, it is worthwhile to reconsider and rediscover bureaucracy as an administrative form, an analytical concept, and a set of ideas and observations about public administration and formally organized institutions. The argument is developed in the following way: First, some characteristics of bureaucratic organization are outlined. Second, claims about the undesirability of bureaucracy are discussed in relation to competing criteria of success/failure and assumptions about the performance of bureaucratic organization. Third, aspects of administrative dynamics and the viability of bureaucratic organization are inquired, and fourth, some reasons for rediscovering bureaucracy are recapitulated. "Bureaucracy" is often used as a

Effects of Weight Stigma | Article Analysis

Effects of Weight Stigma | Article Analysis In their 51st volume, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology published an article named â€Å"The Ironic Effects of Weight Stigma† in which researchers explore the realistic effects that weight stigmas and weight-related identity threats can have on an individual’s dietary habits and self-efficacy regarding self-control. All subjects in the experiments were female, as it was previously concluded that women are more susceptible to weight-related stigmas as well as weight-related identity threats. The scientists decided to test the effects of these stigmas and identity threats by designing an experiment in which participants first read either an article that presents a weight-related identity threat (experimental group), or an article that is unrelated to weight and obesity (control group), and then were asked to give a brief speech explaining the article, its validity, as well as the implications of the ideas discussed in the articles. After giving their speeches, the participants were placed in an unobserved room for ten minutes with pre-weighed bowls of MMs, Skittles, and Goldfish snacks and told to help themselves to a snack. The observed variables in this experiment included calories consumed after having given their speeches, the participants’ self-efficacy for dietary control (as evaluated by a questionnaire that scales self efficacy for dietary control), the subject’s concern regarding being the subject of weight stigma, as well as the individual’s speech and nonverbal behavior. Although women in the experimental and control groups did not differ in perceived weight, and neither did white vs. non-white participants, it was shown that non-white participants had higher BMIs than their white counterparts. The results of the experiment were certainly ironic, but not to be unexpected. Women who were subjected to weight related identity threat inevitably had a positive correlation between perceived weight and calories consumed, whereas women in the control group had little to no correlation between perceived weight and calories consumed. Essentially, only those who were self-described as overweight would consume more calories after being subjected to a weight related stigmatization, and those who elf-described as overweight would only reflect an increase in calorie consumption after having been exposed to a stigma regarding weight. Furthermore, among women that were exposed to the threat condition, perceived weight was significantly negatively coordinated with self-efficacy regarding dietary control whereas perceived weight had no correlation with self-efficacy for dietary control for women in the control group. Also, self-described overweight women reflected lower self-efficacy for cont rolling their diet when subjected to the identity threat while women who did not describe themselves as overweight reflected higher self-efficacy for dietary control when presented with the weight-related identity threat. The study essentially found that stigmatizations regarding weight often have an effect opposite of what is desired. Being confronted with a stigma regarding weight is likely to cause a person who perceives themselves as being overweight to eat more and have lower self-efficacy regarding their ability to control their own dietary habits, in other words it in no way encourages them to eat healthy or feel empowered regarding their dietary decisions.

Personal Communication Equipment (PCE) Expansion To The U.K. - Politic :: essays research papers

This document will address two questions: The first is whether the political organization of the United Kingdom is similar enough to the United States that Americans would adapt and work comfortably there, and secondly, if the United Kingdom has a history of political stability (how long), and is likely to continue for at least 10 years in the future. The answers to these questions will be used to determine marketing potential for the introduction of personal computing products to include a network infrastructure, manufacturing facility, and a personnel staff of 250 employees. Preliminary U.K. information indicates the following: * 186 Personal computers * 503 Telephone lines * 612 Televisions * 1433 Radios These indicate a good market share for potential customer base. ----------------------------------------------------------------------  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parliamentary Democracy with 2 party system  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  High Adult literacy (99%)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rising annual growth rate of GNP since 1995  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Major Language is English  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adequate ship and air commerce facilities These address stable political and economic presence, and will require further study to determine future stability in ten years. The initial information above made the United Kingdom a choice candidate for this research. The detailed answers to the 2 main questions are addressed in this report. Question A: Is the political organization of the United Kingdom similar enough to the United States that Americans would adapt and work comfortably there? The United Kingdom is a Parliamentary Democracy based on a two-chamber system. The House of Lords (the upper House) and the House of Commons (the lower house) sit separately and are constituted on different principles. The legislative process involves both Houses, with the House of Commons being the legislative branch, and House of Lords revising legislation and keeping a check on Government by scrutinizing its activities. Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, and at any time up to the end of this period, a general election can be held for a new House of Commons. The Executive power is that of Prime Minister who is the leader of the party that wins the most seats at a General Election. The Prime Minister has powers to appoint judges such as the Lord Chancellor , create Life Peers and make appointments to senior positions in the Church of England. There is also a Constitutional Monarchy, which for the most part is symbolic as a result of the â€Å"Bloodless Revolution of 1688 . There are currently three political parties in the United Kingdom. Of these three, the Labour and Conservative are the major parties, while the Liberal Democrats (center party) are a minor party.

How Would you physicalise a charcter from a play Essay

Too physicalise a character from a play you need to have studied the specific character in a reasonable amount of detail, so you can portray them correctly. To do this effectively you need to do various exercises, all which will help you grasp the character the best you can. There are several methods which can help you to understand a character eg: Hot Seating, Spider Diagrams, and Workshops etc. In our lesson we explored the character by Hot Seating, Character Profiles and other exercises. Hot seating is an extremely effective method, as it puts you on the spot answering various questions in your characters persona. It helps lock in the information about the character you’re playing. You need to understand the questions being asked from your characters point of view so you can understand who your character is and why. We used this method in our lesson, and i found it was an effective way of physicalising a character. Another exercise we did in class which was effective was one where we were told to hold a pose in the form of our character then walk around the room in the characters style. This is a great exercise because although Hot Seating, Profiles are good they focus mainly on the psychological side, where as this focused on the physical aspect of the character. Character Profiles I believe are an essential tool in bringing a character to life. Because it allows you to go deep in to the information about the character, their background, family life, nationality etc. These aspects are what form how a character behaves and why they feel certain things. For example Stanley in Street Car Desire, has a particular hatred for being called a ‘polak’ as his family originates from Poland and deems the phrase derogatory towards them. Spider Diagrams are effective in showing your characters relations with other characters in the play. These are essential to know as it may influence why the act a certain way around someone. How did you explore the use of Verbal and Non=Verbal.

Workplace Analysis of the Psychological Contract

The saying that mutual admiration within the workplace binds the workforce could be a pretext to harmonizing relationships between employees and employers. The mutual admiration could be working both ways of benefits, being beneficial to the result of work and the business endeavor. Thus, mutual admiration of workforce within the organizational setting of a workplace is perceived to tie the bond of commitment, reliability and trust, aside from the legal stipulations in a written contract of employment. However, how a psychological contract does characterize the mutual values of consistency and guaranty between an employee and an employer? This basic question could be examined in the process of understanding the relationships and define the circumstances surrounding the situations in the workplace. This paper will discuss and analyze the psychological contract affecting the workplace, relating several issues being confronted by employees and employers. Defining psychological contract and its effect It would be important first to know what psychological contract is all about. As defined by Psychologists Janet Smithson and Sue Lewis from the Department of Psychology and Speech Pathology at the Manchester Metropolitan University, understanding the â€Å"psychological contract† is referred to as the â€Å"meeting of expectations† where both employee and employer aspires (Arygris 1960; in Price, Munden & Solley 1962; in Smithson & Lewis 2003: pp. 1-2). In layman’s definition, â€Å"meeting of expectations† could be exemplified by the performance of the employee towards work which is being expected by the employer to produce a quality, efficient and effective result. On the other hand, it is for the employer to provide the necessary wage and benefits, compensating the good result of performance of the employee. However, without meeting neither one nor any of the expectations could breach and defeat mutual concern. In which case, one of the results could be a defiance and conflict of interests, wherein work and labor related issues become a dilemma in the workplace. Psychological contract in contemporary working environment With the rapidly increasing growth in numbers and sizes of profitable organizations, human resource management experts and scholars perceive the development of a â€Å"standardized† labor policy and procedures in workforce deployment. Correlated to this perception is the indicated inclination of management leadership to eventually acknowledge the reform through labor treaties, specifically in recognizing the collective bargaining agreement with labor unions. However, â€Å"meeting of expectations† may still be a â€Å"one-sided† concern of the employer’s management due relevance of emerging diversified industries that may not totally materialize the â€Å"inclination† to reform the culture in a workplace. Kheeran Dharmawardena (2008) in his journal entitled: ‘The Changing Nature of the Psychological Contract and its Impact on Modern Organizations’, has examined the relevance of psychological contract from the early studies of several organizational experts. Dharmawardena synthesized the findings that scarcity of employment and security of tenure patterns the good performance of employees (Bergmann et. al. 2001; in Lester & Kickul 2001; in Dharmawardena 2008: pp. 1-7). It may be analyzed that causal to the shortage of employment opportunities, the workforce retains the â€Å"showmanship† of performance, aspiring to achieve â€Å"job security† or long tenure of employment. The aspiration itself relinquish the â€Å"no-no attitude†, wherein retaining good performance in the distinction of skills and acquirement of further learning from the workplace extends the â€Å"systems thinking† as a psychological contract to upholding the need of being employed. Acknowledging the above analyses has related the perception of Cyril van de Ven, (2004) who viewed that the intensive diversified industrial trends increases the effects of unpredictable organizational change. Considering the unpredictability, most contemporary employers are decisive in achieving the sustainability of their organizations (especially the businesses that rely in the global supply chain) by acquiring the best possible workforce, workplace and market (Rousseau 1995; in Shore & Tetrick 1994; in van de Ven 2004: pp. 1-11). It shows that this typical ambition of contemporary employers is relative to â€Å"systems thinking† of the employees, having the psychological contract to securing the profitability and existent ability to do business. In sum, the mutual concern of employee and employer attributes the psychological contract of sustaining the interest, in which narrates the desire or aspirations of the employment to co-exist in a secured and sustained working environment. Psychological contract and workplace issues This topical discussion features the subject matter pertaining to psychological contract and workplace issues. As an overview, the mutual aspect in sustaining overall organizational performance signifies the â€Å"oneness or belongingness† of membership to the organizational objective, referring to members and leadership. However, the situation of dissatisfaction and question of confidence becomes the common issue that is dealt with, specifically in employee and employer relationship. Janice Anna Knights and Barbara Jean Kennedy (2005), in their journal ‘Psychological Contract Violation: Impacts on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment Among Australian Senior Public Servants’, has cited the finding that dissatisfaction and loss of confidence are perennial issues dreadfully affecting the psychological contract. According to Knights and Kennedy, the common violation to the value of satisfaction is being dismayed by the fact that what has been verbally promised is contradicted by lies. This can be exemplified by the failure of the organizational leadership in fulfilling the promise to the membership. Reflective of Knight’s and Kennedy’s ascription to psychological contract on that particular case of unfulfilled promises may not only result dissatisfaction or disappointment but a deliberate disparity that may lead to organizational collapse. It may also relate the situation in a workplace where the employees were not able to achieve the promised benefits and due compensation of labor, in which the psychological contract to expect or aspire the viability of employment has failed. In most cases of labor disputes, the unfulfilled delivery of legally or lawfully mandated wages and benefits is claimed to violate the laborer’s rights. The violation may in itself affect the psychological contract of the employee, being unsecured or unguaranteed to achieve the source of livelihood. Therefore, psychological contract extends the paranoia of defeated and unfulfilled envisioning for a beneficial workplace. In Cantisano et al. ’s (2007) journal, entitled: ‘Social Comparison and Perceived Breach of Psychological Contract: Their Effects on Burnout in a Multigroup Analysis’, has documented the prevalence of gross labor violations. Based on the exhibited data from the conducted study research, the responses of respondents ranging from lower-income to medium-income labor forces or employees suffer from â€Å"breach of psychological contract†. To cite, employer denial to providing the necessary and just compensation [as required by law] infringe the common aspiration of the workforce to obtain the reasonable share of labor. As further cited, the effect on the â€Å"breach of psychological contract† has indicated the respondent’s extreme anxiety, such as (1) negative social judgment referring to employee-employer relationship, (2) emotionally exhausted for being violated and abused, (3) feeling of cynicism or skeptic that employers are exploitative, and (4) loss of self confidence and esteem (Van der Zee et al. 2000; in Cantisano et al. 007: p. 125). Empowering psychological contract In relation to the previous discussions, Brian P. Niehoff and Robert J. Paul (2001) of the electronic magazine Review of Business have proposed the enabling of policies that may be supplemented to the existing labor laws. Accordingly, the 2001 data of incidence in committing labor-related violations has remarkably increased to an alarming 33,000 cases of labor malpractice pending before the investigation or proper promulgation of the National Labor Relations Board which piled up in ten years from 1991 (Niehoff & Paul 2001: pp. -2). Niehoff and Paul (2001) have emphasized that â€Å"loose promises† in the workplace in order to encourage or attract the attention of the workforce. It may validate the negative thinking [of the already cynical employees] that employment is no longer beneficial and insensible to the aspirations of the workforce to gain social equity and equal treatment of labor. As cited, the disagreement point out to unreciprocated or unequalled performance of the employers to maintain the tenure of employment and sustainable income sourcing (Niehoff & Paul 2001: pp. 3-4). Indicative of Neihoff and Paul’s proposal could harness the psychological contract within the workplace. Upholding the â€Å"sensitivity† of the employer would mean to fulfill the promise by granting the just compensation and rectify indiscriminate treatment, and abdicate the flawed promises. As cited, it may not only the conflict within the workplace that shall be settled but the whole process of the system, wherein workforce may only be survived by their â€Å"grim determination†, and the remainder of â€Å"self-belief† that contemplating on the issue could be the only way to obtain the psychological contract. However, the â€Å"culture of deceit† could be permanent or entangled in the protectionist character of employers, obviously protecting the business interest (Neihoff & Paul 2001: pp. 3-4). Empowering the psychological contract can be objectively described in the organizational life of Pret a Manger, a leading sandwich biscuit company in the United Kingdom. In a contributed article of Psychologist Michael Wellin which was recently published by the electronic magazine Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SPG Media Limited, it quoted that: growing numbers of businesses apply the psychological contract convergent to forge organizational relationship between employees, the management and the company itself†. Dr. Wellin pointed out that the â€Å"trade secret† of Pret a Manger is the continuing openness of thoughts and understanding the situation, character and culture of the organization, where employees and employers are aware and much sensitive in dealing with the issues that relates the psychological contract. Dr. Wellin has found the strong importance of organizational values of Pret a Manger in dealing with the â€Å"mutuality of efforts† of both employees and employers. As cited, Pret a Manger has developed the organizational expectations by and between the employees and the management, such as follows in bulleted list below (Wellin 2008; in SPG Media Limited 2008: pp. 1-2): Management expectation on employee’s attitude towards work †¢ Sensible hard work; †¢ Prudently hilarious and easy to please; †¢ Have the benefit of good life; †¢ Work early to leave early. Employee’s expectation from Pret a Manger management †¢ Fairly compensated according to individual performance and position; †¢ Dynamic working environment of diverse workforce and skills; †¢ Provide development-education and skills training; Promotion of managers among the internal regular employees. Based on the findings on empowering the psychological contract, it appears that retaining the â€Å"mutuality of efforts†, referring to meeting the expectations of employees and employers, could paved the way towards achieving a dynamic and reliable collaboration or synergy in the workplace. This extends the analysis that fulfilling the psychological contract of the workforce systematizes and mobilizes their natural desires to sustain the viable means of the workplace, in which therefore meeting the expectations or objectives of the leadership at a judicious manner. It may also attribute the perception that the sensibility of an employer in upholding the employees expectations [as a psychological contract] could be considered as a social, moral and civic responsibility by promoting the rights and welfare of the labor force, wherein a more beneficial return will impart to the invested cost of values and as bonus to the margins of business profit. To further validate the analysis, it points out the situation that psychological contract eventually changes according to socio-economic, socio-cultural and socio-political changes. This can be exemplified by the previous discussions on the development of labor forces and markets that have been attributed by the rapidly changing business and policy environment as a result of â€Å"social diversification of industries†, keeping abreast at the global landscape of production and supply of goods. In short, psychological contract emerges in the â€Å"social and economic status† of the labor force. As cited, psychological contract always retains in the unstable or stable economic and political condition which reciprocate a particular situation (Pascale 1997; in Sharpe 2001). This can be exemplified by the prevailing global economic recession, in which the downturn of economies of highly developed and rich countries [like the US and some European countries] affects the domestic economies of undeveloped countries as a result of depleted purchasing power that as well decline the demand for labor market. Thus, the virtual effect of economic crises affects the â€Å"systems thinking† of the employees in a particular firm that may at anytime declare a bankruptcy and closes shop. The psychological contract on the expected security of tenure in employment would be at the brink of eventual loss. It may be further analyzed that workplace is an â€Å"economic-driven† organization that exist and operate its venture within a calculated business risks. The only dynamism could be indicated by feasibility studies along with planning and market testing. In this particular condition, unpredictability and uncertainty of employment may pattern the psychological contract of workforce in a workplace. Findings and conclusion This paper has found that psychological contract is characterized by the â€Å"social and economic values† pertaining to the mutual efforts and benefits of an employee and employer. In other words, there must be co-existing endeavor, agreements and appreciation to making effective, reliable and congruent the achievement of requirements and sharing of needs. However, the findings may have only analyzed the situational perception of a workplace, in which may needing the variations of reconsidering the overall â€Å"societal conditions†. What has then highlighted in the result of examining and analyzing the empirical studies derived and depicted in this paper is the fact that psychological contract can only be achieved by a consistent and truthful fulfillment of expectations, reassuring mutual efforts of employee and employer. It may be then concluded that psychological contract can be sustained by making productive the economic condition of every countries, good governance and the advancement of policy support on workforce and workplace issues. Thus, psychological contract attributes the achievement of an economically secured family and socially progressive population.

Video Game Addiction Essay Example

Video Game Addiction Essay Example Video Game Addiction Essay Video Game Addiction Essay Video Game Addiction New research identifies some video game users, particularly online users, who became hooked on interactive games and then see their lives become increasingly unmanageable. Many articles are available that look at the addictive qualities of the games and who is susceptible to becoming addicted. Other research looks at how this addiction compares to addictions such as drug and alcohol abuse and pathological gambling. Since computer game addiction is relatively new, there are few tools to measure the extent of addictiveness and how much the addictiveness affects the lives of the persons who are experiencing it. Computers, the Internet and video game consoles have invaded our homes and have also become extremely portable. With video gaming becoming more popular every day, a consumer needs to be aware of the affects of this new addiction. Various qualities of games have been researched in order to determine what makes them addictive. Many article outline a workable definitions of video game addiction and examine the literature to determine who is playing video games and who is susceptible to becoming addicted. Only one article was found that developed and tested a scale to measure the addiction. With the advances in graphics and game quality many factors play into the drawl of video game playing. Video games are designed with many levels, appealing characters, interesting storylines and state-of-the art graphics. Some games use characters and movies that are already familiar and known to potential players. All of these factors have been designed to provide the user with a form of appealing entertainment that they want to purchase and then repeatedly to play. Video games are heavily advertised to attract a player’s interest and then influence users into trying them. A certain level of captivation and the desire to perform causes gamers to become heavily immersed into the game. When in this state, gamers can lose a sense of time and self-consciousness. One interviewee described it as ‘you get involved and lose track of time†¦you’d be missing meals †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The increase in the home computer and personal game consoles available on the market has resulted in an increase in the amount of time that such games can be played. When the term ‘addiction’ is used, people generally think of a physical dependency that is related to the use of drugs, alcohol or other chemical ubstances. â€Å"Tolerance, withdrawal and compulsive use are required for any diagnosis of dependency† (American Psychiatric Association). Researchers have suggested that that social pathologies related to video games are starting to emerge in society. New research suggests, â€Å"One reward is not considered different from another in the bra in, regardless if the reward is from an internal chemical reaction or an external stimulus†(Holden). A reward comes with the risk of addiction, whether gambling, eating, sex, shopping is the reason for risk. Playing video games consists of repeated, compulsive behaviors, a decrease in interest in doing other activities, making friends with other addicts and online gamers, and mental and physical symptoms of withdrawal when the games are taken away or otherwise dropped. Leung’s research of ‘addicted’ subjects strongly linked the addiction to the satisfaction of being able to controlling the world in online games. This research concludes that the â€Å"users are dependent because the internet and gaming are a safe place to express themselves without judgment† (Leung). The intensity of game playing, repetitive nature, and the ability to play video games for hours and not notice the time that has passed, one finds it easy to believe that video games are addictive. Some gamers have reported withdrawal symptoms, including getting ‘the shakes’ after not playing a game for an extended period of time. The compulsive need for, the habit-forming qualities of, and the physiological and psychological symptoms of withdrawal correlate to other types of well-documented addictions. In 2004, Griffiths conducted research that compared 540 on-line game players, including adolescents and adults. The information collected included demographics, frequency and history of playing, and their favorite and least favorite aspects of the game. Of those tested a significant majority of both adults and adolescents were male. The younger the player meant that the player was even more likely to be male. One third of the adults in the survey had some â€Å"undergraduate education†, however one third of the adolescents had â€Å"dropped out of school. † The players tested were most likely to be single, and none of the adolescents and only â€Å"approximately 36% of the adults were married† (Griffiths). Clymo’s studies reported, â€Å"77% teenagers in the US play video games† (Clymo). It is not surprising that Griffith’s research involving online video game playing reported that more than â€Å"70% of the players came from the United States† (Griffiths). According to various other reports, teenagers in the United States play an average of 3-4 hours per day. This is significantly higher than incidences in other countries. In Taiwan, research reveals that the â€Å"average age user plays about three times a week for an average of two hours† (Chiu, Lee and Huang). A study conducted in South Spain indicated, â€Å"57% of adolescents played video games regularly† but that â€Å"93% of them had played at least once in the past year† (Salguero and Moran). Research from various other countries also clearly indicates that the United States has a higher incidence of game playing than any other culture. Griffiths reported computer game playing for most children is a† fairly absorbing and harmless activity† but for a small minority of children it may be â€Å"problematic† (Griffiths). Other research suggests that the more involved a parent is with a child’s education, the less likely a child will be addicted to video games. The same research reports that more â€Å"socially adjusted children† are less likely to be addicted as well (Chiu, Lee and Huang). Research has also shown on the primary players also suggested that adolescent players were more â€Å"susceptible† to addiction than adult players. The study found that younger, adolescent players were more likely to let their â€Å"responsibilities lapse† in order to continue playing (Griffiths). Although stories about addicted video game players generally center on a male teenager with an impaired social life, poor grades and little self-confidence, research does not always support this image. Although Leung’s research focuses on other activities in addition to gaming, this research suggests that subjects addicted to the Internet tend to be female’s that played games that included online chat. The research also indicated that new users, regardless of gender, were â€Å"more vulnerable† to becoming heavy users or addicts (Leung). Subjects are suffering from symptoms of video game addiction because not enough research has been done on the issue. As video games are relatively new in the arena of addiction, little information is actually known about the effects on individuals and society as a whole. Creating tests and implementing tools that counselors and Primary Care Physicians can use to assess if issues with video games are present and to what extent can help addiction. Also, action plans and methods should be laid out to encourage parents to limit the time adolescents use video games. Making consumers aware of the growing issue of ideo game addition is of great importance and can only help in treatment for this newly found addiction. American Psychiatric Association, ed. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington, D. C. : 1994. Print. Chiu, Lee, Huang. â€Å"Video Game Addiction in Children and Teenagers in Taiwan. † Cyber Psychology Behavior. (2004) 571-581. Print. C lymo, P. (2001). â€Å"Home video game playing in schoolchildren: as study of incidence and patters of play. † Youth Studies 15, 59. Griffiths, M. (2001). â€Å"Computer game playing in early adolescence. Youth Society, e 29(2), 223-237. Griffiths, M. D. , Davies, M. N. O. , Chappell, D. (2004). â€Å"On line computer gaming: a comparison of adolescent and adult gamers†. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 87-96. Holden, C. (2001). â€Å"‘Behavioral Addictions’: Do They Exist† Science, 294, 980-982. Leung, L. (2004) â€Å"Net-Generation Attributes and Seductive Properties of the Internet as Predictors of Online Activities and Internet Addiction† CyberPsychology Behavior, 7(3), 333-348. Salguero, R. A. T. and Moran, R. M. B. (2002) â€Å"Measuring problem video game playing in adolescents† Addiction, 97, 1601-1606.

Light microscope lab report Essays

Light microscope lab report Essays Light microscope lab report Paper Light microscope lab report Paper Then we observed under different magnification powers a certain number of specimens such as, Letter e, threads, and Hay infusion. The results were observed and recorded for the different specimens and it came out to be the higher the magnification the lesser the microscopic field. Introduction: One of the most important instruments in anatomy and physiology is the compound light microscope. The general principle of the microscopy is that the shorter the wavelength of light used in the instrument, the greater the resolution. In the light microscopy, the lenses are arranged so that the images of objects too small to be seen with the naked eye can become highly magnified, so the apparent size can be increased, and their minute detail can be revealed. In this lab we observed the parts of the light microscopy, we identified each part and learned its functions , we also examined a few specimens under different magnifications using different objective lenses, for each specimen we started using the scanning objective then the low-power objective ending with the high- ewer objective in order to get higher magnification. We viewed the samples and made drawings of them Method: We carefully carried the microscope from the cabinet to the desk by placing one hand around the arm and the other firmly under the base. Then using the coarse adjustment knob we rose the body tube to its highest fixed position. Then we placed the slide on the stage , Starting with the letter e sample we started using the scanning objective to observe the sample and then made drawings of it, then we switched to the low-power objective, we used the fine adjustment knob to complete the focusing . After observing letter e under low-power magnification we switched to the high-power objective while assuring that the illumination is at its Max . Drawings were made for each of the samples under each different objectives. For the threads sample, the cheek cells and the hay infusion specimen, the previous steps were done the same. Results : the results for this experiment are the following : under scanning objective : -for the letter e sample the image came out to be flipped under scanning resolution figure (1). Deer low-power objective: we saw more resolution and more details the microscopic field decreased and got smaller as we increased the magnification. Figure (2) Under high-power objective: Only part of letter e showed The microscopic field decreased The resolution increased Figure (3) For the thread slides : we got the same results as the letter e under different magnifications . Under scanning objective: Multiple threads were seen together Figure (a) when we focused on th e red thread the other two got blurry were able to focus through depth. The specimen Figure (b) The microscopic field decreased drastically and we were not able to see the different threads any more For the Hay infusion specimen: Under scanning objective we saw the specimen swimming around the hay We altered the light intensity to view organisms We learned how to prepare a wet mount Figure (c) For the cheek cells : After scrubbing inside the mouth to get a human cheek cells, we observed the cheek cells under different objectives, we also can used chemical dyes to enhance the vision of the cheek cells. Figure (d) Discussion: Using the light microscope we were able to observe the little details for each of the samples under different magnifications , we came out with that the higher the magnification the smaller the microscopic field gets, and as we increase resolution we can see more details in the specimens. What give the microscope its ability to go through the little details is its power microscopic lenses, for each light microscope it has two sets of lenses the ocular lenses which has lox magnification power and the objective lenses which they can reach up to xx signification power, so whenever we view something under the light microscope we get magnification from both lenses , for example : under high- power objective we get magnification of total 10 x 40 = 400 times bigger of the original sample . E also were able to know that under different depth of the specimen we are able to focus on certain part of them using the fine adjustment knob. In some cases not all sample could be seen under the microscope because some of them are colorless so we add chemical dyes to get a better vision. Conclusion : In this lab we learned the parts and the proper use of the light microscope, and we were able to view the interception of images through the microscope, and we learned the The concept of ma gnification.

How to Get Into Politics - Tips and Recommendations

How to Get Into Politics - Tips and Recommendations There are lots of good ways to get into politics, but most are not easy and take time and plenty of effort. Often, its also about who you know and not necessarily what you know. Even after you figure out how to get into politics, you will likely find that it wont immediately pay enough money to be a career but instead a labor of love or civic duty, especially at the local level. Its a different story if youre running for Congress, where the salary is in the six figures.   Few people start their political careers at the federal level though- President Donald Trump is the rare exception- so lets begin with the assumption that youre considering a run for the town council, perhaps weighing whether to launch a campaign for elected office in your community. What do you need to know first? Here are some helpful tips for how to get into politics. 1. Volunteer for a Political Campaign Every political campaign- whether it be for your local school board on up to legislature or Congress- needs hard workers, the people who serve as the boots on the ground. If you want to get an idea of how politics really works, walk into any campaign headquarters and offer to help out. Youll likely be asked to do what appears to be menial work at first, things like helping to register new voters or making phone calls on behalf of a candidate. You might be handed a clipboard and a list of registered voters and told to go canvass the neighborhood. But if you do the job well, youll be given more responsibilities and a more visible role in the campaign. 2. Join the Party Getting into politics, in a lot of ways, really is about who you know, not what you know. And an easy way to get to know important people is to join or run for a seat on your local party committee, whether its the Republicans or Democrats or some third party. In many states these are elected positions, so youll need to get your name on the local ballot, which is a good learning process in and of itself. Precinct and ward leaders are the rank-and-file of any political party and are among the most important players in the political process. Their responsibilities include turning out the vote for the partys preferred candidates in primaries and general elections and screening potential candidates for local offices. 3. Contribute Money to Political Candidates Its no secret in politics that money buys access. In an ideal world that wouldnt be the case. But donors often have the ear of their favorite candidate. The more money they give the more access they get. And the more access they get the more influence they might have over policy. So what can you do? Contribute to a political candidate of your choice in the community. Even if you contribute just $20, the candidate will notice and make it a point to acknowledge your help in the campaign. Thats a good start. You can also start your own political action committee or super PAC to support candidates of your choice. 4. Pay Attention to Political News Before you get into politics, you ought to know what youre talking about and be able to hold an intelligent and thoughtful conversation about the issues. Read your local newspaper. Then read your statewide newspapers. Then read the national newspapers: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal,  The Los Angeles Times. Find good local bloggers. Stay current on the issues. If theres a particular problem in your town, think about solutions. 5. Start Local and Work Your Way Up Get involved in your community. Go to municipal meetings. Find out what the job is about. Network with activists. Find out what the issues are. Build coalitions dedicated to changing and improving your town. A good place to start is attending your weekly or monthly school board meetings. Public education and school funding are important issues in every community in the United States. Join the conversation. 6. Run for an Elected Office Start small. Run for a seat on your local school board or town council. As onetime U.S. House Speaker Tip ONeill famously said, All politics is local. Most politicians who go on to serve as governors, congressmen or president started their political careers at the local level. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for example, started out as a freeholder, a county-level elected office. The same goes for Cory Booker, a rising star in the Democratic Party. Youll want to pick a team of advisers who will offer advice and stick by you through the process. And youll want to prepare yourself and your family for the intense new scrutiny youll be getting from the media, other candidates and campaign workers who perform opposition research on you.

Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Coursework - Essay Example ere has been an increase in demand for supplement pills in UK and what can be done by the government of UK to address the problem of vitamin deficiency. In the region of UK, both the adults and young individuals are consuming supplements. NHS reports that adults are not only consuming supplements, even children who are between six months old to five years old are even consuming supplements (NHS, 2013, p.9). One of the reasons that have motivated individuals to consume supplements and especially vitamin D supplements is that lack of vitamin D leads to various health issues such as SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Ann Robinson cites in her article that a pathologist named Irene Scheimberg has figured out that due to deficiency of vitamin D children are experiencing SIDs and according to him eight individuals who were experiencing SIDs were even experiencing vitamin D deficiency (Robinson, 2012). Health issues experienced by infants are not only why individuals in UK are consuming vitamin supplements. Vitamin supplements are even consumed to improve fertility rates. NHS states that certain theories have proven that use of antioxidants can be helpful at the time of conception. NHS cites a research conducted on over 2,800 couples and the research figured out that the probability of woman getting pregnant increased if their husbands were consuming supplements containing antioxidants (NHS, 2013, p.10). During 2012, BBC cited a research conducted by (RCPCH) which stated that due to existence of vitamin D deficiency among 25% infants of UK, cases of rickets are elevating day by day (BBC News, 2012). Due to increased importance of vitamin supplements, there is a need to make these supplements more accessible for the population of UK. The government can take various measures to curb the issue of vitamin D deficiency. The government can firstly participate and launch programs that increase the awareness of the importance of vitamin D among the population of UK.

Approaches to explain Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Approaches to explain Entrepreneurship - Essay Example There are several approaches using which one can analyze the personality of an entrepreneur. In this paper, we will discuss some key approaches, which can help us explain an entrepreneur. 2. Environmental Background of An Entrepreneur Environmental background of an entrepreneur is very important to consider when assessing different approaches to explain entrepreneurship. Environmental background includes several elements, which play critical roles in the development of an entrepreneur. Some of those elements include family, education, role model, experience, and government support. Let us analyze these elements in some detail. 2.1 Family Family plays a vital role in the development of an entrepreneur. Professions and businesses of the family members of a person have a lot of influence on his/her professional mindset. According to Bruin and Dupuis (2003, p. 93), family business has a deep association with the concept of entrepreneurship. In some families, if the father of a person is involved in the business of construction, son will also try to step into that business by opening a firm or an independent construction company. Similarly, businesses of relatives also influence the mindset of an entrepreneur. 2.2 Education Education also plays a critical role in shaping professional approach of a person. Education makes a person aware of the legalities of different businesses, which help him/her become an entrepreneur at some stage of life. Education not only creates awareness among the entrepreneurs but also ensures economic development. Bruin and Dupuis (2003, p. 178) state, â€Å"Raising overall education and skill levels of indigenous peoples is undoubtedly crucial to indigenous economic development†. 2.3 Role Model Another element, which plays a role in shaping the mindset of an entrepreneur, is role model. As discussed earlier, a person is likely to step into the business of his/her ancestors. The reason is that success of parents or other relatives in any specific business positively influences the professional thoughts of an entrepreneur, which results in making that person an entrepreneur at some stage of life. Similarly, some successful businesspersons also become the role models for some people and they try to test their luck in the businesses of those people. 2.4 Experience Professional work experience is also an important element in the life of an entrepreneur. According to Bruin and Dupuis (2003, p. 69), entrepreneurs having little or no prior experience are less likely to succeed in their ambitions. A person is likely to start his/her own business after getting some experience in the related field. For example, a person doing job in a fresh food store or in a construction company may open his/her own company at some point in life after getting some practical experience and knowledge of all issues related to the business. 3. Entrepreneurs are Born or Made According to Shefsky (1994, p. 2), entrepreneurs are made, they are not born. Various factors play their roles in shaping an entrepreneur. Every entrepreneur is a normal person like every other person. The difference is just of their approaches to professional life. A normal person is generally less enthusiastic and innovative. He/she does not think of starting an independent business. On the other hand, an entrepreneur has some determination to do something new in life. Various

Tourism is whorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tourism is whorism - Essay Example Prostitution is one of the oldest professions; it is an offspring of poverty coupled with inhumanity. Some of the countries that receive tourists on regular basis have legitimized this inhumane profession. The statement â€Å"Tourism is whorism!† may not be applicable in general but there is definitely some link. Countries that are under privilege, and generate a great chunk of revenue from tourism are forced to ease out their policies against prostitution. People are poor, their mode of earning is scarce, therefore they are bound to look out for other sources and in this search of generating extra cash they indulge in heinous acts like prostitution. The natives of the tourists’ resorts are sometimes forced by the influential members of their societies to carry out illegal trade of flesh just to promote the region as tourist resort for sex maniacs. Thus, tourism is not entirely whorism, but there are certain issues that turn it to look like

The components of financial management Coursework

The components of financial management - Coursework Example Year Cash flow Discount factor Present value 0 (? 2m) 1 (? 2m) 1 (? 1.5m) 0.909 (? 1.3635m) 2 ? 1.0m 0.826 ? 0.826m 3 ? 1.3m 0.751 ? 0.9763m 4 ? 1.8m 0.683 ? 1.2294m 5 ? 1.3m 0.621 ? 0.8073m 6 ? 0.6m 0.564 ? 0.3384m ? 0.8139m The NPV of the project is ? 0.8139m. This is a positive amount and therefore is an indicator that the project can be carried on. Section II Associated risks of the project The risk associated with a project may be defined as the variability that is likely to occur in the future returns from the project. Risk arises in investment evaluation because we cannot anticipate the occurrence of the possible future events with certainty and consequently, cannot make any correct prediction about the cash flow sequence. In the context of capital budgeting projects, risk results almost entirely from the uncertainty about future cash inflows, because the initial cash outflow is generally known. These risks result from a variety of factors including uncertainty about future re venues, expenditures and taxes. Therefore, to assess the risk of a potential project, the analyst needs to evaluate the riskiness of the cash inflows. There are three possible attitudes towards risk that can be identified. These are: (a) Risk aversion (b) Desire for risk (c) Indifference to risk A risk averter is an individual who prefers less risky investment. The basic assumption in financial theory is that most investors and managers are risk averse. Risk seekers on the other hand are individuals who prefer risk. Given a choice between more and less risky investments with identical expected monetary returns, they would prefer the riskier investment. The person who is indifferent to risk would not care which investment he or she received. There are various risks involved in the project that have different degrees of consequences. Such risks may be categorized into technical risks, environmental risks, economic risks, political risks and project completion risks. (Horngren, Foster, & Datar, 2001) The risks that any project is predisposed can be avoidable or unavoidable and therefore a firm has to minimize the risks that face the projects it undertakes as much as possible. The project that is intended to be carried out can face the risk of errors in estimation. Such errors could disrupt the schedule of the whole project as a whole if the business and development teams do not work closely to curb such cases of errors. There is also the possibility that there can be a requirements overload whereby the requirements for the project are not well established and are therefore constantly being added later on during the development phases of the project. This disrupts the laid down schedule and delays the events of each step of the project. Lack of proper documentation of the project at the same time as the project progresses is also a risk that most projects face since critical information related to the project may be lost. PART B Section I Beck Bag Year Expected ca sh flows Accumulated cash flows 1 60,000 60,000 2 70,000 130,000 3 70,000 200,000 4 40,000 240,000 5 20,000 260,000 The project costs 200,000 and the amount is recouped in the third year, therefore the payback period is 3 years. Roo Bag Year Expected cash flows Accumulated cash flows 1 70,000 70,000 2 70,000 140,000 3 60,000 200,000 4 60,000 260,000 5 60,000 320,000 The project costs 260,000 and it takes 4 years to recoup this amount. Therefore the payba

Ethical thinking arise from the news reporting - Nude photos of Assignment

Ethical thinking arise from the news reporting - Nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebs posted by hackers - Assignment Example The availability of information and sizeable technological innovations has added to its utility. Presently lives have become increasingly hectic and competitive. No one stops to double think before acquiring an opportunity to eat from someone else’s plate without having to work for it. Undeserved benefits, easy money and respectful back seats of power are craved by everyone. Those who do manage to get their hands on such power are slowly addicted to the uselessness. They put on guises of importance but mostly just eat the profit from the jobs executed by their subordinates. Call that inhumane verbally, but that’s the mode of operation in leading firms and organisations. Unlawful devouring of assets is often masked by a greater degree of deceptive backbone. You have strong sources or friends with powerful seats? Eat all you want. The world is yours. The leaked photos of Jennifer Lawrence, as many blogs and online networking sites are rampant about, are a breach of law and definitely categorised immoral (Steinberg,  2014). Hackers either do these things as a sale pitch for their abilities or as a means to blackmail their chosen party. They have no sense of responsibility but can find well developed and easily accentuated excuses. They attain access to a person’s work station and from there every folder, every document and every picture is their property and for the world to see. These hackers believe that all information, whatever the type, needs to be shared. The cultural infrastructure should therefore be very strong to cope with internal issues as well to aid in a strong clientele formation. The employees have a greater influence on the organisational culture, and it is a substantial part which cannot be easily moulded once formulated. The major role is played by the executive authorities in outlining the culture while the employees have to adhere to it as a whole

IP Management - Strategies and Tactics in Managing IP Disputes Term Paper

IP Management - Strategies and Tactics in Managing IP Disputes - Term Paper Example order to understand the concept of Intellectual Property strategy it is essential to understand the concepts behind Intellectual Property and strategy and the combination of these both terms. The Intellectual Property strategy, according to different analysts, is the tactic and method used for the management of the Intellectual Property rights by focusing on different activities like licensing and filing. On the other hand, there is another school of thought according to which Intellectual Property strategy is like any other business strategy and the focus is on using the Intellectual Property rights for the management of the technology. These is also a perception that Intellectual Property strategies are only associated with the large multinationals organizations and small or not for profits companies have nothing to do with Intellectual property. This perception is not correct, the Intellectual Property and associated Intellectual Property strategy is important and relevant for the companies of any size (Kitching & Blackburn, 1998). INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: In order to understand the different strategies and tactics associated with intellectual property, it is first important to know what is the meaning of intellectual property. Intellectual property is the term used to refer to the creation or formation of human mind like different inventions, symbols, artistic work, literary work, images, designs and other associated things. For all these creations of the human minds the creator is awarded with a set of exclusive rights associated for the innovation or discovery. These rights and laws are provided to the owners or creators of the intangible assets which cannot be recorded or documented otherwise (Merges, 1997). Intellectual Property can be further divided into two... The intention of this study is an intellectual property as the term used to refer to the creation or formation of human mind like different inventions, symbols, artistic work, literary work, images, designs and other associated things. For all these creations of the human minds the creator is awarded with a set of exclusive rights associated for the innovation or discovery. These rights and laws are provided to the owners or creators of the intangible assets which cannot be recorded or documented otherwise. Intellectual Property can be further divided into two categories: one is of the industrial property which consists of inventions, industrial designs, trademarks, etc. and other is copyright which consists of different type of artistic and literary work like poems, novels, films, drawings, musical work, photographs, paintings, sculptures, musical work, etc. Out of all these the types of Intellectual Property which are widely used and are most common are: trademarks, copyrights, pat ents, trade secrets, and industrial design rights. The term of Intellectual Property is relatively new, as it was started being used in the nineteenth century and become more common and popular in the twentieth century. The main aim or purpose behind the use of Intellectual Property is the protection and security of the innovation by the creator or innovator. Along with this the financial incentives associated with the Intellectual Property also encourage people to come up with new innovations in order to get Intellectual Property which in turn results in the development of the overall society and world.

Ethical thinking arise from the news reporting - Nude photos of Assignment

Ethical thinking arise from the news reporting - Nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebs posted by hackers - Assignment Example The availability of information and sizeable technological innovations has added to its utility. Presently lives have become increasingly hectic and competitive. No one stops to double think before acquiring an opportunity to eat from someone else’s plate without having to work for it. Undeserved benefits, easy money and respectful back seats of power are craved by everyone. Those who do manage to get their hands on such power are slowly addicted to the uselessness. They put on guises of importance but mostly just eat the profit from the jobs executed by their subordinates. Call that inhumane verbally, but that’s the mode of operation in leading firms and organisations. Unlawful devouring of assets is often masked by a greater degree of deceptive backbone. You have strong sources or friends with powerful seats? Eat all you want. The world is yours. The leaked photos of Jennifer Lawrence, as many blogs and online networking sites are rampant about, are a breach of law and definitely categorised immoral (Steinberg,  2014). Hackers either do these things as a sale pitch for their abilities or as a means to blackmail their chosen party. They have no sense of responsibility but can find well developed and easily accentuated excuses. They attain access to a person’s work station and from there every folder, every document and every picture is their property and for the world to see. These hackers believe that all information, whatever the type, needs to be shared. The cultural infrastructure should therefore be very strong to cope with internal issues as well to aid in a strong clientele formation. The employees have a greater influence on the organisational culture, and it is a substantial part which cannot be easily moulded once formulated. The major role is played by the executive authorities in outlining the culture while the employees have to adhere to it as a whole

Occupational Behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Occupational Behaviour - Assignment Example utor to why Netflix continues to outperform competition and achieve substantially-high ratings from consumers who appear satisfied with its customer service practices. Based on careful analysis of the firm, its high pay structures and autonomous working environments are missing metrics to determine whether these policies are the genuine catalyst for organisational success and performance. Some research findings have discovered that pay systems are not always effective for achieving long-run job performance and that there are risks to providing too much autonomy. Based on all research and investigation into theory of organisational behaviour and even human psychology, as well as business theory, it is recommended to implement a 360 degree feedback appraisal system at Netflix and engage in the management-by-objectives ideology. These practices will give the firm a new ability to accurately measure true job performance and determine whether there is substantial return on investment for having such liberal HR policies. In order to maintain its reputation as a world class provider of superior customer service, Netflix seeks to hire only the most talented and motivated employees. HR-related perks include generous pay packages, seemingly unlimited vacation opportunities, a reduction of work rules and policies and considerable job role autonomy in order to attract and retain these high performers. This would, theoretically, provide considerable socio-psychological benefits that make employees more committed and motivated to achieve organisational goals. However, there is a potential plethora of problems with providing employees with perks such as the aforementioned to achieve job role performance. First, the case study did not indicate that Netflix has established a metrics system that would measure performance appropriately; a method of ensuring return on investment for these HR activities. Whilst Netflix believes that this will create a culture of commitment for the

Development of Modernity from Enlightenment

Development of Modernity from Enlightenment Dare-to-know is the motto that Kant gave to the Enlightenment. In this essay I am going to demonstrate how this motto relates to modernity. My starting point will be the definition of the Middle-Ages and description of events that characterized it, because it is where evolution to modernity initiated. Immediately after the Middle Ages follows the Renaissance, which I will also be explicating, and it is also followed by Enlightenment or the Modern Age. These three time periods are also inter-linked by historical events that marked them. They have a cause-and-effect relationship, meaning the existence of one is the effect of the existence of another. The Enlightenment was wholly based on reason, and its effect was the historical landmarks such as the French Revolution and the American Revolution. These landmarks, particularly the French Revolution, ensured the society’s exit from medieval tutelage and made a radical transition to the Modern-Age. Based on the Weber’s ideal type bureaucracy, I will also be demonstrating how they have influenced the modern institutions and how they operate, particularly the state, which is the biggest idea or effect of Enlightenment. Freedom also emerged after the establishment of the state, and strive to separate religion from the state, or secularism, was undertaken. Therefore, this rationalization led to the various forms of the modern state being devised. The â€Å"Middle Ages† is the phrase used to describe western countries after the fall of the Roman Empire and the dawn of the Renaissance in the 14th century. It is often called the medieval period. During this period the person’s identity was determined by God. (Dreyfus Kelly, 2011). Everything was determined and created by God. Therefore people never dared to question the phenomena or what made sense to them. Everything was taken for granted. Even kings and queens ruled by divine right in the Great Chain of Being. By divine right it meant they were chosen by God to rule and lead the society. The Great Chain of Being is a divine order or what can be called a social structure in the modern society. It consisted of God at the top, then kings above noblemen and other people in general, and the animals would be ranked below all the people. In the wake of the fall of the Roman Empire, there was a need for an alternative form of rule, the structure, or the government that would unite all the people of Europe. This duty was assumed by the Catholic Church which became a very powerful rule of the Middle-Ages. It also became a source of power for medieval kings and queens as a result of their alliance with it. The church also afforded protection to these monarchs. Rural life was based on feudalism. In this form of existence, the king would give land, or fiefs to noblemen. The peasants, or serfs would work on the land in exchange for protection and to live on the land. However, technological innovations in agriculture resulted in significant evolution in feudalism. Heavy plough and three-field crop rotation efficiently increased production, as well as the supply of food. As a result, less human resource was needed to work on farms. Ultimately, more people flocked to towns and cities. It was by virtue of these cities’ dynamism that gave rise to the Renaissance period in the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. The word Renaissance is French and means rebirth. It is the period in which the society started moving away from the medieval values and norms, from God as the determinant of everything, and thus significantly reducing the power and rule of the church, the Catholic Church. Most importantly it was the time that was marked by a massive change in economy and intellect, particularly in art, literature, science and philosophy. New ideas were created and disseminated across all spheres of life. Artistic work became more accurate and had a viewpoint, literature focused more on the characteristics and behaviors of the people, and printing eased access to information and education by society. In science great improvements were made in various fields, particularly in astronomy and physics. This is evident in Galileo’s successful invention of the telesc ope. Philosophy changed the way people thought about themselves and the universe. It focused on humanism. Humanism is broadly understood as involving a positive approach to human existence and an appreciation of human endeavor. The broad influence of Renaissance humanism in turn filtered back to philosophical and political thought, where various ideas of human reason became the main focus of theoretical speculation. John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, had an optimistic notion of human nature, believing that rationality was a key feature in the way in which human beings organized themselves, with or without state intervention. Locke promoted the idea that unjustly treated subjects had a â€Å"right to rebel† if their reason was being insulted. (Bevir, 2010). These philosophical changes culminated in another change in human thought. This was the dawn of the Modern Age which came to be famously known as The Enlightenment. The Enlightenment is largely defined and popularly known as the age of reason, mainly for its commitment to the use of reason for the promotion of happiness via the amelioration and improvement of the practical conditions of human life (Bevir, 2010). The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, was also keen to stress the importance of rational critique to the Enlightenment, calling on his readers to dispense with â€Å"immaturity† and take up the challenge daring to know for oneself. (Bevier, 2010). He defined the Enlightenment as the man’s exit from his self-incurred minority (Wood, 2001). He described minority as being unable to use intelligence without guidance, and it is self-incurred if it caused by lack of determination and courage to use intelligence without guidance. Therefore, he called Sapere Aude, meaning having the courage to use one’s intelligence, the motto of the Enlightenment (Wood, 2001). This was an attitude towards modernity because it was founded o n the principle rationalism. Rationalism is the belief that the world has a rational structure, and that this can be disclosed through the exercise of human reason and critical enquiry. As a philosophical theory, rationalism is the belief that knowledge flows from reason rather than experience, and thus contrasts with empiricism. As a general principle, however, rationalism places a heavy emphasis on the capacity of human beings to understand and explain their world, and to find solutions to problems. It is associated with an emphasis on principle and reason-governed behavior, as opposed to reliance on custom or tradition, or non-rational drives and impulses. (Heywood, 1992). It was the successful revolution in science of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that gave birth to the Enlightenment. Science undermined the ancient geocentric conception of the cosmos, and the constraining presuppositions that guided philosophical inquiry. It is the period that was marked by dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics. The Enlightenment thought also culminated in the historical French and American Revolution, in which the traditional ancient hierarchical political and social orders (the French monarchy, the privileges of the French nobility, the political power and authority of the Catholic Church) were violently destroyed and replaced by a political and social order informed by the Enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality for all, founded, ostensibly, upon principles of human reason (Bristow, 2011). These revolutions served as a society’s transit from the medieval perspective to a modern world-view. In politics, the Enlighten ment make present again a course of action to encourage values characteristic of liberal modernity, which are freedom, progress, opulence, and humanitarianism. More specifically, political theorists have found in the Enlightenment the origins of several institutions that define our political landscape today, from liberal individualism and global capitalism to constitutional democracy, value pluralism, human rights recognition, and religious toleration (Bevir, 2010). The starting point in analyzing these modern institutions and political landscape is Weber’s bureaucracy. According to Marsh, et al., (1996) bureaucratic organizational structure seems to be fixed and permanent, and indispensable feature of the modern society. Most important is the nature of these bureaucracies. They are impersonal with clearly defined rules that also separate work and private life. Their form of reporting is hierarchical and break job into smaller task for increased quality, effectiveness, efficiency, and economies of scale. Candidates are also appointed based on their qualifications and experience. Therefore, Weber’s bureaucracy serves as a guideline in forming a modern organization, and played a crucial role in the development of the modern state. The biggest idea that grew out of the Enlightenment is that of the modern state. The proximate sources of the modern state were absolutism and the interstate it initiated (Held, 1992). It came as a response to absolutism. A state is that human community which (successfully) lays claim to the monopoly of legitimate physical violence within a certain territory, this territory being another of the defining features of the state (Weber, 1994). This means that all modern states are nation-states, political apparatuses, distinct from both ruler and ruled, with supreme jurisdiction over a demarcated territorial area, backed by a claim to a monopoly of coercive power, and enjoying a minimum level of support or loyalty from their citizens (Held, 1992). Therefore, the modern state is fixed within exact territorial borders, control the means of violence by the army and police, it is sovereign, and it is the only form of rule that regards its people as citizens. Governments come and go but the s tate remains. Therefore, the control of state machinery is contested and won by a political party in elections, which makes it democratic and legitimate because it reflect and/or represent the needs of its citizens. The state also uses a system of checks and balances to ensure that no one of its institutions, which are the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary, exerts or exercise too much power over another. Out of the idea of the modern state other concepts and/or ideas emerged, too. Liberalism emerged as the product of two intertwined developments in early modern Europe. The first was the creation of modern states with the concomitant emergence of semi-autonomous civil societies. The second and roughly contemporaneous development was the invention and spread of a set of values and priorities that broke with the religious traditions that had prevailed in feudal and clerical practice in medieval Europe (Bevir, 2010). Liberalism comes from the word liberty, meaning freedom. In politics, the term is recognized as a unique set of ideas or ideology. The central theme of liberal ideology is a commitment to the individual and the desire to construct a society in which people can satisfy their interests and achieve fulfillment (Heywood, 1992). Liberals believe that human beings are, first and foremost, individuals, endowed with reason (Heywood, 1992). This implies that each individual should enjoy the maximum possible freedom consistent with a like freedom for all (Heywo od, 1992). However, although individuals are entitled to equal legal and political rights, they should be rewarded in line with their talents and willingness to work (Heywood, 1992). Secularism is one of the sub-concepts of liberalism, meaning the next step after individual liberties have been achieved is to strive for the separation of religion from the state. The philosophes’ opposition to traditional religious authority stressed the need for secular knowledge free of religious orthodoxies (Hamilton, 1992). It is an ethic that is perceived as the most radical anti-clerical movement. The aim of the early modern political thought is to establish a secular political order capable of settling the wars of religion, stopping the persecution of religious minorities and heretics, and guaranteeing the natural rights and liberties of every man and citizen (Bevir, 2010). Liberalism also influenced the varying forms of the modern state. Constitutionalism or the constitutional state is the form of state in which political or state decision-making is procedurally or substantively limited. This limits can be either implicit or explicit. Here the practice of the state is restricted and constrained for the maximization of freedom of all citizens. In the liberal state private affairs are separated from public affairs by a concern. This is the form of state in which civil society is freed from unnecessary political intervention and the authority of the state is delimited. Representative democracy is a form of rule in which officers are elected by the citizens themselves to represent their interests within the rule of law. Decisions about social issues are not taken by the society itself, but by the elected officers, the representatives. Lastly, there is also a form of a modern state called a one-party state. Its definition is in its name, a state in which there is only one legitimate political party. Here voters have the o pportunity to affirm the party’s choice of candidate, or occasionally to choose from among different party candidates (although some may doubt whether this constitutes an opportunity for the exercise of choice at all) (Held, 1992). In conclusion, in the Middle-Ages everything was determined by God and existed in the Great Chain of Being. The fall of the Roman Empire ushered in the Renaissance. It was marked by great revolutions in science, philosophy, and astronomy, which then led to the Enlightenment or the Age of reason. This age of reason culminates in the overthrowing of the French monarchy and leads to the establishment the modern democratic state. It also makes Sapere Aude an attitude of modernity, because dare-to-know simply means have courage to find reason. That reason was found and it liberated the society from the shackles of the Middle-Ages. It is also because of that reason the modern state, its various forms and institutions were found. Rationalism thus freed mankind from the self-incurred minority. 1

Profiling and Police/Community Relations Essay -- Profiling and Police

Scientific Methods Scientifically, profiling and police-community relations are comprised of a two-fold focus. The first focal point concentrates on attitudes members of a community have about profiling in accordance to actions conducted by police officers upon them in the course of their duties. The second focal point concentrates on the profiling of police officers, as completed by early intervention systems, in an effort to reduce complaints from members of the community. The literature on the attitudes which community members have about profiling states that race, personal experience, and media framing influence the public’s perception (Graziano, Schuck, & Martin, 2010; Weitzer & Tuch, 2002). The literature on early intervention systems is demonstrative of how such systems can become critical management tools, tailor-made for addressing behavioral and management issues, within both the individual officer and in the locations where they work, to reduce complaints by residents of the community (Macintyre et al., 2008). A review of the literature establishes multiple components of each focal point. Hypothesis Profiling of community residents by law enforcement officials and profiling of police officers by early intervention systems impacts police-community relations. The research will be best conducive employing a time-series, quasi-experimental design. The researcher is choosing to conduct an exploratory research experiment utilizing an interrupted time-series, quasi-experimental design. Data will be collected from a comparison group through pretests and posttests, from surveys, interviews, and statistical analysis. There will be a fixed time frame in order to calculate and analyze the findings. Pro... ...., Prenzler, T., & Chapman, J. (2008). Early intervention to reduce complaints: An Australian Victoria Police initiative. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 10(2), 238-250. doi: 10.1350/ijps.2008.10.2.77 Murphy, K. (2009). Public satisfaction with police: The importance of procedural justice and police performance in police-citizen encounters. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 42(2), 159-178. doi: 10.1375/acri.42.2.159 Tyler, T. R., & Wakslak, C. J. (2004). Profiling and police legitimacy: Procedural justice, attributions of motive, and acceptance of police authority [Abstract]. Criminology, 42(2), 253-282. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2004.tb00520.x Weitzer, R., & Tuch, S. A. (2002). Perceptions of racial profiling: Race, class, and personal experience [Abstract]. Criminology, 40(2), 435-456. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2002.tb00962.x

The Education of Nineteenth Century Women Artists :: Essays Papers

The Education of Nineteenth Century Women Artists The formal education of women artists in the United States has taken quite a long journey. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that the workings of a recognized education for these women finally appeared. Two of the most famous and elite schools of art that accepted, and still accept, women pupils are the Philadelphia School of Design for Women and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (the PAFA). Up until the early nineteenth century, women were mostly taught what is now called a â€Å"fashionable education† (Philadelphia School of Design for Women 5). Their mothers raised them to be proper, young ladies and expert housekeepers in expectation of marriage. If these women were fortunate enough to receive some kind of formalized schooling, they were to study penmanship, limited aspects of their mother language, and very little arithmetic (Philadelphia School of Design for Women 5). Unfortunately, this small degree of education was extremely constrictive to women. If they never married or were widowed at a young age, they really had no place to go. This form of women’s education created generations of women that were almost entirely dependent on their husbands and male relatives. During the nineteenth century, when the feminist movement was beginning, many schools were established specifically for the education of women, such as the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, and also for the education of both. In the beginning, women’s art schools mostly taught pupils practical applications of art. For example, female art students often studied drawing and lithographing, in hopes that they would be hired by industrial companies as designers. The Philadelphia School of Design for Women was one of the first all women’s art schools to establish this form of education. Founded in 1844 by a woman named Sarah Peter, the Philadelphia School of Design for Women was a school like none that had come before it. Peter was a wealthy woman of stature and decided to start this school in one of the rooms of her mansion and to hire a teacher to hold regular classes for women in art and design. (As a wonderful incentive for all women, tuition was free for the poor and the wealthy paid a very small sum.) Sarah Peter saw how truly poor the traditional education for women was and she strongly believed that every woman should â€Å"stand by her sex,† thus her reasoning for establishing this soon to become famous art school.

Kinship and the Inuit People

It takes a certain type of person to be able to survive the harsh freezing climate of the Arctic. The Inuit, descendants of the Thule have been surviving along the shores of the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Davis Strait, and Labrador Sea for over 1,000 years. The kinship relationships among the Inuit people are very important to their way of life and survival. Every family unit consists of the nuclear family. This is the most common type of unit in a foraging society, such as the Inuit. The nuclear family is the mother and/or father and their children. Occasionally, the Inuit nuclear family will include a spouses’ widowed mother or father or a single adult sibling. The village will contain several other households sharing kin members. This is important because they participate in generalized reciprocity. Generalized reciprocity is a form of exchange where there is no expectation for the immediate return of an item or service in exchange for something else. The different households visit each other, share food, and work together to complete everyday tasks. During the seal hunting season, about 15 different households come to work together. This is very important because seals are used for more than just their meat. They use the sealskins for various things such as boot liners, waterproofing clothes, houses, and kayaks, and the blubber for household lighting. However, â€Å"whenever food was abundant, sharing among non-relatives was avoided, since every family was supposedly capable of obtaining the necessary catch. In situations of scarcity, however, caribou meat was more evenly distributed throughout camp† (Laird & Nowak, 2010, p 3. ). This generalized reciprocity helps to ensure the survival of the people in times of need. However, because it is not done all the time, there is little conflict. During times of scarcity, the Inuit people have practiced infanticide. One of the reasons they do this is so the older children or adults do not starve. However, it has been noticed that they prefer female over male infanticide. This is most likely because the boys will grow up to be the hunters. A few women do hunt, but it is considered the men’s responsibility. Women do contribute to the food by gathering grasses, berries, tubers, stems, and seaweed. However, because there is very little vegetation in the Arctic, women are not the main contributors of food. They process and prepare the meats the men bring home. Women are expected to take care of the children and the house. This is one of the closest similarities between our culture and theirs’. In our society, women are still considered the primary caretaker of children and elder family members. Women are expected to come home from work or â€Å"berry gathering† and prepare dinner. Women run the household chores such as cleaning and laundry. Inuit women clean and sew for the children and men, except when the men go away to hunt and have to do it themselves. In our culture, men sometimes help with household chores, such as cooking, although they have the option of ordering in. Our culture also practices generalized reciprocity. Families gather together to share meals and everyday chores. We go to visit other households to enjoy holidays and birthdays. Family members exchange gifts, foods, and just enjoy being together. Some families gather to help one another out like when we moved. My father-in-law helped by lending us his truck. There was nothing expected in return. The one thing we do not share with the Inuit culture is infanticide. Although I understand why they do it, I would not be able to. In our culture, the parents would end up in prison. We also do not place as much importance on the sex of the child. The only benefit of a boy would be the passing on of the family name. However, today women can decide to keep the family name and add on their husbands, instead of giving up theirs for his. Although our cultures have many similarities, they are also very different. Kinship relationships are important in every society, including ours and the Inuit. However, our survival is not dependent on these relationships, whereas the Inuit are. Without the kinship of the Inuit, they would not be able to survive the harsh winters of their environment. It does take a very special type of people to survive the Arctic. The Inuit have proved to be one of them.

Chapter 36 The Parting of the Ways

Dumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch for a moment with disgust on his face. Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly. He turned to Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry upstairs?† â€Å"Of course,† said Professor McGonagall. She looked slightly nauseous, as though she had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wand and pointed it at Barty Crouch, her hand was quite steady. â€Å"Severus† – Dumbledore turned to Snape – â€Å"please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me.† Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room. â€Å"Harry?† Dumbledore said gently. Harry got up and swayed again; the pain in his leg, which he had not noticed all the time he had been listening to Crouch, now returned in full measure. He also realized that he was shaking. Dumbledore gripped his arm and helped him out into the dark corridor. â€Å"I want you to come up to my office first. Harry,† he said quiedy as they headed up the passageway. â€Å"Sirius is waiting for us there.† Harry nodded. A kind of numbness and a sense of complete unreality were upon him, but he did not care; he was even glad of it. He didn't want to have to think about anything that had happened since he had first touched the Triwizard Cup. He didn't want to have to examine the memories, fresh and sharp as photographs, which kept flashing across his mind. Mad-Eye Moody, inside the trunk. Wormtail, slumped on the ground, cradling his stump of an arm. Voldemort, rising from the steaming cauldron. Cedric†¦dead†¦Cedric, asking to be returned to his parents†¦. â€Å"Professor,† Harry mumbled, â€Å"where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?† â€Å"They are with Professor Sprout,† said Dumbledore. His voice, which had been so calm throughout the interrogation of Barty Crouch, shook very slightly for the first time. â€Å"She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best.† They had reached the stone gargoyle. Dumbledore gave the password, it sprang aside, and he and Harry went up the moving spiral staircase to the oak door. Dumbledore pushed it open. Sirius was standing there. His face was white and gaunt as it had been when he had escaped Azkaban. In one swift moment, he had crossed the room. â€Å"Harry, are you all right? I knew it – I knew something like this – what happened?† His hands shook as he helped Harry into a chair in front of the desk. â€Å"What happened?† he asked more urgently. Dumbledore began to tell Sirius everything Barty Crouch had said. Harry was only half listening. So tired every bone in his body was aching, he wanted nothing more than to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until he fell asleep and didn't have to think or feel anymore. There was a soft rush of wings. Fawkes the phoenix had left his perch, flown across the office, and landed on Harry's knee. â€Å"‘Lo, Fawkes,† said Harry quietly. He stroked the phoenix's beautiful scarlet-and-gold plumage. Fawkes blinked peacefully up at him. There was something comforting about his warm weight. Dumbledore stopped talking. He sat down opposite Harry, behind his desk. He was looking at Harry, who avoided his eyes. Dumbledore was going to question him. He was going to make Harry relive everything. â€Å"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze. Harry,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?† said Sirius harshly. He had put a hand on Harry's shoulder. â€Å"Let him have a sleep. Let him rest.† Harry felt a rush of gratitude toward Sirius, but Dumbledore took no notice of Sirius's words. He leaned forward toward Harry. Very unwillingly, Harry raised his head and looked into those blue eyes. â€Å"If I thought I could help you,† Dumbledore said gently, â€Å"by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened.† The phoenix let out one soft, quavering note. It shivered in the air, and Harry felt as though a drop of hot liquid had slipped down his throat into his stomach, warming him, and strengthening him. He took a deep breath and began to tell them. As he spoke, visions of everything that had passed that night seemed to rise before his eyes; he saw the sparkling surface of the potion that had revived Voldemort; he saw the Death Eaters Apparating between the graves around them; he saw Cedric's body, lying on the ground beside the cup. Once or twice, Sirius made a noise as though about to say something, his hand still tight on Harry's shoulder, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him, and Harry was glad of this, because it was easier to keep going now he had started. It was even a relief; he felt almost as though something poisonous were being extracted from him. It was costing him every bit of determination he had to keep talking, yet he sensed that once he had finished, he would feel better. When Harry told of Wormtail piercing his arm with the dagger, however, Sirius let out a vehement exclamation and Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry started. Dumbledore walked around the desk and told Harry to stretch out his arm. Harry showed them both the place where his robes were torn and the cut beneath them. â€Å"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's,† Harry told Dumbledore. â€Å"He said the protection my – my mother left in me – he'd have it too. And he was right – he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face.† For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes. But next second. Harry was sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen him. â€Å"Very well,† he said, sitting down again. â€Å"Voldemort has overcome that particular barrier. Harry, continue, please.† Harry went on; he explained how Voldemort had emerged from the cauldron, and told them all he could remember of Voldemort's speech to the Death Eaters. Then he told how Voldemort had untied him, returned his wand to him, and prepared to duel. But when he reached the part where the golden beam of light had connected his and Voldemort's wands, he found his throat obstructed. He tried to keep talking, but the memories of what had come out of Voldemort's wand were flooding into his mind. He could see Cedric emerging, see the old man, Bertha Jorkins†¦his father†¦his mother†¦ He was glad when Sirius broke the silence. â€Å"The wands connected?† he said, looking from Harry to Dumbledore. â€Å"Why?† Harry looked up at Dumbledore again, on whose face there was an arrested look. â€Å"Priori Incantatem,† he muttered. His eyes gazed into Harry's and it was almost as though an invisible beam of understanding shot between them. â€Å"The Reverse Spell effect?† said Sirius sharply. â€Å"Exactly,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix. This phoenix, in fact,† he added, and he pointed at the scarlet-and-gold bird, perching peacefully on Harry's knee. â€Å"My wand's feather came from Fawkes?† Harry said, amazed. â€Å"Yes,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Mr. Ollivander wrote to tell me you had bought the second wand, the moment you left his shop four years ago.† â€Å"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?† said Sirius. â€Å"They will not work properly against each other,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle†¦a very rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed – in reverse. The most recent first†¦and then those which preceded it†¦.† He looked interrogatively at Harry, and Harry nodded. â€Å"Which means,† said Dumbledore slowly, his eyes upon Harry's face, â€Å"that some form of Cedric must have reappeared.† Harry nodded again. â€Å"Diggory came back to life?† said Sirius sharply. â€Å"No spell can reawaken the dead,† said Dumbledore heavily. â€Å"All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand†¦am I correct, Harry?† â€Å"He spoke to me,† Harry said. He was suddenly shaking again. â€Å"The†¦the ghost Cedric, or whatever he was, spoke.† â€Å"An echo,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"which retained Cedric's appearance and character. I am guessing other such forms appeared†¦less recent victims of Voldemort's wand†¦.† â€Å"An old man,† Harry said, his throat still constricted. â€Å"Bertha Jorkins. And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Your parents?† said Dumbledore quietly. â€Å"Yes,† said Harry. Sirius's grip on Harry's shoulder was now so tight it was painful. â€Å"The last murders the wand performed,† said Dumbledore, nodding. â€Å"In reverse order. More would have appeared, of course, had you maintained the connection. Very well, Harry, these echoes, these shadows†¦what did they do?† Harry described how the figures that had emerged from the wand had prowled the edges of the golden web, how Voldemort had seemed to fear them, how the shadow of Harry's mother had told him what to do, how Cedric's had made its final request. At this point. Harry found he could not continue. He looked around at Sirius and saw that he had his face in his hands. Harry suddenly became aware that Fawkes had left his knee. The phoenix had fluttered to the floor. It was resting its beautiful head against Harry's injured leg, and thick, pearly tears were falling from its eyes onto the wound left by the spider. The pain vanished. The skin mended. His leg was repaired. â€Å"I will say it again,† said Dumbledore as the phoenix rose into the air and resettled itself upon the perch beside the door. â€Å"You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight. Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it – and you have now given us all we have a right to expect. You will come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace†¦Sirius, would you like to stay with him?† Sirius nodded and stood up. He transformed back into the great black dog and walked with Harry and Dumbledore out of the office, accompanying them down a flight of stairs to the hospital wing. When Dumbledore pushed open the door. Harry saw Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione grouped around a harassed-looking Madam Pomfrey. They appeared to be demanding to know where Harry was and what had happened to him. All of them whipped around as Harry, Dumbledore, and the black dog entered, and Mrs. Weasley let out a kind of muffled scream. â€Å"Harry! Oh Harry!† She started to hurry toward him, but Dumbledore moved between them. â€Å"Molly,† he said, holding up a hand, â€Å"please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him,† he added, looking around at Ron, Hermione, and Bill too, â€Å"you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening.† Mrs. Weasley nodded. She was very white. She rounded on Ron, Hermione, and Bill as though they were being noisy, and hissed, â€Å"Did you hear? He needs quiet!† â€Å"Headmaster,† said Madam Pomfrey, staring at the great black dog that was Sirius, â€Å"may I ask what – ?† â€Å"This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while,† said Dumbledore simply. â€Å"I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry – I will wait while you get into bed.† Harry felt an inexpressible sense of gratitude to Dumbledore for asking the others not to question him. It wasn't as though he didn't want them there; but the thought of explaining it all over again, the idea of reliving it one more time, was more than he could stand. â€Å"I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, Harry,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school.† He left. As Madam Pomfrey led Harry to a nearby bed, he caught sight of the real Moody lying motionless in a bed at the far end of the room. His wooden leg and magical eye were lying on the bedside table. â€Å"Is he okay?† Harry asked. â€Å"He'll be fine,† said Madam Pomfrey, giving Harry some pajamas and pulling screens around him. He took off his robes, pulled on the pajamas, and got into bed. Ron, Hermione, Bill, Mrs. Weasley, and the black dog came around the screen and settled themselves in chairs on either side of him. Ron and Hermione were looking at him almost cautiously, as though scared of him. â€Å"I'm all right,† he told them. â€Å"Just tired.† Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears as she smoothed his bed-covers unnecessarily. Madam Pomfrey, who had bustled off to her office, returned holding a small bottle of some purple potion and a goblet. â€Å"You'll need to drink all of this. Harry,† she said. â€Å"It's a potion for dreamless sleep.† Harry took the goblet and drank a few mouthfuls. He felt himself becoming drowsy at once. Everything around him became hazy; the lamps around the hospital wing seemed to be winking at him in a friendly way through the screen around his bed; his body felt as though it was sinking deeper into the warmth of the feather matress. Before he could finish the potion, before he could say another word, his exhaustion had carried him off to sleep. Harry woke up, so warm, so very sleepy, that he didn't open his eyes, wanting to drop off again. The room was still dimly lit; he was sure it was still nighttime and had a feeling that he couldn't have been asleep very long. Then he heard whispering around him. â€Å"They'll wake him if they don't shut up!† â€Å"What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?† Harry opened his eyes blearily. Someone had removed his glasses. He could see the fuzzy outlines of Mrs. Weasley and Bill close by. Mrs. Weasley was on her feet. â€Å"That's Fudge's voice,† she whispered. â€Å"And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?† Now Harry could hear them too: people shouting and running toward the hospital wing. â€Å"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva -† Cornelius Fudge was saying loudly. â€Å"You should never have brought it inside the castle!† yelled Professor McGonagall. â€Å"When Dumbledore finds out -â€Å" Harry heard the hospital doors burst open. Unnoticed by any of the people around his bed, all of whom were staring at the door as Bill pulled back the screens, Harry sat up and put his glasses back on. Fudge came striding up the ward. Professors McGonagall and Snape were at his heels. â€Å"Where's Dumbledore?† Fudge demanded of Mrs. Weasley. â€Å"He's not here,† said Mrs. Weasley angrily. â€Å"This is a hospital wing. Minister, don't you think you'd do better to -â€Å" But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward. â€Å"What has happened?† said Dumbledore sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall. â€Å"Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you – I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch -â€Å" â€Å"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!† she shrieked. â€Å"The Minister has seen to that!† Harry had never seen Professor McGonagall lose control like this. There were angry blotches of color in her cheeks, and a hands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury.- â€Å"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events,† said Snape, in a low voice; he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch -â€Å" â€Å"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!† McGonagall fumed. â€Å"I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but -â€Å" â€Å"My dear woman!† roared Fudge, who likewise looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him, â€Å"as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous -â€Å" But Professor McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's. â€Å"The moment that – that thing entered the room,† she screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, â€Å"it swooped down on Crouch and – and -â€Å" Harry felt a chill in his stomach as Professor McGonagall struggled to find words to describe what had happened. He did not need her to finish her sentence. He knew what the dementor must have done. It had administered its fatal kiss to Barty Crouch. It had sucked his soul out through his mouth. He was worse than dead. â€Å"By all accounts, he is no loss!† blustered Fudge. â€Å"It seems he has been responsible for several deaths'.† â€Å"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius,† said Dumbledore. He was staring hard at Fudge, as though seeing him plainly for the first time. â€Å"He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people.† â€Å"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?† blustered Fudge. â€Å"He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!† â€Å"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius,† Dumbledore said. â€Å"Those peoples deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body.† Fudge looked as though someone had just swung a heavy weight into his face. Dazed and blinking, he stared back at Dumbledore as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. He began to sputter, still goggling at Dumbledore. â€Å"You-Know-Who†¦returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort – learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins – went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return.† â€Å"See here, Dumbledore,† said Fudge, and Harry was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his face, â€Å"you – you can't seriously believe that You-Know-Who – back? Come now, come now†¦certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders – but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort,† said Dumbledore steadily. â€Å"He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office.† Dumbledore glanced around at Harry and saw that he was awake, but shook his head and said, â€Å"I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight.† Fudge's curious smile lingered. He too glanced at Harry, then looked back at Dumbledore, and said, â€Å"You are – er – prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?† There was a moment's silence, which was broken by Sirius growling. His hackles were raised, and he was baring his teeth at Fudge. â€Å"Certainly, I believe Harry,† said Dumbledore. His eyes were blazing now. â€Å"I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer.† Fudge still had that strange smile on his face. Once again, he glanced at Harry before answering. â€Å"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who†¦well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Fudge shot Harry another look, and Harry suddenly understood. â€Å"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge,† he said quietly. Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill all jumped. None of them had realized that Harry was awake. Fudge reddened slightly, but a defiant and obstinate look came over his face. â€Å"And if I have?† he said, looking at Dumbledore. â€Å"If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place -â€Å" â€Å"I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?† said Dumbledore coolly. â€Å"You admit that he has been having these pains, then?† said Fudge quickly. â€Å"Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly – hallucinations?† â€Å"Listen to me, Cornelius,† said Dumbledore, taking a step toward Fudge, and once again, he seemed to radiate that indefinable sense of power that Harry had felt after Dumbledore had Stunned young Crouch. â€Å"Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous.† Fudge had taken half a step back from Dumbledore, but he looked no less stubborn. â€Å"You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before†¦.† â€Å"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!† Harry shouted. He tried to get out of bed again, but Mrs. Weasley forced him back. â€Å"I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy -â€Å" Snape made a sudden movement, but as Harry looked at him, Snape's eyes flew back to Fudge. â€Å"Malfoy was cleared!† said Fudge, visibly affronted. â€Å"A very old family – donations to excellent causes -â€Å" â€Å"Macnair!† Harry continued. â€Å"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!† â€Å"Avery – Nott – Crabbe – Goyle -â€Å" â€Å"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!† said Fudge angrily. â€Å"You could have found those names in old reports of the trials! For heavens sake, Dumbledore – the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too – his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them – the boy can talk to snakes. Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?† â€Å"You fool!† Professor McGonagall cried. â€Å"Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!† â€Å"I see no evidence to the contrary!† shouted Fudge, now matching her anger, his face purpling. â€Å"It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!† Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always thought of Fudge as a kindly figure, a little blustering, a little pompous, but essentially good-natured. But now a short, angry wizard stood before him, refusing, point-blank, to accept the prospect of disruption in his comfortable and ordered world – to believe that Voldemort could have risen. â€Å"Voldemort has returned,† Dumbledore repeated. â€Å"If you accept that fact straightaway. Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors -â€Å" â€Å"Preposterous!† shouted Fudge again. â€Å"Remove the dementors? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!† â€Å"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them!† said Dumbledore. â€Å"They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard-pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!† Fudge was opening and closing his mouth as though no words could express his outrage. â€Å"The second step you must take – and at once,† Dumbledore pressed on, â€Å"is to send envoys to the giants.† â€Å"Envoys to the giants?† Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. â€Å"What madness is this?† â€Å"Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!† â€Å"You – you cannot be serious!† Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. â€Å"If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants – people hate them, Dumbledore – end of my career -â€Å" â€Å"You are blinded,† said Dumbledore, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more, â€Å"by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any – and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now- take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act – and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!† â€Å"Insane,† whispered Fudge, still backing away. â€Å"Mad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then there was silence. Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. Mrs.Weasley was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Ron, and Hermione were staring at Fudge. â€Å"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I – I shall act as I see fit.† Dumbledore's voice carried no hint of a threat; it sounded like a mere statement, but Fudge bristled as though Dumbledore were advancing upon him with a wand. â€Å"Now, see here, Dumbledore,† he said, waving a threatening finger. â€Å"I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me -â€Å" â€Å"The only one against whom I intend to work,† said Dumbledore, â€Å"is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side.† It seemed Fudge could think of no answer to this. He rocked backward and forward on his small feet for a moment and spun his bowler hat in his hands. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice, â€Å"He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled. â€Å"There,† said Snape harshly. â€Å"There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold.† Fudge stepped back from Snape too. He was shaking his head. He did not seem to have taken in a word Snape had said. He stared, apparently repelled by the ugly mark on Snape's arm, then looked up at Dumbledore and whispered, â€Å"I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry.† He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the dormitory, and stopped at Harry's bed. â€Å"Your winnings,† he said shortly, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harry's bedside table. â€Å"One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He crammed his bowler hat onto his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at the group around Harry's bed. â€Å"There is work to be done,† he said. â€Å"Molly†¦am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?† â€Å"Of course you can,† said Mrs. Weasley. She was white to the lips, but she looked resolute. â€Å"We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride.† â€Å"Then I need to send a message to Arthur,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius.† â€Å"I'll go to Dad,† said Bill, standing up. â€Å"I'll go now.† â€Å"Excellent,† said Dumbledore. â€Å"Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry -â€Å" â€Å"Leave it to me,† said Bill. He clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, kissed his mother on the cheek, pulled on his cloak, and strode quickly from the room. â€Å"Minerva,† said Dumbledore, turning to Professor McGonagall, â€Å"I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also – if she will consent to come – Madame Maxime.† Professor McGonagall nodded and left without a word. â€Å"Poppy,† Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey, â€Å"would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us.† â€Å"Very – very well,† said Madam Pomfrey, looking startled, and she too left. Dumbledore made sure that the door was closed, and that Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away, before he spoke again. â€Å"And now,† he said, â€Å"it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius†¦if you could resume your usual form.† The great black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then, in an instant, turned back into a man. Mrs. Weasley screamed and leapt back from the bed. â€Å"Sirius Black!† she shrieked, pointing at him. â€Å"Mum, shut up!† Ron yelled. â€Å"It's okay!† Snape had not yelled or jumped backward, but the look on his face was one of mingled fury and horror. â€Å"Him!† he snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike. â€Å"What is he doing here?† â€Å"He is here at my invitation,† said Dumbledore, looking between them, â€Å"as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other.† Harry thought Dumbledore was asking for a near miracle. Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other with the utmost loathing. â€Å"I will settle, in the short term,† said Dumbledore, with a bite of impatience in his voice, â€Å"for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any us. Very slowly – but still glaring at each other as though each wished the other nothing but ill – Sirius and Snape moved toward each other and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly. â€Å"That will do to be going on with,† said Dumbledore, stepping between them once more. â€Å"Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher – the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there.† â€Å"But -† said Harry. He wanted Sirius to stay. He did not want to have to say goodbye again so quickly. â€Å"You'll see me very soon. Harry,† said Sirius, turning to him. â€Å"I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry. â€Å"Yeah†¦of course I do.† Sirius grasped his hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed again into the black dog, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle he turned with a paw. Then he was gone. â€Å"Severus,† said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, â€Å"you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready†¦if you are prepared†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I am,† said Snape. He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely. â€Å"Then good luck,† said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius. It was several minutes before Dumbledore spoke again. â€Å"I must go downstairs,† he said finally. â€Å"I must see the Diggory's. Harry – take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later.† Harry slumped back against his pillows as Dumbledore disappeared. Hermione, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley were all looking at him. None of them spoke for a very long time. â€Å"You've got to take the rest of your potion. Harry,† Mrs. Weasley said at last. Her hand nudged the sack of gold on his bedside cabinet as she reached for the bottle and the goblet. â€Å"You have a good long sleep. Try and think about something else for a while†¦think about what you're going to buy with your winnings!† â€Å"I don't want that gold,† said Harry in an expressionless voice. â€Å"You have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've been Cedric's.† The thing against which he had been fighting on and off ever since he had come out of the maze was threatening to overpower him. He could feel a burning, prickling feeling in the inner corners of his eyes. He blinked and stared up at the ceiling. â€Å"It wasn't your fault. Harry,† Mrs. Weasley whispered. â€Å"I told him to take the cup with me,† said Harry. Now the burning feeling was in his throat too. He wished Ron would look away. Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the bedside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother. The full weight of everything he had seen that night seemed to fall in upon him as Mrs. Weasley held him to her. His mother's face, his father's voice, the sight of Cedric, dead on the ground all started spinning in his head until he could hardly bear it, until he was screwing up his face against the howl of misery fighting to get out of him. There was a loud slamming noise, and Mrs. Weasley and Harry broke apart. Hermione was standing by the window. She was holding something tight in her hand. â€Å"Sorry,† she whispered. â€Å"Your potion, Harry,† said Mrs. Weasley quickly, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. Harry drank it in one gulp. The effect was instantaneous. Heavy, irresistible waves of dreamless sleep broke over him; he fell back onto his pillows and thought no more.