Current Trends in Human Resource Management Essay

Technology is ubiquitous. Whether you are in the industrialized world or developing markets, a growing number of people are connecting with mobile devices like colorful cell phones and very portable computers like Apple’s iPad. This allows people to communicate across archaic boundaries within companies or externally across the world. They have instant access to information and to people. brilliant CEO’s are thinking about ways to leverage this technology explosion. Many are already experimenting with virtual teams, non-traditional workplaces, and flatter corporate structures. How will your company leverage technology? Are there ways to connect more effectively with co-workers, customers, or investors? Can access to information abet to hurry the company more effectively? Have you identified what information is necessary to your success and how it should be shared? Will you exercise an enterprise platform like SAP or Peoplesoft, or will you simply spend basic services like email and the Internet? So, the basic examine from a human resource perspective is how to utilize technology to connect people and information to your advantage. If you are not thinking about all of this, rest assured that your competitors are already experimenting with the modern technologies. originate positive that you don’t pick up left in the dust. Global Marketplace As demonstrated during the unusual downturn, worldwide economic activity is more interdependent than it ever has been in the past. Although trade has crossed borders even before the Silk Road was traveled by Marco Polo, in today’s global marketplace what happens in one country usually has a dramatic impact in another. The largest economies like the US, China, Japan, nd Europe are so interdependent that their leaders meet periodically at the G-20 summits to discuss issues of mutual interest and favorite strategies. Smaller countries that were formerly called third-world countries are now called emerging markets because they have the most robust growth. It is now also possible to do business across borders more easily using global transportation services like DHL , FedEx, and UPS. Even minute businesses have the opportunity to compete or bewitch supplies from outside their local marketplace. This is a growing trend and remarkable of the growth will be outside of the developed countries. So, how is your company positioned to participate in this growth? Can you tap into modern markets or get suppliers or contract workers at lower cost? Can you partner with other businesses or agencies in different markets at home or abroad? If you are looking for recent customers, project workers or current opportunities, then it only makes sense to believe about strategies that would allow your company to participate in the global economy. How can your company tap into the growth in the emerging markets? More specifically from an human resources perspective, can you leverage contract workers for projects or benefit staff? While this may not be feasible for every business, it might be more viable than you deem. Workers who do their job primarily at a computer can do this unbiased as well in another space or country. This is especially proper if you have the just technology platforms or exercise cloud computing. While there are security, cultural, and other issues to address, don’t let the opportunities pass you by honest because you haven’t understanding globally about your business in the past. The future is a global marketplace. deem globally. Rising Costs of Benefits In the United States, health care and succor costs generally have been rising at an unsustainable rate. modern federal health care legislation may address some issues; however, it is tranquil very likely that the costs will continue to rise. Thus, companies will be looking to shift the burden for the costs of benefits. Some of this will be shifted to the government, some will be shifted to workers, and peaceful other benefits will unbiased be chop because they are no longer affordable. Many companies have already chop their defined benefits pensions and retirement programs. Others have modified them to lower matching contributions when they aren’t making a profit. Others have shifted their health insurance to high-deductible plans which offer lower premiums, but also require workers to lift up mighty of the basic cost even when they exhaust health savings accounts. Thus the trend for many companies is to be more frugal with employee back offerings; however, other companies will consume their enhanced abet programs as a recruiting tool to attract the top talent in their industry. So each company must analyze their benefits in relation to their overall strategy to attract and support talent for their firm while balancing the overall costs of the programs. You must be able to reply the basic expect, â€Å"What is our compensation and benefits philosophy and how does if fit into our overall business strategy? Flexible Workplace The workplaces in the future will be more flexible. Once again, technology might be one of the driving considerations that makes this possible; however it is not the only factor. Younger generations are not only more accustomed to being treated differently, but in some cases examine that employers are flexible so that they can balance work-life issues. Unless there is a compelling reason for workers to be on spot during obvious hours, such as a doctor in an emergency room or a shift manager at a manufacturing facility, then employers should contemplate about how they can be more flexible in their workplaces. Allowing workers to tele-commute has both disadvantages as well as advantages, so there is not a simple legal or unsuitable retort for every company. However, design no mistake; some companies are working through these issues honest now so that they can offer flexibility for their employees that compliments their business strategies. This will be their key to attracting top talent. Demographics Demographics are definitely changing. In the United States where there is a tradition of immigration, there is a shift from the venerable white-male dominated workplace to a multi-cultural environment. This is happening at all levels from line-workers to management. Additionally, women will smash through the â€Å"glass ceiling† and rise to more senior management ranks. Beyond ethnic and gender considerations, age is also likely to play into the equation of workforce planning. Many leadership and managerial positions are now occupied by aging â€Å"baby-boomers† who will be retiring over the next five to ten years. This will inaugurate up current opportunities for younger workers, but only if they are prepared. On the other hand, some older workers will be working well past retirement age either because they haven’t saved for retirement or because they will be retained as famous employees due to their job experience. They might be willing to cease if their employer offers some flexibility like job sharing or a four-day work week. Outside of the US, industrialized nations will also need to deal with aging populations while the emerging countries will have younger workers who are involved to allotment in a more affluent lifestyle. Thus, CEO’s and HR managers are thinking about ways that their workforce will change in the next few years. Will you have ample leaders to replace aging baby-boomers? Will you need to relate younger workers to transfer the institutional knowledge that is currently retained by your more experienced staff? How will your company retract advantage of shifts to a more diverse workforce? These are all very famous questions that must have an reply if your firm is going to thrive in the future. Looking into the future is hard to do, especially in the 21st Century, but trends offer some clues. We live in a more complex and interconnect world. Events in one allotment of the world are speedily news everywhere over the internet, cable TV and mobile phones. Although it is an exaggeration to say that the gentle flutter from a butterfly’s glide in Asia can result in a hurricane on the other side of the globe, we seek the far reaching effects from events in one plot to other regions that would not have known about them in the past. Thus, it is notable to ogle for trends that will impact our world. If you can capitalize on the changes that result from the trends, then you can prepare to either pick advantage of them or minimize their despicable impact. These five trends in human resources trends are already impacting the diagram we do business. They will definitely continue to impact our world, and it is up to you to figure out how to leverage them to your advantage.

A management meeting Essay

Locate and book room/s with suitability for the meeting (teleconference facilities, IT equipment etc). Ideally, 1 large room with 3 smaller meeting rooms for the group activities later in the day. Seating would need to be arranged as there will be people on teleconference, they will need to hear anything being said in the meeting. 2. Send out meeting invites to all attendees. This would list the venue, date and time, speaker, contact details. An agenda of the meeting would be the best way to send out these details as it lists all that information and lets attendees knows how the meeting will be run. 3. Any travel/accommodation for interstate attendees would need to be arranged. Also the same for the guest speaker (if needed). Transfers to and from the airport would be advisable. 4. They would need to ensure if there are any special requirements for the attendees (dietary, mobility, language etc.) and make special arrangements if anything is required – Vegetarian food, wheel ch air access, interpreter etc. 5. Arrange IT equipment to be made available for presentation. This could be either through your company if they have the available resources. If not, they may be available already in the meeting rooms you have booked or you could us a 3rd party. 6. Lunch will need to be ordered. Again this may be able to be arranged with the meeting rooms you have booked or you can organize a local caterer. At the same time you could organize refreshments for afternoon tea (and morning tea if required). 7. Ensure all stationary available and if not it will need to be ordered. This could also be for group training later in the day. Butcher paper, whiteboards etc. could all be used if it’s a brainstorming session. 8. Name tags could be organized if managers do not know each other and also may help the presenter for the group meetings. 9. On the day of meeting, all IT equipment should be tested prior to the meeting taking place. Room should be set up according to needs and re-arranged if it’s not correct. 10. A chairperson would need to be selected to run the meeting. The CEO will be the chairperson for this meeting. As the chairperson, they would need to ensure the meeting runs on time, stays on topic and stick to the agenda. 11. The chairperson (the CEO in this case) would need to select a minute taker – this could be a PA or  someone else from the company. It would be helpful if they have taken minutes before or at least are capable of recording a high level of detail at a high pace. They could either take 12. minutes in short form at the meeting and expand on it after or type directly to a PC in the meeting and print out directly after the meeting to be review. 12. Prior to the meeting, the CEO and selected minute taker would need to sit down and discuss what will be spoken about in the meeting, the order of events and just a brief overview of all the key points that will need to be recorded. This way the minute taker knows what they should be focusing on when making notes. 13. Once the meeting is finalized the minutes of the meeting will need to be read through and expanded into a format that can be distributed to all attendees and anyone who may benefit from them. It would be best for the CEO and the minute taker to go through these soon after the meeting to ensure the notes are correct and no key points or discussion points are left off. Once they have had a chance to go through the notes – the minute taker can put into a format which the company uses and can then look at distributing via email, fax or mail. This is also best to be done as soon as they can so it is fresh in everyone’s mind. The minutes from this meeting (and others) should be stored electronically so they can be referenced to in future meetings if needed. 14. All the bookings/arrangements need to be checked off to ensure they are still booked/on time and that no problems are going to arise. This could be done by either the CEO’s PA or generally it would be organized and checked by the Marketing department for the company as they deal with these things on a day to day basis. They would need to call the caterers, travel agents, taxi companies, audio visual people and meeting facility to ensure everything is ok – this needs to be done around 2 days before. Any earlier and there could be problems between when you call and the actual function – any later and if any problems arise it could be too late to make alternative arrangements. 15. From the minutes of the meeting, reports may need to be created to be handed out to relevant employees of the firm. These may have the same details as what is in the minutes but in a more condensed format. It may also include graphs if figures/dates were mentioned and tables to make it easier to understand. They could also include any tasks that have  been assigned so people know who needs to be followed up.

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Essay - 1

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Security will cover our needs when we are retired - Essay Example Thus, there is an overall increase in the global population, which is going to have repercussions not only on the United States, but also on the global community. One of the areas in which our future society is going to be most effected is in the field of social security because the growth of our population and the rise of an older generation of people is going to cause economic havoc not only on benefits such as tax cuts and social security, but also on the entire economic system. Social security was created as a social welfare program that was designed to take care of people as they aged and became less productive members of society. It was first proposed by Roosevelt as part of the New Deal in order to move America out of the Great Depression. Since then, the original concept and act has been rewritten and developed so that it can stay current with the times and adapt to meet the demands/changes of the population. It was designed so that at a certain point, people would retire, ho wever they would still be receiving a check from the government every month that would help pay for their living expenses. In this way, equilibrium would be kept between those that were younger and more productive in the working environment by freeing up the jobs held by older people. It is through taxation that the government is able to fund the checks to take care of the elderly, however there are problems that will be facing a new generation of people, as there is an increase in the number of elderly (Livingston 1-31). As stated previously, the lives of humanity are being expanded due to advances in medical science and people are now having more children. There is an accelerated growth in the human population on the planet that is going to have problems keeping up with this growing population. In the United States, this is going to be seen with the â€Å"Baby Boomers.† These were individuals that were born between the years of 1946 and 1964. This explosive growth in the po st-world war II population was good in that it stimulated the economy by providing a workforce to both work and consume in the economy. With an increasing number of these Baby Boomers retiring, more and more money is being used from social security, which is putting a strain on this economic system. Along with the already increasing budget cuts and problems with taxation, there is not enough funds coming into the system in order to provide financial benefits after retirement. In essence, the current workforce is going to be paying for these people’s social security, but will have no form of social security of their own. By the time it reaches the next generation of children to retire, there will be very few benefits of social security remaining (Andersen, and Taylor 370-75). Social security is also having an effect on the medical care system and vice versa. One of the benefit adjuncts of social security is the medical insurance that is supplied to all senior citizens. Again, this is supplied through the taxation of the population. As more elderly citizens begin to tap into this resource, the less that will be left for the rest of the population once they hit retirement age. Even though medical technology has become more advanced and is saving lives, there is a costly rise in the costs of healthcare associated not only with the implementation of treatments and procedures, but also with the research and development that goes into the creation of these. More and more

Luxury Cruise Ships Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Luxury Cruise Ships - Research Paper Example This offers the meal experience of a hotel, only that guests experience this while travelling; different meals in different locations. Guests have a vast range of beverages from which to select. Guests can choose from a selection of spirits, wines, soft drinks, juices, coffee, bottled water and champagne among others. Furthermore, guests can enjoy their choice of drinks throughout the ship rather than during meal times only. The preferred selections of guests are stocked in their specific suites. The entertainment facilities in luxury cruise ships are quite diverse and unique. There are no reservations, bar tabs or cover charges. There are variety acts, cabaret-style shows, feature films and special performances among others. Once in a while enrichment lecturers hold discussions pertaining to the voyage destination. Guests can also dance to live music. Casino lovers can play casino games. This variety of entertainment compliments the travel experience of guests (Smith 57). Most luxury cruise ships are usually small in size in order to personalize the experience for guests. Such ships are intimate and have more space and fewer guests on board. Such ships also allow guests to experience close encounters with culture and nature. During the journey, guests enjoy personalized one on one service. Small cruise ships are also able to dock in many harbors including small harbors where large cruise ships cannot dock. This increases the number of stops that a small luxury cruise ship can make along the way. The cost of services in a luxury cruise ship is quite high. The vast variety of facilities, in addition to the personalized services that are offered on board contributes to the high cost of luxury cruise trips. This leaves only the wealthy customers who can afford the services. The Cruise experience is far much better than the experience at a hotel, which makes the prices

IIS Networking Infrastructure Design Project Research Paper

IIS Networking Infrastructure Design Project - Research Paper Example The rising globalization and the increasing competition in the business world have led the different companies in different industries to focus their business strategies into newer and innovative measures to attract greater number of customers and gain more profits. The study is based on such incorporation of new telecommunication and network infrastructure in the Intelligent Imaging Solutions Company. The company thus focuses on determination of a new solution that can be best suited to the organization’s requirements. Integrated security and advanced information technology (IT) system and the incorporation of optical fibers have been selected as a probable solution for the company’s new infrastructure. The report presents the business needs, the needs of the customers, the operations of the company, the applications of the new facilities, and the organizational benefits that are expected to be obtained from the use of the new technology. The details of the scope of the new solution have been reflected thus discussing about the protocols, the cable connections, security and other relevant details of the process. The details of the software and hardware facilities have been covered in the proposal as well. The probable process of pre- and post- installation processes and the network communication details have been obtained. Along with that the training schedules of the employees have been tried to be determined. A financial outline forecasting the required amounts of investments in the different areas of the project have been provided keeping in view the budget that the company has planned for investment in the concerned project.

Poetry & Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poetry & Response - Essay Example The third part is the animated segments which is the illustration of the poem itself. I appreciated how the movie was structured. At first I thought that it was just a simple biography of Ginsberg but after watching the movie, I realized it was not a biopic but it actually focused on the poem â€Å"Howl†. I find the film entertaining with its crossing of different time periods and animation techniques. I think the animation is quite traditional but very imaginative. I am impressed with the contrast presented by the monochrome flashbacks as against the colorful courtroom scenes. I admired the interesting courtroom scenes especially since I learned that the dialogue used was derived from the actual courtroom transcripts. That is important to me because I know that the movie was faithful to facts. However, I think that the courtroom scenes would have been more meaningful if Ginsberg was present Bravo to James Franco’s portrayal of the young Ginsberg which fits him to a â€Å"T†. I consider his performance as outstanding and convincing. I appreciate Franco’s intonation and inflection since it was an accurate depiction of Ginsberg’s way of speaking. Kudos too to Jon Hamm and David Strathairn who played their roles perfectly as warring lawyers. In conclusion, I think that â€Å"Howl† was effective in bringing a radical literary piece to the movies and making it come alive. The performance of the actors contributed much to the boldness and worthiness of this film. The movie’s value is in its innovativeness in interspersing the courtroom drama with the elaborate animation and the rendition of the key moments of Ginsberg’s youth. I would gladly watch this movie again and recommend it to my

Resulting in the Relocation of Japanese Americans Essay

Resulting in the Relocation of Japanese Americans - Essay Example The United States President made the above Executive Order to protect American interests. The Enduring Visions’ Chapter 25 states that the president during 1942 was Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Boyer 765). The order instructed all military units to imprison all Japanese Americans in preselected military prison camps (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). The order was made in order to restrict the movement of resident who are of Japanese ancestries. The United States war enemies of 1942 included Japan, Italy, and Germany. The order was meant to restrict the movements of the Japanese Americans, two months after Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japanese military pilots (Laurier 35). Further, the order instructed the military to give food, shelter and other comforts to the incarcerated civilians. The order does mention the nationalities of the persons to be rounded up and imprisoned. However, the letter clearly states that the military will include the Japanese residents among those to be picked up and locked up in military camps within the United States (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). Furthermore, the United States instructed the Secretary of War and the military commander to spearhead seeking the help of the federal troops and the federal agencies to implement the order. Consequently, the United States President ordered all United States departments to collaborate with the military authorities’ implementation of order 9066 (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). Moreover, the intentions of the order did not limit the current investigations of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bureau was investigating and weeding out possible saboteurs and spies from within the American communities having race relationships with the current United States war enemies. The bureau picked up and filed cases against proven Japanese spies and saboteurs (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). Further, Executive order 9066 was issued during February of 1942. The document was made after Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese airplanes during December 7, 1941. The Japanese bomb ing during was two hours (Lassier 89). Even though the order did not mention whether the targeted civilians were Japanese, German, or Italian residents, the general interpretation of the order was to only focus on the Japanese people. This is understandable because of the recent bombing of Pearl Harbor (http://www.ourdocuments.gov/). As proof, the military started to forcibly rounding up and transfer the Japanese Americans within the designation military zones. Secretary of State ordered the Military Commander, Lt. General Dewitt, as the military commander of the Western Defense Command overseeing the implementation of Executive Order 9066 on February 20, 1942. The military prison zones were located in the western halves of California, Oregon, and Washington. Likewise, the Southern half of Arizona was set as another military prison zone. As proof that the military zones are prison camps, the Japanese were restricted to only moving within the military zones

Characteristic of the U.S. health care delivery system Essay

Characteristic of the U.S. health care delivery system - Essay Example 9). These characteristics hinder the delivery of healthcare in the US because they pose problems of delays and legal complications. These characteristics reflect that the US healthcare system is highly fragmented and has immense political, economic, and cultural influences. People belonging to certain ethnicities and age groups e.g. older African Americans receive poor access to effective healthcare treatment. In the researches controlling for insurance of health, the older African Americans have been found to have gotten lesser eye examinations, screening for breast cancer, and various other kinds of treatments (Yeo, 2009, p. 1279).The US healthcare system also reflects lack of a central governing agency in the US. The current system of US healthcare poses many emotional, cultural, and political challenges for the health care administrators. However, support for the model of universal health coverage in the US has increased in the recent years and this is seemingly the best way to make the healthcare system unbiased, cost effective, and of high quality (Pushman and Chung,

Arts and Cultural Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Arts and Cultural Heritage - Essay Example Interaction between different countries is easier due to improved transportation. With the fast changing world, it also easier to lose cultural heritage. The more radical the industrialization, the more danger it provides to cultural heritage (â€Å"Arts and Cultural Policy† n.d.). While protecting cultural heritage is a priority, the discovering is not yet finished. There are still cultural heritage that needs to be retrieved. The UNESCO has also addressed the problem of mapping the lost culture, retrieving it and knowing which country it came from. It is called the cultural mapping (â€Å"Arts and Cultural Policy† n.d.). In Australia, strict implementation of cultural policy is promoted. The Aborigines or the ethnic group of Australia is rich in cultural heritage. With their policy, cultural heritage and intellectual property are being protected at maximum (â€Å"Arts and Cultural Policy† n.d.). Cultural heritage is one of the most important properties of a country or ethnic group that must not be lost. It is one of the shapers in the formative years of a country or ethnic group. It must be passed too next generation so that they will know how and why things came to be. There are still cultural pieces that must be discovered and government should continue to promote

Life on the Color Line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life on the Color Line - Essay Example Their mother leaves them when faced with bankruptcy. Now the whites will not accept them, and the blacks will not accept them either. The boys, however, decide to grit out a living even in such abysmal conditions (Gregory Howard Williams). Racism happen the world over. It happened in Germany when the Nazis declared the superiority of their race. It happened in the Roman empire where Roman citizens boasted of the privileges of their status that was not available to non-Romans. These incidents took place in the past, sometimes in the distant past. However, the issue has not died down to the level where their exposure would only draw curiosity and nothing else. One of the reasons that racism has not died down is the us-and-them thinking pattern that looks upon one's neighbor cultural background with disdain and mockery. From such attitudes one can easily graduate to potentially more dangerous forms of racism that refuses to die down or be consigned to the annals of distant history. One is reminded of the horrors of the Ku Klux Klan and the beating of Rodney King by four white Los Angeles police officers in 1992. These incidents, unfortunately, do not allow the topic of racism to exit in a peaceful mortuary. The present status of Barack Hussein Obama as president of the United States can serve as a bright example of racial tolerance that exists in the United States today. However, consider these facts while hailing the incident of Barak Hussein Obama being elected the first non-white president of the United States. "There is no question that the possibility of violence directed at presidential candidates, especially Obama, is the elephant in the middle of the room," says Peter Fenn, adjunct professor of political management at George Washington University, to describe the media's careful coverage of the issue. Hillary Clinton's comments about the 1968 assassination of Kennedy caused an uproar among those who believe that the candidate wanted to bring up the security issue surrounding Obama" (Marcus Baram). The security threat to Obama exists manifold more that those that existed for white presidents earlier. The issue is not only perplexing but also potential enough for the nation to be concerned about since it has to do with a president who has been elected in a fair and free manner. Conscious and Informed Awareness In the prevailing conditions, it is difficult to decide to turn a new leaf and start afresh where there will be no racial recriminations. Undoubtedly, the situation has improved from what it was earlier when it was all right for black men to serve as caddies and it was normal for black women to serve as housemaids. These are the days when a black man is the president of the United States. However, the stigma of being black in a nation where the white is predominant cannot be removed by wishful objectives. They have to be side stepped with humility and simple acknowledgment. Racial divisions will continue to make their presence felt because man is ultimately a weak entity. Every nation on earth has a race that is majority and some races in the minority. It is natural for the majority to claim dominance over the minority. Nonetheless, issues that concern law and order problems relating

Critical Appraisal Essay Example for Free

Critical Appraisal Essay This exclusive practical session revolves around students attachment to family doctor or general practitioner. Beforehand, a sound understanding and distinguishable comparison between these two specialty is necessary to perform this task efficiently. Family medicine is a medical specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and all parts of the body. It is based on knowledge of the patient in the context of the family and community, emphasizing disease prevention and health promotion. According to the World Organization of Family Doctors, the aim of family medicine is to provide personal, comprehensive and continuing care for the individual in the context of the family and community. On the other hand, general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education to patients. The good general practitioners will treat patients both as people and as a population. In some healthcare systems general practitioners work in primary care healthcare centers where they play a central role in the healthcare team. Nevertheless, in some models of care general practitioners work as single-handed practitioners. In conjunction with this block, I visited a local puskesmas to understand more about role of a general practitioner and family physician. Physical Access , Convenience and Facilities The clinic I was designated to is Puskesmas Danurejan I. The puskesmas is located in Bausasran, Danurejan in Yogyakarta. After being renovated and improvised since December 2011, Puskesmas Danurejan possesses new physical structure and more sophisticated facilities. Now, the puskesmas has a new building, whereas the ground floor serves as an infectious and non-infectious area. The puskesmas is almost 656 meter squared in size with general consultation rooms, dental consultation rooms, emergency room, pharmacy and laboratory fitted in the ground floor. On the other hand, the first floor serves as the supporting facility . This floor contains the office, hygiene and sanitation department and prayer room. This health center is located in the midst of housing estates, and therefore very accessible to those living within close proximity. The housing area is also densely populated, with numerous shops, public amenities which makes it a rather ideal and conducive stay. The puskesmas is open daily on weekdays and Saturdays from 7. 30am to 3. 00pm. The puskesmas also has a landline which makes it reachable for any prior information before the peoples visit. One distinct setback of the setting is that of, the signboard was unclear and hidden in tree branches. The direction guiding the visitors are vague and not specified. This may be inconvenient for anyone who is about to make their very first visit without prominently knowing the location. Furthermore, there were not enough parking lots near the puskesmas. The Waiting Room The waiting room is spacious, sufficient to fit about 20 patients at an instance with appropriate number of chairs provided. The cleanliness and tidiness of the waiting room is also well maintained . There were garbage bins provided. The ventilation of the room is also well considered as there are presence windows for good air movement. Huge healthcare pamphlets and banners are also seen in the waiting room, aimed educate and enlighten patients. A staff was bserved in the waiting area as she is assigned to take vital signs of the patients and direct them to the physician as their turn comes. As we were walking pass the waiting room, I noticed surreptitious gazes from the patients who were rather clueless of our enthusiastic presence with white coats. I managed to start a conversation with a few patients even before tending to the consultation room for observation. Patient Load and Examination Room The patients who visit this puskesmas are mostly from the community living within close proximity to the center. Apparently, the densely populated housing estate are attracted to the recently renovated health center. The health center receives a generous average of 40 patients daily, most probably due to the satisfactory health care received and affordable charges. The examination room is rather small but sufficient to carry out basic physical examination, equipped with racks, table for physician and an examination bed. During my observation period, the physician received 5 patients. in which 3 of them were regular patients under controlled medications (hypertension and diabetes mellitus patients), with the other 2 having ordinary fever and viral flu. According to the doctor, most of his patients are children with acute illnesses and elderly patients facing chronic diseases. However, any serious medical complication which cannot be diagnosed or treated by the doctor is referred to the possible hospital. Physician-Patient Communication Based on my observation, the physician seemed to have mastered all crucial skills in order to provide the best for the patient. Firstly, I would like to discuss about the primary care management of the physician towards the patient. The doctor successfully connects with the patient via good communication and interpersonal skills, and subsequently put the patient at ease to express his complaints and condition. Therefore, the physician is able do deal competently with the problems presented to her. Even though the physician I observed has just completed internship, she has an amazing person centered care towards each of her patient. She understands and relates her patients as individuals and developed the ability to work in partnership. The physician encountered various different cases involving different ranging from a myriad of genders, age group and illness. However, she applies specific problem-solving skills about the context-specific aspects of general practice and successfully dealt with undifferentiated illness and skills. The duration of consultancy was about 10 minutes per patient for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes mellitus and the interaction process took about 5 minutes. Shortly after my observation, I managed to have a word with the physician. She explained to me that the key to a good family physician is the comprehensive approach. It is about how one as a physician must be able to co-ordinate care of acute illness, chronic illness, health promotion and disease prevention in the general practice setting. Not to forget, to respect and honor the patients for an impeccable physician-patient communication. Besides she emphasized the importance to keep patients informed about their condition, listen and respect their views about their health and respond to their question. Documentation and Medical Records The medical records are stored very systematically in the center. There is an allocated room with limited accessibility to keep all of the documents safely in order to avoid breach of confidentiality of the documents. Only the administration personnel are permitted to enter. As we were informed, the documents of the medical record has been computerized using a programme called MedCis System. However, the manual means are still practiced in the physicians desk. The information is then transferred by the administration personnel. The medical record on the hysicians desk is a piece of white-colored paper with patient identity particulars such as name, age, gender, registration number, and consultation date at the top. The remainder of the page is filled up by writing by the doctor himself, which are anamnesis, medical history, drug allergies, vital sign results, physical examination results, diagnosis, treatment and prescription. By the implementation of the computerized system, loss of data due to natural disaster is prevented. Besides, the patients privacy and confidentially is recognised as the system is well secured, in the sense no changes of previous medical history is made possible. The system can only be viewed by physicians for follow-ups and patient himself upon request. Clinical Care Processes The overall process of treatment is very structured indeed. It begins with registration and recording of vital signs. Later, the patients are directed accordingly to the appropriate departments namely psychology, nutrition, general consultation and dental consultation. After receiving their treatment, they were to settle payments before collecting their prescription from the pharmacy. As per clinical care specifically, the physician has performed necessary procedures to diagnose and treat the patient. The physician accomplishes her role as a family physician very successfully. Her anamnesis was very detailed and intricate. She thoroughly skims the past medical history, medication history, and latest prescription before she proceeds further. Concerning chronic diseases of the elderly like hypertension, she initiated by asking the patient how did they feel lately and if there were any relieve or aggravation from their condition. As the temperature, height, weight, blood pressure, respiratory rate and pulse rate has been obtained earlier from the registration personnel, she proceeds with treatment and prescription. The physician prescribes simple generic medicine for the patient which was available in the pharmacy. As for the child, she performed basic physical examination as he complained of body ache. I also observed that treating an elderly person and a child requires different approach altogether. Obviously, they had to be nurtured with care and respect. The physician was seen to have given importance to personal safety by the usage of gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer. This is an undisputedly important step to prevent nosocomial infections in the health center. One setback that I observed was in terms of educating the patients. The physician only provided the patients with very minimal input and education. Payment There are several paying methods made feasible by the puskesmas to facilitate the patients, namely insurance coverage and direct payment. For instance, Jaminan Kesihatan Masyarakat, Jaminan Kesihatan Daerah, Jaminan Kesihatan Social, Jaminan Kesihatan Persendirian and Jaminana Kesihatan AKS. Patients who owns insurance coverage as mentioned need not make any payment, whereas those without pays an amount as low as RP5000. 00. However, the medications has to be purchased by the patients at their own expense. For the most part of my observation, the patients receives prescription of their medication to be purchased themselves in the pharmacies, unless generic medicines which are provided in the puskesmas. I could deduce that the charges are very affordable compared to that of private practices. Therefore, quality medical care is made accessible to everyone regardless of their economic background. This is indeed extremely favorable in reaching out to the needs of the people in an actively developing region. Discussion In the context of satisfactory health care, patients gratification is substantial. This explains why health care providers should make extraordinary efforts in providing the best achievable standards of health care. In the context of Indonesia, family medicine is developing slowly, however a clear structure and guideline for patients has not been constructed. On the other hand, due to limited number of specialist available, most specialists carry out private general practice outside their work hours. This may reduce the efficiency of the physicians due to stress and overwork. Moreover, the general practitioners training programme is not welcomed and well supported by the specialist because they are held in direct competitions with the general practitioners. Pertaining the clinical attachment, the physician tried their level best to provide appropriate health care to her patients despite the limited resources. However, there is also abundant room for improvement in terms of educating the patient about prevention of diseases and the effects of medication prescribed. Besides, the physician should have given more enlightenment when concerning lifestyle related iseases, because at all times, prevention is better than care. On the whole, the entire health care team should work on the regulations concerning controlled medication to avoid abuse and overuse. Another most crucial point in family medicine is the community orientation. Community orientation is about the physical environment of your practice population, the need to understand the interrelationship between health and social care, and the tensions that may exist between individual wants and needs and the needs of the wider community. As a conclusion, holistic approach is about your ability to understand and respect your patients’ values, culture, family beliefs and structure, and understand the ways in which these will affect the experience and management of illness and health. I am very contented to be granted an opportunity for this clinical attachment. This would, in time, help me in my future endeavors as a doctor.

Personal philosophy of leadership

Personal philosophy of leadership Leadership Leadership is the ability of one to guide others; it is based on ones abilities and qualities rather than skills. One is born with these inherent qualities and naturally leads others; these qualities are such as honesty, courage, confidence, determination and wisdom among others. A leader is different from a manager, while a leader is born with the qualities a manger is created from skills he acquires. The leader can become a manger while a manger is not necessarily a leader. The leader is seen as a person in charge they are consulted for they ability to make decisions and guide the course of events. While this may be true the leader is also a servant, a good leaders purpose is to serve those who he has been bestowed upon the responsibility of guiding. This may seem absurd but looking at leadership from a critical point of view one is able to understand the huge responsibility on their shoulders as they are often looked upon. The position of leadership is either bestowed upon them or it comes naturally, when a faced by a certain decision a leader in a group will emerge without being appointed. Leadership is then called upon to be based on ethics. The reason for this is that leadership in todays world is under constant scrutiny, everyone is watching the actions of the leader they make comments and pass judgment. The leadership position is no longer a revered position, it is one thought respected is not exempted from the societys scrutiny. A good leader is one who involves those he leads in the every decision making and activities of this group. The leadership role should also elevate the followers to a higher and better position. Leadership is meant improve the individuals, a leader that leads those he leads into destruction or ruin is not an ethical leader. Ethically there are accepted behavioral aspects that are expected of a leader, the leader is not supposed to abuse the powers bestowed to him. They should not betray the trust and loyalty empowered to them by others, they are supposed to be consistent, should not hoard privileges and more so they should accept responsibility. These are the ethical aspects of leadership expected by the society. Personal Leadership Competence Leadership theories have been in use to help describe leadership. The transformational leadership theory is based upon the ethical approach, where both the leader and followers are engaged in a combined effort to raise each other. Transformational leaders raise the standards by being good examples to their followers. The process or transactional leader whose concern the creation of structures that he expects the followers to adhere to, of they do he rewards them. The transformational leader promotes social values and encourages his followers. Leadership development is not only restricted to mangers and leaders but can be useful to employees who are seeking to further their skills in leadership. In order for one to effectively develop their leadership skills, they need to develop a plan. This is guided by leadership competence skills. The first step to achieving a personal leadership plan is the identification of goals. In order for me to achieve a healthcare leadership competence in the 21st century, the first step is to complete the master program in health informatics. This training is meant to give me skills in the information sector that are necessary in the field of health. The use and application of computers, information technology in the healthcare sector necessitates the learning of health informatics. This will be acquired in the process of training and work experience as a nurse. Then I must access proficiency. The next step in my leadership development plan is the identification of learning experiences. As a nurse i need to develop a learning contract with my immediate supervisor. This step is necessary as it gives me hands on experience and learning opportunities in the work environment. The supervisor is there to give guidance, work experiences and a guide in the learning process in the work place. This interaction also assists one in the acquiring of leadership skills especially when a supervisor assigns one an assignment. In the learning process I should get a mentor in the field of nursing. This mentor is an authority in the area in which I am interested in. the purposes of mentors are to assist the learner in the learning process, they are both friends and leaders to the leaner. A mentor should be able to assist the learner in their quest for knowledge, give those resources, and practical experience as well as the exposure they require. During this learning process, to acquire the necessary leadership skills, as a potential nursing director, I should engage in some cross training program. The purpose of which is to acquire theoretical knowledge in the field of interest. Programs such as these may involve workshops, or seminars organized in the work place. Volunteering for duty is one other sure way of accruing leadership skills. Grabbing the opportunity to fill in the position of a supervisor or staff that is away will expose one to the daily responsibilities. It is during these instances that one is well aware of their qualities as a leader, their shortcomings and strengths because this opportunities offer one the chance to exercise their knowledge. Filling in the position of a senior nurse even for one day is a fulfilling exercise; it even exposes one to the management. An important learning practice is that of joining outside professional organizations. Either as a trainee, a part time worker or a volunteer the purpose again is learning, getting a feel of the leadership skill outside your workplace, gaining insights into how other organizations work. While learning can be obtained within the organizations workshops and training programs, but it is also good to obtain certifications from other institutions of learning in the medical field. Short courses offered add value to an individual as well as training in the relevant field. With todays ever changing market, institutions of higher learning are developing short courses to training professionals. A nurse can find these courses useful if they intend to further their career. These courses are also flexible in terms of time, evening, weekends holidays or even online and correspondence. It is important to try out online self test programs; these are meant to provide an individual with an opportunity to self evaluate themselves. Apart from these online programs ,there are books and tapes available on the self test. Upon completion of the learning experiences it is necessary to have a developmental plan. This plan should detail the duration of time, specific objectives and goals to be achieved. The developmental plan should entail the learning experiences. The mentor, the short courses one intends to attend. Organizations that one is attending should incorporate self test, this show also state the results of the test. The strengths and weaknesses of the individual, s a nurse the developmental plan should have the short and long term goals. The plan of completing health informatics course, the steps intended to achieve skills in order to be a nurse director. Strategic planning should be involved in the developmental planning stage; this involves the vision statement of the person. The vision here is to a nurse director; basically the vision is based on the long term goals. Strategic planning also consists of the mission, a personal mission details the specific objectives and how they plan to achieve them. By completing a course in informatics health and developing plans to achieve leadership training I am well on the way of becoming a nurse director. After planning, it is important to complete the learning experiences. These experiences were set in the time frame of the development plan. As one attains the learning experiences it is important to assess the progress. Assessment can be carried out during the experience or on completion of the experience. Continual assessment is advised since one can put checks in place as they undergo the learning process. Continuous assessment is supposed to assist in making sure that the goals are being fulfilled. It is during this assessment periods that one can incorporate short term goals in the master plan. The short term goals are like check makers in a plan, having achieved a certain short term goal one is then able to move to the next learning activity. Plans also change during these continuous assessments, this is in a case where it is found that the plan was not achieving the long term objective. Apart from continuous assessments one can carry out an assessment at the end of the exercise . This is at the end of the program, this is meant to evaluate the success of the program, and whether on e was able to achieve the goals set out. If this was not done then one goes back to the first step and identify new goals. The assessment should clearly give a guide where a step went wrong. In summary a leader is the decisive factor in the organization and society at large. Leadership should be based on ones abilities and qualities rather than skills. One is born with these inherent qualities and naturally leads others; these qualities are such as honesty, courage, confidence, determination and wisdom among others. A leader should be very different from a manager, while a leader is born with the qualities a manger is created from skills he acquires. The leader can become a manger while a manger is not necessarily a leader. The leader is seen as a person in charge they are consulted for they ability to make decisions and guide the course of events. While this may be true the leader is also a servant, a good leaders purpose is to serve those who he has been bestowed upon the responsibility of guiding. The development of an individual to a leader should be based on self motivation. By attaining leadership skills one should be able to effectively mange and his peers. Person al leadership skills are meant for self improvement, they assist one in the workplace and his career objectives. Work cited Cromwell, S. and Kolb, J, An examination of work-environment support factors affecting transfer of supervisory skills training to the work place. Human Resource Development Quarterly,2004 Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 449-71. Carter, N. Leadership Development Planning. Retrieved 1st May 2010, http://managementhelp.org/ldr_dev/ldr_dev.htm Baldwin, T. and Ford, K. (1988), Transfer Of Training: A Review And Directions For Future Research.Personnel Psychology, Spring, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p63-105 Brinkmann, T. How to Create a Personal Leadership Development Plan. 2007 Retrieved May 1, 2010, fromhttp://ezinearticles.com/?How- to- Create- a- Personal- Leadership- Development- Planid=803557 Kendra, C.Leadership Theories 8 Major LeadershipTheories retrieved 1st May 2010, http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm NSS. Scotland. Delivery Through Leadership: Leadership Development Plan. Scottish Executive, Edinburgh 2005 Stephen, R., Bruce, M. and Terry, W.M., Organizational Behavior. Published by Prentice Hall, 4th ed.

Overview of the Imclone case

Overview of the Imclone case The ImClone case is about insider trading. Here is the background information regarding the case. Sam and Harlan Waksal started ImClone in 1984. From there, in 1993, the brothers purchased the rights to the molecule C225. The molecule was discovered by Dr. John Mendelsohn at the University of California San Diego. C225 is an anti-cancer drug that can distinguish between cancerous cells and healthy cells. C225 would be able to shrink cancer to a surgically removable size. C225 would later be given the brand name Erbitux. In May of 2000, Sam Waksal presents the case of Shannon Kellum at the American Society of Clinical Oncology. It was demonstrated that grapefruit sized tumors would be shrunk to the size of peas and then surgically removed. A year later in September 2001, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. agrees to buy a 20 percent stake in the company and for the rights to sell the cancer drug Erbitux in the U.S. and Canada. The tender offer valued ImClone at $70.00 per share. On December 12 of 2001 ImClone and Bristol-Meyers meet with FDA on Erbitux, their last meeting with regulators before receiving official news the FDA would not review Erbitux. The FDA had concerns about Erbitux. December 26, 2001 Waksal received a tip from his brother Harlan, that the FDA would reject the Erbitux application and the tried to sell 79,797 shares of ImClone. He was unable to complete the sale due to two different brokerages refusing to issue sale orders. The next day family and close friends of Sam Waksal sell almost $3 million worth of stock, including Sams daughter Aliza and home style guru Martha Stewart, a friend of Sam Waksal. The stock closes at $58.30. On December 28, 2001, ImClone announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reject the application for Erbitux, saying the drug did not satisfy requirements. The stock begins a precipitous decline taking it down to the high teens. On Jan 25, 2002, the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission and the Justice Department launch probe into ImClone and Waksal. Feb 14, 2002 Waksal notifies the Securities and Exchange Commission for the first time of 50 trades he made in ImClone stock going back as far as 1992. These transactions should have been reported within months. A few months later, Sam Waksal is arrested on charges he illegally acted on insider information in selling ImClone and by telling family members to do the same. By August Sam Waksal, already charged with insider trading, is indicted for obstruction of justice and bank fraud in a case that has rocked investors confidence. Waksal is accused of pledging ImClone securities he no longer owned to secure a $44 million loan and forging the signature of ImClones general counsel to fool the bank into believing he still owned the securities. By August 14, 2002, ImClone sued Sam Waksal, claiming Waksal ordered the destruction of documents that may be important in a government investigation into the company. The Imclone scandal is one of many scandals that show what can happen to a company if wrong and unlawful decisions are made. In this paper I will identify and define the ethical problems violated by certain employees at Imclone, which in part led to the scandal and imprisonment of several people. The first ethical problem and most obvious one to identify in this scandal is insider trading. Illegal insider trading involves, â€Å"trading in a security (buying or selling a stock) based on material information that is not available to the general public† (Reh, 2010). This specifically means having certain information that the general public does not have either from inside sources or by being an insider. This would give people privileged information in order to help them make a financial decision. It is prohibited by the Security Exchange Commission because, â€Å"it is unfair and would destroy the securities markets by destroying investor confidence† (Reh, 2010). The stock market is driven by fair practices and confidence that the â€Å"man on the street† can have access to the same public information a corporate analyst has access to. The following examples describe instances of insider trading that have been reported to the SEC: â€Å"Corporate officers, directors, and employees who traded the corporations securities after learning of significant, confidential corporate developments† (Astarita, 2010). â€Å"Friends, business associates, family members, and other tippers of such officers, directors, and employees, who traded the securities after receiving such information† (Astarita, 2010). â€Å"Other persons who misappropriated, and took advantage of, confidential information from their employers† (Astaria, 2010). These are just a few examples of illegal insider trading and similarly describe what took place at Imclone with CEO, Sam Waksal. Sam discovered inside information that would lead to a drop in the companys stock. Now, knowing and acting are two different things when it comes to insider trading. It is understood that certain people inside a company will know valuable information as regards to its stock going up or down. The criminal and unethical behavior comes when that person tells his friends and family members about that information. This is exactly what Sam Waksal did and this is what got him and the company into some major trouble. Most public companies will limit the number of people who have access to the inside information. This is done to decrease the likelihood of insider trading. However, even if you have a small number of people on the inside, it will ultimately come down to the individual and the ethical standards to which they live their life by. It only took one man to start the insider trading scandal, and thats not even all he did. Two other ethical problems that were indirectly related to Imclone involved Sam Waksal and his own personal ethics. His attempts at forgery and tax fraud did not hurt the company per sea, but helped confirm the type of unethical CEO that he was. Forgery can be defined as, â€Å"the act or legal offense of imitating or counterfeiting documents, signatures, works of art, etc. to deceive† (Websters, 2009). This basically means falsifying something with the intent of misleading others so that you may appear to have done something truthful. With regards to ImClones CEO, it was reported that Sam Waksal forged a signature of the companys general counsel, John Landes, in a statement pledging ImClone stocks in order to obtain money in loans from Bank of America. This was†¦. Fraud can be defined as, â€Å"something said or done to deceive† (Websters, 2009). Another definition, and one that more closely identifies personal ethics defines fraud as a, â€Å"person who deceives or who is not what he or she pretends to be; a cheat† (Websters 2009). Regarding Sam Waksals personal morality, he failed to pay sixty million dollars in personal income taxes on certain stock grants given to him by ImClone. He pretended for a long time to have paid these, when in reality he had not. It was only a matter of time until his fraudulent actions finally caught up with him. As you can see, any one of the previous ethical problems can bring companies to scandalous ruin. What we see in all three of the problems is one man who decided to behave unethically. That is all it takes and that is why ethics is so important; especially for the men at the top. Imclone employees and associates are clearly in violation of numerous laws and multiple ethical principles. One would think that a scandal involving accounting fraud and insider trading would not only damage a company initially, but result in long term detriment to the organization. There is a significant and gradual decline in the â€Å"shame on you† perception of the general public, as is evidenced by the most recent financial transactions of the company. Even with the barrage of media attention to the Imclone scandal, ethical attitudes appear to change over time. Martha Stewart, the homemaker tycoon, was charged with and convicted of insider trading involving Imclone. She held numerous shares of Imclone stock and sold all holdings the day before the announcement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they would not approve Imclones drug, Erbitux, for cancer treatment. Predictably, shares of Imclone stock dropped significantly the day of the announcement. Martha Stewart sold all shares at fifty eight dollars per share and saved a predicted $40,000 by selling all holdings before the fall. Stewart claimed that she had a â€Å"verbal order† to sell all holdings if the stock dropped below $60 per share. However, one day before the announcement from the FDA, while she was traveling on her charted jet to Mexico for vacation, Stewart placed a phone call that lasted approximately eleven minutes to her stockbroker. Shortly thereafter, he sold all of her holdings. The next day the announcement was made and the rest as they say is history. Martha Stewart, not Imclone, seems to be the one who received the most lasting negative impact from this scandal. MSO stock traded at a high of about $16 per share prior to the insider trading scandal. Once Martha Stewart was indicted and later convicted, MSO stock dropped to less than $8 per share. Currently, MSO stock is trading around $5 per share. In 2002, Imclone shares fell as low as $5.85 per share. Imclones drug Erbitux was eventually approved and posted sales of 1.3 billion in 2007. In 2008, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company tendered an offer to purchase Imclone for $60 per share. Ironically, this is almost the same price point where Martha Stewart dumped her stock before the fall in 2001. Eli Lilly tendered an offer in 2009 for $70 per share, which totaled approximately $6.5 billion. The offer was approved and Eli Lilly purchased Imclone. Multiple players crossed ethical boundaries during the Imclone scandal. These include individual investors (Stewart), Imclone senior leadership and stockbrokers. They knew what they were doing before they did it and they got caught. Martha Stewart is one of the principal reasons that this case got so much media attention. The Imclone scandal alone was not really that newsworthy nor was it much different than the multitude of other financial scandals during the early years after 2000. We have Mrs. Stewart to thank for bringing this to the forefront of America. For the business world, and the American Public in particular, the Imclone ordeal serves as an example of deceit, greed, insider trading and scandal. It also proves that if you knowingly choose to break the law, and if you get caught, the government will prosecute and you could serve time in prison. If you do not think it could happen to you, just ask Martha Stewart.

State of Play by David Edgar Essay -- masculinity, power, gay men

David Edgar, in his book State of Play: Playwrights on Playwriting (1999) highlights the fact that in the mid 90’s there seemed to be an â€Å"over-arching theme† (edgar, 1999, p27) in contemporary British play that looked at ideas of masculinity. â€Å"Gay plays like Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing†¦ lad’s plays like Jez Butterworths Mojo†¦ [and] girls-in-a-boys’ gang plays like Irving Welsh’s Trainspotting†¦ address masculinity and its discontents’ (ibid, p.27). In this essay I will look at what ideas of masculinity are, and how these discontents have been addressed in contemporary theatre (and the idea of the â€Å"decline of the dominant role of men†(edgar, 1999, p.28)) and how the crisis of masculinity(ref) has been staged. I will do this by looking at performances from Ron Athey, Franko B, and Gregory Burkes’ Black Watch. Firstly however, I will look at a definition of what masculinity is, in order to discuss what representations of this idea are being performed in the selected pieces of work. Perhaps one of the main reasons as to why there is thought to be a ‘crisis’ of masculinity, is because the term itself is so hard to define, in a sociological sense. Jack Kahn in his book ‘An Introduction to Masculinities’ states that â€Å"masculinity is a hypothetical construct because, in and of itself, it cannot be directly observed and measured† (2009, p.3). This is because â€Å"masculinities and male behavious are not the simple product of genetic codings or biological predispositions† (Whitehead and Barrett, 2001, p.16), it is instead a conceptual idea that is used to explain a collection of behaviors, attitudes, thoughts and emotions that make up a specific identity. masculinity is not just one idea, nor is it specifically a male thing, it is an inte... ...h it had some recognisable substantive basis† (Whitehead and Barrett, 2001, p.53) Works Cited Brittan, A. 1989. Masculinity and power. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell. Burke, G. 2007. Black Watch. London: Faber and Faber. Edgar, D. 1999. State of play. London: Faber and Faber. Kahn, J. S. 2009. An introduction to masculinities. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell. Petersen, A. R. 1998. Unmasking the masculine. London: Sage Publications. Phelan, P. 1993. Unmarked. London: Routledge. Reeser, T. W. 2010. Masculinities in theory. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Richards, M. 2003. Ron Athey, AIDS and the politics of pain. Body, Space and Technology, 3 (2). Sierz, A. 2011. Rewriting the nation. London: Methuen Drama. Walsh, F. 2010. Male trouble. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Whitehead, S. and Barrett, F. J. 2001. The masculinities reader. Cambridge, UK: Polity.

Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and Tennyson’s C

Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar Life and death are recurring topics in literature; they are not often referred to directly, but are inferred from figurative language. In Walt Whitman’s poem entitled â€Å"O Captain! My Captain† from his anthology of poems, Leaves of Grass, he describes the passing of Abraham Lincoln through the use of an extended metaphor. Similarly, â€Å"Crossing the Bar,† by Lord Alfred Tennyson, from his collection of poetry, Demeter and Other Poems, alludes to one’s preparation for his or her own death. At times, the two authors utilize similar techniques, employing various figurative language devices such as extended metaphors, diction and format, which all work to highlight their differences in meaning. Through the use of imagery, the authors’ poems invoke various emotions but end up leading to the discussion of two different journeys, one that is elegiac in memory of a historical figure, and the other applicable to all those who are facing death. The two poems share some common characteristics, as both make nautical references and deal with various stages of death. The two authors use capitalization to place emphasis on the titles of the characters in the poem. As in Whitman’s poem, he addresses the subject of the poem as â€Å"O Captain! My Captain,† who is the one leading the â€Å"ship† (2) that is nearing the port. This is an allusion to President Abraham Lincoln, who led the United States after the Civil War. Tennyson’s poem discusses the time when one will be â€Å"put out to sea† (4) to see the â€Å"Pilot face to face† (15). The subject in Tennyson’s poem lacks a name, and therefore can be applied to any individual, but the â€Å"Pilot† (15) refers to t... ...n, metaphors and imagery to memorialize the fallen captain, Abraham Lincoln and to give him the proper praise for his work for the United States. Tennyson’s subject is preparing for the end of his time, which is demonstrated through word choice and imagery. Through the use of literary devices, one can see the true similarities between the two poems, as both discuss death related topics through nautical metaphors, but also highlight the true differences in themes and meanings between Whitman and Tennyson’s poems. Works Cited Alfred Lord Tennyson. Ed. J.D. Robins. 1997. University of Toronto. 28 Oct. 2002 Walt Whitman. Ed. Ian Lancashire. 2002. University of Toronto. 28 Oct. 2002 4713 1 Marlow ENGL.12.05

What Is Fascism And Why Does It Emerge? :: essays research papers

What is Fascism and Why does it Emerge? The purpose of this essay is to explain what fascism is and why it emerges. Fascism is a political ideology that consists of an all powering totalitarian government, which has total control of the people, the nation and the economy. The fascist economic system creates an upper class for the owning/ruling class and leaves the working class in a lower state who in turn produce for the elite. To justify themselves as beneficial to the oppressed lower class, the fascist installs an extreme sense of Nationalisms and organicism. If these method do not work then force is used. Fascism emerges out of economic crisis, a revolutionary promise and reaction to capitalism. It is often allowed to emerge because it is usually easy to get support from the upper class. The fascist political structure consists of a totalitarian government with an extreme sense of absolutism. Absolutism is the principle of a absolute power in control with power that transcends even the laws itself, under the control of one main dictator who carries traits of of a geniuses or of a hero. This way the masses can be drawn into him through emotion and appeal. With the totalitarian government the fascist has total control of the nation and the people. Along with the fascist total ruling over the people and nation came its total ruling over the economy. Although different fascist have had different economic structures, all regimes more or less, have had the same model. The main defining character of the fascist economy is the principle of goverment-buisness relationship. Like the first fascist regime in Italy, its leader created a system where private ownership was allowed but state intervention was issued on management and labour. He did this by creating grouped established syndicates, such as â€Å"The National Confederation of Commerce† or the â€Å"The National Federation of Credit and Insurgence†. The government then controlled these under managing agencies called â€Å"Corporations† which in turn would regulate issues and guidelines such as supply and demand, labour disputes or what interest the business is to aim at. Although the system is supposed to function as a partnership, the government is always in control and dominate. Although the fascists claim this system is in the interest of the nation, it is only in the interest of more empowerment for the government. Due to this system both the states interest and the interest of the owning class are integrated which creates an elite. Therefore the development and technology only serves the interest of the elite and not the working class which is to be

My Asl Experience

September 10th, 1994 was my first day of 6th grade. This was also the first day that I came in contact with the Deaf world. During recess, my friend Elizabeth brought out a new girl by the name of Megan Leschly. She was deaf, and her interpreter, Ms. Rosener, did not go out to recess to help her communicate. This was the day I started to learn sign language. From 6th grade to 8th grade Megan went to public school with me and all of our group of friends. We celebrated everything together, even Ms. Rosener went to her going away party we threw at my parents house.In those 3 years I saw a lot of deaf culture, and I can now see the negative side of things. Her mother (who adopted her) didn’t know sign very well, and her brothers and sisters knew the alphabet at most. Going to her house I got to see first hand the flashing lights when the phone rang, or the door bell rang, always having closed captioned on the television, getting to use the TTY operators when I called (I think they got annoyed with me a lot, because I always forgot to say, â€Å"Go ahead† at the end of my statements) and unfortunately the cold side of a family that didn’t make many other attempts to reach out to her.So looking back now, I understand why she went away to high school. The first time I’d seen Megan since 8th grade was last summer. Our mutual friend, Maria had kept in better contact with her over the years than I have, so it was natural for Maria to invite Megan to her baby shower. Megan and I talked a little bit, but not much. Just enough to realize she was moving from San Diego to Colorado to live with her sister. I was bummed, seeing I didn’t even know she was in town, much less in the same neighborhood as I was!With the magic of face book, I saw that she had moved back to town in March and we met up for coffee just to catch up on a million years. The first time we met for coffee was at Starbucks in La Jolla. (Middle ground, since she’s livin g in Carmel Mountain area now, and I’m in Pacific Beach) She brought her son, River, so I could meet him a little more. He is very shy, and clings to her like flies on poop. I told her I was taking a sign language class, and she said my sign was very good as it was but was happy that she peaked my interest in it.We talked about her mom, (who was also my 8th grade math teacher) and how she moved to Oregon with her new husband. She told me how after 8th grade she went to Model Secondary School for the Deaf. She loved the fact that she was able to learn freely. There was no barriers, which is what lead her to apply, and get accepted into Gallaudet. She graduated from Gallaudet in 2006 with a degree in Social Work and Communication Studies. Her senior year she ended up getting pregnant and hasn’t spoken to the father since graduation.I learned that she is planning on staying in San Diego because she has an excellent job at Purple Communications as a San Diego Center Superv isor. It was nice talking with Megan because I didn’t have to feel nervous about talking to a total stranger, and when I had questions about signs I felt comfortable enough to ask. I asked about raising her son, who is hearing, and she feels that she is lucky in the fact that she is a deaf mother. She can and has communicated with him from such a younger age, than many hearing parents do.She said younger children can sign before they can speak words, so she feels very grateful in that sense. That meeting at Starbucks was probably a good, solid two hours. Enough for me to drink 3 coffees and River to finish his coloring book, run around and get fidgety. I know River loves dogs, so I invited them to the San Diego Humane Walk with Henry (my Cocker Spaniel) and I. The morning of the Walk, Henry and I met River and Megan at Mission Bay around 8am.This was a good time, because we weren’t busy talking about each other or catching up. We were talking about the people at the ev ent, and I got a lot of finger spelling in trying to spell all the dog breeds names that I knew. During the walk we even met another deaf man, whose name I want to say is Gabe (I’m horrible with names), but his Boston Terriers name was definitely Pixie. Gabe and Megan talked for half a second about dogs, and what a nice day it turned out to be. We separated ways around 10am when all the raffles and the Walk was over.It is interesting to see that after learning in class, how Gallaudet teaches a lot of finger spelling and not true ASL, I see it in Megan. I would never point it out, but it was just a very interesting thing to take note of. Over all, I’m glad we had this assignment, though I would never look at Megan and think about talking to her was for a school paper. This class, made me more comfortable and more up to par with speaking with her than my jumbled up 8th grade sign language mess. From me to you, I sincerely thank you.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 16~18

Chapter 16 Heartwarming and UL-Approved There was a bum sleeping on the sidewalk across the street from the loft when they returned. Tommy, full of fast food and the elation of being twice laid, wanted to give the guy a dollar. Jody stopped him and pushed him up the steps. â€Å"Go on up,† she said. â€Å"I'll be there in a minute.† She stood in the doorway watching the bum for movement. There was no heat signature around him and she assumed the worst. She waited for him to roll over and start laughing at her again. She was feeling strong and a little cocky from the infusion of Tommy's blood, so she had to fight the urge to confront the vampire, to get dead in his face and scream. Instead she just whispered, â€Å"Asshole,† and closed the door. If his hearing was as acute as her own, and she was sure it was, he had heard her. She found Tommy in bed, fast asleep. Poor guy, she thought, running all over town doing my business. He probably hasn't slept more than a couple of hours since we met. She pulled the covers over him, kissed him on the forehead, and went to the window in the front room to watch the bum across the street. Tommy was dreaming of bebop-driven sentences read by a naked redhead when he woke to find her sleeping next to him. He threw his arm over her and pulled her close, but there was no response, no pleasant groan or reciprocal snuggle. She was out. He pushed the light button on his watch and checked the time. It was almost noon. The room was so dark that the watch dial floated in his vision for a few seconds after he released the button. He went to the bathroom and fumbled around until he found the light switch. A single fluorescent tube clicked and sputtered and finally ignited, spilling a fuzzy green glow through the door into the bedroom. She looks dead, he thought. Peaceful, but dead. Then he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. I look dead too. It took him a minute to realize that it was the fluorescent lighting that had sucked the life out of his face, not his vampire girlfriend. He affected a serious glare and thought about how they would describe him in a hundred years, when he was really famous and really dead. Like so many great writers before him, Flood was known for his troubled countenance and sickly pallor, especially under fluorescent lighting. Those who knew him said that even in those early years they could sense that this thin, serious young man would make his presence known as a great man of letters as well as a sexual dynamo. His legacy to the world was a trail of great books and broken hearts, and although it is well known that his love life was his downfall, he felt no regret, as illustrated in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: â€Å"I have followed my penis into hell and returned with the story.† Tommy bowed deeply before the mirror, careful to keep the Nobel Prize medal from banging the sink, then began to interview himself, speaking clearly and slowly into his toothbrush. â€Å"I think it was shortly after my first successful bus transfer that I realized the City was mine. Here I would produce some of my greatest work, and here I would meet my first wife, the lovely but deeply disturbed Jody†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tommy waved the microphone/toothbrush away as if the memories were too painful to recall, but actually he was trying to remember Jody's last name. I should know her maiden name, he thought, if just for historical purposes. He glanced into the bedroom where the lovely but deeply disturbed Jody was lying naked and half-covered on the bed. He thought, She won't mind if I wake her up. She doesn't have to be at work or anything. He approached the bed and touched her cheek. â€Å"Jody,† he whispered. She didn't stir. He shook her a bit. â€Å"Jody, honey.† Nothing. â€Å"Hey,† he said, taking her shoulders. â€Å"Hey, wake up.† She didn't respond. He pulled the covers off her as his father used to do to him on cold winter mornings when he wouldn't get up to go to school. â€Å"Up and at 'em, soldier – ass in the air and feet on the floor,† he said in his best drill-sergeant bark. She looked really great lying there naked in the half-light from the bathroom. He was getting a little turned on. How would I feel, he thought, if I woke up and she was making love to me? Why, I believe that I would be pleasantly surprised. I think that would be better than waking up to frying bacon and the Sunday funnies. Yes, I'm sure she'll be pleased. He crawled into bed with her and ventured a tentative kiss. She was a little cold and didn't move a muscle, but he was sure she liked it. He ran a finger down the valley between her breasts and over her stomach. What if she didn't wake up? What if we do it and she doesn't wake up at all? How would I feel if I woke up and she told me that we had done it while I slept? I'd be fine with it. A little sad that I missed things, but I wouldn't be mad. I'd just ask her if I had a good time. Women are different, though. He tickled her just to get a reaction. Again, she didn't move. She's so cold. With her not moving at all it might be a little morbid. Maybe I should wait. I'll tell her that I thought about it and decided that it wouldn't be courteous. She'll like that. He sighed deeply, got out of bed and pulled the covers over her. I should buy her something, he thought. Jody snapped into consciousness and bit down on something hard. She opened her eyes and saw Tommy sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled. â€Å"Good morning,† he said. She reached for whatever was in her mouth. Tommy caught her hand. â€Å"Don't bite down. It's a thermometer.† He checked his watch, then pulled the thermometer out of her mouth and read it. â€Å"Ninety-five point two. You're on your way.† Jody sat up and looked at the thermometer. â€Å"On my way to what?† He smiled bashfully. â€Å"On your way to body temperature. I bought you an electric blanket. It's been on for like six hours.† She ran her hand over the blanket. â€Å"You've been warming me up?† â€Å"Pretty cool, huh?† Tommy said. â€Å"I went to the library and got books too. I've been reading all afternoon.† He picked up a stack of books and began to shuffle through them, reading the titles and handing each to her in turn. â€Å"A Reader's Guide to Vampirism; Vampire Myths and Legends; Those That Stalk the Night – kind of an ominous title, huh?† She held the books as if they were made of wormy fruit. The covers depicted monstrous creatures rising from coffins, attacking women in various states of undress, and hanging around castles perched on barren mountains. The letters in the titles dripped blood. â€Å"These are all about vampires?† â€Å"That's just the nonfiction that they had on hand. I ordered a bunch more through the library exchange. Check out some of the fiction.† He picked up another stack from the floor. â€Å"A Feast of Blood; Red Thirst; Fangs; Dracula; Dracula's Dream; Dracula's Legacy; Fevre Dream; The Vampire Lestat – there must have been a hundred novels.† Jody, a little overwhelmed, stared at the books. â€Å"There seems to be a theme here on the covers.† â€Å"Yeah,† Tommy said. â€Å"Vampires seem to have an affinity for lingerie. Do you have any particular craving for sexy nightgowns?† â€Å"Not really.† Jody had always thought it a little silly to spend a lot of money on something that you only put on long enough for someone to take it off you. Evidently, though, if you went by these book covers, vampires looked at lingerie as garnish. â€Å"Okay,† Tommy said, picking up a notebook from the floor and making a check mark. â€Å"No lingerie fetish. I've made a list of vampire traits with boxes to check either ‘fact' or ‘fiction. Since you missed the lecture, I guess we'll have to just test them.† â€Å"What lecture?† Tommy put down his pen and looked at her as if she'd gotten into the express lane with a cartful of groceries and a two-party check. â€Å"Everybody knows that there's always an orientation lecture in vampire books. Usually it comes from some old professor guy with an accent, but sometimes it's another vampire. You obviously missed the lecture.† â€Å"I guess so,† Jody said. â€Å"I must have been busy chasing women in lingerie.† â€Å"That's okay,† Tommy said, returning to the list. â€Å"Obviously you don't have to sleep in your native soil.† He checked it off. â€Å"And we know that everyone you bite doesn't necessarily turn into a vampire.† â€Å"No, a jerk, maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Whatever,† Tommy said, moving on in the list. â€Å"Okay, sunlight is bad for you.† He made a check mark. â€Å"You can enter a house without being invited. How about running water?† â€Å"What about it?† â€Å"Vampires aren't supposed to be able to cross running water. Have you tried crossing any running water?† â€Å"I've taken a couple of showers.† â€Å"Then that would be fiction. Let me smell your breath.† He bent close to her. She turned her head and shielded her mouth. â€Å"Tommy, I just woke up. Let me brush my teeth first.† â€Å"Vampires are supposed to have the ‘fetid breath of a predator, or, in some cases, ‘breath like the rotting smell of the charnel house. C'mon, give us a whiff.† Jody reluctantly breathed in his face. He sat up and considered the list. â€Å"Well? â€Å"she asked. â€Å"I'm thinking. I need to get the dictionary out of my suitcase.† â€Å"What for?† â€Å"I'm not sure what a charnel house is.† â€Å"Can I brush my teeth while you look?† â€Å"No, wait, I might need another whiff.† He went to his suitcase and dug out the dictionary. While he looked up â€Å"charnel house,† Jody cupped her hand and smelled her own breath. It was pretty foul. â€Å"Here it is,† he said, putting his finger on the word. â€Å"‘Noun. A mausoleum or morgue. A structure where corpses are buried or stored. See morning breath! I guess that we check ‘fact' on that one.† â€Å"Can I brush my teeth now?† â€Å"Sure. Are you going to shower?† â€Å"I'd like to. Why?† â€Å"Can I help? I mean, you're much more attractive when you're not room temperature.† She smiled. â€Å"You really know how to charm a girl.† She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Tommy waited on the bed. â€Å"Well, come on,† she said as she turned on the water. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, leaping to his feet and wrestling out of his shirt. She stopped him at the bathroom door with a firm hand on the chest. â€Å"One second, mister. I have a question for you.† â€Å"Shoot.† â€Å"Men are pigs: fact or fiction?† â€Å"Fact!† Tommy shouted. â€Å"Correct! You win!† She leaped into his arms and kissed him. Chapter 17 This Month's Makeover: The Faces of Fear Simon McQueen had once climbed onto the back of a ton of pissed-off beef named Muffin and been promptly stomped into mush in front of an amazed rodeo crowd, and still managed to pinch the bottom of a female paramedic as he was carried away on a stretcher, singing a garbled version of â€Å"I've Got Friends in Low Places.† Simon McQueen had once picked a fight with a gang of skinheads and managed to render three of them unconscious before a knife in the stomach and a jackboot to the head rendered him helpless. Simon had jumped out of an airplane, fallen off the roof of a Lutheran church, run over a police car in his pickup truck, smuggled a thousand pounds of marijuana across the border from Mexico inside a stuffed cow, and swum halfway to Alcatraz Island on a dare before the Coast Guard fished him out of the bay and revived him. Simon had done all these things without the slightest tic of fear. But tonight, laid out across register 3 in his skintight Wranglers and his endanger ed-species Tony Lama boots with the silver spurs, his black Stetson pulled down over his face, Simon McQueen was frightened. Frightened that one of his two great secrets was about to become known. The other Animals were sharing tales of their weekend adventures, exaggerating aspects of binges and babes, while Glint professed to God that they knew not what they did. Simon sat up, pushed back his Stetson, and said, â€Å"Y'all wouldn't know a piece of ass if it sloshed upside your head.† The Animals fell silent, each trying to formulate a new and exciting way to tell Simon to fuck off, when Tommy came through the door. â€Å"Fearless Leader!† Lash exclaimed. Tommy grinned and faked a tap-dance step. â€Å"Gentlemen,† he said. â€Å"I have reached out and touched the face of God – film at eleven.† Simon was wildly irritated by this added distraction from his worrying. â€Å"What happened, you go down to Castro Street and get converted?† Tommy waved the comment away. â€Å"No, Sime – I can call you Sime, can't I? You see, last night, about this time† – he checked his watch – â€Å"there was a naked redhead hanging from the ceiling of my new loft, reading Kerouac aloud to me. If I die now, it was not all in vain. I'm ready to throw stock. How's the truck?† â€Å"A big one,† Troy Lee answered. â€Å"Three thousand cases. But the bitch is, the scanner is broken. We have to use the order books.† Troy's comment jabbed Simon like bad gas pain. He considered going home sick, but without his help the Animals would never be able to finish the truck before morning. A lump of fear rose in his throat. He couldn't use the order books. Simon McQueen couldn't read. â€Å"Let's get to it then,† Tommy said. The Animals threw themselves into their work with an abandon they usually reserved for partying. Razor box-cutters whizzed, price guns clicked, and cardboard piled up in shoulder-high drifts at the ends of the aisles. In addition to throwing the extra-large load, they had to allow an extra hour to write their stock orders. Normally the orders were done with a bar-code scanner, but with the scanner down, each man would have to go through a huge loose-leaf order book, writing in items by hand. By 5 A.M. they had most of the stock on the shelves and Simon McQueen was considering letting his box-cutter slip and cutting his leg so he could escape to the emergency room. But that might reveal a secret worse than illiteracy. Tommy came into Simon's aisle carrying the order book. â€Å"You better get started, Sime.† He held out the book and a pencil. â€Å"I still got a hundred cases to throw,† Simon said, not looking up. â€Å"Let someone else start.† â€Å"No, you've got the biggest section. Go ahead.† Tommy bumped Simon on the shoulder with the book. Simon looked up, then dropped his cutter and slowly took the book from Tommy. He opened the book and stared at the page, then at the shelf, then at the book. Tommy said, â€Å"Order light on the juices, we've got a lot of stock in the back room.† Simon nodded and looked at the book, then at the shelf of vegetables before him. Tommy said, â€Å"You're on the wrong page, Simon.† â€Å"I know,† Simon snapped. â€Å"I'm just finding my place.† He flipped through the pages, then stopped on a page of cake mixes and began looking at the shelf of vegetables. He could feel Tommy's gaze on him and wished that the skinny-little-faggot-book-reading-prick-bastard would just go away and leave him alone. â€Å"Simon.† Simon looked up, his eyes pleading. â€Å"Give me the book,† Tommy said. â€Å"I think I'm going to order everybody's section tonight. It'll give you guys more time to throw stock and I need to get more familiar with the store anyway.† â€Å"I can do it,† Simon said. â€Å"I know,† Tommy said, taking the book. â€Å"But why waste your talent on this bullshit?† As Tommy walked away, Simon took his first deep breath of the night. â€Å"Flood,† he called, â€Å"I'm buying the beers after shift.† Tommy didn't look back. â€Å"I know,† he said. Jody stood by the window in the dark loft watching the sleeping bum who lay on the sidewalk across the street and cursing under her breath. Go away, you bastard, she thought. Even as she thought it, she felt a measure of security in knowing exactly where her enemy was. As long as he lay on the sidewalk, Tommy was safe at the grocery store. She had never felt the need to protect someone before. She had always been the one looking for protection, for a strong arm to lean on. Now she was the strong arm, at least when the sun was down. She had walked Tommy down the steps and waited with him until the cab arrived to take him to work. As she watched the cab pull away, she thought, This must be how my mother felt when she put me on the school bus that first time – except that Tommy doesn't have a Barbie lunch box. She kept an eye on the vampire lying on the sidewalk across the street. Hours passed at the window and she asked the same questions over and over again, coming up with no solution to her problem, and no logic to the vampire's behavior. What did he want? Why had he killed the old woman and left her in the dumpster? Was he trying to frighten her, threaten her, or was there some kind of message to it all? â€Å"You're not immortal. You can still be killed.† If he was going to kill her, why didn't he just do it? Why pretend to be a sleeping bum, watching her, waiting? He has to find shelter before daylight. If I can just outlast him, maybe†¦ Maybe what? I can't follow him or I'll be caught in the sunlight too. She went to the bedroom and dug the almanac Tommy had given her out of her backpack. The sun would rise at 6:12 A.M. She checked her watch. She had an hour. She waited at the window until six o'clock, then headed out of the loft to confront the vampire. As she went through the door she instinctively reached out to click off the lights, only to realize that she hadn't turned any on. If I live through this, she thought, I'm going to save a fortune on utilities. She left the door at the top of the stairs unlocked, then went down the steps and propped the big fire door open with a soda can she found on the landing. She might have to get back in fast, and she didn't want to be slowed down by keys and locks. Her muscles buzzed as she approached the vampire, the fight-or-flee instinct running through her like liquid lightning. A few feet away she picked up a foul smell, a rotting smell coming from the vampire. She stopped and swallowed hard. â€Å"What exactly is it that you want?† she asked. The vampire didn't move. His face was covered by the high collar of his overcoat. She took another step forward. â€Å"What am I supposed to be doing?† The smell was stronger now. She concentrated on the vampire's hands, trying to sense some movement that would warn her of an attack. There was none. â€Å"Answer me!† she demanded. She stepped up and pulled the collar away from his face. She saw the glazed eyes and a bone jutting from the neck just as a hand clamped across her face and jerked her back off her feet. She tried to reach behind her to claw her attacker's face but he jerked her to the side. She opened her mouth to scream and two of his fingers slipped into her mouth. She bit down hard. There was a scream and she was free. She wheeled on her attacker, ready to fight, his severed fingers still in her mouth. The vampire stood before her, cradling his bloody hand. â€Å"Bitch,† he said. Then he grinned. Jody swallowed his fingers and hissed at him. â€Å"Fuck you, asshole. Come on.† She fell into a crouch and waved him on. The vampire was still grinning. â€Å"The taste of vampire blood has made you brave, fledgling. Don't take it too far.† His hand had stopped spurting blood and was scabbing over as she watched. â€Å"What do you want?† The vampire looked at the sky, which was turning pink, threatening dawn. â€Å"Right now I want to find a place to sleep,† he said too calmly. He ripped the scab from his fingers and slung a spray of blood in her face. â€Å"Until we meet again, my love.† He wheeled and ran across the street into an alley. Jody stood watching and shaking with the need for a fight. She turned and looked at the dead bum: the decoy. She couldn't leave him here to attract police – not this close to the loft. She glanced at the lightening sky, then hoisted the dead bum onto her back and headed back to the loft. Tommy ran up the stairs and burst into the loft eager to share his discovery about Simon's illiteracy, but once through the door, he was knocked back by a stinging rotten odor like bloated roadkill. What's she done now? he thought. He opened the windows to air the place out and went to the bedroom, careful to open the door just wide enough to slip through without spilling sunlight on the bed. The smell was much stronger here and he gagged as he turned on the light. Jody was lying on the bed with the electric blanket pulled up to her neck. Dried blood was crusted over her face. A wiggling wave of the willies ran up Tommy's spine, stronger than any he had felt since his father had first told him the secret of ball-park hot dogs. (â€Å"Snouts and butt holes,† Dad had said, during the seventh-inning stretch. â€Å"I've got the willies,† said Tommy.) There was a note on the pillow by Jody's head. Tommy crept forward and snatched it off the pillow, then backpedaled to the door to read it. Tommy, Sorry I'm such a mess. It's almost dawn and I don't want to get stuck in the shower. I'll explain tonight. Call Sears and have them deliver the largest chest freezer that they have. There's money in my backpack. I missed you last night. Love, Jody Tommy backed out of the room. Chapter 18 Bugeater of the Barbary Coast Tommy woke up on the futon feeling as if he had been through a two-day battle. The loft was dark but for the streetlights spilling through the windows and he could hear Jody running the shower in the other room. The new freezer was humming away in the kitchen. He rolled off the futon and groaned. His muscles creaked like rusty hinges and his head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton – like a low-grade hangover – not from the few beers he had shared with the Animals after work, but from the verbal beating he had taken from the appliance salesman at Sears. The salesman, a round hypertensive named Lloyd, who wore the last extant leisure suit on the planet (powder blue with navy piping), had begun his assault with a five-minute lament on the disappearance of double knits (as if a concerted effort by a Greenpeace team in white vinyl shoes and gold chains might bring double knits back from the brink of extinction), then segued into a half-hour lecture on the tragedies visited on those poor souls who failed to purchase extended warranties on their Kenmore Freezemasters. â€Å"And so,† Lloyd concluded, â€Å"he not only lost his job, his home, and his family, but that frozen food that could have saved the children at the orphanage spoiled, all because he tried to save eighty-seven dollars.† â€Å"I'll take it,† Tommy said. â€Å"I'll take the longest warranty you have.† Lloyd laid a fatherly hand on Tommy's shoulder. â€Å"You won't regret this, son. I'm not one for high pressure myself, but the guys that sell these warranties after delivery are like the Mafia – they'll call you at all hours, they'll hound you, they'll find you wherever you go and they will ruin your life if you don't give in. I once sold a microwave to a man who woke up with a horse's head in his bed.† â€Å"Please,† Tommy begged, â€Å"I'll sign anything, but they have to deliver it right now. Okay?† Lloyd pumped Tommy's hand to start the flow of cash. â€Å"Welcome to better living through frozen food.† Tommy sat up on the futon and looked at the behemoth freezer that was humming in the half-light of the kitchen. Why? he thought. Why did I buy it? Why did she want it? I didn't even ask for an explanation from her, I just blindly followed her instructions. I'm a slave, like Renfield in Dracula. How long before I start eating bugs and howling at night? He got up and walked, in his underwear and one sock, into the bedroom; the smell of decay was strong enough to make him gag. It was the smell that had driven him to sleep on the futon in the living room rather than crawl into bed with Jody. He'd fallen asleep reading Bram Stoker's Dracula to get some perspective on the love of his life. She's the devil, he thought, staring at the steam creeping out from under the bathroom door. â€Å"Jody, is that you?† he asked the steam. The steam just crept. â€Å"I'm in the shower,† Jody said from the shower. â€Å"Come on in.† Tommy went to the bathroom and opened the door. â€Å"Jody, we need to talk.† The bathroom was thick with steam – he could barely make out the shower doors. â€Å"Close the door; it smells in there.† Tommy moved closer to the shower. â€Å"I'm worried about the way things are going,† he said. â€Å"Did you get the freezer?† â€Å"Yes, that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about.† â€Å"You got the biggest one they had, right?† â€Å"Yes, and a ten-year extended-service agreement.† â€Å"And it's a chest model, not an upright?† â€Å"Yes, dammit, but Jody, you didn't even tell me why I was buying it and I just did it. Since I met you, it's like I have no will of my own. I've been sleeping all day. I'm not doing any writing. I hardly even see daylight anymore.† â€Å"Tommy, you work midnight to eight. When do you think you would sleep?† â€Å"Don't twist my words. I will not eat bugs for you.† She's the devil, he thought. â€Å"Will you do my back?† She slid the shower door open and Tommy was transfixed by the water cascading between her breasts. â€Å"Well?† she said, cocking a hip. Tommy slipped out of his briefs, pulled off his sock, and stepped into the shower. â€Å"Okay, but I'm not eating any bugs.† After a mad naked dash through the bedroom they sat on the futon toweling off and looking at the new freezer. â€Å"It certainly is large,† Jody said. â€Å"I bought a dozen TV dinners so it wouldn't look so empty.† Jody said, â€Å"You'll have to take them out; put them in the regular fridge.† â€Å"Why? I don't think they'll fit.† â€Å"I know, but I have something to put in there and I don't think you'll want your TV dinners in there with it.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Well, you know that bad smell in the bedroom?† â€Å"I was going to mention that. What is it?† â€Å"It's a body.† â€Å"You killed someone?† Tommy slid away from her on the futon. â€Å"No, I didn't kill anyone. Let me explain.† She told him about the bum, about creeping up on him thinking he was the vampire, and of the battle that ensued. Tommy said, â€Å"Do you think he was trying to kill you?† â€Å"I don't think so. It's as if he wants to show me how superior he is or something. Like he's testing me.† â€Å"So you bit off his fingers?† â€Å"I didn't know what else to do.† â€Å"What was it like?† â€Å"Honestly?† â€Å"Of course?† â€Å"It was a rush. It was an incredible rush.† â€Å"Better than drinking my blood?† â€Å"Different.† Tommy turned his back on her and began to pout. Jody moved to him and kissed his ear. â€Å"It was a fight, Tommy. I didn't come or anything, but I swear, I felt stronger after I†¦ after I swallowed.† â€Å"So that's why you were all crusty with blood when I got home?† â€Å"Yes, it was almost dawn when I got the body upstairs.† â€Å"That's another thing,† Tommy said. â€Å"Why did you bring that stinky thing up here?† â€Å"The police already found one body at the motel, and they have my name. Now they find another that was killed in the same way right next to where we live. I don't think they'd understand.† â€Å"So we're going to keep it in the freezer?† â€Å"Just until I figure out what to do with him.† â€Å"I'm not comfortable with you calling it ‘him. ; â€Å"Just until I figure out what to do with it, then.† â€Å"There's a big bay out there.† â€Å"And how would you suggest that we get it down there without being seen?† â€Å"I'll think about it.† Jody stood, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked back to the bedroom. â€Å"I'm going to put it in now; you might want to transfer your TV dinners.† She paused at the door. â€Å"And I'm out of clean clothes. You're going to need to go to the Laundromat.† â€Å"Why don't you go?† Jody regarded him gravely. â€Å"Tommy, you know I can't go out during the day.† â€Å"Oh no,† Tommy said. â€Å"Don't pull that. I don't know of a single Laundromat that's not open all night. Besides, I can't be your slave full-time. I have to have some time to get some writing done. And I might be taking on a student.† â€Å"What kind of student?† â€Å"A guy at work – Simon – he can't read. I'm going to offer to teach him.† â€Å"That's sweet of you,† Jody said. She shook her hair out, let her towel fall to the floor, and struck a centerfold pose. â€Å"Are you sure you don't want to do the laundry?† â€Å"No way. You have no power over me.† â€Å"Are you sure?† She licked her lips sensually. â€Å"That's not what you said in the shower.† I will resist her evil, Tommy thought. I will not give in. He stood and started gathering his clothes. â€Å"Don't you have a body to move?† â€Å"All right then,† Jody snapped. â€Å"I'll do the laundry while you're at work tonight.† She turned and went into the bedroom. â€Å"Good. I'll be out here looking for some tasty bugs,† Tommy whispered to himself. Midnight found Jody trudging down the steps with a trash bag full of laundry slung across her back. As she stepped onto the sidewalk and turned to lock the door she realized that she hadn't the slightest idea where to find a Laundromat in this neighborhood. The rolling steel door to the foundry was open and the two burly sculptors were working inside, bracing a man-sized plaster mold for pouring. She considered asking them for directions, but thought it might be better to wait and meet them when she was with Tommy. The interior of the foundry was glowing red with the heat from the molten bronze in the crucible, making it appear to her heat-sensitive vision like hell's own studio. She stood for a moment watching waves of heat spill out the top of the door, to swirl and dissipate in the night sky like dying paisley ghosts. She wanted to turn to someone and share the experience, but of course there was no one, and if there had been, they wouldn't have been able to see what she saw. She thought, In the kingdom of the blind, a one-eyed man can get pretty lonely. She sighed heavily and was starting toward Market Street when she heard a sharp staccato tapping of toenails at her heels. She dropped the laundry and wheeled around. A Boston terrier growled and snorted at her, then backed away a few feet and fell into a yapping fit that bordered on canine apoplexy, his bug eyes threatening to pop out of his head. â€Å"Bummer, stop that!† came a shout from the corner. Jody looked up to see a grizzled old man in an overcoat coming toward her wearing a saucepan on his head and carrying a wickedly pointed wooden sword. A golden retriever trotted along beside him, a smaller saucepan strapped to his head and two garbage-can lids strapped to his sides, giving the impression of a compact furry Viking ship. â€Å"Bummer, come back here.† The little dog backed away a few more steps, then turned and ran back to the man. Jody noticed that the little dog had a miniature pie pan strapped over his ears with a rubber band. The old man picked up the terrier in his free hand and trotted up to Jody. â€Å"I'm very sorry,† he said. â€Å"The troops are girded for battle, but I fear they are a bit too eager to engage. Are you all right?† Jody smiled. â€Å"I'm fine. Just a little startled.† The old man bowed. â€Å"Allow me to introduce myself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You're the Emperor, aren't you?† Jody had been in the City for five years. She'd heard about the Emperor, but she'd only seen him from a distance. â€Å"At your service,† said the Emperor. The terrier growled suspiciously and the Emperor shoved the little dog, head first, into the oversized pocket of his overcoat, then buttoned the flap. Muffled growls emanated from the pocket. â€Å"I apologize for my charge. He's long on courage, but rather short on manners. This is Lazarus.† Jody nodded to the retriever, who let out a slight growl and backed away a step. The garbage-can lids rattled on the sidewalk. â€Å"Hi. I'm Jody. Pleased to meet you.† â€Å"I hope you will forgive my presumption,† the Emperor said, â€Å"but I don't think it's safe for a young woman to be out on the street at night. Particularly in this neighborhood.† â€Å"Why this neighborhood?† The Emperor moved closer and whispered. â€Å"I'm sure that you've noticed that the men and I are dressed for battle. We are hunting a vicious, murdering fiend that has been stalking the City. I don't mean to alarm you, but we last saw him on this very street. In fact, he killed a friend of mine right across the street not two nights ago.† â€Å"You saw him?† Jody asked. â€Å"Did you call the police?† â€Å"The police will be of no help,† the Emperor said. â€Å"This is not the run-of-the-mill scoundrel that we are used to in the City. He's a vampire.† The Emperor lifted his wooden sword and tested the point against the tip of his finger. Jody was shaken. She tried to calm herself, but the fear showed on her face. â€Å"I've frightened you,† the Emperor said. â€Å"No – no, I'm fine. It's just†¦ Your Majesty, there are no such things as vampires.† â€Å"As you wish,† the Emperor said. â€Å"But I think it would be prudent for you to wait until daylight to do your business.† â€Å"I need to do my laundry or I won't have any clean clothes for tomorrow.† â€Å"Then allow us to escort you.† â€Å"No, really, Your Majesty, I'll be fine. By the way, where is the nearest Laundromat?† â€Å"There is one not far from here, but it's in the Tenderloin. Even during the day you wouldn't be safe alone. I really must insist that you wait, my dear. Perhaps by then we will have exterminated the fiend.† â€Å"Well,† Jody said, â€Å"if you insist. This is my apartment, right here.† She dug the key out of her jeans and opened the door. She turned back to the Emperor. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Safety first,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Sleep well.† The little dog growled in his pocket. Jody went inside and closed the door, then waited until she heard the Emperor walk away. She waited another five minutes and went back onto the street. She shouldered the laundry and headed toward the Tenderloin, thinking, This is great. How long before the police actually listen to the Emperor? Tommy and I are going to have to move and we haven't even decorated yet. And I hate doing laundry. I hate it. I'm sending our laundry out if Tommy won't do it. And we're going to have a cleaning lady – some nice, dependable woman who will come in after dark. And I'm not buying toilet paper. I don't use it and I'm not going to buy it. And something has to be done about this asshole vampire. God, I hate doing laundry. She had gone two blocks when a man stepped out of a doorway in front of her. â€Å"Hey momma, you need some help.† She jumped in his face and shouted, â€Å"Fuck off, horndog!† with such viciousness that he screamed and leaped back into the doorway, then meekly called  «Sorry » after her as she passed. She thought, I'm not sorting. It all goes in warm. I don't care if the whites do go gray; I'm not sorting. And how do I know how to get out bloodstains? Who am I? Miss Household Hints? God, I hate laundry. The clothes jumped and played and dived over each other like fabric dolphins. Jody sat on a folding table across from the dryer watching the show and thinking about the Emperor's warning. He'd said, â€Å"I don't think it's safe for a young woman to be out on the street at night.† Jody agreed. Not long ago she would have been terrified if she'd found herself in the Tenderloin at night. She couldn't even remember coming down here during the day. Where had that fear gone? What had happened to her that she could face off with a vampire, bite off his fingers, and carry a dead body up a flight of stairs and shove it under the bed without even a flinch? Where was the fear and loathing? She didn't miss it, she just wondered what had happened to it. It wasn't as if she were without fear. She was afraid of daylight, afraid of the police discovering her, and of Tommy rejecting her and leaving her alone. New fears and familiar fears, but there was nothing in the dark that frightened her, not the future, not even the old vampire – and she knew now, having tasted his blood, that he was old, very old. She saw him as an enemy, and her mind casted for strategies to defeat him, but she was not really afraid of him anymore: curious, but not afraid. The dryer stopped-fabric dolphins dropped and died as if caught in tuna nets. Jody jumped off the table, opened the dryer, and was feeling the clothes for dampness when she heard footsteps on the sidewalk outside the Laundromat. She turned to see the tall black man she had chased into the doorway coming into the Laundromat, followed by two shorter men. All three wore silver L.A. Raiders jackets, high-top shoes, and evil grins. Jody turned back to the dryer and started stuffing her clothes into the trash bag. She thought, I should be folding these. â€Å"Yo, bitch,† the tall man said. Jody looked to the back of the Laundromat. The only door was in the front, behind the three men. She turned and looked up at them. â€Å"How about those Raiders?† she said with a smile. She felt a pressure in the roof of her mouth: the fangs extending. The three men split up and moved around the folding table to surround her. In another life, this had been her worst nightmare. In this life she just smiled as two of them grabbed her arms from behind. She saw a bead of sweat on the tall man's temple as he approached her and reached out to tear the front of her shirt. She ripped her right arm loose and caught the tall man's wrist as the sweat bead began to drip. She snapped his forearm and bones splintered though skin and muscle as she swung him, headfirst, through the glass door of the dryer. She reached over her shoulder and grabbed one of the Raider fans by the hair and smashed his face into the floor, then wheeled on her last attacker and shoved him back into the edge of the folding table, snapping his spine just above the hips and sending him spinning backward over a deck of washing machines. The bead of sweat hit the floor near the man with the smashed face. Amid the hum of fluorescent lights and the moans of the man with the broken back, Jody loaded the rest of her laundry into the trash bag. She thought, This stuff is going to be nothing but wrinkles by the time I get home. Tommy's doing the laundry next time. As she reached the door she ran her tongue over her teeth and was relieved to find her fangs had retracted. She looked over her shoulder at the carnage and shouted, â€Å"Forty-fucking-Niners!† The man with the broken back moaned.