Organized Crime Groups in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organized Crime Groups in UK - Essay Example If this the case then, who operates/ manages the affairs of these groups How are members recruited to join the groups Where do the finances for running the operations come from How are the gangs organized on such large scales to a point of attracting national or regional membership and loyalty to the group's operations The explanations to all the above questions may be hard to get yet apparently, the terror gangs do exist and form exhibit strong bonds that ensures that they operate in the way they desire. Some parts of the world especially Italy- Sicily and the United States of America, have experienced serious issues with the state and rate of crime within some parts of their nations. There seams to be well organized groups of criminal gangs that unleash terror and criminal acts against the masses and from the look of it, these groups may as well remain in operation for unknown periods apparently due to their careful organization. The crimes are operated in the circles of drug dealing where massive amounts of money are made, and other criminal acts like counterfeiting currencies and extortion. These and other forms of crimes have been perpetuated in the said areas by an outlawed secret society known as the Mafia. The mafia is a criminal society that is also know... The terror gangs are each referred to as a 'cosca' or a 'clan' or a 'family'. This criminal society has the widest membership from among Sicilian residents from where it was founded in the late 19th century but it also has audience and substantial following in the United States of America and in Australia. History The history of this criminal society dates back to the year of its initiation in 1812 where Sicily was undergoing through a transition from feudalism to capitalism. It is alleged this was the point at which the idea was conceived. Later when Sicily was then taken over by Italy in 1860, the idea was cemented. This transition period was marked by heavy criminal conduct where groups of bandits and artisan guilds utilized violence in plundering of people's property and as a way of enforcing law. For some reason, the Sicilian state was incapacitated from keeping law and order (Vaksberg 2007p24). The society at this point was predominantly rural and its membership comprised of plantation wardens and smugglers. The traditional setting of the society was only open to men though this rule has relaxed today to incorporate the women as well. The group flourished in the then lucrative citrus export industry in Palemo since the production system was fragile and hence provided an easy means of extortion. By the year 1898, its presence had cropped up into suburbs and the villages that bordered the city. These groups that operated in the suburbs and near the city were in full operation with evidences of criminal activities that included ransom kidnappings and robbery among other crimes. This group did on several occasions suffer organized repulsion from political forces that arose against their operations. In the year 1925, Benito Mussolini who was reigning

Interview Questions for Manager Profiles Essay Example for Free

Interview Questions for Manager Profiles Essay Q1.What do you think are the challenges for Hero MotoCorp at this moment? Q2.What steps would you take to meet the challenges? Â  Q3.Describe a situation in which you were required to handle an unsatisfactory customer. Q4.How has your previous company benefited from you? Â  Q5.What are the most important skills that are required for this job profile? Which of these do you have and don’t have? Q6.What life lessons does a management degree teach? Â  Q7. Tell us about a time when, as a team leader, you had to deal with a difficult situation professionally. How did you solve the issue keeping the team members in purview? Q8.What are the two significant trends in the two wheeler industry today? Q9.Describe a situation when you had to convince a non-supporting team member to consider your plan of action. Q10.What was your specialization in your management studies? Q11.What was going on in your mind when you decided on the management specialization subjects? Q12.How has your previous job experience helped you personally and professionally? Q13.Describe your usual work week. What kinds of works do you do as a manager? General Interview Questions for Hero MotoCorp Ltd Q1.Tell us something about yourself. Q2.What are your hobbies? Q3.What is your vision for Hero MotoCorp? Q4.How did you come to know about Hero MotoCorp? What made you apply here? Q5.Give us reasons why you want to work in this company and not any other. Q6.How do you think will you make a difference in the company? Q7.Which product or service of Hero MotoCorp interests you the most? Why? Q8.How do you see yourself 5 years from now? Q9.What is your expectation in terms of salary? Q10.Tell us about the competitors of Hero MotoCorp. How do these competitors rate in comparison to this company? Q11.How would you describe your role in Hero MotoCorp, if you are hired?

Fluoride Essay -- essays research papers

Fluoride Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in almost all foods and water supplies. The fluoride ion comes from the element fluorine. Fluorine, the 13th most abundant element in the earth's crust, is never encountered in its free state in nature. It exists only in combination with other elements as a fluoride compound. Fluoride is effective in preventing and reversing the early signs of tooth decay. Researchers have shown that there are several ways through which fluoride achieves its decay-preventive effects. It makes the tooth structure stronger, so teeth are more resistant to acid attacks. Acid is formed when the bacteria in plaque break down sugars and carbohydrates from the diet. Repeated acid attacks break down the tooth, which causes cavities. Fluoride also acts to repair areas in which acid attacks have already begun. The remineralization effect of fluoride is important because it reverses the early decay process as well as creating a tooth surface that is more resistant to decay. Community water fluoridation is the adjustment of the amount of the beneficial trace element fluoride found in water to provide for the proper protection of teeth. Fluoridation has been widely utilized in this country since 1945. It does not involve adding anything to the water that is not already there, since virtually all sources of drinking water in the United States contain some fluoride. Fluoridation is a form of nutritional supplementation that is not unlike the addition of vitamins to milk, breads and fruit drinks; iodine to table salt; and both vitamins and minerals to breakfast cereals, grains and pastas. The protection of fluoridation reaches community members in their homes, at work and at school -- simply by drinking the water. The only requirements for the implementation of fluoridation are the presence of a treatable centralized water supply and approval by appropriate decision makers. Some people believe that there are effective alternatives to community water fluoridation as a public health measure for the prevention of tooth decay in the United States. The fact of the matter is that while other community-based methods of systemic and topical fluoride delivery (i.e. school-based fluoride mouthwash or tablet programs) have been developed over the five decades that water fluoridation has been practiced, none is as effective as community water fluori... ...ny evidence to show that dental fluorosis is a precursor to any disease or dysfunction. Mild to moderate dental fluorosis is no more a pathological condition than is having freckles. There has never been a single valid, peer- reviewed laboratory, clinical or epidemiological study that showed that drinking water with fluoride at optimal levels caused cancer, heart disease, or any of the other multitude of diseases proclaimed by very small groups of antifluoridationists to be caused by fluoridation. Because fluoride is so effective, those fortunate enough to be provided with fluoridated water can count on an up to 40- to 50-percent reduction in the number of dental cavities they would have experienced without fluoridation. Fluoridation is an extremely cost-effective public health measure because the technology is so simple and the fluoride so inexpensive. Studies indicate that a $100,000 investment in water fluoridation prevents 500,000 cavities. Moreover, for each dollar invested in fluoridation, over $80 in dental treatment costs are prevented, amounting to an 80:1 benefit-to-cost ratio. Few disease prevention efforts, public or private, achieve that level of return on investment.

Girl Child Essay

The International Day of the Girl Child initiative began as a project of Plan International, a non-governmental organization that operates worldwide. The idea for an international day of observance and celebration grew out of Plan International’s Because I Am a Girl campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of nurturing girls globally and in developing countries in particular. Plan International representatives in Canada approached the Canadian federal government to seek support for the initiative.[1] A coalition of supporters raised awareness of the initiative internationally. International Day of the Girl Child was formally proposed as a resolution by Canada in the United Nations General Assembly. Rona Ambrose, Canada’s Minister for the Status of Women, sponsored the resolution; a delegation of women and girls made presentations in support of the initiative at the 55th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly voted to pass a resolution adopting October 11, 2012 as the inaugural International Day of the Girl Child.[2] The resolution states that the Day of the Girl recognizes The empowerment of and investment in girls, which are critical for economic growth, the achievement of all Millennium Development Goals, including the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty, as well as the meaningful participation of girls in decisions that affect them, are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights, and recognizing also that empowering girls requires their active participation in decision-making processes and the active support and engagement of their parents, legal guardians, families and care providers, as well as boys and men and the wider community

Cultural Awareness in Nursing Practice

Introduction In this essay my aim is to describe and discuss my own Filipino cultural background and how it might influence my nursing practice. Culture is our way of living (Wepa, 2005). It is also shaped by our values, beliefs, norms, and practices that are shared by members of the same cultural group (Giger & Davidhizar, 1995). I will be discussing some of the values and traits that we Filipinos have in common such as pagmamano and po at opo or gestures that show respect to our elders, kagandahang loob or shared humanity, (pakikipagkapwa-tao or regard for others, bayanihan or comradeship or cooperation and lastly, tiwala sa Diyos or trust in God. I will also include some of our shared traditions and beliefs and try to link my cultural experiences to my nursing practice. Brief Background of the Philippines Philippine is located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. Filipinos are basically of Malay ancestry, though proof of foreign influence can be trailed in our culture. We are actually a blend of different cultures rolled into one. For three centuries we were under the Spanish colony, as a result, there is a significant amount of Spanish and Mexican influence in our customs and traditions. Then later, under the American regime for four decades and their obvious contribution to us is the English language. Other ethnic groups such as the Chinese and Japanese have also influenced our way of living. Pagmamano, po at opo or gestures that show respect to our elders Pagmamano and po at opo or gestures that show respect to elders go hand in hand. Pagmamano is holding an elder’s one hand and placing on your forehead and the phrases po at opo are used to show respect and courtesy when talking to someone in authority and elder. Filipinos are not used to calling people in authority by their first names; we say their designation first before their name, as we consider calling them by their names as rude and mal educada or uneducated. I wish to take this trait of showing respect to the lders and to everyone in my nursing practice by advocating and protecting the rights of the client in order to prevent harm and recognizing their culture when it comes to collecting and storing health information (NCNZ, 2005). I can also apply this trait in my interaction with my colleagues by valuing their personal culture and contribution to the team. Kagandahang loob or shared humanity and Bayanih an or comradeship Kagandahang loob or shared humanity refers to being able to help others in time of needs. Related to this is the bayanihan or comradeship which Filipinos are famous for. We come in unity to help our family or the community in one spirit in attaining a common goal. Best example is in time of calamity; we gather together and extend our helping hands to those who need them without expecting in return. It is an act of selflessness, willing to be of service for other’s welfare. Showing hospitality to strangers is also an example of kagandahang loob that we are famous of, not that we are the only one that is hospitable. Even the humblest home along the road can be offered as a temporary shelter for a stranger who has lost his way. We consider it also impolite to not invite an unexpected visitor that arrived during mealtime, to sit down and share what we have on the table. In cases that the unexpected visitor needs to stay for the night, he or she will be offered the best room in the house to the extent of having the host to sleep in the sala or lounge. This trait I intend to instil in my nursing practice by being fair and truthful to my client and colleagues, by being competent in what I do thus preventing and ensuring that I am practising ethically. Shared traditions and beliefs When I was a child, my family had lived at our Lola’s (grandmother) rural home. She was a tough lady, always want everything tidy and in place. One dinner time, we were all sitting and having our meal quietly, no one was allowed to speak as it was her sacred rule that it was rude to talk while eating; she also had this habit of observing us, as if she’s waiting for us to make mistakes. She noticed that I wasn’t eating the head of the fish; she then called my attention and told me that I should eat the head of the fish as well because it makes us brighter and smarter. Thinking of what she said, I innocently asked her â€Å"how if the fish was dumb? †. I got into trouble by asking that. I grew up following traditions and believed many beliefs that have been passed down from many generations to the next. For instance, we have these beliefs in child rearing of causes of a child’s disability have something to do with the mother not following her dietary practises during pregnancy. For example, eating crabs would cause an unborn baby to have clubbed fingers and toes, eating dark foods such as grapes, squids and chocolates would make the baby to have dark skin.

How To Be More Productive With Your Spare Time

How To Be More Productive With Your Spare Time If there’s one thing most bloggers know about writing its that its very time consuming. And when time is money, you certainly can’t afford to waste it. My theory is, if you can be more productive even in 5 minutes, you will find that you end up writing more throughout the week with less time on your hands. I want to share a few secret habits of mine that have stuck around since I started content writing, and I’m sure have saved me hundreds of precious minutes and more than a few dollars. How To Be More Productive With Your Spare 5, 30, And 60 Minutes You are not alone in the struggle of writing. Most successful bloggers would not manage their over-stretched workload without amazing tools to help them save time and write more. The most efficient tools are ones you can use on the move in short periods of time, and if you’re anything like me, then you will understand how every moment can be used for something productive toward your writing. So here it is, how  to maximize your time, actually get more stuff done, and be more productive. Oh, and a quote to help you on your content writing way: Do. Or do not. There is no try. - Yoda How To Use  Your Spare 5 Minutes To Be More Productive You may wonder, "How can I achieve anything in 5 minutes?" The answer is simple: Do your micro tasks to free up time later on. This method to help you write more is super handy  when you’re on the go. Whether you are on the bus, train, or in between projects, 5 minutes can mean a lot.  You probably spend 5 minutes listening to a song and a half on your way to work. Here is what you can do instead: 1. Network. If you are in the blogging or content writing sphere, it is important to make and keep connections. You can spend 5 minutes either calling or sending a message to your blogger friend- make it a useful 5 minutes by asking them a question. Twitter chats are a really useful way of networking and a great place to ask questions that people actually reply to! 2. Be creative. Start that infographic/visual idea you always wanted to do. OK, it will inevitably take longer than 5 minutes, but forming the idea won't; it will give you the push to finally do it. Remember that innovation is a painstaking process, and every minute you have spare to process it is essential. Spend spare minutes on innovative ideas to increase your productivity.3. Create a quote. Ever wonder how people come up with all those lovely quotes in their writing? They spend 5 minutes coming up with them. By writing or searching for  two  quotes a day, you will find your blog writing becoming deeper and much more personal, and we all know readers love personal content, right? 4.  Share your content. Send a tweet to someone in your niche. In my opinion, this is one of the most useful things you can do with your 5 minutes. You can find people to connect with by searching for hashtags in your industry and find discussions to get involved in or influencers to ask questions. Oh, and always respond to someone who tweets you. Respond  immediately  or as soon as  possible. This will allow you to create a  relationship with your community. The larger community you build, the more  loyal your followers will be.   Another option is to go back over your old posts and share them. My secret habit: I like using Twitter for accessing events, even if I can’t attend them. By tweeting relevant posts with the event’s hashtag, you can revive traffic to old content and bring more people to your blog. You will meet influencers in your industry and your content will live a bit longer because people search for the event hashtag even days/weeks after it ended. Even better, this really does take only 5 minutes. 5. Use your surroundings  for visual inspiration in your content. EyeEm (Andoid, iOS) is a funky app you should download now. When you are traveling in your daily life, you can use this app to capture amazing shots that you can later add to your content, or even sell them to make money. Now if that isn’t being efficient, I don’t know what is. EyeEm helps you manage your pictures to capture visual inspiration for your content when you're on the go. My secret habit: I like to get unusual shots with my phone, even if it's of a cup of coffee or an empty bench. I keep these pictures for later and it sometimes gives me my most creative ideas. I've activated the automatic Google Drive backup, so every picture I take is saved in MyDrive. Take pictures as your content ideas. It helps you avoid stock photography, gives your content a personal story, and helps you use your spare time to be more productive. 6. Explore  catchy new hooks for your content. Portent's Title Maker  is probably one of my favorite tools for content creation. Basically, enter a keyword and it produces countless options of headlines. You don’t always have to take these headlines and literally use them in your post, you can also use them as a basis for exploring ideas. With 5 minutes, I’ve estimated you can come up with about  250 titles to work with. While the  Title Maker is quick and easy, it's still a robot.  So there are times where the headlines comes out a little like gibberish or not grammatically correct. This is why Portent is an excellent idea finder, and  once you find your idea, you can then use 's  headline analyzer  to check your SEO score and make sure your headlines will get clicks. My secret habit: If I’m having a bad writing day, I like to put the names of famous people as the subject. Some of the results have really brightened up my day and motivated me in the rest of my writing. Start with Justin Bieber. How To Use Your Spare 30 Minutes To Be More Productive OK, so in 30 minutes you might be able to achieve something more meaningful when it comes to actual content writing. The amount of time it takes to watch an episode of How I Met Your Mother is the same amount of time you could use to create new content ideas. Now I am all for sitcom TV and downtime Facebook stalking, but when statistics show that we spend 1.77 hours a day on social media, it's time to make a change. Here are 3 things you could do instead: 1. Refresh those old blog posts with more up to date research. Your readers will appreciate the attention you give to all of your content. 2. Reply to all your blog comments. This is a crucial way of engaging your audience and create discussion around your topics. 3. Add a to your posts. Encouraging sharing is one of the best ways of getting more exposure for your work. 3 ways to improve your #content  instead of binge watching Netflix.Save awesome content to read later when you have spare time. Pocket is my new favorite tool. It  will help you bookmark information you want to read for later. This idea will save you time for when you come to sit down and write. Instead of spending 1–2 hours researching, you will already have a list of great articles to refer to. And the best part about this tool is that it works within other apps you might be using like Flipboard or Twitter. My secret habit: My favorite place to Pocket articles from is Feedly. This way, I can browse multiple articles and bookmark the ones I want to read for later. It's almost a daily habit now, and this way I have a constant stream of articles to read when I have more time. Brainstorm new ideas. bubbl.us is a fantastic brain mapping tool to get your ideas flowing. Start by inputting a core idea and see your idea grow. You can use it either as a desktop version or download the app on your iPhone or Android device. My secret habit: 30 minutes is really quite a long time to brainstorm one topic. I sometimes like to go over two topics,  15 minutes each, leaving more time for writing when I get to the latter topic. Take a break. I know that this one sticks out like a sore thumb, but it’s supposed to! Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to do everything in one day. Having a 30-minute break from your writing is just as important as being productive with the time you have. The more relaxed you are, the more creative you will be, so put your computer/phone/tablet on hibernate and take a walk outside. Really: A study by the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology found that participants who took 20-minute breaks for progressive relaxation (like meditation) came back to work more productive than when they left. Even better if you are at home:  Have a power nap.  They're proven to improve concentration and performance, which is essential to any writer. How To Use 1 Hour  To  Be More Productive With one hour to spare, you might not feel there is enough time to really sit and get into that blog post you’ve been meaning to write. There are other things you could be doing to get more writing done in this short amount of time: Reinvent your content with LinkedIn Publisher. Most people these days have LinkedIn for connection building reasons, but not every blogger is using it as a tool for content distribution. With one hour, you can repurpose (rewrite) an older blog post and start building a presence on this platform. You will be doubling your writing output without even realizing it. LinkedIn is more effective with articles that offer real solutions for problems or insights that have been backed by research. So try to take the core elements from previously published posts and put a new angle on them. Once you rewrite your post, share it in many different LinkedIn groups for maximum exposure. My secret habit: I like to connect with people who  comment on my posts on LinkedIn. They are often from the same niche that I come from, and I find that this technique has led to valuable leads such as guest posting. Repurpose your content with SlideShare. I love using this tool when I don’t have time to write a full post. 1 hour is enough to get together a good SlideShare. For example, if you wrote a few posts on a specific topic, you can turn them into an informative SlideShare that will attract different readers to your site. Whether it’s to repurpose content or to get some more content out on a different medium, this is a great tool to help you write more in less time. Oh, did I mention it's free? My secret habit: If you've ever  presented anywhere, upload your slides to SlideShare.  With the right tags, you can reach thousands of interested readers which will bring them back to your site. This means you are maximizing your writing through several channels. Learn how to do what you do  even better with Coursera. There are so many online learning courses available, it’s quite amazing. Coursera is one of the best platforms that offers a variety of different lectures. In an hour, you can improve your writing skills, learn how to code your WordPress blog, or even get to grips with your Google Analytics. These courses may not be directly related to writing, though developing these skills will save you time in other aspects of your day that will eventually give you more time for writing. The Extras That Will Save You Time These are tools I recommend if you are looking for that extra something to get you writing more in less time: 1.  E.gg  Timer:  A typical problem  for content writers is actually sitting and writing for a block period of time without doing something else. If you recognize this behavior, start restricting your  time  with E.gg Timer. All you need to do is write how much time you want to focus for, and you will get a notification reminding you it's tea time. Try and stick with it and you will find your workflow increases and improves. 2.  TrenDemon:  I’ve been wanting to use a popup subscriber for a while (sorry, I know we hate to love them) and I found that TrenDemon has great A/B testing methods. They have a free plan for publishers, so I recommend this as a starting point for optimizing your blog subscribing process. By worrying less about picking up subscribers, you will be giving yourself much more time for actual writing. 3.  GetResponse:  If you’re looking for a way to save time for writing, you should stop using that Excel sheet for your subscriber email database. Firstly, it’s not secure, and secondly, it's so time consuming having to send all of the email newsletters yourself. GetResponse is a great option for blogs with more than  1,000 subscribers who want to have easy access to newsletter designs that can be sent automatically. They have a 30-day free trial that is worth checking out, with many cool features like inbox preview that lets you see what your newsletter will look like across different platforms. I hope these tips have helped you get ahead of the time game to help you write more in your busy schedules. My overall general habit is to try and find productive creative outputs in everything that I do. I know it’s not always possible, but this dedication to your writing will become easier over time, and you will find yourself writing more as you get used to this new way of being productive with your time. Just get your free copy of the productivity template to  try out some of these tips the next time you have a few spare minutes.

Package essays

Package essays Today, products competition of the international market has many elements. Product price, quality, and package design are the three main elements. On the road to the market, good package design is an important strategy. The effect of an excellent Package to increase the product sale is not less powerful than a commercial. The prerequisite for a product are first tally with the criterion, and second attractive to customers. The excellent package must have a brand name which is easy to read and remember; have an eye-catching style to attract the customers when they were walking by shelves, and they will have the impulse to pick it up; have a simply and well-written description in order to express the product features; have to embody the prestige of the product to enhance customers trust; have particular colors to attract different consumers; have to concern about the environmental protection. Use paper, glass or recyclable package to replace the plastic package. The package that I select is from Missys Home Style Cheese Cake. Its a new product. They package of this cheesecake is different from others. Here is how this package fulfills the six basic packaging functions: containment and protection, usage, communication, segmentation, channel cooperation, and new-product planning. First one is the containment and protection function, Missys Home Style Cheesecake use recyclable plastic container and plastic transparent cover to store, and its vacuum. The container is also hard to break. They also use the cardboard box to pack again. The size of the two packages is similar to protect the cheesecake, and it because they will not strike each other. The sealing up of the plastic container and the cardboard box also make it secure to purchase. Second function is the usage. The net weight of Missys Home Style Cheesecake is only 3 ounce. The size of the cheesecake is small. It is designed as a snack. The s...

Easy Guide to Making Lesson Plans for Adult Students

Easy Guide to Making Lesson Plans for Adult Students Lesson plans for adult education arent difficult to design. Follow these easy steps and see how effective you can be. Every good course design begins with a needs assessment. For our purposes here, we’re going to assume you’ve completed this assessment and you understand what your students need and what your objectives are for the course you’re designing. If you don’t know your objectives, you’re not ready to design your course. Like any gathering of people for any reason, it’s good to begin at the beginning and address who is there, why they’ve gathered, what they hope to accomplish, and how they’ll accomplish it. Welcome and Introduction Build in 30 to 60 minutes at the opening of your class to conduct introductions and review your objectives and agenda. Your beginning will look something like this: Greet participants as they arrive.Introduce yourself and ask participants to do the same, giving their name and sharing what they expect to learn from the class. This is a good time to include an icebreaker that loosens people up and makes them feel comfortable sharing.Try a fun classroom introduction for the first day of school.Write their expectations on a flip chart or whiteboard.State the objectives of the course, explaining why certain expectations on the list either will or won’t be met.Review the agenda.Review housekeeping items: where the restrooms are, when the scheduled breaks are, that people are responsible for themselves and should take a restroom break early if they need one. Remember, you’re teaching adults. Module Design Divide your material into 50-minute modules. Each module will contain a warm up, a short lecture or presentation, an activity, and a debriefing, followed by a break. At the top of each page in your teacher’s guide, note the time needed for each section and the corresponding page in the student’s workbook. Warm Up Warm-ups are short exercises (5 minutes or shorter) that get people thinking about the topic you are about to cover. It can be a game or simply a question. Self-assessments make good warm-ups. So do icebreakers. For example, if you’re teaching learning-styles, a learning-style assessment would be a perfect warm up. Lecture Keep your lecture to 20 minutes or less if possible. Present your information in full, but remember that adults generally stop retaining information after about 20 minutes. They will listen with understanding for 90 minutes, but with retention for only 20. If you’re preparing a participant/student workbook, include a copy of the primary learning points of your lecture, and any slides you’re planning to use. It’s good for students to take notes, but if they have to furiously write everything, down, you’re going to lose them. Activity Design an activity that gives your students an opportunity to practice what they just learned. Activities that involve breaking into small groups to complete a task or to discuss an issue are good ways to keep adults engaged and moving. It is also a perfect opportunity for them to share the life experience and wisdom they bring to the classroom. Be sure to build in opportunities to take advantage of this wealth of relevant information. Activities can be personal assessments or reflections that are worked on quietly and independently. Alternatively, they can be games, role play, or small group discussions. Choose your activity based on what you know about your students and on the content of your class. If you are teaching a hands-on skill, hands-on practice is a great option. If you are teaching a writing skill, a quiet writing activity may be the best choice.   Debriefing After an activity, it’s important to bring the group back together and have a general discussion about what was learned during the activity. Ask for volunteers to share reactions. Ask for questions. This is your chance to make sure the material was understood. Allow for 5 minutes. It doesn’t take long unless you discover that learning hasn’t happened. Take a 10-minute Break It’s important to get adult students up and moving every hour. This takes a bite out of your available time, but it’ll be well worth it because your students will be far more attentive when the class is in session, and you’ll have fewer interruptions from people who have to excuse themselves. Tip While breaks are important, it’s crucial that you manage them well and begin again precisely on time, regardless of stragglers, or chatter will get carried away. Students will learn quickly that class begins when you said it would, and you’ll gain the respect of the entire group. Evaluation End your courses with a short evaluation to determine whether or not your students found the learning valuable. Emphasis on the short. If your evaluation is too long, students wont take the time to complete it. Ask a few important questions: Were your expectations of this course met?What would you have liked to learn that you didnt?What was the most helpful thing you learned?Would you recommend this class to a friend?Please share comments about any aspect of the day. This is just an example. Choose questions that are relevant to your topic. Youre looking for answers that will help you improve your course in the future.

Organizational structure and culture of GE and Google Essay

Organizational structure and culture of GE and Google - Essay Example GE has been able to attract leaders with an extraordinary combination of attributes: passion, vision, and deep sensitivity to the huge issues that challenge the world around them. It is made up of employees who are self-driven to make a difference. When it comes to the kind of environment, GE is the best place to work in. it has a high-performance culture that particularly emphasizes high-integrity business practices as well as work balance. GE’s CEO says, â€Å"We believe a company can accomplish more even as it does well.† This belief drives GE’s organizational practice from the philanthropic efforts of its foundation to the millions of volunteer hours donated by the employees to community initiatives worldwide.It’s really the people that make it the kind of company it is. â€Å"We hire smart and determined people and we favor ability over experience,† said Google CEO. Although the people of Google share common goals and visions for the company, t hey hail from all walks of life and speak a number of languages, reflecting the global audience that they serve. Google pursues interests ranging from beekeeping to recycling, from foxtrot to Frisbee, when not at work. Google strives to maintain the open culture often associated with startups, in which everyone is a contributor and feels comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. Google’s offices and cafes are designed to motivate and encourage interactions between Google members across and within teams and to spark conversation about play as well as work.

Principles of Finance 1 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Principles of Finance 1 - Term Paper Example The risk and return of the proposed investment project requires a study of the project’s cash flows. To analyze the profitability of the investment project, one method that may be done is to make use of the net present value (NPV) method. NPV is the difference between the present value of cash inflows and the present value of cash outflows. A positive NPV means that the project is acceptable while a negative NPV means that the project is not profitable. Once a decision has been reached to undergo the project, the next step is to determine the sources of financing and establish the appropriate financing mix. Here lies the decision on whether to use debt or equity to maximize the value of the investment. Also, the source of financing should match the nature of the asset being financed. If a decision is made to finance the project through debt, it must also be determined whether it will be a long-term debt or a short-term debt. Long-term debt can be a term loan with a bank or a b ond issuance. A bond is like a loan because it is also a debt instrument. It is issued for a period of more than a year with the purpose of raising capital for borrowing. Its difference from a term loan is that it is generally offered to the public rather than to a single lender or a small group of lenders.

Prepare a brief summary report on 3 key employment relations issues Essay - 1

Prepare a brief summary report on 3 key employment relations issues for an Australian company about to expand its operations into a country in Europe or Asia - Essay Example Such expansion is usually a resultant of continuous profit making and can either be within or without the business host country. When looking to expand a business into another country, it is vital to take into contemplation numerous factors. The employment relation issue is one key factor including others such as the costs of operations in that business and the trade market exchange prevailing in the country. All these factors are taken into account prior to such ventures in preparation for all and any situations that might arise (Dascalova, 2008: p.82). In an instance like this where an enterprise is venturing all the way into another continent, it is of upmost importance that research and such preparations conducted. This highly attributes to the fact that such places depict remarkably different environments and operational responsibilities, laws and regulations. Employment relations issues mainly deal with the pertinent issues between a business or employer and its employees. The management of employee relations is paramount in ensuring that the business ideals and goals are upheld while also catering for the rights of employees. It advocates for a win-win position on both sides of the business and employees. The business may, for example, may manage this relation by establishing of regulations regarding discipline, performance, conflict of interests and conduct. Employees, on the other hand, are safeguarded labor laws and regulations, employee unions and rights groups among others (Walters, 2011:42). India, a country in Asia is well known for its large involvement in commercial and technological development. It is also highly densely populated and developed thus making it a significant target market for most companies. Due to this, the country has stipulated substantial labor laws that are as a hindrance for the current slow pace in developmental growth (McNair, 2009: p.2). There are various employment relation issues in the country that would have

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Paraphrase - Essay Example Bad academic problems and financial problems are other signs (Donatelle). One addictive behaviour is excessive use of technology. People have become increasingly dependent on such gadgets as iPads and phones that provide them with better access to online information. Donatelle suggests that people addicted to technology can be identified by certain behaviors they exhibit including lack of sleep, lack of fulfilment of responsibilities toward their friends and family, excitement while using technology, bad performance, problems in family, social exclusion, and financial problems. Drug abuse is about consuming banned substances. Despite their legal authorization, drugs are misused. It is noteworthy that drug abuse is done for particular reasons and is not a deliberate action. Disproportionate or unnecessary use of drugs is described as drug abuse (Donatelle). Drug abuse mostly happens when the individual gets addicted to it. Drug misuse mainly causes its abuse. Drug abuse has long-term effects whereas drug misuse has mostly short-term effects. Alcohol’s effect on body and health can be categorized into short and long-term effects. Examples of short-term effects are disrupted sleep, headache, vomiting, problematic breathing, inaudible vocalization, and deteriorated memory. Examples of long-term effects include illnesses related to alcohol like liver disease, throat cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, oesophagus cancer. Other effects include brain and nerve damage, social problems, sexual problems, and poor performance (Donatelle). Smoking also causes several short-term and long-term effects just like any other substance that is abused. Cigarettes contain nicotine which is very addictive. Tar and carbon monoxide present in the cigarettes cause lungs cancer and mouth cancer. This is smoking’s main long-term effect. Other effects experienced

Understanding managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Understanding managment - Essay Example The LIPC Integration Plc is a company undergoing a revolt from its employees from the aspects of introduction of new techniques within the payment system of the company. Further, the LIPC Integration Plc management team is adopting a rather different approach to the compensation strategies of the employees, a development that is not receiving the support of the employees. Thus, the bureaucratic approach by the management is raising varied issues within the given departments of the company employees. The suggestion to compensate employees depending on the given actual grade performance is raising mixed reactions for the employees and the complaints are virtually reaching a heightened level of aggravation. The issues in consideration at the management level include that the management is unwilling to increment the pay for the workers. The organization management is unwilling to adopt a different work structure for the workers as they are requesting, a factor that is reflecting their pr actice of the classical theory, which has the core characteristic of being too rigid and authoritative. This classical theory is in effect casing defect in the successful implementation of the proposed changes I the organizational management of the employee needs. The classical theory helps the organizational management to focus on its structure and the planned economic rewards rather than the individual freedoms and a conducive working environment. This establishment is affecting the approach of effective management that LIPC Integration Plc could adopt to manage the needs and expectations of the workers. The workers approach to the position undertaken by the organization is another perspective that is key to understanding the accommodation of the organizational theories in the management process. The workers in the design department have reiterated their

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Paraphrase - Essay Example Bad academic problems and financial problems are other signs (Donatelle). One addictive behaviour is excessive use of technology. People have become increasingly dependent on such gadgets as iPads and phones that provide them with better access to online information. Donatelle suggests that people addicted to technology can be identified by certain behaviors they exhibit including lack of sleep, lack of fulfilment of responsibilities toward their friends and family, excitement while using technology, bad performance, problems in family, social exclusion, and financial problems. Drug abuse is about consuming banned substances. Despite their legal authorization, drugs are misused. It is noteworthy that drug abuse is done for particular reasons and is not a deliberate action. Disproportionate or unnecessary use of drugs is described as drug abuse (Donatelle). Drug abuse mostly happens when the individual gets addicted to it. Drug misuse mainly causes its abuse. Drug abuse has long-term effects whereas drug misuse has mostly short-term effects. Alcohol’s effect on body and health can be categorized into short and long-term effects. Examples of short-term effects are disrupted sleep, headache, vomiting, problematic breathing, inaudible vocalization, and deteriorated memory. Examples of long-term effects include illnesses related to alcohol like liver disease, throat cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, oesophagus cancer. Other effects include brain and nerve damage, social problems, sexual problems, and poor performance (Donatelle). Smoking also causes several short-term and long-term effects just like any other substance that is abused. Cigarettes contain nicotine which is very addictive. Tar and carbon monoxide present in the cigarettes cause lungs cancer and mouth cancer. This is smoking’s main long-term effect. Other effects experienced

Macro O Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Macro O - Assignment Example The impressive employment and inflation figures in Germany may be attributed to sound economic policies that the country has held over the years. For instance, by reducing public spending and ensuring high standards of accountability in the government’s system, Germany was able to withstand the turbulent effects of the European debt crisis that affected some European countries, though the debt crises affected other Eurozone members leading to the current inflation rate in Germany. The country has the Euro as its main currency though undervalued compared to Deutschmark’s real value. Moreover, Germany is one of the countries that have managed to raise the working hour flexibility and reduction in structural unemployment. These factors have been critical in sustaining Germany’s economy, leading to a sound job market that translates in a low unemployment rate. Strong fiscal policies in public spending and deficit cuts have led Germany to reduce its debt burdens, a si gnificant step towards controlling its inflation rates. However, Germany’s unemployment rate may be blamed on its transition system of education that holds many youths in vocational schools, which hardly translate to real job opportunities. Such transition schools do not offer skills that are relevant in the market, with graduates from these centres failing to secure jobs. One way to reduce the unemployment rate is to deal with policies that would encourage Foreign Direct investments, FDIs. Currently, FDI in Germany stands at $40.4 billion (Heritage Foundation, 2013). This is not enough for a country with a sound economy and better export terms than its Eurozone members are. By attracting FDIs, more economic activities will spur across the country, suggesting more employment and reduced inflation rates. 2. German fiscal policies are designed with a view to reduce unemployment levels and prevent any recessionary forces in the economy. For instance, in 2010, the government had to cut more than 14 million euros in taxes; in 2011, the government agreed to cut another 24 million in income taxes (Stifftung, 2013). The benefit of tax cuts as a fiscal policy in Germany was that the government managed to close a significant recession gap. The result was stimulated economic growth through encouraged consumption. Furthermore, the economy had a better chance to readjust while the government concentrates more in job creation. This explains why Germany has a stable economy considering the low taxation and increased employment opportunities. However, the disadvantage was that the government through these tax cuts reduced its budgetary allocations to important sectors in the development of the country. The country could have funded social development projects with the huge amounts of taxes forfeited in tax cuts. The European Central Bank is mainly responsible for Germany’s monetary policies (Stifftung, 2013). When the bank raises interest rates to curb rising in flation rates, the result is a change in the cost of living considering commodities will have unstable prices as a response to the interest rates increase. Most Germans would have to save rather than spend, faced increased costs of borrowing that hampered developments and higher interests rates for government debts. The increase would have a negative effect on both the government and Germans in general and may have slowed down development. However, such an increase in interest rates

Inclusive Classrooms Essay Example for Free

Inclusive Classrooms Essay The Success of Inclusive Classrooms Introduction Inclusive classroom is the cause of debates between families with children who have learning disabilities and those that do not have children with learning disabilities (Brehm, 2003). Inclusion can be understood as Brehm states it, Providing to all students, including those with significant disabilities, equitable opportunities to receive effective education; services, with the needed supplementary aids and support services, in age-appropriate classrooms in their neighborhood schools, in order to prepare students for productive lives as full members of society. (2003, p. 89) With the collaboration of the school and home, inclusive classrooms can be successful. Students who have learning disabilities and those who do not have learning disabilities will have the opportunity to develop in a personal fashion, social relationships, and helps students with learning disabilities become â€Å"productive†¦ as full members of society† (Brehm, 2003, p. 89). Inclusive classrooms are consistent with the law that all students should be educated in the least restrictive environment (Banerji Dailey, 1995). Results Some are opposed inclusion because they believe it will be costly for the school. One school wanted to test inclusive classrooms in their own school and to see the effects. They froze their budget so the public cannot attribute their success to an increase in expenses (Van Dyke, Stallings, Colley, 1995). Their per-pupil expenditures for students with learning  disabilities were slightly lower than neighboring schools. Since all students were included in the general education the budget was reformed (not increased) to support that. For example, the school did not have to provide separate transportation for students with special needs nor did the district have to pay private tuition for the students they could not accommodate. The school had â€Å"educational supplies† as opposed to separate supplies for the regular education classes and the special education classes (Van Dyke, et al. 1995). Another criticism is that the training needed for teachers, the workshops for school staff, and the collaboration that is needed to make inclusion successful will take a lot of extra time (Van Dyke, et al. 1995). That is true. However, the training and education teachers receive is valuable and improves their teaching to typical students and special students. The benefits that are gained by all students is worth the time (Benerji Dailey, 1995). Lastly, after a few trainings teachers learn how to run an inclusive classroom so less time is needed for workshops. If we implement the proper education for inclusion in college, teachers will begin teaching with greater skills and knowledge of how to run an inclusive classroom. Another concern is that students with learning disabilities do not necessarily do better academically in an inclusive setting compared to the special education classes. Through research it has been found that after one year of inclusive classrooms in three different districts, 54% of the students with learning disabilities learned what they were exp ected to (Zigmund, Jenkins, Fuchs, Fafard, 1995). That number was only given after one year of inclusion classroom. The success stories will keep growing if inclusion is done with the right focus and method. Classrooms are an introduction to the community that we live in. Children with disabilities need to be in regular classrooms to help them prepare for the challenges that will arise in the â€Å"real world,† (Van Dyke, et al. 1995). Segregating students puts a label on them that they are different and are therefore treated differently. But, really they are apart our community so they should be part of our schools (Van Dyke, et al. 1995). As, Van Dyke, Stallings, and Colley state, â€Å"To be truly prepared to take part in the real world as adults, children with disabilities need to be educated in language rich classrooms and to interact daily with peers who are appropriate role models† (p. 475, 1995). There are tremendous social gains for students in inclusive  e nvironments. Included students have higher peer ratings and are more accepted compared to students in the resource program (Brehm, 2003). According to the research that was done by Benjeri and Dailey (2003), students with learning disabilities improved in their self-esteem and motivation. Students also changed in their social behavior, which helped them make friends and be part of a group of friends (Benjeri Dailey, 2003). In addition, students learned to care for one another, to learn and work together. One teacher reported that while all the students were at free play, the teachers were standing around and watching them. One teacher jokingly said that the teachers were not needed anymore because the students have learned to interact and problem solve with one another without the intervention of a teacher (Benjeri Dailey, 1995). The students without disabilities also gain from inclusive classrooms. Firstly, students learned to accept all types of people no matter what they look like and value the differences of their classmates. They learned that everyone has something valuable to share. Students were less afraid of their classmates that looked or behaved differently. The students learning effected the parents too. In an ethnographic yearlong study it was found tha t students became more tolerant with others as a result of their awareness of their peers with disabilities (Staub Peck, 1994). Additionally, the study has shown that students developed positive feeling of themselves after they helped or spent time with a peer who was disabled. Their self-esteem was increased as a result of their interactions with their peers. They felt that their â€Å"helping role† with a disabled peer elevated their status in the classroom and gave them a stronger sense of belonging. The relationships between students with all different types of abilities were strong, meaningful, and long-lasting friendships (Staub Peck, 1994). We can facilitate successful inclusion in our classrooms with the right intervention, approaches, and supports. Most importantly, there must be collaboration between the school psychologist or social worker, the special education teacher, the general education teacher, the principal, and the home. Everyone has to be informed and i n agreement. When there is unity between all the parties involved in a child’s education, the child has a sense of security and can be educated in the best possible way (Van Dyke, et al., 1995). Support systems must be put in place for the teachers to turn to for advice and to help with instruction in the  classroom. The teachers should meet with a special education teacher and teacher consultant to discuss strategies for their classroom. Every classroom should have a general education teacher and a special education teacher who will be in the classroom for a part of the day and a co-teacher. Trainings and workshops should be given to educate teachers about effective inclusion and instruction (Van Dyke, et al., 1995). One up-and-coming new style of teaching is known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This style of teaching meets the needs of all learners. UDL encourages teachers to create a flexible curriculum that is customized for each student. It allows students to progress from where they are and not where one imagines them to be. For an inclusive classroom, UDL is especially important because there are different learners and each child needs to learn at his o wn pace (www.udlcenter.org). The curriculum should include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles. Assistive technology such as alternative keyboards, electronic pointing devices, Sip-and-puff systems, wands and sticks, joysticks, trackballs, touch screens, should be available for any student. Assistive technology makes the classroom a friendlier place for a student who needs it. UDL offers different ways for students to express themselves and what they have learned. Students learn how to self-regulate their emotions and motivations. They don’t just learn information rather, they learn skills in how to learn and process information. They also expand their executive functioning which helps them set goals for themselves, monitor their progress, and control impulsions (www.udlcenter.org). Discussion Based on the research that was read, inclusion is an ideal way of teaching our children about the world and social relationships. The classroom is a model of a child’s community. Every child belongs to a community and so does every child deserve the chance to receive the best education in the least restrictive environment (Van Dyke, et al., 1995). Inclusive classrooms teach the skills and life lessons to all the students of all types of abilities. Students develop healthier self-esteems, learn how to interact with each other and problem solve together. Students become more accepting of others differences and learn to look out for each individuals unique traits. Inclusion removes the labels that make others different and not good enough.  It lets the classroom be a growing place for all no matter the disabilities (Van Dyke, et al., 1995). The key to Inclusion is communication. The school and the home must be involved in aspects of the child’s education . Teachers need to be trained and taught how to be effective in an inclusive classroom (Van Dyke, et al., 1995). Additionally, UDL will help the curriculum be shaped to help each child succeed in their own way (www.udlcener.org). The limitations of this paper is that it does not state what types of disabilities should be included in the classroom and at what level of functioning a student must be to be included. The paper does not discuss whether a pull out program may be needed or not and to what extent it can be used. References: Benerji, M., Dailey, R. A. (1995). A Study of the Effects of an Inclusive Model on Students with Specific Learning Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(8), p511-522. doi: 10.1177/002221949502800806 Brehm, K. (2003). Lessons to Be Learned and the End of the Day. School Psychology Quarterly, 18(1), p.88-95. doi:10.1521/scpq.18.1.88.20875 http://www.udlcenter.org/ Staub, D., Peck, C. A. (1994). What Are the Outcomes for Nondisabled Students? Educaional Leadership, 6, p36-40. Retrieved from http://rdas-proxy.mercy.edu:3176/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4bf1b7b5-27eb-4c47-9b29-43509138eaff%40sessionmgr110vid=4hid=125 Van Dyke, R., Stallings, M. A., Colley, K. (1995). How to Build an Inclusive Community: A Success Story. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, p475-479. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218474563?accountid=12387 Zigmond, N., Jenkins, J., Fuchs, L. S., Fafard, M. (1995). Special Education in Restructured Schools: Findings from Three Multi-Year Studies. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(7), p531-540. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218510466?accountid=12387

Antecedents of Safety Performance Behaviours: A Review

Antecedents of Safety Performance Behaviours: A Review Occupational safety is a vital issue that is affecting peoples lives and also countries economies dramatically. As the necessity of preventing the occupational accidents and illnesses occur, more researches are conducted to understand and improve the conditions that cause the hazards. (Neal Griffin, 2006) In this essay, the antecedents of performance safety behaviours would be critically reviewed. Work safety and the accident measures are vital for preventing the injuries and the occupation related illnesses. According to the data of HSE (Health and Safety Executive) Statistics 2009/2010; in UK, 152 people died at workplace 1,3 million worker are suffering from occupational based illnesses , 354 430 worker had injured (reportable and other injuries). The accidents and occupational illnesses also have an economic effect as 28,5 million work days were lost in total based on the injuries and illnesses. (The Health and Safety Executive, UK, 2010) The dramatic effect of occupational accidents and illnesses on human and economy forces for new precautions and further researches to improve the conditions that would affect the health of the workers. According to Fernà ¡ndez-Muà ±iz, Montes-Peà ³n Và ¡zquez-Ordà ¡s (2007) , for recovering from the recent situation in occupational injuries and illnesses, safety culture has an increasing interest by several fields. According to the research they have conducted on 455 Spanish companies, they have found out that the managers in the companies has direct and indirect vital roles in the means of providing a safety culture which effects the workers safe behaviour. Managers can affect the workers by founding a management system which would enforce the safety regulations and activities. Managers can also guide them to desired behaviour that would help them to improve a safer work environment. Safety culture is an important concept that comes to life after the Chernobyl disaster although there were studies examining the companies in the means of the effects of the policies, behaviours and precautions to their safety performance. One of the oldest theory is Heinrichs Domino theory (1930s) which is based on the five dominos that would fall in an accident sequence as the first one is social environment conducive to accidents and the others are fault of person. Even though lots of research had been conducted after this theory, safety culture is not totally clear in the means of understanding and implementation. Despite the organizational differences defined by industrial, regional, national, technological, companies experiences, managements view on safety culture, legal regulations, there are still common points that would define an efficient safety culture. In a successful safety culture, the workers should be aware of all the risks in their work and also they should be know and practice all the precautionary measures for their own safety. The workers also should be cautious about the new potential risks and inform the management about practices and developments.(Ostrom, Wilhesen Kaplan,1993) Safety Performance behaviours are strongly related with safety motivation and knowledge. Psychological and group safety climates are also has vital effects on the safety performance behaviours however group safety climate has the strongest association in the means of accidents and injuries. (Christian, Bradley, Wallace Burke, 2009) Neal and Griffin, (2006) argues that occupational performance is an efficient way to examine the relationship between safety behaviour and safety climate. Neal and Griffin, (2002) had divided the safety behaviour in to two as safety participation and safety compliance. Safety participation is related with the performance such as safety trainings, interaction with the other workers in the safety concerns, that is not particularly related with the workers own safety however sustain an organizational culture to improve safety at the workplace. Safety compliance is related with the workers performance that is needed to sustain the occupational safety such as wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) and comply with the organizational regulations. Christian et all., (2009) categorize antecedents as person related (proximal and distal antecedents) or situation related (safety climate and leadership) . Safety knowledge and safety motivation are determined as the proximal antecedents. Safety knowledge is important in the means of the personal fulfilment of the safety rules and actions. (Neal Griffin, 2002) As knowledge has a positive connection with performance behaviour it would also improve the success of the safety performance because the worker who had the related knowledge would behave safer. (Christian et all., 2009) Safety motivation is vital in the means of the workers motivation to fulfil safety rules and required actions. (Neal Griffin, 2002). Christian et all.(2009) assumes safety motivation positively effect the improvement in the number of accidents. Clarke and Robertson (2005), used the big five personality factors to examine their relation with the accidents. According to their research, low agreeableness and conscientiousness were found as related with the accident involvement. Even though highly extraverted workers might be considered as more likely to have accidents, the relation between extraversion and work place accidents were found invalid. The workers who have higher neuroticism are more likely to have problems in risky situations than the others and also because they could easily get demotivated they are more likely to have experience accidents. Christian et all., (2009) also used the big five personality factors to examine their relation with the accidents. By considering the conscientious workers features as being more responsible, dependable, and also more positively related to motivation than the other workers who has lower conscientiousness levels, they are less likely to have occupational accidents. Also as Clarke and Robertson, (2005) had founded, Christian et. all, (2009) suggests the workers who have higher neuroticism would have lower safety performance behaviour and higher chances to encounter to an accident. Locus of control is one of the big five personality factors. It is one of the most researched areas in psychology with self-esteem and neuroticism. (Judge, Erez, Bono Thoresen, 2002) The workers who have internal locus of control are more concerned in the safety issues where as the workers who has external locus of control are less likely to concern the safety. (Christian et. All, 2009) Propensity for risk taking is one of the big five personality factors that concerns about the reason why some people decide to perform more risky behaviours than the others. To examine the reasons that would cause the risky behaviours would enable the management to found better working risk management systems. According to the research, the tendency of risk consciousness is higher than it was before over the job markets not only about the financial risks but also the occupational accidents. (Nicholson, Soane, Fenton-OCreevy, Willman,2005) Safety climate can be defined as a concept that includes the safety policies, strategies and actions for providing the safety in the organisation. Otherwise safety culture is related with the beliefs and values that are shared by workers in the means of their reactions on the safety risks and management systems. The researches on safety climate generally concentrate on the main configuration of safety climate and also examines the connection between safety climate and outcome variables. Several researches were carried out to describe the safety climate hence they couldnt compromise on the main scope of safety climate as they provide an extensive scale of various main configurations. (Neal Griffin, 2002) As the former researches refers to a considerable connection between safety climate and accident involvement, (Clark, 2006) argues that safety climate has a small relation with occupational accidents even though it is successful in estimating the safety performance behaviours. Organizational safety climate has more effect than the individuals safety climate in safety performance as it consists of collective concepts in the group than individual ones.(Christian et all., 2009) Leadership is a situation related antecedent. Lately some researches are conducted in the means of examining the relationship between the leadership and safety climate which might have an effect on accidents and safe behaviour. Leader worker relations has a vital effect on the workers actions. The workers who have high-quality relationships with their leaders are more likely to have more positive safety behaviours because the leader and the worker would have connected to solve problems together. (Hofmann, Morgeson Gerras 2003) Also workers who have positive interactions with their leaders are more likely to respond their leaders positively then their colloquies. (Christian et. all, 2009) Every year a high number of workers are affected by the occupational accidents and illnesses which forces to research occupational safety to find solutions to improve the current situation. The managers have an important affect in the organizational culture to change the workers safety behaviours. (Fernà ¡ndez-Muà ±iz et all, 2007) Also workers should be aware of the all risks in their work and know how to prevent them. (Ostrom et. all, 1993) Safety motivation and safety knowledge is important for preventing the accidents. (Christian et. all, 2009) As we conduct the big five factor model to occupational safety behaviours, it has been found out that, low agreeableness and conscientiousness are related with the accident involvement (Clarke Robinson, 2005) Also the workers who has higher neuroticism are more open to the accidents. (Christian et. all, 2009) Organizational safety climate has also a positive affect on the workers safety behaviours. (Christian et. all, 2009) REFERENCES Christian, M.S., Bradley, J.C., Wallace, J.C., Burke, M.J.,( 2009), Workplace Safety: A Meta-Analysis of the Roles of Person and Situation Factors , Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1103-1127 Clark, S., Robertson, I.T., (2005), A meta- analytic review of the Big Five personality factors and accident involvement in occupational non-occupational settings. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78(3), 355-376 Clark, S., (2006), The relationship between safety climate and safety performance: A meta-analytic review, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11(4), 315-327 Fernà ¡ndez-Muà ±iz ,B., Montes-Peà ³n, J.M., Và ¡zquez-Ordà ¡s, C.J., (2007) ,Safety culture: Analysis of the causal relationships between its key dimensions, Journal of Safety Research, 38, 627-641 Hofmann, D.A., Morgeson, F.P. Gerras, S.J., (2003), Climate as a moderator of the relationship between leader-member exchange and content specific citizenship: Safety climate as an exemplar, Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(1), 170-178 Neal,A., Griffin ,M.A. (2002), Safety Climate and Safety Behaviour , Australian Journal of Management, 27, 67-76 Neal, A., Griffin, M.A., (2006), A study of the lagged relationships among safety climate, safety motivation, and accidents at the individual and group levels, Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 946-953 Nicholson, N., Soane, E., Fenton-OCreevy, M., Willman, P.(2005), Personality and domain-specific risk taking, Journal of Risk Research, 8(2), 157-176 Ostrom, L., Wilhelmsen, C. and Kaplan, B. (1993) Assessing Safety Culture, Nuclear Safety, 34(2),163-172 The Health and Safety Statistics 2009/10,HSE 2010, http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh0910.pdf Judge, T.A., Erez, A., Bono, J.E., Thoresen, C.J., (2002), Are measures of self-esteem, neuroticism, locus of control, and generalized self-efficacy indicators of a common core construct?, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(3), 693-710

Rembrandt’s Clever Devices in Illustrating a Biblical Story :: Essays Papers

Rembrandt’s Clever Devices in Illustrating a Biblical Story The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is told in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, Chapter 39. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and bought by Potiphar, a high-ranking official in the Pharaoh's service. The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar and before long Joseph was given the highest position in the household, and left in charge when Potiphar was away. Now Potiphar's wife found Joseph to be very good looking and had approached him several times saying "come to bed with me." Joseph being a man of God would not sin against his master or the Lord, so he refused her. One day when all the servants were gone, Joseph entered the house and Potiphar's wife approached him and while holding on to his cloak and asked again for him to come to bed with her. Joseph refused and left the house leaving his cloak behind. Potiphar' Wife screamed for help saying that Joseph had attacked and tried to sleep with her. When her hu sband came home she told him the same false story. Potiphar was so angry with Joseph he had him locked up in Pharaoh's prison. "But while Joseph was in the prison, the Lord was with him." This is the subject matter for which Rembrandt choose to do his representational painting by. The content of the painting all reveals Rembrandt's interpretation of the story. Rembrandt Van Ryn chose this particular story as the subject of his narrative painting completed in 1655, under the title of "Joseph Accused By Potiphar's Wife". After conducting research, my first perceptions about the value, or relative degree of lightness or darkness, in the painting did not change, but instead I learned that Rembrandt's use of light and dark was both purposeful and a technique well-known to the artists of his time. When I first observed this painting, I thought how dark everything seemed. The only exceptions to the darkness are the bed and Potiphar's wife, both of which are flooded in light almost as if a spotlight were thrown on her and the bed. Some light shines on Joseph's face and from behind him like a halo around his body, but this light is very dim. Rembrandt’s Clever Devices in Illustrating a Biblical Story :: Essays Papers Rembrandt’s Clever Devices in Illustrating a Biblical Story The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is told in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, Chapter 39. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and bought by Potiphar, a high-ranking official in the Pharaoh's service. The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar and before long Joseph was given the highest position in the household, and left in charge when Potiphar was away. Now Potiphar's wife found Joseph to be very good looking and had approached him several times saying "come to bed with me." Joseph being a man of God would not sin against his master or the Lord, so he refused her. One day when all the servants were gone, Joseph entered the house and Potiphar's wife approached him and while holding on to his cloak and asked again for him to come to bed with her. Joseph refused and left the house leaving his cloak behind. Potiphar' Wife screamed for help saying that Joseph had attacked and tried to sleep with her. When her hu sband came home she told him the same false story. Potiphar was so angry with Joseph he had him locked up in Pharaoh's prison. "But while Joseph was in the prison, the Lord was with him." This is the subject matter for which Rembrandt choose to do his representational painting by. The content of the painting all reveals Rembrandt's interpretation of the story. Rembrandt Van Ryn chose this particular story as the subject of his narrative painting completed in 1655, under the title of "Joseph Accused By Potiphar's Wife". After conducting research, my first perceptions about the value, or relative degree of lightness or darkness, in the painting did not change, but instead I learned that Rembrandt's use of light and dark was both purposeful and a technique well-known to the artists of his time. When I first observed this painting, I thought how dark everything seemed. The only exceptions to the darkness are the bed and Potiphar's wife, both of which are flooded in light almost as if a spotlight were thrown on her and the bed. Some light shines on Joseph's face and from behind him like a halo around his body, but this light is very dim.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 42

By now Matt and Mrs. Flowers couldn't ignore the blinding lights anymore. They had to go outside. But just as Matt opened the door there was – well, Matt didn't know what it was. Something blasted straight out of the ground and into the sky, where it got smaller and smaller, became a star, and disappeared. A meteor that had gone through the Earth? But wouldn't that mean tsunamis and earthquakes and shockwaves and forest fires and maybe even the Earth ripping apart? If one meteor that hit the surface could kill off all the dinosaurs†¦ The light that had been shining upward had faded slightly. â€Å"Well, bless my soul,† said Mrs. Flowers in a small, shaken voice. â€Å"Matt, dear, are you all right?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt's vocabulary couldn't stand the strain. â€Å"What the hell was it?† And to his slight surprise, Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"My sentiments exactly!† â€Å"Wait – there's something moving. Get back!† â€Å"Dear Matt, be careful with that gun†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's people! Oh, my God! It's Elena.† Matt abruptly sat down on the ground. He could only whisper now. † Elena. She's alive. She's alive!† From what Matt could see, there were a group of people climbing and helping others climb out of a perfectly rectangular hole, perhaps five feet deep, in Mrs. Flowers's angelica patch. They could hear voices. â€Å"All right,† Elena was saying, as she bent down. â€Å"Now grab my hands.† But the way she was dressed! A scrap of scarlet that showed all sorts of scratches and cuts on her legs. On top – well, the remains of the gown covered about what a bikini would. And she was wearing the largest, most sparkly costume jewelry that Matt had ever seen. More voices, going on through Matt's shock. â€Å"Be careful, yes? I will lift him to you – â€Å" â€Å"I can climb out my own.† – surely that was Stefan! â€Å"You see?† Elena rejoiced. â€Å"He says he can climb out his own!† â€Å"Oui, but perhaps one small lift – â€Å" â€Å"This is hardly the time for machismo, little brother.† And that, Matt thought, fingering the revolver, was Damon. Blessed bullets†¦ â€Å"No, I want – to do it myself – okay – got it. There.† â€Å"There! You see! He's better every second!† Elena caroled. â€Å"Where's the diamond? Damon?† Stefan sounded anxious. â€Å"I have it safe. Relax.† â€Å"I want to hold it. Please.† â€Å"More than you want to hold me?† Elena asked. There was a blur and then Stefan was lying back in her arms, while she said, â€Å"Easy, easy.† Matt stared. Damon was right behind them, almost as if he belonged there. â€Å"I'll watch the diamond,† he said flatly. â€Å"You watch your girl.† â€Å"Excuse me – I'm sorry, but†¦could somebody please lift me out?† And that was Bonnie! Bonnie, sounding plaintive but not afraid or unhappy. Bonnie giggling! â€Å"Have we got all the sacks of star balls?† â€Å"We've got all the ones from that house we found.† And that was Meredith. Thank God. They'd all made it out. But despite his thoughts, his eyes were drawn again to one figure – the one who seemed to be supervising things – the one with golden hair. â€Å"We need the star balls because any one of them might be – † she was beginning, when Bonnie cried out â€Å"Oh, look! Look! It's Mrs. Flowers and Matt!† â€Å"Now, Bonnie, they'd hardly be waiting for us,† Meredith put in. â€Å"Where? Bonnie, where?† Elena demanded. â€Å"If it's Shinichi and Misao in disguise I'm going to – hey, Matt!† â€Å"Will someone please tell me where?† â€Å"Right there, Meredith!† â€Å"Oh! Mrs. Flowers! Um†¦I hope we didn't wake you.† â€Å"I have never had a happier awakening,† Mrs. Flowers said solemnly. â€Å"I can see what you have been through in the Dark Place. Your – er – lack of sufficient clothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A sudden silence. Meredith glanced at Bonnie. Bonnie glanced at Meredith. â€Å"I know these clothes and gems may seem a little too much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt found his voice. â€Å"Those jewels? They're real?† â€Å"Oh, they're nothing. And we're all dirty†¦.† â€Å"Forgive me. We stink – which is my fault – † Stefan began, only to have Elena cut in. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, Matt: Stefan's been a prisoner! All this time! Starved and tortured – oh, God!† â€Å"Elena. Shhh. You got me back.† â€Å"We got you back. Now, I'll never let you go. Ever, ever.† â€Å"Easy, love. I really need a bath and – † Stefan stopped suddenly. â€Å"There're no iron bars! Nothing to shut off my Powers! I can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stepped away from Elena, who clung with one hand. There was a soft, silvery flash of light, like a full moon appearing and disappearing in their midst. â€Å"Over here!† he said. â€Å"Anyone who doesn't want little beastly parasites, I can take care of you.† â€Å"I'm your girl,† said Meredith. â€Å"I have a phobia about fleas, and Damon never even got me any flea powder. What a master!† There was laughter at this, laughter Matt didn't understand. Meredith was wearing – well, it had to be costume jewelry – but still it looked like about a few million dollars' worth of sapphires. Stefan took Meredith's hand. There was the same soft flash of light. And then Meredith stepped back saying, â€Å"Thanks.† Stefan's low response was, â€Å"Thank you, Meredith.† Meredith's blue dress was at least in one piece, Matt observed. Bonnie – whose dress had been slashed into starlight-colored ribbons – was raising a hand. â€Å"Me, too, please!† Stefan took her hand, and it happened all over again. â€Å"Thank you, Stefan! Oooh! I feel so much better! I hated itching!† â€Å"Thank you, Bonnie. I hated to think I was dying alone.† â€Å"Other vampires, take care of yourselves!† Elena said, as if she had a clipboard and were checking items off. â€Å"And, Stefan, please – † She held out her hands to him. He knelt in front of her, kissed both her hands, then enshrouded them in the soft white light. â€Å"But I'd still like a bath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Bonnie pleadingly, as the new vampire – the tall fit one – and Damon had each sparked a moonlight glow around themselves. Mrs. Flowers spoke up. â€Å"There are four working bathtubs in that house: in Stefan's room, in my room, in the rooms on either side of Stefan's. Be my guest. I'll put some bath salts in each right now.† And then she added, holding her arms out to the whole ragged, bleeding, dirty bunch of them: â€Å"My house is yours, my dears.† There was a chorus of passionate â€Å"thank yous.† â€Å"I'll arrange a rota. For feeding Stefan, I mean. If you girls are willing,† Elena added quickly, looking at Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"He doesn't need much, just a little every hour until morning.† Elena still seemed very shy of Matt. Matt was very shy of her. But he stepped forward, empty hands held up to show that he was harmless. â€Å"Is it a rule that it's only girls? Because I've got blood, too, and I'm healthy as a horse.† Stefan quickly looked at him. â€Å"No rule about only girls. But you don't have to – â€Å" â€Å"I want to help you.† â€Å"Okay, then. Thank you, Matt.† The proper response seemed to be â€Å"Thank you, Stefan,† but Matt couldn't think of anything until, â€Å"Thanks for taking care of Elena.† Stefan smiled. â€Å"Thank Damon for that. He and the others all helped me – and each other.† â€Å"We Also Walk Dogs – at least Sage does,† Damon said slyly. â€Å"Oh – that reminds me. I should use that de-parasiting trick on my two friends. Saber! Talon! Heel!† He added a whistle that Matt could never have imitated. In any case, Matt was operating in a dream. A huge dog, almost as big as a pony, seemingly, and a falcon came out of the darkness. â€Å"Now,† the fit vampire said, and once again the soft light shone. And then: â€Å"There. If you don't mind; I prefer to sleep out-of-doors with my friends. I am grateful for all your kindnesses, Madame, and my name is Sage. The hawk is Talon; the dog, Saber.† Elena said, â€Å"Dibs on Stefan's bath for Stefan and me, and Mrs. Flowers's bath for the girls. You boys can work things out on your own.† â€Å"I,† Mrs. Flowers said gravely, â€Å"will be in the kitchen, making sandwiches.† She turned to go. That was when Shinichi arose from the earth above them. Or rather when his face arose. It was clearly an illusion, but a terrifying and marvelous one. Shinichi actually seemed to be there, a giant, perhaps supporting the world on his shoulders. The black part of his hair blended in with the night, but the scarlet tips made a flaming halo around his face. Having come from a land that was dominated by a giant red sun, night and day, it was an odd sight. Shinichi's eyes were red as well, like two small moons in the sky, and they focused on the group by Mrs. Flowers's house. â€Å"Hello,† he said. â€Å"What, you look so surprised? You shouldn't be. I really couldn't let you come back without popping up to say ‘hello.' After all, it's been a long time – for some of you,† the giant face said, grinning. â€Å"Also, of course, to share in the festivities – we've saved little Stefan, and, my, we even fought an oversized chicken to do it.† â€Å"I'd like to see you take Bloddeuwedd on, one on one, and get a secret key out of her nest, at the same time,† Bonnie began indignantly, but stopped when Meredith squeezed her arm. Sage, meanwhile was murmuring something about what his own â€Å"oversized chicken,† Talon, would do if Shinichi were brave enough to show up in person. Shinichi ignored all this. â€Å"Oh, yes, and the mental calisthenics you had to go through. Truly formidable. Well, never again will we mistake you for blunder-headed idiots who never really asked why my sister would give you any clues in the first place, much less clues that Outsiders could understand. I mean† – he leered – â€Å"why not just go and swallow the key in the first place, hmm?† â€Å"You're bluffing,† Meredith said flatly. â€Å"You underestimated us, plain and simple.† â€Å"Maybe,† said Shinichi. â€Å"Or maybe it was something else entirely.† â€Å"You lost,† said Damon. â€Å"I realize that may be an entirely new concept for you, but it's true. Elena has gained much more control over her Powers.† â€Å"But will they work here?† Shinichi smiled eerily. â€Å"Or will they suddenly disappear in the light of a pale yellow sun? Or in the depths of true darkness?† â€Å"Don't let him bait you, Madame,† Sage shouted. â€Å"Your Powers come from a place he cannot enter!† â€Å"Oh, yes, and the renegade. The Rebel's rebel son. I wonder†¦what are you calling yourself this time? Cage? Rage? I wonder what these children will think when they learn who you really are?† â€Å"It won't matter who he is,† Bonnie cried. â€Å"We know that. We know that he's a vampire, but that he can be gentle and kind and he's saved us over and over again.† She shut her eyes, but held her ground against the gale of Shinichi's laughter. â€Å"So ‘Madame,'† Shinichi mocked, â€Å"you think you have gained ‘Sage.' But I wonder if you know what in chess we call a ‘gambit' is? No? Well, I'm sure your intellectual friend will be glad to inform you.† There was a pause. Then Meredith said, with no expression at all, â€Å"A gambit is when a chess player sacrifices something – for instance, a pawn – deliberately – just to get something else. A position on the chessboard that they want, for instance.† â€Å"I knew you'd be able to tell them. What do you think of our first gambit?† Another silence, then Meredith said: â€Å"I presume you mean you've given us back Stefan to achieve something better.† â€Å"Oh, if you only had golden hair – as your friend Elena has so generously displayed.† There were various exclamations on the theme of â€Å"Huh?† – most of them directed at Shinichi, but some at Elena. Who promptly exploded. â€Å"You took Stefan's memories – ?† â€Å"Now, now, nothing so drastic, my dear. But a thirty-meld-a-session beautician – now, she was most cooperative.† Elena turned her gaze up at the giant face with a look of utter contempt. â€Å"You†¦cad.† â€Å"Oh, I'm stricken to the heart.† But the thing was, Shinichi's giant face did look stricken – angry and dangerous. â€Å"Between you, all such close friends: do you know how many secrets there are? Of course, Meredith is a mistress of secrecy, keeping her secrets from her friends all these years. You think you've already pumped her dry, but the best is yet to come. And then, of course, there is Damon's secret.† â€Å"Which if spoken of here and now will mean instant war,† Damon said. â€Å"And you know, it's strange, but I got the feeling that you came here tonight to negotiate.† This time Shinichi's laughter really was a gale, and Damon had to leap behind Meredith to prevent her being knocked into the hole the elevator had made. â€Å"Very gallant,† Shinichi boomed again, shattering glass somewhere on Mrs. Flowers's house. â€Å"But I really must be going. Shall I leave a synopsis of the prizes you still have to search for before your little company can look each other in the eye?† â€Å"I think we already have them. And you are no longer welcome around this home,† Mrs. Flowers said coolly. But Elena's mind was still working. Even standing here, knowing that Stefan needed her, she was searching for the reasons behind this: Shinichi's second gambit. Because she was sure that this was one. â€Å"Where are the pillowcases?† she said in a sharp voice that frightened and bewildered half the group, and simply frightened the rest. â€Å"I was holding one, but then I decided to hold on to Saber instead.† – Sage. â€Å"I had one, at the bottom of the hole, but I dropped it when somebody lifted me out.† – Bonnie. â€Å"I've still got one, although I don't understand what good – † Damon began. â€Å"Damon!† Elena whirled to him. â€Å"Trust me! We've got yours and Sage's safe – what's happening to Bonnie's in the hole?† The moment she had said â€Å"trust me† Damon had dumped his pillowcase on top of Sage's, and by the time she was finished, he had leaped into the hole, which was still so bright with leylight as to hurt any vampire's eyes. But Damon made no complaint. He said, â€Å"I have it safe now – no, wait! A root! A damned root is curled around one of the star balls! Someone toss me a knife, quick!† While everyone else was slapping their pockets for knives, Matt did something that Elena couldn't believe. First he glanced down into the six-foot-deep hole while pointing – a revolver, was it? Yes – she recognized it as the twin of Meredith's. Then without trying to let himself down easily, he simply jumped as Damon had, into the hole. â€Å"DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW – † roared Shinichi, but no one was paying any attention to him. Matt's jump didn't end lightly as Damon's had. It ended with a gasp and a stifled curse. But Matt didn't waste time; still on his knees, he handed the gun up to Damon. â€Å"Blessed bullets – shoot it!† Damon moved very fast. He didn't even seem to aim. But he must have clicked the safety off and aimed immediately, for the root was now streaking for the soft wall of the hole, its end wrapped tightly around something round. Elena heard two shattering revolver shots; three. Then Damon stooped and picked up a vine-wrapped ball, medium-sized and crystal clear where its true surface could be seen. â€Å"PUT THAT DOWN!† Shinichi's rage was beyond all measure. The two burning red spots of his eyes were like flames – like moons of fire. He seemed to be trying to get them to comply by sheer volume. â€Å"I SAID, DON'T TOUCH THAT WITH YOUR FILTHY HUMAN HANDS!† â€Å"Oh, my God!† gasped Bonnie. Meredith said simply, â€Å"It's Misao's – it has to be. He'd gamble with his own; but not with hers. Damon, hand it up to me, along with the revolver. I bet it's not bulletproof.† She knelt, reaching into the hole. Damon, with a raised eyebrow, did as she said. â€Å"Oh, God,† Bonnie cried, from the edge of the hole. â€Å"Matt's sprained his ankle – at least.† â€Å"I TOLD YOU,† roared Shinichi. â€Å"YOU'LL BE SORRY – â€Å" â€Å"Here,† Damon said to Bonnie, taking not the slightest notice of Shinichi. Without any more ado, he picked up Matt and floated up out of the hole. He deposited the fair-haired boy beside Bonnie, who looked at him with the wide brown eyes of utter confusion. Matt, though, was a Virginian through and through. After swallowing only once, he got out a â€Å"Thank you, Damon.† â€Å"No problem, Matt,† Damon said, and then â€Å"What?† as someone gasped. â€Å"You remembered,† Bonnie cried, â€Å"You remembered his – Meredith!† she broke off, looking at the tall girl. â€Å"The grass!† Meredith, who had been examining the star ball with a strange expression, now tossed the revolver to Damon and tried with her free hand to tear away the grass that had twined around her feet and up her ankles already. But even as she did so, the grass seemed to leap upward and grab her hand, binding it to her feet. And now it was sprouting, growing, racing up her body toward the ball which she held high in the air. At the same time, it was tightening around her chest, forcing air out of her lungs. It all happened so fast that it was only when she gasped, â€Å"Somebody take th' ball,† that the others leaped to her aid. Bonnie was the first to get there, tearing with her fingernails at the greenery that was squeezing Meredith's chest. But each blade was like steel, and she couldn't rip away even one of them. Neither could Matt or Elena. Meanwhile, Sage was trying to lift Meredith bodily – to pluck her from the earth – and having no more success than the rest. Meredith's face, clearly visible in the light still shining from the hole, was going white. Damon snatched the star ball from her fingers just before the tangled greenery running up her arm could reach it. He then began moving literally faster than the human eye could track, never stopping in any one place long enough for any plant to grasp him. But still, the grass around Meredith was tightening. Now her face was turning blue. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open for a breath that would not come. â€Å"Stop it!† Elena screamed at Shinichi. â€Å"We'll give you the star ball! Just let go of her!† â€Å"LET GO OF HER?† Shinichi bellowed laughter. â€Å"MAYBE YOU'D BETTER LOOK TO YOUR OWN INTERESTS FIRST BEFORE ASKING ME A FAVOR.† Wildly, Elena looked around – and saw that grass had almost completely enveloped a kneeling Stefan, who had been too weak to move as quickly as the others had. And he had never made a sound to call attention to himself. â€Å"No!† Elena's desperate scream almost drowned out Shinichi's laughter. â€Å"Stefan! No!† Even knowing it was futile, she threw herself at him and tried to rip the grass away from his thin chest. Stefan simply gave her the faintest of smiles and shook his head sadly. That was when Damon came to a stop. He held the star ball up toward Shinichi's lowering visage. â€Å"Take it!† he shouted. â€Å"Take the ball, damn you, but let the two of them go!† This time the gale of Shinichi's laughter went on and on. A spiral of grass grew from a point beside Damon and an instant later had formed a hideous, shaggy green fist, which almost reached the star ball. But – â€Å"Not yet, my dears,† gasped Mrs. Flowers. She and Matt had come breathlessly from the boardinghouse storage room – Matt limping badly – and they both held what looked like Post-it notes in their hands. The next thing Elena knew, Damon was moving at ferocious speed again, away from the fist, and Matt was slapping a bit of paper on the grass covering Stefan, while Mrs. Flowers did the same to the greenery on Meredith. As Elena watched in disbelief, the grass seemed to melt, dying away into hay-colored blades that fell to the ground. The next moment she was holding Stefan. â€Å"Let's get inside, my dears,† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"It's safe in the storage room – the able help the wounded, of course.† Meredith and Stefan were taking great gasping breaths. But Shinichi had the last word. â€Å"Don't you worry,† he said, strangely calm as if he realized he'd lost – for now. â€Å"I'll get that sphere back soon enough. You don't know how to use that kind of Power anyway! And besides all that, I'm going to tell you what you've been hiding from your so-called friends. Just a few secrets, yes?† â€Å"The hell with your secrets,† shouted Bonnie. â€Å"Language, language! How about this: One of you has kept a secret all their life, and is doing so even now. One of you is a murderer – and I am not speaking of a vampire, or a mercy killing, or anything like that. And then there is the question of the true identity of Sage – good luck on your research there! One of you has already had their memory erased – and I don't mean Damon or Stefan. And what about the secret, stolen kiss? And then there is the question of what happened the night of the motel, that it seems that nobody but Elena can recall. You might ask her sometime about her theories about Camelot. And then – â€Å" That was when the sound as loud as Shinichi's giant-sized gales of laughter interrupted him. It tore through the face in the sky, leaving it drooping ridiculously. Then the face disappeared. â€Å"What was that – â€Å" â€Å"Who has the gun – ?† â€Å"What kind of gun could do that to him?† â€Å"One with blessed bullets,† Damon said coolly, showing them the revolver, pointed down. â€Å"You mean you did that?† â€Å"Good for Damon!† â€Å"Forget Shinichi!† â€Å"He is a liar when it suits him, that I can tell you.† â€Å"I think,† Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"that we can retire to the boardinghouse now.† â€Å"Yeah, and let's go get our baths.† â€Å"Just one last thing.† Shinichi's voice, giant-sized seemed to come from everywhere around them; from the sky, from the earth. â€Å"You're really going to love what I have in mind next for you. If I were you, I'd start negotiating for that star ball right NOW.† But his laughter was off and the muffled feminine sound behind him was almost like crying, as if Misao couldn't help herself. â€Å"YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT!† Shinichi insisted in a roar.