Phillis Wheatley Essay

The exotic daughter of Africa whose poetry inspired a cause of freedom and social justice in a different land while using the traditional religious view of her heritage. Whose words and symbolism still resonate through the world as reminders of a dream of equality and freedom from monarchal tyranny. This exemplary figure of true patriotism is Phillis Wheatley an African woman born along the Gambia River in Africa to the Fulani tribe (Shields 473). In two of her finest works â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† and â€Å"Liberty and Peace† Phillis Wheatley uses the African tradition of solar worship to justify the American Revolution. Phillis Wheatley was born around 1753 to a Fulani woman who either practiced an ancient tribal form of solar worship or was a devout Muslim. Wheatley had only one fond memory of her life in Africa and that memory is of her mother performing a ritual every morning to the sun. ‘â€Å"before the sun at his rising† and then â€Å"prostrating herself† in the direction of the risen sun,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Shields 473). The theory that Phillis Wheatley’s mother was a Muslim is plausible because the rising sun is in the direction of Mecca. Also, the word of Islam had spread to this part of Africa and the number of Muslims in western Africa was growing during that time period. However, the theory that Phillis Wheatley’s mother is Muslim is discredited through the use of sun allusions in Wheatley’s poetry. â€Å"Her mother’s solar worship surely is the source of her exaltation of the sun, which she names in her poems nine times as Aurora; as Apollo, seven; as Phoebus, twelve, and as Sol, twice,† (Shields). This shows the love and admiration that Phillis Wheatley had for the sun; a love that was instilled in her by her mother when Wheatley was a small child watching her mother praise Apollo. â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† was published in April of 1776 by Phillis Wheatley in Boston Massachusetts. This poem to George Washington commemorates him for his efforts to promote freedom. This was the first written work to be published that supported him in his endeavor to free the young country (Williams). In the opening lines of the poem Phillis Wheatley uses a muse, a device of neoclassicism, which exposes the inspiration for her literary work. The muse of this poem is the celestial choir which can be interpreted as the sun god because in line one she writes, â€Å"Celestial choir! enthron’d in realms of light,† (CITATION POETRY FOR STUDENTS). â€Å"Enthron’d in realms of light† means that light surrounds the celestial choir which must come from the sun. In lines nine through twelve Wheatley explains a sun goddess that aides the American cause, â€Å"The Goddess comes, she moves divinely fair/†¦Wherever shines this native of the skies/ Unnumber’d charms and recent graces rise,† (CITATION POETRY FOR STUDENTS). This native of the skies shines wherever she roams; she is the female embodiment of the sun god. . She understands the validity of the American cause because she is fair and just that is why she supports America. The goddess shines on America and with this divine light comes unnumbered charms and graces that fall upon the young nation. She helps America by protecting them in the ultimate struggle they have at hand against the British. The theme of the poem is expressed in lines thirty one through thirty two, â€Å"And so may you, whoever dares disgrace/ This land of freedom’s heaven-defended race,† (CITATION POETRY FOR STUDENTS). The theme of this poem is simply freedom; freedom for the common man, woman and child, and that no person should be subject to any form of oppression or tyranny. The message of freedom is exemplified in these lines because America is being defended by the solar goddess. She promotes the continuation of the belief that every man is entitled freedom by birth. Therefore, these lines show that America is justified by heaven to fight the British. This heavenly protection serves as defense and as a means of dissuading any advances on America. The first line shows the warning to all that may want to pose a threat to America because it is a land of freedom that is divinely protected by the sun goddess. So, these two lines show that America is a land of freedom and that it is defende d by the sun goddess against all that transgress against America’s boundaries. After the defeat of the British in the American Revolutionary War and the Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed, Phillis Wheatley wrote â€Å"Liberty and Peace†; a poem that celebrated the new countries independence (Shields 489-490). The poem was published in 1784 and praised the defeat of Britannia by America, which has just been established as a sovereign state (Doak 86). It was also one of her last notable works because during that same year she passed away (O’Neale). The overall theme and message of the poem is that America is noble and just for fighting for its independence and that she is and will always be divinely protected. Britain is considered a menace and dictator for holding the colonies back for becoming their own separate country (Jamison). In â€Å"Liberty and Peace† on line sixty four Phillis Wheatley explains how her ancestral sun god is on the side of America and that it is the reason why America defeated the British. The line reads, â€Å"And Heavenly Freedom spread her gold Ray,† (O’Neale). This line shows that the golden ray of heaven will be spread by heavenly freedom. The golden ray was graced upon America by the female embodiment of the sun god. This ray of freedom will spread to any land where America spreads its sails. America being able to spread its ray of freedom is shown in lines sixty two through sixty three of â€Å"Liberty and Peace†, â€Å"Where e’er Columbia spreads her swelling Sails/ To every Realm shall Peace her Charms display,† (O’Neale). This quote illustrates that the golden ray placed upon America by the sun goddess will spread to other lands by heavenly freedom. That any land America encounters will be instilled with the American virtues of p eace and freedom. Phillis Wheatley is a true American patriot for the American quest of peace and freedom from the British menace. She uses her ancestral tradition of solar worship to justify the American cause and to support the troops in their enormous endeavor. In â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† Phillis Wheatley illustrates a sun goddess that aides on the side of the Americans during the revolutionary war. Wheatley goes on to further explain that American people are a group of people that are divinely protected because they exemplify a spirit of freedom that has never been seen in the world to date. In â€Å"Liberty and Peace† Phillis Wheatley shows that the values and beliefs that are at the core of America are protected by the sun god; that is the reason why America was able to triumph over the British. It was able to because it was fighting for freedom and the sun god protects and defends the righteous in all their endeavors. America will also inspire every land she touches to fight for freedom and equality because America is heavenly defended and her virtues are protected by the sun god. It is clear to see the instances of solar allusions in Phillis Wheatley’s work. She uses her mother’s religion of solar worship to show the validity of the American cause in the Revolutionary War. Phillis Wheatley supported and whole-heartedly believed in the American Revolution due to the fact that in â€Å"To his Excellency General Washington† and â€Å"Liberty and Peace she uses her tradition of solar worship to support America.

How Is Evil Portrayed In Macbeth

In this essay I shall be looking at the way evil is portrayed in Shakespeares play, Macbeth. I will be concentrating on the characters in the play that contribute to the evil themes of the play. It is clear from the start of the play that the witches are the main source of evil. The witches have an enormous effect on the play, not only are they evil, but this is emphasised by the strong feelings against witches and witchcraft in Elizabethan times. Convicted witches were regularly tortured and even executed. Most people believed in witches and there was little opposition against this persecution. This was not helped by the fact hat the king, James 1 was also interested in this superstition, often, he interrogated the accused himself. It is clear from the start of the play that the witches play a key role. The first scene is the witches planning to meet Macbeth. The setting of this scene is very important; they meet on a moor in thunder and lightning. These surroundings portray an evil image; the moor is a very lonely, barren and bleak place, while thunder and lightning associate with evil. So even at the beginning of the play one of the themes is known. The witches language includes rhyming couplets that contradict each other and are very powerful. Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air This quote tells us about the witches hatred for all things good, and their love for things that are evil. Shakespeare adds rhyme and rhythm to the witches language to emphasise their evilness. The second part of this quote adds to their image of being witches and would have created tension among Elizabethan audiences. The image of old women with cats and the ability to fly would have shocked an audience. The first meeting between Macbeth and the witches is significant as they make two predictions to Macbeth, Hail to thee hane of Cawdor and perhaps more significantly, That shalt be king hereafter. These proclamations astound Macbeth due to their sudden nature. The witches lure Macbeth into a false sense of security. The witches manipulate Macbeth and when he tells Lady Macbeth of the predictions, an evil plan is conceived. Ive done the deed. This deed is the worst possible crime, kingship; Macbeth has murdered king Duncan in cold blood. Macbeth, the brave warrior at the beginning of the play has been driven by his ambition to be king. However, the source of this evil deed may not have come from Macbeth himself. Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent undert. Lady Macbeth plants the seed of murdering king Duncan in Macbeths mind. The language Shakespeare uses here is significant, the flower is associated with beauty and goodness while the snake is associated with evil. The association with a snake would have been especially strong because in the bible the serpent is seen as an evil being. These comparisons to bible characters would also have shocked Elizabethan audiences, as they believed in heaven and hell. Perhaps the most famous scene in Macbeth concerns the witches and especially their language. Liver of blaspheming Jew, Finger of birth-strangled babe. These disgusting images are the ingredients of the witches spell. The language used shows the exploitation of innocence and vulnerability by the witches and this links in with the theme of the desire to bring all good things to evil. The imagery conjured up in the casts is one of pure evil. In the same scene the witches manipulate Macbeth by using three apparitions. The second of these apparitions lulls Macbeth into a false sense of security. Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee. The apparition, which is a bloody child, tells Macbeth of his fortune, For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth. Shakespeare uses Dramatic Irony as these words confuse Macbeth. It is apparent from these words that Macbeth would feel invincible and that no man could harm him. However, Macbeth fails to see the contradiction between this and the first apparition. This is because Macbeth is unaware of Macduffs birth; he was born after his mother had died. It is only at the end of the play that Macbeth finally discovers his fate. After being told that Macduff had been, Untimely ripped from his mothers womb, describes the witches as Juggling Fiends. Macbeth is accusing the witches of deliberately juggling their words so that he could not understand them. This is a brilliant quote as Macbeth has just realised his life is in ruins, but the audience knew this earlier. The witches have changed Macbeth from a brave warrior to an evil, murderous, traitor. By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes. This quote is significant as it illustrates the change in Macbeth throughout the play, now even the witches consider Macbeth to be evil. However, when looking at the path of destruction that Macbeth has left ehind him it isnt very surprising. Just one man driven by his ambition to be king has led to a chain reaction of murders Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and desires! From this quote we can see Macbeths true feelings towards king Duncan. It tells us that no one will see the murder due to the darkness and lack of light. His dark intentions have imagery due the blackness of the night and evil desires and intentions of Macbeth. The murder of his once best friend, Banquo leads to Lady Macbeth going mad. The brains behind the relationship who conceived the plan of murdering ing Duncan which started the chaos of the whole play eventually commits suicide as she couldnt handle the guilt. Heres the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. This is a significant quote as although Lady Macbeth did not kill king Duncan it was her idea, and it could be argued that Macbeth wouldnt have murdered king Duncan without the influence of Lady Macbeth. The fear of the Scottish people is shown in a conversation between Donalbain and Malcolm. Theres daggers in mens smiles. This metaphor describes how Donalbain feels he can rust nobody and that everyone is putting on disguises; underneath the smiling faces is hatred and evil. The imagery conjures up pictures of the innocent and pleasant man on the outside but on the inside he is a traitor and a murderer. The quote portrays the scenes of anarchy and chaos in Scotland. In conclusion I think it is clear the witches mostly portray evil in Macbeth. Not only are the witches evil themselves but their evilness spreads to other characters throughout the play. I think there is little doubt that without the influence of the witches, Macbeth wouldnt have murdered king Duncan.

Various Methods of Electricity Production Essay

Various Methods of Electricity Production - Essay Example Even though these early humans had no understanding of electricity, the movie depicts them looking for lightning to reignite their fire! It is clear in the film that the first fire available to mankind came from electricity in the form of lightning (Cook 7). It seems that electricity was the first real power used by man. Long before the lever, the wheel or the windmill mankind was reaping the benefits of fire created by the natural electricity of lightning. Man made electricity has earlier roots than one might suspect as well. Evidence has been uncovered that the ancient Egyptians used crude batteries to produce electrical charges (Mythbusters, 2005). The Egyptians fashioned clay pots as containers and filled them with high acid citrus juice. They then connected primitive cables made of copper to the clay jars. On the popular Discovery Channel series Mythbusters the cast recreates the Egyptian battery to test if this notion of early batteries is fact or myth. Much to their surprise the primitive invention does in fact produce a very small electrical charge. They speculate that Egyptians might have used this electricity to amaze and frighten pharos's subjects. By hooking the batteries up to statues of the pharos and other deities the ancient Egyptians gave their pharaoh a little help in the "powerful and mystical" department (Mythbusters, 2005). We will likely never know the whole story behind these ancient batteries but it is interesti ng to consider how early mankind was experimenting with electricity. Since ancient times many forms of electricity generation have been discovered and utilized. But first, in order to understand these various sources it is important to understand the history and development of electricity as a primary source of energy. The Rise of Electricity The ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese and the Persians all experimented with crude inventions to harness electricity with very limited success. Even the explosion of science during the Middle Ages in Europe added little to the understanding electricity (Dell & Rand,125). In 1214 Roger Bacon experimented with the properties of amber and lodestone but electricity was primarily used to "amuse and frighten the ignorant" (Canby,12). Like the Egyptians, European scientists of the Middle Ages viewed electricity as a "parlor trick" and it's usefulness was deemed limited (Dell & Rand, 125). It wasn't until 1600 when William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elisabeth, wrote an impressive paper on magnetism, that the scientist of Europe began to seriously consider scientific study of electricity (Canby,13). The De Magnete written by Gilbert was widely read by the educated class of Europe and interest in electricity surged. Gilbert also created the first list of elements that contain electric and magn etic properties (Wikipedia,2007). In 1660, Otto van Guericke built the first machine to produce an electrical charge (Canby, 18). The glass globe had a sulfur ball inside and created a lightning like charge that amazed the people of Guericke's day. During this time advances in the understanding of electricity was painfully slow and it wasn't until 1709 that the next big discovery was made. In England, Francis Hawkenbee built an improved version of the "glass globe" and conducted many other useful experiments. Next, in 1729 Steven Gray of the Grayfriars School in England discovered

Aquinas for Armchair Theologians by Timothy Renick Essay

Aquinas for Armchair Theologians by Timothy Renick - Essay Example If God is as powerful as we are led to believe, he should have the ability to eliminate Satan. However, saying that God cannot get rid of Satan brings into question a possible limitation of God’s power. Furthermore, if God is all good, he should want to terminate evil and injustice, and thus Satan. By continuing to allow Satan to wreak havoc on God’s marvelous creation, God’s goodness is being undermined. In an attempt to understand the presence of evil in the world, believers and skeptics alike are throwing God’s entire being into a circle of doubt and confusion. Aquinas steps in and tries to set the argument straight. Aquinas believes that God does not make evil; he is only capable of creating good. Evil is not a substance, a physical thing, but simply the removal of some of the good from a wholly good object. This still causes people to believe that God is the creator of evil. The Manichees believe that God is a co-creator with Satan; evil is a substanc e, and Satan is its source. Aquinas, as well as many others, refuse to accept this, as it puts Satan on the same level with God. Aquinas enforces the idea that evil is not created, but a subtraction of good. As an example, Renick turns to Adolf Hitler, claiming that, under Aquinas’s ideals, Hitler was wholly good, but a portion of this good was removed. He used his created talents for evil ends. God made good, but Hitler did evil. In the first chapter of Genesis, God made the world and â€Å"it was very good.† There are no exceptions to this. God created Satan to be completely good, though not perfect. When Satan rebelled against god, he did not become evil; his angelic abilities were still there and they were good, but he used these attributes for evil. Satan is good, yet his actions are evil. Nevertheless, we now must figure out who or what causes this removal of good. If God is the cause of the removal of good, that would make God responsible for the existence of ev il, which brings us back to the beginning of the argument. Aquinas’s perception of this part of the debate is that we, as imperfect human beings, must expect and accept that good has the ability to decay. God may be the cause of all the things that happen, but he is not morally responsible for the evil acts of human beings. The argument of God and evil turns into an argument of human beings having free choice. John Calvin and Martin Luther were under the impression that humans could not possibly have free choice, otherwise it would undermine God’s ability to be all-knowing. Calvin believed that everything we say and do is predestined by God. We have no choice but to do it, and therefore have no free will. Aquinas’s argument is more accepted by Christians, and some skeptics. Aquinas believed that if we lacked tree freedom and all is predestined by God, God could not be just. If humans have no free choice because everything is a product of God’s control, th e God punishes people for actions that are not their own. God would be unjust, which is a characteristic that goes completely against who God is. Aquinas pushes the concept that God is timeless to help further straighten out the argument. Humans may see what is behind them, and they may aware of what is ahead of them, but only to a certain point. God sees everything as it happens at once, but not before

Lost in Digital Wonderland Finding a Path in the Global Knowledge Essay

Lost in Digital Wonderland Finding a Path in the Global Knowledge Society - Essay Example Such a transformation took place mainly due to the increased need for innovation. As the rate of trade dealings is enhancing in the entire globe, the ratio of competitiveness is also expanding. However, in order to cope up with such type of competitive needs or demands of the citizens, the labours or the producers need to develop highly extensive abilities and knowledge (Max-Planck institute for history and science, n. d.). Such type of demanding skills and knowledge might be attained only through varied types of learning programs, training programs such as on-the –job, household trainings etc. Only then, the employees or the individual might easily cope up with the risks or changing demands of the citizens in global economy. By doing so, the producer or the employees might position itself as a successful individual or organization in this global knowledge society as compared to others. Knowledge is described as a resource that helps to generate values and creativity. In this age of digitalisation, it is the knowledge that helps in enhancement of the dealings of trade leading to economic growth and development of a nation in the entire globe among others. Other than this, it is the knowledge that helps an individual entrepreneur to cope up with the changing requirements of the citizens by presenting inventive products. However, the inventive products are mainly developed with the help of new ideas and suggestions as well as advanced technologies (Huws, 2005). Only then, the employer or the employees in this revolutionary age might create a specific position for itself. Thus, it might be stated that knowledge is the prime requirement of an employee or employer to tackle global competitiveness. Knowledge society is recognised as a place, where all sorts of activities or actions take place with the help of both tacit and codified knowledge. Both tacit as well as codified knowledge is utilised in order to perform the knowledge works in this information age

Preliminary Analysis of Cost and Budgetary Information Systems Essay - 1

Preliminary Analysis of Cost and Budgetary Information Systems - Essay Example More than often, organizations ensure that an analysis of varied product cost and budgetary control methodologies and systems are carried out. This is because, the introduction of a suitable cost and budgetary information systems allows for effective planning for the future, controlling of present activities, and an evaluation of the past performance within an organization. Considerably, the choice of a suitable cost and budgetary information systems allows for planned action, coordination, and optimum use of resources as it defines responsibilities. †¢ Product costs include the cost estimates that are based on material, labor and machine process that influence decisions made by management. It is either based on activity-based costing or traditional based costing (Kaplan & Anderson, 2007). †¢ Activity-based costing is adopted from the conventional costing system and it assumes that activities act as fundamental cost objects because cause costs and cost objects are known to create demand for activities. †¢ Traditional based costing utilizes costs based on a single, volume-based cost driver, it assumes that product causes cost because; it assigns the overhead costs to products based on relative usage of direct labor. †¢ It is recommendable for the management of Worplestrop Partnership to adopt the activity-based costing control method because it ensures efficient maximization of profits as it allocates costs to key cost drives (Kaplan & Anderson, 2007). †¢ It is also decisive for the management to prepare budgetary control tools ranging from long-term to short-term, all functional budget estimates and both functional and flexible budget to control costs used in products (Weygandt, Kimmel & Kieso, 2009). More than often, the levels of decision-making are classified as operational, tactical and strategic levels. Nonetheless, decisions made at each level play an important role in product costing and budgetary control, as relevant information is transmitted in order to make an organization successful.  

Quantitative Research Proposal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quantitative Research Proposal - Coursework Example (Eslick, 2010) The survey will begin on the month of June when the students will be on Holidays to ensure that they carry out their visitation to the hospital regularly. There will be five nurses who will be at the reception whenever new patients are admitted to the hospital. A report shall be presented to the students every week in order to keep the records and analyze the information very well. The patients will be asked questions and be administered with questionnaires for full information recording. In the year 2009, a survey on â€Å"The diagnosis and treatment of STEMI in the emergency department† was developed and organized by the Clinical director in the Department of Emergency Medicine Joshua M. Kosowski, MD in Boston. The research and survey will be approved by the director Joshua M. whereby the survey will copy the procedures of the 2009 survey and information be tallied from the survey. All the students of the class will be administered in the same month of June and be approved to be attending the meetings at the hospital. Inferential statistics will be the best because they will give out the best required results that will be analyzed. With the independent values being patients in rural areas will not be sequential and the dependant values being patients in urban areas will be the continuous variables. The hospital is in the urban area making the information to be continuous. The null hypothesis confirms that the residence area of a STEMI patient is not correlated with the myocardial level of damage. Alternative analysis is the opposite of the null hypothesis (there is a correlation between the areas of residence of the patients and the level of myocardial) The presentation of the information samples will be presented by the Clinical director in the Department of Emergency Medicine Joshua M. Kosowski, MD. The samples in the survey will be the patients that suffer from the

Chinese Economic Reforms Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chinese Economic Reforms - Research Paper Example The agreement presents significant competitive opportunities in the financial sector." (Ostry, et.al., 2003). As the Chinese economy continues to growopens up and competes with other industrialized economies, around the world, effective market and monetary policies and objectives demand close attention. Sustainable growth of the economy will be possible if viable macro and micro economic policies are in place and take into account such variables such as inflation objectives, flexibility of lending institutions in the face of changing interest rates, rate of credit growth, continuing economic reforms and exchange rates. The dissertation will first examine Chinese economic reform and compile a body of literature offering objective analysis of key elements of the reform process, with a bias towards monetary policies, exchange rates and inflation. This work aims toe sole significance of this endeavor is to investigate unearth the main economic reforms and monetary policiescardinal arteries informing and shaping the Chinese economic status especially in regard to short term and long term inflation and exchange rates. Secondly, the dissertation will examine the monetary policies adopted by PBC in controlling inflation and exchange rates. ... Theory1 The monetarist theory posits that mismanagement of the primary cause of inflation is how the money in supply is the primary cause of inflation. is managed. Inflation can also be linked toPrincipally, the cause of inflation is pegged on the flexibility of the lending process. As such, inflation will largely depend to a large extent, on how flexible or inflexible the lending institutions are and the levels of interest rates levels as well. Monetarists do no't believe that fiscal policies and taxation have very as having little effect on to do with controlling inflation control (Paul, 2000). Mathematicallaccording to the my, monetarists' theory, a product of the total value of money in circulation and the velocity of the money is directly proportional to the product of the average price level and the index of the real values of expenditures. expounds that M.V=P.Q In the formula: M is the total value of money in circulation, V is the velocity of money, P is the average price level and Q is the index of the real values of expenditures. Key highlights: a) the average price level is a variable influenced by the magnitude of economic activities(Q), total value of money(M), and the velocity of money(V) b) The key influencing variable of prices level is fluctuations in the amount of money available. c) If the velocity of money is constant (though in reality it is not possible) , the supply of money will determine value of nominal output. d) Assuming that the velocity of money is fairly constant, then the level of inflation will be equal to the difference between long run growth rate of money supply and long run growth rate of real

Pizza Store Simulation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pizza Store Simulation Paper - Essay Example It will immediately relieve procedural congestion as well as improve operational performance to augment daily profits. We propose certain changes in operations to assist us in increasing our profit margin. In the old layout, there were 14 tables that could seat 4 people each. In the new process, there will be 10. Furthermore, the old process had no two-seat tables, but the new process has 8 two seat tables. As with the old process, the new process will have 4 people on wait staff, but for the new process we will increase kitchen staff from 2 in the old process to 3 in the new. These changes are aimed at increasing our profit margin. Graphical analysis of our data will help us determine whether our theory about process efficiency was not correct. It seems part of our theory was correct and part was not. As predicted, the new process immediately out-performed the old process. The data shows the new processes netted about $378 more per day than the old process on average. However, the staff learning curve does not seem to affect the data at all. Visual analysis of trends in the data does not seem to reveal a significant curve function. It appears only linear. A graphical representation of the data is presented below. We considered an alternative process configuration for the operation of Mario’s Pizzeria. Our primary metric was our daily profit margin. Our aim was to reconfigure the factors in our process to maximize our profit potential. We designed a new operational configuration to test against the old system. The data shows the new processes netted about $378 more per day on average than the old process. Visual analysis of trends in the data does not seem to reveal a significant curve function. It would be an impractical use of man hours to apply advanced statistical techniques because the new configuration achieves our marginal

My Internship Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Internship Report - Essay Example Both of these activities contributed significantly to my knowledge. In the second week, I started paper trading of JGB futures under Mr.Daimon, I learned how to speculate on the market movement. In the third and fourth weeks under Mr.Matsumura, I was working on a project which involved downloading time-series data from the database called CQG and analyzing the tendency of the market movement using Excel. I detected a conspicuous tendency in the market movement and was able to create some trade ideas in the end. These assignments have given me more confidence in dealing with tasks in such areas. After these four weeks, I moved to the FX floor which is the bank division of Nomura, and the manager there was Mr.Tonkin. I started my rotation within the FX floor from spot trading under Ms.Ito and Mr.Omae. I learned the basics of FX spot trading for three days, and then moved to FX forwards trading under Mr.Tonkin and Mr.Nakayama. Mr.Tonkin had given me an assignment to fix Swap Pricer spreadsheet and add more functions to it, so I was working on Excel most of the time. But I was also watching and assisting Mr.Nakayama's forward trading, and learning how the deals are made. The information I picked up in these weeks has added significantly to my skill sets. During my stay on this team, the market showed a lot of movement, and it was an invaluable experience to be able to stay on the trading floor in this kind of atypical situation. After FX forwards trading, I moved to the sales division. Under Mr.Furumi, I was working on data collection and analysis of investment trust funds, and in the very last week of this internship, I created an Option Pricing spreadsheet under Mr.Osawa. The Induction Training on the very first day was extremely important to me as well because I was able to learn how the company is organized and came to know about company rules and regulations. Some of the information was pure common-sense but some of it I did not know before. I think since our business is involved with conserving, monitoring and increasing money, we really need to have this kind of training to completely learn the rules of business and the characteristics of this industry.

Influence of video games on youth Essay Example for Free

Influence of video games on youth Essay What is not normally thought about when buying a new game console or game is: Do video games influence a child’s psychological development and make them more aggressive and violent? Do video games affect a child’s grades? These will be some of the topics we will be discussing. Some parents have the concern that video games, among other outlets, affect their children and cause them to be more aggressive and violent with other children their age and elders, also. Parents have the right to limit the time spent playing video games and partaking in the other outlets available such as media. According to Anderson and Gentile, [Parents have an important role to play. Psychologists have found that when parents limit the amount of time as well as the types of games their children play, children are less likely to show aggressive behaviors (Anderson et al. , under review; Gentile et al. , 2004). Other research suggests that active parental involvement in childrens media usage-including discussing the inappropriateness of violent solutions to real life conflicts, reducing time spent on violent media, and generating alternative nonviolent solutions to problems-all can reduce the impact of media violence on children and youth (Anderson et al. , 2003). ] On the contrary, as according to Anderson and Gentile, [Dr. Anderson and colleagues have shown that playing a lot of violent video games is related to having more aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (Anderson Bushman, 2001). Furthermore, playing violent games is also related to children being less willing to be caring and helpful towards their peers. Importantly, research has shown that these effects happen just as much for non-aggressive children as they do for children who already have aggressive tendencies. ] Some studies have been done about the habits of children. Some of the studies showed that although children love to play video games alone, they prefer to play them more within groups. Parents, as well as teachers, have found that with some games, where reading, doing mathematical problems, and following instructions are needed, that their children’s grades have improved. The BBC (2002) stated, â€Å"Computer games could become part of the school curriculum after researchers found they had significant educational value. The UK study concluded that simulation and adventure games such as Sim City and RollerCoaster Tycoon, where players create societies or build theme parks, developed childrens strategic thinking and planning skills. Parents and teachers also thought their childrens mathematics, reading and spelling improved. The investigation into the habits of 700 children aged seven to 16 also found that, far from being a solitary activity, children preferred to play games in pairs or small groups. † (para. 1-4) Video games can help develop the brain’s response time when the games used are dealing with with variables, teaching a specific skill or problem solving. Games have been used by several websites by politicians teaching politics and by the Nobel Prize Foundation to teach history. The Wikipedia () stated, â€Å"Video games can aid the development of proficiency by allowing users to interact with objects and manipulate variables. They are said to be particularly effective when designed to address a specific problem or teach a certain skill in curriculum subjects, where specific objectives can be stated and when deployed selectively within a context relevant to the learning activity and goal. Simple types of games can be designed to address specific learning outcomes such as recall of factual content. For instance, the Nobel Prize Foundation website uses on-line games to aid children in understanding the discoveries made by its laureates by embedding the scientific knowledge as part of the game environment. Video games have historically received more criticism than other forms of recreational learning because they are often perceived as or associated with issues such as mindless entertainment, enhanced social recluse, sexism and consumerism. However, a shift from pure entertainment to educational tool has emerged in recent times. Children growing up today can benefit from educational video games because they are already exposed to a society that is increasingly dependent on digital technology. The medium of educational games provides an opportunity for teachers to introduce educational and playful elements into the learning environment. With computer-aided learning programs, teachers may assist students on social aspects such as critical learning, knowledge based communication and effective interpersonal skills that traditional methods of teaching cannot offer. † (para. 2, 5-6). Many people are under the conclusion that by letting children play video games, they will spend less time outside. Even though children play video games, most children still partake in old fashion activities such as soccer, baseball, and many others. Most children still prefer to play in groups than to play alone. According to Cauchon (), [The fundamental nature of American childhood has changed in a single generation. The unstructured outdoor childhood days of pick-up baseball games, treehouses and be home for dinner has all but vanished. Today, childhood is spent mostly indoors, watching television, playing video games and working the Internet. When children do go outside, it tends to be for scheduled events soccer camp or a fishing derby held under the watch of adults. In a typical week, 27% of kids ages 9 to 13 play organized baseball, but only 6% play on their own, a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. ] On the contrary, according to Anderson and Gentile, [Drs. Anderson and Gentiles research shows that children are spending increasing amounts of time playing video games 13 hours per week for boys, on average, and 5 hours per week for girls (Anderson, Gentile, Buckley, under review; Gentile, Lynch, Linder, Walsh, 2004). ] In conclusion to all of the information above, we have concluded that video games are not the only effect on children that could cause them to be violent or aggressive in their childhood and when they are older. Children learn from the programs they see on TV, Music Videos, Video Games, and especially from what they see going on in their home. It is unfair for us to exclusively blame the video game creators and the stores that sell the products for the aggressiveness in children. Parents should also be held accountable, especially if they are the ones buying the games for their children. We both came to this agreement, thanks to the information we have gathered in reference to our topic of the influence of video games on the youth. It is irrelevant to believe that video games are a main factor or the most important factor of a negative development in children. References Pros: BBC. (2002). Video Games Stimulate Learning. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/education/1879019. stm Cauchon Dennis, (2006). Kids are Living Under House Arrest. White Dot. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www. whitedot. org/issue/iss_story. asp? slug=sedentary%20kids Wikipedia. (). Video Games. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_game Cons: Anderson, Craig A. , Gentile, Douglas A. , Buckley, Katherine E. (2007). Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents. Oxford, Connecticut. Cauchon Dennis, (2006). Kids are Living Under House Arrest. White Dot. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www. whitedot. org/issue/iss_story. asp? slug=sedentary%20kids Kent Steven, (2006). Anti-video Games to Me Misses Its Target Widely. Tegenwicht. Retrieved July 3, 2008, from http://www. tegenwicht. org/03_littleton/anti_video_games. htm.

Crime Risk Management

Crime Risk Management How can the security/risk manager utilise the Crime Risk Management process and how useful is this process? Crime Risk Management (CRM) is an evolutionary and analytical process to assess whether organisational procedures, assets or individuals could become exposed to a potential threat; to identify the measures necessary to reduce any such risk; to mitigate the consequences of any hazard once realised; to evaluate the success or otherwise of the prescribed course of action; and to adapt appropriately. The conventions of risk management take into account that whilst risk is unlikely to be entirely eradicated, adapting organisational security mechanisms to further protect against anticipated or imagined threats can significantly reduce it. The Crime Risk Management process provides those responsible for securing an organisation against risk with various tools. To develop a greater understanding of how CRM is utilised today it is beneficial to consider the practices of a particular industry in isolation. The manner in which the banking industry combats financial crimes such as plastic fraud provides a useful example. Further to this, in order to critically assess the effectiveness of the approaches taken by industry watchdogs in safeguarding against risk, a brief comparison between the Banking sector and the United Nations CRM practices has been included. Ultimately, when best practices are followed, the CRM process can also have the effect of a deterrent against future misconduct when the latent vulnerabilities of an operation are recognised and appropriately reduced to within acceptable boundaries. According to constitutive criminology, crime is defined as the harm resulting from people â€Å"investing energy in harm-producing relations of power,† which â€Å"denies others their ability to make a difference† (McLaughlin and Muncie, 2006:66). The United States (US) Air Force Material Command Pamphlet (AFMCPAM 63-101, 1997:5) describes risk as â€Å"a measure of a projects inability to achieve program objectives†¦(it) has two components: the probability of failing to achieve particular performance, schedule or cost objectives, and the consequences of failing to achieve those objectives†. Subsequently, risk management is the process of ‘controlling’ such risks and â€Å"includes identifying and tracking risk areas, developing risk mitigation plans as part of risk handling, monitoring risks and performing risk assessments to determine how risks have changed† (AFMCPAM 63-101, 1997:5-6). Cox (2005:64) defines risk management as a â€Å"decision process that maps available risk assessment information about the probable consequences of acts of crime, along with value judgments and priority information concerning the choices of which acts to take in response†. This definition however interprets the discipline of risk management as a more passive activity, focusing more on the assimilation of information and the analysis that follows, rather than the active intervention required to avert or alleviate the risk. Conversely, Broder as cited in Nalla Newman (1990: 92), defines CRM as the â€Å"anticipation, recognition and appraisal of a risk and the initiation of some action to remove the risk or reduce the potential loss from it to an acceptable level†. Based on the above contrasting definitions, one focusing on the information gathering and analysis aspect, and the other accentuating the notion of taking action to avert the risk, CRM can be concluded to have a number of objectives: namely to assess risk by proactive means rather than simply reacting to risks as and when they are encountered, to assess potential losses that might result from these eventualities, conduct a cost benefit analysis of taking risk intervention measures such as setting up a CRM process, and finally, to minimise, control or transfer foreseeable risks (Gill, 1998:14). Therefore, a solid â€Å"risk management approach includes three primary elements: a threat assessment, a vulnerability assessment, and a criticality assessment† (Decker, 2001:1). Each of these aspects also takes into consideration the probability of an occurrence and the timeframe in which it is likely to occur during the lifetime of a project (AFMCPAM 63-101, 1997:6). Threat assessments are critical supports for operational decision-making in the security program design phase, identifying areas requiring crucial and concerted efforts. These assessments identify and evaluate risks based on a number of elements including ‘capability’, ‘intentions’, and the ‘potential lethality’ of a breach (Decker, 2001:1). Since there is no way to anticipate every possible risk, or to know everything about each risk, the two other processes involved in this method, vulnerability and criticality assessments, are essential in maximising preparedness against the threat of a violation. A vulnerability assessment determines â€Å"weaknesses that may be exploited† by potential perpetrators and â€Å"suggests options to eliminate or mitigate those weaknesses†. â€Å"A criticality assessment is a process designed to systematically identify and evaluate†: an operation’s key assets based on their consequence to the fulfilment of its mission or basic function, those within the organisation that may prove vulnerable, â€Å"or the significance of a structure† (Decker, 2001:1). This aspect of the CRM approach is imperative since it has the potential to aid preparedness against material threats, and in turn, enhance the allocation of scarce resources to those areas, whether to assets, procedures or structures, subsequently identified as being of the highest priority and thereby requiring ‘special protection’ from perceived threats (Decker, 2001:1-2). While a number of conventional theories are both accessible and feasibly applicable as CRM processes, the two contemporary methods that are the most popular are the rational choice and routine activity theories. The routine activity approach considers only direct-contact predatory violations, where at least one offender takes or damages the property of at least one other person. It is thus based on three factors, â€Å"a likely offender, a suitable target and the absence of capable guardians against crime† (Cohen and Felson, 1979:588). On the other hand, the rational choice approach focuses on situational crime prevention, predicting the time and place where crimes are likely to occur, reducing opportunities and the motivation to offend, and thereby decreasing the propensity of the criminal to offend at all (Clarke and Cornish, 1985:174-177). Both of these approaches highlight the importance of assimilation and analysis of information. To this end, the Crime Pattern Analysis ( CPA) is a critical informative tool â€Å"which seeks to determine what crimes are likely to impact particular targets†, to identify â€Å"the criminals (most) likely to commit the crimes, and (to forecast) how and when such crimes are likely to occur† (Tyska and Fennelly, 1998:50). An initial consideration of these concepts would appear relatively straightforward, however the prospect of implementing an effective CRM process to adequately safeguard against risk can be a daunting endeavour for the security manager. One area in particular requiring a comprehensive CRM approach is the retail banking industry especially relating to plastic fraud. Plastic fraud includes various types of criminal activity including use of stolen cards, skimming, absent ordering, and identity theft (Newman and Clarke, 2003:145, Refer also to Appendix 1, page 13). Misuse of stolen cards is the most traditional form of plastic fraud, where cards are stolen from customers, enabling the fraudsters to make purchases in the window available to them between their acquisition of the card and the original card holder reporting the loss of the card to their issuing bank who take action to revoke or cancel the account (Slawsky and Zafar, 2005:101). Skimming is another form of plastic crime that takes place when a cardholder uses his card at any commercial establishment or cash machine. The details of the electromagnetic strip at the back of the card are copied onto a secondary storage device, which can later be replicated onto a counterfeit card, illegally cloned to resemble the details of the original, and reused by the fraudster for access to funds or illegal purchases. (Slawsky and Zafar, 2005:104). Another form of card crime growing in incidence is the ‘Card Not Present’ (CNP) variety. This occurs when the perpetrator makes a purchase t hrough mail order or telephone order, usually buying expensive merchandise, for their own personal gain, for either reselling it in the market-place or by tricking the merchant into refunding the value of the goods upon their return (Montague, 2004:12). Leonard and Lamb (2007:91) define identity theft as â€Å"afraud committed using the identifying information of another person†. As such, it comprises the misuse of information that is specific to an individual, usually involving â€Å"a partial and transient adoption (of the details)†¦in order to facilitate criminal activity† (Finch, 2002:86). In extreme cases, this could cause the victim huge financial losses, discomfort and social embarrassment where the protagonist attempts to use these details to derive material benefit at the expense of the victim. When applying the CRM process to this form of crime, the first step the security manager is required to take is the initial assessment phase, which involves evaluating the threats and areas of vulnerability in order to determine the level of risk. A number of tools are required at this stage, some of which are quantitative in nature, and others are qualitative (Fennelly, 2003:494). Quantitative analyses usually employ statistical sampling, based on mathematical calculations to assess the likelihood of a crime, extrapolated from results data (DePersia and Pennella, 1998:304). The aforementioned Rational Choice Theory is a related quantitative approach. Within the context of plastic fraud crime, application of this particular theory is exemplified through the regulated practice of profiling customers. In order to identify extraordinary behaviour financial institutions commonly track the regular transaction histories of their clientele. This is especially true of institutions that issue cards for credit purchases, viewing investment in database profiling of customer transaction histories as crucial. These systems make it possible to characterise potential ‘suspect’ incidents by programming patterns which trigger warnings including: sudden spending sprees, reaching the credit limit or exhausting the account balance, duplicate transactions of unlikely merchandise especially expensive items such as televisions, and an unusual avoidance of delivery services (Slawsky and Zafar, 2005:102). An example of automated programming used to detect uncharacteristic activity on card accounts is the Visa Intelligent Scoring Of Risk (VISOR) facility provided by the Visa network (Grabosky and Smith, 1998:170). The use of this CPA technique has improved the potential to diminish the effec t of fraudulent activity on both customers and institutions alike, by simultaneously preventing further theft and acting as a deterrent against aspiring felons. Qualitative assessments determine the chances of risk on a sliding scale from negligible to prohibitive based on the opinions, experience and knowledge of leading security management experts (Kovacich and Boni, 1999:192). Considering most plastic fraud takes place at the ‘Point of Sale’ (POS), and since highly skilled security managers cannot monitor everything at once, one of the most effective means of incorporating qualitative assessment into the CRM process is by implementing a thorough training regimen for employees, alongside a widespread awareness raising campaign aimed at educating customers and installation of permanent surveillance equipment such as CCTV (Horan, 1996:68-76). This dual approach instructs on the nefarious methods employed to misuse either cards or card information in order to create a front-line defence mechanism and enhance the fraud detection capacity of the operation. Any fraudulent activities intercepted by staff are rapidly communicated thro ughout the organisation, for instructive and investigative purposes, to further foster this self-regulative method (Horan, 1996:68). The assimilation of quantitative and qualitative analysis into banking industry best-practice CRM has resulted in the introduction of a number of effective controls designed specifically to curtail plastic fraud. One solution has been the introduction of embedded ‘microchip’ protection and PIN cards in the United Kingdom (Hoare, 2007:274). This security enhancement prevents the misuse of credit cards by requesting the card PIN for every transaction regardless of whether the customer is making a simple purchase or a cash withdrawal, thereby further reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions. This approach is then combined with customer advisories such as the need to keep cards and PIN information separate (Grabosky and Smith, 1991:170). When implementing crime risk management systems of this nature, however, there are two imperative considerations security managers must remain mindful of in advocating a particular method: probability and the associated cost-benefit outc omes. Proponents within crime management recommend that risk should always be viewed in a probabilistic context (Fischer and Green, 2004:139). For example, the recent collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market, beginning in the United States, has had a tremendous impact on global financial markets, however those organisations that viewed the probability of this event occurring as remote presumably installed fewer measures to insure against such a risk, thereby suffering the greatest losses. This example vindicates those weary observers who viewed this practice as dubious, although not criminal in the strictest sense, and who have continued to advocate for more rigorously stringent regulation of credit lending (Munro, Ford, Leishman, and Kofi Karley, 2005:1-3 26-30). The second, and arguably more important factor, is that the cost of CRM implementation should not exceed the benefits received to the institution in seeking to avoid the risk in the first instance (Culp, 2001:226). The indomitable pervasiveness of plastic fraud, although costly, does not quite warrant the installation of sophisticated risk management systems at all POS sites. One of the more dramatic recent proposals to counteract crimes of an identity fraud nature involves biometrically tagging individuals to a corresponding identification card in order to develop a log of all activities, which is then compiled into an ominous central database (Ahlefeld and Gaston, 2005:79). Although some view these measures as the only way possible of comprehensively monitoring and controlling such crimes, there are certainly many criticisms against this suggested method including the prohibitive cost of implementing and maintaining a system capable of delivering this service, the potential for sec urity breaches in the data system storing private records of citizens, and the associated infringements upon civil liberties and human rights likely to be raised in opposition to the proposal (Grant, 2008). Industry driven cost-benefit analysis is therefore a vital component of appropriate CRM design. There are innumerous benefits to implementing a CRM process within an organisation, regardless of the environment in which it is applied, in either the public or private sphere, which is why this approach has steadily grown in practice (McLaughlin and Muncie, 2006: 363-364). It is the essentially proactive nature of the approach taken in CRM, allowing for the mitigation and prevention of potentially disastrous outcomes, that explains why it is so well favoured. The banking industry is not alone in its vulnerability to losses through fraudulent practices; indeed according to calculations published by the United Kingdom (UK) Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC), it is estimated that identity fraud represents an annual cost of  £1.7 billion to the UK economy (Home Office, 2006). The significance of this threat is a partial motivating factor behind the financial services sector adopting an industry-wide approach to CRM shared regulatory practices. The Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) is representative of this trend, working in conjunction with institutions across the entire financial sector and in the general interest of the banking fraternity. These cooperative systems are then linked to the broader national security management infrastructure, and though ongoing consultations and data sharing, a complex relationship has been established to combat pervasive and costly crimes, including plastic fraud (CIFAS, 2007). This level of cooperation was recently formalised in the UK through Royal Assent to the Serious Crimes Act 2007 for the prevention of fraud through shared information with anti-fraud organisations (Office of PSI, 2007: Part 3, Chapter 1, section 68). Thereby the CRM approach of individual institutions informs industry standards to nati onal policing activities, all working cooperatively in a sophisticated network dedicated to crime management. This cooperative approach by the banking industry to CRM processes has a cascading effect. The shared CRM network enables participants to access a continuous risk assessment feedback mechanism, allowing the entire industry to maintain a collective pool of knowledge easily referenced to assess the potential risks associated with a specific action, either not previously anticipated or as part of a new initiative by an individual institution, creating unprecedented levels of cost-benefit sharing and exemplifying the potential of widespread best-practice implementation (CIFAS, 2007 and FSA, 2008). Regulative bodies such as the Financial Services Authority (FSA), constituted with statutory powers through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Office of PSI, 2000: Part 1, section 1), provide a form of protection for the industry against both internal and external fraud, by monitoring, evaluating and reporting practices across the sector. The authority is an industry funded, non-gover nmental organisation, empowered to enforce its recommendations (FSA, 2008). Alongside the membership requirement to voluntarily commit to full disclosure regulative authorities such as this further enable the industry to self-regulate, mitigate against threats and further spread the cost of CRM across the sector. The systemic level of commitment exemplified by the banking industry’s approach to CRM of threats such as plastic fraud, and the broader commitment to combating identity related fraud in the United Kingdom, demonstrate the high level of cooperative action required to effectively combat specific crimes and realise the full potential of CRM processes at large. Both Gill, through his three foci for risk management decision-making (1998:15), and Young’s 1992 theory of the ‘square of crime’ (Department of Criminology, 2003:1-15) call for multi-sectoral simultaneous high-level intervention for effective crime prevention outcomes. The combinations of: institutions and their customers, advocating for changes in public and private policy to mitigate specific threats, activated by administrators and legislators alike, must be in alignment with factors such as Gill’s means to ‘change offenders’ (1998:16), where appropriate punishment is meted again st identified perpetrators to increase the risk of offending, in concert with a palpable level of public opprobrium (Department of Criminology, 2003:1-21). Whilst a consideration of the plastic fraud approach has illustrated the high level of cooperation required between all impacted by crime, in order to more effectively prevent losses, a brief reflection of the United Nations system further reveals the evolution of CRM at work. CRM processes are performed in two simultaneous approaches within the UN system. CRM practices are now more closely assimilated into the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) processes of the organisation to more effectively combat risk from both internal and external threats (Australian Capital Territory Insurance Authority, 2004: 4-10). CRM and SRA processes are continually reviewed, evaluated, reassessed and adapted as necessary; especially in light of recent attacks such as those on UN staff members in Iraq and Algeria. Updated recommendations are communicated broadly to mainstream their approach across all activities and in order to achieve the aims of comprehensive security management across their global operati ons. The mission of the UN Security Management System (UNSMS) overall is â€Å"to ‘enable’ the effective and efficient conduct of UN activities while ensuring the security, safety and well being of staff as a high priority† (United Nations, 2002:2, Part II, para 3). To achieve this mandate the UNSM system requires maximum coordination and cooperation at all levels to facilitate workable ‘funds and programmes’ so they are enabled to perform their primary objective of delivering aid as appropriate. The ‘management techniques’ discussed by Gill (1998: 14-15) are increasingly being incorporated to general UN practices; for example in the manner of staff and management recruitment practices which emphasise security as the responsibility of all staff employed under the auspices of the UN (United Nations, 2006:4-2). In order to fully integrate this approach, from the ground up and across country programs, a Security Management Team is allocated to meet regularly at the ‘head of mission’ level. These senior level fora are guided by the senior country representative of the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS), who are â€Å"responsible for providing leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the programmes and activities of the United Nations† (United Nations, 2006:2-1, para 2.5). The UNSMS framework exemplifies Gill’s risk management recommendations whereby the mandate of security managers is to be a stakeholder in program operational objectives, enabling their effective fulfilment, and conversely, the managers and staff of each program are a stakeholder in the security of their own operations (1998:14-15). This cultural shift from the traditional perception of security as ‘working in isolation’ allows for an increased level of protection to permeate the organisation and for all staff to enjoy the successful achievement of operational objectives in a safe and secure environment. Although the UNSM system provides one positive example, the reality is that changing internal traditional operational cultures, to incorporate risk prevention as a perceived responsibility for all managers, remains a significant challenge (Handy, 1993: 209). Closer inspection of the plastic fraud approach to the CRM process also exposes a number other difficulties faced by the security manager when implementing procedures to prevent exposure to risk. The crime risk manager may be criticised for displaying a disposition to crime displacement, which results in a transfer of risk rather than absolute dissolution. â€Å"Crime displacement occurs when security measures are effective in preventing crime†, where they are in place, â€Å"and forces the criminal to go elsewhere†¦to commit their crimes†, where there may be less security infrastructure. Displacement could be represented by a shift in time (temporal), shift in target venue (spatial), tactics, or perpetrator (V ellani, 2006:169). As intimated above, the high level of cross-sectoral cooperation required to truly spotlight and diminish specific crimes is often beyond the means of small-scale security managers to influence. Even in the case of confederated cooperation illustrated by the banking industry to mitigate plastic fraud, the crime still exists. Where the perpetrator commits isolated instances of plastic fraud there may be a low risk of detection, incidents may not be recorded or reported and therefore there is a perceived lack of punishment associated with the offence, which can contribute to the overall seriousness of the problem (Department of Criminology, 2003: 1-21). Indeed the CIFAS prevention service lists the three documents most frequently utilised to commit identity related fraud offences as â€Å"non-UK passports, utility bills and then UK passports† (CIFAS, 2008). As CRM policy shifts its attention toward the greater risk area a gap is left behind for small-scale, undetected perpetrato rs that nonetheless contribute to an area of fraudulent activity that still represents major losses for credit providers. The major challenge in taking the CRM process approach is in designing the system based on ‘real’ threats and with enough flexibility to adapt to a constantly changing environment. CRM processes require constant review, evaluation, reassessment and adaptation, and even then there is no guarantee that risk will always be averted (Gill, 1998: 17). There may be those whose commitment to the process waivers, governments and their policies may change, societal reactions to certain risk may be attenuated, criminals evolve to increasingly sophisticated methods as their use of technology improves and victim organisations may change their directions, reforming appropriately as they go (Department of Criminology, 2003: 1-22). Therefore, implementation of a CRM process requires a scrupulous cost-benefit examination, credible and quality information from which the risk assessment is drawn, and a wholesale commitment by the organisation in order to derive maximum worth (Gill, 1998: 1 6-17). If the approach is too conservative the risk may be that tangible business opportunities are unnecessarily overlooked whilst simultaneously failing to address the risks involved. Finally, the security manager must also control the level of expectation associated with their anticipated levels of success, since it is unlikely for even the most reliable system to remain unscathed. In conclusion, almost every act in business involves an element of risk: customer habits change, new competitors appear, and factors outside the sphere of control could delay a project. However thorough risk analysis and management can help to inform decision making and minimize potential disruptions, especially where there is a sufficient balance between mitigating the risk and the cost associated in doing so. Evolving CRM processes that utilise decentralised risk management techniques in combination with a centralised coordination approach are becoming accepted best practice, with the result that individual firms are able to adapt the framework to best suit their preferences and internal conditions. It would therefore appear that the discipline is ‘coming of age’ which is evidenced through the prevalence of its practice in the mainstream. However the combination of the ever-present elements of change and the unforeseen represent the greatest challenges to the security manager in mitigating risk. The reality is that they can only apply their experience, offer their informed advice to key stakeholders, and manage the outcomes, whatever they may be. References Ahlefeld, H. von. and Gaston, J. (2005) Lessons in Danger, OECD Online Bookshop. Air Force Material Command Pamphlet (1997) ‘Acquisition: Risk Management’, AFMC Pamphlet 63-101, http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFMCPAM63-101.pdf, (accessed 1 March 2008). Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Insurance Authority (2004) ‘Guide to Risk Management’, Risk Management Guide Toolkit, ACT Insurance Authority, http://www.treasury.act.gov.au/actia/Guide.doc (Accessed 1 March 2008). Bridgeman, C. (1996) ‘Crime Risk Management: Making it work’, Crime Detection and Prevention Series Paper 70, Police Research Group, London: Home Office. Clarke, R.V. and Cornish, D.B. (1985) ‘Modelling Offenders’ Decisions: A framework for Research and Policy’, Crime and Justice, 6: 147-185. Cohen, L.E. and Felson, M. (1979) ‘Social Change and Crime rate trends’, American Sociological Review, 44: 588-608. Cox, L. A. (2005) Quantitative Health Risk Analysis Methods, Springer. Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS). (2007) ‘New Fraud Prevention Power Will Save  £Millions’, Press Centre, 30 October 2007, http://www.cifas.org.uk/default.asp?edit_id=786-57, (accessed 1 March 2008). Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS). (2008) ‘2007 Fraud Trends’, Press Centre, 28 January 2008, http://www.cifas.org.uk/default.asp?edit_id=790-57, (accessed 1 March 2008). Culp, C. L. (2001) The Risk Management Process, John Wiley and Sons. DePersia, A.T. and Pennella, J.J. (1998) Enforcement and Security Technologies, SPIE. Decker, R.J. (2001) ‘Homeland Security: Key Elements of a Risk Management Approach’, Testimony: Before the Subcommittee on National Security, Veteran Affairs and International Relations; House Committee on Government Reform, GAO-02-150T, United States: General Accounting Office. Department of Criminology (2003) ‘Unit 1: Crime Risk Management’, Module 2: Applied Crime Management, Department of Criminology, 1-5 to 1-23. Fennelly, L.J. (2003) Handbook of Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention, Butterworth-Heinemann. Financial Services Authority (FSA). (2008) ‘Who are we’, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/About/Who/index.shtml, (accessed 1 March 2008). Finch, E. (2002) ‘What a tangled web we weave: identity theft and the Internet’, in Yvonne Jewkes (ed.) Dot.cons: Crime, deviance and identity on the Internet, Willan Publishing, 86-104. Fischer, R. J. and Green, G. (2004) Introduction to Security (7th Edn), Butterworth-Heinemann. Gill, M. (1998) ‘Chapter 1: Introduction’, in Martin Gill (ed.) Crime at Work Volume II: Increasing the Risk to Offenders, Leicester: Perpetuity Press Ltd, 11-23. Grabosky, P.N. and Smith, R.G. (1998) Crime in the Digital Age: Controlling Telecommunications and Cyberspace Illegalities, Transaction Publishers. Grant. I. (2008) ‘Wave of criticism hits government ID card relaunch’ in ComputerWeekly.com, http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/03/07/229773/wave-of-criticism-hits-government-id-card-relaunch.htm, (accessed 9 March 2008). Handy, C. (1993) Understanding Organizations (4th edn), Harmondsworth: Penguin. Home Office (2006) ‘Identity Fraud puts  £1.7bn Hole in Britains Pocket’, Press Releases, 2 February 2006, http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/press-releases/identity-fraud-puts-1.7bn-hole?version=1, accessed 1 March 2008). Horan, D.J. (1996) The Retailer’s Guide to Loss Prevention and Security, CRC Press. Hoare, J. (2007) ‘Deceptive Evidence: Challenges in Measuring Fraud’ in J.M. Hough, and M.G. Maxfield (eds) Surveying Crime in the 21st Century, Criminal Justice Press. Kovacich, G. L. and Boni, W. C. (1999) High Technology Crime Investigator’s Handbook, Elsevier. Leonard, R. and Lamb J. (2007) Credit Repair (8th Edn),Nolo. McLaughlin, E. and Muncie, J. (2006) The Sage Dictionary of Criminology, Sage Publications. Montague, D.A. (2004) Fraud Prevention Techniques for Credit Card Fraud, Trafford Publishing. Munro, M., Ford, J., Leishman, C. and Kofi Karley, N. (2005) Lending to higher risk borrowers: Sub-prime credit and sustainable home ownership, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/1859353355.pdf, (accessed 1 March 2008). Nalla, M. and Newman, G

Dismissal or Termination of Employment Contract

Dismissal or Termination of Employment Contract The dismissal or termination of an employment contract by an employer may entitle an employee to seek redress through the courts based on a finding of wrongful and/or unfair dismissal. The pertinent distinction between the two is that a claim for wrongful dismissal is essentially an allegation of breach of contract, a common law action, whilst unfair dismissal is a dismissal committed in breach of relevant statutory provisions. In defence of such an action, an employer may wish to argue that a dismissal was justified or indeed may wish to raise a defence of fair dismissal. Examination of legal authority in this highly contentious area of Employment Law will reveal the circumstances in which the dismissal of an employee may be deemed to be wrongful, fair or unfair. Dismissal in breach of contract may lead to a finding of wrongful dismissal. This may occur where an employee, without being afforded the notice, which their employment contract stipulates they are entitled to, is dismissed. In fact any dismissal which is in breach of a contract of employment may be tantamount to a wrongful dismissal and this position is neatly dealt with by Smith and Thomas:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  if a contract is for a fixed term, or expressly stated to be terminable only in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  certain ways, and it is terminated before the term expires or in an improper way,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  that may be a wrongful dismissal. More typical, however, is the case where the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  employer dismissed the employee with no or inadequate notice, or purported to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dismiss him for cause where the facts did not justify such action. It should be noted that the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 1996, s.86(1) applies minimum notice periods to be given by an employer in terminating a contract of an employee who has been continuously employed for one month or more. However, an employer may be liable for damages for wrongful dismissal where the contract of employment specifies a longer notice period than that laid down by ERA 1996 and the employer in reliance on the statutory provisions, serves the minimum notice. The court may nonetheless import a reasonable notice period into a contract of employment as occurred in the decision of Hill v CA Parsons Co Ltd. In this case a chartered engineer had refused to join a trade union, despite his employers request for him to do so. The employer did not wish to dismiss the employee, but had negotiated terms with the union which required employees to join the union. The employer gave one months notice of dismissal., but should have provided three months notice under the relevant statutory provision at that time. It was held by the Court of Appeal, by a majority decision, that reasonable notice in this case would have been between six and twelve months in length. In defence of an action for wrongful dismissal an employer may contend that the dismissal was justified and such a defence will succeed where, for example, the employees behaviour amounts to gross misconduct. In accordance with s.94(1) of the ERA 1996, an employee has the right not to be unfairly dismissed. However, the first hurdle for an employee to overcome in an action for unfair dismissal is that he must have been continuously employed by that employer for a period of at least one year: s.108(1), ERA 1996. The employee must also show that he has been dismissed in accordance with one of the definitions of dismissal contained within the ERA 1996. Section 95 of the Act deals with the circumstances in which an employee is dismissed. The first situation under which an employee is dismissed is where the employment contract is simply terminated by the employer, whether with or without notice: s.95(1)(a), ERA 1996. This type of dismissal is otherwise known as direct or express dismissal. Difficulties may arise in interpreting an employers words and whether or not these can be said to have amounted to a dismissal. In Tanner v Kean the words used by the employer were youre finished with me. It was held by the Employment Appeals Tribunal that the words used should not be interpreted to signify a dismissal by the employer and that the test was what a reasonable employee would understand from the words used. In fact bad language by the employer used to signify the employee leaving the work place, will not amount to a dismissal: Futty v Brekkes. In this case the words Fuck off! were held not to constitute a dismissal, but it should be noted that such words were common in the dock yard workplace in question. The next category under which an employee is deemed to be dismissed by his employer is where an employees limited term contract terminates by virtue of the limiting event without being renewed. Sections 235(2A) and (2B) provide that a limited term contract is one which is not intended to be permanent. A limiting event in a contract for a fixed term means the expiry of the term, in a contract made in contemplation of performance of a specific task means the performance of the task and in a contract which provides for termination on the occurrence of an event or the failure of an event means the occurrence of the event or the failure of the event. The third category of dismissal under s.95 of the ERA is where:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the employee terminates the contract under which he is employed (with or   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  without notice) in circumstances in which he is entitled to terminate it without   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  notice by reason of the employers conduct: s.95(1)(c), ERA 1996. This is otherwise known as constructive dismissal as best explained by Lord Denning MR in Western Excavating v Sharp:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If the employer is guilty of conduct which is a significant breach going to the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  root of the contract of employment, or which shows the employer no longer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  intends to be bound by one or more of the essential terms of the contract, then the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  employee is entitled to treat himself as discharged from any further performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If he does so, then he terminates the contract by reason of the employers conduct.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He is constructively dismissed. Lord Denning went on to explain that the conduct of the employer must be sufficiently serious to entitle the employee to leave at once and the Court of Appeal went to great lengths to stress that the employers conduct must have amounted to a repudiatory breach of the employment contract. This will occur where, for example, the employer breaches a fundamental term implied into employment contracts, to treat the employee with trust and confidence. In Stanley Cole (Wainfleet) Ltd v J F Sherridan the behaviour of the employer was held to open the door for a constructive dismissal claim as the employer issued a final warning to the employee for conduct which was considered to be minor in nature. As explained by Gwyneth Pitt:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This illustrates how the standards of acceptable behaviour have risen over the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  years, so that there is more likelihood of bad behaviour being held to destroy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  mutual trust and confidence. It should be noted that even if an employee does not initially commence an action for constructive dismissal, where the employer commits repudiatory breaches of the contract, but remains in employment, the employee may still rely on those breaches as establishing breach of trust and confidence, at a later date: Lewis v Motor world Garages Ltd. In this case the Court of Appeal held that numerous, relatively minor repudiatory breaches could cumulatively amount to a breach of trust and confidence and that the employee could rely on earlier breaches committed by the employer, despite the employee initially having remained in employment following those breaches. It should be noted that before taking the draconian measure of dismissing an employee, an employer should follow the standard procedure set out in the Employment Act 2002, Schedule 2, Part 1. For example the employer should invite the employee to attend a meeting and must set out in writing the employees alleged misconduct which has led to the dismissal. If the employer does not follow these procedures the employee will be regarded as unfairly dismissed unless the employer can show that would have decided to dismiss the employee even if he had followed the standard procedure. Upon the employee establishing that he meets the requirements of one years continuous employment and that he has been dismissed, the burden of proof shifts to the employer to establish the reason for the dismissal and that the reason falls within one of the fair reasons for dismissal, contained within s.98, ERA 1996. The first of the reasons relating to fairness relates to the capability or qualifications of the employee: s.98(2)(a), ERA 1996. Capability means the employees capability assessed by reference to skill, aptitude, health or any other physical or mental quality (s.98(3)(a), ERA 1996) whilst qualifications relate to any degree, diploma, or other academic, technical or professional qualification relevant to the position held (s.98(3)(b), ERA 1996). The second reason relates to conduct (s.98(2)(b), ERA 1996) for which the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures (2004) provides guidance. For example, the Code makes provision for a written warning to be given in the case of a first finding of misconduct, other than gross misconduct: Para 21. However, where a warning would clearly not prevent an employee from committing the act of misconduct in future, dismissal in the absence of a warning may be held to be fair: Retarded Childrens Aid Society v Day. Other factors which are considered fair reasons for dismissal are redundancy and that the employee could not continue in his employment without breaching statute law: s.98(2)(c) and (d), ERA 1996. Finally, a dismissal may be fair if it is for some other substantial reason of a kind such as to justify dismissal (s.98(1)(b), ERA 1996) and it shall be for a tribunal or court to determine whether a dismissal fair for some other substantial reason. In any case, whether or not the dismissal is construed to be fair will depend on whether, in the circumstances, the employer acted reasonably or unreasonably in treating the reason as a sufficient reason for dismissal: s.98(4)(a), ERA 1996. In interpreting s.98(4), Lord Browne-Wilkinson in Iceland Frozen Foods v Jones stated that in many cases there is a band of reasonable responses to the employees conduct within which one employer might reasonably take one view and another employer might reasonably take another view. His Lordship stated that the function of an employment tribunal is to determine:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  whether in the particular circumstances of each case the decision to dismiss the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  employee fell within the band of reasonable responses which a reasonable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  employer might have adopted. It should be noted that it is sufficient for the employer to hold an honest belief, based on reasonable grounds, in the set of facts justifying dismissal. This position is best explained by Lord Denning MR in Alidair Ltd v Taylor:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If a man is dismissed for stealing, as long as the employer honestly believed it on   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  reasonable grounds, that is enough to justify dismissal. It is not necessary for the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  employer to prove that he was in fact stealing. Whenever a man is dismissed for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  incapacity or incompetence it is sufficient that the employer honestly believed on   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  reasonable grounds that the man is incapable or incompetent. It is not necessary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  for the employer to prove that he is in fact incapable or incompetent. If an employer fails to establish a fair reason for dismissal it is quite possible that an employee may succeed in an action for unfair dismissal and the employer may in fact be liable for both wrongful and unfair dismissal in the same action. However, provided that the employer follows the procedural safeguards contained within the Employment Act 2002 and the ACAS Code of Practice he should generally speaking, be safe in an action for unfair and/ or wrongful dismissal.

Why Should I Read? Essay -- Teaching Writing

Why Should I Read? â€Å"Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself.... You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.† Angela Carter (1940–1992), British author. Why read? Why should I read the book before it comes out in cinema? Why is settling down with a good book better then sitting on the couch watching The Simpson’s reruns? I have often pondered the merits of reading, but you don’t realise the advantages until you actually begin reading. Until I unlocked my first real book I couldn’t have dreamed of the wonders and marvels that it opens to you. It’s just that when you do read you discover how exquisite the delights of reading are. Books can transport you to different places, worlds, times, people, anywhere you can imagine without leaving your own room. Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are. Picking up a book is like picking up a world that is waiting to be explored. Whether fiction or fact they can take you away with them, engulf you and make you apart of their environment. They can scare the wits out of you, make you cry, make you laugh, the more pages you read the harder it is to shut the book. Every book is a great adventure. Within the pages lie stories untold, places never ventured and new people to meet. No book is alike, no story the same. Reading is not strange. It seems that many people do not want to read or do not think it is necessary. They believe that people who read are â€Å"nerds†, â€Å"geeks†, or ‘bookworms’. This is not true. I read because it is something that passes the time peacefully and it alleviates ignorance. Reading for fun is normal; it improves a person’s imaginati... ...ge themselves with that. Novels are great space fillers in my suitcase whenever I go on holiday. There’s nothing like sitting on a beach with the sun blazing down on you reading the adventures of Moby Dick, although maybe Jaws wouldn’t be a good one if you intend on going swimming. Books can help pass time, at airports, on train journeys, on flights, when your grounded, anytime, anywhere you can pull out a book and become immersed in it. So bring a book wherever you go just in case you happen to get the urge to read. They’re portable, they’re handy, and they’re a whole world within a few pages and a cover. A book can take the reader places they only dreamed of, it increases vocabulary without the reader having knowledge of it, and they can teach a vast majority of subjects to alleviate ignorance. And remember a book is not just for Christmas, it’s for life.

The Critical Role of Information Systems Essay -- essays research pape

The Critical Role of Information Systems Today’s information systems are both technical and social in nature. Management must understand the importance of information within the organization. It is management’s job to understand how information is collected, processed, and distributed. We are all extremely affected by information systems and must be willing to understand and work with them. Our global economy does not allow us to depend on face to face transactions like in the 1980’s. Today, few managers can ignore the importance and impact of how information is handled by their organization. Information systems play a critical role in today’s business organization and society (Laudon 5). Since the emergence of the global economy, the success of firms today and in the future depends on their ability to operate globally. The American economy depends on imports and exports. Foreign trade, both imports and exports accounts for a little over 25 percent of goods and services produced in the United States, and even more in countries like Japan and Germany. This percentage is currently and will continue to grow in the future (5).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Globalization of the world’s industrial economies greatly enhances the value of information to the firm and offers new opportunities to businesses. Today, information systems provide the communication and analytic power that firms need to conduct trades and manage businesses on a global scale. Globalization and information technology also brings new threats to domestic business firms. This is brought on by the customer’s ability to shop in a worldwide marketplace, obtaining the price and quality information reliably, 24 hours a day. The worldwide market place brings competition to a higher level than ever before, forcing all businesses to play a part in this global economy. In order to become a profitable player in a worldwide market firms, need powerful information and communication systems (5).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many countries are experiencing the third economic revolution. These countries include the United States, Japan, Germany and other major industrial powers. This revolution, which is now in progress, is transforming itself into a knowledge and information based service economy. This revolution began at the turn of the century and by 1976 the number of white-collar workers employed in o... ...ws them to replenish inventory very fast, Wal-Mart does not spend as much money on stock pilling inventory as its competitors. Wal-Mart only spends 15 percent of sales in overhead while Sears spends 30 percent and Kmart spends 21 percent. Again, this is only possible because of the use of information systems. As you can see information systems are far more than just input, process, and output machines. Managers and society must understand that these systems provide solutions to business challenges and must be willing to change with the new technology. Information systems can help in the day to day task at work and at home. We no longer have to depend on only one firm or corporation to buy material we need. We can shop the global market 24 hours a day to find the best price and quality. With the increased global competition, companies will have to use information systems in order to survive in today’s market place. Work Cited Laudon, Kenneth C., and Jane P. Laudon. Management Information Systems. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1996 Removing the Warehouse from Cost-Conscious Hospitals. New York: Times, 1991 Wilson, Linda. â€Å"Stand and Deliver.† Information Week April. 1992

Misguided Gothic Authors :: gothic

Misguided Gothic Authors      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In many ways the fascination with the gothic style of art, represented by music, literature, film, and others, is nothing more than a way for the observer to escape from real life and its many responsibilities. Gothic art claims to be profound and contain great esoteric meaning with life changing impact, yet the characters and the message are more often weak, unproductive, crippled, or even mad. Examples of this flaw in the argument in favor of the gothic imagination are given in the works by Beethoven, Goethe, Rice, and Gilman. It will be revealed that these authors have been misguided often by their own escapist nature to create a false reality and promote it as meaningful. In truth, the gothic imagination is the imagination of those who are looking for an excuse for their laziness and purpose behind their protective depression.      Ã‚   There is no question that the work of Beethoven are tremendous and phenomenal. His talent as a composer has rarely been closely met. The maturation of his compositions show a growth of important musical literature that admitted have changed the world within and without the realm of music. This fact has been a powerful tool carried by those promoting the gothic imagination for far too long. It is true that Beethoven was deaf and that he had difficult relations with his family as well as various women in his life. This gives no call for belief that he was any different than any of the other millions of people in the world that have been in the same situation. It is suggested that his great works were due to his suffering and gothic mind. It is suggested that he struggled and transcended because he was a gothic hero. The abuse of the contributions of such a remarkable musician is almost in excusable. In attempts to justify their own suffering and to give excuse for their inabil ity to operate within normal human society, the gothics will say that Beethoven was misunderstood, suffered, and died miserably, and so will they. They have given up to the world and now feel justified in doing so.      Ã‚   Beethoven was a man with a great amount of talent and influence in his world which does set him apart somewhat from others. He also had a great deal of pain in his life which sets him apart from very few others in this world.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 5

5. The Further Chronicles of Abby Normal, Miserable, Broken-hearted Emo-ho of the Night ‘Kayso, who is outside my door but Baroness Buzzkill herself, the Motherbot, accompanied by those most crapacious homicide cops, Rivera and Cavuto. So I'm all, â€Å"Oh joy, does this caffeine fresh clusterfuck come with donuts?† Which it turned out, it didn't, so really, WTF is the point of bringing cops? And the Mombot is all, â€Å"You can't do this, and who is this boy, and where have you been, and you have no right, and blah, blah, blah, responsibility, worried sick, you're a horrible, horrible person and you ruined my life with your platform boots and your piercings.† Okay, those weren't her exact words, but the subtext was there. And in retrospect, I may have erred in using the â€Å"I'm sleeping over at Lily's house† gambit for two months running, when I was, in fact, living in my own trs cool love lair with a mysterious love ninja. So I decided to turn the tables on her by asking questions, before she got in the rhythm of grilling me and heaping me with mom guilt. So I'm all, â€Å"How did you find me?† And the dark, Hispano cop steps up, and he's all, â€Å"I called her.† So I rolled up in his grill. Well, up in the knot of his tie, because he's taller than me. And I'm all, â€Å"I can't believe you ratted me out. You traitorous fuck!† And the cop gets all chilly and he's all, â€Å"I'm not a traitor because I'm not on your side, Allison.† Using my day-slave name, just to fuck with me. So I'm all thinking, Okay, cop, I can see that you believe that your shit cannot be shaken, and you are totally trying to come off all sly and badass in front of the Mombot so she might do you a good long time? I know-mating rituals of the ancient and crusty-makes you barf in your mouth a little, huh? So I go over to the big gay cop, and I'm all soft-spoken little-girl voice, â€Å"I thought we were on the same side because-well-because we know about the nosferatu, and all that money you got from his art collection. We're not? I'm crushed.† Totally hand to forehead, fake-heartbreak fainting. I was going to cry a little, but my mascara was lined up like the spikes on the gates of hell, and I didn't want it to go raccoon on me so early in the day, so only a sniffle. I wiped my nose on the big gay cop's sleeve. And the Momster is all, â€Å"What? What? Nosferatu? What? Money? What?† And Rivera is all, â€Å"Excuse us a moment, Mrs. Green, we need to have a word with Allison.† So the Mombot starts to go into the bedroom and I'm all, â€Å"Oh I don't think so. You can wait outside,† or something like that, because it turns out I didn't want her to see the inner sanctum of our love nest, because she's a nurse and seeing the dog collars, test tubes, centrifuge, and whatnot might give her the wrong idea. (Foo and I like to get our mad scientist freak on in the privacy of the boudoir.) So Mom steps outside. And Foo is all, â€Å"Owned, bitches!† And he did a pathetic imitation of my own superb booty dance of ownage, and I was, at once, touched by his support, yet embarrassed by his tragic lack of rhythm and booticuity. And Rivera is all, â€Å"Allison, how did you know about the money and the old vampyre and the yacht and you have no proof and blah, blah, I so can't decide whether I'm the good cop or the bad cop, or if I'm going to still pretend to be badass or totally crap my pants from the verbal death grip you just put on my man sac, blah, blah.† And I'm all, â€Å"I know it all, cop,† popping the p in cop because it makes both of them flinch a little. â€Å"You need to exit and take the Mombot home or I will be forced to expose your evil shit to your masters, and not in the fun way.† And the Hispano cop was all chill, nodding and smiling, which harshed my confidence somewhat. And he's all, â€Å"That so, Allison? Well, Mr. Wong here is twenty-one, and you are still a minor, so among other things, we can take him in for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, kidnapping, and statutory rape.† And he folds his arms all, â€Å"Take that, bee-atch.† Hip-hop superior. So I'm like, â€Å"You're right, he is totally taking advantage of my innocence. Foo, you ginormous perve!† Then I slapped him, but for the drama, not because he might think I was a slut. â€Å"I should have known when you had me shave my va-jay-jay into the shape of a beaver!† And Foo's all, â€Å"I did not!† â€Å"Pervy and redundant, don't you think?† I asked the big gay cop, who wouldn't know a va-jay-jay if it bounced up to him and sang the â€Å"Star-Spangled Banner.† (You ever notice that hardly anything besides the â€Å"Star-Spangled Banner† is spangled? There's no, like, the Raisin-Spangled Scone, or the Flea-Spangled Beagle. I'm just saying.) So, I, like, start to pull up my skirt to further freak him out, like I'm going to flash the beav, which was a bluff, because I am totally trimmed bat-shape and dyed lavender and I was wearing my hot-pink fishnets, which are full-on tights and put the PG-13 on my no-no place. But instead of hiding his head and screaming like a little bitch, which is what I was going for, the big gay cop is across the room and has Foo in handcuffs in like seconds, cranking them down tight. So Foo is all, â€Å"Ow! Ow! Ow!† And I'm heartsick at his suffering, so I'm like, â€Å"Unhand him, you fascist-ass bear.† And Rivera is all, â€Å"Allison, we need to come to an understanding, or your boyfriend is going to jail, and even if the charges don't stick, he can kiss his master's degree good-bye.† Powned! I was forced to lower my skirt in defeat. Foo's eyes were all anime-huge and started to get tear-spangled, and my noble love ninja looked all pleading to me like, â€Å"Please, do not abandon me, despite my obvious emo tendencies.† So I'm like, â€Å"We'll give you a hundred thousand dollars to leave our love lair like nothing happened.† And Rivera is like, â€Å"We're not interested in your money.† And gay bear cop is like, â€Å"Wait, where did you get that kind of money, anyway?† And Rivera is like, â€Å"Never mind, Nick, it's not about money.† And I'm like, â€Å"OMG Rivera, your bad cop skills suck ass. It's always about the money. Don't you have a TV?† And he's like, â€Å"What happened out there this morning?† And I'm all, â€Å"You know, vampyre kitties, meter maid sucked to dust, samurai in orange socks, Abby's kung-fu of solar ass-kicking.† Then to Foo: â€Å"Foo, the jacket is the sickest shit ever!† â€Å"Which is a good thing,† Foo translated for the cops. And Rivera is all, â€Å"Vampyre cats? That's what the Emperor said.† ‘Kayso, it's clear that the cops have doubts, so I explain the whole battle, and Foo's theory of how Chet is making vampyre kitties, and how we are pretty much fucked nine ways to Kwanzaa because it's the end of the world and whatnot, and there are metric buttloads of kitties in the City, and only two fly, vampyre-frying solar jackets, mine and Foo's, and we are being detained by law enforcement assbags instead of saving humanity. So Rivera's all, â€Å"What about Flood and the redhead? You helped them, right?† Kudos to Inspector Obvious, we're only living in their loft, spending their money, and hanging our damp towels on their bronzed bodies. I was all, â€Å"They left. All the vampyres left. Didn't you talk to the Emperor? He saw them get on a boat at the Marina?† â€Å"The Emperor isn't the most dependable witness,† Rivera says. â€Å"And he didn't say anything about those two, but I find it hard to believe that a cat, even a vampyre cat, even a gang of vampyre house cats took down a full-grown parking enforcement officer.† So I was like, â€Å"Chet is not a normal vampyre kitty. He's huge. More huge than normal. He's getting huger. If you don't let Foo work his mad science skills to cure him, by next week Chet might be dry-humping the Transamerica Pyramid.† Foo was nodding like a manga-haired bobblehead. He was all, â€Å"Truth.† The big gay Cavuto cop is all, â€Å"Can you do that, kid? Can you put this shit storm back in the box?† â€Å"Absolutely,† says Foo, when he totally has no clue how to catch Chet. â€Å"I'll need some time, but leave the handcuffs on, because that's how I work best.† Foo can be most sarcastic when faced with day dwellers less intelligent than himself, which is almost everyone. ‘Kayso, Rivera takes the sleeve of my jacket and starts turning it over, looking at it, all Neanderthal discovers fire face. And he's all, â€Å"Can you make one of these in a leather sport coat? Forty long?† And I'm all, â€Å"Are you coming on to me?† And he gagged a little (which was mean), and he's all, â€Å"No. I am definitely not coming on to you, Allison. Not only are you the most irritating creature on the planet, you are a child.† And I'm all, â€Å"A child?! A child?! Do these belong to a child?† And I pulled up my top and flashed him. And not just a flash, a full, glorious boobosity. And he didn't say anything. So I turned my headlights on Foo and the big gay cop. And they're all, â€Å"Um-uhr-uhr-um-â€Å" I'm like, â€Å"Et tu, Foo?† Which is Shakespearean for, â€Å"You traitor!† And I ran into the bedroom and locked the door. I was kind of wishing I'd taken a hostage, except really the only weapon I had was a jacket with little light warts all over it, so I was limited to being dangerous to vampyres and emos who get their feelings hurt really easily by my snarky wit. ‘Kayso, then I stared into the dark abyss that is the meaninglessness of human existence, because there was nothing on cable. And in searching the depths of my soul, I saw that I must stop using sex as a weapon, and that I must only use my powers of seduction for good, unless Foo wants to do something freaky, in which case, I can have him sign a waiver. Now, I realize that the only way for me to righteously explore my strength as a woman is to become nosferatu. And since the Countess and Lord Flood wouldn't bring me into the fold, I must find my own way to the blood power. ‘Kayso, in a few minutes Rivera's at the door all, â€Å"Allison, I think you'd better come out here.† And I'm all, â€Å"Oh no, Inspector, I can't open the door. I've taken all these pills and everything's all wiggly. You'll have to break the door down.† Then Foo's all, â€Å"Abby, please come out. I need you.† He used his I'm sad, wounded, and locked in the castle tower with all my powers gone voice, which I didn't even know he had, but it was tragic and I had to come out and humble myself before the cops like a little bitch, despite my new resolve to partake of the dark gift. So I'm all, â€Å"What?† And Rivera is all, â€Å"Allison, we have an agreement with Mr. Wong. He will stay here and work on a solution to the cat problem, and in return for our not filing charges, you both will say nothing to anyone about our previous-uh-adventures, with Mr. Flood, Ms. Stroud, and any other persons of the blood-drinking persuasion. Nor will we mention any funds that may have changed hands, and who may be in possession of said funds. Agreed?† I'm all, â€Å"Sweet!† â€Å"And you have to go home and live with your mother and sister,† the evil Hispano cop continued. And I'm all, â€Å"No way!† And all three of them are shaking their heads at me. And Foo, who is out of handcuffs now, is all, â€Å"Abby, you have to go with them. You're still a minor and your mom will chuck a spaz if they don't bring you home.† â€Å"And if that happens, we'll have no choice but to drop a hammer on Mr. Wong,† said Cavuto. And Foo's all, â€Å"And to defend ourselves we'll have to tell everyone about everything. So we'll all be hosed and meanwhile, Chet the huge shaved cat will own the City, plus our relationship and stuff would be strained.† And by â€Å"and stuff,† Foo meant that we would lose the love lair and no one would take care of Tommy and Jody, and Foo would have to become love ninja to some big guy in prison. We were owned. I was all, â€Å"I blame my mother.† I offered my wrists to Rivera for the cuffs. And they were all nodding, and â€Å"Sure,† and â€Å"That works for me.† And â€Å"Yeah, I'm good with that.† But Rivera didn't put the cuffs on me. And I'm all, â€Å"Can we have a minute to say good-bye?† And Rivera nods, so I start to lead Foo into the bedroom. And Rivera is all, â€Å"Out here.† So I unzip Foo's pants. And Cavuto grabs my arm and starts to drag me away, so I was forced to give Foo only a minor good-bye kiss that brushed his lips like a breeze from the tomb and left a little bit of a black lipstick streak on his cheek. And I'm all, â€Å"I will never forget you, Foo. They may tear us asunder, but our love will endure for eternity.† And he's all, â€Å"Call me when you get home.† And I'm all, â€Å"I'll text you on the way.† And he's all, â€Å"Abby Normal, you rock my stripy socks.† Which was totally romantic, because he doesn't wear stripy socks. I cried and my mascara melted in sorrow. Then Cavuto's all, â€Å"Oh for fuck's sake.† And he starts to lead me out the door, but turns to Foo and goes, â€Å"Is that your tricked-out yellow Honda downstairs?† And Foo is all, â€Å"Yeah.† And Cavuto's all, â€Å"You know it's full of rats, right?† And Foo's all, â€Å"Yeah.† And so I am a prisoner of the dreaded Motherbot and Foo faces the menace of Chet alone. Gotta jet, my sister, Ronnie, is asleep and I'm going to Magic Marker a pentagram on her shaved head. L8erz. RIVERA As they were walking away from delivering Abby Normal and her mother to the apartment building in the Fillmore, Cavuto said, â€Å"You know, if I'd had Allison there around when I came out to my dad, I think he would have understood a lot more why I like guys.† â€Å"If the vampire cats' victims turn to dust, most won't even be reported unless someone sees the attack,† Rivera said, hoping Cavuto's train of thought would head on to the next station. â€Å"She's so obnoxious,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Like a whole Saturday night drunk tank full of obnoxious packed into one little body.† â€Å"Maybe if we get a cadaver dog,† said Rivera. â€Å"Okay, but don't bitch about how the car smells later, because I want chili and onions.† â€Å"What the fuck are you talking about?† â€Å"Cadaver dogs. You were saying we should go to the ballpark and get cadaver dogs for lunch.† â€Å"I was saying no such thing. I was saying we should get a dog that's trained to sniff out cadavers to help us find the clothing of the victims.† â€Å"Oh,† said Cavuto, who didn't want to think about vampires. â€Å"Sure, that makes sense. So, Barney's Burgers for lunch then?† â€Å"You buy,† Rivera said, as he popped the locks on the unmarked Ford and climbed in. They drove eight blocks down Fillmore Street toward the Marina, before Cavuto said, â€Å"She's right, you know? I am a bear.† Rivera put on his sunglasses and took a few seconds adjusting them on his face to buy time before he answered with a sigh. â€Å"I'm glad you decided to come clean about that, Nick, because observing your six-foot-three-inch, two-hundred-and-sixty-pound, growling gay personage for the last fourteen years would have never betrayed your true identity, given my dull, homicide detective powers of observation.† â€Å"Your sarcasm is the main reason Alice left you.† â€Å"Really?† Rivera had wondered. Alice had said because he was too much of a cop and not enough of a husband, but he had suspicions about her testimony. â€Å"No, but I'm sure it was on the list.† â€Å"Nick, in all our time as partners, have I ever indicated that I wanted to discuss your sexuality?† â€Å"Well, not beyond using it to threaten suspects.† â€Å"And have I ever offered to share the details of my sex life with Alice?† â€Å"I just assumed you didn't have one.† â€Å"Well, that's not really relevant. I'm just saying, I'm fine with you just the way you are.† â€Å"Mantastic, you mean?† â€Å"Sure, go with that. Although I was thinking more of large and furry, yet afraid of tiny girls.† â€Å"Well, you can't hit her, she's a kid,† Cavuto whined. They found parking in a garage near Barney's. Rivera pulled into a no-parking spot (because he could) and shut off the engine. He sat back and looked at the wall in front of them. â€Å"So, vampire cats,† Cavuto said. â€Å"Yeah,† said Rivera. â€Å"We're fucked,† said the big cop. â€Å"Yeah,† said Rivera.