Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Trust in Business Is a Means for Greater Business Efficiency

All businesses strive to be effective and efficient. Whilst the hallmark of a capitalist economy is self-interest and competition, cooperation is also necessary in order to further efficiency and productivity. For a business to be successful, the people within need to develop relationships amongst each other as well as outside the organization in order to be able to work with one another. These relationships are a function of trust. Trust is the reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. Therefore building trust is a vital step towards maintaining and promoting business efficiency. However, in terms of business ethics, the sole purpose of the use of trust is to promote business efficiency. Customers and the†¦show more content†¦While loyalty is not easily quantifiable, and thus does not show up in a corporate ledger, it will affect the company’s overall performance.† Because trust is a vital part of loyalty, it follows that creating trust amongst employees by treating them respectfully is likely to result in improved company performance and efficiency. This once again provides a quantifiable measure for trust in a capitalist economy. Trust is also dependent upon not lying. Companies that lie about their product are in essence diminishing the trust established among their customers and the community. This can be anything from providing misleading information about their products in advertisements or stating obvious falsehoods . For example, an obvious falsehood would be a deodorant company that claims that the user of the product is likely to attract women as a result of the product itself. Lying is always wrong because it undermines the trust that makes telling the truth useful. If no one could be ‘trusted’, and everyone lied about what they did, the business world would fall apart quickly as a business could not be assured of any one else’s services. A business would not be able to do something as simple as take a loan out of a bank to afford its various activities. This is because banks would not trusting a business to repay the loan as in a capitalist economy paying back a loan would not be in a business’ self interest. Thus in such an environment, all of business comes to aShow MoreRelatedEssay Trust In Business Is A Means For Greater Business Efficiency1860 Words   |  8 Pagesorder to further efficiency and productivity. For a business to be successful, the people within need to develop relationships amongst each other as well as outside the organization in order to be able to work with one another. These relationships are a function of trust. Trust is the reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. Therefore building trust is a vital step towards maintaining and promoting business efficiency. However, in terms of business ethics, the sole purposeRead MoreRelationship Between Layoffs And Voluntary Turnover1417 Words   |  6 Pagessociety is now capable of reaching greater heights in efficiency more than ever. The benefit of efficiency is not wasting any limited resources and time; however, it is not much so when business owners attempt to become more efficient by laying off their employees. 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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Legacy Of The Ford Motor Company - 1023 Words

On June 17, 1903 the Ford Motor Company was organized. The date is the day the deal started for Henry Ford not because the company had his name, the day all his hard work would start to payoff. To look at the deal from just one day would not do justice to the brilliant way and intertwined ways Henry Ford took the world by storm. From the start in Ford’s garage to the offices of lawyers, and then on to control of the largest automotive companies in the world one can see the deal was just a key to Mr. Ford’s future. To start, Henry Ford was born on a family farm during the Civil War. This is what would drive Mr. Ford; not wanting to be a farmer and wanting to work on machinery. Unsatisfied with farm work, Ford left home the following year, at the age of 16, to take an apprenticeship as a machinist in Detroit. In the years that followed, he would learn to skillfully operate and service steam engines, and would also study bookkeeping. Later Henry Ford would work for the Ed ison Lighting Company as an engineer, later Ford would become chief engineer. Ford got a chance to meet Thomas Edison and showed Edison his plans for his first horseless carriage. This meeting would lead to a friendship that would help Ford when designing his assembly line. Another account of Ford’s early years says, â€Å"In 1879 he left the farm to become an apprentice at the Michigan Car Company, a manufacturer of railroad cars in Detroit. Over the next two-and-one-half years he held several similar jobs,Show MoreRelatedThe Success Of Henry Ford1451 Words   |  6 Pagesis a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.† -Henry Ford. This quote was one of the key ideas that led him to success. Henry Ford went from working on his family s farm to mass manufacturing cars. Early on Henry Ford realized his goal in life, he has countless achievements, and has a forever lasting legacy. To begin, Ford had an interesting childhood. On July 30, 1863, on the Ford family farm, an innovator was born. He got his education in a one room schoolhouseRead MorePorter s Five Forces Model1137 Words   |  5 Pagestheir product. However, suppliers can have catastrophic effects on an automotive producer when their products fail and need to be recalled. For example, Firestone produced faulty tires equipped to the Ford Explorer which caused over 250 deaths, billions of dollars in losses and the collapse of the Ford Explorer product line [5]. The fourth facet of the Porter’s Five Forces model, substitute products, has relatively low implications on the automotive industry but is largely determinant on a varietyRead MoreCase Study : Ford Motor Company1743 Words   |  7 PagesCase Background and Problem Statement: Bill Ford, heir and President of Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), faced a forecasted thirteen billion dollar loss in 2006. In order to save Ford, Bill Ford had to dramatically alter the direction of his organization [1]. After several unsuccessful attempts at attracting top executives away from his competitors, Bill Ford decided to pursue a route that Ford Motor Company hadn’t in over 60 years by not only hiring a top executive from outside its’ ranks but alsoRead MoreFord Motor Company Case Study1124 Words   |  5 Pages Introduction Ford Motor Company is the fifth biggest automobile manufacturing companies in the world and they offer a wide range of products and services for consumers. Ford Motor Company offers automobile products that are cars, crossovers, SUV’s, trucks, vans, and Lincolns. Ford Motor Company has recently celebrated their 100th anniversary of the moving assembly line invented under Henry Ford. 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Ford never stopped innovatingRead MoreFord Motors : The Mastermind Behind The Ford Empire1055 Words   |  5 PagesFord Motor Company Vision states, â€Å"People, working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership† Ford build its products on core value: Quality, Safe, Green, and Smart. Mr. Henry Ford (1863-1947) was the mastermind behind the Ford Empire. While working as an engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit, he built his first gasoline-powered horseless carriage, the Quadricycle, in the shed behind his home. In 1903, Henry Fords

Monday, December 9, 2019

Exploration of IOT Assignment-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about Internet of things. Answer: Introduction There have been massive technological advancements that have taken place in the recent years. One of the contributions of technology to the world is Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is defined as the intern-connection of several elements such as gadgets, electrical appliances, databases, networks etc. with the aid of the Internet to perform a particular task or activity. There are several IoT applications that have been developed and a lot of research and development work is in progress in the same area (Gigli Koo, 2011). Microsoft and Schneider Electric have also collaborated with each other on Kiwi IoT project. Problem Definition Agriculture is one of the prime activities that are carried out in most parts of the world. It makes use of over seventy percent of the fresh water that is currently available. In order to optimize the use of water, Waterforce came up with the cloud based IoT solution that comprises of advanced analytics and remote controls to carry out sustainable farming (Itbrief, 2017). Application of IoT in Agriculture Solution Features of Kiwi IoT Project The primary features of the project are as listed below:Lightweight and scalable cloud based solution for agricultureAbility to provide mobile capabilities to the usersAnalysis of watering plantsMapping with the regulatory policies to ensure hundred percent complianceRemote monitoring of water usage and storageFrequent data gathering and analysis to estimate the weather conditionsSimple adjustments for irrigation activities as per the weather conditionsAutomatic and frequent data back-ups for disaster recoveryAnalysis of the spot prices Smart farming through SCADAFarm Working of the Project SCADAfarm is an IoT agricultural solution that has been developed by Waterforce, a kiwi water management, and irrigation organization. The solution has been created with the collaboration of Schneider Electric using the IoT platform provided by Microsoft Azure. The solution is one of the additions in the regime of sustainable agriculture for the conservation of resources at a global level. Microsoft IoT Hub services are integrated with the Schneider Electric software and hardware along with various other elements such as cloud technologies, industrial sensors and controls, and variable speed drivers to come up with the SCADAfarm as an IoT solution for agriculture (Sah, 2016). It enhances the agricultural practices that are carried out and also adds to the conservation of environmental resources. Pros and Cons There are huge farms that are required to be managed in various parts of the world. Canterbury Plains is one such area that is one of the largest areas of flat land in New Zealand. The project has been implemented on several farms in the area. There is a lot of effort that is required to put in for the management and execution of operations on the farm. There is intense water logistics that involved along with pumping uphill to maintain steep terraces along with the tracking of the usage in order to comply with the environmental guidelines (Ma, Yang Wang, 2017). Use of manual practices and traditional tools to carry out agricultural activities is no longer applicable to achieve the objective of sustainable farming for the conservation of resources. Also, the management of these farms is also not easy with the use of existing tools and practices. SCADAfarm was, therefore, developed to bring a solution to all of these problems and issues (Ning Liu, 2012). The issues associated with management of the farms and agricultural operations are addressed by the Kiwi IoT project by fulfilling the following activities: Remote monitoring of the irrigation and pumps that are set up in the farms Remote operations of the irrigation and pumps Customization of sprinklers for the individual crops Customization abilities on the basis of the soil type and level of moisture Easy incorporation of real-time data gathered from the weather station that allows convenient adjustment of irrigation as per the weather conditions Conclusion Sustainable farming and conservation of resources have become necessary to put a check on the rapid depletion of resources in the current times. The use of technology in such areas can lead to the successful achievement of the objectives. SCADAfarm is one of the IoT solutions that have been developed in order to achieve the objective of resource conservation and to make the agricultural activities easier (Razzaque, Milojevic-Jevric, Palade Clarke, 2016). It is necessary for the developers and business organizations to come up with increased number of IoT projects and solutions in order to come at par with technology. Also, the use and application of such solutions shall be as per the requirements and specifications. References Gigli, M., Koo, S. (2011). Internet of Things: Services and Applications Categorization. Advances In Internet Of Things, 01(02), 27-31. https://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ait.2011.12004 Itbrief. (2017). Microsoft Schneider Electric partner on Kiwi IOT project. Itbrief.co.nz. Retrieved 10 August 2017, from https://itbrief.co.nz/story/microsoft-schneider-electric-partner-kiwi-iot-project/ Ma, Q., Yang, B., Wang, J. (2017). Application of Internet of Things in Urban Waterlogging Prevention Management System. Advances In Internet Of Things, 07(01), 1-9. https://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ait.2017.71001 Ning, H., Liu, H. (2012). Cyber-Physical-Social Based Security Architecture for Future Internet of Things. Advances In Internet Of Things, 02(01), 1-7. https://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ait.2012.21001 Razzaque, M., Milojevic-Jevric, M., Palade, A., Clarke, S. (2016). Middleware for Internet of Things: A Survey. IEEE Internet Of Things Journal, 3(1), 70-95. https://dx.doi.org/10.1109/jiot.2015.2498900 Sah, P. (2016). Saving Environment Using Internet of Things: Challenges and the Possibilities. Advances In Internet Of Things, 06(04), 55-64. https://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ait.2016.64004

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Walt Disney Corporation Essay Example

The Walt Disney Corporation Essay The Walt Disney Corporation is one of the largest mass media companies in the world owning TV and radio networks, Internet sites, theatres, theme parks, music studios, magazines etc. They publish children’s books, produce cartoons, computer software, and toys among many other things. For more than 70 years Disney animated films have been a popular form of children’s entertainment and part of many children’s lives worldwide. It is not an exaggeration to say that these films have also contributed to and influenced the shaping of children’s values, beliefs and imagination. Therefore, being one of the most dominant storytellers and having such a huge influence on children’s culture in general, the Disney Company and the array of images and stereotypes they offer to the public should be approached critically and analysed.In this essay I will be focusing on the female gender stereotypes reinforced in three Disney animated films Snow White and the Seven D warfs, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and on the notions of femininity that these films portray. Furthermore, I will be analyzing what kind of effects these particular stereotypes and representations of femininity may produce on girls and young women. Most predominant female gender stereotypes that these films reinforce are the following:1. a woman’s appearance is valued more than her intellect;2. a woman’s role in society is to be a housewife;3. a woman should get married to find true happiness, and4. a woman’s life is shaped by male influences.The female characters depicted in these three Disney animated films are very narrowly stereotyped and throughout the entire films constantly hyper sexualized. It can not be said that basically they differ from each other in trying to initiate or actively participate in shaping their destinies, but are merely bystanders, watching as their future unfolds. My stand on this stereotype is that new generations ar e constantly taught to see women as not trying to present themselves as intellectual individuals but simply as pretty faces trying to accomplish their goals in life by using their beauty as their only tool for success.The stereotypical portrayal of young women and the Disney Company’s ideology of physical beauty demonstrated in their animated films have not changed since the release of their first animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937. Snow White was the first Disney Princess to be portrayed in a way that would become characteristic of all Disney Princesses: she had red lips, straight hair, perfect complexion, a skinny body, and a beautiful face. Naturally, she was gifted with a very soft voice enchanting all around her when she sang, whether she was sad or happy. Snow White was so beautiful that her beauty brought her an enemy embodied in her stepmother, who, in disguise, fed her with a poisoned apple which put her into a deep slumber. The fairest one of al l had her life spared by the hunter simply because she was too beautiful to be killed (Wachutka, 2007). The female images presented in this film can be harmful to the young women since they put emphasis on the false idea that the greatest quality a woman can possess is beauty.Similarly to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the animated film The Little Mermaid (1989) accentuates the importance of beauty by advising girls through the film’s messages that they should sacrifice in order to achieve the perfect body since that is, according to the Disney Company, a woman’s most important attribute after all. It is not an overstatement to say that the Disney Company implies a physical transformation to be the best way to win a man’s love. The main protagonist in the film, the mermaid Ariel, is willing to trade her voice, that is, her means of communicating and expressing her intellect and personality for human legs, thus becoming what society wants her to be – a s ilent and obedient pretty face. Ariel decides to undergo the process of transformation after Ursula, the evil sea witch and the mastermind behind the idea of Ariel’s trade, convinces Ariel that she need not worry about losing her voice because she will â€Å"have (her) looks, (her) pretty face†, and should â€Å"not underestimate the importance of body language,† because â€Å"on land it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word; it’s the one that holds her tongue that gets her man† (Clements Musker, 1989).Therefore, it is clear that the film supports the idea that it is not intellect what is valued in a woman in society, but her pleasing appearance and obedience, the qualities which are bound to ‘get her a man’. Ariel’s body supports the same idea, teaching girls from an early age that they have to have a tiny waist if they want to be pretty. Even Ursula, when transforming to a human in an attempt to steal Prince Er ic’s love, does so by becoming a tall and slender girl with red lips, straight hair and perfect complexion, which are the same characteristics that Snow White possesses.The Disney Company further underestimates the importance of a woman’s intellect in the scene where Arial having sung about her aspirations for the intellectual pursuit of the human knowledge swiftly turns her thoughts towards Prince Eric. Her high aspirations are demonstrated in the lyrics of the song ‘Part of Your World’ which Ariel sings while in her hidden cavern which holds all of her treasures: â€Å"I’m ready to know what the people know, ask them my questions and get some answers What is a fire and why does it burn?† (Clements Musker, 1989).In Beauty and the Beast (1991) it is Belle’s beauty and loveliness that tame the Beast’s savagery. The confirmation for this statement is the fact that the kindness and understanding of his household staff were not eno ugh to stop his terrorizing and violent behaviour. The only person who could put things right was Belle. The Disney Company once again emphasizes that if a woman is pretty enough and sweet enough, she could transform an abusive man into her prince forever. According to Maio (1998), this stereotypically implies that in real life â€Å"women are responsible for controlling male anger and violence.†It is important to call attention to another symbolism in this film. Unlike any other Disney Princess, Belle is gifted with a passion for reading. Her hopes and aspirations for constant advancement are accentuated at the beginning of the film where she can be heard repeating the sentence: â€Å"There must be more than this provincial life.† (Trousdale Wise, 1991) Yet, the Disney Company could not allow Belle to be â€Å"too intelligent†. They needed to clarify to the viewers that the books she was reading were just an easy read, pointing out that her favourite book is a bout â€Å"far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, and a prince in disguise† (Trousdale Wise, 1991). A prince in disguise is, of course, the most important link in the chain here, as the story itself will prove. Belle suggests this by stating that her favourite part of that book is â€Å"where she (the character of the book she’s reading) meets Prince Charming.† (Trousdale Wise, 1991)As seen in these examples, the flat portrayal of young women, not reflecting what females really are and what their true goals in life should be, creates the false representation of the notion of femininity which can have a strong impact on young girls. Bearing in mind the fact that girls at the very young age try to understand what being a woman really means and how they should behave when they grow up, I find that the effects these films can have on them can be quite negative, instilling a false system of believes about the values a woman should possess.It is clear th at, on the example of both Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Beauty and the Beast (1991), there is a shortage of diverse jobs that can be ascribed to women. Actually, the female characters are not even given the choice of the kind of careers they could pursue and strive to accomplish during the films. Apparently, it seemed perfectly ‘natural’ for the Disney Company to decide upon ‘the career’ of a housewife for their ‘Princesses’ to follow. Here, it is quite evident that the only reason for this decision was the promotion of a stereotype that a woman’s natural abilities are those of a ‘house servant’ and nothing else.The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) clearly promotes the stereotype that women are â€Å"natural-born happy homemakers who live in a state of suspended liveliness until a man gives them a life† (Maio, 1998). The moment Snow White enters the dwarfs’ house she feels a natural urg e to clean it from top to bottom, in spite of the fact that she does not know who lives in it. This way, she highlights that her true talents and worth lie in her abilities to clean and cook. She uses these abilities hoping that the tenants will provide her with accommodation, and, thus, give her more opportunities to cook and clean – â€Å"If you let me stay, Ill keep house for you. Ill wash and sew and sweep and cook.† (Hand, Cottrell, Jackson, Morey, Pearce, Sharpsteen, 1937)It is also worth mentioning that Snow White instantly associates the filth and disorder of the house with the idea that whoever lives in the house does not have a mother. In her mind it is as clear as a bell that if they did, it would be their mother’s role to keep the house in order, since that is a woman’s true calling in life. In spite of the fact that she enters the house in tiny high heeled shoes, she immediately sets to work to clean it, singing all along as though she has m erely continued her stroll through the woods.In Beauty and the Beast (1991), the Disney Company use the narrow-minded townspeople to typify Belle’s intelligence and strength as eccentric and to demonstrate the general view of society of the position of women. In the lyrics of the song ‘Belle’ we are able to witness their gossiping â€Å"The girl is strange, no question, dazed and distracted Never part of any crowd, cause her heads up on some cloud. No denying shes a funny girl, that Belle. With a dreamy, far-off look, and her nose stuck in a book, what a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle.† (Trousdale ; Wise, 1991) Her interest in books won her the title of â€Å"a funny girl who has her head in the clouds†. The message which Disney is trying to convey here is that women are not supposed to seek knowledge, because it is not the part they are supposed to play in the society. In the film, the most admired man in the village, Gaston, confronts Belle abo ut her interest in books and clearly illustrates that it is not a woman’s role to be interested in reading and intellectual pursuit when he tells Belle, â€Å"It’s not right for a woman to read, soon she starts getting ideas, thinking.† In the following dialogue between Belle and Gaston, he explains the role a woman should have in society:Belle: â€Å"What do you know about my dreams, Gaston?†Gaston: †Plenty! Picture this – a rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire and my little wife massaging my feet, while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs. Well have six or seven strapping boys like me.† (Trousdale Wise, 1991)A woman is therefore portrayed as a housewife with her sole occupation being working in the house and taking care of her husband and their children.Through their films the Disney Company provides the young girls with the knowledge that they live in a male-dominated world and tries to instil a beli ef that most a woman can hope for is to fall in love and get married, and even then she would have to rely on her man for assistance in life. In each of these films the only way possible for the female character to be freed from her undesirable future, whether it is being a servant/housewife, living in a poor village or under the sea, was through assistance from her Prince Charming or her father. The Disney Company did not make it possible for its heroines to take a personal action and create a better future for themselves.Instead of emphasizing the process of Snow White’s survival in the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Disney accentuates the role of the Prince and his contribution to the solution of the question of life and death. This way Snow White’s importance as a character is diminished in comparison with Prince’s. Snow White helplessly awaits the Prince’s kiss since no one but him has the power to wake her up. Throughout the film she c onstantly longs for her man to find her and sings about her waiting for him to come so that she can spend an idyllic life in a castle â€Å"Someday my prince will come; someday we’ll meet again†¦ I’m wishing for the one I love to find me.† (Hand et al., 1937) In the end, her hero indeed comes and bestows her with a life â€Å"happily ever after†.The Disney Princess Ariel, the main character of The Little Mermaid (1989), is ready to do anything to have handsome Prince Eric fall in love with her. She disobeys her stern but loving father, King Triton, and even makes a bargain with the sea witch to exchange her lovely voice for human legs. What is more, she abandons her perfect life under the sea, her family and friends for a man she hardly even knows. She puts all the effort she can to be part of her prince’s world, however, the only result which this effort brings is that she merely shifts from being under the control of her father directly to being Prince Eric’s wife. She is never independent.Not having been kissed by Eric before sunset on the third day (after she had gotten her human legs), as was specified in her deal with Ursula, Ariel, for the time being, did not accomplish her dream of staying human and being with Eric. However, at the end of the film, with the help of her father, King Triton, Ariel does achieve her dream. It is only with her father’s approval and his magic powers that she obtains human legs again and marries Prince Eric. Therefore, fifty two years after their first animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the Disney Company did not bother to change the stereotypical ending to their romantic films. For a woman to achieve true happiness and lead a secure life, she has to have a man by her side, whether it is her father or her beloved.In Beauty and the Beast (1991) Gaston is presented as the ‘specimen’ of manliness and depicted as â€Å"tall, dark, strong and h andsome brute† (Trousdale Wise, 1991). Through him the Disney Company reinforce their idea of a conventional kind of masculine identity. When it comes to women he is predominantly vain and rude believing that women are only good for being housewives and mothers. This is observable in his first conversation with Belle:â€Å"Belle, its about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things me. The whole towns talking about it. Its not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking.† (Trousdale ; Wise, 1991)He wants to marry Belle so that he would be able to boast about it and so that she could give him sons whom he could mould at will. In his attempt to dominate and control Belle’s world he organizes a ‘surprise’ wedding for him and Belle without having previously proposed to her. He is even ready to go as far as to put her father into an asylum so that he could blackmail her into marrying h im.However, unlike both Ariel and Snow White, Belle does not jump in the arms of the ‘first opportunity’ that presents itself. Her refusal to marry Gaston when he tells her that he is yearning to make her his â€Å"little wife† challenges the standard stereotype, though only temporarily and for the purposes of the happy ending. Belle cunningly ‘serves’ her refusal to Gaston by telling him what every conceited man wants to hear:†I just do not deserve you.† (Trousdale ; Wise, 1991) The temporary false illusion which the Disney Company create here, gives us the impression that they truly think how â€Å"women are ultimately in charge of their fate† (Wynn, 2010). Nevertheless, this animated film, just like the other two, ends in the same, Disney fashion, with â€Å" and they lived happily ever after!† which once again implies that in order to achieve true happiness a woman has to find and marry her perfect man.The stereotypical messages which these films promote about women being incapable of living without having a man in their lives could have a negative influence on young girls denoting that women are weak and that they can only live a satisfactory life with a man by their side.In spite of the fact that many social changes have occurred over the past century improving the position of women within society, it strikes me that there is still a great deal of sexual discrimination against women widely reinforced through gender stereotypes seen in the media. It is my concern that the gender images in Disney animated films, which take a massive part in children’s culture, have not evolved to match the changes that have occurred in society. Instead, they remain stereotypical and quite similar over the years recurring in the portrayal of each and every of Disney Princesses. Bearing in mind that Disney films have a significant influence on the development of children’s understanding of the world, an d that the Disney Company actually profits from children’s false illusions, it is every adult’s responsibility to take a stand against the moral corruption by spreading a critical attitude towards stereotypes and discrimination present in these films.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Largest Metropolitan Areas in the United States

Largest Metropolitan Areas in the United States Some of the most populous cities in the United States have held on to those top spots decade after decade. In fact, New York City has been the largest U.S. metropolitan area since the countrys first census in 1790. The other long-time holders of top-three titles are Los Angeles and Chicago. To have a change in the top three, you have to go back to 1980 to have Los Angeles and Chicago trade places, with Chicago holding the number two spot. Then, you have to look back to 1950 to find Los Angeles moving down to number 4 behind Philadelphia and keep heading back to 1940 to have Detroit push Los Angeles down to number five.   The Census Bureaus Criteria The U.S. Census Bureau conducts official census counts every ten years, and regularly releases population estimates for consolidated metropolitan statistical areas (CMSAs), metropolitan statistical  areas, and primary metropolitan areas. CMSAs  are urban areas (such as one or more counties) with a city of more than 50,000 and its surrounding suburbs. The area needs to have a combined population of at least 100,000 (in New England, the total population requirement is 75,000). The suburbs need to be economically and socially integrated with the core city, in most cases by a high level of residents commuting into the core city, and the area needs to have a specific percentage of the urban population or population density. The Census Bureau first started using a definition of a metropolitan area for census work in the tabulation of 1910 and used the minimum of 100,000 or more residents, revising it in 1950 down to 50,000 to take into account the growth of suburbs and their integration with the city they surround. About Metropolitan Areas The 30 largest metropolitan areas in the United States are those urban and suburban areas containing populations of more than 2 million. The top five largest metropolitan areas  are still the five largest in population as represented in the 2010 U.S. Census. This list of the top 30 metropolitan areas spans from New York City to Milwaukee; youll note that many of the largest consolidated metros in New England stretch through multiple states. Several others across the country span borders as well; for example, Kansas City, Kansas stretches over into Missouri.  In another example, St. Paul and Minneapolis are both completely in Minnesota, but there are people residing right across the border in Wisconsin who are considered an integrated part of the metropolitan statistical area of Minnesotas Twin Cities. The data here represents the estimates from July 2016; a new census will take place in 2020. The 30 Biggest U.S. Metropolitan Areas from Largest to Smallest   1. New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA 23,689,255 2. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 18,688,022 3. Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI 9,882,634 4. Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 9,665,892 5. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 8,751,807 6. Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT 8,176,376 7. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK 7,673,305 8. Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,179,357 9. Houston-The Woodlands, TX 6,972,374 10. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL 6,723,472 11. Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA 6,451,262 12. Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI 5,318,653 13. Seattle-Tacoma, WA 4,684,516 14. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI 3,894,820 15. Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH 3,483,311 16. Denver-Aurora, CO 3,470,235 17. Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL 3,202,927 18. Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA 3,160,488 19. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL 2,911,769 20. Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV 2,635,228 21. Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC 2,632,249 22. Sacramento-Roseville, CA 2,567,451 23. Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT 2,514,748 24. Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS 2,446,396 25. Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH 2,443,402 26. Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ 2,404,336 27. Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN 2,386,199 28. Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN 2,224,231 29. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 2,156,253 30. Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 2,043,274

Saturday, November 23, 2019

20 Highest Paying Jobs With the Highest Growth

20 Highest Paying Jobs With the Highest Growth Whether you’re entering the job market or are just looking for a change, The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great source of information to  aid you in your job search. You can find details on employment rates, jobs, and industry specifics. And now with the changing political climate, it has become more important than ever to keep an eye out for trends that may impact your job search. That being said, the BLS has projected the top 20 highest paying jobs that are expected to grow in the next 10 years. Take a look at the chart below for specifics.If you’re interested, you can apply below.1. Accountant and auditors2.  Combined food preparation and servers3. Computer systems analysts4. Construction laborers  5. Cooks, restaurants  6. Customer service restaurants7.   First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers  8. General and operations manager9. Home health aides10. Janitors and cleaners  11. Laborers and freight  12. Licensed practic al and licensed vocational nurses  13. Maids and housing cleaners  14. Medical assistants15. Medical secretaries  16. Nursing assistants  17. Personal care aids18. Registered nurses  19. Retail salespersons  20. Software developers  Source:[bls.gov]

Thursday, November 21, 2019

State Tax Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 17

State Tax Reform - Essay Example Investments in education and infrastructure have escalated. In response to the continuously weak economic performance of North Carolina, a significant change to the tax system has been proposed. According to research conducted by Civitas Institute, chaired by Arthur Laffer, it is claimed that a reduction of tax rates for the wealthy and the elimination of corporate tax will revive North Carolina’s economic performance and induce the creation of numerous job opportunities (Johnson, 2013). The Civitas/Laffer proposal would profoundly change North Carolinas tax framework by abolishing the personal income tax, franchise tax and corporate tax, which in aggregate generate 65 percent of the states income, and to a great extent supplanting this income with a higher sales tax that would apply to more products and services. In particular, the proposal would: first, abolish the personal income tax. Second, abolish the tax on corporate income (Johnson, 2013). Third, abolish the tax imposed on franchise business. Franchise businesses are businesses that benefit from already established brands and models by another organization. In California, the franchise tax is proposed to apply only to those franchise businesses incorporated within the State. The franchise tax is significant to the government since it is a source of revenue. The tax generates $ 650 million, thus the source of its significance. However, it is not as important as a corporate tax since the latter generates more revenue to the State government – $ 1.1 billion. Personal tax is the most important since it generates the highest amount of revenue to the government - $ 10.3 billion based on the fiscal period 2011-2012 (Johnson, 2013). Â  

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Museum - Essay Example There are a number of ways that the museum attempts to discover this original context by interpreting the social languages evident in the objects they collect. Kavanaugh1 indicates that social languages have essentially three component parts, one of which is the direct use of signs and symbols in the form of objects and space while the other two, non-verbal communication such as gestures and body language and verbal communication such as speech and writing, can also be preserved somewhat in the objects that are left behind and can help in determining the culture from which the object originated. Because objects share a role in the interrelated social communication modes of a particular society, the interpretation of these objects may differ from one society to the next or even one time period to the next. The museum attempts to convey an idea of the original culture by grouping artifacts according to their age and date and place of discovery. By grouping things in this way, it is hoped an idea of the lifestyle of the people who created them will emerge that is free from the understandings of the modern age. Artifacts are shown with explanatory placards that tell what the object was used for and how old it is thought to be. Markings on the objects are interpreted as signs of the beliefs and legends of the originating society whenever possible and other contextualizing information is given. For example, a vase might be explained by the techniques used to make it, the markings that appear on its sides, the design or shape of its form and the anticipated use based on remnants of materials found within the vase. However, the way in which the object is interpreted can not only provide significant contextual clues to the society from which it was produced, but can also reflect the understanding of the society attempting to

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Race and Alabaster Essay Example for Free

Race and Alabaster Essay Othello and Desdemona’s marriage was doomed from the start. Even considering the racial nature of the marriage, his lack of a constant home, and the improper method of his courting, there is another reason why their marriage would never have worked. Othello’s label of Desdemona prevents him from considering her a person. He thinks of her instead as superior to himself in every way, to the point that she is a god. Her race, beauty, and status make her godly in his mind. Because Othello thinks of Desdemona as â€Å"Alabaster†(5. 2.5) he will never consider her capable of responding to his love. Because Othello is at his wit’s end when he refers to her as â€Å"Alabaster†, he is speaking out of his heart. After Othello reads the letter from Venice, he begins to speak in less cohesive manner. For instance the line, â€Å"Pish! Noses, ears, and lips. Isn’t Possible? Confess! Handkerchief! O devil! †(4. 1. 42) contains none of Othello’s former eloquence. He begins to speak with word association, rather than in complete sentences. For instance, the word â€Å"confess! † brings up the word â€Å"Handkerchief!†, and â€Å"devil! †. Because Desdemona, the handkerchief, and the sense of maliciousness were on his mind so much, he begins to express with abstract words and ideas instead of sentences. Although this makes his lines harder to read, they show us what he is constantly thinking of. Instead of clear and concise lines, they are a torrent of his true feelings. Therefore when he describes Desdemona as â€Å"Alabaster†, we can be sure it is his inner picture of her. Alabaster’s beauty gives you an idea about his feelings of bodily inferiority to her. Alabaster is a naturally beautiful stone, used by ancient Egyptians and Chinese to make statues and vases. This word choice gives the reader a sense of his feelings of inadequacy to Desdemona. He is never said to be ugly, on the contrary, he is described as â€Å"far more fair than black†(1. 3. 291). He must have felt some sensitivity about his physical appearance. In contrast, he describes her face as â€Å"fair as Dian’s visage†(3. 3. 389), Dian most likely being the god of healing in Celtic mythology. This implies both beauty and health. He then goes on to say â€Å"begrimed and black as mine own face†(3. 3. 390). Othello superimposes her clean and young white face with his grimy old black face. The fact that he believed her to be unfaithful with Cassio further proves his insecurity. Cassio is a clean white man with golden hair. Cassio is all of the beauty that Othello can not be, and is therefore able to provide something that he cannot. This makes Cassio a threat to Othello’s masculinity. Othello most likely gains this opinion of Cassio from his nonchalant attitude. When Cassio says â€Å"I never knew a woman love man so†(4. 1. 111) Othello immediately jumps to the conclusion that he is referring to himself and Desdemona. Othello is on the offensive with Cassio without any proof, simply because of his physical appearance. Alabaster’s smooth white surface illustrates the racial inferiority he feels to Desdemona. Race plays an enormous part in Othello’s relationship with Desdemona. Although he is an upstanding citizen and a good solder he is still unfit to marry because of his race. A reoccurring theme in the way that people refer to Othello is that of a great black beast. He is often described as an â€Å"Old black ram†(1. 1. 87) or a â€Å"Barbary Horse†(1. 1. 110). There is a sense that he is animalistic, even though in real life he is sophisticated and civilized. This spiteful talk is a back-handed reminder that he is a moor. The constant inference that he is a beast may have caused him to believe it himself. Othello believes that Desdemona could not love an ugly animal like himself. This puts her sincerity into doubt when she says that she loves him. Alabaster is a rock, and can not return any feelings of love that Othello gives to it. This is part of a feeling that Desdemona is something elemental and beyond him. For instance in the same speech he describes her as having â€Å"Promethean heat†(5. 2. 12), Prometheus being the god that stole fire for man. Therefore â€Å"Promethean heat† would refer to the element of fire in its purest form, something divine and primeval. He also says that her death should bring â€Å"A huge eclipse of sun and moon†(5. 2. 97). This paints her as something cosmic in scale, so large and important that the entire universe should be changed in her passing. Othello puts her on a different scale than himself. When he dies he says only that â€Å"in your letters†¦ [you should] speak of me as I am†(5. 2. 338). While he is normal, she is a cosmic and divine being, unfit to love a mortal like himself. This creates insecurity in Othello. He begins to ask how can a rock, or fire, or a star in the night sky love him? Because of his high view of her, he creates a complex of his own insignificance. From his point of view, Desdemona is unable to love him because she is too elemental to have emotion. Othello has, put simply, encased Desdemona in alabaster. He has formed an opinion of her that she is unable to break free of. Because he has so strongly locked her into this state of mind he is unable to think of him in any other way. She is so high up on the pedestal that he puts her on that he is unable to see who she truly is. This is Othello’s failing. By making her too powerful, too divine, any minor fault is a glaring defect to her immaculate surface. Then at the first flaw, she becomes low and nothing, and he needs to return her to her former glory. He must â€Å"Quench thee†¦ [and] again they former light restore†(5. 2. 9). He fails to see her love through her alabaster covering.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

Quantitative Research Critique on article, Trust in nurse- patient relationships: A literature review by Leyla Dinc and Chris Gastmans Summary: †¨Purpose of the study: According to Dinc and Gastmans, the purpose of this study is to look over empirical studies on the trust within the nurse- patient relationship and to analyze and synthesize the results. Study Design: In the search for nursing literature, 34 publications were found to be relevant to be used in the study; out of these 34 publications, 22 studies exercise a qualitative design while 12 exercise quantitative design. The quantitative studies designs of this literature review included descriptive designs, cross- sectional designs, correlational designs, descriptive cross- sectional and correlational design. As for the qualitative studies included study designs: exploratory and descriptive, interpretative interactionism, hermeneutic, phenomenological design, ethnographic, feminist phenomenological design, and grounded theory approach, How data is collected: As for how data was collected, all the quantitative studies were collected using a questionnaire and scales such as the Trust in Provider Scale, Consortium Patient Satisfaction tool, Group- Based Medical Mistrust Scale, Cultural Mistrust Scale Inventory, and Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale. One of the researchers used the Trust Subscale of Patient’ Opinion of Nursing Care to judge the trust of nursing staff. The Caring Behaviors Assessment and Caring Behavior Questionnaire were both used on studies that dealt with the importance of nurse caring behavior. In addition, most of the qualitative studies used part structured or non- structure interviews with patients to collect data with participants. Some of the studi... ...ituations. Many of these qualities are needed to being tolerant of patients’ culture, lifestyles, and decisions without being judgmental in a condescending manner, instead give sympathetic advice, and assure with confidence. The study of Benkert and Wickson showed that patient satisfaction was positively related to trust in nurse practitioners and receipt of care in nurse managed centre (Dinc & Gastmasn 2013). It mentions how trust and faith from a nurse gave empowerment and ease for women giving birth. Above all, their study found patients with suffering had more hope when felt trust in a nurse; as for dying patients, trust gave them motivation to live, ease and sense of peace when facing death. The positive outcome of trust for nurses is when there is trust; it makes the job less stressful because patients are more compliant and cooperative with nurses’ orders.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Smith Systems Consulting

The assignment for week two is to study three virtual organizations, choose one, and write about an information system that is critical to that organization’s business processes. The chosen organization for this paper is Smith Systems Consulting (SSC). SSC Inc. is a technology-driven company that offers services building and maintaining databases, designing and hosting websites, and all types of programming. This makes SSC the perfect organization to focus on because their entire business focuses on some aspect of information systems. This paper, however, will focus on how important computers are to SSC Inc. To understand how information systems affect SSC, it is necessary to first understand just what an information system is. An information system can be described as â€Å"any combination of information technology and people's activities using that technology to support operations, management, and decision-making† (Wikipedia, 2010). Jon Jensen, instructor for the Business Systems in the IT department at University of Phoenix in Taylorsville, Utah, teaches that information systems are things that â€Å"collect, store, analyze and disseminate information for a specific purpose. An information system includes inputs and outputs. By either of these two definitions, a computer is undoubtedly an informtion system. A computer actually contains smaller classes of information systems like a processor, hard drive, and keyboard, but for the purpose of this paper they will be combined as a single item. The focus then becomes how computers are critical to the business processes of SSC Inc. A business process can be defined as â€Å"a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers† (Wikipedia, 2010). There are three types of business processes. 1. Management Process: This is just as it sounds. Processes involved in the management and supervision of the business. 2. Operational Process: This is the â€Å"what† of the business. What the business does, makes, sells, distributes, or the service it provides. 3. Support Process: These processes are there to support the â€Å"what† of the business. Things like payroll and accounting, inventory and supply, call centers and tech support. Management Process- Since its founding in 1984, SSC Inc. has grown from a small business of five people to a multimillion dollar enterprise employing more than 350 people. A business won’t grow to reach these numbers without great vision and leadership. Computers no doubt played and continue to play an important roll in SSC’s management processes. Software programs ran on computers help visionary leaders forcast and track the success of their ideas. Using computers, they can compare results of similar ideas in similar markets. The automation made possible by computers takes away much of the tedious labor involved in supervising so many people and makes it possible for less people to manage more. Managers are able to track statistics and numbers of their sales and production forces. Computers and software help them find areas of improvement and ways to streamline in order to cut costs in increase revenue. Of course management has been able to do these things for years, but with the help of computers, they are able to do them much faster, with less risk of human error, and without needint to hire secerataries or assistants to help with such a large workload. Operational Process-SSC Inc. is a company who specializes in technology related services. Without computers, SSC would not be able to offer any of the services they provide. They offer services such as computer programs that will allow other companies to use computers to more effictively manage their own personnel in the same ways discussed in the management process praragraph. They offer services such as database creation and database management; both of which are information systems, and would not exist without computers. SSC offers web based services such as web design and site hosting. Again, there would be no internet and no web sites to design without computers, and SSC would not be able to host sites for their clients without a computer to act as the server. With all the things computers are able to do for a business, they would be useless without the trained personnel to operate them and ensure that they perform the functions that they are designed to carry out. Thus, people become an important part of any information system and it is critical that SSC employ qualified IT professionals. Without these skilled workers, SSC would have a difficult time offering many of their services. Support Process-In a company as large and complex as SSC Inc. has become, there is an increased need for quality support. As defined above, support includes areas such as human resources, accounting and payroll, inventory and supply, and call centers and tech support. Inventory and supply aren’t as critical to SSC’s business model as accounting and tech support. Imagine tyrying to keep track of the finances for a $45 million company manually; handwritten invoices, all the possibilities for human error that could potentially cost millions of dollars. Think of the man hours involved in calculating payroll for 300 plus employees every week, and again the margin for human error. Computers make it possible for only a few people to manage these enormous tasks in less time than it would take numerous people to do it manually and with considerably less risk for human error. Tech support and call centers are invaluable to a business model such as that of SSC Inc. They are providing technical services to clients that may not be tech savvy. There needs to be a way to ensure that these clients are able to use the products and services that they are subscribing to. If SSC isn’t able to provide support for these customers, they will take their business elsewhere. Computers and trained personnel are necessary for these types of services. A trained technician may be able to remotely access a client computer and correct problems or walk the user through how to use a software program that they purchased. Computers at SSC can rout calls to available customer service personnel saving hold time and keeping customers happy. SSC can store customer data and history in a database and access this information later to batter service their customers. As this paper has shown, computers are an information system that is an essential part of the business proccesses at Smith Systems Consulting. They are used in virtually every aspect of their day to day operations from management and operations to their support processes. As the world becomes more and more technical, and businesses and communication become global, it is all the more important to integrate the use of information systems into business processes. If unable to do so, a company like SSC Inc. would soon become obsolete. However, SSC has the insight to see where the global economy is heading and has developed a business that uses informations systems to cater to the needs of an increasingly technical society. This insight has brought them great success and made them a leader in the world of information technology. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 8

â€Å"Georgina?† I looked up from a baffling return Tammi had asked me to help her with. A customer without a receipt was attempting a refund on a stack of books with dog-eared pages and broken spines, claiming all of them were duplicates someone had just given him for his birthday. â€Å"Just a sec,† I told her. â€Å"I've got to finish this.† â€Å"Okay,† Beth said. â€Å"I just thought you should check out Casey.† â€Å"Casey?† â€Å"Yeah. She's up in the cafe.† That snagged my attention. I finished up with the customer, telling him nicely that we couldn't accept books in this condition. Maybe if the alleged other books were in better shape, he could bring those in. He pouted and argued a bit before finally skulking off. I rolled my eyes once he was gone. One thing that never changed among humans: there were always those who wanted to get something for nothing. It was what kept hell in business. I found Casey sitting in the cafe, drinking a glass of water. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she didn't display her usual care in makeup and hairstyling. She stared bleakly at the table, eyes dull and glazed over. â€Å"Hey,† I said gently, pulling up a chair across from her. â€Å"How's it going?† After a moment's delay, she looked up, not really focusing on me. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"You sure? You don't look so okay.† â€Å"Dunno.† Her tone was flat, distracted. â€Å"I just had a late night, that's all. Sorry. Sorry I came in like this.† â€Å"No problem. I've had my share of crazy nights.† The thing was, Casey didn't exactly look hung over. I mean, she definitely looked like she was recovering from something†¦but I couldn't put my finger on it. It was weird. â€Å"What'd you get into? A party?† â€Å"Yeah. Doug's band had another one.† â€Å"Really.† News to me. â€Å"Must have been pretty good.† â€Å"Dunno.† â€Å"What do you mean? You were there.† Her brow furrowed, confusion glinting in her brown eyes. â€Å"I don't†¦really remember. Stupid, huh? I must have really been trashed. I remember†¦being with Alec. Then we left. We went somewhere. â€Å" â€Å"You don't know?† She looked upset and closed her eyes. â€Å"There was this big house, and†¦I don't know. I just†¦I just can't remember. I'm sorry, Georgina. I shouldn't have come in today, okay? Sorry.† â€Å"It's okay. So you have no idea what you did with him? Nothing at all?† She shook her head. I shouldn't have kept pushing for details of an employee's personal life, but something here bothered me. It was more than my bias against Alec too. I remembered him pushing alcohol on women, his invitation to go somewhere â€Å"more intense.† Casey's inability to remember what had happened with him smacked of date-rape drugs. â€Å"Did Alec give you anything?† For the first time in this conversation, her dull expression sharpened and looked alert. â€Å"I†¦no. No.† But she was lying. I could tell. Why? Fear of him? Embarrassment? I couldn't bring myself to question her anymore. She looked too miserable. I told her she should go home and get some rest; she didn't need much convincing. I took her place at the registers, silently fuming at that jerk Alec. My anger was furthered by the fact that I could do nothing. Casey's life wasn't really my business, and without her admitting to anything, Alec stood blameless. With Casey now gone, Paige out sick again, and Warren golfing in Florida, I felt relieved when Doug showed up. He looked as energetic as ever, so I hoped he could counter my plunging mood. â€Å"I heard you had a party.† â€Å"Yup.† He grinned, working the register next to mine. â€Å"I tried calling you, but you weren't home.† â€Å"Had a party of my own. Hey, did you notice anything weird with Casey and Alec last night?† â€Å"Weird how? I mean, they seemed to be hitting it off.† â€Å"Nothing else?† â€Å"Nope. Not that I saw. Why? Are you interested? He's a little young for you, but if you're into that, I can give you his phone number.† â€Å"Hardly.† â€Å"Whoa,† he suddenly exclaimed. â€Å"Check this action out.† He picked up one of the books his customer was paying for. It was a romance novel, emblazoned with a big chested man holding an equally big chested woman. Her neck was arched back, her lips open in a moan. And her dress was falling off. â€Å"Bet there's some good shit in here. Nothing like some throbbing members and private time to get you off, eh?† He winked at the customer, who turned crimson and didn't say anything. She handed over some cash and hurried away as fast as she could. Aghast, I ignored the customers standing there and grabbed Doug's arm, jerking him away from the counter. â€Å"What the hell was that?† I asked in a low, angry whisper. He laughed loudly. â€Å"Oh come on, Kincaid. I was just having a little fun. Those romance novels always crack me up.† â€Å"You do not comment on customer purchases. Furthermore, you certainly don't swear in front of them.† â€Å"Basic training. I know all this.† â€Å"Yeah? Then act like it.† We stood there, both of us shocked at my tone. I didn't think I'd ever talked to Doug in such a reprimanding way. Certainly not here. We were both assistant managers, partners in crime. Our entire working relationship was one of lightheartedness and messing around. â€Å"Fine,† he said after a moment. â€Å"Whatever.† We went back to the registers, both of us pointedly ignoring the other. We worked without incident a while longer until I heard him say, â€Å"Man, this has to be rough. Hope it all works out.† Looking over, I saw his customer buying a book about STDs. Doug returned my gaze with a challenging look. I finished my own purchase and then put up a â€Å"register closed† sign. Finding Andy at the information desk, I told him to ask Doug to swap spots. â€Å"Don't tell him I told you to.† Doug seemed safer helping customers find books, yet no matter where I was in the store, I could hear him. He spoke and laughed too loudly. Whenever I caught sight of him, he was always in motion – like he couldn't stay still. Once, he was – literally – juggling books for a customer. Another time, I saw him actually skipping as he led a customer over to the cooking section. I frowned, unsure what to do. His lively nature had been fun this last week, but he was pushing it now, and I wasn't entirely sure what my role should be in all of this. â€Å"That redheaded girl said you're the manager here,† a middle-aged woman suddenly said, approaching me as I rearranged a display. â€Å"I'm an assistant manager,† I told her. â€Å"What can I help you with?† She pointed to the information desk. â€Å"That man was so rude to me. He helped me find some books, and then†¦he said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She couldn't finish, oscillating between anger and distress. I looked at what she held. Books on clinical depression. Lovely. At least it wasn't called Going Postal in an Insensitive Bookstore. I took a deep breath to steady myself and apologized profusely, promising I'd deal with it. I then walked her over to the head of the check-out line and told Andy to ring her books up for free. Warren never approved of that, but I didn't care at the moment. I waited for Doug to finish with his customer and then pulled him aside once more. â€Å"We need to talk in the office.† He gave me a lopsided grin. Studying him, I saw his eyes glittering with a distracted fervor. â€Å"What for? Let's talk here. I've got customers to help, you know. Can't let this goddamned place go unattended.† I blanched at this, still forcing calm. We had a line of about four customers listening. â€Å"No. Let's go in the back.† He rolled his eyes and threw a friendly arm around me. â€Å"Christ, you're uptight. What's this about?† â€Å"You know what it's about,† I returned, wiggling out from under the arm. â€Å"You're out of line today.† His smile fell. â€Å"No, you're out of line. What's with the attitude anyway? You can't talk to me like this.† He was still too loud. More people were stopping. â€Å"I can talk to you like this when you're acting like a jerk. You're upsetting customers. You're doing stuff that's completely inappropriate, and you know it.† â€Å"‘Inappropriate?' Jesus Fucking Christ, Kincaid! You sound like Paige now. I'm having fun. Remember that? Remember when you and I used to do that around here back before you got this stick up your ass?† We had a bona fide audience now. Customers and staff alike. Dead silence, save for the faint sounds of Vivaldi playing through the store's sound system. â€Å"I mean,† he continued, thriving on the attention, â€Å"where do you get off acting like this? Who put you in charge? You and I are the same rank, remember? It's like you get ten seconds of fame in Mortensen's story, and now you think you can put on airs. Why don't you go find him? Maybe if you got laid again, you'd stop being such a bitch.† â€Å"Doug,† I said, astonished at how firm and strong my voice was. It was like someone else was using my body to confront him, and I only watched. â€Å"You need to go home. Now. If you don't leave, I'll have you removed.† Of course, I had no clue how I was going to pull that off. As it was, I felt almost terrified to be facing off against him like this. My heart raced. We were standing close, thrusting our wills at one another, and he had half a head's height on me and a bigger build. I didn't really fear violence from him, but the physical intimidation was as scary as the psychological. Still, I held my ground, keeping my expression commanding and decisive. At last, he backed down, breaking eye contact. He shrugged and gave his goofy grin to those watching, like they were in on some joke with him. â€Å"Sure. Whatever you want. I don't care. I could use a day off anyway.† He looked around again, face smug and defiant, like he'd won. After another survey of the crowd, he laughed and stalked out. Nobody spoke or breathed after that. I drew myself up, like none of this had bothered me either. I strode purposefully away, saying to Beth as I passed: â€Å"Will you cover the desk now?† I went upstairs to the caf? ¦ and had the barista make me a mocha. I took it with shaking hands and turned around to find Seth standing there. He wore a Ratt shirt today. â€Å"Thetis,† he said softly. I walked over to one of the windows, and he followed. Outside, cars and people moved throughout Queen Anne. I watched them without seeing them. Seth moved behind me, his presence steady and reassuring. Waiting to catch me, even though I refused to fall just yet. This, I realized, was why I chose to stay with him, sexual mishaps or no. â€Å"I suppose you witnessed all that.† â€Å"Yeah,† he said. â€Å"You handled it well.† â€Å"I didn't want to handle it at all.† â€Å"Someone had to.† He touched my arm gently. â€Å"You can be pretty fierce sometimes.† I shook my head, still numb. â€Å"I don't want to be fierce either.† â€Å"Georgina. Look at me.† I turned and looked. Those lovely eyes were soft and full of love, yet underscored with strength. â€Å"You did the right thing.† He rested his hands on my arms, thumbs stroking the bare skin. â€Å"You did the right thing.† â€Å"He's my friend.† â€Å"That doesn't matter.† â€Å"What's wrong with him, Seth? What's gotten into him?† â€Å"Isn't it obvious?† â€Å"Not to me.† He smiled ruefully. â€Å"The same thing that made you eat a bag of Taco Bell food last night.† â€Å"What? Pot doesn't do that. Make him behave like he did, I mean. Not the Taco Bell thing.† â€Å"No,† he agreed. â€Å"Pot won't do that, but he was obviously on something. â€Å" I turned back to my view, thinking. I recalled Doug's nonstop vigor, that feverish look in his eyes. Yes, it made sense, and it was saddening. I'd never known him to mess around with anything much harder than alcohol and marijuana. Yet†¦there was more to his exuberance lately. A drug couldn't make you good at Tetrisor churn out an album's worth of songs in under a month. â€Å"I don't know what it could be then. I've tried almost everything once,† I admitted sheepishly. Immortality allowed experimentation without the dangerous consequences mortals faced. â€Å"But I haven't made enough of a study to really ID anything. What do you think? Some kind of amphetamine?† â€Å"I don't really know either.† I rubbed my temples, sensing a nasty headache coming on. I wanted nothing more just then than to go home and veg on the couch with Seth on one side, Aubrey on the other, and a plate of brownies on my lap. It wasn't going to happen. â€Å"I've got to get back down there. We're short two people now. I'm going to be here until closing again.† â€Å"You want me to come over after work? I'm supposed to paint at Terry's, but I can bail on it.† I assured Seth he didn't need to change his plans for me and then returned downstairs. Functionality had resumed as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The only thing noteworthy was the way the other staff watched me now. Not with mockery or amusement, but something else. If I hadn't known better, I would have said my respect rating had just shot up. I got home after work, drained. Weak with exhaustion, mental and physical. When I absorbed life from victims, it was usually to sustain my immortal existence and shape-shifting. But life was full of other things that required energy. Breaking and entering. Working two twelve-hours shifts in a row. Staying virtuous around the man of your dreams. Reprimanding one of your best friends and discovering he was probably addicted to something nasty. The need for vitality itched within me, making me irritable and anxious despite my worn-out feeling. For me, that energy-longing translated into lust, a sudden need to be touched and consumed by someone I could consume in return. I called Bastien. â€Å"What is it now?† he asked sarcastically. â€Å"I suppose you're just going to cut to the chase and call Dana. That way you can get it over with and tell her how her neighbor has a plan to seduce her and bring down her organization. Maybe while you're at it, you can mention the break-in and get me arrested. You could even key my car if you wanted. It would be a perfect ending to my already ruined career.† â€Å"Oh shut up,† I snapped, not having the patience for this. Apparently I still had some fury left in me from earlier. â€Å"First, you were not going to bed Dana last night, so get that out of your system. Second, you probably deterred her by answering the door in the first place, as stoned as you were. Third, if you'd really wanted to endear yourself to her, you would have shown more concern for me rather than coming off as an uncaring asshole.† â€Å"How is your ankle?† he asked reluctantly. â€Å"Fine. You know how it goes.† A sprain was barely a day's concern for an immortal. â€Å"Good enough to go dancing on.† â€Å"Dancing?† â€Å"Yes. I want you to take me out. Now. I just had the worst day ever. â€Å" â€Å"Sorry.† â€Å"Sorry? Are you turning me down? Since when have you been such a grudge-holder?† â€Å"It's not just that†¦well, okay, maybe a little. But Bill invited me over to watch a football game.† â€Å"You hate football.† â€Å"Yeah, but I might see Dana. Sorry, Fleur . You're on your own tonight. â€Å" Annoyed, I hung up and dialed the next best dancer I knew. â€Å"Cody,† I said, â€Å"we're going clubbing.† â€Å"Okay,† he returned agreeably, â€Å"but I'll have to bring Hugh and Peter.† â€Å"Ack. They dance almost as badly as Seth.† â€Å"Yeah. But I promised I'd hang out with them tonight. Unless you want to come over here? We're playing D&D right now. Do you know how many hit points a succubus has?† â€Å"All right, all right. Bring them along.† I hung up. It didn't really matter who came anyway. I mostly just wanted people to go out with. Companionship gave the outing some semblance of normality, though it wasn't like I needed any of them for what I was going to do. â€Å"Jesus, woman,† breathed Hugh when I answered my door an hour later. â€Å"You're kind of screwing with my sisterly feelings for you.† I had on a pleated black skirt that covered less than half my thighs. My top was off the shoulder with three-quarter sleeves, and it stopped just above my belly button, leaving my midriff bare. It was made of clinging, stretchy black lace that looked opaque in dim lighting and showed everything – and I do mean everything – in full light. The only decision left was what body to go out in. I didn't like to do succubus work in my usual shape – the one that worked at Emerald City and slept with Seth. I wanted an anonymous face, one that could forget and be forgotten. Staring at my bathroom mirror, I considered a number of features and ethnicities. Finally, I opted for a pretty Latina look, sultry with long dark hair. We went to the same club Bastien and I had danced at before. It played varying genres of music, but all of it was fast and heavy. It thrummed in the blood. Hugh immediately parked himself at the bar, looking exactly like the creepy guy who ogled younger women that he was. Peter seemed torn between joining him and hitting the floor. He was homebody enough to want to stay with Hugh, but I knew places like this were fertile hunting grounds for vampires and succubi alike. Reluctantly, the frumpy vampire bought a drink and then made his way to the dancers, looking hopelessly out of place. I knew he'd survive, though; he'd been doing what he did almost as long as I had. I walked up to the bar and ordered a shot of Rumple Minze, which I downed immediately. It was funny – part of me thought that I could scorn Doug for getting mixed up with some drug when I turned so readily to alcohol to ease my own tension. â€Å"Dance with me,† I told Cody, grabbing his hand. He looked good tonight, wearing a button-up shirt untucked and loose. It had a neat printed pattern on it, one of those that only confident guys with real fashion sense could actually wear. With his agile dancing and golden blond looks, he made a good partner. â€Å"What am I, your warm-up?† he asked me a few songs later. I laughed. We were dancing awfully close, and I had been moving my body more provocatively than I normally would with a friend. Unconscious motion. My succubus hunger surfacing. â€Å"Does it bother you?† â€Å"Nope. Well, other than giving me that weird incest feeling Hugh was talking about. But I don't think you're going to get what you need off me.† â€Å"True,† I said scanning the crowd. The place was packed with mortals, all warm and energetic and burning with life in a way my friends and I did not. Again, the itch of longing seized me. I wanted to touch them all and knew I'd have to break from Cody soon. â€Å"What's got you all fired up anyway? We don't usually see you like this.† That was true. Mostly he and the others just heard me bitching and moaning about my infernal job and how I hated seducing nice guys. â€Å"Need to burn off some Seth lust. That, and I got majorly run down today,† I explained, proceeding to tell him the rest. Cody felt as sad as I did about Doug, whom he knew and liked. The young vampire agreed that Doug's erratic behavior sounded amphetamine based, and he threw out a few suggestions for me. I made a mental note to look them up later. Cody and I finally split up, each to take care of our own business. I started working the room, much as I had the other night, only this time my motivation was legitimate. I had my pick of partners and no end of free drinks. Each time I got someone to buy me one, Hugh – still at the bar – would shake his head with wry amusement. In about two hours, I had my mark. He was young and muscular, made extra gorgeous by sexy Mediterranean features. Italian descent, I suspected. He was also sweet and shy, clearly astonished that I kept dancing with him. His friends, watching from afar, apparently felt the same way. We had moved to a crowded part of the dance floor, jam-packed with other sweating, frenzied bodies. I rubbed mine against his in a more intimate way than the crowd quite required, my hands sliding over his body as we swayed. When our lips brushed against each other's, he pulled back. He told me then – awkwardly and reluctantly – that he had a girlfriend. That didn't come as a surprise to me. We stopped dancing, getting jostled by the crowd, and I feigned modest embarrassment for my boldness while pretending not to notice how he hadn't seemed to want to make the girlfriend admission. â€Å"Er, wait,† he said as I started to turn and leave. Hesitation hung heavy in his voice. The voice of someone trying to rationalize something he knew he shouldn't be doing†¦but wanted to anyway. True consternation churned on his face. â€Å"I mean, we can still†¦we can still†¦keep dancing. Can't we?† Five dances later, I'd sweet-talked – and bribed – one of the waiters into letting us into a storage room in the club's basement. It was dark and small and filled with extra tables, but it sufficed for what we needed. I could still hear the music from above, though none of the song's specifics. The whole building vibrated with the beat. My guy still appeared nervous, but alcohol and opportunity were clearly winning out over his better judgment. I didn't tell him my name. I didn't ask for his. I pulled him to me, and we kissed – the kind of hard, furious kissing that makes your lips feel swollen afterward. His hands started on my hips and then moved upward, peeling the lace shirt up as they went, exposing my breasts. His hands fondled them wonderingly, feeling their shape and size, making my nipples harden and stand out. He leaned down and put his lips to one, sucking hard. When I felt his teeth bite gently, I grunted in approval and shifted my hands down to loosen his belt. He straightened back up, and this time I was the one who went down – literally. On my knees, I tugged on his boxers and released the erection that had been straining at the fabric. I ran my tongue along its tip, tasting the few salty drops that had already seeped out. Then, without further hesitation, I took the whole thing into my mouth, letting my tongue roll over it as my lips moved back and forth along the length of the shaft. He groaned and laced his fingers across the back of my neck, trying to push more of him inside. The first tendrils of his energy began flowing into me, sweet and delicious. He was a good one, full of strength. I sucked harder, teasing him for a couple more minutes, then broke away and stood up. The look on his face when I stopped became almost comically desperate. Like he couldn't believe I had just done that to him. Like I had just gone and hit his shins with a baseball bat. I licked my lips and smiled. â€Å"You want more? You're going to have to come and get it. â€Å" This was the clincher. If I was going to go to the trouble of bagging a guy with a strong life force, I might as well hit my quota with Jerome and do some corrupting as well. A guy with a serious girlfriend might feel guilty about fooling around with another woman, but he'd feel guiltier still if he was the one who took serious steps toward initiating it. It was too easy to say she made me do it. My part was done; he had to take over now. This guy might not have realized my ulterior motives here, but he seemed to sense the gravity of the situation. He stood on the edge now, the edge of a decision that could affect his eternal soul. Did he or didn't he? Did he give in to his lust and betray a woman he cared about? Did he take a chance with me he might never get again? Or did he reject me and walk away? Did he stay faithful? My smile grew, slow and languid, as he debated. I paced around the room like I had all the time in the world, like I didn't care what he decided to do. The click of my heels sounded loudly on the hard floor. I turned away from him, trying to make out some old framed picture on the wall. It was mostly a dark blur in the dim lighting. Then, I felt him behind me. His hands slid from my waist down to my hips, then lower to cradle my ass. He pushed up what little of the skirt there was and pulled down the strappy black thong I had underneath. Slowly, his hands traced every curve, feeling and exploring. One hand moved around the outside of my leg toward the front, between my thighs. The movement forced him to move closer to me, and I could feel him – still hard, still ready – press against my flesh. The exploring hand pushed farther between my thighs, and his breath was hard and hot on my neck. His fingers brushed the small, neatly trimmed patch of hair between my legs, then moved lower, dancing at the edges of my lips, teasing them. A small, urgent moan left my mouth, and I ground against him, hoping to get a response. He slid his fingers in a smooth rhythm, stoking my already raging desire. A minute later, those urgent fingers moved into me, probing and exploring. I was wet and slippery, but it still caught me by surprise, and I exclaimed loudly. He wrapped his other arm around my waist, pulling me even closer, and continued driving those fingers in and out. His life poured into me again. A purely physical burning welled inside of me too, growing stronger each time he moved in. But before that feeling could reach completion, he pulled his fingers out and left them out. My turn to feel unfulfilled. Gripping my shoulders, he turned me around, and I braced myself to be shoved on top of the table or up against the wall. To my astonishment, he pushed me onto my knees instead, his breathing frantic now, his eyes burning with hunger and lust. â€Å"Your mouth,† he gasped out. â€Å"I want your mouth again.† Unexpected – and perhaps a little disappointing – but it all worked the same for me. Before I could even act, he thrust himself back between my lips. A surprised sound lodged in my throat, and it seemed to turn him on even more. I no longer had to worry about who was taking the initiative here; it was all him. His hands held my head and neck in place as he pumped away, pushing into me over and over. The life-force transfer started in earnest, his energy flooding into me with his thoughts and feelings. Finally, finally, finally, he thought, aching desire crackling through him. Feeling his mind and soul, I realized then he might not have been so easy a tag as I originally thought. He loved his girlfriend. Loved her passionately. But she didn't like oral sex, and one of the biggest fantasies of this guy's life was to – bluntly – fuck her face. Had I started foreplay in some other way tonight, he might very well have been strong enough to decline. But I had given him the one thing he couldn't refuse. It overpowered the guilt lurking in the back of his mind. I'll never get this chance again. Allison doesn't have to know. I knew that rationalization well. It was just about the oldest in the book. He thrust more urgently, that long shaft filling my mouth as his eyes watched me eagerly, and unintelligible, primal noises sounded in his throat. And for me, who had been denied an orgasm, pleasure was building in a different way. Life-force transfer doesn't occur at the point of a physical contact or even orgasm. It's bigger than that, more holistic. Soul to soul. His energy washed over me now in waves, and it was pure ecstasy as I rode that ocean higher and higher. My body burned with it, nearly to the breaking point. Before that crest crashed over, before our connection broke, I caught one more thought from him, plain and simple: mouth or face} Ah, men. He chose mouth, moaning loudly as he came. Warm, bitter liquid flooded over my tongue as his body spasmed and his nails dug into my neck and scalp. I waited until he finished, then swallowed because I knew it was what he wanted me to do. It was what every guy wanted. And really, it was the least I could do for him, because with his orgasm came a climax of my own. The full force of his energy hit me like a bolt of lightning at the same time he felt its loss. I broke from him, gasping at the feel of that power, swimming in that bliss, invigorated and alive. He, however, stiffened and paled, suddenly weak and confused at losing something he hadn't even known he had. He groped blindly for support and caught the edge of a table as his legs gave out underneath him. The table saved him from completely falling over, and I caught his other arm, balancing him. Carefully, I eased him down so he could sit and lean his body against a chair. His eyes struggled to stay open as the shock of his energy loss pulled him toward unconsciousness. Another cardinal succubus rule: the stronger the guy, the stronger his loss would be. â€Å"Oh my God†¦what's wrong with me?† Pushing aside whatever kindly feelings or sympathy I might have, reminding myself he'd – eventually – recover, I stared down at him coolly and rearranged my clothes. â€Å"I think you drank too much.† I leaned over and tugged up his pants. â€Å"I'll go get help.† He started to protest, but I was already out the door. I strode back to the dance floor, haloed in his energy. I felt like a goddess entering a temple of worshippers, and many sets of eyes seemed to regard me as exactly that. A few quick searches, and I found his friends from earlier. I told them he'd passed out downstairs and left them to deal with it. â€Å"This one's on me,† I heard Hugh say when I walked back up to the bar. My post-sex glamour would be especially obvious to him. I ordered a shot of Jagermeister and chased it with another shot of Goldschlager. Nothing like funny-named liquor to top off an evening. â€Å"Does it make you feel better?† the imp asked. He inclined his head toward the two empty glasses. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"But sometimes it helps me not remember as much.† I went home after that and cooked myself in a long, hot shower, trying to wash away the feel of sex. My buzz soon yielded to my second headache of the day and a slightly nauseous feeling. I had just settled down on the couch for mindless TV watching, back in my normal shape, when Seth showed up. â€Å"I wanted to see how you were doing,† he explained, sitting down next to me. â€Å"Better,† I told him uneasily. â€Å"Sort of. I went out with the gang.† â€Å"Ah. Sounds fun.† He didn't sound entirely sincere. I think â€Å"the gang† still kind of weirded him out a little. He leaned his head on the couch and stared at me for a long time, not saying anything. I laughed in spite of myself. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I don't know,† he said, face serious. He reminded me of a child staring at the tree on Christmas morning. â€Å"It's weird. It's just you're so†¦so beautiful tonight. I mean, you're always pretty, of course, but tonight, I don't know – I can't take my eyes off of you. I want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't give voice to the urge. â€Å"Must be the wet hair and pajamas,† I said lightly. â€Å"Always a turn-on.† But I knew what was bedazzling him. The guy from the club. Or rather, that guy's stolen life. Humans couldn't resist it. Immortals couldn't resist it. Racking my brain, I realized Seth had never seen me so soon after a fix. He'd seen me the same day sometimes – and also commented on my attractiveness then – but this was the first time he'd received its full effect. It made me feel guilty to see him looking at me like this. His hand reached for mine, and I tried not to flinch as he took it. Even after the shower, I felt dirty and cheap. I didn't want him to touch me after what I'd done, even if it had been in a different body. I didn't deserve such love. Seth sighed, still enchanted. His long fingers traced warm, whirling patterns on my skin. I felt my breathing grow heavier. â€Å"I wish I could put your beauty into words. But I'm not that good of a writer. Guess I need some work.† I stood up hastily and tugged at his hand. â€Å"Now you're just being silly. I think you're the one that needs to go home and rest.† He blinked. â€Å"Oh. So no more, uh, attempts at sleeping?† I hesitated. I wanted to do it again but still didn't trust myself. Or Seth actually, not with the way he kept watching me with such rapt admiration, that heat burning in his eyes. One would have thought a backroom fling might have sated my lust for the night, but I wanted Seth just as much as ever. Of course, in retrospect, maybe that wasn't a surprise after all. Said fling hadn't exactly addressed my physical needs. â€Å"No,† I told Seth. â€Å"Not yet. Too soon.† He looked like being separated from me would hurt him physically, but he finally conceded when I let him kiss my cheek. It was long and lingering, more sensuous than one would expect, making me inhale and then exhale a long, shuddering breath. I wouldn't return the gesture, however. Not with these lips. He waxed on about my beauty a few more times before finally leaving, and I went to bed shortly thereafter. Lying there, I told myself over and over that I had done the right thing at the club. I had done what I needed to do to keep myself strong and capable. After all, Seth had said he loved my â€Å"whirlwind.† Sex was the means of keeping it strong. I had done the right thing. And I had done the right thing with Doug too. Everything I'd done today had been for the best. And yet†¦if that was true, then why did I feel so terrible about it all?