Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings Chapter 19~20

CHAPTER NINETEEN Scooter Don't Meep The whale tossed like a roller coaster moving through tomato soup – great gut-flopping waves of muscular motion. Quinn rolled to his hands and knees and urped his breakfast into a splatter pattern across the rubbery gray floor, then heaved in time with the rhythm of the whale's swimming until he was empty and exhausted. â€Å"Hurl patrol,† came a voice out of the dark. â€Å"Flush and gush, boys, the doc blew ballast back here,† came another voice. Quinn rolled onto his bottom and scooted away from the voices until he came against a bulkhead, which was warm and moist and gave at his touch. He felt huge muscles moving behind the skin and nearly jumped. He scooted away, then sat balled up near where he'd been sick. Cold seawater rolled down from the front of the whale and over his feet, taking his recently vacated breakfast with it. His ears popped with a pressure increase, and in a second the water was gone. The interior of the whale looked like a bad van conversion done by a latex freak: damp, rubbery skin over everything, lit by a light blue haze coming from the eyes up front, the rest dimly lit by bioluminescent strips of green that ran over the top of the teardrop-shaped chamber. At the front of the chamber, on either side by the eyes, two things sat in seats that wrapped around their bodies. Quinn didn't know what they were, and his mind felt as if it were ripping open trying to grasp the whole of the situation. Details like nonhuman humanoids decked out in gray skin couldn't register enough space in his consciousness to be examined or analyzed. In fact, he could keep his eyes open for only a few seconds before the nausea returned. Inside the whale smelled like fish. Standing, or sort of standing – riding was a more appropriate term, as everything inside the whale was moving – behind the seated creatures were two men, one about forty, the other twenty-five, both barefoot but wearing military khakis without insignias or any badges of rank, but the older man was obviously in command. Quinn had tried for five minutes to ask them the questions coming into his mind, but each time he opened his mouth, he had to stop himself from throwing up. He'd always considered himself pretty seaworthy until now. â€Å"What†¦?† he managed to get out before his gorge rose again. â€Å"It really helps with the incredulity if you accept that you're dead,† said the older man. â€Å"I'm dead?† â€Å"I didn't say that, but if you accept that you are, it sort of quells the anxiety.† â€Å"Yeah, if you're already dead, what bad can really happen?† said the younger guy. â€Å"Then I am dead?† â€Å"Nope. Breathe and go with the motion,† said the older guy. â€Å"It's not going to stop, so if you fight it, you'll lose.† â€Å"Your lunch,† added the young guy, and then he let loose a giggle at his own joke. â€Å"There's less motion toward the front. The head tracks close to level. But you knew that.† Quinn hadn't been able to apply any of his analytical powers to the situation because he flat couldn't accept it. Yes, in another world he realized that he knew that the whale's head would have less motion than the tail, but he'd never even considered that he might be thinking about it from the perspective of an internal organ. â€Å"I'm inside a whale?† â€Å"Ding, ding, ding, he's gotten the bonus answer.† The young guy leaned back against the back of the seat where one of the gray creatures was sitting, and a chairlike protrusion rose out of the floor to catch him. â€Å"Tell him what he's won, Captain.† â€Å"Hospitality, Poe. Help the doctor up to the front so we can talk without him tossing his cookies.† The younger guy helped Quinn to his feet and across the undulating floor to the chair thing that had risen behind one of the gray creatures facing the back of the ship. Once close to the creatures, Quinn couldn't take his eyes off them. They were humanoid, in that they had two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head, but their heads were like that of a pilot whale, with a large melon in the front – for transmitting and receiving sound underwater, Quinn guessed – and their eyes were set wide to the side, so the creatures would see with binocular vision. Their hands were inserted into consoles that rose out of the floor and appeared to have no instrumentation whatsoever except for some bioluminescent nodules that looked like cloudy eyeballs and emitted different colors of light. The creatures appeared as if they had become part of the whale. â€Å"We call them the whaley boys,† the older man said. â€Å"They pilot the whale.† â€Å"The one directly behind you is Scooter, the other one is Skippy. Say hi, guys.† The creatures turned as far as the chairs would allow them and made clicking and squeaking noises, then seemed to smile at Quinn. While smiling they showed mouthfuls of sharp, peglike teeth. With the teeth set against their dark gray skins and the melon above, the whaley boys put Quinn in mind of more cheerful versions of the creature from the Alien movies. Scooter saluted Nate with a hand consisting of four very long webbed fingers and only the suggestion of a thumb. â€Å"They say hi,† said Poe. â€Å"I'm Poe. This is Captain Poynter.† Poynter, the older man, tipped his hat and offered a hand to shake. Quinn took it and waggled it limply. â€Å"The whaley boys don't speak English as we know it,† Poe said, â€Å"although they have a few squeaks that come out like words. They're tapped directly in to the whale's nervous system. They steer it, control all the processes at any given time. We can't do much on the whales without them. Certainly could never drive one. The whales and the whaley boys are made for each other.† Poe pushed against the back of Skippy's seat, and another seat formed out of the floor to cradle him as he leaned back into it. â€Å"I love that,† Poe said. Poynter backed up to a rubbery bulkhead, and a seat formed out of the wall to catch him as well. â€Å"If they're paying attention, they'll never let you fall.† Poe grinned. â€Å"Of course, almost everything in here is soft – child safe, don't you know – except the spine, which runs over the top, so you wouldn't be hurt if you did fall. But just the same, we're secured when they're doing maneuvers. You think you're sick now – wait until we go for a breach. Don't freak out.† Poe turned to the whaley boys. â€Å"Secure the doc, boys.† The arms of the seat shape wrapped over Quinn's lap. Parts came over his shoulders and fused across his chest, then around his hips and over his lap. Quinn freaked out. â€Å"Get it off me! Get it off me! I can't breathe!† â€Å"Prepare for breach,† said Poynter. Scooter chirped. Skippy grinned. Similar restraints extruded from all their seats, securing them. The attitude of the whale changed, going up at a nearly sixty-degree angle – and then the angle went sharper as they moved. Quinn was looking backward at the tail section of the teardrop interior. The lurching movement of the luminescent strips was starting to nauseate him. He could feel his internal organs shifting with the acceleration, and then the whale ship went vertical and airborne. At the apex of the motion, Quinn's stomach tried to escape through his diaphragm, then shifted as they fell sideways. There was an enormous concussion as the ship hit the water. Slowly the whale came back around, and they were horizontal again. The whaley boys chirped and clicked gleefully, grinning back at Quinn, then at each other, then back at Quinn, nodding as if to say, Was that cool, or what? Their necks were nearly as wide as their shoulders, and Quinn could see heavy muscles moving under the skin. â€Å"They love that,† said Poynter. â€Å"I kind of like it, too,† said Poe. â€Å"Except when they go overboard and do twenty or thirty breaches in a row. Even I get sick when they do that. And the noise†¦ well, you heard it.† Quinn shook his head, closed his eyes, then opened them again. The only way to deal with this experience was to accept it at face value: He was in a whale, one that was somehow being used as a submarine by human and nonhuman sentient creatures. Everything he knew no longer applied, but then again, maybe it did. What put him on the less loopy side of sanity was noticing the whaley boys' thick necks. â€Å"They're amphibious, right?† Quinn asked Poynter. â€Å"Their necks are thick to take the stress of swimming at high speeds?† Quinn rose in his chair as far as the restraints would allow and saw that Scooter did indeed have a blowhole just behind his melon. He was a humanoid whale, or a dolphin creature. Scooter was impossible. All of this was impossible. The details, not the big picture, Quinn reminded himself. In the big picture there be madness. â€Å"They're like a whale/human hybrid, aren't they?† â€Å"Which would be why we call them the whaley boys,† said Poynter. â€Å"Wait, are you accusing us of something?† asked Poe. â€Å"Because these guys are not the love children of us and some whales. We don't do that kind of thing.† â€Å"Well, there was that one time,† said Poynter. â€Å"Okay, yeah, just that one time,† said Poe. But Quinn was studying Scooter, and Scooter was eyeing him right back. â€Å"Although they appear to be able to turn their heads, like beluga whales. Their neck vertebrae probably aren't fused like most whales'.† The scientist rising, Quinn was comfortable now, his fear taken away by curiosity. He was focused on finding out things, which was his home turf, even in this completely unreal situation. If he focused on the details, the big picture wouldn't throw him over the edge into drooling lunacy. â€Å"Let's ask them,† said Poe. â€Å"Scooter, are your vertebrae fused together, or are you just a big, no-necked gray thug?† Scooter turned his head to Poe and made a loud raspberry sound, spraying whaley spit all down the front of Poe's khakis and increasing the odor of decaying fish in the cabin by a factor of ten. â€Å"We don't know what they are, Dr. Quinn,† said Captain Poynter. â€Å"They were here when we got here, and we got here just like you did. We've all been on this ride.† â€Å"Meep,† said Skippy. â€Å"I taught him that,† said Poe. â€Å"That's from a Warner Brothers' cartoon,† Quinn said. â€Å"Road Runner.† â€Å"No, that would be two meeps. Skippy only does one. Therefore, it's original. Isn't that right, Skippy?† â€Å"Meep.† For some reason the meep did it. Some minds, particularly those with a scientific bent, a love of truth and certainty, have limits to how much absurdity they can handle. And here Quinn found himself well over the limit. â€Å"Skippy and Scooter and Poynter and Poe – I can't handle it!† he screamed. He felt as if his mind were a rubber band being stretched to breaking, and the meep had tweaked it. He screamed until he could feel veins pulsing in his forehead. â€Å"You let it out now,† said Captain Poynter. â€Å"Just go with it.† Then, to Poe, â€Å"You know, I wouldn't have thought the alliteration would have done it. You ever hear of that?† â€Å"Nope, I had an uncle who used to get nauseated at Reader's Digest article titles – you know, ‘Terrible Truths of Toxic Toe Jam' – but I thought it was more because he read them in the doctor's office than the alliteration. You sure it wasn't the meep that did it?† â€Å"This can't be happening. This can't be happening,† Quinn chanted. He was hyperventilating, and his vision had gone to a blur, his heart pounding like he'd been running a sprint across an electrified floor. â€Å"Anxiety attack,† said Poynter. He put his hand on Quinn's forehead and spoke softly. â€Å"Okay, Doc, here's the skinny. You are in a living ship that resembles a whale but is not a whale. There are two other guys aboard who have lived through this, so you can live through this. In addition, there are two guys who are not strictly human, but they won't hurt you. You are going to live and deal with this. This is real. You are not insane. Now, calm the fuck down.† And it was then that Poynter stepped back and Poe threw the bucket of cold seawater in Quinn's face. â€Å"Hey,† Quinn said. He sputtered and blinked seawater out of his eyes. â€Å"I told you to go with the dead thing, but you didn't listen,† Poe said. Nothing had changed, but things, his heart, slowed down, and Quinn looked around. â€Å"Where did that bucket come from? There was no bucket in here. There was nothing but us. And where did you get the water?† Poe held the bucket at ready. â€Å"You're sure you're okay? I don't want to freak you out again.† â€Å"Yeah. I'm okay,† said Quinn. And actually, he was. He'd decided to go with the idea that he was already dead, and that seemed to make everything fall into perspective. â€Å"I'm dead.† â€Å"That's the spirit,† said Poe. He held the bucket against a wall, and a small portal opened and sucked the bucket in. Quinn would have sworn there hadn't been any seams in the wall to indicate there'd been an opening there. â€Å"Hey,† said Poynter, taking on the tone of the deeply offended, â€Å"now that you're dead, I've got a bone to pick with you about not bringing me my sandwich.† Quinn looked at the sharp features and narrowed eyes of the captain – who now seemed genuinely angry – and a shiver ran through his body that had nothing to do with the cold seawater running out of his hair. â€Å"Sorry,† he said, shrugging as much as he could in the restraints. â€Å"Damn it, how hard could that have been? You've got a Ph.D. for Christ's sake – you can't get a fucking pastrami on rye? I've got a good mind to chuck you out the anus.† â€Å"Shhhhhhhh, Cap,† Poe said. â€Å"That was gonna be a surprise.† â€Å"Meep,† said Skippy. CHAPTER TWENTY Missing Biscuit, Flopping Tuna â€Å"Bwana Clay, you seen the Snowy Biscuit?† Clay and Clair sat on the lanai of Clay's bungalow drinking mai-tais and watching smoke roll out the vents of a Weber kettle barbecue. Kona had his long board tucked underneath his arm and was heading for his Maui cruiser, a lime Krylon-over-rust 1975 BMW 2002, with no windows and seats that were covered in ratty blankets. Clay was two mai-tais south of lucid, but he could still talk, â€Å"She took Nate's truck into town this morning. Haven't seen her since.† â€Å"Sistah wanted me to teach her some surfing. Got some easy sets rolling on West Shore, good for that.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Clay. â€Å"We're smoking a big hunk of ahi tuna if you'd like to join us.† â€Å"No,† said Clair. â€Å"Tanks, but I'm going down to Lahaina town and see if I can find that Snowy Biscuit. We going to work tomorrow?† â€Å"Maybe,† said Clay, trying to think through a rum cloud. They'd pulled the Always Confused up out of the bottom of the harbor, and the boatyard had said it would be a week or so before it was ready to float again, although even then it would need some major cleaning. Still, they had Nate's boat. He looked at Clair. â€Å"You're not sitting home tomorrow whining to me about your hangover,† Clair said. â€Å"You get out there on the water and be sick like a proper man.† She'd revised her thoughts on Clay's staying off the water. He was who he was. â€Å"Yeah, plan on going out if it's not too windy,† Clay said. â€Å"Hey, we supposed to have wind?† It occurred to Clay that he hadn't checked the weather since Nate had disappeared. â€Å"Calm morning, trades in the afternoon,† Kona said. â€Å"We can work.† â€Å"Tell Amy when you see her, okay. Take my cell phone with you. Call me when you find her. You sure you won't have dinner with us?† â€Å"No,† said Clair. â€Å"No,† said Kona, grinning at Clair. â€Å"Auntie, you embarrassed that Kona seen you naked? You look fine, yeah.† Clair stood up. â€Å"You go ahead, call me ‘Auntie' again, see if I don't snatch out the rest of those dreads and use them to make cat toys.† â€Å"Ease up, I'm going to find the Biscuit.† And he loped to the Beemer, slid the long board in through the back window, hooked the skeg over the passenger seat to secure it, and then drove off to Lahaina to look for Amy. It was two in the morning when the phone in Clay's bungalow rang. â€Å"Tell me you're not in jail,† Clay said. â€Å"Not in jail, Bwana Clay, but maybe you need to sit down.† â€Å"I'm in bed sleeping, Kona. What?† â€Å"The truck, Bwana Nate's truck. It's here at the kayak rental in Lahaina. They say Amy rent a kayak this morning, about eleven.† â€Å"They're still there?† â€Å"I waked the guy up.† â€Å"They don't know where she went? They let her go alone? He didn't call us when it got dark?† â€Å"She said she was just using it to tow behind the boat, for research. He know she a whale researcher, so he didn't think nothing of it. Sometime they take kayaks two, three days.† â€Å"You checked? She's not on the boat?† â€Å"You mean the not sunk one?† â€Å"Yes, that would be the one.† â€Å"Yeah, I check. The boat in the slip. No kayak.† â€Å"Stay there. I'll be down in a few minutes. I have to get dressed and call the Coast Guard.† â€Å"This kayak guy says it not on him – she signed a wafer. That some kind of religious thing?† â€Å"Waiver, Kona, she signed a waiver. Are you high?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Of course. Sorry. Okay, I'll be right there.† Nate was three days inside the whale before he asked, â€Å"Your names aren't really Poynter and Poe, are they?† â€Å"What?† said Poynter. â€Å"You're eaten by a giant whale ship and you're worried that we might be traveling under assumed names? Go for it, Poe.† â€Å"Give us a flush, boys!† Poe said. Water came gushing down the floor of the whale from the front. Pantsless, Ensign Poe took three steps and went into a slide toward the tail like he was sliding into third base on a wet rain tarp. As he reached the end of the chamber, he spread his arms out to his sides at right angles. There was a sucking sound, and he sank up to his armpits into an orifice that only a second ago had appeared as just an impression in solid skin. â€Å"Wow, that's cold,† said Poe. â€Å"How deep are we?† Scooter clicked and whistled a couple of times. â€Å"Ninety feet,† said Poynter. â€Å"Can't be that bad.† â€Å"Feels colder. I think my ‘nads have crawled up inside my body.† Nate simply stared, gape-jawed, at the arms and head of the ensign, just above floor level. â€Å"You see, Doc,† said Poynter, â€Å"most of the time we call it the ‘back orifice' instead of the anus, you know, because otherwise, with us moving in and out of it, there's implications. His lower body is in the sea right now, at three atmospheres, yet the back orifice is sealed around him and it's not crushing his chest. It's not crushing your chest, is it, Poe?† â€Å"No, sir. It's snug for sure, but I can breathe.† â€Å"How is that possible?† asked Nate. â€Å"You're a diver. You've been down, what, a hundred and twenty, hundred and thirty feet?† â€Å"A hundred and fifty, by accident, but what does that have to do with this?† â€Å"You never had sphincter failure at that depth, did you? Blow up like a puffer fish?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well, there you go, Nate. This here is just advanced poop-chute technology. We don't even understand it ourselves, but it's the key to sanitation on these small ships, and it's how we get in and out. Normally the mouth on these humpback ships doesn't even open, which gives us a lot more room, but this one was made specially to retrieve ‘Dirts. That's you people.† â€Å"Made? By whom?† Of course they were made. Nothing like this could have evolved. â€Å"Later,† said Poynter. â€Å"Poe, you done?† â€Å"Aye, aye, Captain.† â€Å"Get back in here.† â€Å"Mighty cold out here, sir. I'm telling you, my tackle's going to look like I'm posing for a baby picture.† â€Å"I'm sure the doc will take that into account, Poe.† Nate could feel a slight change in pressure in his ears, and Poe oozed back into the whale. The orifice sealed behind him, leaving almost no water on the floor. The ensign sidled, crablike, to the front of the ship, shielding his privates with his hands. He retrieved his pants from a storage nook that opened with a flap of skin like the blowhole on a killer whale. The whale's interior was lined with the storage nooks, but you couldn't even see the seams by the dim bioluminescence when they were closed. â€Å"You're going to learn how to do that, Nate. It's just the civilized thing to do until we transfer you to the blue. Can't have you doing your business in the ship.† When he'd had to go to the bathroom, they'd sent Nate to the back of the whale, where he'd gone on the floor. Seconds later the whaley boys had let a bit of water in through a crack in the mouth, which washed across the floor and effectively flushed the mess out the back orifice. â€Å"The blue?† Nate asked. â€Å"Yeah, we can't take you where they want you in this little thing. We'll transfer you to a blue and send you on. You'll have to go through the poop chutes.† â€Å"So there's a blue-whale ship as well?† â€Å"Ships,† Poynter corrected. â€Å"Yeah, and other species, too.† â€Å"Right whales are my favorites,† Poe said. â€Å"Slower than hell, but really wide. Plenty of room. You'll see.† â€Å"So they – the whaley boys – can regulate the pressure that precisely? They can let in water, expel it, keep the pressure in here from giving us the bends? Allow us to transfer from one of these ships to another?† â€Å"Yep, they're tapped in to the whale directly. They're like his cerebral cortex, I guess. The whale ships have a brain, but that only takes care of autonomic functions. Allows it to act like a whale for hours on end – diving, breathing, stuff like that. But without one of the whaley boys tapped in, they're just dumb machines, limited function. The pilots control higher functions – navigation and such. They really show off their stuff in these humpbacks – the breaching, the singing, you know.† â€Å"This thing sings?† Nate couldn't help himself. He wanted to hear a whale sing from the inside. â€Å"Of course it sings. You heard it sing.† Since Nate had been on, the only sound the whale ship had made was the beating of its enormous flukes and the explosive blow every ten minutes or so. â€Å"I hate it when they sing,† said Poe. â€Å"What's the purpose of the song?† Nate asked. He didn't care who these guys were or what they were doing. He now had the opportunity to get the answer to a question he'd pursued for most of his adult life. â€Å"Why do they sing?† â€Å"Because we tell them to,† said Poynter. â€Å"Why'd you think?† â€Å"No. It's not right.† Nate buried his face in his hands. â€Å"Kidnapped by morons.† Scooter let loose with a series of frantic chirps. The whaley boy was staring out the eye into the blue Pacific. â€Å"School of tuna outside,† said Poe. â€Å"Go, Scooter,† said Poynter. â€Å"Go get some.† The restraints retracted from around Scooter's waist, and the creature stood up for the first time since Nate had come on board. He was taller than Nate, maybe six-six, with lean gray legs that looked like those of a giant bullfrog crossbred with a fullback and terminated in long, webbed feet that resembled the rear flippers of a walrus. Scooter took three quick steps and dove at the floor in the back of the whale. There was a whooshing sound, and he disappeared, headfirst, through the back orifice, which sealed behind him with a distinct pop. Poe stepped into the seat that Scooter had vacated and looked out through the eye. â€Å"Nate, check this out. Watch how these guys hunt.† Nate looked out the whale's eye and saw Scooter's lithe form swim by at incredible speed, darting back and forth with astounding agility in pursuit of a twenty-pound tuna. In the water the whaley boy's eyes no longer bugged out as they did inside the whale. Like whales and dolphins, Nate realized, whaley boys possessed muscles that could actually change the shape of the eye for focusing in either air or water. Scooter did a rapid turn and snatched the tuna in his jaws not ten feet from the eye of the whale. Nate could hear the snap and saw blood in the water around Scooter's mouth. â€Å"Yes!† said Poe. â€Å"It's sashimi tonight.† Nate had eaten nothing but raw fish since he'd been on board the whale ship, but this was the first time he'd seen it caught. Still, he couldn't quite share Poe's enthusiasm. â€Å"Is this all you eat? Raw fish?† â€Å"It beats the alternatives,† said Poe. â€Å"The whale carries a nutrient paste that's like krill puree.† â€Å"Oh, my God,† said Nate. Poynter leaned in close to Nate, so he was only inches from the scientist's ear. â€Å"Thus the somewhat substantial demand for culinary variety, as in – oh, I don't know – a pastrami on rye!† â€Å"I said I was sorry,† Nate muttered. â€Å"Yeah, right.† â€Å"Drop me off anywhere. I'll go get you one.† â€Å"We don't land these things on shore.† â€Å"You don't?† â€Å"Except to paint ‘bite me' on the flukes,† said Poe. â€Å"Yeah, except for that,† said Poynter. Skippy meeped as Scooter scooted in through the poop chute with tuna in hand. Upon seeing the pilot's entrance, Nate started thinking, for the first time since he'd been eaten, about how to escape. This is just stupid, Amy thought. She'd been paddling like a madwoman for four hours and was still barely halfway to Molokai. She'd been past the channel wind line for two of those four hours and so battled four-foot swells and a crosswind that threatened to take her out to sea. â€Å"Who gives GPS coordinates for a meeting? Who does business like that?† She'd been shouting into the wind on and off for an hour, then checking the little liquid-crystal map on the display of the GPS receiver. The â€Å"you are here† dot never seemed to move. Well, that wasn't true. If she paused from paddling to take a drink of water or apply some sunscreen, the dot seemed to jump off course a mile at a time. â€Å"Are you guys on drugs?† she screamed into the wind. Her shoulders ached, and she'd drunk nearly all of the two-liter bottle of water she'd brought with her. She started to regret not having brought along some kind of snack. â€Å"An easy paddle. ‘Just rent a kayak. You won't need a power boat. I'm adrift on a piece of Tupperware, you nitwits!† She leaned back on the kayak to catch her breath and watched the direction and speed indicators change on the GPS. She could rest maybe five minutes without drifting too far. She closed her eyes and let the swells rock her into a light doze. It was quiet, just the white noise of wind and water, not even a slap of waves on the kayak – she was so light that it rode high in the water and over the tops of the waves without a sound. She thought about Nate, about how frightened he must have been in those last moments, about how much she'd started to enjoy working with him. Action nerd. She smiled to herself, a melancholy smile as she dozed off, but then the sound of a fusillade of bubbles breaking the surface near the kayak jolted her to alertness. It was a huge expulsion of air, as if someone had set off an explosion deep under the water. She started paddling away from the eruptions of bubbles, but even as she moved, the sea began to darken around her, the crystal blue turning to shadow in a huge pool under the kayak. Then something hit the little boat, tossing Amy into the air twenty feet before she hit the water and the darkness surrounded her.

A Report on Training & Development Department of Spl

Chapter -1 Introduction 1. 0 Introduction Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is the leading pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. It has been running its business of about fifty two years and leading the pharmaceutical industry since 1985. Research points to the importance of good recruitment systems in the organizations. The 1980s brought downsizing, organizations were becoming too effective for their numbers of employees employed by them. Most problems concerning Human resources commence when training and development & recruitment and selection are not handled properly.Resignations, low motivation, poor performance may be due to incorrect procedures in the training and development process or in recruitment & selection. Training & Development enables for people to enhance their skills, keep them updated with recent changes. Square offer both on-the-job and off-the- job at both theoretical and practical training opportunities through a range of Local, Regional and International Training pro grams that include both functional and managerial levels on the basis of Training Need Assessment.Training Need Analysis (TNA) is conducted by Department Heads and Human Resource Department jointly on the basis of job analysis. The article also discusses the importance of good recruitment at technical & managerial levels & the implications that are encountered as a result of ad hoc recruitment process. Recruitment is responsibility of every manager in the organization. 1. 2 Origin of the Report Now a day, Education is not just limited to books and classr oom. From education the theoretical knowledge is obtained from course of study, which is only the half way of the subject matter Practical knowledge has no alternative.The perfect coordination between theory and practice is of paramount importance in the context of the modern business world now days. Therefore an opportunity is offered by Stamford University Bangladesh, for the potential business graduates to get three month practic al experience, which is known as â€Å"Internship Program†. To complete of the internship program, the author of the study was placed in a Company namely, â€Å"Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd (SPL), for the period of three months starting from Jun 19, 2011 to September 19, 2011.Internship program brings a student closer to the real life situation and thereby helps to launch a career with some prior experience. This project was assigned by the organizational Supervisor Ms. Tania Sultana, Executive in HR of Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and was approved by the Faculty supervisor Mr. Md. Mohiuddin, Professor, Department of Management Studies, University of Dhaka. 1. 3 Significance of the Report The main reason of this study is to become familiar with the realistic business world to attain practical knowledge about the Pharmaceutical related business in the corporate world.We all know that there is no alternative of practical knowledge which is more beneficial than theoretical aspects . 1. 4 Objectives of the Report The primary reason of writing this report is to fulfill the internship requirement of BBA program. The prime objective of the study will be to evaluate the recruitment and selection and procedure of Square Pharmaceutical Ltd. To facilitate achieve the prime objective; this study aims at attaining the following SPL operational objectives: * To get a clear and practical knowledge about the business of SPL. To understand the perspective of creating and presenting the new idea. * To fulfill the requirement of the BBA degree. * To get practical idea about organizational environment. * To introduce the new situation, new environment. * How management is analyzing work and planning for people? 1. 5 Selection of the Topic The topic selected for the study was chosen by me and approved by Dr. Shahid Uddin Ahmed. Chapter-2 Company Background 2. 0 Organization History SQUARE today symbolizes a name – a state of mind. But its journey to the growth and prosp erity has been no bed of roses.From the inception in 1958, it has today burgeoned into one of the top line conglomerates in Bangladesh. SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd. , the flagship company, is holding the strong leadership position in the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh since 1985 and is now on its way to becoming a high performance global player. SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Limited is the largest pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh and it has been continuously in the 1st position among all national and multinational companies since 1985. It was established in 1958 and converted into a public limited company in 1991.The sales turnover of SPL was more than Taka 11. 46 Billion (US$ 163. 71 million) with about 16. 43% market share (April 2009- March 2010) having a growth rate of about 16. 72%. SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Limited has extended her range of services towards the highway of global market. She pioneered exports of medicines from Bangladesh in 1987 and has been exporting antibioti cs and other pharmaceutical products. This extension in business and services has manifested the credibility of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Limited. 2. 1 Milestone of SPL * Year of Establishment 1958. * Incorporate as a Public Limited Company – 1964. Technical Collaboration Agreement with Jansen Pharmaceuticals of Belgium. A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson International Limited – 1975. * Technical collaboration Agreement with F. Hoffman – La Roche & Company Limited – 1984. Converted into Public Limited Company – 1991. * Stock exchange listing (D & C) – 1995. * Agreement with M/S. Bevis tandem Limited of UK for implementation of Dhaka Plant – 1996. Awarded ISO- 9001 Certificate -1998. * Business Lines- Manufacturing & Marketing of Pharmaceuticals finished product, Basic Chemicals & Agro vet products. 2. 2 Vision of the SPLSquare view business as a means to the material & social wellbeing of the investors, employees and the society at large, leading to accretion of wealth through financial and moral gains as a part of the process of the human civilization. 2. 3 Mission of the SPL Square mission is to produce and provide Quality and innovative healthcare relief for people, maintain stringently ethical standard in business operation also ensuring benefit to the Shareholder’s, Stakeholder’s and the society at large. Business Slogan Square Pharmaceuticals Limited always upholds the dictum: â€Å"Dedicated to advanced technology. The Corporate Slogan Square Group of industries has a common corporate Slogan which is: â€Å"Jibon Bachatey, Jibon Sajatey. † Corporate Focus Square vision, mission and Square objectives are to emphasize on the quality of product, process and services leading to growth of the company imbibed with good governance practices. 2. 4 Goals of the SPL Develop a realistic deposit mobilization plan. Strengthen operation in domestic to increase market share and profitability to offer m ore value to the shareholders offer contract manufacturing facility.Manufacture and market time demanded and international standard pharmaceutical in domestic and export market. Association with global research based pharmaceutical company for marketing or manufacturing their products. 2. 5 Objective of the SPL Square’s objectives are to conduct transparent business operation based on market mechanism within the legal and social frame work with aims to attain the mission reflected by the company’s vision. * Total Commitment to the needs of customers. * To follow the highest ethical standards. * Continuous improvement of all work process. Permanent improvement of all the employees â€Å"Knowledge and Skills†. * Securing the Quality of Products to match the Quality of Service. * Preserving the company’s leading positioning the national market of Pharmaceuticals industry. 2. 6 Corporate Governance Top Management Board of Directors As per provisions of the Ar ticle of Association, Board of Directors holds periodic meetings to resolve issue of policies and strategies, recording minutes/decisions for implementation by the Executive Management. 2. 6. 1 Executive ManagementThe Executive Management is headed by the Managing Director, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who has been delegated necessary and adequate authority by the Board of Directors. The Executive Management operates through further delegations of authority at every echelon of the line management. The Executive Management is responsible for preparation of segment plans/sub- segment plans for every profit centers with budgetary targets for every item of goods & services and is held accountable for deficiencies with appreciation for exceptional performance.These operations are carried out by the Executive Management through series of committees, sub-committees, adhock committees, standing committees assisting the line management. 2. 7 SQUARE Quality Policy Ensure strict complianc e with WHO CGMP standards and local regulatory norms in every phase of sourcing & procuring quality materials, manufacturing, quality assurance and delivery of medicines. Ensure all activities through documented Quality Management System (QMS) complying International Standard requirements of ISO 9001 through continuously developing Human Resources by regular training and participation.SQUARE is committed to undertake appropriate review, evaluation and performance measurement of processes, business activities and Quality Management System for continual improvement to ensure highest standard, customer satisfaction, developing human resources and company's growth. Business should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights with in their sphere of influence. Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Business should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor. The effective abolition of child labor. Elimination discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Business should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges. Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility. Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Business should work against corruption in all its forms, including exportation and bribery. 2. 8 Business Performance over the Last Few Decades 1958: Debut of Square Pharma as a Partnership Firm. * 1964: Converted into a Private Limited Company. * 1974: Technical Collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceutical, Belgium, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson International, USA. * 1982: Licensing Agreement signed with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. , Switzerland. * 1985: Achieved first position in the Pharmaceutical Market of Bangladesh among all national and multinational companies. * 1987: Pioneer in pharmaceutical expo rt from Bangladesh. * 1991: Converted in to a Public Limited Company. 1994: Initial Public Offering of Square Pharmaceutical Shares. * 1995: Chemical Division of Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. starts production of pharmaceutical bulk products (API). * 1997: Won the National Export trophy for exporting pharmaceuticals. * 1998: Agro-chemicals ; Veterinary Products Division of Square Pharma starts its operation. * 2001: US FDA/UK MCA standard new Pharmaceutical factory goes into operation built under the supervision of Bovis Lend Lease, UK. * 2004: Signing of agreement with ROVIPHARM, Vietnam to manufacture and market Square products under license in Vietnam. 2004: Secured the top position for the best published accounts and report for 2003 in the manufacturing category for transparency and excellence in corporate reporting. * 2005: New State-of- the-Art Square Cephalosporin’s Ltd. goes into operation; built under the supervision of TELSTAR S. A. of Spain as per US FDA/ UK MHRA req uirements. * 2007: Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. , Dhaka Unit gets the UK MHRA approval. 2. 9 Organ Gram of SPL HRD Chapter-3 Training ; Development Activities Undertaken in Human Resource Department of SPL 3. Human Resource: Practices ;Environment SQUARE, with its progressive business outlook, believes and practices corporate work culture with a classic blend of efficiency and equity. SQUARE believes in company growth by increasing efficiency level of employees and for that offering excellent environment and support for skill and knowledge up gradation. SQUARE values productivity as the spontaneous contribution of Human Resources. Strategic Human Resource Development Programs are the energy sources for SQUARE HR for running towards the zenith of success .Flow of clear and specific information and justification of queries play the vital role to ensure the market reputation of SQUARE as the most trusted and transparent company and it enriches the motivation level of HR who are the real contributors and owners of his/her own jobs. At SQUARE, HRD symbolizes the unique blending of professionalism as well as sharing the stress and success equally like a family where every member has deep concern, feelings and pride for their own company SQUARE.HR ensures the strong supporting role to develop ; implement HR policy guidelines for ensuring uninterrupted operation and spontaneous participation to achieve organizational objective as well as fulfillment of employee needs. HR is maintaining an effective way to deal with labor union and still no unrest has been recorded as dispute Personnel working here are taking care of SQUARE as it is their own family Training ; development: One major function of Human Resource Department is Training and Development .It is a learning process that involves the acquisition of knowledge, sharpening of skills, concepts, rules, or changing of attitudes and behaviors to enhance the performance of employees. * Optimum Utilization of Human Resour ces –D;T helps in optimizing the utilization of human resource that further helps the employees to achieve the organizational goals as well as their individual goals. * Productivity-The department organizes training that helps in increasing the productivity of the employees that helps the organization further to achieve its long-term goal. Development of skills of employees- Through training and development it helps in increasing the job knowledge and skills of employees at each level. It helps to expand the horizons of human intellect and an overall personality of the employees Team spirit: Training and Development helps in inculcating the sense of team work, team spirit, and inter-team collaborations. It helps in inculcating the zeal to learn within the employees. * Organization Climate: The HRD help building the positive perception and feeling about the organization since the joining of an employee through organizing orientation programs.We also ensure this climate persist s and employees get these feelings from leaders, subordinates, and peers. * Organization Culture: Training and Development helps to develop and improve the organizational health culture and effectiveness. It helps in creating the learning culture within the organization. * Quality: Through training and development we help in improv9ing upon the quality of work and work-life. * Health work environment: Training and Development helps in creating the healthy worki8ng environment . It helps to build good employee, relationship so that individual goals aligns with organizational goal. Health ; Safety: Training and Development helps in improving the health and safety of the organization thus preventing obsolescence. * Image: D;T try to create a better corporate image through arranging internship and in plant training for the students of different universities. * Employee Development: D;T helps in developing leadership skills, motivation, loyalty, better attitudes, and other aspects that s uccessful workers and managers usually display. 3. 2 Training and Employee Development in Square SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Training ; Development enables the people to enhance their skills, keep them updated with recent changes. SQUARE offer both on-the-job and off-the- job at both theoretical and practical training opportunities through a range of Local, Regional and International Training programs that include both functional and managerial levels on the basis of Training Need Assessment. Training Need Analysis (TNA) is conducted by Department Heads and Human Resource Department jointly on the basis of job analysis. 3. 2. 1 Management Development TrainingRound the year, management development training is organized for managers ; executives at our Corporate Headquarters, Dhaka Unit ; Pabna Unit. Square had own and renowned resource persons from home ; abroad conduct the training sessions. We also send our employees to renowned local training institutes for specialized training. 3 . 2. 2 Overseas Training Square send their employee to abroad for training program depending on availability of appropriate topics. Technical persons of our factories attend the Factory Assessment Test (FAT) in various parts of the world for smooth operation of equipments. 3. . 3 Field Forces Training ; Development Each year, a significant number of Field Forces complete their induction training program and joined to their respective markets and appear at examination in every month for further development. 3. 2. 4 Field Forces Refresher Course For updating product knowledge and selling skills of field forces, Refresher Course is organized in four different regions in every month. 3. 2. 5 Territory Manager Training Twice in every year, mid-level managers of sales participate in the training program titled â€Å"Sales Territory Management† at a regular basis. 3. 3 Purpose of TrainingIn today market place, it’s given that everyone want increased efficiency, better perform ance a bigger piece of the pie. Yet virtually everyone’s finding this more and more difficult to achieve. May be sheer number of competitors has increased. Perhaps growing price pressure is impacting, or the technology ageing. So, unless the product or service is the only one of its kind, we are looking for an edge, an advantage something special from the major competition. And training is one of the strongest toll through which a specialty can be created. Good training lessens frustration and boredom between supervisor and workers.It contributes to improved human relations and raises morale. The improvement in skills increases productivity and lessens turnover. Employees that the organization needs their support are less likely to leave the firm for another position. Through training organization help make employees more loyal to the company. Training also helps ambitious employees forge ahead in their own careers. On the other hand, Better product increases customer satisfa ction lead to repeat business and large sales. When we develop employees potential these things are vastly related.Training is a leadership activity, which prepares individuals for their own future opportunities. 3. 4 SPL Employee Training Training can involve the changing of employees’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior. It is therefore necessary to ascertain the appropriate requirements of each job in terms of these four factors. Training needs can generally be classified as either individual or group needs. Individual needs may relate to orientation (induction) training, initial (basic) training, remedial training (to correct perceived faults), refresher training (such as in company policy, safety, fire drill) or personal development.Group needs, on the other hand, refer to the need for a number of employees to change their behavior collectively. Examples include team building exercises designed to increase group cohesion or group co-ordination. In addition, types o f training needs can be grouped into the following two categories: Reactive Identify of existing weaknesses and reacting to remedy them. Proactive Preparation of employees to handle anticipated future changes both within and outside the organization. This is a longer-term approach, more oriented towards development. 3. 7 Training Needs AnalysisA Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is a review of learning and development requirements for staff, volunteers and trustees within in your organization. It considers the skills, knowledge and behaviors that you or your staff need, and how to develop them effectively. Techniques for Determining Specific Training Needs There are a number of practical methods which can use to gather data about employees’ performance. Each works well in given circumstances; therefore, we must determine which the best is for employee. None of these methods can stand alone. Always use at least two, if for no other reason to validate your findings.One of those we choose should always be observation. 3. 2 Training Methods Training is a key part of business growth and change. To help ensure that dollars are well spent, a company must choose their training programs wisely. When managing any training process, we recommend that company leaders work closely with functional department heads and Human Resources personnel in following a systematic approach to training. A good system will help attack training problems using a â€Å"rifle† approach, rather than a â€Å"shotgun† approach. The following are five generic steps or phases in the model that we as trainers simply call A.D. D. I. E. Follow these steps to build your training program, and you will increase your chances of assembling an effective program. 3. 3 Analyze Analyzing the need, or performing a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"needs assessment,†Ã‚  is crucial in identifying the information that must be addressed in the program. This is where SPL ask the question,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What do we want o ur employees to get out of the program? †Ã‚  A great way to complete this phase is to perform a â€Å"gap analysis† by comparing current results to the desired performance. Another way to perform this phase is to treat team members as stakeholders in the process, much like it treats customers.Get their help by asking for specifications for the training. After all, they know where they need help†¦ particularly when it comes to delivering a better product or dealing with customers. This analysis is also useful in creating metrics that will help your organization gauge the effectiveness of the training. This phase is where training program objectives begin to take shape. 3. 4 Design Design phase is where we link the needs assessment to the actual creation of new curriculum or the arrangement of existing curricula. This is where we assemble information tied to each program objective.From the needs analysis, we draw the blueprints of the training, based on the customer specifications. Remember, in this context, the customers that we are speaking of are your team members. If we design the training based on their needs, we get a better product. This is also the phase where we begin to think about the operational considerations of the program. Ask the question: How is the delivery of the program going to influence my business operations? The answer to this question will force functional managers to make decisions about how they will change operations in the interim to support the program. . 5 Develop Materials This includes items like, references, info packs, case studies, movies, games, and other visual aids. Remember to keep the information organized and easy to use by both the facilitator and the attendees†¦confusing programs will sabotage your program. This is also a great time to ensure that feedback from previous sessions is included. Make sure that the programs are up to date†¦spice things up by revamping statistical data, and findin g new stories to tell. If the attendees are bored, they will not stay engaged with the facilitator.If attendees are disengaged, they will absorb less knowledge. Keep them engaged with activities such as trivia questions, interactive exercises, and group discussions. 3. 6 Implementation Time for Class! This is when the training actually takes place. Here are a few things to think about: * Practice * Feedback forms * Management/leadership observations and interactions * Facilities management, including room arrangement and equipment * Classroom rules and expectations, including safety and evacuation procedures 3. 7 Evaluate All system outputs are a direct reflection of inputs, processes, and adjustments.The training process is no different. If the outputs of the program are less than desired, then changes to the program may be necessary. Companies should establish a systematic evaluation process to enhance the effectiveness of the training. We feel that the evaluation of the program s hould occur in two phases: 1) immediately after the program, and 2) some period later†¦for instance 6 months. The evaluation performed immediately after the program serves to correct urgent training issues such as incorrect data. This is also the time to concentrate on instructor techniques.The later evaluation determines whether the training enhanced employee and/or company performance. Chapter-4 Conclusion 4. 1 Conclusion Square is now the leading Pharmaceutical Company of Bangladesh and becoming a high performance global player in the field. From its formation to the present day, it has been successful in its endeavors. It provides quality medication and strictly follows all regulations. In Bangladesh over three thousand of people are working here. The medicine of Square is famous in Bangladesh as well as in foreign countries. HR Department of Square is playing a vital role as a corporate strategy maker.Growth of the company depends on hiring, developing, retaining skilled a nd motivating employees. HR Department is continuously hiring skilled people from wide market and thus provides trainings to cope with global challenges. Through various HR activities and training programs they retain talents in the organization, ensure career path for performers to perform more efficiently and effectively to contribute more and more. The Training and Development section of Square Pharmaceutical is always trying to ensure the best training programs for employees at the right time, right place.With the latest facilitated training resources they ensure the most effective training sessions for all level of employees. â€Å"Square Pharmaceuticals Limited† practices a progressive recruitment and selection procedures. HR officers of Square Pharmaceuticals Limited are now expected to work beyond the boundaries of contracts and policies to contribute directly to the operation and success of the Human Resources Department. 4. 2 Appendix LIST OF ABBREVIATION 1. PMD- Pr oduct Management Department. 2. AM – Area Manager. 3. FS- Field Supervisor. 4. TR- Tour Program. 5. DCR- Daily Call Report 6.DSE- Dhaka Stock Exchange. 7. SPL- Square Pharmaceuticals Limited. 8. MRA- Market Research Assistant. 9. MPO- Medical Promotion Officer. 10. SMPO- Senior Medical Promotion Officer. 11. MG- Manager. 12. GM- General Manager. 13. PPO- Product Promotion Officer. 14. SDO- Sales Development Officer. 15. SSDO- Senior Sales Development Officer. 16. TNA- Training Need Analysis. 17. SPO- Sales Promotion Officer. 18. SSPO- Senior Sales Promotion Officer. 19. TM- Territory Manager. 20. MP- Market Promoter. 21. FM- Field Manager. 4. 3 BIBLIOGRAPHY: * Annual report (2010-2011), Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd.Written ; Edited by: Accounts ; Finance Department of SQUARE Pharmaceuticals Ltd. * Raymond A. Noe, John R. Hollenbeck, Last Published: 2011, Human Resource Management, 10th edition, Publisher: Irwin/ McGraw-Hill, Boston, Massachusetts. * Dessler Gary, last published : 2011, Human Resource Management, 9th edition, Publisher: Prentice hall, New Jersey. * French L. Wendell, last published: 2011, Human Resource Management, 9th edition, Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. * SQUARE Library Reports, Maintained by: General Service Department. * www. squaregroup. com,2004, SQUARE Informatix Ltd.

How would you direct act one scene one of A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Essay

Act one scene one of â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream† opens by portraying to us the situation between the four lovers. Shakespeare creates the subtle impression that they are perplexed group of people with no balance between them. This provides both comedy and tension throughout the play. The basic complexities between the parties are laid out during this opening scene. A major influence to the direction of this scene is the audience’s perception of the different relationships. Shakespeare more than likely intended this scene to cause confusion as to who loves who, which in turn invites the audience formulate their own ideas. Naturally, the audience will want the four to form two couples instead of one confusing mess. To effectively portray this onstage, the four lovers should be proximate to the one that they love. This will cause a visual divide between the characters because not all of the lovers are happy with those who are in love with them. For example, if Demetrius went about following Hermia, she would continually walk away from him because she does not love him. To further emphasise the divide between the lovers that forms the basis of the first scene, I would direct Hermia’s father Egeus to be very angry with Lysander. He would show this through body language such as thrusting his fists into the air, and tone of voice, which would be loud and harsh. This creates a tense atmosphere onstage and furthermore reinforces the confusion and disapproving dispositions of the characters onstage. The opening section of the first scene gives us the impression that there is confusion between who loves who, and this is obvious to the audience. Shakespeare also tells us that Demetrius once loved Helena, and this hints to the audience that it may happen again – thus solving the ever tangled â€Å"love quartet†. To show this to the audience, when Demetrius talks to Helena, they would often come close as if the rapport between them is very strong, then back away. The general body language of the two would show that there is still a chance of a reunion. By the time that Helena tells Demetrius of Lysander and Hermia’s planned elopement, the audience are aware that if Demetrius did happen to fall in love with Helena again, all would be well. This makes the audience want them to get back together. In order to bring out the comedy in this scene, I would direct the lovers to be very serious: overly deep and preoccupied with their own feelings. The inflated characters taking the ludicrous situation seriously would be comical. The fact that they are selfish and are only concerned with their own feelings in this scene also adds to the comic value. They are funny, however, singularly – they don’t involve relationships with any other character in order to be comical. Act one scene one is used to present the four lovers to us and describe their situation. Each of the four is presented in a different way, and depending on their direction is how the audience would perceive them. Shakespeare presents Helena as completely hung up about her looks. In order to show this, I would have Helena with too much make up on, possibly carrying a mirror and checking herself all the time. Her stage presence would show her as very flamboyant and very melodramatic in her movement, over exaggerating gestures in order to show her self-assured ‘importance’. We know that she is anxious about her looks because of her nervous reaction when Lysander calls her â€Å"fair†. Later on in the scene, Hermia becomes self-conscious about her height. It is her reaction to this that is comical. Firstly, she takes the jests very seriously. I would direct her to show this through facial expression, relaying to the audience her devastation. Secondly, she reacts by mocking Helena – â€Å"Thou painted maypole†. These lines are intrinsically humorous, so using obvious angry facial expressions and perhaps grabbing each other as if to fight would bring out the comic value of the segment. Demetrius is willing to see Hermia executed to prevent her from marrying another man, and Lysander appears to think of himself as a hero in a love story: he is egotistical and pretentious. It is ironic that eh thinks of himself as heroic because he is in fact, the opposite. In order to show Lysander’s naivety and contrast to Demetrius, I would direct him to appear less intelligent than the others. My dramatic intentions in this scene would be to present to the audience the confusion between the four lovers onstage in act one scene one. The main method I would use to do this would be to ensure a contrast between those that do not love each other, which would be shown through negative body language and stage positioning that portrays they do not want to be near each other.

Edith Wharton’s “Souls Belated” Essay

Point of view always influences the way readers perceive events. In literature, the point of view the author chooses not only affects the way readers perceive and interpret events, but it also determines, to some extent, what the readers can actually see. That is, point of view guides the way readers interpret events and draw conclusions by limiting or illuminating the amount and nature of the information from which conclusions can be drawn. In â€Å"Souls Belated,† Edith Wharton uses point of view to illuminate the thoughts of each character individually, while concealing the thoughts of the other, and eventually to highlight the vastly different mindsets of both characters involved. Wharton first does this by revealing Lydia’s thoughts to the readers while hiding Gannett’s. At the exposition, the story is told in third person, from Lydia’s point of view. This technique allows readers to see directly into Lydia’s mind. To know what Gannet is thinking, however, they must accept Lydia’s version of his thoughts: â€Å"He was thinking of it now, just as she was; they had been thinking about it in unison ever since they had entered the train† (673). Since readers have no direct insight into Gannett’s brain, they have no way to know what he is really thinking, but neither do they have, as yet, any substantial reason to doubt Lydia’s interpretation of events. The third-person-limited point of view is particularly effective because it allows readers to view Lydia’s thoughts, opinions, and interpretations as facts. If Wharton had chosen to tell the story in first person, from Lydia’s point of view, the narrative would be clearly subjective. Readers would be aware of the limitations of a first person narrator. Consequently, they would have plenty of incentive to question the accuracy of Lydia’s perception. On the other hand, if the narrator were omniscient, it would describe Gannett’s thoughts as well as Lydia’s and thereby remove all questions in this matter. The actual third person narrator seems removed enough from the action to appear to be an impartial observer; this inclines readers to accept the narrator’s statements as facts. That the point of view is limited, however, also leaves in question whether Lydia’s view of Gannett is correct, whether readers should accept it at face value; th is is what  creates the subtle suspense of the story. Wharton builds on this suspense by suggesting that Lydia does know Gannett well enough to know his mind, or, at least, that Lydia thinks she knows Gannett well enough to know: â€Å"now that he and she were alone she knew exactly what was passing through his mind; she could almost hear him asking himself what he should say to her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (673). This not only further inclines readers to accept Lydia’s interpretation of Gannett’s thoughts and emotions, but it also encourages them to be sympathetic to her. Lydia knows what Gannett is thinking, and she dreads it. Since readers know Lydia’s mind but not Gannett’s, they cannot help but see the situation through her eyes. In order to see properly through Lydia’s eyes, in order to know why she dreads Gannett inevitably speaking to her, readers need to have some sense of her personality. The point of view helps accomplish this as well; it allows readers to extract information about Lydia’s personality from her reactions to her own memories. For example, when Lydia remembers her ex-husband and her reasons for leaving him, â€Å"[she] had preferred to think that Tillotson had himself embodied all her reasons for leaving him†¦. Yet she had not left him till she met Gannett† (673). From this, readers know that Lydia, at the beginning at least, is not self-secure enough to have left her husband to be on her own. She could not turn from him without having someone else to turn to. However, â€Å"this discovery had not been agreeable to her self-esteem† (673), indicating that not only is Lydia aware of her own insecurity but also that it is something which bothers her. Lydia wan ts to think of herself as an independent woman but so far has not been as wholly independent as she would like to be. Once readers understand this part of Lydia’s personality, they are better prepared to understand why Lydia struggles against dependency. Specifically, she struggles against marrying Gannett because she views it as a particularly tempting form of dependency. Lydia fears that by marrying Gannett, she will lose whatever sense of self she has developed since leaving her husband; similarly, she worries that Gannett will lose his sense of self in marrying her. â€Å"To look upon him as the instrument of her  liberation; to resist herself in the least tendency to a wifely taking possession of his future; had seemed to Lydia the one way of maintaining the dignity of their relation† (675). At the same time, however, she realizes that this view of their relationship is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain: â€Å"she was aware of a growing inability to keep her thoughts fixed on the essential point – the point of parting with Gannett† (675). Through what the narrator says and does not say about their relationship, readers can infer that Lydia is growing dependent on Gannett but is still trying to fight against it. The insight Wharton gives readers into Lydia’s personality contrasts sharply with how little they know of Gannett. Because of the narrator’s limited point of view, readers know only as much about Gannett as Lydia knows. Readers know what Gannett says and what he does, as well as what Lydia presumes he thinks, but they have no way to observe Gannett’s thoughts for themselves. Even at one point where the narrative seems to shift to a more omniscient point of view, the narrator can only say, â€Å"He looked at her hopelessly. Nothing is more perplexing to man than the mental process of a woman who reasons her emotions† (678). The narrative still does not describe exactly what Gannett is thinking; it only describes Gannett’s action, then makes a general statement which may or may not apply to Gannett specifically. Readers have no way of knowing whether Gannett actually thinks this statement or not; for all they know, it could be what Lydia is thinking, what she presumes about Gannett’s state of mind. Not only does this point of view technique make the readers want to know what Gannett is thinking, but it also binds them emotionally to Lydia. They want to know what Gannett is thinking as badly as she does. After building up sufficient desire, Wharton finally satisfies the readers’ curiosity by shifting the point of view to allow them access to Gannett’s thoughts. This shift also corresponds with an important twist in the plot; it comes at the beginning of their last conversation in the hotel room, just before Lydia suggests to Gannett that the only was to resolve their relationship is for her to leave him. â€Å"Gannett threw away his cigarette; the sound of her voice made him want to see her face† (685).† Limited though it  is, this is the first time readers can witness Gannett’s thoughts directly. Throughout the conversation, the shift intensifies. â€Å"She sank again on the sofa, hiding her face in her hands†¦. Gannett stood above her perplexedly; he felt as though she were being swept away by some implacable current while he stood helpless on its bank† (688). Now, the roles are reversed: readers can know Gannett’s emotional st ate from what the narrator tells them, but they must divine Lydia’s from her words and actions. That this point of view shift comes before Lydia’s suggestion to leave Gannett is important because it brings with it a tone shift. When the readers can see Gannett’s desires and emotions, they begin to feel sympathy for him. Now they can see the events through his eyes, too. Conversely, when the narrative distances itself from Lydia’s thoughts, it distances the readers from Lydia as well. While this distance does not necessarily cancel out any sympathy the readers have for Lydia, their sympathy for her does not overpower their sympathy for Gannett. Indeed, it is because of this newfound sympathy that Lydia’s, â€Å"My leaving you,† (689) does not seem to the readers like a desirable outcome. Since they now sympathize with both characters, they do not like anything that would cause either one of them pain. An act that would cause both characters pain would be doubly bad. Wharton continues this sympathy for Gannett by telling the last section of the story, where Lydia actually tries to leave him, from his point of view. Wharton also uses this point of view to answer many of Lydia’s, and therefore the readers’, questions. For instance, the readers now get to see how Gannett views marriage, particularly marriage to Lydia. â€Å"Even had his love lessened, he was now bound to her by a hundred ties of pity and self-reproach; and she, poor child! must turn back to hum as Latude returned to his cell†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (690). Gannett feels responsible for Lydia as well as bound to her; he possibly even feels somewhat fatherly toward her, as if she was a child who he had an obligation to look after. These are all attitudes opposed to Lydia’s pride and desire for independence. As Gannett watches Lydia walk away from the hotel, his thoughts continue: If any thought emerged from the tumult of his sensations, it was that he must let her go if she wished it. He had spoken last night of his rights: what were they? At the last issue, he and she were two separate beings, not made one by the miracle of common forbearances, duties, abnegations, but bound together in a noyade of passion that left them resisting yet clinging as they went down. (690) From this statement, readers know Gannett’s true attitude toward marriage, that it is a spiritual joining that would give him some sort of right to Lydia. Not only is Gannett’s opinion of marriage contrary to Lydia’s opinion of it, but it also conflicts with what Lydia believes Gannett’s opinion to be. Their isolated points of view heighten the contrast between Gannett’s and Lydia’s feelings toward marriage. This separation reminds the readers that although they can see into both Lydia’s and Gannett’s minds, there is no way for either character to know what the other is thinking. Each character is completely cut off from the other; the only way they have to intuit thoughts is for them to interpret the words and actions of the other, just as readers must do, in turn, for each character. The isolation that lets the readers see this limitation is the same isolation that hides, ironically, the limitation from both characters. Lydia, for example, felt â€Å"she knew exactly what was passing through his mind† (673), even though it is her uncertainty that makes what Gannett is thinking so nervewracking for her. In the same way, Gannett later feels that Lydia is walking into a world where â€Å"no one would understand her – no one would pity her – and he, who did both, was powerless to come to her aid†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (690). If Gannett truly understood and pitied Lydia, he would have understood that she is too independent to want is pity. But perhaps the most telling point of view shift comes at the end of the story, where Wharton retreats into an omniscient, objectively descriptive narrator. As Gannett watches Lydia leave the boat and come back to the hotel, back to him, â€Å"[he] sat down beside a table; a Bradshaw lay at his elbow, and mechanically, without knowing what he did, he began looking out  the trains to Paris†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (691). The distance of the point of view echoes Gannett’s distance from his own emotions. He acts mechanically, not knowing what he is doing because he does not know what he is feeling. Indeed, the distance of the narrative reflects the net numbness of the conflicting emotions that Lydia and Gannett are both feeling. Each must resign himself to marrying the one he loves.

Women S Roles In World War One

These women worked primarily with gunshot wounds and gas victims. The Fad's would have to keep wounds clean, distribute painkillers, and inject these painkillers into men's wounds. The Fanny however had a much more undesirable job. Fanny's would have to clean and disinfect rooms that housed wounded soldiers. â€Å"Some of these volunteers even recalled having to get rid of bodies from the hospital. † (www. Sachem. Du/Erlenmeyer) Not only did these women have to clean the soldier's wounds, but on occasion had to clean the soldiers themselves. Although volunteering as a FANNY seemed unlikable, the women were happy to help aid the grateful soldiers.Other jobs that women did included land work. One group of women were The Women's Land Army. The Women's Land Army worked to bring in the harvest and maintain the farms. Anything that could be done by hand by the WALLA was done by hand in order to save fuel. Since the need for WALLA workers was so high, recruiting officers never thorou ghly checked women's ages. Girls at the age of only 14 were accepted after lying that they were 18. Although the job was tough, â€Å"women were only paid 18 shillings a week. 12 of these shillings would be devoted to food and board, leaving only 6 shillings for women to spend for themselves.Considering a pair of pantyhose cost 3 shillings, they did not have much. † (www. Sachem. Du/Erlenmeyer) Not only did women take over jobs to help the war effort, but they also went out and â€Å"contained† for the U. S. Soldiers. â€Å"They would provide entertainment, hand out food, cigarettes, and sweets, and sewed buttons back on uniforms. † (WV. Www. Warranted. Com/ hoosegow) Women would sing and dance for the soldiers to keep their spirits up. But not only did they sing and dance, but also gave lectures and read poetry. The soldiers would look forward to seeing the women perform for them.It would give them hope even when things were going wrong. A soldier described Sar ah Wailer's performance saying â€Å"I shall never forget as long as I live the blessed white dress she had on the night she recited to us. We had not seen a white dress in years. There we were all ready to go into the line, and there she was talking to us like a girl from home. It sure was a great sight, you bet. † (War And Gender: How Gender Shapes the War System and Vice Versa) In order to raise awareness for the war and show their support, women began campaigns to help the war effort. One campaign in particular was the White Feather Campaign.In this campaign, women would go around and hand out a white feather to any healthy looking man, trying to shame him for being a coward. At that time a white feather was a symbol Of unfulfilled civic duty and receiving a white feather showed the women's disappointment in that man for not going to serve his country. The point of this campaign was to shame men into going to fight. Although in many cases it proved successful, women soon stopped the White Feather Campaign because people spoke out against it. After World War One women were looked at differently. Men realized that they could actually work and take responsibility.

Individual 4 international trade operation Essay

Individual 4 international trade operation - Essay Example This may greatly affect the success of such products taken to the markets. Any change in the international markets will greatly hinder the competitive success of such goods in the markets thus leading to staggering economic growth rates. Therefore, it means any form of currency fluctuations solely affects such goods priced in the local currency (David and Stewart, 2010). In addition, it is of crucial significance to acknowledge the fact that pricing of goods in the local currency is effective in easing price negotiations. The ease in negotiation of prices is core in ensuring business success. As such, the customers will be ready and willing to participate in the purchase of such goods with relative ease. Pricing of goods in US dollars is quiet advantageous in several perspectives. First, in cases involving fluctuations of prices in the international markets, the effects are borne by the customers but not the producers (De, 2011). In this regard, the issue of pricing of goods in the U .S dollars becomes beneficial in the international markets. The customers themselves must meet any financial inequity and challenges that may face such goods in the international markets. This eases the financial burdens on the side of the exporters. However, it is critical to note that pricing of goods in U.S dollars may be disadvantageous at times. This follows that pricing of goods in U.S dollars makes the process of price negotiations difficult (David and Stewart, 2010). This can greatly influence the fate of such products in the international markets. Rate parity theory is a theory that relates the interest rates between two countries in terms of their differences and the effect that has on the foreign exchange rates (David and Stewart, 2010). The theory states that the difference that exists between the interest rates between such two countries becomes the difference realized in terms of foreign exchange rates as well as the spot rate regarding their currencies (De, 2011). The rate parity theory can be used to predict the future exchange rate in several perspectives. First, with regards to the future purchasing power parity, the future exchange rates of two different currencies can be predicted using the formula below. Where (S1) is the Spot Exchange rate at the end of the period, (S0) is the spot exchange rate at the beginning of the period, (1+ IF) is the foreign inflation rate and (1 + ID) is the domestic inflation rate. It is of critical importance to acknowledge the fact that the major determinants of future real exchange rates depends on the nature of economic activities including growth in manufacturing leading to rise in economic productivity (Murthy, 2010). This may also have some effects in the Forward Exchange Rates. Currently, the Spot Rate of Egyptian pounds relevant to the U.S dollar is at 6.89 and their Interest Rates is at 8.25%. However, the Interest rate of United States is currently at 0.25 %. The Forward Rate can be calculated using t he formula below. Forward Rate = Spot Rate X (1+Interest Rate of Overseas Country)/(1+ Interest Rate of Domestic country) The current Forward Exchange Rate for the United States and Egypt can be calculated as shown below. 1 USD = 6.89(1+8.25%)/(1+0.25%)= 7.44 Egyptian Pounds. The Monetary policy refers to a system by which the monetary authorities, including

Career Opportunities for Future Professional Marketing Experts Essay - 163

Career Opportunities for Future Professional Marketing Experts - Essay Example It is important to identify the target market to identify the needs of the customer and meet the needs effectively. Hence, the knowledge learned in marketing will provide an important insight into my position at the oil company that will enable my career in the oil company to progress. In my position, I will involve various marketing strategies such as the provision of quality products to customers. The oil company provides a range of products such as oil and gas. Therefore as a marketer, the credibility of the products offered should be effective to the consumers of the product. In Saudi Arabia, there are different oil companies and therefore in order to gain market advantage in that region, the oil company should provide a wide range of quality products to its consumers. Hence, the market strategies that I will employ in my position within the Saudi Arabian oil company will be important in attaining the goals and objectives of the oil company. At the same time, these strategies will be essential in my career progression and application of the knowledge learned in marketing will provide important insight in my position at the oil company that will enable my career in the oil company to progress.  

What Are The Laws Of Directors Remuneration In Australia Are They Research Paper

What Are The Laws Of Directors Remuneration In Australia Are They Adequate, Effective And Efficient To Protect The Interests Of The Shareholders - Research Paper Example It is simply regarded as the salary of the directors that is paid by a particular company to the director. A director is viewed to be an administrative officer of a business entity and acts as a principal agent of a concern. The remuneration of the directors is not only provided in the form of salary but also in the form of bonuses, incentives and stock payments and other benefits. Different laws are applicable concerning director’s remuneration in diverse nations.It has been viewed that the remuneration reforms which formed by the Federal government of Australia attracted the response of various organizations as well as their respective directors and also made them to respond to make any sort of change in stakeholder engagement. However, the shareholders and the constitution frames by a company play a major part in determining the laws of director’s remuneration in Australia.1 In this discussion, the different laws concerning director’s remuneration in Australia will be taken into concern. Moreover, the laws are adequate, effective and efficient or not in order to protect the interests of the shareholders will also be portrayed in the discussion. Legal Issues Relevant To the Laws of Directors’ Remuneration in Australia The legal issues relevant to the laws of director’s remuneration in Australia can be processed under the recognition of Chartered Secretaries Australia (CSA). It has been apparently observed that the issue relating to directors remuneration received much attention in the year 2011. In this similar regard, this regulatory reform issue ranked third in the year 2012.2 Section 9 of the Corporations Act defines remuneration as any benefit that is provided to an employee or an officer belonging to a particular corporation. Moreover, the Act also described remuneration as compensation that comprises all employee benefits such as salaries, bonuses and wages among others. According to Chartered Secretaries Australia (20 09), the Australian Government newly released the Corporations Amendment Bill 2009 for public consultation. Under the guidelines of this law, it has been proposed that the termination benefits especially for the directors as well as the senior management officials will need approval from the shareholders. This practice would ultimately ensure higher remuneration scrutiny that includes greater responsibility and termination payments.1 The different legal issues that can be correlated with the laws of director’s remuneration in Australia are the ‘two-strikes’ rule, proxy voting, no vacancy rule, remuneration consultants and voting by key management personnel.3 The detailed analysis of the aforementioned issues has been described hereunder. The ‘Two-Strikes’ Rule According to the Corporations Act 2001, every listed company is required to make a remuneration report that should be submitted to a non- binding vote of shareholders at the Annual General Meet ing (AGM) of a company. The Act proposes to empower this requirement by forming ‘two strikes’ and re-election procedure. In this connection, the first strike would take place at the time when remuneration report of a company receives a ‘no’ vote of near about 25% or more. If certain situation arises, then it is the responsibility of the management officials of a company to convey the matter related to the board in order to take necessary steps or action. If a company does not convey any message relating to the matter, then the board would be liable to take necessary actions. The second strike would happen when the remuneration repo

Bear Stearns & Co Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bear Stearns & Co - Essay Example gh development rate of new franchisees and their new organization possessed saves, all the unneeded "hit" tapes from their current saves either could gainfully sold to new franchisees for stocking their saves with a base stock, or be utilized to stock the s organizations new stores. Blockbusters administration Pointed out that amortization of goodwill in excess of 40 years is worthy under proper accounting rules (GAAP). Blockbuster ought to be realized that adjusting lapses happen and depending how the loan specialist collects these blunders, the mixed installment (central + investment) may change marginally a few months to keep these mistakes from collecting; or, the gathered slips are balanced for at the end of every year, or at the last advance payment (Penman, 2009). There are a couple of pivotal focuses important when selling a home with an amortized credit. Primarily, there is significant dissimilar portion of the regularly scheduled installments at the investment, particularly amid the initial 18 years of a 40-year contract. 2. The impact on the Blockbusters 1988 earnings per share if 5-year amortization were applied to this goodwill will decrease keeping in mind that terms governing loan amortization is based on the mark of 40 years. In the case underneath, installment 1 apportions around 80-90% of the aggregate payment towards interest and just $67.09 (or 10-20%) at the Principal equalization. The careful rate distributed towards installment of the key relies on upon the investment rate. Not until payment 257 or 21 years into the credit does the installment assignment towards chief and investment level out and in this manner tip most of the regularly scheduled installment to Principal equalization pay down, and I think it is appropriate on this ground. In addition, the level of mortgage monthly payment will be high. 3. The earnings per share if the Video superstore purchases were not included in the 1988 revenues would have been much low keeping in

Liability Issues - Limited Liability Company Essay

Liability Issues - Limited Liability Company - Essay Example In this case, though, it appears that the â€Å"sole trader† concept is not appropriate for these three individuals. This is because the sole trader is an individual who sets up an entity. Thus, whatever entity they set up will not be a sole trader. Thus, it could either be a limited liability company or a business partnership. A limited liability company is one in which the three individuals can form by pooling their resources in the form of acquiring shares in the company to be formed. The acquisition of shares creates a separate entity that will have a limited liability. On the other hand, if the three individuals in question decide to form a partnership, they will be a collection of individual sole traders who will contribute their resources according to a ratio. Based on the ratio of contributions, they will bear responsibility for issues that come up and also get to split profits on the basis of the ratio. However, partnerships often do not have a limited liability. The concept of â€Å"limited liability† is steeped in the idea that a firm is separated from its owners. This is steeped in the case of Salomon V Salomon (1897) in which a man created an entity with 20,007 shares. He took 20,001 shares and sold one share each to six of his family members. The business went into liquidation and the creditor sued for the recovery of money from the owner with 20,001 shares. The court held that once it was incorporated as a company, the liability was limited and the liability for issues and matters was only limited to the assets and shares owned by the business itself. Based on this, it is deduced that a business that has a limited liability is separate and different from its owners (James and Tilley, 2009). In doing this business, there are risks and there is a possibility that the computers of the firm could encounter some forms of risks.  In that case, there is the need to protect the entity from having its liability spread from the organisation they will form to the owners of the business.  Ã‚  

How has education and sports contributed to who you are today and how Essay

How has education and sports contributed to who you are today and how it will effect who you will become - Essay Example However, my academic life had not been affected by my participation in sports activities and competitions, because I always wanted to do well in both my studies and sports. The fact that I focused equally on sports and education helped me develop a high level of personal discipline from early years onwards. Since my parents allowed me to play when I was a small child, sports had in fact become a part of my daily life. I did learn to accommodate regular exercises and practice every day no matter how busy my schedule was. My school years did in fact provide me a lot of opportunities to be trained under excellent instructors. The special training programmes were very useful for me, and they were scheduled either early in the morning or in the evening, before or after class hours. Since I had been used to rigorous training programs since my early childhood, it was never a problem for me to dedicate quality time for academics and attend all the classes. In fact, the sport activities did help me develop a healthy mind in a healthy body, which did prepare me to utilize the maximum of time I had for my studies. I realized at school education was an integral part of my growth and development as an individual. I liked everything I was taught in the classrooms. I had been a diligent student who honors classes throughout high school and maintained a 2.5 average. I could connect well with all my teachers and be in jovial terms with my classmates. I learnt about the value of good friendship through my school years. Many of my friends did go out of their way to help me. They shared their class notes with me and spent time to explain the main points discussed in classes that I missed during sport competitions. I had been truly convinced of the relevance of all the subjects I had to study. I believe I have a very balanced personality thanks to my equal interest in

Analysis a story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis a story - Essay Example By using these elements, the author successfully shows that clinging to one’s past experiences and traditions is a major obstacle to achieving our future dreams and aspirations. By focusing the characters, plot, setting and style, the paper will show how the story successfully brings out this point. A person’s surrounding, friends and family, routine, emotions and the inability to take action make it difficult to leave the past and pursue a better future elsewhere. Our traditional setting and environments prevent us from exploring better alternatives elsewhere. Setting is one of the elements of fiction used by the author to bring out the main ideas in the story. This setting had a great influence on Eveline’s life since she had become accustomed to it. The physical setting of the story is Eveline’s room and the field. The plot moves from the window to the field and then back to the room. For instance, at the beginning of the story, the author states that Eveline â€Å"looked round the room† and was â€Å"reviewing all its familiar objects† (Joyce, 29). Through the setting of the story, the author is able to highlight how familiar surroundings make us resistant to change. The story shows that Eveline was looking at the people and objects she had become familiar with, and this made it harder for her to live with her lover. Through the setting, the author shows how human decisions about the future are tied to the objec ts and people around him. It is hard for a person to live his or her familiar environment however good or bad it is. Secondly, the choice of characters used in the story further shows the conflicting emotions people have when choosing between a life rooted in the past and the possibility of a new better life elsewhere. Eveline, who is the main character in the story, is shown to be confused and undecided. For example, at

Case study on an historical Civil Engineering failure Essay - 2

Case study on an historical Civil Engineering failure - Essay Example After continuous investigations that lasted over 14 months, the investigating bodies concluded that the collapse was prompted by the inadequacy in load capacity of gusset plates that had been used to construct the bridge. The problem of the connecting gusset plates to the truss members had been a design problem, and the error was caused by the designing firm, Sverdrup and Parcel Associates Corporation (Higgins et al. 988). It was assessed that the loading particulars incorporated a mixture of substantial additions in the total weight of the whole bridge construction that had been caused by past modifications to the bridge. It was also assessed that the traffic on that day of the collapse added on to the construction loads on the bridge. The evidence used to assess and investigate the damage of the bridge has been reviewed in this report. In the year 2007, on the evening of August 1st at around 18:00 hours, the 1,900 foot long I-35 bridge situated on top of the Mississippi River, Minnesota underwent a disastrous failure. The bridge deck truss that measured around 1,500 feet collapsed together with some other adjacent sections of the bridges approach spans that had been sustained by the deck truss. Media reports showed that there were over 190 individuals who were on that bridge at the time of the collapse. A total of 14 fatalities were reported, with approximately 150 individuals sustaining various injuries. It was also reported that a total of 111 motor vehicles had been on the bridge when it collapsed (Feldman 541). A handful of those vehicles was recovered from the water. The figure below shows the collapsed bridge on the morning after the collapse. The NTSB commissioned a team of experts to investigate the accident scene. The investigations commenced immediately on the next day after the disastrous collapse of the bridge. The complete investigation with extensive documentation and analysis of the destroyed bridge were presented to the Senate and

Nursing-Health Education Project on Teenage Smoking prevention Essay

Nursing-Health Education Project on Teenage Smoking prevention - Essay Example red into believing that smoking offers benefits not found in any other consumer-product that they find it easy to get hooked to cigarettes and tobacco, but have difficulty in letting go of the habit. People are very well aware that smoking tobacco has harmful effects on one’s health. But the continuous ‘patriotism’ for smoking this product is due to some simple, yet unknown facts. For instance, not everyone knows about how adverse cigarette smoking effects could be dangerous. With its effect on health, an estimated 438,000 deaths is recorder each year due to cigarette smoking (Center for Disease Control, 2006). Based on a National Research Council Survey, adolescents who had quit smoking were less likely to develop depression, which shows that smoking does have an effect on a person’s emotional state. However, a more striking result was found later through Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey, still part of the National Research Council, which shows that youthful smokers were twice as likely to develop depressive symptoms as never smokers (Long, 2005). The chosen benefactors of the health promotion or wellness project are a heterogeneous group of ninth graders. They will be under assessment, and is a group composed mostly of auditory learners who learn much better when information is given through the spoken word. They prefer to listen than take down notes and picture things out in their minds. These children also enjoy saying things in their own words and explaining these things to others, vocally. It is therefore, just appropriate to have a speaker who is able to speak effectively and communicate well through speech. There are more chances for the children to comprehend what they have been taught, if it is presented orally or verbally. The ninth graders are, furthermore, proven to be mature and ready enough to learn, as indicated by certain factors and corresponding ratings and assessments. The children are all in the right age to engage in

Role of Visual Culture in the Contemporary Cultural Diversity Research Proposal

Role of Visual Culture in the Contemporary Cultural Diversity - Research Proposal Example In their articles, Mirzoeff, Ruby, Sturken, and Cartwright argue despite being instrumental in globalization, the impact of visual culture in the assimilation of cultural diversity is still debatable. Therefore, there is need to conduct a research that answers the following questions: 1. What is visual culture in the context of classical and contemporary cultural diversity? 2. How has visual culture enhanced globalization? 3. Has globalization changed the contemporary perspectives of cultural diversity? 4. Has visual culture enhanced assimilation of contemporary cultural diversity? Literature Review Different authors and scholars have had varied views on the role of visual culture within the multi-cultural society in the contemporary world. In both his works, Mirzoeff (â€Å"An Introduction† 3; â€Å"Visual Culture† 4) argue that visual culture depends of the circumstances under which various images are made and this may not have a significant impact in changing the per ceptions of the viewers in relation to accepting and assimilating cultural diversity. Ruby (1345) also adds that stakeholders in the visual culture are only concerned with the personal interpretation of the image presented. Consequently, the viewers are likely to have varied perceptions especially given the negative and positive feelings created by the image thereby acting differently as in the example of the fetish (Fusco 368). This explains why some countries or regions would censor images to avoid the negative feelings and interpretations (Sturken and Cartwright 390). The idea of having varied feelings brings about the idea that regions and people are different and so are people. This has only worsened the situation in the assimilation of cultural diversity perspectives especially in the contemporary world. Another argument by varied authors and scholars on the impact or role of visual culture towards enhancing assimilation of cultural diversity is the idea of individualism. Ther e are studies proposing that instead of inspiring communalism and acceptance of the diversity in culture, visual culture has actually inspired individualism based on the magnification of contrasts that exist between regions or people. Sturken and Cartwright (389) argue that there has been an increase flow of foreign ideas courtesy of globalization. Such ideas tend to bring new information, new perception, and create more contrasts, which only lead to the acceptance that regions and people can never be equal (Mitchell 298). However, Mirzoeff (â€Å"An Introduction† 3) argues that despite the liberty of receivers to interpret the images in relation to cultural diversity, the receivers have continuously interpreted the images negatively and this invokes the idea that no regions or people can ever be equal. Ruby (1345) discusses the barrier of visual culture to enhancing assimilation of culture diversity on the on the basis of impact of current culture in the lives of people. The current culture has had significant impacts on the lives of people with reference to the cultures of the other people. This creates the idea of differences between various cultures. In addition, there has been an increasing tendency to make comparison and contrast, which only lead to the widening of the gap between different cultures. Consequently, it becomes difficult for the viewers or receivers to interpret visual culture on a neutral ground. The lack of neutrality continues to widen the gap between various cultures, which make visual culture to be a barrier in the assimilation of cultural diversities. Nevertheless, Rose (25) and Dikovistskaya (71) argue that through visual culture viewers and receivers have been