Primary Duty of Maintenace in Islamic Law - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1581 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Review Tags: Duty Essay Did you like this example? Maintenance Introduction: Maintenance is referred to as nafaq, and that ‘comprehends food, raiment along with lodging, through in common parlance, it truly is limited for the very first. Under Islamic rules, man will be responsibility sure to keep the wife. Over in Islam can be exempted from just about any financial earning responsibility. She is titled for maintenance underneath Islamic Law. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Primary Duty of Maintenace in Islamic Law" essay for you Create order Primary Duty of Maintenance: It is the primary duty of husband to maintain her wife. As well as if she is residing in house of the woman father and her husband will not require her to her own house and cohabit with her there. Case Law : Abdul Satar vs. Anwar Begum 1992 ALD 506 It had been held that wife is eligible for receive maintenance allowance from husband, if she hadnt refused to are living with him without any sufficient reasons. 3. Remedies for Wife: Wife may file suit in the family court with regard to maintenance. Wife can in addition file application in the office of chairman of union council. 4. When wife is just not entitled for maintenance: In the following cases the wife is just not entitled for maintenance: If your lover becomes disobedient. If she is incapable to perform matrimonial intercourse. If she will not live with the woman husband unjustifiably. If she gets to be widow. If she becomes able to maintain herself. In case of irregular or emptiness marriage. Where my wife been taken aside forcibly by someone else. In case the particular fault is on her own part. If my wife been imprisoned. Apostasy. 5. Commitments arising on Matrimony: (i) Wife’s suitable †¢ The wife is eligible for maintenance from the woman husband although she might have the means to help keep herself, and though her husband could be without means. †¢ The actual husband’s duty to keep commences if your particular spouse attains puberty but not before; provided often that she is obedient and makes it. possible for him free access all lawful instances. In addition for the legal obligation to maintain, there may be stipulations in the marriage contract that might render the husband liable to produce a special allowance for the wife. Such allowances tend to be called kharch-I pandan, guzara, mewa khori, and so forth. †¢ An contract for future sepration, however, and for the particular payment of maintenance such an event can be void and against public policy. †¢ A Muslim wife incorporates a just ground for refusal to reside with her partner and she can easily cla im separate maintenance against him where she has taken a second wife or maintains a mistress. (ii) To sue: If a husband will not pay maintenance, the wife is eligible for sue for that. Her right may be in line with the substantive law or perhaps she sue within the Code of Legal Procedure, 1980, Section 448 in which case the Court cant order the partner to pay regarding green sum of Rs. 500 a month. But the wife is just not entitled to beyond maintenance, except underneath Shi’ite and Shafe’I rules, or where there is a distinct understanding. In solving the sum by way of maintenance, the Hedaya together with. Fatawa ‘Alamgiri place down the rule which the judge in working out his discretion should look into the rank and the circumstances of the a couple spouses, a tip which seems to be eminently fair and. (iii) Duration of right: The particular wife’s to certainly maintenance ceases to the death in the woman man.The widow can be therefore not e ligible for maintenance during the particular ‘idda of loss of life. It is otherwise regarding divorce, where she is entitled to maintenance during ‘idda. (iv) Failure to maintain, Desertion: †¢ Beneath the Dissolution of Muslim Relationships Act, 1939, Part 2(ii), a wife is eligible for dissolution if the particular husband has unsuccessful or neglected to supply maintenance for an interval of two decades. †¢ In Hanafi Legislation neither inability, not refusal, nor dont maintain were adequate grounds, but the particular schools of Imam Malik along with Imam Shafe’I regarded as these as right grounds for granting dissolution. (v) Young children and Descendants †¢ A father is bound to maintain his sons until they achieve puberty and his or her daughters until these are married. He is also responsible for along with unkeep of his or her widowed or divorced girl. An adult son does not need to be maintained unless he or she is infirm. †¢ Should the father is weak, the mother is bound to maintain the youngsters. And, failing the woman, it is the job of the paternal grandaddy. Thus, grandchildren along with lineal descendants in addition possess rights of maintenance. (vi) Daughter-In-Law A father-in-Law can be under nor obligation to maintain his widowed daughter-in-law. (vii) Unlawful Child A father is just not bound to keep an illegitimate kid; but in the particular Hanafi school the mother is bound to support her natural child. 6. Obligations Arising beyond Blood Relationship: (i) Ascendants: A person throughout easy circumstances is bound to maintain his indigent parents, and also his or her grandparents, paternal along with maternal. (ii) Additional relations: The general theory is laid down in the Fatawa ‘Alamgiri: â€Å"Every relative from the prohibited degrees is eligible for maintenance, provided of which, if a guy, he is sometimes a child and weak, or, if adult , that he can be infirm or impaired and poor in case a female, that she is poor whether a young child or adult. † Poor or not, a man is bound to maintain his partner and children; but distant relatives are merely to be maintained should they are poor along with he himself can be ‘in easy circumstances’. See of D. P oker. Mulla: According in order to D. F. Mulla throughout his book ‘Principles of Muhammadan Law’: â€Å"If the daddy is poor along with infirm, and the mother also is weak, the obligation to maintain the children lies for the grandfather, provided he or she is in easy circumstances. † â€Å"Persons who definitely are not themselves weak are bound to maintain their poor relations from the prohibited degrees compared to the share which would inherit from their store on their loss of life. † 7. The liability of husband soon after divorce: After the divorce process the wife is eligible for maintenance doing t he of Iddat. 8. Case where wife is just not informed about divorce process: If the divorce is just not communicated to the woman, she is titled for maintenance until she is informed of the particular divorce. 9. Financial debt of Maintenance: The arrears of maintenance are recoverable because the arrears of terrain revenue. 10. Decree of maintenance as much as one thousand is just not appeal able: Decree on the court of maintenance as much as one thousand rupees can be non appeal in a position. 11.According to the sec 9 of MFLO 1961 : (1) In the event any husband does not maintain the wife sufficiently, or where you will discover more wives or girlfriends than 1, fails to help keep them equitably, the actual wife, or many or any of the wives, may besides seeking some other legal solution available apply at the Chairman who shall constitute an Arbitration Council to look for the matter, along with the Arbitration Local authority or council may matter a certifi cation specifying just how much which will be paid while maintenance from the husband. (2) A partner may, within the prescribed manner, within the actual prescribed time period, and about payment on the prescribed cost, prefer a credit card applicatoin for revision on the certificate, towards the Collector concerned and the decision will be final as well as shall not really be called you want in almost any Court. (3) Any kind of amount payable under Sub-section (1) or, (2) in the event that, not paid within the due time, shall always be recoverable while arrears associated with land earnings. PUNJAB CHANGE: In sub-section (2), the full-stop occurring at the end shall always be replaced by way of a colon as well as thereafter the following proviso will be added, that is: Provided that this Commissioner of your Division may possibly, on a credit card applicatoin made in this particular behalf as well as for reasons to become recorded, transfer a credit card applicatoin for revision on the certificate from your Collector to some other Collector, in order to a Movie director, Local Federal government, or for an Additional Commissioner inside his Section. [Ord. II associated with 1975, Part 2]. Cases of maintenance: 2000 ylr 1449 Lahore Before ch. ijaz ahmad, j Muhammad alam Versus Mst.zarina bibi and 2 other (e) Muhammadan law Maintenance of minor child responsibility distinguishing factor between western and Pakistani society discuss duty and obligation of the father to maintain his minor child in Pakistan. Judgment: It is also settled proposition of law that according to injunction of Islam it is the duty and obligation of the petitioner to maintain the minor. This is the basic distinguished factor between western society and our society western society talk of human rights only whereas Islam insisted performance of first obligation and duties and then human rights the petitioner cannot be avoided from his duties and obligation above according to the injunction of islam it is the duties and obligation of the petitioner to maintain the minor after addition of article 2A in the constitution. Under muhammandan law a father ordinarily is bound to maintain the child, if it remain with his mother epically when the custody, in consideration of age under the personal law also remain with him. The petition is dismissed.

Stress Affects Millions Of People Essay - 1730 Words

Summary Stress affects millions of people. One of the most common forms of stress is that related to our careers and the workplace. In today s economic difficulty, work related stress is even more pronounced than ever before. Everyone who has ever held a job has, felt the pressure of work-related stress. Any job can have stressful elements, even if you love what you do. People begin to spend several long hours at work, and thus have less time for other things. Stressed employees may be unhappy and thus produce nominally. Worries about whether or not people will be able to keep their job, their health insurance, and even keep their homes, plays a large role in stress, and the possibility of losing a job can be scary. Another word for stress is tension or anxiety. Stress can deteriorate social and family relationships. When someone experiences stress, there are many different symptoms. In the short-term, people may experience pressure to meet a deadline or to fulfill a challenging obligation. But when work stress becomes chronic, it can be overwhelming — and harmful to both physical and emotional health. Organizations need to recognize stress as a problem and decide whether or not to act upon it. In this paper, I expect to discuss factors which lead to stress in the workplace. Are individuals stressed in the workplace? What causes stress in the workplace? Who is mostly stressed: men or women? Are individuals being exposed to stress management techniques? By recognizingShow MoreRelatedStress and Anxiety1397 Words   |  6 PagesStress and anxiety Introduction: Over the years stress management has become a big factor or part in our lives and how we cope with on a daily basis can be really challenging. One of the biggest problems is learning how to recognize this problem and dealing with it. After extensive research that doctors have gone through, it is now becoming less challenging because of the new techniques and methods. Making society aware of the potential threats of stress and anxieties is basic the most basicRead MoreHow Drugs Can Affect Person s Mental State843 Words   |  4 Pagesuntil you know how the drug will affect your body. Drugs can affect person s mental state, whether prescribed for a medical condition or taken for recreational purposes such as alcohol. There are some drugs affect the way a person thinks and feels—which may also affect the way they behave. Many people misuse used legal drugs, apart from drugs taken on prescription, are alcohol and tobacco. The most commonly used illegal drug is cannabis (marijuana). People use marijuana for the purpose ofRead MoreDiabetes Is Becoming An Increasingly Prevalent Disease1615 Words   |  7 PagesJust about every five minutes two people die of diabetes related causes and 16 people are newly diagnosed with the disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Diabetes is becoming an increasingly prevalent disease, especially type 2, due to the fact that the United States population is at high risk for obesity. Type 2 diabetes is when the pancreas suffers a decline in beta cell efficiency therefore disallowing insulin to be produced at the level necessary for its metabolicRead MoreEffects Of Stress Essay883 Words   |  4 PagesBreann Fleshman Professor Brock English 101E -04 October 23, 2017 What Effect Does Stress Have on Health? Many individuals face the problem of stress today. Every individual will eventually experience stress at some point in his or her life. Stress is defined as an internal state which can be caused by physical demands of the body or by environmental and social situations, which are evaluated as potentially harmful, uncontrollable, or exceeding our resources for coping. An environmental situationRead More Anxiety Disorders Essay796 Words   |  4 Pages(OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress, Panic Disorder and Social Phobia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps some one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps some one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults. TheseRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder is on the Raise Essay1155 Words   |  5 PagesPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as mental health disorder triggered by a terrifying event (Mayo Clinic). This ordeal could be the result of some sort of physical harm or threat to the individual, family members, friends or even strangers (NIMH). While PTSD is typically associated with someone who has served in the military, it can affect more than just that genre of individuals. It could affect rape victims, victims in a terrorist or natural disaster incident, nurses, doctors, andRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )1370 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to PTSD United, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder used to be considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were â€Å"shocked† by and unable to face their experiences from battl e. Soldiers with symptoms of PTSD often faced rejection by their military peers and were feared by society in general. Those who showed signs of PTSD were often removed from combat zones and even discharged from military services, being left labeled as weak (â€Å"Post Traumatic Stress†). These implications have been debunkedRead MoreHow Eating Disorders Affect Health772 Words   |  3 Pagesinsufficient or excessive food, that affects inimical the body’s image and mental health (Wikipedia). It affects men and women of all ages, but it has a greater impact among adolescences and young adults. In the United States, 24 million Americans are battling eating disorders, in which 1 million are males and 23 million are females. An individual who portraits this condition may have an irrational self-image thought that impinged on an individual’s life and affects their health by disrupting body functionsRead MoreEffects Of Poverty On Education940 Words   |  4 PagesTh ere are over 2 million families and children living in poverty in America day by day. Poverty is when you’re living in conditions below the average family. Many reason’s poverty is caused is when adults do not complete high school and receive a low education to deal with their whole life. Also is caused by wnot being able to receive a job. â€Å"According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 9.5 million of people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were poor.†(Davis) Poverty isRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Wealthy In America896 Words   |  4 Pagesthat the area that you live in and how much money you make, can affect your health and how long you live even though after watching it, it seems common sense that they would live longer because they have the resources to. This is an important factor that the middle-class has advantage over the people below that. A lot of it also has to do with the fact that the more healthy and organic food costs way more than fast food. For people that are on a budget and only have a certain amount to spend on

Change Management Models and Theory-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Change Management Models and Theory. Answer: Introduction: Change management is the approach which is often taken by managers and organizations for transitioning individuals, organizations as well as team from a current unfavorable state to that to a favorable future state. Change management approach is applied to situations such as downsizing, growing of organizations and even adding new technology (Doppelt, 2017). Researchers are of the opinion that this organizational process are mainly aimed at helping the employees not only to understand but also commit to and accept and embrace different modifications and changes in the current business environment. Many researchers suggest that a part of change management is also managing transition. Many argue that change and transition are two different aspects while other says that they are interrelated (Howes et al., 2015). Keeping this argument aside, change management is found to be important as it helps in minimizing resistance of the employees, increase in engagement, improve performance, redu ce costs and also enhances innovation. This helps the organization to overcome any threatening situations and at the same time, it will be helpful in developing the working conditions resulting in better productivity (Fernandes, Ward Araujo, 2015). This assignment will mainly describe change management models and how they are different from each other. This will also show how each model can fit in different scenarios giving an idea about how managers should adapt the model in certain particular situations. Lewins change management model: The first theory which can be considered is the Lewins change management model. It is one of the most popular as well as the effective model which helps managers to understand the requirement of the organizational and structured changes required. The model mainly consists of three important parts. This are unfreeze, change and refreeze. The first stage called the unfreeze stage is mainly the preparation stage for the change. This mainly shows that the organization should prepare for the change and also absorb the fact that change is essential. This stage is important to make the employees understand why the present existing ways need to be changed and how this can help in bringing profit (Quiney Richardson, 2014). Looking the core and re-examining is the important part. This is followed by the change stage. In the second stage, real transitions or changes take place. This stage takes time as it needs people needs to accept new things, development and happenings in the organization, good leadership and reassurance are essential for steering the changes in the forward direction (Kempster, Higg Weurz, 2014). Communication and time are very important aspects of this stage. The third stage is called the refreeze stage. Following the occurrences like the changes being accepted, embraces and implemented by the organization, this stage shows how the company gradually stabilizes and becomes to work successfully again in a stable mode. This is called so as the employees and processes begin to refreeze and things start going back to their normal pace and routine. Critics: Researchers are of the opinion that most of the organizations prefer to use this model as they find this model to be easier to implement. This model is useful when business requires massive changes. Secondly, it is also useful in finding out any concealed information and mistakes which were previously taken for granted as the change agent is analyzing every aspect of the transition (Bartuneck Woodman, 2015). However, many other researchers argue that this model of change management is time consuming and can be difficult at times. It requires the mangers to take extra effort to take care and support their teams as they have to consider their emotions through turmoil. The workflow will change drastically and therefore care should be taken when bring them on board and keeping up the enthusiasm in the refreezing stage (Cummings, Bridgman Brown, 2016) Kotters change management theory Another model which can be described is the Kotters change management theory. This is one of the most popular theories and had been still implemented by large number of organizations. This mainly consists of 8 important stages where each of the stages will mainly be focusing on the key principles which are associated with the response of people to changes. The first stage is called the increase urgency stage which involves the creating of a sense of urgency among the people by mainly motivating them stating that they have to move forward towards the new objectives (Vora et al., 2013). The second is building team which mainly requires the manager to incorporate right people in the team with the appropriate selection of skill mix, knowledge and also commitment. The third one is getting the vision correct where the stage relates with development of the correct vision and taking into account the strategy, creativity, objectives and also the emotional connectedness. The fourth step is the communicate stage where the agents should communicate with the employees regarding the change and the necessity of the change (Rafferty et al., 2017). The fifth step is called get things moving. In order to get things moving and empowering actions of people, managers need to provide support to employees, remove their roadblocks along with implementation in the constructive ways. Focusing on short term goals is the next stage where the managers need to divide the ultimate goal into small and achievable parts. This is the proper way which would help people to achieve success without too much pressure (Ewenstein et al., 2015). The next stage mainly focuses on the development of the ability of the employees not to give up knowing that persistence is the way to success and not to succumb to pressure and give up when the change management process is going on. The last stage is called the incorporating change stage where besides managing change effectively, it becomes important to reinfor ce them and make them a part of the culture. Critics: Researchers have found that organizations use this model as this is a step by step model. It mainly focuses on preparing and accepting changes and is mainly response based stating that it actually works in accordance to the responses of the employees. Transition is mainly easier with the help of this model. However many researchers have argued that one negative aspect of this model is that the steps cannot be skipped and this process requires a great deal of time (Duplessis Mabunda et al., 2016). Although it acts as a checklist but mainly lacks the necessary back and forth movement as it only allows step by step movement. However this model is quite gripping as it solely resides on the developing the employees for the changes and entirely concentrating on them for the changes to occur successfully. McKinsey 7s model: The next model that one can also take in consideration is the McKinsey 7s model. This model has managed to exist in the organizational culture even when a large number of models have come and gone. This model has been able to survive and consists of 8 important stages. The first stage is the strategy which the organization needs to develop to overcome the competition and thereby reach goals (Ewenstein, smith Sologar, 2015). The second one is the systems where the managers should take the decisions about the ways by which every day activities need to be dome in order to get the task completed. Shared values are the core or the main values of the organization according to which the change is preceded (Vora, 2013). Next is the style in which the leaderships and modifications would be implemented after adoption so that the change takes place successfully. Next is the skills which refer mainly to the competencies as well as the features and skills possessed by the employees in the organi zation. The next aspect is staffs which mainly refer to the workforce or the employees and their working capabilities. The main principle is that the manager after recognizing and identifying all the seven S, she or he needs to think about how each of the aspects affect each other and thereby implement changes accordingly (Chienwattayakum Mankin, 2015). For example, a manager should try to examine about how the structure of the organization is affecting the strategy, how both of them affect the systems and then a again all of them are interacting with the skills or staffs and many others. Critics: Critics are of the opinion that there are many benefits with the McKinsey model. It provides an effective model to diagnose and understand organization along with providing guidance to the organizational change (Raffery Restubog, 2017). It combines both emotional and rational components. All the components are integral and are addressed in a unified model. The disadvantages with the model as argued by researchers are that when one part changes, all get changed as they are interconnected. The model is quite complex (Du Plessox et al., 2016). Even researchers say that many companies have even failed with the help of this model. Comparison and contrast: An important similarity that was noticed in all the mentioned three models are that all are time consuming and requires extensive planning and investigations before implementing them. However, certain dissimilarities have been found. Whereas Lewins model is subjected to massive changes in an organization, the other two models are mainly applied to changes which are not drastic (Horstein, 2015). It is seen that unlike the Lewis model, Kotters model is mainly response based change management where the employees and other stakeholders are the primary concerns in the change management rather than including the organization and the processes which are changing. Kotters theory is mainly organizing the employees aligning to the organizations goals and helping them to adapt to the environment. This is mainly response based. However, McKinseys change management remains mainly focused on another perspective entirely (Vander voet, 2014). They remain more concerned with the alteration of the org anization and processes by focusing the on the interconnection of the seven aspects like system, structure, strategy and others providing more importance of the interconnectedness between the aspects. While interconnections are important in this process, Kotters model is a step by step model and does not provide interconnectedness as stated by McKinsleys. Kotters models have aspects which cannot make the change successful if one step is missed and the steps are linear rather than being interconnected like Mckinseys (Farkas et al., 2016). Lewins model does not have any such aspects and are easier to follow as this does not study the interconnections like the McKinseys model to understand and implement the changes required. Moreover, unlike the Kotters, it is not comprising of minute and larger number of steps and is simpler to follow by the organizations. However, Lewin and McKinsley depend on an in-depth analysis for making changes successful unlike Kotters model which is mainly bas ed on the modifications of the attitudes of the employees with the changes. The differences can be understood by scenarios. Scenario: Let one assume, a scenario where the employers of the organization had decided to introduce new technology of the system so the time consumed by the employees to perform the task would become less. However, the employees were resistant against the use of new technologies as they were comfortable with the previous working style. They showed resistance to the change although it was urgent for the organization to shift to the new technology to increase productivity. Other than, this new change, all others were working smoothly. In such a situation, Kotters theory would be just where the managers can use the eight important stages to prepare the employees for the change makings sure that the employees get comfortable with the new trend and helping them in each stages to align with the new technological skills. Here Mckinseys model is not required as there was no need to assess the interconnections of the aspects mentioned in the model. In another scenario, it was seen that a company was facing tremendous loss due to lesser productivity of the employees and attrition rate was also high. A change was indeed very necessary so that the company can recover the losses by increasing the productivity of the employees (Hornstein et al., 2015). Therefore in such a situation, the managers or the employers were in urgent need to find the main reasons for such results. In such a situation, where urgent changes were very important, managers had to take help of the McKinseys model (Pollack Pollack, 2015). The managers had to first evaluate the interconnected factors which are responsible for such outcomes. On thorough analysis, it was found the strategy taken by the managers were not aligning with the system and structure of the organizing as the system was not financially stable to handle the strategies. Moreover, the skill mix required to adapt to such strategies were also not aligning with the staff numbers and it was getting strenuous for them and they were suffering from jo b stress. Therefore, change was extremely important and in this scenario the McKinseys model was found to be extremely useful. Let us consider another scenario where an organization was sold to another employer due to extreme loss. The new CEO of the company wanted to change the entire working style of the old organization with a completely new objective, mission and vision. He wanted to develop the old organization with an absolute new perspective and for this drastic change, the Lewin model was important. It required for the new CEO to first develop an in-depth analysis during the unfreezing stage followed by implementing the changes and then refreezing the environment to maintain stability. Conclusion: Change management is an important process which every organization needs to adopt in order to properly go through a change or transition phase for betterment of the organization. The time during change management is often strenuous as the employer, managers and workers all have to change their styles to adapt to the new situations. However, all changes are not drastic but require expert handling to become sure of the success. Lewin model, Kotters model and McKinseys model all help in acting as guides to change agents. It is important for the managers to correctly apply the proper models in the different situations so that it can have the best outcomes. Referrences: Bartunek, J. M., Woodman, R. W. (2015). Beyond Lewin: Toward a temporal approximation of organization development and change. Chienwittayakun, J., Mankin, D. (2015). Strategic Management Planning Process (SMPP) as an Organization Development Intervention (ODI) to Align Values, Goals and Objectives and Improve Employee Teamwork, Engagement and Performance: A Case Study of a Family-Owned Business in Thailand.Abac Odi Journal Vision. Action. Outcome.,2(1). Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., Brown, K. G. (2016). Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewins legacy for change management.Human Relations,69(1), 33-60. Doppelt, B. (2017).Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide for business, government and civil society. Routledge. Du Plessis, T., Mabunda, T. T. (2016). Change management in an academic library in the knowledge economy.South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science,82(1), 53-61. Ewenstein, B., Smith, W., Sologar, A. (2015). Changing change management.McKinsey Digital, July. Farkas, F. (2016). Hard and Soft Approaches of Strategic Organisational Change Management.Strategic Management,21(2), 13-22. Fernandes, G., Ward, S., Arajo, M. (2015). Improving and embedding project management practice in organisationsA qualitative study.International Journal of Project Management,33(5), 1052-1067. Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity.International Journal of Project Management,33(2), 291-298. Howes, M., Tangney, P., Reis, K., Grant-Smith, D., Heazle, M., Bosomworth, K., Burton, P. (2015). Towards networked governance: improving interagency communication and collaboration for disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in Australia.Journal of Environmental Planning and Management,58(5), 757-776. Vora, M. (2013). Business excellence through sustainable change management.The TQM Journal,25(6), 625-640. Kempster, S., Higgs, M., Wuerz, T. (2014). Pilots for change: exploring organisational change through distributed leadership.Leadership Organization Development Journal,35(2), 152-167. Lewin, A. Y. (2014). Emerging economies open unlimited opportunities for advancing management and organization scholarship.Management and Organization Review,10(1), 1-5. Pollack, J., Pollack, R. (2015). Using Kotters eight stage process to manage an organisational change program: Presentation and practice.Systemic Practice and Action Research,28(1), 51-66. Quinney, S., Richardson, L. (2014). Organisational development, appreciative inquiry and the development of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIEs). Part I: a positive psychology approach.Housing, Care and Support,17(2), 95-102. Rafferty, A.E. Restubog, S.L., (2017). Why Do Employees Perceptions of their Organization's Change History Matter? The Role of Change Appraisals.Human Resource Management,56(3), pp.533-550. Van der Voet, J. (2014). The effectiveness and specificity of change management in a public organization: Transformational leadership and a bureaucratic organizational structure.European Management Journal,32(3), 373-382. Verhulst, E., Lambrechts, W. (2015). Fostering the incorporation of sustainable development in higher education. Lessons learned from a change management perspective.Journal of Cleaner Production,106, 189-204

Motivational Cues of Students with Single Parents free essay sample

Discussing school issues and attending school function has a positive effect on the children’s academic achievement(Jeynes, 2005) but the need to search for a greener pasture has become one of the main issues between family members. To provide quality life for the family, one or both parents fly abroad to work and leave their kids. On their resiliency on parental absence, children of overseas Filipino workers do understand that the idea of readily available work, amenities and bigger income offered in other countries pull certain group of parents to migrate. Thus children with migrant parents view this as an opportunity for better education and they have the means to enroll in private schools (Bielza-Valdez, 2011). Few researches have shown that students who live in one parent households are disadvantaged in many counts. In Asia, the Philippines is the major supplier of labor migrants to over 100 countries and the leading female migrant sending countries along with Indonesia. We will write a custom essay sample on Motivational Cues of Students with Single Parents or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page More than 8 million (10%) out of the 85 million Filipinos were working or living abroad, while over 72% of total migrants from Philippines were women workers.Many of these women work as domestic helpers, nurses, caregivers, and entertainers. With this huge number of Filipino migrants (and still more) living the country temporarily (or permanently), a more pressing concern is with regards to children left behind. Though there is no systematic data on the number of children left behind, it is estimated to be 9 million or 27% of the total youth. The perceived social costs of migration have been always been part of the reasons why various sectors of Filipino society are ambivalent about overseas employment.Aside from the myriad problems migrants encounter abroad, concerns over the stability of families have received much attention. In the 1970s, when male migrants dominated labor migration, the absence of fathers was seen as weakening Filipino families. In the 1980s, women became part of labor migration. As the feminization of migration persisted, the anxieties magnified because mothers, who are considered as the â€Å"light of the home,† are not around for their families. As the foundation of Philippine society, there are fears that threats to the family redound to threats to the nation’s social fabric as a whole.Our parents portray a very big role in our achievement-most especially in academics. Parental effort is consistently associated with higher levels of achievement, and the magnitude of the effect of parental effort is substantial (Conway, 2008). The children of single parent families are more likely to be impoverished, to break the law, to abuse drugs, to do poorly in school, to become pregnant before the age of twenty, and to have emotional and behavioural problems. A common desire for all parents is to see that their child is happy, healthy, and successful.School provides an array of opportunities for children to be successful starting at a young age. Academic success can lead to feelings of competency, self-worth, and high self-esteem (Slavin, 2000). In addition to its positive effects on a childs emotions, early academic success is related to success throughout a childs academic career (Turner Johnson, 2003). However, students who do not perform well in early years may develop poor academic self-concepts and, as a result, perform poorly in later years (Marsh Ye ung, 1997).

BIGHORN SHEEP Essays - Ovis, Bighorn Sheep, Bovidae, Sheep

BIGHORN SHEEP Essays - Ovis, Bighorn Sheep, Bovidae, Sheep BIGHORN SHEEP The bighorn or the bighorn sheep, ovis candensis, is the family bovidae in the order Artiodactyla. It is a wild sheep with a silky coat similar to that of a deer, varying from brown to buff. The male bighorn, or ram, may be as much as 150 cm long, about 100 cm at the shoulders, and weigh 157kg; females are the smaller. The muzzle is narrow. Despite it's bulk, the bighorn can negotiate mountainous terrain, aided by it's sharp cloven hooves with elastic pads. The ram carries a majestic set of curving horns about 45 cm in cercumfrence and up to 120 cm long; the females horns are smaller. The largest bighorns are the rocky mountain bighorn and the California bighorns from canada. Bighorns are characterized by their short ears and large horns. They eat grasses, flwers, young plants and even cacti. The bighorn was once numerous from the mountains of southern canada to Northern Mexico; disease, food scarcity, and overhunting, however have reduced the population. Today, They are found only in remote mountain areas and national parks in the united states. In many places they have a lottery for ram tags. A lottery is where you send in a application for a ram and they pick a bunch of names and those people get tags. Last year in North Dakota they had only one ram tag given out and they had to bid on it and it was sold for $35,000. The reason it cost so much is because there are so few rams in North Dakota and also because there are very few rams in North Dakota. The prices can vary from $2,500 for a 7 day hunt to $13,500 for a 16 to 20 day hunt. Good rams score about 170 boone and Crockett points and in order for the ram to be legal the ram has to have at least 4/5 of a curl. Andy Petras

Islamic Politics in Pakistan from 1956 Till Present Essays

Islamic Politics in Pakistan from 1956 Till Present Essays Islamic Politics in Pakistan from 1956 Till Present Essay Islamic Politics in Pakistan from 1956 Till Present Essay Islamic Politics in Pakistan from 1956 Till Present Name: Institution: Islamic Politics in Pakistan from 1956 Till Present Thesis statement This paper will examine the extent that Islamism has been involved in politics, in regions where Islam is the main religion, by focusing on the politics in Pakistan from 1956 to the present. Methodology This research will examine various scholarly sources and different textbooks, showing the history of Pakistan, and the history of Islam in the country. The sources will be from both Pakistan and western scholars, in order to create a more objective view. The paper will begin by noting the connection between religion and politics over the years. It will examine the influence of Islam since it was formed. It will then describe the importance of religion in Islamic politics and democracy. It is important to describe some of the terms used in the paper to enhance the reader’s understanding and to clarify any misunderstanding. The scope of the research begins from 1956, since this was when the country enacted the constitution based on Islamic principles. The sources will highlight the struggles that Pakistan had when fighting for independence from the British, until their final realization of independence, which enabled them to have a constitution. The sources will highlight the initial conflict of integrating Islam in politics. It will note the struggle the country has had in implementing the sharia law, in a country where many people crave to heave democracy. The sources will describe the beginnings of democracy, showing the successes and failure of democracy over the years. The paper will highlight the definition and meaning of democracy from different perspectives. It will examine the definition of democracy from a western perspective and contrast it with the Islamic and Pakistani definitions and meanings of democracy. This is important in emphasizing and addressing the differences in politics between different groups in the region. The western definition of democracy does not consider the religious supremacy that is claimed in the Islamic definition. The western perspective of democracy emphasizes equality of all citizens irrespective of their race, ethnicity, and religion. The Islamic perspective of democracy emphasizes the freedom to practice the Islamic religion, part of which is exercising the sharia law. This perspective emphasizes submitting to God’s will from an Islamic perspective, and this will is above the human laws. The Pakistanis have different perspectives of democracy, with some recognizing it as a return to civilian government. Although they recognize the idea of holding free and fair elections as part of the fundamental concepts of democracy, they only recognize a few people who are entitled to lead. The research will highlight the current perception of people concerning the Islamic influence in government. This is because there are some differences in the way Muslims consider the integration of their religion with politics. From the various definitions of democracy that people have in their country, it is clear that some difference exist in the way some Muslims consider the importance of their religion in politics. The research will highlight some of the challenges facing the country, as these problems are a threat to democracy. Conclusion The paper will conclude by summarizing the main points. This will include the country’s history, the importance of Islam in the country, the integration of religion in politics, and the meaning of democracy to the people in Pakistan. It will finalize by emphasizing the main threats facing democracy in the country. The study of democracy is relevant since it is a major part of politics in Pakistan. It is also important to have a thorough understanding of the differing perceptions of democracy, to understand why the country has a hard time implementing democracy.

Theology Mission Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theology Mission - Term Paper Example Its meaning can be derived from the Greek words Theos, which means God, and Logos, which means the study of a certain subject. As a result, many theologians have used many forms of analysis and also historical, philosophical, spiritual and ethnographic arguments in attempts to understand and explain any topic on religion. It helps the theologians to better understand his or her religious tradition, as well as other people’s religions; make a comparison between two or more religious traditions; defend, or even try to justify a religious tradition among others. Theology then can be used by theologians to understand the religion and, hence, this leads to our second definition of religion. Religion according to Harper means a collection of beliefs, cultural systems and the worldviews to establish symbols in relation to humanity and spirituality. It is by these symbols that man tries to give meaning to life or even try to explain the origins of life and the universe. So, religious tendency to understand human life can be attributed to faith or belief1. In the development of religion, it can be seen to have taken different cultures whereby some religion has placed an emphasis on belief while others have placed their emphasis on practice. Religion has also been associated with public institutions like it can be seen in hospitals, schools, governments, political hierarchies and families among others. So, religion in this case can be mitigate problems of human life2 Relevant Old Testament and New Testament related to missions The whole concept of mission is related to the mission of God. This began with God’s creation. God created man â€Å"†¦ be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth†. In the New Testament, the gospel of the Acts of the Apostle one finds â€Å"We were to live as a church, the body of the Christ, as the salt of this world, as the light of this world (Jn 20:19-20). A variety of different Christian churches has an impact on the ideology of theology including how many churches on the planet do mission, and also how they try to articulate their theology of missions. This includes how the churches select and supports missionaries, who can be considered a missionary and what these missionaries do to teach3. The most important question here, which actually needs to be answered, is the definition of theology of missions, or what the mission of the church is. The mission can be defined as the body of the Christ, which is manifested in thousands upon thousands of local assemblies of the Disciples of Christ in varying cultures, languages, and traditions. This can be related to two thousand years ago when God started his missionary work and this began at the Garden of Eden. Also, Jesus spoke directly to his followers and then gave them a clear mission

The Synoptic Gospel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Synoptic Gospel - Essay Example Jesus also heard the Fathers voice. Luke records that Jesus saw the Holy spirit in the form of a dove, not in a dove-like fashion descending on Him (Luke 3:22).An audible revelation followed the visual one (v.17).Matthew recorded God’s word as a general announcement (cf.17:5).While the other evangelists recorded that God sais, â€Å"You are my beloved Son† (Mark1:11; Luke3:22).Evidently the accounts of Mark and Luke contain actual words of God in this event. The study of all the gospels the synoptic problem is inherent, essentially involving all the difficulties that arise out of the similarities and differences between the gospel accounts. The bible books of Matthew, Mark and Luke are termed as synoptic gospels because they present the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with similarities common in their narrative accounts. Part of the synoptic problem is in determining from what source the Holy Spirit led the evangelists in writing their gospels. This is because there is evidence within the individual gospels themselves that the writers used source materials as they wrote. The best example is the Old Testament passages to which each one of the writers referred to directly of indirectly. Amongst the disciples of Jesus were Matthew and John, who presented many eye-witness accounts of what happened. Likewise, their was a close connection between Mark and Peter, and Luke as well as being an historian was also closely connected with Paul(Luk e 1:1-4).Information that the writers obtained verbally could have been a source and perhaps special revelations from God. In the each for the source of the synoptic gospels, there were scholars who posited that the source was one. But other scholars thought the source of synoptic gospel to be from two sources. Some favored the view that the primary source must have been from Mark since over 90 percent of the material in Mark also appears in Matthew and or Luke. Others posited another primary source which is known as â€Å"Q†

Life Of Goebbels And His Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Life Of Goebbels And His Propaganda - Essay Example Goebbels believed that the Jews were an obstacle to Germans success and that Jews refused to be real Germans. With all these intrigues, Goebbels was fed up with life and did not see the need to even get up from bed to work at a job that could not satisfy his needs. His political career begun in Sep 27th, 1924 when he started to write about political and cultural issues affecting the people of German, and in this case, the Germans themselves. National Socialism is what he advocated for because he was of the opinion that traditional religions played no role in deliberating Germans from slavery and political divide. Nevertheless, his journey to make things work out was met with challenges. For instance, in 1928, he was accused of being a homosexual; something he claims was just propaganda to disrupt his efforts of liberating the people of German. Points of interest Determination- With many deliberations on the journey of Goebbels and his fight for Germs liberation, it is apparent that b ravely was in him and that he could not stop at any anything less than the victory of his people and his party. Propaganda- In addition, the use of propaganda seems to have been the game of the day as political battles heavily relied on it. The impersonation was a great trait that made Hitler popular especially due to his powerful speeches. His facial expressions and gestures were some of the tactics Goebbels admits to having admired most from him. Goebbels believed in using every means possible to acquire political and cultural victory on what he believed was the foundation of the good life to all Germans. Arguments Although Goebbels was a powerful political and cultural activist, there is some aspect of lack of realism and abuse of human rights. Goebbels advocated for war in order to win political supremacy.

Importance Of Diversity In Our Society Sociology Essay

Importance Of Diversity In Our Society Sociology Essay This essay will reflect the importance of diversity in the society. The definition of diversity will be given. Positive and negative aspects of diversity will be discussed. The issues of diversity like; gender, race, class, homogeneity and heterogeneity will also be discussed in this essay. Human beings have a basic difference which differentiates people into various classes in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, class and so on. These differences cause a lot of misunderstanding, discrimination and prejudice among people of different divisions. Diversity, on the other hand helps people to identify these differences, understand, respect and embrace this differences.Therefore, diversity can be defined as the ability to recognise individual differences and the ability to respect and accept these differences without discriminating it. Diversity consists of two dimensions. These are the primary and secondary dimensions. This is mostly represented with a wheel that contains the inner and outer wheel. The primary dimensions are six areas which are considered to be dimensions of diversity.These areas are; age, race, gender, ethnicity physical abilities and qualities, and sexual orientation. All these are represented by the inner wheel. These are perceived to be the most common and prevailing ways of different perception of individuals in looking at differences between people. The outer wheel contains areas that are placed under the secondary dimensions of diversity. These are things or elements that can be changed or acquired. As far as diversity is concerened,it is not only important to study diversity but it also has a major problem when dealing with the topic. According to Fry et al, one of the problem people encounter when dealing with the topic diversity, is stereotyping.(2004:156).Stereotyping is an element of p rejudice, which can be said to be placing people on the basis of one particular area of difference. We must look beyond the obvious elements of difference says stoner et al (2004:157) in other to understand each persons individuality. As they say, although the topic of diversity may be studied in discrete sections, people do not fit into easy, simplistic categories. They are quite complex (2004:157-8).Studying diversity is very important because it helps to understand various issues that causes discrimination. These issues are; race, gender, class, homogeneity and heterogeneity. These issues will be discussed individually. Firstly, the issue of homogeneity and heterogeneity. Homogeneity is when a group of people have and share similar values, similar ideas, and similar ways of living and so on. This is called a homogeneous society. All human beings are homogeneous in one way or the other. It does not matter where you come from or your skin colour. Individuals share some common behaviour no matter how culturally different people are. There are different types of homogeneous society some of which are ethnically that is the Japanese society, religiously the Arab, culturally the Indians. So many researchers concluded that the most prominent one is ethnically, where people have similar culture and complexion and facial features,(Andromida ,n.d).Homogeneity has its advantages such as, homogeneous societies do not have the problem of language barrier, which sometimes causes threats to the unity of the society. Diversity of religious and ethnic groups can take up a wrong path, thereby causing misunderstanding in the society which may result to conflict. For example, after the incident of the 911, so many Indians, Pakistanis and Arabs were maltreated in the US, reasons due to the fact that there is lack of religious homogeneity. In the case of politics, the homogeneous society has more advantage. This is because the government decision making can be more powerful because the majority people have the same point of view. (Andromida , n.d.). But then, it also has disadvantages.The main problem with homogeneous society is as history stated that the homogeneity of a country has been endangered and broken many times and it is not possible to maintain the homogeneousness of a society.For instance,during the period of 5300 and 1940 B.C,the Sumerian used to live in present day Iraq, although they were politically,socially and agriculturally more advanced,they suffered in the hands of the Akkadians because they lacked and did not even think of developing their military power. possibly, homogeneity encourages people to be unaware of the development of the rest of the world. The leaders in a homogeneous society do not like accepting changes which leads to the down fall of the whole society. Example is Japan, during the time of shogun who believed in the homogeneity of their society, (Andromida , n.d.) .Yet studying homogeneity in diversity is very important. This is because it reminds people about the basic qualities individuals share no mater your race or gender or religion.Perherps,if people are being reminded about homogeineity,the rate of discrimination may reduce and people would start embracing and accepting others differences. While heterogeneity is the exact opposite of Homogeneity. Heterogeneity is when people are dissimilar, that is, they have different backgrounds, different values, different needs and interest. When people with these features live in the same society, it is called a heterogeneous society. Todays world is becoming more of heterogeneous society. This is because people try to adopt other peoples culture and the movement of people from one place to another has increased. The advantages of a heterogeneous society is the society have the ability to move together with the rest of the world. Heterogeneous societies understand the differences in individuals more and faster. A heterogeneous society has the tendency to live longer because more countries and societies all over the world are becoming more and more heterogeneous. There are certain disadvantages that hinders heterogeneity, such as; language barrier which causes so many problems that can lead to the crashing of that society. People w ho have different languages and are of different religious background tend to see their own ethnic or religion or language as superior than the others, this may lead to conflict between the different groups. The most dominant group in a heterogeneous society may try to oppress other groups. Decision making will also be slow or even be a great problem because the leaders themselves are from different backgrounds so they may have different point of views which will make them disagree with each other there by resulting into a great misunderstanding. The issue of heterogeneity is important in diversity because people have to be aware of the differences between individuals in other to enable them accept others. So that people will know and understand that in spite of all the differences, there are also similarities that human beings share. The next issue is the issue of class. Carl Max defined class as an antagonistic relationship that is always relative to another group based on exploitation and control. Social class is a group of people that have comparable social and economic status. Classification of people based on what you have, that is economic capital the quantity of your wealth, who you know which is the social capital and what you know the cultural capital. Class does not only affect people economically but it also affects people emotionally. Class may be said to be culture.(Class Action , 2004).Class can be changed during a persons life time, that is some people are born and grew into a class but they live as adults in another, while some immigrants change their class from their original country to their new country. This shows that class operates along a range or hierarchy. The stratification of class is based on the upper class, these are the very wealthy and powerful people, The middle class who are the p rofessionals and other high earning workers then the lower class who are classified to be people who only have low income and other resources. Classism is a way of oppressing people according to their class, wages or income. There are different levels of oppression which are; macro which happens due to economic, social, political and cultural institutions.However, as bad as classifying people according to their economic status looks, it has its benefits. These benefits are; it gave rise for more fluid structures in the western society, classification of people in a society makes way for others in that society. Exploitation of people is also present. The negative effects of classifying people is that it has been misunderstood which brought about classism. This makes individuals to be oppressed in a society either directly or indirectly. This results to emotional and physical damage. It is considered important to address the issue of class in diversity. This is because when the issues are being addressed, people will be able to understand that social class does not mean classism. And individuals will be able to understand the reasons behind classifying people under social class are not to discriminate or practice classism. Furthermore, the issue of Race. Race is considered the group of people who share the same physical and biological factors. It can be skin colour facial features, religion, culture and ethnic group.Nturally; all human beings are genetically homogeneous. So many people do not view race to be a source of belonging rather, a cause to discriminate. This introduces racism which is the thought of one ethnic group or race to be superior to others, thereby making them to discriminate and oppress people who are not from their own race. It is also an institution that discriminate people against their physical and cultural groups. Race is important because it makes an individual to feel a sense of belonging to a particular group. It makes people know that they are not the only ones who look different or sound different to the rest of the world. It also has disadvantages which are; it creates a way for people to discriminate and oppress individuals who are from certain or different race from thei r own. It makes some people feel superior to others there by making those individuals fell inferior and less important in the society. The issue of racism should be addressed in diversity in other to make people understand that race does not mean any group is superior or inferior to others. It creates awareness to people that no matter the difference in individuals, humanbeings still share basic needs as nature requires them to. It will also make them understand that it is wrong to discriminate and feel threatened by other race. It may make individuals to accept people for who they are. Lastly, the issue of gender. These are the socially constructed roles, behaviour, activities and attributes that society considers male and female to attain. These roles are being fixed by the society while some by nature. This determines what role individuals should play. Gender in some society is determined physically. It is important for people to know their gender roles in other for them to know what the society requires of them to do. It is also important for people to know their gender in other to play the right role so as not confuse their children. This is because in so many cases of single mothers or and fathers, their children grow up to play the wrong role in the society. Gender also consists of disadvantages. This is because people misuse certain gender to oppress. They have the believe that a certain gender is inferior to the other. For instance, the male gender consider the female gender to be inferior to them there by oppressing them. India is a very good example to ci te gender discrimination. In India, the male gender make the female gender to the hard work that they are suppose to do. This is because they fell they are inferior to them. This issue gender is of great importance to be discussed in diversity, to let individuals know that people can choose their own gender roles. And gender does not mean one group is superior to the other. Diversity can be used to correct the how people view gender. Some societies that discriminates the female gander can be corrected through diversity. All the five issues that were discussed above in this essay revolve around diversity. They are issues that the society misunderstand their importance what they stand for thereby making them to discriminate, operess and prejudice people. These issues are important to be discussed in diversity in other to correct the ills in the society.Therefore, diversity is of great importance because it determines the future state of the society if it is ignored and not cared for. So many people suffer due to these issues but diversity can stop these sufferings. With diversity, people will learn to accept and understand individuals there by reducing the rate of misunderstanding, conflict.prejudice and discrimination. Conclusively, the definition of diversity was given in the essay; the issues of diversity were listed and explained. The positive and negative aspects or effects of these issues was given and explained. And how they are of importance to be addressed in the society. The importance of diversity in the society has also been pointed put and explained in this essay.

African American Culture Essays -- Papers

African American Culture Culture is not a fixed phenomenon, nor is it the same in all places or to all people. It is relative to time, place, and particular people. Learning about other people can help us to understand ourselves and to be better world citizens. One of the most common ways of studying culture is to focus on the differences within and among cultures. Although their specifics may vary form one culture to another, sociologists refer to those elements or characteristics that can be found in every know society as cultural universals. For example, in all societies, funeral rites include expression of grief, disposing of the dead, and rituals that define the relations of the dead with the living. And on the most significant cultural universals is the incest taboo, a cultural norm prohibiting marriage or sexual relations between certain kin. Whether the underlying basis of human behavior is biological or purely learned, how we channel that behavior is an important aspect of culture. From the time we are born, we are socialized to believe that our way of life is one that is good, civilized, and above reproach. Such ideals usually sets the tone for what sociologist would refer to as ethnocentrism, the attitude that one’s own culture is superior to those of others. Though it exists from one degree or another in every society, it may also serve as the glue that holds a society together. In the event that ethnocentrism is taken out of context or has reached an offensive tone, it may be suppressed with cultural relativism, the belief that a culture must be understood on its own terms. From the African American perspective, culture encompasses all we know, all we feel, and all we have absorbed from our elder... ...unting the lives of people who struggled for African and African American freedom. People who celebrate Kwanzaa hope to strengthen the black community by adhering to the seven guiding principles, designated by the terms from the Swahili language: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), umija (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). Although many African Americans share some culture similarities with those of the dominant culture, there are some aspects of their culture from the dominant ancestry of sub-Saharan West Africa in which they have retained. Culture is not a fixed phenomenon, nor is it the same in all places or to all people. It is relative to time, place, and particular people and African American culture plays a significant role in the United States today.

Evaluation of materials example Essay

This article is relevant to our project as it identifies the various emotional problems after surviving the first five years of leukemia treatment. Shanon Guger and D’Agostino Norma are authorized professors of the College of Psychologists of Ontario, which is a regulatory body for the profession of psychology in Ontario, Canada, which states that they expertise in psychology, and not only that, they specialises on children psychology, which gives credibility to their information on emotional problems of post-treatment leukemia patients. Another author, Oussama Abla is an associate professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto, which specializes on children, given his experience in treating children since 2005, it gives reliability to the article itself. Furthermore, he specialises on leukemia and has research interests in childhood leukemia, which lends credibility and accuracy to the contents. The article’s publisher, AboutKidsHealth, is the world’s leading non-profit information source for children’s health, supported by the Canadian government , and is in collaboration with over 300 paediatric health specialists that also supports the publisher. Though published in 2010, the various emotional problems listed still relevant as according to the recently revised report in 2013 of emotional issues after treatment of leukemia by the official American Cancer Society2. The article mentioned that there are various problems after treatment of leukemia. They include re-experiencing the trauma; for example, troublesome dreams, or flashbacks during leukemia treatment, frequent problems with sleep, lack of concentration or phobia of places that remind the child of the experience with leukemia (for example, hospitals), which inspired me considering of solutions to these problems. To allow them to cope, they can undergo pet assisted therapy. Pet assisted therapy, could offer psychological and physical aid at the same time, where they can benefit mentally and physically, sleep better at night, maintain strength and circulation, lessen the side effects of treatments and keep the patient’s skin, muscles, heart and lungs in shape3. Children could play with the pets games such as fetch*. They also are allowed to walk the pets at parks. These allows the children to benefit psychologically in able to interact with the pet and benefit physically by playing with the pets. Some of these children may not have enough energy to keep such pets, as they have just recovered and undergone strenuous treatments, hence I propose that there will be a pet interaction corner in the void decks, where pet owners in the blocks are encouraged to bring pets down for a walk in the pet interaction corner, allowing leukemic children and normal children to interact with one another as well. The article states the only way of treatment is to allow the children to do a hobby or parents to watch their reaction. However, these children are not given proper care to cope with such effects and hence ended up in post-traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, to solve this problem, I propose video game therapy4. These activities allow movement and distract them from their pain, and also from reality. Research shown a facility in Children’s national centre, the video game therapy has allowed the children to cope with physical and emotional pain. Activities include simple sports games with Wii Sports, and dancing games with Xbox Kinect. This contributes to physiotherapy and psychotherapy as well, where children can get to exercise as well as play games to draw them away from reality, which helps them in their post-traumatic stress disorder. Hospitals could have a room specially for these children, where children can play and have fun before and after check-ups. Such equipment are not too high-cost and is manageable and feasible. 600 words

Brief Summary of French History

Brief Summary of French History France is a country in Western Europe that is roughly hexagonal in shape. It has existed as a country for a little over a thousand years  and has managed to fill those with some of the most important events in European history. It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, Luxembourg and Belgium to the northeast, Germany and Switzerland to the east, Italy to the southeast, the Mediterranean to the south, southwest by Andorra and Spain and west by the Atlantic Ocean. It currently has a president at the top of government. Historical Summary of France The country of France emerged from the fragmentation of the larger Carolingian empire, when Hugh Capet became King of West Francia in 987. This kingdom consolidated power and expanded territorially, becoming known as â€Å"France†. Early wars were fought over land with English monarchs, including the Hundred Years War, then against the Habsburgs, especially after the latter inherited Spain and appeared to surround France. At one point France was closely associated with the Avignon Papacy, and experienced wars of religion after the Reformation between a twisting combination of Catholic and Protestant. French royal power reached its peak with the reign of Louis XIV (1642 – 1715), known as the Sun King, and French culture dominated Europe. Royal power collapsed fairly quickly after Louis XIV and within a century France experienced the French Revolution, which began in 1789, overthrew Louis XVI and established a republic. France now found itself fighting wars and exporting its world-changing events across Europe. The French Revolution was soon usurped by a general called Napoleon, and the ensuing Napoleonic Wars saw France first militarily dominate Europe, then be defeated. The monarchy was restored, but instability followed and a second republic, second empire and third republic followed in the nineteenth century. The early twentieth century was marked by two German invasions, in 1914 and 1940, and a return to a democratic republic after liberation. France is currently in its Fifth Republic, established in 1959 during upheavals in society.   Key People from the History of France King Louis XIV (1638 - 1715): Louis XIV succeeded to the French throne as a minor in 1642 and ruled until 1715; for many contemporaries, he was the only monarch they ever knew. Louis was the apogee of French absolutist rule and the pageantry and success of his reign earned him the epithet ‘The Sun King’. He has been criticised for letting other European nations grow in strength.Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821): A Corsican by birth, Napoleon trained in the French army and success gained him a reputation, enabling him to get close to the political leaders of late-revolutionary France. Such was Napoleon’s prestige that he was able to seize power and transform the country into an Empire with himself at its head. He was initially successful in European wars, but was beaten and twice forced into exile by a coalition of European nations.Charles de Gaulle (1890 - 1970): A military commander who argued for mobile warfare when France turned instead to the Maginot Line, de G aulle became the leader of the Free French forces during the Second World War and then Prime Minister of the liberated country. After retiring he came back to politics in the late 50s to found the French Fifth Republic and create its constitution, ruling until 1969

Tecumsehs Quest for Indian Leadership essays

Tecumseh's Quest for Indian Leadership essays In this biography, David Edmunds examines the life of legendary Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his pivotal role in defending the Native American way of life. Edmunds is the Anne and Chester Watson Chair in History Professor at UT Dallas. Edmunds area of specialization at UT Dallas is History of Native American People and History of the American West. Edmunds has written other Native American books, Pocahontas, the Shawnee Prophet. Tecumseh and Quest for Indian Leadership is an informative bibliography of the life of the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh. Tecumseh was born to Puckshinwa and his wife Methotaske in March, 1768, in what many historians think was Chillicothe, Ohio. Tecumseh had many siblings, Chiksika, Tecumapease they were his oldest brother and sister. Next came Sauwaseekau who was brother to Tecumseh and another sister named Menewaulakoosee, after her Tecumseh was born, after that two more sons were born and after that the set of triplets that included Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee Prophet. The book Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership written by R. David Edmunds is very well written. I recommend that every history class be assigned to read this book, or sections from this book. The writing puts the oppression of Indians into a perspective that most Americans wouldnt normally view it from. This book places the reader on the side of the Shawnee Indians in the time period just before the revolution and up to the middle of the War of 1812. Through this book, you realize the unjust actions taken toward the Shawnee Indians of the Ohio Valley. Edmunds begins the book by introducing a Shawnee warrior, Cornstalk, and then travels back in time to the first humans in the Ohio Valley area. Edmunds uses great detail in describing the Fort Ancient people and their culture and lifestyle. They were the predecessors and ancient relatives of the Shawnee, and they were a skilled people. In 1774, Cornstalk knew t...

Examine the perspective that membership of the World Trade Essay

Examine the perspective that membership of the World Trade Organisation is beneficial for developing countries - Essay Example About two thirds of WTO’s around 150 members are developing countries (Rena 2012, p.77). Doha Round was launched mainly to address the needs and interests of Third World countries. The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) significantly contribute to the growth of the global economy because trade is an important tool for their development strategies. There is need to determine whether WTO membership benefits the developing countries or it just undermines the development in these countries. This paper explores whether the universal rules and regulations governing trade established by the WTO on the basis of free trade principles assist the developing countries. Indeed, WTO membership has enabled many developing countries involved to improve trade and develop. Some of the benefits of WTO membership that this paper will discuss include peacekeeping, economic growth, and increase in income. Notably, the WTO started operating in 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement as a replacement of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was developed in 1948 after the Second World War (Rena 2012, p.78). GATT was based on a series of trade negotiations with different themes known as rounds that aimed at reducing tariffs, non-tariff barriers (NTB) like quotas, embargoes and dumpling which were flooding foreign markets with commodities that cannot be sold domestically. Currently, the Doha Round launched in 2001 has been a long process with little progress because of differences of interests and perspectives between the developed and developing countries. This trade negotiation was developed to ensure that there is equitable participation of the developing countries (Dalal 2012, p.44). The WTO is focused on completing negotiations on the Doha Round to assist in addressing the concerns and interests of the Third World countries. For instance, the Doha Ministerial Declaration adopted in the same year stated that member countries commit

Written assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Written assignments - Assignment Example One of the major marketing concepts of a brand is communication; properly communicated brand enhances the establishment of brand’s position, shields the brand from competition, and promotes the brands market performance. The brand has products that are driven from the consumer needs and are managed through the three basic stages including; introduction, elaboration and fortification. As such through this approach, it has been possible for the management to obtain a means of product-market introduction, elaboration and fortification. This has been done over a long period of time hence enabling the brand to be leading provider of soft drinks worldwide. The brand has employed the concept of functional needs thereby enabling it to solve consumer problems. This concept enables the brand to solve the consumers’ externally generated problems such as thirst. It also employs the symbolic concept that enables one to feel associated to a certain class or group of people. To some extent the brand also employs a mixture of symbolic, functional, and experimental concepts hence it brings a universal benefit to the consumers. Despite of its multiple concepts, it has been able to put forth a strong image and a strong brand management mechanism that has enabled it to stay ahead of all of its competitors. The concepts selected for this brand has made it possible for it guide its market positioning decisions. The concepts employed have provided a basis for the determination of its market boundaries and expansions (Peter 9). The way in which the brand concept and its image is being managed over a long period of the life of the brand has created trust on the brand among the consumers. Throughout the three management strategies which include; introduction, elaboration, and fortification, ‘positioning strategy as a marketing concept has enabled consumers to understand

Ibrahim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ibrahim - Essay Example In Islam, Abraham is considered the father of Prophet Ishmael and Isaac; in addition, he was also the grandfather of Prophet Jacob and an ancestor of Prophet Mohammed. He is considered as the father of monotheism (worship of one God); the Quran describes him as a person who believed in one true God and he was obedient to his commandments. Abraham was given the title ‘Khalilullah’ which means the friend of Allah; the Quran is quoted as saying ‘who can better be in faith than the one who submit his entire person to Allah, does good and follows the manner of Ibrahim the correct in faith? For Allah did take Ibrahim for a friend. As can be seen from the title that Abraham was given as a friend of Allah, Muslims are called upon to try and imitate Abraham in their faith which would bring them closer to Allah; all their actions and activities should be geared to conformity to those of Abraham. Another great feature that Abraham has contributed to Islam is the construction of Kaaba. Abraham, together with his son Ishmael constructed the Kaaba, which can be found in the modern day Saudi Arabia. In regard to the Kaaba, Muslims are required to make pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime if they can afford the journey; this is to show the return to perfection of the Abrahamic faith (Qu?ait?i?, 34). The character and personality of Abraham has been focussed on in the Quran than any other person, with his kindness and compassion being the areas that have been focussed on the most. The Quran tells us of Abraham as being brought up by a wicked father who was idolatrous and ignorant as his son tried to advice him to leave his wicked ways and turn back to God but he refused. At one point, Azar, who was the father of Abraham, threatened to stone him to death if he did not stop preaching to the people; Abraham ignored this threat. Despite the rocky relationship between him and his father, Ibrahim prayed to Allah to pardon his elders and his family for all the ir wrong doings. Muslims use this kind nature of Ibrahim as a model of how individuals should be towards others and in particular their elders. When God revealed to Abraham his intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he prayed for them that God might have mercy on them; this shows the compassionate nature of Abraham although God destroyed the city in the end. To Muslims, Abraham symbolises the highest moral values that a human being should possess. This is evident when the angels came to tell him of the birth of Isaac; he was quick to welcome and entertain them with a calf although they were strangers. To demonstrate the faith that Abraham had in God, Abraham saw a vision that he was required to sacrifice his own son and when told his son of this vision and he submitted himself to the will of Allah. When Abraham had laid Isaac on the altar ready to sacrifice him, God called him and told him to stop as he had already demonstrated his faith in him; this kind of faith is emphasized in Islam where Muslims are required to submit themselves to the will of God. The importance of Abraham in Islam is also seen in the direction that the Muslims are required to face in their prayers. When praying Muslims are require to face Mecca which is the holy city associated with Abraham as it contains the kabba which Abraham built with his son Ishmael. In addition Muslims are required to pray at least five times a day, one of which they must ask God to send his blessing to Prophet Abraham. The celebration of Eid-ul-Adha,

Philosophy of life Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of life Essay I do not come from the world of development as such I do not have work examples to share. I have many situations in my professional life I can think of where issues related to ethics are of importance. What life has told me that very often the answer is I do not know and that Ethics is very often a luxury that is not understood. Ounce at worked in a new job, in a financial software sales position I was in my first week† offered† a woman. see more:what is your philosophy of life By this I mean, it was a fellow female colleague who was known to be available and instead of working made sure to have â€Å"interactions† with some of male colleagues. I was literally told that she was available and that I should go for it. She in the next few days, quite clearly spent time around my desk and it was rather obvious what was expected of me. Since I decided not to sleep with her, I put myself in a difficult situation, I had literally to look at porn in the office and made sure other guys saw it and make many sexist and homophobic ( I am for gay rights) statements so at no time it could be thought I was gay. ( which I am not) How do you deal with a situation like this? I considered that for obvious moral reasons to have sexual intercourse with her was sick, still society told me it is the opposite. By following my own code of values I did create a difficult work environment for myself. Ethics sometimes can be a luxury. In another situation I was asked to fire someone who had done nothing wrong because that individual: happened to be the ex-assistant of the preceding ceo/founder of the company and that new ceo was unhappy of the business arrangement they had made and the only way he could get revenge was by firing her. Of course, he did not have the balls to do this so he asked me to do it. I decided not to do it. I was aware that the boyfriend of this assistant was out of work, I did try to push her to work harder so she resented me for it. She was not aware of what was happening. The ceo that hired me resented me for not doing do. I was in a difficult situation. Yes this was a toxic environment and I left very quickly from this company (she did get fired so my attitude changed nothing). Again, ethics/confrontation to reality, often do conflict. I happened to be at a time to have the financial means that allowed me to say no. Still, I paid the price for my choice. More when I think about ethics, my vision is that we all have only a certain number of â€Å"right† choices we can allow ourselves in our life and that the rest of the time we just need to follow the herd. Sadly, trying to do the right thing, trying to follow a certain way of interacting is just not possible. People behave within their existing environment and the code that comes with it and human mediocrity is everywhere. Yes, I still do value a â€Å"healthy† outlook on how I want to interact with others, still life has told me that often it is just not possible. I have other stories similar to the one discussed. I have leant from life that people lie to themselves and can tell themselves many stories that justify their conduct and by repeating it again and again they can convince themselves about it. Sadly, my view of ethics is that it is of importance in one’s personal life and should try to be implemented in one’s professional life, sadly often it cannot be done. Human stupidity, arrogance of the little man who wants his power recognized are much strong elements to be acknowledge in one’s decision process. Words like integrity, fairness often have many different meanings. We all live in bubbles where what is right and wrong can be learnt and real life is not what is taught at University. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

The Drum and The charge Of The Light Brigade Essay -- English Literatu

English coursework: -The Drum And The charge Of The Light Brigade The Drum and the Charge of the Light Brigade were both wrote by very distinguished poets. John Scott who â€Å"The Drum† was a Quaker and he was opposed to all violence. He was born in 1730 and died in 1783. He once made a famous quote which shows how much he hates war and violence, "We never go to War, not because we fear death, but because we are neither wolves, nor tigers, nor dogs, but men, but Christians. Our God who ordered us to love our enemies and to suffer without complaint doubtless does not wish us to cross the seas and slay our brethren merely because certain red-coated murderers enrol the Citizens by making noises with two little sticks on stretched asses' hide.† Alfred Tennyson was born in 1809 and he died in 1892. The most famous poet of the Victorian age, he was a profound spokesman for the ideas and values of his times. In 1854 he wrote the poem â€Å"The Charge Of The Light Brigade.† Both poets’ use repetition to create imagery of what they are describing. Scott uses the word â€Å"parading ...

Proposal Data Base

Ladies and gentlemen, as you may be aware, our information system is outdated. We are having trouble keeping our customer information accurate and up to date. We have been using Microsoft Excel to keep this information to include transactions that we have made with our customers. It is difficult for us to look up customer information and are in need of an information system that is more efficient. Microsoft Access is the better choice. It will give us accurate and reliable information when we need it. Another plus for our business is cost. Microsoft Access is the less expensive alternative than the other information systems, like Oracle. Microsoft Access also has more trained consultants than any other information system, making it easier for us to get support in our growing business needs. Microsoft Access is compatible with most information systems like Microsoft Excel. It will be able to import all our existing information which will save us countless hours of manual input. Although Microsoft Access is a bit more difficult to navigate and work with than Microsoft Excel, with proper training this system will be far more efficient to our business. We will be able to look up the information we need with far better accuracy. Since our business is growing Microsoft Access will store our growing customer’s information, and can be accessed to view by simple commands as opposed to looking up information one by one. With all these new technologies available to us it is crucial that we keep up with these changing times. This business will also need to find a good transaction processing system. For the time being we can use PayPal. It is a secure way of making transactions with our customers. They, including ourselves, will have a peace of mind knowing that we have some type of protection. Since our business will also be dealing with not only customers we will be dealing with preferred venders and providers to bring together the best experience for our customers. Our business will need a great way to keep record of what we are charging for our service, what we spend on providing these services, and what are our profits. We will be able to create charts and see where our wasteful spending might be and correct those deficiencies, to make this business more profitable. In conclusion, our business will gain tremendous ground and be very efficient. This means we will be able to provide our customers with the services they need and expect from us. We will also become very profitable and will give us the means to expand.

The Host Chapter 7: Confronted

Yes, Faces Sunward?† I asked, grateful to the raised hand for interrupting my lecture. I did not feel as comfortable behind the lectern as I usually did. My biggest strength, my only real credential-for my host body had had little in the way of a formal education, on the run since her early adolescence-was the personal experience I usually taught from. This was the first world's history I'd presented this semester for which I had no memories to draw upon. I was sure my students were suffering the difference. â€Å"I'm sorry to interrupt, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The white-haired man paused, struggling to word his question. â€Å"I'm not sure I understand. The Fire-Tasters actually†¦ ingest the smoke from burning the Walking Flowers? Like food?† He tried to suppress the horror in his tone. It was not a soul's place to judge another soul. But I was not surprised, given his background on the Planet of the Flowers, at his strong reaction to the fate of a similar life-form on another world. It was always amazing to me how some souls buried themselves in the affairs of whichever world they inhabited and ignored the rest of the universe. But, to be fair, perhaps Faces Sunward had been in hibernation when Fire World became notorious. â€Å"Yes, they receive essential nutrients from this smoke. And therein lies the fundamental dilemma and the controversy of Fire World-and the reason the planet has not been closed, though there has certainly been adequate time to populate it fully. There is also a high relocation percentage. â€Å"When Fire World was discovered, it was at first thought that the dominant species, the Fire-Tasters, were the only intelligent life-forms present. The Fire-Tasters did not consider the Walking Flowers to be their equals-a cultural prejudice-so it was a while, even after the first wave of settling, before the souls realized they were murdering intelligent creatures. Since then, Fire World scientists have focused their efforts on finding a replacement for the dietary needs of the Fire-Tasters. Spiders are being transported there to help, but the planets are hundreds of light-years apart. When this obstacle is overcome, as it will be soon, I'm sure, there is hope that the Walking Flowers might also be assimilated. In the meantime, much of the brutality has been removed from the equation. The, ah, burning-alive portion, of course, and other aspects as well.† â€Å"How can they†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Faces Sunward trailed off, unable to finish. Another voice completed Faces Sunward's thought. â€Å"It seems like a very cruel ecosystem. Why was the planet not abandoned?† â€Å"That has been debated, naturally, Robert. But we do not abandon planets lightly. There are many souls for whom Fire World is home. They will not be uprooted against their will.† I looked away, back at my notes, in an attempt to end the side discussion. â€Å"But it's barbaric!† Robert was physically younger than most of the other students-closer to my age, in fact, than any other. And truly a child in a more important way. Earth was his first world-the Mother in this case had actually been an Earth-dweller, too, before she'd given herself-and he didn't seem to have as much perspective as older, better-traveled souls. I wondered what it would be like to be born into the overwhelming sensation and emotion of these hosts with no prior experience for balance. It would be difficult to find objectivity. I tried to remember that and be especially patient as I answered him. â€Å"Every world is a unique experience. Unless one has lived on that world, it's impossible to truly understand the -â€Å" â€Å"But you never lived on Fire World,† he interrupted me. â€Å"You must have felt the same way†¦ Unless you had some other reason for skipping that planet? You've been almost everywhere else.† â€Å"Choosing a planet is a very personal and private decision, Robert, as you may someday experience.† My tone closed the subject absolutely. Why not tell them? You do think it's barbaric-and cruel and wrong. Which is pretty ironic if you ask me-not that you ever do. What's the problem? Are you ashamed that you agree with Robert? Because he's more human than the others? Melanie, having found her voice, was becoming downright unbearable. How was I supposed to concentrate on my work with her opinions sounding off in my head all the time? In the seat behind Robert, a dark shadow moved. The Seeker, clad in her usual black, leaned forward, intent for the first time on the subject of discussion. I resisted the urge to scowl at her. I didn't want Robert, already looking embarrassed, to mistake the expression as meant for him. Melanie grumbled. She wished I wouldn't resist. Having the Seeker stalk our every footstep had been educational for Melanie; she used to think she couldn't hate anything or anyone more than she hated me. â€Å"Our time is almost up,† I announced with relief. â€Å"I'm pleased to inform you that we will have a guest speaker next Tuesday who will be able to make up for my ignorance on this topic. Flame Tender, a recent addition to our planet, will be here to give us a more personal account of the settling of Fire World. I know that you will give him all the courtesy you accord me, and be respectful of the very young age of his host. Thank you for your time.† The class filed out slowly, many of the students taking a minute to chat with one another as they gathered their things. What Kathy had said about friendships ran through my head, but I felt no desire to join any of them. They were strangers. Was that the way I felt? Or the way Melanie felt? It was hard to tell. Maybe I was naturally antisocial. My personal history supported that theory, I supposed. I'd never formed an attachment strong enough to keep me on any planet for more than one life. I noticed Robert and Faces Sunward lingering at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense. I could guess the subject. â€Å"Fire World stories ruffle feathers.† I started slightly. The Seeker was standing at my elbow. The woman usually announced her approach with the quick tap of her hard shoes. I looked down now to see that she was wearing sneakers for once-black, of course. She was even tinier without the extra inches. â€Å"It's not my favorite subject,† I said in a bland voice. â€Å"I prefer to have firsthand experience to share.† â€Å"Strong reactions from the class.† â€Å"Yes.† She looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. I gathered my notes and turned to put them in my bag. â€Å"You seemed to react as well.† I placed my papers in the bag carefully, not turning. â€Å"I wondered why you didn't answer the question.† There was a pause while she waited for me to respond. I didn't. â€Å"So†¦ why didn't you answer the question?† I turned around, not concealing the impatience on my face. â€Å"Because it wasn't pertinent to the lesson, because Robert needs to learn some manners, and because it's no one else's business.† I swung my bag to my shoulder and headed for the door. She stayed right beside me, rushing to keep up with my longer legs. We walked down the hallway in silence. It wasn't until we were outside, where the afternoon sun lit the dust motes in the salty air, that she spoke again. â€Å"Do you think you'll ever settle, Wanderer? On this planet, maybe? You seem to have an affinity for their†¦ feelings.† I bridled at the implied insult in her tone. I wasn't even sure how she meant to insult me, but it was clear that she did. Melanie stirred resentfully. â€Å"I'm not sure what you mean.† â€Å"Tell me something, Wanderer. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Who?† I asked blankly. â€Å"The Walking Flowers?† â€Å"No, the humans.† I stopped walking, and she skidded to a halt beside me. We were only a few blocks from my apartment, and I'd been hurrying in hopes of getting away from her, though likely as not, she'd invite herself in. But her question caught me off guard. â€Å"The humans?† â€Å"Yes. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Don't you?† â€Å"No. They were quite the brutal race. They were lucky to survive each other as long as they did.† â€Å"Not every one of them was bad.† â€Å"It was a predilection of their genetics. Brutality was part of their species. But you pity them, it seems.† â€Å"It's a lot to lose, don't you think?† I gestured around us. We stood in a parklike space between two ivy-covered dormitories. The deep green of the ivy was pleasing to the eye, especially in contrast to the faded red of the old bricks. The air was golden and soft, and the smell of the ocean gave a briny edge to the honey sweet fragrance of the flowers in the bushes. The breeze caressed the bare skin of my arms. â€Å"In your other lives, you can't have felt anything so vivid. Wouldn't you pity anyone who had this taken from them?† Her expression stayed flat, unmoved. I made an attempt to draw her in, to make her consider another viewpoint. â€Å"Which other worlds have you lived on?† She hesitated, then squared her shoulders. â€Å"None. I've only lived on Earth.† That surprised me. She was as much a child as Robert. â€Å"Only one planet? And you chose to be a Seeker in your first life?† She nodded once, her chin set. â€Å"Well. Well, that's your business.† I started walking again. Maybe if I respected her privacy, she would return the favor. â€Å"I spoke to your Comforter.† And maybe not, Melanie thought sourly. â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"I gather you've been having more trouble than just accessing the information I need. Have you considered trying another, more pliable host? She suggested that, did she not?† â€Å"Kathy wouldn't tell you anything!† The Seeker's face was smug. â€Å"She didn't have to answer. I'm very good at reading human expressions. I could tell when my questions struck a nerve.† â€Å"How dare you? The relationship between a soul and her Comforter -â€Å" â€Å"Is sacrosanct, yes; I know the theory. But the acceptable means of investigation don't seem to be working with your case. I have to get creative.† â€Å"You think I'm keeping something from you?† I demanded, too angry to control the disgust in my voice. â€Å"You think I confided that to my Comforter?† My anger didn't faze her. Perhaps, given her strange personality, she was used to such reactions. â€Å"No. I think you're telling me what you know†¦ But I don't think you're looking as hard as you could. I've seen it before. You're growing sympathetic to your host. You're letting her memories unconsciously direct your own desires. It's probably too late at this point. I think you'd be more comfortable moving on, and maybe someone else will have better luck with her.† â€Å"Hah!† I shouted. â€Å"Melanie would eat them alive!† Her expression froze in place. She'd had no idea, no matter what she thought she'd discerned from Kathy. She'd thought Melanie's influence was from memories, that it was unconscious. â€Å"I find it very interesting that you speak of her in the present tense.† I ignored that, trying to pretend I hadn't made a slip. â€Å"If you think someone else would have better luck breaking into her secrets, you're wrong.† â€Å"Only one way to find out.† â€Å"Did you have someone in mind?† I asked, my voice frigid with aversion. She grinned. â€Å"I've gotten permission to give it a try. Shouldn't take long. They're going to hold my host for me.† I had to breathe deeply. I was shaking, and Melanie was so full of hate that she was past words. The idea of having the Seeker inside me, even though I knew that I would not be here, was so repugnant that I felt a return of last week's nausea. â€Å"It's too bad for your investigation that I'm not a skipper.† The Seeker's eyes narrowed. â€Å"Well, it does certainly make this assignment drag on. History was never of much interest to me, but it looks like I'm in for a full course now.† â€Å"You just said that it was probably too late to get any more from her memories,† I reminded her, struggling to make my voice calm. â€Å"Why don't you go back to wherever you belong?† She shrugged and smiled a tight smile. â€Å"I'm sure it is too late†¦ for voluntary information. But if you don't cooperate, she might just lead me to them yet.† â€Å"Lead you?† â€Å"When she takes full control, and you're no better than that weakling, once Racing Song, now Kevin. Remember him? The one who attacked the Healer?† I stared at her, eyes wide, nostrils flared. â€Å"Yes, it's probably just a matter of time. Your Comforter didn't tell you the statistics, did she? Well, even if she did, she wouldn't have the latest information that we have access to. The long-term success rate for situations such as yours-once a human host begins to resist-is under twenty percent. Did you have any idea it was so bad? They're changing the information they give potential settlers. There will be no more adult hosts offered. The risks are too great. We're losing souls. It won't be long before she's talking to you, talking through you, controlling your decisions.† I hadn't moved an inch or relaxed a muscle. The Seeker leaned in, stretched up on her toes to put her face closer to mine. Her voice turned low and smooth in an attempt to sound persuasive. â€Å"Is that what you want, Wanderer? To lose? To fade away, erased by another awareness? To be no better than a host body?† I couldn't breathe. â€Å"It only gets worse. You won't be you anymore. She'll beat you, and you'll disappear. Maybe someone will intervene†¦ Maybe they'll move you like they did Kevin. And you'll become some child named Melanie who likes to tinker with cars rather than compose music. Or whatever it is she does.† â€Å"The success rate is under twenty percent?† I whispered. She nodded, trying to suppress a smile. â€Å"You're losing yourself, Wanderer. All the worlds you've seen, all the experiences you've collected-they'll be for nothing. I saw in your file that you have the potential for Motherhood. If you gave yourself to be a Mother, at least all that would not be entirely wasted. Why throw yourself away? Have you considered Motherhood?† I jerked away from her, my face flushing. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she muttered, her face darkening, too. â€Å"That was impolite. Forget I said that.† â€Å"I'm going home. Don't follow.† â€Å"I have to, Wanderer. It's my job.† â€Å"Why do you care so much about a few spare humans? Why? How do you justify your job anymore? We've won! It's time for you to join society and do something productive!† My questions, my implied accusations, did not ruffle her. â€Å"Wherever the fringes of their world touch ours there is death.† She spoke the words peacefully, and for a moment I glimpsed a different person in her face. It surprised me to realize that she deeply believed in what she did. Part of me had supposed that she only chose to seek because she illicitly craved the violence. â€Å"If even one soul is lost to your Jared or your Jamie, that is one soul too many. Until there is total peace on this planet, my job will be justified. As long as there are Jareds surviving, I am needed to protect our kind. As long as there are Melanies leading souls around by the nose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned my back on her and headed for my apartment with long strides that would force her to run if she wanted to keep up. â€Å"Don't lose yourself, Wanderer!† she called after me. â€Å"Time is running out for you!† She paused, then shouted more loudly. â€Å"Inform me when I'm to start calling you Melanie!† Her voice faded as the space between us grew. I knew she would follow at her own pace. This last uncomfortable week-seeing her face in the back of every class, hearing her footsteps behind me on the sidewalk every day-was nothing compared to what was coming. She was going to make my life a misery. It felt as if Melanie were bouncing violently against the inner walls of my skull. Let's get her canned. Tell her higher-ups that she did something unacceptable. Assaulted us. It's our word against hers – In a human world, I reminded her, almost sad that I didn't have access to that sort of recourse. There are no higher-ups, in that sense. Everyone works together as equals. There are those whom many report to, in order to keep the information organized, and councils who make decisions about that information, but they won't remove her from an assignment she wants. You see, it works like – Who cares how it works if it doesn't help us? I know-let's kill her! A gratuitous image of my hands tightening around the Seeker's neck filled my head. That sort of thing is exactly why my kind is better left in charge of this place. Get off your high horse. You'd enjoy it as much as I would. The image returned, the Seeker's face turning blue in our imagination, but this time it was accompanied by a fierce wave of pleasure. That's you, not me. My statement was true; the image sickened me. But it was also perilously close to false-in that I would very much enjoy never seeing the Seeker again. What do we do now? I'm not giving up. You're not giving up. And that wretched Seeker is sure as hell not giving up! I didn't answer her. I didn't have a ready answer. It was quiet in my head for a brief moment. That was nice. I wished the silence could last. But there was only one way to buy my peace. Was I willing to pay the price? Did I have a choice anymore? Melanie slowly calmed. By the time I was through the front door, locking behind me the bolts that I had never before turned-human artifacts that had no place in a peaceful world-her thoughts were contemplative. I'd never thought about how you all carry on your species. I didn't know it was like that. We take it very seriously, as you can imagine. Thanks for your concern. She wasn't bothered by the thick edge of irony in the thought. She was still musing over this discovery while I turned on my computer and began to look for shuttle flights. It was a moment before she was aware of what I was doing. Where are we going? The thought held a flicker of panic. I felt her awareness begin to rifle through my head, her touch like the soft brush of feathers, searching for anything I might be keeping from her. I decided to save her the search. I'm going to Chicago. The panic was more than a flicker now. Why? I'm going to see the Healer. I don't trust her. I want to talk to him before I make my decision. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. The decision to kill me? Yes, that one.