Reparations: African Americans Justice Essay

The United States government should pay reparations to African Americans as a means of admitting their wrong-doing and making amends. The damages African Americans have sustained from White America’s policy of slavery have been agonizing and inhumane. Therefore, I am in favor of reparations for African Americans. The effect of slavery has been an enduring issue within the African American community. Many of us are cognizant of the harm racism brought to the African American race, conveyed through slavery, racial segregation and discrimination. African Americans suffered many atrocities, but the greatest damage done to them was the destruction of they’re original identity. African Americans no longer have a native language or any African customs to connect them to Africa. Today, African Americans are connected together because they all share a common foundation-the horrendous experience of slavery-and the great effort to conquer its lingering result. (www. AcedemicLibrary. com) Americans should realize the magnitude of slavery’s consequences on African Americans as a whole. Blacks were brainwashed and stripped of self-esteem and taught to be ashamed of dark color of their skin. Many African Americans have effortlessly tried to advocate â€Å"Black Pride†, trying to re-instill self-worth and being proud of our distinct facial and body features, and darker complexions. African Americans had zilch to begin with after the abolishment of slavery in 1865. Slaves were promised a â€Å"mule/ and 40 acres† and they didn’t live to receive it nor did generations to follow; because the American government has yet to live up to its word. The fruit of the slaves’ labor was stolen from the â€Å"land of the free†. The victims of the White people’s African slave trade never experienced such freedom. This race deserves compensation for the mistreatment Pongee Bryant it has suffered and continues to endure. Paying reparations to the descendants of African American slaves would bring about a tremendous improvement for the advancement of Black America. (Douglass, Fredrick, 1845, Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass). White Americans have profited from education, life experiences, riches that were handed down by their ancestors. As well, African Americans have been handed down the hardship of race-related issues, poverty, and the unknown history of their past. African Americans have constantly been inflicted with the social status of their low-income level in contrast with that of White Americans. America should be ashamed for their mistreatment of a race that did not ask or even desire to reside in this country. Yet, they still wear their ugly face of racism, and discrimination, and only seek to segregate African Americans, as if they were at fault. Americans may argue Blacks shouldn’t be complaining, whining, and to pull themselves up by their boot straps. Well, Martin Luther King once said â€Å"White America wants us to pull ourselves up from our boot straps, but we don’t have any boots†. (Shuttlesworth, Fred, 1999, A Fire You Can’t Put Out). The U. S. government has a moral responsibility to this race of people to compensate, African American’s because they were denied their heritage, religion, family, and culture. America alleges it is a religious-based country and their faith resides in God. The bible says: â€Å"If a man steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. † This country consistently contradicts itself in the way it wants to be perceived. If America has any belief in God, they should feel an obligation to compensate the African American descendants of slave ancestors. (Exodus 22, Bible). Pongee Bryant White Americans may argue that the country did enough when it passed the Civil Rights Act in 1960. They may also state America has enough resources and equal opportunity for each individual of every race to succeed. However, there is a huge wealth gap in social status among blacks and whites mostly because of oppression, discrimination and racism toward the modern day contemporary black. Whether anybody wants to admit it, there is still a glass ceiling (i. e. ,a status barrier) against African Americans. Reparations would bring African Americans justice and economic power in this country. There are numerous black reparation organizations which could receive the money and distribute it evenly among African Americans, to incorporate black-owned businesses, home ownership, and better education selective for young and old blacks. These reparation organizations could also invest money into smaller black-owned businesses, and other industries that would further the African American race, and ensure a rapid growth of African American middle-class and beyond. (Robert J. Brym/ John Lie, Sociology) The exploitation of African Americans in this country took on many forms through decades. The centuries of slavery in this country laid the foundation of our current relationship to America. From cotton fields to building America’s most significant buildings African Americans have helped build the wealth in this country. Yet, the African American race has endured the most terrorism from the Ku Klux Klan, lynchings, plantation jails, police torture and murder, and poverty. Slavery was a crime against humanity; and it still is in existence in many other ways and forms. America has created a system with, voter discrimination, drugs, and drug sentences to keep the African Pongee Bryant American man enslaved. The government should compensate the African American race and put an end to a never-ending oppression cycle. The government of the United States of America was instrumental in having pressured the German and Japanese governments into the payments of reparations to the people who suffered and survived the crimes and legacy of slavery endured during World War II. The government of the United States has also already paid reparations to the Japanese-Americans who were detained in concentration camps during World War II. America calls herself a fair nation: a civilized country which respects civil and human rights, encourages opportunity for and well-being of all her people, and can be trusted by other nations as a county whom honors her word. Well, America promised African Americans 40 acres and a mule and didn’t live up to her promise. America’s attitude and silence on reparations reeks of hypocrisy. (X, Malcolm, Biography of Malcolm X). America should also pay reparations to African Americans because they consistently want us to labor for their work and take all the credit. For instance America is at fault for African American dead and injured men who served and were drafted in the Vietnam War. America put young black men on the front-line of a war they had nothing to do with nor helped contribute to. America wanted a race that was not yet â€Å"capable† of voting but was competent enough to fight in a war. A race that did not have the option of drinking from any fountain, sitting anywhere on a bus, using any bathroom, however we were fit for fighting. The point is America constantly benefits from African Americans, but refuses to compensate African Americans for their contributions to this country. (www. AcedemicLibrary. com).

Baroque Period

Baroque was the artistic period dating from 1600 to 1750 in European history. Derived from the Portuguese word barocco, Baroque literally means an ‘uneven pearl. ’ Often compared to Hellenistic art, Baroque artists discovered emotions and used strong contrasts of light and shade showcasing continued motion in their works. Cunningham L. S. & Reich J. J. (2006) state that: It is not surprising that the term baroque, originally used to describe the extravagant European art of the seventeenth century C. E. , is often applied to the art of the Hellenistic period.The artists responsible for these innovations created their works for a new kind of patron. (p. 77) Baroque was born in Italy. From the Renaissance period of symmetry, monumentality, balance and odd forms, the Baroque period was characterised by bold, curves and asymmetrical themes in paintings and buildings. Heinrich Wolfflin, in Principles of Art History: the problem of the development of style in later art (1932; t ranslated 1950, Page 14), explained the differences between the art of the 16th and 17th centuries stating that â€Å"baroque (or, let us say, modern art) is neither a rise nor a decline from classic, but a totally different art.† It also reflected the growth of monarchies as such a style suited the aristocracy who thought of integrated structures. Intense spirituality, realism of daily life, and psychological exploitation depicted in works of art and sculptures are highlights of Baroque art. Cunningham L. S. & Reich J. J. (2006) explain that: During the Baroque period, artists were attracted by extremes of feeling – sometimes these strong emotions were personal.Painters and poets alike tried to look into their own souls and reveal by color or words the depths of their own psychic and spiritual experience. The desire to express the inexpressible required the invention of new techniques. As a result, baroque art placed great emphasis on virtuosity. Sculptors and painter s achieved astonishing realm in the way in which they handled their media. Stone was carved in a way such as to give the effect of thin, flowing drapery, while seventeenth-century painters found ways to reproduce complex effects of light and shade.(p. 359) Some of the main representatives of baroque art are Michelangelo Merisi-Caravaggio (Portrait of a Courtesan-1597), Annibale Carracci (River Landscape-1595), Agostino Carracci (Lamentation of Christ-1606), Rembrandt (The Jewish Bride-1666), Nicholas Poussin (The Plague at Ashdod-1630), Georges De La Tour (The Fortune Teller-1620-1621) Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez (Prince Balthasar Carlos-1635), Peter Paul Rubens (Mercury and Argus-1638), and Jan Vermeer (The Artist in his Atelier-1670).Like art, Baroque architecture too progressed from renaissance in Italy. Curving facades, oval shape, triangular areas between rooftops, tips scrolls and gilded and double curves with luxurious materials and ornate decorations were emphasized upon instead of symmetry. The most famous work is the Palace of Versailles, France (built by Louis XIV) which was a symbol of wealth and power. Baroque architects used marble, gilt and bronze in their works.Ceilings used illusionism where paintings were done and looked like engravings for expressing emotions. The main representatives of Baroque architecture were Gianlorenzo Bernini (Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, 1645-1652) and Francesco Borromini (Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, 1640-1650). The late Baroque era was known as Rococo (1700-1780). In this era, the sculptors obtained unified spaces, created decorative schemes and emphasized on structural elements (Church of the Carmine, Turin, Italy, 1732, by Filippo Juvarra).Baroque style moved out of Rome and split in two different forms – The Roman Catholic countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria and South Germany) and Protestant regions (England, Netherlands and rest of northern Europe). The Catholic countries were inclined towards fre er and active surfaces thereby appealing through the senses, whereas the Protestant countries were more restrained and developed a quiet monumentality. As it migrated, Baroque style underwent changes in different countries according to the traditions, preferences and outlooks. In France, the architecture was geometrical, formal and precise merging with the Rococo style.Dutch painting was sober and detailed; and Dutch architecture was affected by political and commercial events, thereby emphasizing on beauty and nature of the middle class. Germany continued with its alpine wood crafting tradition in sculptures. The Baroque style moved towards extravagance in Spain and Latin America. In the latter half of the 18th century, baroque transitioned to romanticism which was ‘the age of enlightenment. ’ References: Cunningham L. S. & Reich J. J. (2006). Culture and Values: A survey of the Humanities. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Deception Point Page 103

Unfortunately, Delta-One had seen the complexity of the control panel near the trapdoor-a series of unmarked levers and dials that apparently controlled the trapdoor, the winch motor, and numerous other commands. He had no intention of hitting the wrong lever and risking his partner's life by mistakenly dropping the sub into the sea. Eliminate all risk. Never rush. He would force Tolland to perform the actual release. And to ensure he did not try anything tricky, Delta-One would take out insurance known in his business as â€Å"biological collateral.† Use your adversaries against one another. Delta-One swung the gun barrel directly into Rachel's face, stopping only inches from her forehead. Rachel closed her eyes, and Delta-One could see Tolland's fists clench in a protective anger. â€Å"Ms. Sexton, stand up,† Delta-One said. She did. With the gun firmly on her back, Delta-One marched her over to an aluminum set of portable stairs that led up to the top of the Triton sub from behind. â€Å"Climb up and stand on top of the sub.† Rachel looked frightened and confused. â€Å"Just do it,† Delta-One said. Rachel felt like she was moving through a nightmare as she climbed up the aluminum gangway behind the Triton. She stopped at the top, having no desire to step out over the chasm onto the suspended Triton. â€Å"Get on top of the sub,† the soldier said, returning to Tolland and pushing the gun against his head. In front of Rachel the soldier who was in the clamps watched her, shifting in pain, obviously eager to get out. Rachel looked at Tolland, who now had a gun barrel to his head. Get on top of the sub. She had no choice. Feeling like she was edging out onto a precipice overhanging a canyon, Rachel stepped onto the Triton's engine casing, a small flat section behind the rounded dome window. The entire sub hung like a massive plumb bob over the open trapdoor. Even suspended on its winch cable, the nine-ton sub barely registered her arrival, swinging only a few millimeters as she steadied herself. â€Å"Okay, let's move,† the soldier said to Tolland. â€Å"Go to the controls and close the trapdoor.† At gunpoint, Tolland began moving toward the control panel with the soldier behind him. As Tolland came toward her, he was moving slowly, and Rachel could feel his eyes fixing hard on her as if trying to send her a message. He looked directly at her and then down at the open hatch on top of the Triton. Rachel glanced down. The hatch at her feet was open, the heavy circular covering propped open. She could see down into the one-seater cockpit. He wants me to get in? Sensing she must be mistaken, Rachel looked at Tolland again. He was almost to the control panel. Tolland's eyes locked on her. This time he was less subtle. His lips mouthed, â€Å"Jump in! Now!† Delta-One saw Rachel's motion out of the corner of his eye and wheeled on instinct, opening fire as Rachel fell through the sub's hatch just below the barrage of bullets. The open hatch covering rang out as the bullets ricocheted off the circular portal, sending up a shower of sparks, and slamming the lid closed on top of her. Tolland, the instant he'd felt the gun leave his back, made his move. He dove to his left, away from the trapdoor, hitting the deck and rolling just as the soldier spun back toward him, gun blazing. Bullets exploded behind Tolland as he scrambled for cover behind the ship's stern anchor spool-an enormous motorized cylinder around which was wound several thousand feet of steel cable connected to the ship's anchor. Tolland had a plan and would have to act fast. As the soldier dashed toward him, Tolland reached up and grabbed the anchor lock with both hands, yanking down. Instantly the anchor spool began feeding out lengths of cable, and the Goya lurched in the strong current. The sudden movement sent everything and everyone on the deck staggering sidelong. As the boat accelerated in reverse on the current, the anchor spool doled out cable faster and faster. Come on, baby, Tolland urged. The soldier regained his balance and came for Tolland. Waiting until the last possible moment, Tolland braced himself and rammed the lever back up, locking the anchor spool. The chain snapped taut, stopping the ship short and sending a tremulous shudder throughout the Goya. Everything on deck went flying. The soldier staggered to his knees near Tolland. Pickering fell back from the railing onto the deck. The Triton swung wildly on its cable. A grating howl of failing metal tore up from beneath the ship like an earthquake as the damaged strut finally gave way. The right stern corner of the Goya began collapsing under its own weight. The ship faltered, tilting on a diagonal like a massive table losing one of its four legs. The noise from beneath was deafening-a wail of twisting, grating metal and pounding surf. White-knuckled inside the Triton cockpit, Rachel held on as the nine-ton machine swayed over the trapdoor in the now steeply inclined deck. Through the base of the glass dome she could see the ocean raging below. As she looked up, her eyes scanning the deck for Tolland, she watched a bizarre drama on the deck unfold in a matter of seconds. Only a yard away, trapped in the Triton's claws, the clamped Delta soldier was howling in pain as he bobbed like a puppet on a stick. William Pickering scrambled across Rachel's field of vision and grabbed on to a cleat on the deck. Near the anchor lever, Tolland was also hanging on, trying not to slide over the edge into the water. When Rachel saw the soldier with the machine gun stabilizing himself nearby, she called out inside the sub. â€Å"Mike, look out!† But Delta-One ignored Tolland entirely. The soldier was looking back toward the idling helicopter with his mouth open in horror. Rachel turned, following his gaze. The Kiowa gunship, with its huge rotors still turning, had started to slowly slide forward down the tipping deck. Its long metal skids were acting like skis on a slope. It was then that Rachel realized the huge machine was skidding directly toward the Triton. Scrambling up the inclined deck toward the sliding aircraft, Delta-One clambered into the cockpit. He had no intention of letting their only means of escape slide off the deck. Delta-One seized the Kiowa's controls and heaved back on the stick. Lift off! With a deafening roar, the blades accelerated overhead, straining to lift the heavily armed gunship off the deck. Up, goddamn it! The chopper was sliding directly toward the Triton and Delta-Two suspended in its grasp. With its nose tipped forward, the Kiowa's blades were also tipped, and when the chopper lurched off the deck, it sailed more forward than up, accelerating toward the Triton like a giant buzz saw. Up! Delta-One pulled the stick, wishing he could drop the half ton of Hellfire warheads weighing him down. The blades just missed the top of Delta-Two's head and the top of the Triton sub, but the chopper was moving too fast. It would never clear the Triton's winch cable. As the Kiowa's 300-rpm steel blades collided with the sub's fifteen-ton capacity braided steel winch cable, the night erupted with the shriek of metal on metal. The sounds conjured images of epic battle. From the chopper's armored cockpit, Delta-One watched his rotors tear into the sub's cable like a giant lawn mower running over a steel chain. A blinding spray of sparks erupted overhead, and the Kiowa's blades exploded. Delta-One felt the chopper bottom out, its struts hitting the deck hard. He tried to control the aircraft, but he had no lift. The chopper bounded twice down the inclined deck, then slid, crashing into the ship's guardrail. For a moment, he thought the rail would hold. Then Delta-One heard the crack. The heavily laden chopper listed over the brink, plummeting into the sea. Inside the Triton, Rachel Sexton sat paralyzed, her body pressed back into the sub's seat. The minisub had been tossed violently as the chopper's rotor wrapped around the cable, but she had managed to hang on. Somehow the blades had missed the main body of the sub, but she knew there had to be major damage to the cable. All Rachel could think of at that point was escaping from the sub as fast as she could. The soldier trapped in the clamps stared in at her, delirious, bleeding, and burned from the shrapnel. Beyond him, Rachel saw William Pickering still holding on to a cleat on the slanting deck.

Research on Attitude of Young People on Dieting and Weight Essay

Research on Attitude of Young People on Dieting and Weight - Essay Example Since people of different ages have different weights, the best way to assay for weight is through the use of a measurement called the Body Mass Index (BMI) which is a ratio of a person’s weight in kilograms and the height in square meters (kg/m2). The BMI classifies individuals into underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. A person who has a BMI of below 18.5 is considered underweight; between 18.5 and 24.5 is considered of normal/health weight; between25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight and above 30.0 is considered obese. Therefore, overweight and obese individuals have weight that is considered unhealthy since it predisposes them to conditions like diabetes,... ischaemic strokes, hypertension and many conditions of the cardiovascular system (Andersen, 2008). The prevalence of obesity is on the rise especially in industrialized nations of the world, and this trends are alarming because even children are being diagnoses with â€Å"lifestyle conditions’â₠¬â„¢ that are pathologically known to attack adults. According to figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity cases in the US have been rising from the past, and currently, the prevalence of o

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3 simple auditing questions - Assignment Example Julia Granger has already completed steps 1 through 4 and has documented the results of her work on audit schedules E-100, E-110, E-111, and E-112. Assume that the client performs the control activities identified in the flowcharts. A solution to the assignment is provided using schedules similar to the schedules provided to students on the pages that follow. Again, due to the subjective nature of some of the judgments alternative solutions could be considered equally acceptable. Note that the solution lists potential audit tests that could be performed. It is very unlikely that an auditor would decide to perform all these audit tests. Additionally, the solution does not indicate whether the audit test should be performed on the entire population or a sample of the population. 9) Transfers are appropriately authorized and the financial statements presentation including the disclosure of all investments conforms to the generally accepted accounting principles that are consistently applied. The company purchases material from the vendors, the purchased material are inspected and counted and the prices compared to the purchase orders and a pre-numbered receiving report is prepared. / After that the receiving report and the purchase order are issued. On the accounting side, the accountants receive the invoices from the vendors for the items purchased. All the materials that are not accounted for in terms of receiving report are transferred to the appropriate department for acknowledgment for the receipt. The vendors document are marched with the appropriate accounted document to allow for documentation in the purchase journal, vendor ledger, general ledger and the inventory files. The files are reviewed by the supervisor. All the reports such as the purchase order, receiving report and vendor invoices are documented by the

Children Overcoming Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Evaluate the importance of routine in a child's devlopment Essay

Evaluate the importance of routine in a child's devlopment - Essay Example Too much waiting begets wiggle, giggle, squirm and poke.† (p. 187). These routines are set periods that come one after the other that children learn to expect as they go about their day. â€Å"Routines are the backbone of classroom life. They facilitate teaching and learning† (Shalaway, 1997, p. 25). It structures the activities and help students know what to expect and how to behave during transitions. Scheduling routines is not just listing the activities one after the other just to fill the school day. It requires careful planning and consideration of the children’s developmental needs, attention span, the variety and balance of activities and even the time of day. Planning should include transition activities from one routine to another, as it is in transition times when children may slip into rowdy behavior if they are not managed well enough. The following routines observed in a class of 4-5 year olds shall be carefully analyzed and critiqued: At first glance, the routines seem to serve only the teacher’s understanding of what happens in her day, with knowledge of what goes on in each routine. The time blocks for â€Å"taught lesson† give the impression that it is much too long for the attention span of four and five year old children, because the lesson periods are assumed to be passive, â€Å"sit-down† time for children while they listened to the teacher deliver the lessons. The time allotted for playtime, which is only for fifteen minutes reflect that this class does not value play as much as lesson time. The routine at hand does not give enough information on what the children do the whole time. It is important for a schedule of routines to be more specific in its information, and cutting down the time to budget all planned activities that goes in each routine. For example, in the first part of the day, the first forty-five minutes may include more information on what goes on during the Assembly time. Are the

Globalisation of business activities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

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High School Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Bechtel Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Bechtel Corporation - Essay Example Its signature projects include: the Bay Area Rapid Transit; Channel Tunnel & Rail Link; Cingular wireless expansion; Hong Kong International Airport; Hoover Dam; Hurricane Katrina disaster relief; Iraq reconstruction; Jubail Industrial City; Kuwait oil fires; Tacoma Narrows Bride; and the Three Mile Island cleanup. The firm remains a privately owned business. It now has its headquarters in San Francisco, with offices worldwide employing 53,000 employees. Its 2011 revenues amount to USD$32.9 billion, and its new contract awards are valued at US$53 billion (Bechtel Corp.com., 1). The company continues to grow its revenues and projects, but faces a possible weakening of the economy the in the coming years which may adversely affect the construction industry (O’Connor, 1), Bechtel included. General Statement of Results Bechtel is one of the leading international construction firms. It has developed competitive competencies in various other specialized but fields. Supporting this special capability is the firm’s commitment to ethical business principles, quality of output, and safety of employees and customers. The company’s policies are people-centric, placing emphasis on the welfare of customers, employees, suppliers, and the community above the prospects of profits. Its leadership is value driven, both within and outside the organization, as evident in Bechtel’s mentoring program that has midway in its second decade. Objectives are set by management with the participation of the organization’s stakeholders, and performance measures. Quality of inputs is ascertained by a system of registration of suppliers who are oriented and trained according to Bechtel’s standards. ... General Statement of Results Bechtel is one of the leading international construction firms. It has developed competitive competencies in various other specialized but fields. Supporting this special capability is the firm’s commitment to ethical business principles, quality of output, and safety of employees and customers. The company’s policies are people-centric, placing emphasis on the welfare of customers, employees, suppliers, and the community above the prospects of profits. Its leadership is value driven, both within and outside the organization, as evident in Bechtel’s mentoring program that has midway in its second decade. Objectives are set by management with the participation of the organization’s stakeholders, and performance measures. Quality of inputs is ascertained by a system of registration of suppliers who are oriented and trained according to Bechtel’s standards. Technology is at a premium in Bechtel, with several of the innovati ons the company intended for application in the construction industry being accorded recognition through prestigious international awards. Work procedures at the company have consistently stressed quality but not at the expense of employee and customer safety. As with all firms, however, Bechtel has problems with its unions, and accusations of cronyism and taking advantage of Iraq’s destruction as a result of the U.S.-led invasion, since it received one of the first and largest contracts in Iraq. It appears from this that Bechtel’s very competence and success has been the cause of aspersions levelled at its reputation. Analysis (positive or negative impact, especially positive consequences) a. Policy Bechtel’s vision is to be the world’s premier engineering, construction, and project

Harry Potter and Culture Industry Essay Example for Free

Harry Potter and Culture Industry Essay Harry Potter – this name is familiar with all the age groups in the world today and the reason behind it is well known to all of us. The Harry Potter book series written by a single mother J. K. Rowling, who wouldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams that a story she thought of while travelling in a train, would gain so much popularity. So much so that her character and her name would become a household name across the globe! J. K. Rowling Harry Potter books came into the market in 1998. The first part called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone gained a lot of popularity with the kids and slowly with the adults too. Due to its huge success it was converted into a motion picture as well and so the first movie when on to release in the year 2001. Subsequently the other parts (books) were out in the market and the movies started releasing as well. Of course it was after the stupendous success of the initial books that J. K. Rowling was encouraged to write on the further parts. So what is it in Harry Potter that attracts so much attention? Or what is it that makes people want to read a 600-700 pages long book again and again. This isn’t just a single book we are talking about, but every book in the series is read all over again by people repeatedly. These books tell us the story of an orphan, Harry who lives with his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon, and not to forget his huge sized cousin Dudely with a nut sized brain. He leads a miserable life until the he turns 11, when he realizes that he is actually a wizard. He is admitted to the Horgwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So follows his journey of magical experiences. Very unique but impressionable characters are introduced in the book in Rowling’s own style. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have bred passion, obsession, creativity, and a new or renewed interest in reading throughout the world. JK Rowling has created an elaborate cast of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to adults and children alike. The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and transports the mind to new and exciting places; introducing magic opens new realms of possibilities within the plots. Anything could happen. Her intricate stories contain strands of the believable and unbelievable, altering the predictability that readers commonly encounter and endure in fiction. Harry Potter Movie Poster These factors contributed to the â€Å"Harry Potter Phenomena† which actually swept across the world as soon as the movie series became huge hits! Young children started identifying with Harry’s shy but brave character. The terrifying Lord Voldemort and how he is after Harry’s life, after having murdered his parents when Harry was a baby. The innocence of school life along with the mixture of magic, hit children’s minds like the Magic Bullet Theory, wherein, the information seen by audiences hits their minds like bullets and penetrates within. At the same time, the themes driving the stories resonate with classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will encounter throughout their lives. The main theme of the series is the subject of many theories, including, but not limited to: good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty. In actuality, all of these elements contribute to the timeless nature of the stories. As and when the books started getting really famous with a specific target audience, the first big leap that was taken to expand the entire Harry Potter concept were the movies. When the movies were made they went on to click with the younger as well as the older audiences. One part after the other, the movies became darker slowly loosing the initial happy and bright appearance. They now started seeming more â€Å"real† and â€Å"practical†. There was a feel of â€Å"there is more to Harry Potter† than what you expect. The covers of all books started having two versions, one which was bright and the other dark and mysterious so that the books would appeal to adults as well. Slowly there was Harry Potter everywhere! There was Culture Industry starting to take place because of the entire Harry Potter concept. By Culture Industry we mean that suddenly a particular thing which is extremely popular is produced in front of us in many different ways. It is â€Å"claimed† by the respective producers that their product is unique and adds more to a particular franchise. This concept focuses on media and marketing. Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno define the Culture Industry through its focus on the media and mass marketing. This industry is unique in that it does not reflect economic processes and essentially becomes homogenous; thus, variation is meaningless. The Culture Industry is characterized by three specific ideas: Monopoly, Mass Production, and Technology. So there is lesser control over production of certain products and lesser control in the market. Hence when a certain product is newly launched in the market, people rush to purchase it and explore that particular product. So what happens when the novelty of that product wears off? Simple, another product is launched in the market and promoted on its â€Å"unique† properties. But the actual catch here is that every product is almost similar to one another, but it is sold as being different from the previous one. Hence people are urged to buy them. This also gives them another product in place of the previous one. This is termed as â€Å"Pseudo Singularity† rightly meaning false singularity. This is how the culture industry also called as Mass Industry works. When Culture Industry meets something like Harry Potter, what is created is a huge successful mass industry which becomes immensely lucrative and popular. Also when the subject is like Harry, who mainly appeals to people due to his emotional appeal, his belief in friendship, love and braveness. These are the factors on which various products apart from movies like merchandise are publicized to people. There are Harry Potter theme based amusement parks, the costumes, competitions to test your HP knowledge, digital games and websites like Pottermore where you actually live Harry’s life. You are sorted into different houses just like in the book and you face different adventures like Harry. There are things taken from the book which will entertain and amuse people. Like the broom used to play the game Quidditch again an imaginary concept of a game like football but you are actually flying on broomsticks. Harry Potter wands, cards, hats, glasses and the famous scar which Harry have all became commodities and we are expected to purchase them. The main objective here is to make people feel like Harry himself. Examples of various Harry Potter Merchandise So even if J. K. Rowling has completed her set of books, producers still want to reap the profits from this subject. Hence, even after she officially completed her books, due to tremendous response and popular demand she wrote another book where people know what happens after Harry defeats Lord Voldemort and finishes his studies from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So much is the popularity of Harry Potter. Not only Harry, but other main characters like Hermoine and Ron (Harry’s best friends), Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, Sirius Black etc have gained a connect with the audiences. There is a feeling generated that â€Å"my best friend to needs to be like Ron† or â€Å"I wish I could study magic†. This feeling of longingness is usurped but the producers to contribute more to the culture industry! These feelings are then used by the people to generate more and more profits, hence trips to the castle where Harry Potter was shot are arranged. Though a particular location is not used continuously in the movies, they keep changing, but so much is the craze that people travel all the way to Scotland just to see where their Hero spent this school days. All in all a different culture itself is created and we don’t realize it. Such is the nature culture industry and it prevails n today’s world to a much greater extent. The main feeling of Love always triumphs over the evil makes Harry Potter what it is. I would like to end my putting in a famous citation in the book- It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999, spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore This is one of the most famous quotes from the series and rightly, it is our choices that make us who we are. People chose to love Harry Potter even though the entire concept being imaginary because it has appealed to their hearts. It is this emotional factor which makes us give in to the ‘market and producers’ but in the end, they are our choices, aren’t they?

Reflections on Bowling for Columbine Essay Example for Free

Reflections on Bowling for Columbine Essay The Columbine High School massacre struck me the hardest. It was horrifying to see the whole school in turmoil. Students and teachers were running wild and everyone screamed and panicked as the vitriolic killers aimed for their next target. Even more repulsive, the killers were only teenagers who study at that exact school in Columbine and were killing their own classmates. They were also seen going to bowling class that morning of the calamity. How could they do such a leisure activity when they were preparing to lay innocents to waste, to end their lives? How could they embark on such a shooting rampage, and finally, committing suicide? The deaths, injuries, and upheaval of the school plunges audiences into thinking the abuse of firearms and the seriousness of gun violence in the USA. What is the cause for such massive gun abuse in the USA? Michael Moore has tackled with some of the suggested reasons. Some may say the USA has a violent history, yet Germany, considering what its been through during the second world war, does not have as much snipers roaming about as the USA; countries other than America also have violent video games or movies but does not seem to suffer from gun abuse; Canada has a larger diversity of ethnic groups and higher unemployment rate, and people can possess a gun out of their own volition, but they dont have as much homicides through guns. One of the real causes behind the extreme behaviour of murderers can be because of the influence of the media. What has media done to their lives, to our lives? It can bring us with the latest news from all corners of the earth, convey messages, influence docile citizens, start a fad, or perhaps, spread fear and anxiety among people in the society as well? If the media announced that from tomorrow onwards no more imports will be allowed to enter Hong Kong, there is no doubt people will start panicking right on the spot and rush to supermarkets to hoard food and supplies. This would have wreaked a complete havoc on Hong Kong. This actually happens in the USA, where the media always tends to alert the public by exaggerating (or sometimes truthfully saying) facts. Americans start to live in fear, and as they start to live in fear, they begin to secure themselves with weapons. When everyone has a weapon and is ready and prepared to use it at anytime, the country will soon end up chaotic with everyone suspicious of his own  neighbour and ready to for some homicide. With the use of irony and mockumentary, Michael Moore has successfully presented Bowling for Columbine in a light-hearted way in some respects. Clips of South Park totally subdued the taut atmosphere from the scenes of the grisly massacre and the cartoon on American history was a brief mocking version that is flippant but true. Its theme song What a wonderful world was played several times throughout the documentary and the lyrics trees of green, red roses too, I see them blue echoed over black and white picture of dying war victims, massacres and killing sprees that went out of control. The contrast was stark which imprints deeply into audiences mind. Nothing can be too biased, nor can it be too democratic. Although this documentary seems to present us with an omniscient viewpoint, but are we restricted to one perspective (naturally Michael Moores) only? It is often impossible for directors to totally subjugate personal political convictions to their professional commitment to fairness and balance, and in this case, we might be oblivious of a few blatant facts that are not presented in the documentary. Like Canada may not be as crime-free as it seems (is it possible that all Canadians do not lock their doors?) and what would really happen if it was declared illegal for Americans to own a firearm. Would a greater disorder be resulted?

Leadership And Change Management At General Motors Commerce Essay

Leadership And Change Management At General Motors Commerce Essay General Motors (GM), one of the worlds largest automakers, was initially founded by William Durant in 1902 and held a remarkable presence in the automobile industry for almost a century. It is predominantly engaged in the designing, manufacturing and marketing of cars, trucks, and other automobile parts in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific regions. Additionally, GM also provides vehicle safety, security and information services through GM OnStar. This company sells not only cars but also trucks under several brands such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall in 31 different countries (Datamonitor). The main headquarters is located in Detroit, Michigan where over 200,000 people are currently employed globally. Its largest market is in the U.S, followed by China, Brazil, the UK, Canada, Russia and finally Germany. Globally, the automobiles and components industry was severely affected by the global ec onomic downturn in 2008. Unfortunately, the recession in the global economy harmed GMs business by adversely affecting its revenues, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition. According to Isidore (2009) in CNN Money, General Motors filed for bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. . This move was once viewed as unimaginable, since it was one of the worlds leading automakers. However, after years of losses and market share declines topped by a major plunge in sales, bankruptcy was inevitable. A new company financed by the US Treasury stepped in and purchased most of GMs assets and trademarks. By July 10, 2009, the companys name changed from General Motors Corporation to General Motors Company. Consequently, the company experienced major changes such as massive job cuts, closure of a dozen facilities, emergence of new leaders, etc. In order to evaluate the radical change undergone by General Motors, both internal and external factors leading up to the change must be identified. Several pressures such as economic conditions, competition, government intervention, technology, resource availability, and people can cause change (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). In order to be successful, organizations increasingly need to be scanning the environment to anticipate the appropriate change action. More importantly, they need to be proactive in their attitude to change. In the case of General Motors, the causes of change were economic conditions on a global scale and unavailability of financial resources. Even though there was a resistance to change, GM had to swiftly evaluate the situation and devise new strategies on how to move forward. The success of the transition of an organizational change is mainly dependent upon the leadership of senior management (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). The Chief Executive Officer at GM, Mr. Fritz Henderson, was replaced by Mr. Edward Whitacre in 2009. He was the former Chairman and CEO at ATT from 1990-2007. Mr. Whitacre serves on the Boa rd of the Institute for International Economics and the Boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Exxon Mobil and the PGA Tour (Datamonitor-GM). Furthermore, he is also involved in The Business Council. Even though leaders of General Motors are still trying to implement stability, the transition leading up to the radical change could have been more efficient and effective. LEADERSHIP THEORIES AND APPLICATION TO GM 1.1 Leadership Theories: Amongst the many definitions of a leader, Bryman (1992, p. 3) describes The leader is characterized by a strong drive for responsibility and task completion, vigor and persistence in the pursuit of goals, venturesomeness and originality in problem solving, drive to exercise initiative in social situations, self confidence and sense of personal identity, willingness to accept the consequences of his or her decisions and actions, readiness to absorb interpersonal stress, willingness to tolerate frustration and delay, ability to influence other peoples behavior and the capacity to structure social interaction systems to the purpose at hand. A true leader has the ability to motivate his or her followers. While the early leadership theories focused on the leaders individual characteristics and behavior, later theories explored the duties of the followers and the environment contributing to the success of a leader. Up to the late 1940s, it was believed that leadership qualities were innate primarily by men or passed along from generation to generation. Whether a leader is born or made was the controversial question that arose in the past. Historical evidence can justify that many effective leaders seem to be born with innate aptitudes. This is known as the Traits theory, which has three broad types of traits. The first is primarily based on the physical factors such as appearance, physique, height, etc. Secondly, the traits reflected on the persons abilities including intelligence, fluency of speech, and knowledge. The third type covers a wide range of personality characteristics such as conservatism, self-confidence, dominance, and emotional control (Bryman, 1992). On the contrary, the Style theory describes that employees will perform better depending on the adopted style of their leader (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). In other words, the same group of people will behave differently according to the leaders style. A type of leadership that follows the style theory is transactional leadership, based upon contingency where reward or punishment is given depending on the subordinates performance. The leader designates a specific task, and the subordinate is fully responsible to carry it out despite the circumstances. The emphasis is based on goal clarification, the setting of tasks and objectives, and organizational rewards and punishments. While this approach still remains popular, certain limitations exist such as the assumption that the subordinate is strictly motivated by money and reward (Dave Paper). On the other hand, transformational leadership theory is centralized on the development of commitment and motivation among followers. A transforma tional leader creates a vision and eventually persuades his or her followers to buy in in order to transform the performance of the organization (Porter, Smith Fagg, 2006). Even though people wont readily accept a radical vision, the transformational leader will do whatever it takes to get every person on board. This concept is based on a relational contract, where subordinates willingly contribute beyond the requirements. Both transactional and transformational are equally important to help increase organizational competitiveness in an era of global competition (Mohamed Rafiuddin, 2010). Yet, another leadership theory is that of Vroom and Yettons decision-making model. According to Porter, Smith and Fagg (2006, p.76), All leaders are considered as decision-makers, and their effectiveness can be determined by examining the quality of decisions taken over time. The most appropriate style of leadership is flexible which depends upon the subordinates preferred style, the situation and the task facing the leader. Vroom and Yetton defined five key types of leadership where two are autocratic, two are consultative and one is group-based. The way how the leader obtains information or the way how the leader makes a decision is different for each type. Situational factors influence which method is considered the most pertinent. While the path-goal theory of leadership is similar to the Vroom and Yettons model, many differences exist. A characteristic of the path-goal theory also involves a participative leadership, where the leaders consult with the followers and take their id eas into account for decision-making. However, the leaders are expected to guide, encourage, and support their subordinates in achieving the goals. For example, they are required to clear the path by removing roadblocks so that the subordinates know which way to go (Daves Paper). Moreover, the leaders are to be supportive by showing concern for the followers welfare and creating a friendly working environment. Another similarity to the Vroom and Yettons model is that the path-goal oriented leader will also vary in his or her approach depending on the situation. Finally, a term used to characterize brilliant forms of influence, exceptional, gifted, and even heroic is known as charismatic leadership. According to Galvin, Balkundi and Walkman (2010, p.477), Subordinates who view a leader as charismatic will tend to see the leader and his or her vision as core their own identity and will be willing to sacrifice so as to benefit the collective and achieve the goals and vision of the leader. Some distinguishing attributes possessed by the charismatic leader are confidence, power, success, and influence. A transformational leader can also be qualified to be charismatic and vice versa. Since a transformational leader instills the vision onto the subordinates, he or she can do so in a charismatic manner. 1.2 Leadership in General Motors Leadership models and theories should be used as frameworks for developing personal styles, and self-reflecting. While various theories exist, a successful leader should know their industries, have astute insights, and are willing to induce the changes necessary to their organization (Van Wart, 2010). Furthermore, they are an inspirational figure, where they can influence their followers in the course of events. In the case of GM, the former chief executive, Mr. Fritz Henderson was asked to step down from the position. Mr. Henderson had worked along the former GM president, Mr. Rick Wagoner, throughout his career. According to Madslien (2009), This could pose serious problems for GM, which may now find it hard to find not only a replacement for the charismatic car guy. However, concerns such as the fact that Mr. Henderson was clinging on to power in the name of stability were expressed. Additionally, he was eagerly trying to rebuild the company based on the traditional model that GM used prior the crisis. Based on this analysis, it shows that the former CEO was not apt for changeability. He can be categorized as being a transactional leader, where a clear structure must be set in place and subordinates are required to just follow. Fritz Henderson could also have been path-goal oriented, where he would direct the subordinates, tell them what to do, and provide appropriate guidelines. The new CEO stated, Mr. Henderson had done a remarkable job in leading the company through an unprecedented period of challenge and change (General Motors BBC article, 2009). On the contrary, Mr. Ed Whitacre, who replaced Fritz Henderson, is more of a transformational and charismatic leader. The newly-appointed CEO, who previously ran the ATT telecoms company, was brought in as chairman by the Obama administration. General Motors needed an outsider, who had no attachments, as the leader. When he accepted the post, he announced that sweeping management changes needed to be made at GM (Luft, 2009). The fact that Mr. Whitacre reorganized and restructured departments three days after taking over demonstrates that he is both transformational and path-goal oriented. He managed to guide his followers in how to achieve the goals and objectives set in place for the future GM. Moreover, he had a vision to recreate General Motors and put passion and energy into everything. This type of leader constantly sells the vision to his followers. With all the changes that GM was experiencing, Whitacre realized the workforce was rattled and immediately addressed it by sending a companywide email. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the email reassured the employees that the major leadership changes are all behind them (2009). Even though Whitacre might be somewhat naÃÆ'Â ¯ve in the time frame of product development amongst other areas, he strategically designates other people to overlook the areas he lacks in knowledge. Furthermore, he wants to give people more responsibility and authority deeper in the organization and hold them accountable for their doings (Luft, 2009). In decision-making, this leader follows Group procedure, where he shares the problems with followers and seeks consensus agreement. Essentially, as a transformational, charismatic, path-goal oriented leader, Mr. Whitacre will try to ensure a smooth and successful transition for GM as a company and for the employees. General Motors new management team will focus more on leadership duties and responsibilities to meet their objectives to design, build and sell the worlds best vehicle. 2.0 EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL FACTORS Organizations are expected to experience changes due to the instability and inconsistency of the environment. Organizational change is usually provoked by some driving force such as decrease in productivity and services, substantial cuts in funding, major new markets and clients, etc (Barbara and Fleming, 2006). The reasons why and how changes occur can only be understood if an internal and external analysis of the company is performed. The Porters five forces, PESTLE and SWOT analysis, and internal resources can be used to conduct an environmental scanning; hence, objectives and strategies can be formulated and used to implement the changes. 2.1 PESTLE Analysis PESTLE analysis is a framework comprised of political, economical, social, technological, legal, and environmental components. From the beginning, General Motors has always been affected by the law and government regulations. Most of the regulations are associated with the environment and concerns for safe automobiles. For example, the EU recently restricted the usage of heavy metals due to environmental issues. Additionally, the vehicle emissions regulations have also become stricter (Datamonitor: Automobile). Economically, since 2008, the global automotive industry has been severely affected by the major global credit crisis where both North America and Europe encountered recession. This in turn caused unstable oil prices, decreases in employment rate and decrease in consumer spending. Other essential components are the sociological and environment factors. With the increasing interest of the environment worldwide specifically in the US and Europe, General Motors has taken a firm s tance in Corporate Social Responsibility in all its business practices. This includes the operation of the factories and business offices, usage of renewable and recyclable materials, production of fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and less emission of greenhouse gases (GM website). Additionally, society has become relatively materialistic and driven by status quo. General Motors is aware of this; therefore, it would target each market depending on status and income. The last component in the PESTLE analysis is the technological component. The rise of the internet worldwide has affected not only the automobile industry, but many others as well. GM can benefit from the increasing usage of the internet, because more and more consumers can access its website and view products more easily. 2.2 Porters Five Forces Porters five forces of competition framework can be used to analyze the intensity of competition and the level of profitability (Grant, 2005). These five forces include competition from substitutes, entrants, power of suppliers, power of buyers, and established rivals. In replace of purchasing automobiles, consumers can use public transportation such as buses, trains, and bicycles. Moreover, consumers can also choose from other automobile products that are not GM-related making the threat of substitutes high-risk. High barriers to entry such as large capital allow the threat of new entrants very low-risk. In the automobile industry, the bargaining power of suppliers is considered low, since these suppliers rely on the automakers to purchase the raw materials such as steel, paint, glass, aluminum, etc. In regards to the bargaining power of the buyers, the risk is high. Customers can choose not only from other automobile manufacturers, but also from many automobile dealers that exist. Finally, there is a high rivalry existing among the competitors of General Motors. The major competitors include Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Company, Mazda Motor Corporation and several other automakers (Datamonitor- GM) 2.3 Internal Analysis According to Porter, Smith, and Fagg (2006, p.393), Environmental analysis also requires an examination of the organizations internal environment. Internal analysis is concerned with the resources and capabilities that an organization must seek to understand before it can pursue any form of strategy. An internal audit includes the organizations human, financial and other resources which contribute to supporting its strategies. General Motors employs more than 200,000 people worldwide. Moreover, it has created a business environment based upon mutual respect, responsibility, and understanding. One of GM goals is to give employees more responsibility and authority and hold them accountable (GM website). In other words, this company believes in empowering its employees. Additionally, GM understands the effectiveness of performance when personal life and work are linked. Given that General Motors is considered to be one of the largest employers in the world, the benefits offered are just as grand. Amongst some of these benefits are medical plan including dental, investment options, life insurance, paid holidays and discounts on GM products and services. Financially, GM leaders and employees are committed to building its market share, revenue, earnings and cash flow with the goal of paying back its loans by 2010. In the year ended 2009 the estimated worldwide market share was recorded as 11.6%. Furthermore, vehicle sales in the US fell drastically since the peak in 2007 (GM Annual report). 2.4 SWOT Analysis Once an audit of external and internal influences has been conducted, a framework such as SWOT analysis can be used to link an organizations resources and capabilities. Then, the implications of strategies can be identified (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). SWOT represents strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is the most widely used analytical management technique. 1. Strengths: General Motors not only has a strong brand portfolio, but also has a wide portfolio of regional brands like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. The strong brand portfolio spanning the global market allows GM to gain a competitive advantage. Also, since it has an extensive geographic presence in 207 locations, General Motors is able to spread its risks across the global markets. 2. Weaknesses: GM incurred significant losses from 2005 through 2008 due to operations and restructurings. The companys liquidity position along with its operating performance was negatively affected by the industry conditions. Additionally, there was a major decline in sales in major business segments. 3. Opportunities: The increase in the global truck market experienced a growth during 2004 and 2008 and will continuously have a steady growth for the future. This represents an opportunity for General Motors to capitalize on this market which can positively affect its revenues and profits. Moreover, there has been a worldwide demand for hybrid electric vehicles. Therefore, General Motors has been focusing on developing new high technology products for these eco-friendly automobiles. Consequently, this would boost the demand for GMs products. 4. Threats: Due to the ongoing global recession, GMs business would be significantly affected in its revenues, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. More importantly, the global automotive industry is extremely competitive, where General Motors are facing strong competitors. As a result, there would be an adverse effect on vehicle pricing and market share. 3.0 CHANGE THEORIES AND APPLICATION TO GM According to Palmer (2006, p.50), Variety of pressures on managers: the environment, discovery of deviations from standards, new desires and visions of the future or the fundamental nature of organizations themselves. He also continues on stating that the result of change is, ironically, stability. While these pressures for change are constant, advantages of a changing organization are better integration, teamwork, common values, and mindsets. All these benefits contribute to achieving a better organization with more efficient and effective outcomes. John Kotter explains that some forces for change are greater economic integration, maturation and slowdown, technology, and fall of socialist countries and their reorientation toward capitalist economies (Palmer, 2006). 3.1 Change Theories Several change management theories describe the process of developing a planned approach to the changes taken place in an organization. The first model is John Kotters 8 steps, which was published in 1995 in the Harvard Business Review. Firstly, establishing the need for urgency refers to performing market analysis by determining the problems and opportunities. The second step, ensuring there is a powerful change group to guide the change can be performed by creating team structures to help drive the change and making sure the teams have sufficient power to guide the change. Thirdly, developing a vision can be carried out by providing focus for change. Then, the vision must be communicated by using multiple channels to constantly communicate this vision. The next step is empowering the staff by removing organizational policies and structures that inhibit the achievement of the vision. Once this is done, the organization must empower the staff which help support the need for change an d provide motivation. Consolidating gains is the seventh step. This refers to rewarding those who engage positively with the change. Last but not least, the change must be linked to organizational performance and leadership (Palmer, 2006). However, while the Kotters 8 steps outline the management of an organizational change, the Bridges Transition Model suggests that change will not be successful if transition doesnt occur. In this case, transition is defined as the ending of something, which is the first phase. The second phase is the neutral zone, which is a confusing state between the old reality and the new. During this phase, people are not ready or comfortable to welcome the new beginnings. Much importance must be given during this stage, because the change might be jeopardized if the organization decides to prematurely escape. However, if the neutral zone is completed successfully, many opportunities for creative transformation can be presented. The final phase is acceptance of the new beginnings and identification with the new situation (Bridges, 1995). Similarly, another model of change that was developed in the earlier days is that of Lewins. His model also consisted of three phases like Bridges Transition Model. The first phase is identified as unfreezing, where it involved dismantling the existing mindset of the people. For example, a change in the organizational culture would take place in this stage. According to Brown (1998, p.6), Organizational culture refers to norms, attitudes, values, and beliefs that conduct the behavior of members of an organization with each other and with external stakeholders. Changing is the second phase of Lewins model where actual changes are implemented so the organization progresses to the new position. Just like Bridges, this phase is also accounted as the hardest to overcome. In the last phase also known as refreezing, the changes are stabilized. They have been accepted and become the new norm. At this point, the need for recruiting new staff untainted by old habits might be fitting for the or ganization (Senior and Fleming, 2006). 3.2 Changes in General Motors In 2007, General Motors declared record sales of more than nine million vehicles for the third consecutive year. Despite that this company had such an achievement, environmental turbulences such as the global recession in 2009 forced GM to declare bankruptcy. This was considered as the biggest failure of an industrial company in US history (BBC website- GM ready to file). According to the news article GM ready to file for bankruptcy, GM, once the largest company in the world, has been losing market share since the early 1980s (2009). Some causes leading up to this disastrous event are high production costs and collapse in credit markets and consumer spending. Furthermore, the automaker was slow in moving away from the production of gas-guzzling SUVs when consumers were looking for more fuel-efficient vehicles (BBC-Website, 2009). Even though restructuring of the company was necessary, the transition and resistance to change were posed challenging. Using Bridges Transition Model, the radical change that occurred in General Motors can be evaluated. In the first phase, the organization realized there were major discrepancies between its goals and the current system of operation. Consequently, General Motors accepted the fact that it was the end of their glorious era and placed its fate in the hands of the US government. The new GM left the government holding 60% of the companys equity (Clark, 2009). Since this automaker was an iconic symbol of the American auto industry, it was necessary to preserve it. General Motors then entered the second phase, the neutral zone, of the Bridges Transition Model. Herein, the company faced many barriers and resistance to the changes that were taking place. According to Bridges, management and employees would feel anxious, disoriented, resentful, and self-protective (Bridges, 1995). At this stage, it is natural for people to feel confused between rushing forward and going back to the old ways. Th e GM official website states that the company has a new global operating structure, a leaner and more streamlined leadership team, and a restructured Board of Directors (GM Website). The designated leaders take a crucial role in the neutral zone. The newly-appointed CEO Ed Whitacre exercised his authority by drawing up a new management blueprint to improve accountability and responsibility for key market performance within General Motors (Luft, 2009). Inevitably, during the restructuring and reorganizing, employers were fearful for their jobs. Bridges (1995, p.41) advises, Communications help to keep people feeling included in and connected to the organization. On March 31, 2010 Whitacre decided to send out a companywide email to ease the anxiety and anticipation that had been developing during the change. In his email, he wrote, A smart company changes and adapts to the needs of the business. So, while there will always be individual moves within GM, I want to reassure you that the major leadership changes are behind us (Welch, 2010). Once General Motors was out of the neutral zone, the company was able to indulge in the new beginnings that have been much anticipated for. Even though the new GM decided to get rid of Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac, and Saab, it still held on to the most profitable brands such as Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. Additionally, it will continue to press on for structural cost reduction and a healthier balance sheet with a significant lower debt. Most importantly, the automaker will strictly concentrate on investing in innovative products and new technology. 3.3 Resistance to Change While the new GM managed to leave the neutral zone of the change process, it was prolonged because of the resistance to change. Some reasons why individuals resist change are routine, security, economic factors, fear of the unknown and selective information processing (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). In the case of General Motors, management and employees were confined to the traditional way of the companys operations. Even more so, they knew that restructuring and layoffs were going to take place; therefore, they lost their sense of security and allowed anxiety to take over. 4.0 LINKAGE OF LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE According to Porter, Smith and Fagg (2006, p.301), The change agent should be at the center of any change process, and one of the most important jobs for him or her to do is to develop a good relationship between all the parties involved in the change process. This is vital to ensure that commitment, trust and mutual respect develop. The change agent is also known as the leader of the organization. During the transition of the old GM to the new GM, Mr. Ed Whitacre was designated as the CEO. He immediately recognized the importance of organizational development by changing its structure and the people within it. A successful change is accompanied by the redistribution of power within the company so that the decision-making is moved towards shared power (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). CEO Whitacre alongside other directors and managers had to work together as a team in order to carry out the changes successfully. They may even have had to find themselves adopting the role as a transfor mational leader. As leaders, they are responsible in having a clear sense of direction in order to keep the organization moving on track towards the agreed objectives and goals. However, leaders cannot accomplish a successful change on their own. They need to also depend on the subordinates, which can be achieved by encouraging teamwork, empowerment, and acceptance of certain failures (Porter, Smith and Fagg, 2006). 5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS / CONCLUSION While General Motors was able to fast-track the change process with the right leadership in place, certain actions could have been done differently to maximize efficiency and minimize resistance. Palmer suggests that resistance to change can be managed by communication to the followers, participation from everyone involved, negotiation between the leaders and the subordinates, and explicit or implicit coercion (Palmer, 2006). Although Mr. Whitacre automatically sent out a companywide email when the company was in turmoil, it was not necessarily effective. Alternatively, he could have done a video conferencing with all the employees worldwide. In this manner, not only would his body language be viewed, but also would he be able to display emotions. According to Bridges (1995, p.41), Communications help to keep people feeling included in and connected to the organization. Without communications in place, wrong information can be multiplied and people develop apathy. Moreover, since the new General Motors wanted to revive its innovativeness, it is recommended for the company to expose people to new aspects of their tasks and opportunities for collaboration (Vermeulen, Puranam and Gulati, 2010). Also, while an organization is in neutral zone, creativity should be encouraged. This can be fostered by providing training in the techniques of discovery and innovation, encouraging experiment, embracing losses or setbacks, and looking for opportunities to brainstorm new answers to old problems (Bridges, 1995). All these must be carried out by the changing agents or the leaders. In conclusion, General Motors was able to identify their disparities and firmly decided to change the organization in order to accomplish its goals and objectives. More importantly, it acted quickly and and realized that current leadership talent did not have the capabilities to deal with the radical change. As a result, General Motors was assigned a charismatic, transformational leader to guide it through change, solve complex problems, and build for the future.

Causes of WW1 :: World War I History

Causes of WW1 I think that the First World War was the product of long-standing rivalries rather than a badly mismanaged Balkan Crisis because it was these rivalries that led to the Balkan Crisis. The Balkan Crisis may appear mismanaged because previous crises such as those in Morocco in 1905 and 1911 did not result in war. In the July Crisis Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) despite not having conclusive proof. Austria-Hungary asked for German support to "eliminate Serbia as a power factor in the Balkans". Germany agreed, offering her full support for Austria- Hungary to start a war with Serbia, and this became known as the "blank cheque". Austria-Hungary and Germany could not have failed to realise the possibility of Russian intervention and a European war, suggesting to me that war was their objective. Austria-Hungary issued an impossible ultimatum to Serbia, which was likely to provoke a war. Serbia was given only 48 hours to reply, so was forced to think quickly, or other countries would be mobilized and ready to attack. Serbia accepted all but one point of the ultimatum. Consequently war was announced. If given more time Serbia could have discussed the issue further in a conference. The British fo reign minister, Grey suggested a conference, but this was rejected by Germany and Austria-Hungary, suggesting that they had deliberate aims for war during the Balkan Crisis, rather than the Balkan Crisis being mismanaged. There was a long-standing rivalry between Austria-Hungary and Russia due to their interests in the Balkans. Russia saw her role as leading and supporting her fellow Slav peoples in the Balkans. This Pan-Slav concept provided an ideal excuse to interfere in the Balkans and to extend Russia's influence towards the Eastern Mediterranean. Ideally Russia wished to open the Dardenelles straits to its warships. Austria-Hungary was concerned that this Russian encouragement of nationalism may threaten her borders and inspire nationalism within her own empire. In turn, Germany recognised that as Austria's closest ally her fate was linked with that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austria-Hungary was anxious to prevent Russian encroachment in the Balkans. This aim would be best served by the elimination of Serbia, Russia's Balkan ally. In 1878, Russia was humiliated at the Congress of Berlin when her proposal for a Greater Bulgarian state was rejected and Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia to maint ain order amongst the nationalist revolts.

A Study Of The Negro Policeman: Book Review :: essays research papers

A Study of the Negro Policeman: Book Review Nicholas Alex, assistant professor of sociology at The City University of New York, holds a Ph.D. from the New School for Social Research and a B.S. from the Wharton School. He was formerly a research assistant with the Russell Sage Foundation, an instructor at Adelphi University, and has had working experience in his academic specialty-the sociology of professions and occupations-while an industrial engineer in the aircraft industry, later as business manager of the Walden School. This is his first book. In this book Alex made an effort to examine the peculiar problems of Negro policemen who live in an age which has not yet resolved to problem of inequality in an assertedly democratic society. He drawn heavily on the reflections of forty-one Negro policemen who made plain to me the difficulties involved in being black in blue. Alex was concerned with the ways in which the men were recruited into the police, the nature of their relations in regard to their immediate clientele, their counterparts, and the rest of society. In the broadest terms, the book examines the special problems that Negro policemen face in their efforts to reconcile their race with their work in the present framework of American values and beliefs. The research for the study was based on intensive interviews collected over a period of eleven months, from December 1964 to October 1965. During that time the author talked with Negro police engaged in different types of police specialties, and men of different rank and backgrounds. Alex was interested in preserving their anonymity, and substituted code numbers for names. The language in which their thoughts were expressed is unchanged. Most of the interviews were obtained either at the policeman's home or the authors. Some were held in parks, playgrounds, and luncheonettes. All of the interviews were open-ended. All the policemen refused to have there conversations taped. "I know too well what tapes can do to you," said one. "I can refute what you write down on that pad, but I can't if it's taped. We use tapes too, you know." The author was dealing with a highly expressive and literate group of men who thought of the study as a way in which they could make themselves heard. This book is organized very well. It consist of eight chapters, and each chapter is broken into subdivisions. The first chapter talks about the policemen in the community. Within this chapter mainly describes the police as and occupation, and states how the policemen's job is uncertain. The second chapter deals with the recruitment of Negroes for police work.

Comparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay -- English Lit

Comparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake In this essay I am going to analyse, compare and contrast two poems by William Blake. They are called 'The Lamb' and 'The Tyger'. I will be looking at how Blake uses imagery, structure and form to create effects and how the environment that Blake lived in affected the way he wrote his poems. In the late 18th century, the world was changing and developing into a new world quite fast. Blake was born in London, the third of five children. Because of the relatively lower middle class status of his fathers line of work, Blake was raised in a state of not quite poverty, but he saw what life could really be like if he was down on his luck, and this he would experience for the rest of his life. When he was nineteen the American Revolution happened and this caused great social unrest in the high and wealthy classes. Then, when he was 32, the French Revolution occurred which signalled the end of the monarchy and aristocracy in France. This, not surprisingly, caused the same area of society in Britain to fear that the same would happen in their back yard. Blake was still writing at the start of the Industrial Revolution, this time became the primary phase in which heavy machinery was used in factories and mines. This created a feeling of great political upheaval and paranoia, shown by the appearance of the Luddites. All these events affected the way Blake wrote, in the way that he spoke about how the power of God can influence us, the world being a beautiful place, but man not being in harmony with it all. Where he lived was an awful place, he lived next to a graveyard and a workhouse. People died in the street and he witnessed it all, but he was stil... ...bles as the one that preceded it. "By the stream & and o'er mead" the missing 'v' in over reduces the amount of syllables from two to one. This is so that the rhyming pattern will be even (6,6,7,7,7,7,7,7,6,6) instead of (6,6,7,8,7,7,7,7,6,6), also most of the rhymes in this poem are visual as well as oral this emphasizes the poems rhymes and thus allowing the message to get through clearer. The language used in 'the Tyger' is, in places, very similar to that of 'the lamb'. It uses alliteration in the phrase, "burning bright" to emphasize how striking the colour of this animals coat is. It also uses the old forms of address and it too has visual rhymes as well as oral ones. But what it has that 'the lamb' doesn't is, it repeats words one after the other in the phrase "Tyger, Tyger", this is used the same way alliteration is to stress the metaphor.

“In Praise of Cultural Imperialism” by David Rothkopf Essay

In the article, In Praise of Cultural Imperialism, David Rothkopf illustrates a progressive new world order where information is the new global currency and the United States, â€Å"the indispensable nation,† is the bank. In his article, Rothkopf contrasts the victimizing tendencies of ‘cultural barriers’, which are the unmistakably causing ethnic, religious, ideological, tribal or nationalistic conflicts, to the uniting tendencies of western globalization. Rothkopf predicts the inevitable merging of all the cultures under the common benefits originating from globalization once â€Å"they have realized that to compete in the global marketplace they must conform to the culture of that marketplace† The United States whose policies are evidently â€Å"the best model for the future† will lead this next step in civilization’s evolution, all the while making sure that â€Å"if common values are being developed, they be the values with which Americans are comfortable.† Rothkopf further states that it is in the US’s best interest â€Å"to encourage the development of a world in which the fault lines separating nations are bridged by shared interest† ultimately leading to a more peaceful and tolerant future: â€Å"Globalization is a vital step toward both a more stable world and better lives for the people in it.† Rothkopf, the former Deputy Undersecretary of the Commerce Department under the Clinton Administration and now the president of an international advisory firm, is also an adjunct professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. Consequently, his views clearly demonstrate a pro-American capitalist’s stance on the issues pertaining to American economics, cultural imperialism and foreign policy. In his article, Rothkopf describes the power of culture and its influence over this new age global environment, with its power to â€Å"bind and to divide in a time when the tensions between integration and separation tug at every issue that is relevant to international relations.† Moreover, he claims that although critics of globalization may condemn the â€Å"homogenizing influences of globalization,† the effects of globalization are more consistently positive than negative. This is because globalization has an integrating dimension to it. Rothkopf believes that the â€Å"United States is in a position not only to lead in the 21st century as the dominant power of the Information Age, but to do so by breaking down the barriers that divide nations–and groups  within nations–and by building ties that create an ever greater reservoir of shared interests among an ever larger community if peoples† This â€Å"removal not only of cultural barriers but of many of the negative dimensions of culture† could only result in stability†¦right? Rothkopf views could be easily dismissed, as an arrogant fantasy-ridden interpretation of the future. However, although many cultures may not see the benefits of melting themselves into an existence that is in every aspect dominated by western values, the influence of American culture on the rest of the world is evident. Whether this influence will or has been completely positive has yet to be proven. Although Rothkopf believes that globalization is the key to a peaceful future whose culturally uniting fundamentals lie with the United States, he underestimates the complex nature of culture and its strength in relation to globalization. Culture is not something that can be simply defined as Webster’s Third New International Dictionary does, nor will it be easily moulded into a tool to be used for the expansion of American interests. Many cultures around the world, such as in the Muslim block, guard their culture and religion with their lives, for culture and religion are one in the same in Islam. As was illustrated on September 11th, many will even sacrifice their lives for causes they perceive threaten the existence of their culture/religion. Another aspect of globalization that Rothkopf does not develop is the apparent social stratification created by globalization. It is arguable that to sustain globalization, cheap labour must readily available. If undeveloped countries become developed and the poor majority become empowered, where will the cheap labour come from? Although Rothkopf may bring attention to the overbearing extension of American cultural values over the globe, he underestimates how the rest of the worlds’ varied and contrasting cultural values will effect the global environment. Consequently, his extremely biased perspectives undermine some of the more valid points of his article.

Night World : Soulmate Chapter 6

Hannah opened her eyes. â€Å"Oh, thank God,† Paul said. He seemed to be almost crying. â€Å"Oh, thank God. Do you see me? Do you know who you are?† â€Å"I'm wet,† Hannah said slowly, feeling dazed. She touched her face. Her hair was dripping. Paul was holding a water glass. â€Å"Why am I wet?† â€Å"I had to wake you up.† Paul sagged to the floor beside the couch. â€Å"What's your name? What year is it?† â€Å"My name is Hannah Snow,† Hannah said, still feeling dazed and bodiless. â€Å"And it's-† Suddenly memory rushed out of the fog at her. She sat bolt upright, tears starting to stream from her eyes. â€Å"What was all that?† â€Å"I don't know,† Paul whispered. He leaned his head against the couch, then looked up. â€Å"You just kept talking-you were telling that story as if you were there. It was really happening to you. And nothing I could do would break the trance. I tried everything-I thought you were never going to come out of it. And then you started sobbing and I couldn't make you stop.† â€Å"I felt as if it were happening to me,† Hannah said. Her head ached; her whole body felt bruised with tension. And she was reeling with memories that were perfectly real and perfectly hers†¦ and impossible. â€Å"That was like no past life regression I've ever read about,† Paul said, his voice agitated. â€Å"The detail†¦ you knew everything. Have you ever studied-is there any way you could have known those kinds of things?† â€Å"No.† Hannah was just as agitated, â€Å"I've never studied humans in the Stone Age-and this was real. It wasn't something I was making up as I was going along.† They were both talking at once. â€Å"That guy,† Paul was saying. â€Å"He's the one you're afraid of, isn't he? But, look, you know, regression is one thing†¦ past lives is another thing†¦ but this is crazy.† â€Å"I don't believe in vampires,† Hannah was saying at the same time. â€Å"Because that's what that guy was supposed to be, wasn't it? Of course it was. Caveman vampire. He was probably the first one. And I don't believe in reincarnation.† â€Å"Just plain crazy. This is crazy.† â€Å"I agree.† They both took a breath, looking at each other. There was a long silence. Hannah put a hand to her forehead. â€Å"I'm †¦ really tired.† â€Å"Yeah. Yeah, I can understand that.† Paul looked around the room, nodded twice, then got up. â€Å"Well, we'd better get you home. We can talk about all this later, figure out what it really means. Some kind of subconscious fixation†¦ archetypical symbolism†¦ something.† He ran out of air and shook his head. â€Å"Now, you feel all right, don't you? And you're not going to worry about this? Because there's nothing to worry about.† â€Å"I know. I know.† â€Å"At least we know we don't have to worry about vampires attacking you.† He laughed. The laugh was strained. Hannah couldn't manage even a smile. There was a brief silence, then Paul said, â€Å"You know, I think I'll drive you home. That would be good. That would be a good idea.† â€Å"That would be fine,† Hannah whispered. He held out a hand to help her off the couch. â€Å"By the way, I'm really sorry I had to get you all wet.† â€Å"No. It was good you did. I was feeling so awful- and there were worse things about to happen.† Paul blinked. â€Å"I'm sorry?† Hannah looked at him helplessly, then away. â€Å"There were worse things about to happen. Terrible things. Really, really awful things.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"I don't know. But there were.† Paul walked her to her doorstep. And Hannah was glad of it. Once inside the house, she went straight down the hall to her mother's study. It was a cluttered comfortable room with books piled on the floor and the tools of a paleontologist scattered around. Her mother was at her desk, bending over a microscope. â€Å"Is that you, Hannah?† she asked without looking up. â€Å"I've got some marvelous sections of haversian canals in duckbill bones. Want to see?† â€Å"Oh†¦ not now. Maybe later,† Hannah said. She wanted very much to tell her mother about what had happened, but something was stopping her. Her mother was so sensible, so practical and intelligent†¦. She'll think I'm crazy. And she'll be right. And then she'll be appalled, wondering how she could have given birth to an insane daughter. That was an exaggeration, and Hannah knew it, but somehow she still couldn't bring herself to tell. Since her father had died five years ago, she and her mother had been almost like friends-but that didn't mean she didn't want her mother's approval. She did. She desperately wanted her mother to be proud of her, and to realize that she could handle things on her own. It had been the same with the notes-she'd never told about finding them. For all her mom knew, Hannah's only problem was bad dreams. â€Å"So how did it go tonight?† her mother asked now, eye still to the microscope. â€Å"That Dr. Winfield is so young-I hope he's not too inexperienced.† Last chance. Take it or lose it. â€Å"Uh, it went fine,† Hannah said weakly. â€Å"That's good. There's chicken in the crockpot. I'll be out in a little while; I just want to finish this.† â€Å"Okay. Great. Thanks.† Hannah turned and stumbled out, completely frustrated with herself. You know Mom won't really be awful, she scolded herself as she fished a piece of chicken out of the crockpot. So tell her. Or call Chess and tell her. They'll make things better. They'll tell you how impossible all this stuff about vampires and past lives is. †¦ Yes, and that's the problem. Hannah sat frozen, holding a fork with a bite of chicken on it motionless in front of her. I don't believe in vampires or reincarnation. But I know what I saw. I know things about Hana . ., things that weren't even in the story I told Paul. I know she wore a tunic and leggings of roe deer hide. I know she ate wild cattle and wild boar and salmon and hazel nuts. I know she made tools out of elk antler and deer bone and flint†¦. God, I could pick up a flint cobble and knock off a set of blades and scrapers right now. I know I could. I can feel how to in my hands. She put the fork down and looked at her hands. They were shaking slightly. And I know she had a beautiful singing voice, a voice like crystal†¦. Like the crystal voice in my mind. So what do I do when they tell me it's impossible? Argue with them? Then I'll really be crazy, like those people in institutions who think they're Napoleon or Cleopatra. God, I hope I haven't been Cleopatra. Half laughing and half crying, she put her face in her hands. And what about him? The blond stranger with the bottomless eyes. The guy Hana didn't have a name for, but Hannah knew as Thierry. If the rest of it is real, what about him? He's the one I'm afraid of, Hannah thought. But he didn't seem so bad. Dangerous, but not evil. So why do I think of him as evil? And why do I want him anyway? Because she did want him. She remembered the feelings of Hana standing next to the stranger in the moonlight. Confusion†¦ fear†¦ and attraction. That magnetism between them. The extraordinary things that happened when he touched her hand. He came to the Three Rivers and turned her life upside down†¦. The Three Rivers. Oh, God-why didn't I think of that before? The note. One of the notes said â€Å"Remember the Three Rivers.† Okay. So I've remembered it. So what now? She had no idea. Maybe she was supposed to understand everything now, and know what to do †¦ but she didn't. She was more confused than ever. Of course, a tiny voice like a cool dark wind in her brain said, you didn't remember all of it yet. Did you? Paul woke you up before you got to the end. Shut up, Hannah told the voice. But she couldn't stop thinking. All night she was restless, moving from one room to another, avoiding her mother's questions. And even after her mother went to bed, Hannah found herself wandering aimlessly through the house, straightening things, picking up books and putting them down again. I've got to sleep. That's the only thing that will help me feel better, she thought. But she couldn't make herself sit, much less lie down. Maybe I need some air. It was a strange thought. She'd never actually felt the need to go outside for the sole purpose of breathing fresh air-in Montana you did that all day long. But there was something pulling at her, drawing her to go outside. It was like a compulsion and she couldn't resist. I'll just go on the back porch. Of course there's nothing to be scared of out there. And if I go outside, then I'll prove there isn't, and then I can go to sleep. Without stopping to consider the logic of this, she opened the back door. It was a beautiful night. The moon threw a silver glow over everything and the horizon seemed very far away. Hannah's backyard blended into the wild bluestem and pine grass of the prairie. The wind carried the clean pungent smell of sage. We'll have spring flowers soon, Hannah thought. Asters and bluebells and little golden buttercups. Everything will be green for a while. Spring's a time for life, not death. And I was right to come out. I feel more relaxed now. I can go back inside and lie down†¦. It was at that moment that she realized she was being watched. It was the same feeling she'd been having for weeks, the feeling that there were eyes in the darkness and they were fixed on her. Chills of adrenaline ran through Hannah's body. Don't panic, she told herself. It's just a feeling. There's probably nothing out here. She took a slow step backward toward the door. She didn't want to move too quickly. She had the irrational certainty that if she turned and ran, whatever was watching her would spring out and get her before she got the door open. At the same time she edged backward, her eyes and ears were straining so hard that she saw gray spots and she heard a thin ringing. She was trying, desperately, to catch some sign of movement, some sound. But everything was still and the only noises were the normal distant noises of the outdoors. Then she saw the shadow. Black against the lighter blackness of the night, it was moving among the bluestem grass. And it was big. Tall. Not a cat or other small animal. Big as a person. It was coming toward her. Hannah thought she might faint. Don't be ridiculous, a sharp voice in her head told her. Get inside. You're standing here in the light from the windows; you're a perfect target. Get inside fast and lock the door. Hannah whirled, and knew even as she did it that she wouldn't be fast enough. It was going to jump at her exposed back. It was going to †¦ â€Å"Wait,† came a voice out of the darkness. â€Å"Please. Wait.† A male voice. Unfamiliar. But it seemed to grab Hannah and hold her still. â€Å"I won't hurt you. I promise.† Runrunrunrun! Hannah's mind told her. Very slowly, one hand on the door knob, she turned around. She watched the dark figure coming out of the shadows to her. She didn't try to get away again. She Had a dizzying feeling that fate had caught up with her. The ground sloped, so the light from the house windows showed her his boots first, then the legs of his jeans. Normal walking boots like any Montanan might wear. Ordinary jeans-long legs. He was tall. Then the light showed his shirt, which was an ordinary T-shirt, a little cold to be walking around at night in, but nothing startling. And then his shoulders, which were nice ones. Then, as he stepped to the base of the porch, she saw his face. He looked better than when she had seen him last. His white-blond hair wasn't crazily messed up; it fell neatly over his forehead. He wasn't splattered with mud and his eyes weren't wild. They were dark and so endlessly sad that it was like a knife in the heart just to see him. But it was unmistakably the boy from her hypnosis session. â€Å"Oh, God,† Hannah said. â€Å"Oh, God.† Her knees were giving out. It's real. It's real. He's real and that means†¦ it's all true. â€Å"Oh, God.† She was trembling violently and she had to put pressure on her knees to keep standing. The world was changing around her, and it was the most disorienting thing she'd ever experienced. It was as if the fabric of her universe was actually moving-pulsing and shifting to accommodate the new truths. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. â€Å"Are you all right?† The stranger moved toward her and Hannah recoiled instinctively. â€Å"Don't touch me!† she gasped, and at the same moment her legs gave out. She slid to the floor of the porch and stared at the boy whose face was now approximately level with hers. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he almost whispered. â€Å"I know what you're going through. You're just realizing now, aren't you?† Hannah said, whispering to herself, â€Å"It's all true.† â€Å"Yes.† The dark eyes were so sad. â€Å"It's†¦ I've had past lives.† â€Å"Yes.† He squatted on the ground, looking down as if he couldn't keep staring at her face anymore. He picked up a pebble, examined it. Hannah noticed that his fingers were long and sensitive-looking. â€Å"You're an Old Soul,† he said quietly. â€Å"You've had lots of lives.† â€Å"I was Hana of the Three Rivers.† His fingers stopped rolling the pebble. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And you're Thierry. And you're a †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't look up. â€Å"Go on. Say it.† Hannah couldn't. Her voice wouldn't form the word. The stranger-Thierry-said it for her. â€Å"Vampires are real.† A glance from those unfathomable eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry.† Hannah breathed and looked down at him. But the world had finished its reshaping. Her mind was beginning to work again. At least I know I'm not crazy, she thought. That's some consolation. It's the universe that's insane, not me. And now I have to deal with it-somehow. She said quietly, â€Å"Are you going to kill me now?† â€Å"God-no!† He stood up fast, uncoiling. Shock was naked on his face. â€Å"You don't understand. I would never hurt you. I †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He broke off. â€Å"It's hard to know where to begin.† Hannah sat silently, while he looked around the porch for inspiration. She could feel her heart beating in her throat. She'd told Paul that this boy had killed her, kept killing her. But his look of shock had been so genuine-as if she'd hurt him terribly by even suggesting it. â€Å"I suppose I should start by explaining exactly what I am,† he said. â€Å"And what I've done. I made you come outside tonight. I influenced you. I didn't want to do it, but I had to talk to you.† â€Å"Influenced me?† It's a mental thing. I can also just communicate this way. It was his voice, but his lips weren't moving. And it was the same voice she'd heard at the end of her hypnotic session, the voice that wasn't Paul's. The one that had spoken in her head, saying, Hannah, come back. You don't have to relive this. â€Å"You were the one who woke me up,† Hannah whispered. â€Å"I wouldn't have come back except for you.† â€Å"I couldn't stand to see you hurting like that.† Can somebody with his eyes be evil? He was obviously a different sort of creature than she was, and every move he made showed the grace of a predator. It reminded her of how the wolves had moved-they had rippled. He did, too, his muscles moving so lightly under his skin. He was unnatural- but beautiful. Something struck her. â€Å"The wolves. I picked up a silver picture frame to bash them with. Silver.† She looked at him. â€Å"Werewolves are real.† At the last moment her voice made it a statement instead of a question. â€Å"So much is real that you don't know about. Or that you haven't remembered yet. You were starting to remember with that shrink. You said I was a Lord of the Night World.† The Night World. Just the mention of it sent prickles through Hannah. She could almost remember, but not quite. And she knew it was crazy to be kneeling here having this conversation. She was talking to a vampire. A guy who drank blood for a living. A guy whose every gesture showed he was a hunter. And not only a vampire, but the person her subconscious had been warning her about for weeks. Telling her to be afraid, be very afraid. So why wasn't she running? For one thing, she didn't think her legs would physically support her. And for another-well, somehow she couldn't stop looking at him. â€Å"One of the werewolves was mine,† he was saying quietly. â€Å"She was here to find you-and protect you. But the other one†¦ Hannah, you have to understand. I'm not the only one looking for you.† To protect me. So I was right, Hannah thought. The gray female was on my side. She said, â€Å"Who else is looking?† â€Å"Another Night Person.† He looked away. â€Å"Another vampire.† â€Å"Am I a Night Person?† â€Å"No. You're a human.† He said it the way he said everything, as if reminding her of terrible facts he wished he didn't have to bring up. â€Å"Old Souls are just humans who keep coming back.† â€Å"How many times have I come back?† â€Å"I †¦ I'd have to think about it. Quite a few.† â€Å"And have you been with me in all of them?† â€Å"Any of them I could manage.† â€Å"What do the rest of the notes mean?† Hannah had been gathering speed, and now she was shooting questions at him in machine-gun fashion. She thought she was in control, and she hardly noticed the hysterical edge to her own voice. â€Å"Why am I telling myself I'll be dead before I'm seventeen?† â€Å"Hannah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He reached out a hand to calm her. Hannah's own hand moved by reflex, coming up to ward his off. And then their fingers touched, bare skin to bare skin, and the world disappeared.