Monday, September 30, 2019

A Social Family Institution in India

Location: India has an area of approximately 3,287,580 sq. kilometers. It serves as a border to the Bay of Bengal the Indian Ocean, and to the Arabian Sea located to its west. Directly north of India are the Himalayas, the world†s biggest mountain range. India also serves as a neighbor to several different countries. Myanmar and Bangladesh located to its east, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, Sri Lanka to the South, and finally Afghanistan and Pakistan on the northwest. Topography: India is separated into 4 main regions, these are the Ganges, Indus Plains, Desert zone, and the Southern Peninsula. Physiologically India is divided ten times. A senior male usually heads families in India. In the senior males household a family can be very large. The senior male†s family can include his unmarried children, married children alongside their wives and kids, unmarried younger brothers and sisters, and married brothers with their wives and children. It is common however for families to separate once the father dies. This idea of family is true for both nuclear family and extended family. As already stated above the size of a typical Indian family is very large. The senior male is responsible for providing the financial assistance to the family while his wife takes care of the house. She assigns chores to all of the females in the household. The Elderly are taken care upon dearly by their family members. The marriage traditions in India have been in existence for a very long time. The have a long and important set of rules that are carefully followed by most. A marriage arrangement is a big responsibility for the parents of both the female and male. A marriage is arranged based primarily on religion, family wealth, and the hope for a good biological reproduction. Marriages in India are no different than in most of the countries around the world. It is a very special event for the bride and grooms family and friends. For both the male and the female marriage is a big change not only socially but mentally as well. Only once married is one truly considered to have made the transition to adulthood. Married couples display a strong for male children. Males are desired more because of financial contribution the may supply for the family. Girls on thew other hand are some times viewed as very big liabilities, The more one has the more liable one is. They are viewed as very expensive to support and require very expensive dowries once they are married. Families that have many girls and very few or no males are in great danger of experiencing financial disaster. The roles played by males and females in the Indian society have a very strong presence. Their roles have changed very little in the last couple of decades. Males are the dominant sex in the society. Females have very little power or control over their lives. The male†s main role is to provide financial stability. India†s educational system is one that is very similar to that held by the British. It consists of five levels of education. Level one is preprimary, followed by primary (which in the American system would equal grades 1-5), middle class (middle school), secondary (9 and 10 grades), and finally higher levels (11 and 12 grades). India s governments is currently working very hard to make the peoples education a top priority. The Indian government supplies the people with free education, even with free education only about half of the children attend school. It is viewed by the Indian people that it is more important for the males to attend school than it is for the females. Out of the 50 Indian population is illiterate, 66% of these are females. Higher education in India is not very big. Out of all of the people that attend primary and secondary education less than 10% go on to higher education. It†s popularity however is increasing greatly compared to past years. India†s collegiate system is divided into three. One of these three types is the religious college. These are colleges found by politicians and by wealthy families. They did this in order to gain popularity amongst the people. Government colleges constitute the second type; these are colleges that are found on the outskirts of big cities. They lack private investments and are therefor founded by the government. The third type is called Professional colleges. These are colleges that mainly receive both government and private aid. Professional colleges are the beset of colleges to study carriers such as medicine, engineering etc. 2-India Literacy rate is very high in numbers but very low in percentages. They have over 400 million people that can read but this constitutes only about 56% of the population. 1- India runs its government under a constitution created in 1949. The president of India is elected by the parliament and serves a term of five years. The Prime Minster of India is also a very powerful man in this country. It is said that he has more power than the president. Lok Sabah, otherwise know as the Lower House of Parliament is controlled by the ministers. The federal Parliament consists of no more than 250 members. The President appoints twelve of them and most of the others are appointed by their state. The Lower House has no more than 545 members. Just like the president they serve terms that last fore five years. In case of a national emergency the president can overrule any state government.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 4

â€Å"Kill me, Doug. Just kill me now. Put me out of my misery.† My immortality notwithstanding, the sentiment was sincere. â€Å"Christ, Kincaid, what did you say to him?† murmured Doug. We stood off to the side of Seth Mortensen's audience, along with many others. All the seats had filled up, putting space and visibility at a premium. I was lucky to be with the staff in our reserved section, giving us a perfect view of Seth as he read from The Glasgow Pact. Not that I wanted to be in his line of sight. In fact, I really would have preferred that I never come face to face with him again. â€Å"Well,† I told Doug, keeping an eye on Paige so as not to draw attention to our whispering, â€Å"I ripped on his fans and on how long it takes for his books to come out.† Doug stared at me, his expectations exceeded. â€Å"Then I said – not knowing who he was – that I'd be Seth Mortensen's love slave in exchange for advanced copies of his books.† I didn't elaborate on my impromptu flirting. To think, I'd imagined I was boosting a shy guy's ego! Good Lord. Seth Mortensen could probably bed a different groupie every night if he wanted. Not that he seemed like the type. He'd demonstrated much of the same initial nervousness in front of the crowd as he had with me. He grew more comfortable once he started reading, however, warming to the material and letting his voice rise and fall with intensity and wry humor. â€Å"What kind of a fan are you?† Doug asked. â€Å"Didn't you know what he looked like?† â€Å"There are never pictures of him in his books! Besides, I thought he'd be older.† I guessed now that Seth was in his mid-thirties, a bit older than I looked in this body, but younger than the forty-something writer I'd always imagined. â€Å"Well, look on the bright side, Kincaid. You succeeded in your goal: you got him to notice you.† I stifled a groan, letting my head flop pathetically onto Doug's shoulder. Paige turned her head and gave us a withering glance. As usual, our manager looked stunning, wearing a red suit that set off her chocolate brown skin. The faintest swellings of pregnancy showed under the jacket, and I couldn't help but feel a tug of jealous longing. When she had first announced her unplanned pregnancy, she had laughed it off, saying: â€Å"Well, you know how these things can just happen.† But I had never known how it could â€Å"just happen.† I'd tried desperately to get pregnant as a mortal, to no avail, instead becoming an object of pity and carefully hidden – albeit not well enough – jokes. Becoming a succubus had killed whatever lingering chance I might have had at motherhood, though I hadn't realized that at the time. I had sacrificed my body's ability to create in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. One type of immortality traded for another. Long centuries give you a lot of time to accept what you can and can't have, but being reminded of it stings nonetheless. Giving Paige a smile that promised good behavior, I turned my attention back to Seth. He was just finishing up the reading and moving on to questions. As expected, the first ones asked were, â€Å"Where do you get your ideas from?† and â€Å"Are Cady and O'Neill ever going to get together?† He glanced briefly in my direction before answering, and I cringed, recalling my remarks about him impaling himself when those questions were asked. Turning back to his fans, he addressed the first question seriously and dodged the second one. Everything else he answered succinctly, often in a dry and subtly humorous way. He never spoke any more than he had to, always providing just enough to fulfill the questioner's requirements. The crowd clearly unnerved him, which I found a bit disappointing. Considering how punchy and clever his books were, I guess I'd expected him to speak in the same way he wrote. I wanted a confident outpouring of words and wit, a charisma to rival my own. He'd had a few good lines earlier while we spoke, I supposed, but he'd taken time to warm up to them and to me. Of course, it was unfair to make comparisons between us. He had no uncanny knack for dazzling others, nor centuries of practice behind him. Still. I had never imagined a slightly scattered introvert capable of creating my favorite books. Unjust of me, but there it was. â€Å"Everything going okay?† a voice behind us asked. I looked over and saw Warren, the store's owner and my occasional fuck-buddy. â€Å"Perfectly,† Paige told him in her crisp, efficient way. â€Å"We'll start the signing in another fifteen minutes or so.† â€Å"Good.† His eyes flicked casually over the rest of us staff and then shot back to me. He said nothing, but as he scoured me with that gaze, I could almost feel his hands undressing me. He'd come to expect sex on a regular basis, and usually I didn't fight it since he provided a quick and reliable – albeit small – fix of energy and life. His low moral character erased any guilt I might have for doing so. After the questions ended, we faced crowd control issues as everyone queued up to get their books signed. I offered to help, but Doug told me they had things under control. So, instead, I stayed out of the way, trying to avoid eye contact with Seth. â€Å"Meet me in my office when this is all over,† Warren murmured, coming up to stand close beside me. He wore a tailored, charcoal gray suit tonight, looking every inch the sophisticated literary tycoon. In spite of my distasteful opinion of a man who cheated on his wife of thirty years with a much younger employee, I still had to acknowledge a certain amount of physical charm and allure to him. After everything that had happened today, though, I was not in the mood to be sprawled across his desk when the store closed. â€Å"I can't,† I answered back softly, still watching the signing. â€Å"I'm busy afterwards.† â€Å"No you aren't. It's not a dancing night.† â€Å"No,† I agreed. â€Å"But I'm doing something else.† â€Å"Like what?† â€Å"I have a date.† The lie came easily to my lips. â€Å"You do not.† â€Å"I do.† â€Å"You never date, so don't try that line now. The only appointment you have is with me, back in my office, preferably on your knees.† He took a step closer, speaking into my ear so that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my skin. â€Å"Jesus, Georgina. You're so fucking hot tonight, I could take you right now. Do you have any idea what you're doing to me in that outfit?† â€Å"‘Doing to you?' I'm not ‘doing' anything. It's attitudes like that that result in women being veiled around the world, you know. It's blaming the victim.† He chuckled. â€Å"You crack me up, you know that? Do you have any panties on under that?† â€Å"Kincaid? Can you come help us over here?† I turned and saw Doug frowning at us. It would figure. He wanted my help, now that he saw Warren hitting on me. Who said there was no chivalry left in this world? Doug was one of the few who knew what passed between Warren and me, and he didn't approve. Yet, I wanted the escape, belated or no, and thus temporarily evaded Warren's lust as I walked over to assist with the book sale. It took almost two hours to shuffle customers through the signing line, and by then, the store was fifteen minutes from closing. Seth Mortensen looked a little tired but seemed to be in good spirits. My stomach flip-flopped inside me when Paige beckoned those of us not involved with closing to come over and talk to him. She introduced us matter-of-factly. â€Å"Warren Lloyd, store owner. Doug Sato, assistant manager. Bruce Newton, cafe manager. Andy Kraus, sales. And you already know Georgina Kincaid, our other assistant manager.† Seth nodded politely, shaking everyone's hand. When he reached me, I averted my eyes, waiting for him to just move on. When he did not, I mentally cringed, bracing myself for some comment about our previous encounters. Instead, all he said was, â€Å"G.K.† I blinked. â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"G.K.,† he repeated, as though those letters made perfect sense. When my idiotic expression persisted, he gave a swift head jerk toward one of the promotional flyers for tonight's event. It read: If you haven't heard of Seth Mortensen, then you obviously haven't been living on this planet for the last eight years. He's only the hottest thing to hit the mystery/contemporary fiction market, making the competition look like scribbles in a child's picture book. With several bestselling titles to his name, the illustrious Mr. Mortensen writes both self-standing novels and continual installments in the stunningly popular Cady & O'Neill series. The Glasgow Pact continues the adventures of these intrepid investigators as they travel abroad this time, continuing to unravel archaeological mysteries and engage in the persistent witty, sexual banter we've come to love them for. Guys, if you can't find your girlfriends tonight, they're here with The Glasgow Pact, wishing you were as suave as O'Neill. – G.K. â€Å"You're G.K. You wrote the bio.† He looked to me for confirmation, but I couldn't speak, wouldn't utter the clever acknowledgment about to spring from my lips. I was too afraid. After my earlier mishaps, I feared saying the wrong thing. Finally, confused by my silence, he asked haltingly, â€Å"Are you a writer? It's really good.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Ah.† A few moments passed in cool silence. â€Å"Well. I guess some people write the stories, and others live them.† That sounded like a dig of sorts, but I bit my lip on any response, still playing my new ice-bitch role, wanting to defuse the earlier flirtation. Paige, not understanding the tension between Seth and me, still felt it and tried to allay it. â€Å"Georgina's one of your biggest fans. She was absolutely ecstatic when she found out you were coming here.† â€Å"Yeah,† added Doug wickedly. â€Å"She's practically a slave to your books. Ask her how many times she's read The Glasgow Pact.† I shot him a murderous look, but Seth's attention focused back on me, genuinely curious. He's trying to bring back our earlier rapport, I realized sadly. I couldn't let that happen now. â€Å"How many?† I swallowed, not wanting to answer, but the weight of all those eyes grew too heavy. â€Å"None. I haven't finished it yet.† Practiced poise allowed me to utter those words calmly and confidently, hiding my discomfort. Seth looked puzzled. So did everyone else; they all stared at me, rightfully perplexed. Only Doug knew the joke. â€Å"None?† asked Warren with a frown. â€Å"Hasn't it been out for over a month now?† Doug, the bastard, grinned. â€Å"Tell them the rest. Tell them how much you read a day.† I wished then that the floor would open up and swallow me whole, so I could escape this nightmare. As if coming off as an arrogant strumpet in front of Seth Mortensen wasn't bad enough, Doug was now shaming me into confessing my ridiculous habit. â€Å"Five,† I finally said. â€Å"I only read five pages a day.† â€Å"Why?† asked Paige. She had apparently never heard this story. I could feel my cheeks turning red. Paige and Warren stared at me like I was from another planet while Seth simply continued to remain silent and look thoughtfully distracted. I took a deep breath and spoke in a rush: â€Å"Because†¦ because it's so good, and because there's only one chance to read a book for the first time, and I want it to last. That experience. I'd finish it in a day otherwise, and that'd be like†¦ like eating a carton of ice cream in one sitting. Too much richness over too quickly. This way, I can draw it out. Make the book last longer. Savor it. I have to since they don't come out that often.† I promptly shut up, realizing I had just insulted Seth's writing prowess†¦ again. He made no response to my comment, and I couldn't decipher the expression on his face. Considering, maybe. Once again, I silently begged the floor to consume me and save me from this humiliation. It obstinately refused. Doug smiled reassuringly at me. He found my habit cute. Paige, who apparently did not, looked as though she shared my wish that I be somewhere else. She cleared her throat politely and started a completely new line of conversation. After that, I scarcely paid attention to what anybody said. All I knew was that Seth Mortensen probably thought I was an erratic nutcase, and I couldn't wait for this night to end. â€Å"†¦ Kincaid would do it.† The sound of my name brought me back around several minutes later. â€Å"What?† I turned to Doug, the speaker. â€Å"Wouldn't you?† he repeated. â€Å"Wouldn't I what?† â€Å"Show Seth around the city tomorrow.† Doug spoke patiently, as if to a child. â€Å"Get him acquainted with the area.† â€Å"My brother's too busy,† explained Seth. What did his brother have to do with anything? And why did he need to get acquainted with the area? I faltered, unwilling to admit I'd spaced out just now while wallowing in self-pity. â€Å"If you don't want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Seth hesitantly. â€Å"Of course she does.† Doug nudged me. â€Å"Come on. Climb out of your hole.† We exchanged smartass looks, worthy of Jerome and Carter. â€Å"Yeah, fine. Whatever.† We arranged the logistics of me meeting Seth, and I wondered what I'd gotten myself into. I no longer wanted to stand out. In fact, I would have preferred if he could have just blotted me from his mind forever. Hanging out as we toured Seattle tomorrow didn't seem like the best way to make that happen. If anything, it would probably only result in more foolish behavior on my part. Conversation finally faded. As we were about to disperse, I suddenly realized something. â€Å"Oh. Hey. Mr. Mortensen. Seth.† He turned toward me. â€Å"Yeah?† I frantically tried to say something that would undo the tangled mess of mixed signals and embarrassment he and I had stumbled into. Unfortunately, the only things that came to mind were: Where do you get your ideas from? and Are Cady and O'Neill ever going to get together? Dismissing such idiocy, I simply shoved my book over to him. â€Å"Can you sign this?† He took it. â€Å"Uh, sure.† A pause. â€Å"I'll bring it back tomorrow. â€Å" Deprive me of my book for the night? Hadn't I suffered enough? â€Å"Can't you just sign it now?† He shrugged haplessly, as though the matter were out of his control. â€Å"I can't think of anything to write.† â€Å"Just sign your name.† â€Å"I'll bring it back tomorrow,† he repeated, walking away with my copy of The Glasgow Pact like I hadn't even said anything. Appalled, I seriously considered running over and beating him up for it, but Warren suddenly tugged on my arm. â€Å"Georgina,† he said pleasantly as I stared desperately at my retreating book, â€Å"we still need to discuss that matter in my office.† No. No way. I definitely wasn't putting out after this debacle of an evening. Turning slowly toward him, I shook my head. â€Å"I told you, I can't.† â€Å"Yeah, I know already. Your fictitious date.† â€Å"It's not fictitious. It's – â€Å" My eyes desperately scanned for escape as I spoke. While no magical portals appeared in the cookbook section, I suddenly locked gazes with a guy browsing our foreign language books. He smiled curiously at my attention, and in a flash, I made a ballsy choice. † – with him. It's with him.† I waved my hand at the strange guy and beckoned him over. He looked understandably surprised, setting his book down and walking toward us. When he arrived, I slung my arm around him familiarly, giving him a look that had been known to bring kings to their knees. â€Å"Are you ready to go?† Mild astonishment flashed in his eyes – which were beautiful, by the way. An intense green-blue. To my relief, he played along and returned my serve masterfully. â€Å"You bet.† His own arm snaked around me, his hand resting on my hip with surprising presumption. â€Å"I would have been here sooner, but I got held up in traffic.† Cute. I glanced at Warren. â€Å"Rain check for our talk?† Warren looked from me to the guy and then back to me. â€Å"Sure. Yes. Of course.† Warren had proprietary feelings toward me, but they weren't strong enough for him to challenge a younger competitor. A few of my coworkers also watched with interest. Like Warren, none of them had ever really seen me date anyone. Seth Mortensen busied himself packing up a briefcase, never meeting my eyes again, for all the world oblivious to my existence. He didn't even respond when I said goodbye. Probably just as well. My â€Å"date† and I left the store, stepping out into the cool night. The precipitation had stopped, but clouds and city lights blotted out the stars. Studying him, I kind of wished maybe we were going out after all. He was tall – really tall. Probably at least ten inches taller than my diminutive five-four. His hair was black and wavy, brushed away from a deeply tanned face that nearly made those sea-colored eyes glow. He wore a long, black wool coat and a scarf with a black, burgundy, and green plaid pattern. â€Å"Thanks,† I said as we paused to stand on the street corner. â€Å"You saved me from an†¦ unpleasant situation.† â€Å"My pleasure.† He held out his hand to me. â€Å"I'm Roman.† â€Å"Nice name.† â€Å"I guess. It reminds me of a romance novel.† â€Å"Oh?† â€Å"Yeah. No one's really named that in real life. But in romance novels, there are a million of them. ‘Roman the Fifth Duke of Wellington.' ‘Roman the Terrible yet Dashing and Eerily Attractive Pirate of the High Seas.' â€Å" â€Å"Hey, I think I read that last one. I'm Georgina.† â€Å"So I see.† He nodded toward the staff ID badge I wore around my neck. Probably an excuse to check out my cleavage. â€Å"Is that outfit the standard uniform for assistant managers?† â€Å"This outfit's becoming a real pain in the ass actually,† I noted, thinking of the various reactions it had elicited. â€Å"You can wear my coat. Where do you want to go tonight?† â€Å"Where do I – ? We aren't going out. I told you: you just saved me from a minor entanglement, that's all.† â€Å"Hey, that's still got to be worth something,† he countered. â€Å"A handkerchief? A kiss on the cheek? Your phone number?† â€Å"No!† â€Å"Oh, come on. Did you see how good I was? I didn't miss a beat when you roped me in with that come-hither look of yours.† I couldn't deny that. â€Å"All right. It's 555-1200.† â€Å"That's the store number.† â€Å"How did you know that?† He pointed to the Emerald City sign behind me. It contained all of the store's contact information. â€Å"Because I'm literate. â€Å" â€Å"Wow. That puts you, like, ten steps above most of the guys that hit on me.† He turned hopeful. â€Å"So does that mean we can go out sometime?† â€Å"Nope. I appreciate your help tonight, but I don't date.† â€Å"Don't think of it as a date then. Think of it as†¦ a meeting of minds.† The way he looked at me suggested he wanted to meet more than just my mind. I shivered involuntarily, but I wasn't cold. In fact, I was starting to feel unnervingly warm. He unbuttoned his coat. â€Å"Here. You're freezing. Wear this while I take you home. My car's around the corner.† â€Å"I live within walking distance.† His coat was still warm from his body and smelled nice. A combination of cK One and, well, man. Yum. â€Å"Then let me walk you home.† His persistence was charming, which was all the more reason I had to end things now. This was exactly the kind of quality guy I needed to avoid. â€Å"Come on,† Roman begged when I didn't answer. â€Å"This isn't much to ask for. I'm not a stalker or anything. All I want is one walk home. Then you never have to see me again.† â€Å"Look, you barely even know me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused, reconsidering what he'd said. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Okay what?† â€Å"Okay, you can walk me home.† â€Å"Really?† He brightened. â€Å"Yup.† Three minutes later, when we arrived at my apartment building, he threw up his hands in dismay. â€Å"That wasn't fair at all. You're practically next door.† † ‘One walk home.' That was all you asked for.† Roman shook his head. â€Å"Not fair. Not fair at all. But† – he looked up hopefully at my building – â€Å"at least I know where you live now.† â€Å"Hey! You said you weren't a stalker.† He grinned, gorgeous white teeth flashing against his tanned skin. â€Å"It's never too late to start.† Leaning down, he kissed my hand and gave me a wink. â€Å"Until we meet again, fair Georgina.† He turned and walked off into the Queen Anne night. I watched him go, still feeling his lips on my skin. What an unexpected – and perplexing – twist to the evening. When he was no longer in sight, I turned around and went into my building. I was halfway up the stairs when I realized I was still wearing his coat. How was I going to get it back to him? He did that on purpose, I realized. He let me keep it. I suddenly knew then that I would be seeing wily Duke Roman again. Probably sooner, rather than later. Chuckling, I continued on to my apartment, halting after just a few more steps. â€Å"Not again,† I muttered in exasperation. Familiar sensations swirled behind my apartment door. Like a glittering tempest. Like the humming of bees in the air. There was a group of immortals inside my home. What the fuck? Did I need to start charging admission to my apartment? Why did everyone suddenly think they could just go right inside when I wasn't there? It occurred to me then, ever so briefly, that I had not sensed Jerome and Carter's presence earlier. They had caught me completely unaware. That was weird, but I had been too distracted by their news to pay much attention to anything else. Similarly, my current anger did not allow me to further ponder that odd piece of trivia now. I was too annoyed. Slinging my purse over one shoulder, I stormed into my home.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

How to buy a used car Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to buy a used car - Essay Example Do merciless bargaining without any hesitation,† he cautioned me. When I reached the umbrella shop, the shopkeeper had just opened the shutters, and I was his first customer of the day. I selected an umbrella, looked at the price tag and exclaimed â€Å"Oh, my God!† and showed my disinclination. The price was $60. â€Å"Don’t you worry? You are my first customer of the day I will give you the discount of 10% and will make it $54† he said. Remembering the golden advice of my guide I said, â€Å"Can you make it $30?† He short back, though not angrily, â€Å"Do you think we make 100% profits?† I was not interested in arguments, and I was about to move. â€Å"Well, take it, you see I am a bit superstitious by nature and you are the first customer of the day. The deal is done†, he said. I decided I must engage this man in shameless bargaining. I said, â€Å"Sorry, I just now recollect I have seen similar umbrellas in the 10Dollar Shop.† The shopkeeper was shocked and said, â€Å"Leave it then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was about to move, he held me by my hand and said in a low tone, â€Å"Why don’t you understand †¦your are my first customer and I don’t want to spoil my mood for the entire day, by disappointing the first customer†¦well, take it†. I had chosen my dealer carefully after the google search for days together and after listening to the agony of buying the used cars from my friends and relatives. One of my friends had told me curtly, â€Å"Buy a second hand car, if you wish to buy incurable headaches.† The engine of the first car that I examined was roaring as if it was about to declare war on me and I was its sworn enemy. â€Å"The sound will gradually die down as it picks up speed† the dealer assured me. â€Å"This is the best in the lot considering your price range. If you increase the range by $1000 dollars, I will show you better models. Let me assure you, I am an honest and straightforward dealer. I show to the customers

Friday, September 27, 2019

Interview with Dr. Michael Winters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interview with Dr. Michael Winters - Essay Example As a licensed practitioner of and a firm believer in the merits of logotherapy, the search for and discovery of meaning plays a significant role in Dr. Winters' professional, clinical, teaching, and research activities.The search for meaning has had a strong basis in Dr. Winters' background, as reflected by his two choices for a college major: Theater or Psychology. Broadway's loss was psychology's gain, as he found the search for meaning more lucrative and challenging than, in a sense, its interpretation. After undergraduate and Masteral studies at Purdue, he went to Tennessee for his doctorate at the University of Memphis in 1991.However, it was not until two years ago (in 2005) that he embraced logotherapy, which is based on Frankl's insights on the beneficial psychological effects of the search for and discovery of meaning in human experience (Frankl, 1984/19871998). Frankl has had a substantial impact on Dr. Winters' life and profession, and logotherapy research has become a hug e part of his academic and clinical practice. As a counseling strategy, he uses logotherapy, which fits with the question that he asks every time he faces any of his clients: "how do I help this person to help him/herself move forward" (Winters, 2007)Dr. Winters' extensive experience, however, does not limit his counseling strategy to logotherapy. ... Among college students, though, Dr. Winters addresses more faith-based issues in search of solutions. Dr. Winters is also an expert on clinical depression, and a considerable amount of time was spent during the interview discussing this topic. We started by discussing the symptoms, which are primarily anxiety, pessimism, and lethargy. When asked what the causes of depression are, he paused for several seconds before answering: "anything". Depression is a chemical reaction that affects the mind, and this can be triggered by anxieties over relationships (romantic or otherwise), emotional or physical or psychological trauma. Among young people, common triggers of depression are issues with parents, relationships, or friends, or the search for and development of individual identity. If there is what he could call a master variable that helps one to avoid depression, it is the value of social networking. He noted from his clinical and professional experience that people who know how to get the most out of their social relationships with family, friends, and a special other are farthest away from depression. I guess that an important consideration here is the sense of security that a person feels, allowing him/her to maintain their identity in social relationships, free of false expectations and desires to be what they are not. As Dr. Winters shares with his clients, if they are not happy and truly getting their needs in their relationships, then they should either end it or fix it, working on the issues unless there is violence. He encourages his clients in a depression to move beyond a definition of love that is based on what they could get out of a relationship to one

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Philosophy - Feminism, Moralism, and pornography Essay

Philosophy - Feminism, Moralism, and pornography - Essay Example It is this attitude along with a lack of understanding about human sexuality (admittedly women’s too) that give birth to the new definition of pornography. Had she gained some knowledge about activities like tit torture as depicted in Kama Sutra, she would have thought twice before reaching such a new definition. While stressing on the sadistic attitude of the male-dominated society, it is painful to note the total ignorance the scholar shows towards the element of masochism inherent in women. The scholar is against pornography because of three major reasons. Firstly, it promotes violence against women. Secondly, it provides a totally wrong picture about female sexuality, and thirdly, it promotes male-centeredness (234). It seems that the work goes seriously defective in the fact that it does not give any attention to the impact of explicit sexual content on children. In other words, the scholar is of the opinion that as far as females are not tortured in the portrayal, the material does not have to be considered pornography. Here, she fails to acknowledge the fact that in order to arouse sexual feeling in people including the immature ones, it is not necessary to include bondage or torture. Thus by defining only sexual content with violence as pornography, Longino has provided a totally defective view of pornography. Also, the scholar is alarmed by the fact that pornography has secured its own place in the mainstream media. In the opinion of Longino, this overwhelming acceptance of pornography by the mainstream society and media shows the desire of the male-dominated society to subject females to such activities like rape, bondage, and torture for its own sexual gratification. That means the creation of a society where psychological and physical violence against women is accepted as part of the social culture (234). Admittedly, the scholar is rather unaware about the content of sadism in males as propounded by various thinkers including Freud and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Legalizing the use of midicinal marijuana Essay

Legalizing the use of midicinal marijuana - Essay Example rlands, cannabis is openly tolerated and can be both purchased and consumed in one of several Amsterdam ‘coffee houses.’ Inexplicably, the city has not been thrown into anarchy which, evidently, is what the opponents of cannabis legalisation are afraid of. The evidence demonstrates that legalizing cannabis for medicinal in addition to general purposes would prove a benefit to society, evidence which is well-known throughout the scientific, political and public arena but this collective knowledge has yet to be acted upon. This discussion will examine the issue of legalisation drawing from European and American experiences. A report in The Economist expressly states concerns regarding a rising drug using and dependent population if these drugs should be made more available. While acknowledging that the price of drugs is artificially high due to the difficulties of circumventing the law, authors of this report indicate that it is precisely because of the high cost and difficulty to obtain that prevents more individuals from experimenting with them, thus becoming addicted, either physically or psychologically. Although these arguments can also be made for other substances that are currently legal, voters have argued that it is not necessary to bring in more potentially harmful substances into legal circulation at this time. To support the argument in favor of legalisation, authors pull in the theories of John Stuart Mill, who espoused that adult citizens should have the right to make their own choices regarding whether or not to participate in harmful activity as long as it does no harm to others, a theo ry that has been largely ignored in the decisions regarding alcohol and tobacco, but not cannabis. (â€Å"Case for Legalisation,† 2001) Eleven states allow the use of marijuana for medicinal use, Rhode Island the most recent joining California, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Washington and, Vermont and Maine. However, laws enacted by

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Managing Finance Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing Finance - Research Proposal Example it mainly emphasizes on the projecting the demands (De-Almeida & William, 2014). Therefore, Wal-Mart mainly use of the flexible and static budgeting process and procedures. It is dependent on the forecasted demands that are based on the past sales and projections of the new products, season, consumer behavior and perception for developing budgeting processes. The management accounting system of Wal-Mart have been constantly changed and upgraded according to the advancement in the information technology and business environment. Currently, the company emphasizes on Just In Time, Inventory management and Economic Quantity Order techniques used in its management accounting system (Anon., 2014). However, these management accounting systems of the company has been amended with the passage of time. Wal-mart is focused on the low costing strategies. Hence, the adoption and changes in the management accounting systems of the company has been taken place time to time. The determinant to prevailing changes in the management accounting system is dependent on the external factors that the company aims to anticipate. The costing processes of Wal-Mart are very well maintained and are done by professional auditors all over the globe. The practices carried out in the factories are analyzed and are further characterized so that better check and balance can be made. The requirement standards of Wal-Mart, Labor policies, the payroll of the workforce, the rules and regulations provided by the Law are being followed within the factory or not? And the health and safety conditions are the essential of the â€Å"Audit Reviews†. After the examination of the practices of the factories Wal-Mart takes the decision to work with the factories or not (Bandy, 2013). The Wal-Mart is working in three major businesses. The priority of the organization is to improve the financial organization; this is due to the drastic changes in the financial sector. The

Monday, September 23, 2019

Global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Global warming - Essay Example (1). The term global warming does not merely connote to an increase in the temperature but also envisages an overall climatic change. Because of this change in temperature and climate, economy, human health, and the ecosystems can encounter drastic consequences. The main pollutant to atmosphere that contributes to global warming is carbon dioxide, which causes warming in atmosphere. Other pollutants such as fossil fuel, methane gas and green house gases also are act as warming agents. Unfortunately, human beings are the ones who cause this imbalance between life and earth and the consequences have already reached disastrous proportions. CO2 emitted from â€Å"power plants and vehicles† play a crucial role in increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere (Wang & Chameides 36). Certain other human activities that entail degradation of wild life, â€Å"spread of homes and infrastructure† and sinking of costal land also adds pace to the process of global warming (Wang & Chameides 36). Global warming triggers killer heat waves, drought, forest pests, wildfires and contributes to rising sea level, shrinking snowpack, disappearance of glaciers, disintegrating polar ice, melting permafrost damage to coral reefs, shifting species rang es and yearly cycles and disease outbreaks (36). Besides, it also causes considerable harm to the ecosystem apart fro damaging agriculture and animal habitats. In addition, increase in atmospheric temperature may result in death of life forms, including human beings, due to the unbearable heat and drought. Wild fires can cause loss in â€Å"forestry, agriculture, and electric power sectors† (Wang & Chameides 36). High rates of evaporation may result in an increase in water vapor in air, which can cause heavy rainfall and flooding. Intense evaporation may also entail loss of moisture from soil and consequently droughts can occur (36). Evidence further points to the fact that over the course of 20th century, sea level has

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Contract and Procurement Essay Example for Free

Contract and Procurement Essay Contract and procurement are imperative operations that should be done appropriately for the success of an organization. More often than not, people who are in judge of procurement do take these activities less seriously (MOLENAAR, 2007). Due to such concern most institutions have put in place stringent measures that control all the procurement transactions. In addition to that, people should be employed to be responsible for this duty according to the policies of many institutions should be highly trained (MOSEY, 2009). This sudden change that has taken place in many companies and organizations has real improved the output of the department of procurement hence most activities run smoothly as scheduled. The directors of the department of procurement partly determine the success or the failure of a project that is undergoing. Therefore, the managers of projects work very closely with the procurement officers to ensure that everything that is required is provided whenever its need arises. It is significant that, there exists a good relationship between the project managers and the procurement officers (MOSEY, 2009). If that is not the case, then there shall be contradicting ideas that will jeopardize the progress of the project. It is worth noting that, the duties and responsibilities of the procurement officers vary in accordance with the structure of an organization. This shows that, different procurement divisions have got structures which are designed to make management coordination and monitoring. This arrangement is imperative in improvement of the efficiency of the procurement activities. As aforementioned, the project manager should coordinate the transaction in collaboration with procurement manager to acquire all the requirements. The transactions which are carried out to achieve this are done un der the interpretation of the set policies, rules and regulations (BOWER, 2003). The rules and regulations set by the institution to ensure that the activities are carried out in harmony within all the departments that exist in a company. Unlike in the past, procurement process has dynamically changed and incorporated more activities. It only used to involve purchasing of goods and services required, but that is not the case nowadays (MOSEY, 2009). In procurement planning is done first. It determines whether to purchase a given commodity and if it should be bought the way it should be bought and quantity to be supplied. After this, reliable and potential supplies are determined, and contracts made with to supply the goods ordered (MOLENAAR, 2007). Before a contract is signed, thorough scrutiny is done by evaluating the proposals of the shortlisted vendors and interviews conducted to select the one that is unparalleled in offering those services and goods. After that, the one that emerges the best is awarded the contract. Supervision of the supply is done by the procurement office. Procurement process gives support to the internal activities that are done within an organization. The operations served include management, production and marketing services. It supports all the processes, infrastructure and systems required by the projects. In other the dimension, a procurement body that is independent and separate provides all the things required by the project on a transaction basis (BOWER, 2003). In this case, the director of the project gives a list of things which are required and the procurement officer buys and coordinates the goods until they reach at the company to be used. In either organizational structure, the procurement manager is involved in generating and managing the operational transactions and the linkage that exists between all the stakeholders of the project. This relationship that is created by the procurement manager exists in the whole procurement cycle period (MOSEY, 2009). The relationship between procurement professionals and the project management team is significant in that it creates a better environment for cross functional participation of all stakeholders. Moreover, it enables the procurement department to produce the best services to the project (DINSMORE CABANIS-BREWIN, 2011). Therefore, for the procurement office to fit properly in the organization it must be well acquitted with the management strategies of the project. In a project based organization, there are about five general steps of procurement. Foremost, in collaboration with management, the procurement office should determine the requirements of the project. After determining what the requirements, the supplier is selected, who in agreement with project managers and the procurement professionals is given a contract to supply goods and services. The procurement department supervises and conducts routine assessment on the performance of the supplier until the contract ends (DINSMORE CABANIS-BREWIN, 2011). In centralized corporate management, there is an interaction between the principal stakeholders; the corporate purchasing coordination team, the chief executive officer, the chief purchasing officer, the managers of the business units and the purchasers of the business unit (SANKAR RAU, 2006). All of them have well defined roles and responsibilities in the procurement process. Most companies use formal organizational mechanisms like working groups and commodity teams, non-formal mechanisms of networking like employing competent people and initiating development programs, advanced systems of communication and use of complex management strategies (PENFIELD, 2010). In the centralized business unit procurement, the business units operate autonomously despite the fact that they are under one enterprise. The business unit creates a procurement order ships it to another business unit for supplier. Proper accounting records are kept to show the financial transactions between the two business units (SANKAR RAU, 2006). References BOWER, D. (2003). Management of procurement. London, Thomas Telford. DINSMORE, P. C., CABANIS-BREWIN, J. (2011). The AMA handbook of project management. New York, American Management Association MOLENAAR, K. R. (2007). Alternative project delivery, procurement, and contracting methods for highways. Reston, American Society of Civil Engineers. PENFIELD, P. C. (2010). A primer on negotiating corporate purchase contracts. [New York, N.Y.] (222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017), Business Expert Press SANKAR, C. S., RAU, K.-H. (2006). Implementation strategies for SAP R/3 in a multinational organization: lessons from a real-world case study. Hershey, Pennsylvania, CyberTech. MOSEY, D. (2009). Early Contractor Involvement in Building Procurement Contracts, Partnering and Project Management. Chichester, John Wiley Sons.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Book Review of Drinking Essay Example for Free

Book Review of Drinking Essay Caroline Knapp writes eloquently and honestly, yet often starkly, about her life as a â€Å"functioning alcoholic. † Ms. Knapp graduated Magna cum laude from Brown University, was a contributing editor at New Woman magazine as well as the Boston Phoenix. She wrote for many other magazines as well and was the author of Alice K’s Guide to Life. She was born into an upper-class family, one of two twin girls, daughter of a psychoanalyst father and an artist mother. Yet despite all the gifts seemingly bestowed upon her, from her earliest memories Ms. Knapp felt that she was different in some way; that she needed something to sustain her and help her travel through life; her particular crutch became alcohol. Carolyn’s family, though a model of respectability and stability on the outside, had their own particular demons to deal with. Carolyn’s father was described as â€Å"cold, remote, and inaccessible, an alcoholic involved in extramarital affairs. † (Handrup, 1998, p. 1). Her mother seemed to be â€Å"preoccupied with breast cancer throughout much of Knapp’s childhood,† and â€Å"was seemingly unaware of the inner life of her children. † (p. 1). Carolyn relates stories of her father’s previous marriage which produced three children, and the confusion that came along with the ex-wife and the younger son who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and whose erratic behavior frightened Carolyn. The theory of nature causing alcoholism pretty much goes out the window on this particular case as Carolyn’s twin sister Becca never turned to alcohol or any other addictive behavior to cope with a life that virtually mirrored Carolyn’s own. The disability of any alcoholic seems to be an intense need for protection; an inability to weather the storms of life alone, the absolute craving for a friend, a lover that will carry them through the rough times. In fact, Ms. Knapp felt about alcohol the exact same way she imagined others felt about their lovers. It was something she craved, obsessed over, and thought about constantly. Ms. Knapp’s â€Å"rough times† in life soon translated into absolutely anything at all, good or bad. The sun was shining, or it wasn’t, the cashier at the grocery store was unfriendly, or perhaps too friendly, somebody died, a baby was born. Every nuance of life became too difficult to deal with, the emotions that accompanied normal day-to-day living were too much to process without a drink—or two, or three, or four. Ms. Knapp wryly notes that living without alcohol is like being â€Å"forced to live alone without the armor. The armor, of course, is protection from all the things we might actually feel, if we allowed ourselves to feel at all;† (Knapp, 1996, p. 113) Comfort became an absolute necessity, and Caroline remembers that from the time she was able to sit in her mother’s lap she would rock herself back and forth, and that this bizarre behavior continued for more years than she cared to remember. â€Å"Later I developed a more elaborate system: I’d get on my knees and elbow and curl up in a ball on the bed facedown like a turtle in its shell, and rock away, for hours sometimes†¦I was deeply embarrassed that I did this, ashamed of it, really, but I needed it. I needed it and it worked. The truth? I did this until I was sixteen. The rocking was just like drinking. † (Knapp, 1996, p. 62). So, from the comfort she derived from rockingfor hours sometimes Caroline â€Å"graduated† to a more sophisticated form of self-comfort—alcohol. She never came to a satisfactory conclusion as to why that comfort was so essential to her. â€Å"I still don’t know, today, if that hunger originated within the family or if it was something I was simply born with. In the end I don’t suppose it matters. You get your comfort where you can. † (p. 61). While Knapp faced few serious medical issues as a result of her alcoholism, she nonetheless suffered through the physical challenges her addiction brought such as the soon-daily hangovers, headaches and nausea. She suffered blackouts on occasion, and another woman one day remarked about all the tiny broken blood vessels on her nose—a classic sign of the habitual drinker. Knapp combined two addictions for a period of time; anorexia and alcoholism. She felt like the anorexia gave her control over her life, and the alcoholism made it possible for her to continue the anorexia. She notes during her anorexic phase that â€Å"I simply couldn’t stand the starving anymore, couldn’t go on without some kind of release from the absolute rigor and vigilance and self-control, and I’d go out and eat like crazy and drink like crazy. These episodes were usually preceded by some glimmer of insight into my own loneliness, some gnawing sense that my hunger was more than merely physical. † (Knapp, 1996, p. 141). The psychological consequences of this intense need for protection in the form of alcohol were many; Knapp notes several times how impossible it was to maintain any type of intimacy in relationships when she had a whole secret life that nobody else knew of. She felt she was one person at work the responsible, hard-working, intelligent and dedicated writer another with each of her boyfriends, another with her parents and siblings, and perhaps could only let her true self come through when she was alone with her lover, her glass of bourbon. Caroline felt an emptiness deep inside, that nothing could counteract except alcohol. She also felt an enormous sense of powerlessness in her own life, and described it in this way: â€Å"As a rule, active alcoholics are powerless people, or at least a lot of us tend to feel that way in our hearts. † (Knapp, 1996. p. 178). Perhaps because she was a classic example of the functioning alcoholic, few people in Caroline’s life ever mentioned her drinking to her as being a problem. When her mother told her that perhaps she was drinking a bit too much, Caroline promised she would only drink two drinks a day, no matter what. When she was unable to keep that promise, she found one excuse after another. Her own sister, while realizing the problem, skirted the issue with Caroline. While Becca didn’t come right out and say that she thought her sister was an alcoholic, Caroline felt shame because she knew on some level her sister knew. Friends and boyfriends alike, seemed to accept the fact that Caroline drank, never seeing much below that superficial level of awareness. Although there were moments of clarity when Knapp realized she must stop drinking, (such as the time she was drunkenly swinging her best friend’s two daughters around and fell down, narrowly missing injuring the children), in the end it was no one thing that prompted her to enter rehab. She felt that it would take â€Å"great courage to face life without anesthesia,† (Iaciofano, 2004, p. 13) yet, in the end, she was able to pull that very courage from somewhere deep inside herself. Ms. Knapp’s story, full of bad relationships, years of self doubt and pain, strong addictions and family issues, psychologically goes far beyond the disease of alcoholism itself, and offers tremendous insight into the gut-wrenching need for something to ease the pain that life inflicts. Ms. Knapp notes that â€Å"You take away the drink and you take away the single most important method of coping you have. How to talk to people without a drink†¦.. How to experience a real emotion—pain or anxiety or sadness—without an escape route, a quick way to anesthetize it. How to sleep at night. † (Knapp, 1996, p. 254). References Handrup, Cynthia Taylor. (July-September 1998). Drinking: A Love Story. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Retrieved April 20, 2006, from http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_qa3804/is_199807/ai_n8791537/print Iaciofano, Carol. (June 16, 2004). Lyrical Essays Trace a Woman’s Short Yet Rich Life. Globe. Retrieved April 21, 2006 from http://www. arlindo-correia. com/061203. html Knapp, Caroline. (1996). Drinking: A Love Story. New York, Bantam Dell, A Division of Random House.