Gender Roles in Children’s Literature

Everything we read constructs us, makes us who we are, by presenting our image of ourselves as girls and women, as boys and men† – M. Fox It is a well known fact that children’s literature holds an important role in the development of young children. It has the power to teach, offer meaning and serve purpose all while being entertaining. Children’s literature is a widely available resource that offers children a plentitude of insightful information. Within the pages children’s books lies an immense resource of tools that aid in the development of character for children, and conveys.Gender is an important aspect of development and is a commonly explored theme in children’s literature. Children gain information from many sources such as teachers, family and friends, but they also gain it from literature. Like in every culture the roles of gender in America are an important part of its culture. Gender Identity is a crucial part of a child’ s development because it helps children to see themselves in relation to others. A child develops their sense of gender at a very early age, for most children gender identity begins to develop between 18 and 30 months.After a child has developed their sense of gender they begin to realize that gender is stabile; girls grow up to become woman and boys grow up to become men. By the time a child is the age of four or five they have come to prefer participating and playing in activities that are defined by society as gender appropriate. It is during childhood that children begin to fall victim of stereotypical behaviors. For example girls refusing to play with trucks or wear pant because it is not considered feminine by society. Lawrence Kohlberg an American Psychologist outlines the stages of gender development.Kohlberg outlines gender development in three stages. The first being Gender labeling, in this stage children identify others as male or female based on physical appearance. The second stage is when children begin to recognize that gender is stable over time; gender stability. And the third stage is gender consistency; children understand that gender is permanent. But what influences children to know what’s appropriate for their gender? The answer may be found in a theory known as Gender Schema. The Gender Schema is a psychological theory that explains how children develop their gender roles.This theory suggests that children learn about male and females roles from the society in which they live in. This theory also suggests that children adjust their gender behaviors to conform to the gender expectations of their culture. Children acquire cultural information about their gender roles from a variety of sources; parents, teachers, family, media and literature. Through literature children are exposed to characters that outline the expected behaviors for each gender. Children take the information given to them and then try to conform themselves to what is expected of them.Because of this children are unable to know their full potential, forcing them to abide within their given roles. Since the beginning of time gender has defined ones role in society. â€Å"Like class, race and ethnicity, gender shapes just about every part of our lives. † (Macions pg 90). Society places roles and expectations for each gender that are played in out in every aspect of life; home, school, work, playgrounds and literature. As children develop they are subjected to messages from society, which helps them to gain understanding of the world around them and molds them into their given roles.The way, in which gender roles are portrayed in children’s literature, significantly contributes to the development of children’s gender roles and how they are perceived by society. It is important to teach children about gender roles since it is something that society holds in regards, but most of the time in literature it is done unequally. The portrayal of gender in literature is based off of the expectations of society and places bias on gender. Boys are portrayed as strong, adventurous, independent and capable and often play the roles of fighters, adventurers and rescuers.Girls are portrayed as sweet, naive, dependent, sensitive and emotional and play roles such as caretakers, princesses and mothers. The roles of gender portrayed in literature are often a reflection of the views of society and do not offer objective insight. Even though it is important to teach children about gender roles, the fashion in which it is done in does not allow children to see beyond those expectations. If a young girl is constantly read stories about a woman’s role as a housewife, homemaker and mother, she will assume that’s what is expected of her and will not know society will allow her to be anything she wants to be.Gender roles in children’s literature are linked to gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes have always been a part of society and are seen in almost every aspect of life. Stereotypes are defined as â€Å"exaggerated descriptions applied to every person in the same category. † (Macions p. 72). For every ethnic, racial and gender category society places stereotypes to describe certain groups of people. Gender stereotypes in children’s literature are portrayed in the traits, role behaviors, physical characteristics, and occupations of characters in children’s literature.The common messages in children’s literature about gender put emphasis on the traditional roles of men and woman. Unfortunately traditional roles are often unequal and place males as dominant over woman. Traditional gender encompasses the concept of masculinity and femininity. In many countries around the world, the traditional roles of gender are greatly valued. The traditional role of gender places woman as the homemakers and men as the provider. â€Å"Girls are always shown as passive and girls are always shown as being active. † (BookStove. com).With such emphasis on tradition, children’s literature does not allow children to see past the stereotypical expectations of society. It is no wonder why gender inequality in children’s literature is so prevalent when society places unequal views upon gender. Unfortunately much of the children’s literature today contains gender stereotypes as previously discussed. One would most likely assume that this is something of the past but it is as present today as it was in past decades. A reason for this could be that â€Å"Gender-role development is one of the most important areas of human development† (Noppe).Since gender roles are an important aspect of development for children, it is a significant topic in literature. However in the majority of children’s books the main characters are predominantly male, thus limiting opportunities for girls to identify with and validate their own gende r. The male gender has been the dominant of the two sexes since the beginning of time, which explains why male characters are dominant in children’s books. The majority of children’s books have a male as the main character, leaving females with the minority of literary experiences aimed for them. In an analysis of children’s book titles by S.Ernst it was â€Å"found that male names represented nearly twice as often as female names† (Tsao). Ernst also found that books that had gender neutral and girls names were actually about boys. Gender roles and stereotypes force young children to conform to traditional stereotypes regarding gender. Because of this, boys feel pressured to live up to the standards of masculinity while girls feel pressured to be feminine. Gender based beliefs are incorporated into a majority of literature written for children. Even though the stereotypical divide between males and females is not a large as it was 40 years ago, it is stil l present today. When they are repeatedly given stereotypical messages, their choices of what they want to become or accomplish is limited by these gender stereotypes† (Bookstove. com). Today both males and females are doctors, soldiers, teachers, athletes, government leaders, stay at home parents and much more, however this is not fully represented in children’s literature. Females in children’s literature are all too often â€Å"portrayed in a narrow and biased way† (Bookstove. com). Over the past few decades societal changes in gender roles have lead the stereotypical beliefs of gender to represent something different than what it used to.With so many changes in the views of society you would think that children’s literature would reflect these changes but all too often they do not. And most often the books that do challenge the beliefs of society draw great controversy causing them to be put on the back burner in favor of more traditional childr en’s books. The stereotypical roles of gender that are portrayed in children’s literature have been the cause of much controversy in recent years. However a solution to remedy the abundance of gender stereotypes in literature has not yet been reached.It is believed that the ideas of masculinity and femininity are too deeply embedded in society making it especially difficult to change. Every aspect of society is shadowed with stereotypical beliefs that are perceived through media, advertising, literature and socialization. These models are a constant reassure that exploits gender stereotypes. According to Bookstove. com, guidelines were implemented in an attempt to eliminate sexist roles in children’s literature. These guidelines were expected to encourage a healthier development of gender for young children but unfortunately did not persist to combat the situation.Thus making it evident, that stereotypes are too deeply rooted in society. It will be interesting t o see how the issue pans out over the coming decades. Gender identity is a crucial part of a child’s development and will most likely remain a common theme amongst children’s literature. The views of gender depicted in literature may prevent children from participating in activities that would best suit their capabilities and personalities. It is important to understand and learn the expectations of society but children’s literature does not fully allow children to develop concepts of individuality.Today society places value on individuality and does not limit life chances to certain genders, but this is all too often not shown in children’s literature. In order to help children in the process of gender identity one must realize that children need chances to interpret the world around them without the insight and beliefs of society. Hopefully in time children’s literature will steer away from the stereotypical beliefs of gender and focus on non-tra ditional gender roles, allowing children to see themselves in many different aspects.Works Cited Macions, John J. Social Problems. New York: Pearson, 2008. Noppe, Illene C. social. jrank. org. 1 December 2010 . Tsao, Ya-Lun. â€Å"Gender Issues in Young Children's Literature. † Reading Improvement (2008). â€Å"Unknown. † 12 3 2007. Bookstove. com. 5 December 2010 . â€Å"Gender Development: Gender Schema Theory. † Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. Oxford: Elsevier Science ; Technology, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 06 December 2010. Fox, M. (1993). Men who weep, boys who dance: The gender agenda between the lines in children’s literature. Language Arts, 70 (2), 84-88. [EJ457107].

Fdi Norms, Foreign Participation in an Indian Insurance Company

As per the current (Mar 06) FDI norms, foreign participation in an Indian insurance company is restricted to 26. 0% of its equity / ordinary share capital. The Union Budget for fiscal 2005 had recommended that the ceiling on foreign holding be increased to 49. 0%. The government approved the much-awaited comprehensive Insurance Bill that seeks to raise foreign direct investment (FDI) cap in private sector to 49 per cent from 26 per cent. abc 4JVGh 7596 Insurance Market in India: Past-Present-Future pic2 pyYXW 7596FDI Cap 49% from 26%: Impact on Indian Insurance Industry A higher foreign direct investment (FDI) will unshackle the insurance industry and drive growth and long-term development enrich the business by bringing world-class business practices and processes expand distribution capabilities and deepen market penetration. Over US$ 2 billion of foreign capital could flow into the country if the Government were to pass the Insurance Amendment Bill that raises the FDI limit. Scene 1: Change in waive service tax on micro insurance productsThe growth of the rural insurance industry necessitates a waiver of the service tax, which currently stands at 10. 3 per cent, including education cess. This tax is detrimental to the growth of the rural insurance industry and insensitive to the plight of rural populace which lacks quality healthcare and is vulnerable to numerous perils, including illness, accidental death and disability, loss of property due to theft or fire, agricultural losses, and disasters of both the natural and man-made varieties.Rural insurance has an enormous potential for growth and a service tax waiver will make micro insurance products more affordable for the rural populace, and will drive pan-India penetration of this market. Scene 2: Revision on Service tax on small transactions There is an urgent need to increase the threshold for the levy of service tax on policies. The present notification exempts small transactions involving premium of less than Rs 50 (except motor insurance) from the ambit of service tax.The threshold limit of Rs 50 which was fixed in 1994 needs urgent revision. Small transactions involving premium up to Rs 1,000 should be exempt from service tax which will benefit the under-privileged sections of our society. Insurance premium for covering small and medium enterprise risks should be exempt from service tax. For other insurance products, we would like a reduction in the service tax by at least 3-4 per cent. Scene 3: Exempting personal insurance from service taxThere is an overwhelming demand across all players in the industry that individual health insurance policies should be totally exempt from service tax. Exemption of health insurance from the service tax will make health cover affordable and accessible for the layman. Consequently, cheaper health insurance will increase its pan-India penetration. Additional IT exemption for householders’ policies and concessional IT rates will give a fill ip to home insurance and will also reduce the burden on the government in the event of catastrophes. Scene 4: Exemption for profit on sale of investmentsTo encourage general insurance players to be active participants in capital markets, there is a requirement for specific exemption from income-tax on profit on sale of investments. The issue of admissibility of UPR (unexpired premium reserves) as per IRDA regulations rather than as per Insurance Act only, for IT deductions. The UPR is at present restricted to the extent of limits specified in rule 6E of the Income Tax rules due to which insurance companies need to pay tax beyond their profit disclosed in their audited accounts. Hence, the UPR created as per IRDA regulations should be allowed as per rule 6E.

The Future of Jakarta

Jakarta faces a number of problems as it develops. They include traffic congestion, flooding, waste disposal and ensuring a supply of clean water to Jakarta’s inhabitants. How serious are these problems? Will you want to live in Jakarta in 2025? Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia has suffered many problems for decades. Recent years have seen increasing concern about some problems in Jakarta. The major problems are traffic congestion, flooding, waste disposal and ensuring a supply of clean water to Jakarta’s inhabitants. These problems are interconnected.Jakarta is the best destination for Indonesians to get a better life, but this can result in traffic jams because of the overpopulation. It appears that the people of Jakarta have a bad attitude towards garbage disposal, and this contributes to the problem of flooding. Even though Jakarta has many problems, some people choose to live here and some have no other choices. As Jakarta develops, the problems are also gett ing bigger. They have to be eliminated as soon as possible to create a better future for Jakarta. Jakarta is the capital and largest city in Indonesia.Located on the northwest coast of Java, it is the most populous city in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia. The official metropolitan area, known as Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi), is the second largest in the world. By this definition, I understand that Jakarta is the focus of Indonesia. Jakarta is a center of economic, cultural, education and political that can enable Jakarta to develop. We also know that Jakarta has one of the largest populations in the world. This is one of the factors of the ever-increasing major problems. This essay has been divided into three parts.The first part deals with the overpopulation in Jakarta. The second part looks at the traffic jam and flooding that are the major problems of Jakarta. The third part of this essay considers the positive things that are developing in Jakarta as a metropolitan city. Finally, I will conclude my ideas. These help us to the purpose of this essay which is deciding to live in Jakarta in 2050 or not. According to Jakarta Post (Jakarta’s growing numbers, 2010), Jakarta’s population is increasing at an alarming level. According to the recent national census, the capital city is inhabited by nearly 9.6 million people.The city’s population is 4 percent of the country’s total population of 237. 6 million people. With the new figures, we can see that the city’s population has grown 4. 4 percent over the last 10 years, up from 8. 3 million in 2000. Jakarta is a busy, overcrowded city with traffic chaos every day and slums in many areas. Currently, less than 10 percent of the city is dedicated to open spaces. We can easily guess that urbanization is the biggest factor of population growth in Jakarta because Jakarta attracts people with its advantages.For example, Young farmers prefer to leave their hom etowns to work in the city due to a lack of government incentives in the agricultural sector, while people with higher education prefer to work in Jakarta because Jakarta has the best education and job opportunities than other provinces. The problem can be solved by reducing disparities between Jakarta and other provinces. One of the major problems in Jakarta is traffic jams. Nowadays the traffic jams become worse it is difficult to go anywhere without delay. Since the modern era, everybody needs transportation to live and we cannot separate transportation and traffic.As Balie (2009) points out, statistic show total vehicles in Jakarta now are about 4,9 million, of which 2,8 million have two wheels and 2,1 million have four wheels. We almost see traffic chaos every time especially at works and school time which is at 7 am and 6 pm. There are some factors that cause traffic jams. The first one is too much private transportation such as cars and motorcycles. We can get motorcycle easi ly with only 1 million rupiah in Jakarta. People think that using public transportation may lose their privacy and uncomfortable. The second one is the bad conditions of public transportation.Jakarta has some public transportation such as buses, trains, the busway system, taxis and others, but in general it is not in a good condition so people do not want to use it. There is no definite schedule for Transjakarta or trains and both are very crowded. There are many accidents with trains or buses in Jakarta so it is unsafe too. That is why people choose private transportation. Finally, there is frequent violation of traffic regulations. People tend to break the rules because they just think about themselves, and they do not think about others.For example, if students are late for school, they will break the rules or regulations by riding fast even though it is in traffic. On the other hand, the police can be bribed easily so people will repeat their mistakes again and again. Flooding i s also a major problem in Jakarta. This occurs in Jakarta repeatedly every rainy season. Jakarta was built below sea-level. The land is below the water, creating a city that is very familiar with the problems of flooding. The government still cannot resolve that problem until now. There are some other factors that cause floods in Jakarta.The first one is a lack of awareness of people in Jakarta to obey rules. People in Jakarta appear selfish and they do not care about others. They often litter everywhere and never think about the damage they cause. For example, they throw garbage in the river or irrigation. It makes the river full of garbage and when it is rainy, it will overflow. In addition, people do not care about their environment in Jakarta. Second reason is natural factors. Heavy rain can cause flooding in Jakarta. Moreover, almost every area in Jakarta is under water and there is no area for water absorption.Flooding gives many disadvantages such as diseases and destroyed ne ighborhoods. Many children and adults are affected by malaria and other diseases, which are quite dangerous to their safety. Usually the diseases occur in the slums of Jakarta neighborhood where people do not heed the rules. In contrast, Jakarta is a metropolitan city that offers many advantages. Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo (as cited in Smith, 2009) said that Jakarta is not only as Indonesia capital city, but also center of economic, culture, and education.At this moment, Jakarta is growing strongly but its population is at the buffer zones. We can see that Jakarta is a good place for trading and manufacturing. There are lots of foreign companies in Jakarta. Jakarta is the most luxurious and busiest city in Indonesia. The other advantages are entertainment. Jakarta has modern office towers, luxury shopping malls, night clubs, restaurants and cafes, theme parks and many more. It is really comfortable and enjoyable to live in Jakarta. For example, Plaza Indonesia mall offers a theater , luxury cafes and stores that attracts many people to go there.Beside the disadvantages, Jakarta can be a comfortable place to live. It can be concluded that Jakarta as an overpopulated city has some advantages and disadvantages. Jakarta is a beautiful city and it is a good place to live if we know how to live properly there. Besides that, the problems occur every day in Jakarta because it is a busy city. We face traffic chaos every day and flooding every rainy season. The problems are still unsolved by the government and the citizens. They still put their effort to find the best solutions for Jakarta.In the future, I personally do not want to live in Jakarta if the problems are unsolved. I think Jakarta already has good entertainment and lifestyle but the traffic is too chaotic and the flooding is too dangerous. It is unsafe to live here for a long time with the pollution, diseases, crime, and much more. In 2025 if the government still does not have solutions, Jakarta will be more overpopulated and the traffic will be everywhere. So I would prefer to live in another city that is more comfortable and safe where traffic jams and flooding are not big problems. The Future Of Jakarta Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia has suffered many problems for decades. Recent years have seen increasing concern about some problems in Jakarta. The major problems are traffic congestion, flooding, waste disposal and ensuring a supply of clean water to Jakarta’s inhabitants. These problems are interconnected. Jakarta is the best destination for Indonesians to get a better life, but this can result in traffic jams because of the overpopulation. It appears that the people of Jakarta have a bad attitude towards garbage disposal, and this contributes to the problem of flooding.Even though Jakarta has many problems, some people choose to live here and some have no other choices. As Jakarta develops, the problems are also getting bigger. They have to be eliminated as soon as possible to create a better future for Jakarta. Jakarta is the capital and largest city in Indonesia. Located on the northwest coast of Java, it is the most populous city in Indonesia and in Southeast As ia. The official metropolitan area, known as Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi), is the second largest in the world. By this definition, I understand that Jakarta is the focus of Indonesia.Jakarta is a center of economic, cultural, education and political that can enable Jakarta to develop. We also know that Jakarta has one of the largest populations in the world. This is one of the factors of the ever-increasing major problems. This essay has been divided into three parts. The first part deals with the overpopulation in Jakarta. The second part looks at the traffic jam and flooding that are the major problems of Jakarta. The third part of this essay considers the positive things that are developing in Jakarta as a metropolitan city.Finally, I will conclude my ideas. These help us to the purpose of this essay which is deciding to live in Jakarta in 2050 or not. According to Jakarta Post (Jakarta’s growing numbers, 2010), Jakarta’s population is i ncreasing at an alarming level. According to the recent national census, the capital city is inhabited by nearly 9. 6 million people. The city’s population is 4 percent of the country’s total population of 237. 6 million people. With the new figures, we can see that the city’s population has grown 4. 4 percent over the last 10 years, up from 8. 3 million in 2000.Jakarta is a busy, overcrowded city with traffic chaos every day and slums in many areas. Currently, less than 10 percent of the city is dedicated to open spaces. We can easily guess that urbanization is the biggest factor of population growth in Jakarta because Jakarta attracts people with its advantages. For example, Young farmers prefer to leave their hometowns to work in the city due to a lack of government incentives in the agricultural sector, while people with higher education prefer to work in Jakarta because Jakarta has the best education and job opportunities than other provinces.The problem ca n be solved by reducing disparities between Jakarta and other provinces. One of the major problems in Jakarta is traffic jams. Nowadays the traffic jams become worse it is difficult to go anywhere without delay. Since the modern era, everybody needs transportation to live and we cannot separate transportation and traffic. As Balie (2009) points out, statistic show total vehicles in Jakarta now are about 4,9 million, of which 2,8 million have two wheels and 2,1 million have four wheels. We almost see traffic chaos every time especially at works and school time which is at 7 am and 6 pm.There are some factors that cause traffic jams. The first one is too much private transportation such as cars and motorcycles. We can get motorcycle easily with only 1 million rupiah in Jakarta. People think that using public transportation may lose their privacy and uncomfortable. The second one is the bad conditions of public transportation. Jakarta has some public transportation such as buses, train s, the busway system, taxis and others, but in general it is not in a good condition so people do not want to use it. There is no definite schedule for Transjakarta or trains and both are very crowded.There are many accidents with trains or buses in Jakarta so it is unsafe too. That is why people choose private transportation. Finally, there is frequent violation of traffic regulations. People tend to break the rules because they just think about themselves, and they do not think about others. For example, if students are late for school, they will break the rules or regulations by riding fast even though it is in traffic. On the other hand, the police can be bribed easily so people will repeat their mistakes again and again. Flooding is also a major problem in Jakarta. This occurs in Jakarta repeatedly every rainy season.Jakarta was built below sea-level. The land is below the water, creating a city that is very familiar with the problems of flooding. The government still cannot re solve that problem until now. There are some other factors that cause floods in Jakarta. The first one is a lack of awareness of people in Jakarta to obey rules. People in Jakarta appear selfish and they do not care about others. They often litter everywhere and never think about the damage they cause. For example, they throw garbage in the river or irrigation. It makes the river full of garbage and when it is rainy, it will overflow.In addition, people do not care about their environment in Jakarta. Second reason is natural factors. Heavy rain can cause flooding in Jakarta. Moreover, almost every area in Jakarta is under water and there is no area for water absorption. Flooding gives many disadvantages such as diseases and destroyed neighborhoods. Many children and adults are affected by malaria and other diseases, which are quite dangerous to their safety. Usually the diseases occur in the slums of Jakarta neighborhood where people do not heed the rules. In contrast, Jakarta is a metropolitan city that offers many advantages.Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo (as cited in Smith, 2009) said that Jakarta is not only as Indonesia capital city, but also center of economic, culture, and education. At this moment, Jakarta is growing strongly but its population is at the buffer zones. We can see that Jakarta is a good place for trading and manufacturing. There are lots of foreign companies in Jakarta. Jakarta is the most luxurious and busiest city in Indonesia. The other advantages are entertainment. Jakarta has modern office towers, luxury shopping malls, night clubs, restaurants and cafes, theme parks and many more. It is really comfortable and enjoyable to live in Jakarta.For example, Plaza Indonesia mall offers a theater, luxury cafes and stores that attracts many people to go there. Beside the disadvantages, Jakarta can be a comfortable place to live. It can be concluded that Jakarta as an overpopulated city has some advantages and disadvantages. Jakarta is a beautif ul city and it is a good place to live if we know how to live properly there. Besides that, the problems occur every day in Jakarta because it is a busy city. We face traffic chaos every day and flooding every rainy season. The problems are still unsolved by the government and the citizens.They still put their effort to find the best solutions for Jakarta. In the future, I personally do not want to live in Jakarta if the problems are unsolved. I think Jakarta already has good entertainment and lifestyle but the traffic is too chaotic and the flooding is too dangerous. It is unsafe to live here for a long time with the pollution, diseases, crime, and much more. In 2025 if the government still does not have solutions, Jakarta will be more overpopulated and the traffic will be everywhere. So I would prefer to live in another city that is more comfortable and safe where traffic jams and flooding are not big problems.

Corprate law general partnership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corprate law general partnership - Essay Example In the United Kingdom, the laws governing the creation of partnerships differ from those in Saudi Arabia. Being under the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom embraces provisions created by the body. The creation of a partnership is perceived and any other entrepreneur venture. However, certification of partnership in the United Kingdom is only awarded to business entities with more than one person as partners. The number of partners in such business entities is limited to twenty. After its creation, partners are required to provide full names for registration. After registration all person stated as partners are provided with the mandate of conducting business of behalf of the business entity (DeMott, 2001). Upon creation, partners are required to create profit and loss sharing ratios. In most cases, partners are required to determine this ration by considering the capital contribution for each partner. This minimizes cases of misunderstanding in future situations. Additionally, partnerships are required to name the entity in regards to the names of all partners. However, this name procedu re could be ignored as embrace a naming system that has been agreed after deliberation by all partners (DeMott, 2001). The author further points out that if names as used in naming the entity, it would be illegal to exclude the name of one partner (DeMott, 2001). Running of general partnerships is done by all members. However, the law provides that partners may agree to hire a person in the position to conduct business on their behalf. However, this process should be clear and the decision provided to the government for clarification. In situations where the partners control the business, each partner has the right to access business information as well conduct business on behalf of the company. In cases of debt, all partners would share the risk (Arthur, 2003). However, personal properties of the partners cannot be liable for confiscation when the company

Ethical Issues in Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Issues in Media - Research Paper Example So, in case it features some corruption in terms of Ethics, the impact that it has on the social environment will be quite destructive. In addition to that, media platforms are known to form public opinion; therefore, if they convey information that is not correct, a part of the society will develop a wrong perception of reality. This paper will analyze an example that appeared in the media and violated ethics of journalism, proving that this is not acceptable for a reliable source of news and have negative influence on the society in general. Thus, when NBC which is a well known network was covering the shooting of Trayvon Martin, it featured audio recording that portray the alleged killer in a biased way. For example, George Zimmerman is showing saying: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.† (â€Å"Trayvon Martin case†). However, this is not exactly what Zimmerman said. He did say that the person who he was watching was up to no good, but the phrase â€Å"he looks black† was a reply to the question: â€Å"OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?† (Wemple, 2012). So, in the first situation, people might think that Zimmerman was a racial profiler since he connected ethnicity of the boy and his activity; however, the objective picture shows that he simply answered the question that he was asked (Ross, 2014, 64). Therefore, one would make no mistake pointing out that NBC presented an incorrect depiction of Zimmerman, trying to make him appear a worse perso n than he actually was. The First Amendment should be engaged in the discussion of this situation. According to it, the law prohibits any infringing on the freedom of the press; however, the latter is required to convey objective data. In case it fails to do so, the law should punish it (Anastaplo, 2007, 222). If one takes a look at the ethical issue in question, one will be able to see that it compromises justice to a

Forecast of the Nature of Training 20 Years Hence Essay

Forecast of the Nature of Training 20 Years Hence - Essay Example The next step is to make augmented reality systems mobile (Macchiarella, 2005). In 1995, Gordon Moore, Chairman Emeritus of Intel predicted that computational power will double every 18-24 months. This would mean that in 20 years, computers would be able to handle data and processes at least 10 times of what it can do today. Having said that, we can let imagination run wild with the kinds of computer-based training systems that will be available 20 years from now. This author predicts that in 20 years time computing power would have multiplied ten times over, the physical size of devices would have shrunk 10 times its original size, and mobile facilities would have increased an unimaginable number. This means that limitless training can be had conveniently using a conveniently small computing device which can be carted around anywhere. Palm-sized computers equipped with electronic writing device, earpiece, internet access, and interactivity can replace conventional devices used for web-based training. Such devices can even be taken to the work area and can be used to provide a readily accessible reference "material" in case problems are encountered on the job. Macchiarella's prediction of making augmented reality training systems mobile could well be achieved in 20 years. Learning booths for various AR training would have been mass-produced and installed in convenient locations such as community centers, malls, airports or other places where p eople go to when they have spare time or where have to wait and needlessly waste time. Access cards to the training booths may be equipped with a payment facility for pay-per-use training or to logon to an organization’s training program. ... Access cards to the training booths may be equipped with a payment facility for pay-per-use training or to logon to an organization's training program. Trainer-trainee interaction may have become readily available after 20 years. In much the same way that 24/7 operations are conducted, trainers on shift would be able to interact with trainees from any part of the world who has accessed a training material over the internet. Using a mobile device with instant messaging capabilities would make this possible. According to Wexler (2008), different training technology modalities are on the rise and this is expected to continue for the next decades. These are podcasts, blogs, communities of practice, Wikis, LMS, online references, online assessment and testing, synchronous and asynchronous e-Learning, learning content management and portals. Moreover, the training profession is also forecasted to diversify and specialize in new areas such as aggregators of content who will sell access to t heir content to organizations which need them, developers of generic courses who will sell their courses on a pay-per-use basis, or developers of specific courses targeted to specific industry requirements (Heathfield, 2008). With technology advancing by leaps and bounds, the applications for training may well be limitless. If it can be imagined, it will most probably be possible. Assignment 2: Statement of Work Abstract Due to increasing diversity in the workplace, there is a need to level the field in terms of English language communication. Effective communication among community members is essential for peaceful coexistence and for solving many day-to-day problems. The constant flow of information from country to country in a globalized world has created the need to

Best Buy business problem and technology solution Essay

Best Buy business problem and technology solution - Essay Example This paper also details technological solutions to enable and to augment the proposed business solutions to get Best Buy back on its feet financially and strategically. These technological solutions are the use of an ERP system or the enhancement of the existing ERP system to make the supply chain more efficient; and the use of data analytics to better understand buyer behavior and preferences (Crosby, 2014; McIntyre, 2014; Zacks Equity Research, 2014; Google, 2014). Best Buy is a retailer of electronics products for consumers, products for computing and for cellular communications, related products for entertainment, home appliances, and the services that are tied to their merchandise. Best Buy is a multinational concern. Aside from owning physical retail outlets spread out in its key geographic markets, Best Buy also has several web properties as well as call centers. Its e-commerce platforms include The Phone House, Future Shop, Magnolia Audio Video, Geek Squad, Pacific Sales, Best Buy Mobile, Five Star, The Carphone Warehouse, and Best Buy. The company divides its operations as a multinational between the United States market on the one hand, and the international market on the other, with the latter made up of its combined operations in Mexico, Europe, China and Canada. In these different latter markets Best Buy employs different subsets its stable of brands. For instance, in China, Best Buy makes use of its Five Star Brand, while in Europe Best Buy has traction as The Carphone Warehouse, Geek Squad, and The Phone House. The US market is comprised of six product segments or categories, namely mobile telephony and computing, services, electronics for consumers, the appliances segment, entertainment products segment, and the others segment. The entertainment division offerings include digital downloads of media, as well as DVD and CD sales, together with Bluray sales. Services include after sales and

Booker T washington Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Booker T washington - Essay Example One of the most prominent amongst this school is the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. This school operated with a purpose to deploy such skills which prove to be profitable for the black Americans as well as the oppressed minorities. His purpose was to empower the troubled minorities and the black nation and unite them on a single platform. In this novel he does not forget the generosity of the instructors and the humanitarians who were involved in the education process of the black as well as Native Americans. "I was born a slave on a plantation in Franklin County, Virginia. I am not quite sure of the exact place or exact date of my birth, but at any rate I suspect I must have been born somewhere and at some time." (History, Booker) Booker had a very disturbed childhood. Since he was born during a time where slavery was at its peak and no records where maintained of the slave class therefore his birthday remains controversial. As he was born in a state where black Americans were not c onsidered human therefore he was forced to work in the mines with his stepfather. During the time when a child was supposed to be enrolled to acquire his basic education, Booker on the other hand had become a victim of child labor. He had to spend his entire day in the furnace and whatever time he got after that he spent on educating himself through the book his mother gifted him. Later a school was established within their region with a purpose to educate the blacks. Thus he wanted to get enrolled in the school, when he asked his parents they refused as their financial state did not allow them to lose a child who was earning bread and butter for their family. This disturbed state had a profound impact on Booker and inspired him to do well for his nation, and bring about a change within them Booker spent his childhood as a slave. At an age where he was supposed to go to school he worked at a burning furnace. Later he was a slave to the whites where he used to carry his mistress to s chool at an age where he should have been carrying his luggage to school. At Virginia it was a trend that all the white families owned a black slave who used to perform their everyday chores as well as obey their master's command what so ever it be. He states in his autobiography that his masters were cruel and they did not have any sort of humanity remaining in them. The answer to the question that how his masters treated him was answered at various points in the book. In the book he wrote that his life when it started was a victim of misery, desolation and despair. But he believed that he was fairly lucky when it came to masters who kept him as slaves as they were not as cruel as others. the worst part that Booker experienced was that he had to get whipped if he reached late for work. So apparently he was victim of physical assault as well. He even describes the height of brutality which his uncle faced when he asked his master to pray. For this act he was whipped with hunter made out of cow leather by being tied to the bark of a tree. This was the level of torture and the inhumanity that a slave had to experience during that era. Further "Black and white abolitionists in the first half of the nineteenth century waged a biracial assault against slavery. Their efforts proved to be extremely effective. Abolitionists focused attention on slavery and made it difficult to ignore. They heightened

Gun control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Gun control - Essay Example This paper will argue that there is a need for national laws regulating the sale of fire arms in gun shows, flea markets, and conventions. The controversy between gun control and gun rights advocates starts with the gun casualty statistics in America. Gun control proponents cite spiraling casualties as the reason for government intervention, while gun rights proponents downplay the carnage. For instance, since the 1990s, statistics compiled that each day in the United States, a person dies by gunshot every eighteen minutes, totaling nearly 30,000 deaths per year: about half of these are suicides, another 11,000 are murders, and about 1,500 are gunshot accidents. (Crooker, p. 1) The Violence Policy Center has reported the following figures on firearms deaths and injuries: Firearms are the second leading cause of traumatic death to a consumer product in the United States and are the second most frequent cause of death overall for Americans ages 15 to 24. Since 1960, more than a million Americans have died in firearm suicide, homiides and unintentional injuries. (cited in Crooker, p. 2) Critics of gun control argue that a rather large empirical literature has failed to establish a consistent, statistically significant link between gun ownership and crime. According to William Shughart, it was even reported that there is a negative relationship (i.e., that gun ownership deters crime), (p. 157) The consensus finding – no statistically significant link – seems consistent with ordinary common sense: Criminals can use guns to prey on law-abiding citizens, but if guns were legal. Law-abiding citizens can also use guns to defend themselves from the criminal elements. It is possible, Harry Wilson (2006) wrote, that all citizens benefit from those who own guns if criminals are deterred because they think a potential victim might be armed. (p. 74) Indeed, there is probably no stopping the individual who is intent upon killing another

Sources Of International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sources Of International Law - Essay Example 2. Customary law: International customs are the oldest and the original source of international as well as of law in general.3 Article 38 (b) of the statute of international court of justice recognises international custom as evidence of general practice accepted as law. Elements of customary law. i) Long duration: - This is true of a custom in municipal law. However, this requirement is not necessary in international law. Article 38 of the statute of the international court of justice directs the world court to apply international custom as evidence of a general practice accepted as law. Emphasis is not given on a practice being repeated 3.Oppenheim's International Law, note 4 p 25. ii) Uniformity and consistency: The custom should be uniform and consistent. In the asylum case4 the International Court of Justice observed that the rule invoked should be in accordance with a constant and uniform usage practiced by the states in question. Article 38 of the statute of the court, which refers to international custom as evidence of a general practice, accepted as law. In its judgment of 27 June, 1986 in the case concerning Military and paramilitary activities in and against Nicaragua5 while referring occasional violations of the principles of non- intervention the International Court of Justice observed: "It is not to be expected that in the practice of states the application of the rules in question should have been perfect in the sense that states should have refrained, with complete consistence, from the use of force or from intervention in each other's internal affairs. The court does not consider that, for a rule to be established as customary, the corresponding practice must be in absolutely rigorous...Whenever an international court decides an international dispute its first endeavour is to find out whether there is international treaty, the decision of the court is based on that treaty. According to article 2 of the Vienna convention on the law of the Treaties, 1969, "A treaty is an agreement ii) Uniformity and consistency: The custom should be uniform and consistent. In the asylum case4 the International Court of Justice observed that the rule invoked should be in accordance with a constant and uniform usage practiced by the states in question. In its judgment of 27 June, 1986 in the case concerning Military and paramilitary activities in and against Nicaragua5 while referring occasional violations of the principles of non- intervention the International Court of Justice observed: "It is not to be expected that in the practice of states the application of the rules in question should have been perfect in the sense that states should have refrained, with complete consistence, from the use of force or from intervention in each other's internal affairs. The court does not consider that, for a rule to be established as customary, the corresponding practice must be in absolutely rigorous conformity with the rule."6 iv) Opinion juris et necessitates: - According to arti

Breakfast Club Analysis Essay Example for Free

Breakfast Club Analysis Essay The well-known song â€Å"Don’t You Forget about Me† plays at the end of the movie The Breakfast Club, signaling not only the end of the famous movie, but also the end of the transitory group that had developed in the earlier scenes. Although movie was released over twenty years ago, high school students today can still use the labels that are examined in the movie to identify themselves in the cruel world they call high school. With the final lines â€Å"you see us as you want to see usIn the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions,† the point of the movie finally becomes apparent; stereotypes are not accurate representations of teenagers, but instead they accurately represent who teenagers think they are. There is no doubt that students all come with labels; it is inevitable. But whether a student is a brain, a jock or a princess, they are all greatly impacted by the stereotypes and boundaries that are a part of each of their social groups. To teenagers, being a part of a social group is huge, as portrayed in The Breakfast Club. As soon as the movie starts, viewers can decipher the cliques that each student is in. When the students are being dropped off, viewers assume which cliques each student is in by their appearances, how they respond to their parents, and how they react to coming to school on a Saturday. The most important identification of each student’s clique is seen by where they sit in the library. Much like the school cafeteria today, the students sat where they felt comfortable. In this case, it was away from everyone else in the room, with the exception of Andrew and Claire who were already in similar social groups and had similar friends. Bender eventually approaches the topic of the students’ separate cliques by asking Andrew, â€Å"Do you think Id speak for you? I dont even know your language.† The students, while all in similar situations have trouble effectively communicating because they do not really know each other. This proves how drastically different teenagers are from those not included in their immediate friend group. Humans in general, especially teenagers, are greatly influenced by their peers and the activities that their peers participate in. This means that they are also largely impacted by the stereotypes that are associated with their cliques and social groups. Stereotypes change who teenagers think they are based upon what others are saying about them. Being forced into a role can completely change who a person is or how someone acts. For example, Andrew felt genuinely bad about taping together Larry Lester’s butt cheeks,  but he was influenced by his friends and by the expectations that he thought his father had for him. These expectations can drastically impact how teenagers treat one another. At the end of the movie, the boundaries outlined earlier in the film are semi-broken. Although, Claire tells Bender that she hates her friends, she remains friends with them because she does not feel like she would belong in another clique. The boundaries that are formed from the very beginning, such as the language each teenager uses or the lunches that they have, are finally broken when Allison takes the varsity letter off of Andrew’s jacket and when Claire gives Bender her earring. Although neither of these actions is huge, and none of the students will leave their prior friend group, they are beginning to break the boundaries that separated them in the first place. And though the breakfast club may never speak to each other again, they have developed a greater sense of understanding for each other and the cliques that they are all in. While Brian, Allison, Bender, Claire, and Andy may never talk to each other again, they may reconsider how they treat someone in a different social group than them or how they perceive someone who is different than them. The cliques are still going to exist, yet the students will be able to see others for who they really are, not for who others think they should be. Whether a student is impacted directly by their friends and peers, or by the boundaries that tie them to a specific group, the fact that there mindset is shifted by these pressures is unavoidable.

American TV comedy Essay Example for Free

American TV comedy Essay Sit-coms in television history have been one of the most important genres for expressing the values of the middle and lower classes in our society, not in order to make fun of them but to express the best of them in a softer way. For the general public today, the sit-com is like the pantomime was for the Victorians. British comedy still has a Victorian taste, but it is one that is only recognized and truly appreciated by the British, which makes the British sitcoms less universal, and it does also express a more localised British culture. In reality, the appeal of American sit-coms in relation to the British is clear. In the UK, the use of social class stereotypes is more intense; they rely on a more complex social background than the US. Although it is generally felt that UK culture is gradually becoming less defined by the stereotypes of social class, it is notable that in the last five years of television, many sit-coms in UK television continue to approach mainly social class issues, which have more to do with the working class than ever before. For example, in the last year there were two productions that clearly illustrate this point: Shameless and Little Britain, recent productions by Channel 4 and the BBC, used the stereotype of the English working class. In one way it is not a universal appeal, the cultural facts make these productions localised for the UK audience. Shameless was about a family living on benefits in a council flat in Manchester. The main theme was their struggle to survive every day life. The central characters are seven children who where abandoned by their mother and are now looked after largely by their older sister because the father is an irresponsible, but arguably charming, alcoholic living on benefits. Little Britain centred around two actors who created a series of sketches; different situations which portrayed many peculiar stereotypes in English society, from a shoplifting seventeen year old girl living in east London, to a disabled man in Birmingham on benefits who shamelessly uses his generous best friend to help him with the basic daily tasks, despite the fact that he is perfectly capable of doing these tasks himself. These cultural issues make British sit-coms funny to those who recognise the social types, but if it is to be shown to an American audience the essential part of the funny elements are lost, principally because it is not related to Americans in the same way it relates to the English. In American sit-coms the appeal is more universal; there are more general jokes and the use of class is less than in the UK. Sit-coms like Friends and Will and Grace have a more general approach and the dramatisation of social issues is almost nonexistent. The jokes are directly related to the actors. When Will from Will and Grace wants to make a joke he makes one, it is not his background and his social status which is the joke but what he says. In Friends, the audience can observe the same phenomenon. Joes jokes have more to do with himself, or other members of the cast, than about his new girlfriend or the fact that she is from a working class family. Situation comedy in Britain evolved from radio comedy which in turn had its roots in music hall and variety. American sit-com developed from radio soap opera, weekly drama series which were devised to attract audiences in order to sell products. The domestic setting predominated in both variations of the form. Many early American sit-coms were transferred from radio to television. 1 Radio comedy assumed a sit-com format to attract a broader audience and to encourage listeners to listen to the shows on a regular basis. Stopping to listen to a sit-com radio show at a certain time of the week became a habitual form of entertainment for many families. For the television industry, the formula was already developed by the radio and, like everything else which is successful, copying this form was inevitable. Most sit-coms fit into our reality principally because they try to use real people in realistic situations. The programmes only last half an hour and for a fixed number of episodes. In the basic sit-com, the location is the same and every episode is self-contained; it has an end (most of the time happy) in the thirty minute slot, which allows the narrative to flow at a different pace in different weeks. The stereotypical fashion of the characters and their social types provide the humour and the ideology of the sit-com. Sit-com cannot function without stereotypes. In a space as brief as a thirty-minute sit-com, immediacy is imperative, and for a character to be immediately funny that character must be a recognisable type; a representation or embodiment of a set of ideas or a manifestation of a clichi. 2 For the American sit-com, the stereotype has to have a more universal appeal, where in Britain these stereotypes are more easily recognized in our local society, and the male and female stereotype interacts with the surroundings, making it part of the actors character. However, audiences can notice a change in American sit-coms in the last five years. They are using a more straight-forward form in sit-coms like Will and Grace. In this show, there is a new use of gay stereotypes being very open but with a universal appeal. Will is a camp butch gay guy whereas his best friend is camp and feminine, perhaps the funniest of the two of them. In Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, there is the camp gay guy who interacts with an ugly and fat flatmate. But the jokes and situations in which they are involved do not have a universal appeal because their jokes exploit additional stereotypes in English society that make the programme incomprehensible for anyone other than the British. The use of such stereotypes promotes the illusion of community which can be recognized by an audience. Making fun of any strange behaviour which is not acceptable in society, one way or another, is part of the sit-com format. Situation comedy is seen as light entertainment. According to TV producers, its function is to attract funding and to catch the audience early in the evening, offering a laugh which temporarily gives them an escape from reality. In the early days of television they were seen more as a kind of family programme. Nowadays, this light form of entertainment appeals more to a middle class part of society where after a hard day of work individuals want to watch TV without stress. It is more a form of general entertainment than anything else. Such entertainments were deliberately escapist, in that they allowed audiences to briefly recapture the sense of community destroyed by industrialisation and urban expansion. 3 There are three possible locations in which a situation comedy takes place. The first is the home and it is generally based around a family situation. The second is the workplace and the situation that occurs as a result of interaction between characters in the work environment. The third area is less clearly defined but involves a group somehow connected in a situation outside that of the workplace. 4 Shameless uses the characters neighbourhood to plot the situations, where Friends uses a flat and a local cafi , in which the characters usually meet. The use of similar locations guarantees a more realistic experience for the viewer. For Shameless viewers, the association is automatically recognised by an English audience. However, for the American audience the association would not be clear. The English audience is used to the number of council areas around many of its cities where Americans are not. In Friends, the locations appeal to both nationalities; friends meeting in a coffee shop and living together can be recognized in either country in the same way. The connection with reality engages the public more and makes Friends a more universal and commercial program than Shameless, where the scenery can only be recognized by an English audience. Despite the fact that most English sit-coms use local stereotypes, some English sit-coms have been successfully translated to American television. The show Absolutely Fabulous was originally a successful show in the UK and became one of the rare examples of a show which was screened in America and achieved the same success as it did in Britain. The only problem was that before the series could go on view, the producers decided to change many of the jokes which, for the American audience, were considered to be too rude. Plans to show the series in the USA met with problems because it was regarded as too vulgar and too pro-drug, as were the scripts for an American remake submitted to ABC TV after Roseanne Barr acquired the rights. In the end, the first British series was screened in the USA in 1994 and met with success, winning two Emmys (televisions equivalent of the Oscar). It achieved a cult status in the USA, as it did in Australia. 5 What the American producer judged as too vulgar was only a representation of British society during the Thatcher era. Absolutely Fabulous is no more than a production which explores the 70s and 80s in the present context. In one way or another, it is a portrait of English feminism and a society where post-industrial Britain had strong capitalist roots. The past and the Thatcherite present are, at times, played off against each other to produce comedy and social comment while at other points they meld together in hilarious confusion. 6 The main characters spend most of their time shopping and drinking, where Edinas daughter is more linked to nature and late twentieth century values (the post-feminism era). She only drinks natural drinks and dresses with a feminist attitude. It is the clash of both present and past which makes the comedy. The exchange of values in the way that the mothers role, which is to look after her daughter, is inverted, and the confusion with the past by Edina and Patsy which transforms Absolutely Fabulous into an international sit-com. In conclusion, there is one answer for the question Why is the English sit-com not that universal? British TV productions have had some success exporting their productions. However, the answer rests with the cultural aspects of the programmes themselves. The English audience is more open to American productions due to the fact that they are more universal; the jokes, the plots, and the sceneries can be incorporated into any culture with no need of any adjustment. The British sit-coms usually explore a more local stereotype and surroundings which make the export of these productions almost impossible. The amount of cultural ideology, which makes them funny, cannot be translated in many cases. Productions like Friends and Will and Grace explore more the actors personalities and lives than their surroundings. The cultural aspects in many cases are nonexistent. When the shoplifter from Little Britain appears, the joke is often not what she says but her accent and the way she dresses. It is a clear association with somebody who lives in the east end of London the stereotype which makes it funny, the association of the audience with reality. For a Londoner, this association comes automatically because each viewer probably knows someone like that, or would have seen somebody or even heard such an accent before. This kind of aspect cannot be translated, and in the British sit-com these references play an integral part. American productions are more appealing to an international audience because they do not focus excessively on local cultural aspects. Bibliography: Coner, J.; Harvey. S. (1996) Television Times: A Reader. Arnold Geraghty, C.; Lusted, D. (1998) Television Studies Book. Arnold Goodwin, A.; Whannel, G. (1990) Understanding Television. Routledge Marris, P.; Thornham S. (1996) Media Studies A reader. Edinburgh University Press. Neale, S; Krutnik, F. (1990) Popular film and Television Comedy. Routledge Palmer, J. (1987) The Logic of the Absurd: On film and Television. BFI Books. Strinati, D.; Wagg, S. (1992) Come on Down? Popular Media Culture in Post -War Britain. Routledge 1 Goodwin, A.; Whannel, G. (1990) Understanding Television. Routledge P130 2 Corner, J.; Harvey, S. (1996) Television Times: A Reader. Arnold P111 3 Corner, J.; Harvey, S. (1996) Television Times: A Reader. Arnold P112 4 Goodwin, A.; Whannel, G. (1990) Understanding Television. Routledge P132 5 Geraghty, C.; Lusted, D. (1998) Television Studies Book. Arnold. P289 6 Geraghty, C.; Lusted, D. (1998) Television Studies Book. Arnold. P289

Privatisation On Life Insurance Corporation Of India Economics Essay

Privatisation On Life Insurance Corporation Of India Economics Essay With the advent of new players in the field of Life insurance sector, the degree of competition has increased multifold. The private insurance companies are launching new innovative insurance plans for their survival and growth. At the same time, Life Insurance Corporation of India has upgraded their quality of service to retain, maintain and attract new business. An attempt has been made to study the impact of privatization on LIC. The Development Officers were contacted to know their observations about the impact of privatization on their life insurance business and their views as how their life insurance business has been influenced by the opening of the sector. LIC has made a lot of changes in its operation and latest technology is being used to serve the customer. The customer grievances are properly attended and all maturity claims are settled to the entire satisfaction of the policyholders. The privatization of the sector has brought lot of opportunities for all the players. Under such situation, fittest of the fit will survive and the rest will vanish over a period of time. In the year 2000, when the insurance sector was privatized, many companies entered into the insurance sector and as a result competition has increased multifold. Initially, most of the private life insurance companies spent huge amount of money on advertisement. The purpose of the advertisement was to inform the public about their existence and the importance of life insurance policies in human life. With the rise in the degree of competition among the life insurance companies in India, the companies realized the need of developing new life insurance policy plans which can satisfy the multi needs of policyholders and as a result, the concept of riders were introduced. New channels of distributions have been introduced which have been economical and effective in serving the public. NEED FOR THE STUDY With the privatization of the insurance sector, efforts have been made by the government to regulate the business of insurance through Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority ( IRDA). IRDA has formulated various guidelines to bring transparency in the working and make the system customer friendly. As a result, most of the companies are practicing Customer Relationship strategies to keep their customers delighted. Keeping in view such changes in the insurance sector, a need is felt to find out as what is the change in the attitude of general public before and after the Privatization. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This study is an attempt to find out the impact of privatization on Life Insurance Corporation of India. The basic purpose of conducting this study includes: To find out the difference in the attitude of general public before and after the Privatization. To analyse the LIC business procurement in terms of First Premium Income (FPI) over the last 4 years. To study the attitude of Development Officers towards impact of privatization on their insurance business RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A descriptive study on the General Public and Development Officers have been undertaken to find out the answers to the objectives of the study. The study has been conducted in the selected cities of Haryana viz. Ambala Cantt, Ambala City, Kurukshetra Panipat, Karnal, Yamuna Nagar, Panchkula and Jagadhari. A structured questionnaire has been framed with multiple answers and their views have been noted and analysed to draw important conclusions. TYPE OF DATA COLLECTED Both primary and secondary data has been used to study the impact of privatization on Life Insurance Corporation of India. Primary data has been collected from General Public and Development Officers through structured questionnaire where as secondary data has been collected from the IRDA journal(s) pertaining to the FPI of life Insurance Corporation of India over the last 4 years. SAMPLING TECHNIQUES Stratified random sampling technique has been used in the study. Out of the eight cities selected for the study, 50 respondents from general public, representing different stratas of the society have been included. Similarly, 35 Development Officers from each city have been chosen on snow ball sampling basis. HYPOTHESIS H o Privatisation of the Insurance Sector has adversely affected the working of LIC. H a Privatisation of the Insurance Sector has favourably affected the working of LIC Ho After the privatisation, whether your business as Development Officer has been adversely affected? H a After the privatisation, whether your business as Development Officer has been favorably affected? DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OF LIC IN TERMS OF FIRST PREMIUM INCOME (FPI) Table 1.1: Comparative Analysis of Business Performance of LIC in terms of FPI Name of LIC ZONE with FPI IN 2006-2007 FPI IN 2007-2008 Growth Rate in %age 2007-2008 FPI IN 2008-2009 Growth Rate in%age 2008-2009 FPI IN 2009-2010 Growth rate in %age 2009-2010 North Zone 862124.66 808943.20 -6.17 637302.71 -21.22 767438.31 20.42 North Central 463995.25 481078.84 3.68 384078.36 -20.16 493495.89 28.49 Central Zone 251776.58 210294.93 -16.48 183249.12 -12.86 226104.41 23.39 East Central Zone 261215.49 296291.15 13.43 262577.04 -11.38 310326.43 18.18 Eastern Zone 342181.75 410185.77 19.87 391795.29 -4.48 526284.19 34.33 South Central 596867.00 581365.08 -2.60 448089.37 -22.92 532827.32 18.91 Southern Zone 586241.87 855150.87 45.87 453414.89 -46.98 553047.49 21.97 Western Zone 589755.23 737975.93 25.13 771614.08 4.56 886520.29 14.89 TOTAL FIGURE 3954157.83 4381285.77 10.80 3532120.86 -19.38 4296044.33 21.63 Table 1.1 clearly shows that there was increase and decrease in most of the zones of LIC except the Western zone which made a consistent increase in the business from 2006-2007 to 2009-2010. The performance of all the zones were better during the financial year 2009-2010 as all the Eight zones have shown a positive growth rate. The maximum business in terms of FPI from the Western Zone followed by North zone and Southern zone. Eastern zone made the maximum growth rate of 34.33 % during the financial year 2009-2010. QUESTION-1: A question was asked to the General public ( 50 IN EACH CITY) about their future intentions to buy any life insurance plan and which insurance company will they prefer Table1.2: Interest of the General Public to purchase insurance Respondents interested to insure LIC Other Companies City Ambala Cantt. Count 18 4 % within City 81.8% 18.2% Ambala City Count 13 3 % within City 81.3% 18.8% Kurukshetra Count 14 0 % within City 100.0% .0% Panipat Count 14 3 % within City 82.4% 17.6% Karnal Count 10 2 % within City 83.3% 16.7% Yamuna Nagar Count 9 3 % within City 75.0% 25.0% Panchkula Count 11 5 % within City 68.8% 31.3% Jagadhari Count 9 3 % within City 75.0% 25.0% Total Count 98 23 % within City 81.0% 19.0% Chi-Square Tests Value df Pearson Chi-Square 5.477a 7 Likelihood Ratio 7.866 7 Linear-by-Linear Association 2.124 1 N of Valid Cases 280 a. 8 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.63. 81% respondents like to get insured by having LIC policy, Chi square significance is .001, which suggests that data is significantly related. QUESTION-2: After the privatisation of the insurance sector, whether your business ( Development Officer) has been affected? Table 1.3: Effect of privatization on the business Business has increased or decreased Increase Stable City Ambala Cantt. Count 33 2 % within City 94.3% 5.7% Ambala City Count 31 4 % within City 88.6% 11.4% Kurukshetra Count 34 1 % within City 97.1% 2.9% Panipat Count 33 2 % within City 94.3% 5.7% Karnal Count 34 1 % within City 97.1% 2.9% Yamuna Nagar Count 33 2 % within City 94.3% 5.7% Panchkula Count 35 0 % within City 100.0% .0% Jagadhari Count 34 1 % within City 97.1% 2.9% Total Count 267 13 % within City 95.4% 4.6% Chi-Square Tests Value df Pearson Chi-Square 6.373a 7 Likelihood Ratio 7.084 7 Linear-by-Linear Association 2.392 1 N of Valid Cases 280 a. 8 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.63. From the above table it is clear that business of the LIC has increased (95.4%). Chi square significance is .003, which suggests that data is significantly related. QUESTION-3: Do you think that privatization of Insurance sector is a sign of growth for You as Development Officer and for LIC as a whole? Table1.4: Relationship between privatization and growth for LIC privatization of business sector is a sign of growth for LIC Yes No No Comments City Ambala Cantt. Count 33 2 0 % within City 94.3% 5.7% .0% Ambala City Count 32 1 2 % within City 91.4% 2.9% 5.7% Kurukshetra Count 29 2 4 % within City 82.9% 5.7% 11.4% Panipat Count 34 1 0 % within City 97.1% 2.9% .0% Karnal Count 34 0 1 % within City 97.1% .0% 2.9% Yamuna Nagar Count 33 2 0 % within City 94.3% 5.7% .0% Panchkula Count 35 0 0 % within City 100.0% .0% .0% Jagadhari Count 32 2 1 % within City 91.4% 5.7% 2.9% Total Count 262 10 8 % within City 93.6% 3.6% 2.9% Chi-Square Tests Value df Pearson Chi-Square 19.118a 14 Likelihood Ratio 21.221 14 Linear-by-Linear Association 1.386 1 N of Valid Cases 280 a. 16 cells (66.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1.00. According to 93.6% respondents, privatization is a growth sign for LIC. Chi square significance is .002, which suggests that data is significantly related. From the above analysis it is seen that there is hardly any impact of privatization on the business of LIC. Hence hypothesis H0 is Rejected, which shows that the business of LIC has been affected by privatization but it has positive impact on the business of LIC, hence we accept the alternate Hypothesis.. FINDINGS On the basis of the study undertaken on General Public and Development Officers, some important observations are appended below Corporate Active Data Warehouse (CADW): LICs CADW is one of the largest life insurance customer database in the world. The project has enabled LIC to launch Customer focused campaign like Customer Contact Program and Global Club Customer Campaigns launched in the various A Class cities during the year 2009-2010. The major achievement has been to send a single notice for the premium falling due in the same month for the various policies of an individual policyholder. All these initiatives launched have made the brand of LIC more visible in the eyes of the policyholders and public in general. New channels for premium payment: More channels have been added to facilitate the renewal premium payment by the policyholders. Major addition is in the form of creating PREMIUM POINTS where policyholders can deposit the premium 24*7 and can get a final receipt from the office of the empowered LIC agents who are spread across the country. More than 5000 such empowered agents are authorized to provide this service to policyholders. Apart from this, 350 satellite offices have been opened in various cities to give the feel of physical presence of LIC. Enterprise Document Management System: LIC has implemented EDMS in its offices to digitize the customers an Office records. EDMS has been done to get the advantage in terms of Enabling the concept of anywhere-anytime service through electronic files. To make documents and files available to multiple users simultaneously. To eliminate the need to transfer paper records from one branch to another branch. Electronic Bill Presentation and Payment (EBPP): Premium can be paid through various banks like City Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Federal Bank, Corporation Bank, Axis Bank and other service providers-Bill Desk and Tech Process which cover almost all other banks throughout the country. Premium can be paid through credit card also. Premium can also be made through ATM card and EBPP. Premium can be deposited for the in force policies only and which are not with monthly or salary saving schemes. Customer Grievance Redressal Management: LIC has grievance redressal officers at Branch/Divisional/Zonal/Central office to redress the grievances of policyholders and for bringing transparency in the operations. IT enabled support system have been operationalised to reduce manual intervention and to minimize the grievances. For quick redressal of grievances, LIC has introduced a customer friendly Complaint Management System through customer portal where the policyholder can directly register any complaint/ grievance/quarry and track its status anytime without going anywhere. CONCLUSION The performance of LIC during the year 2006 to 2010 indicates that there has been tremendous amount of potential in the insurance business. It is hoped that the spark ignited by the leading insurance company shall be carried forward by all the players and they will generate phenomenal business and fulfills the social obligation to the society. With the privatization of the insurance sector, the degree of competition has increased and as a result, the service standard of insurance companies has improved beyond imagination. In the present set up of life insurance organisations, Development Officer is the most important functionary of the organisation. The major life insurance business is procured through agents who are supervised by their respective DOs. An agent is the representative of the company who has the maximum interaction with the General public and persuades the prospects to purchase insurance policy. The agents should be well trained so that the general public can be made aw are about the importance of the concept of life insurance. In the recent past, most of the agents of the life insurance companies are offered lucrative incentives so that the sales force can be always be set in high spirit. In India, insurance market is open, only fittest of the fit will survive.LIC is an old trusted brand, it has to launch new policy plans which can satisfy the multi needs of the public. At the same time, LIC has to train and develop its employees so that they can serve the customer with full commitment and dedication. In short, privatization has favorably affected the LIC organization which has resulted into the improvement in the overall operations of LIC.

The Story :: essays research papers

A story can be many things. By the definition, a story is an adventure, a mix of litterary terms, a conflict, an antagonist, a protagonist or hero, all within a coherent timeline, to entertain or teach the person the story is told to. For a person of deeper interest though, a story isn't just something thought up of, it is a source of ideas all so wonderfully expressed, a downpour of action and suspense to crisp the eye, a flow of emotions to enchant the heart, or a deluge of unknown to challenge the mind. It could possibly be all of these. Most people cannot appreciate the true essence of a story. They merely watch it from afar, admire in dull silence without even attempting to travel into the world of the story and feel the emotions, enjoy the happiness, share the sorrow, and partake in the action. The few that do appreciate it well. One such person was Ned Devine. He truly adored all stories. Whether they were children's or adult's from all around the world, he truly worshiped nothing else. He knew many of them by heart and could recite them word for word after having read the books and seen the movies at least twenty times each. Now however, he was tired of reading and watching the stories of others. Wearied he was of the few yet constant imperfections in the ideas of the material he so well enjoyed over the many decades of his life. Worn was he of the stories that were too short, or that had unsatisfying conclusions he made a decision never before considered during his long lifetime; he was going to write the perfect story because he had discovered in the flash of an instant a deep secret. This time, no imperfections would be to speak of. The wording would be as close to the degree of perfection as possible. The grammar would be mastered as if he was the one who wrote the rules that defined it. Ned Devine was elated with his new idea. He believed that his creation would be the ultimate literary creation. It was to be impossible to be tired, wearied, or worn of such a magnificent fiction because it would endlessly tingle and tickle the emotion of the reader. He knew what to do to bring his masterpiece to reality; he was in need of aid from the most qualified people of the language.

uniforms in school :: essays research papers

Most teenagers, when asked about wearing uniforms say they hate the idea. I am a teenager myself and before researching this topic I thought I would never wear them. I have found in my research numerous reasons uniforms should be implimented. First, they protect us. You may be asking how an article of clothing can protect you. It is much more difficult to conceal a weapon in a uniform that it is to conceal it in a traditional baggy pair of jeans. Second, uniforms eliminate competition. Students need to learn that school is not a fashion show. I know it's fun to go shopping for the latest trends and fads but school is a learning environment thus we should be there to learn, not check out who is wearing what. Next, uniforms are much less expensive than traditional clothing worn by teens. Some schools provide programs where kids can recieve the uniforms at little or no cost. In addition, it prepares students for the workplace by requiring them to dress in attire suitable for work. You may have heard you are what you wear. If you are dressed conservatively you are much more likely to act conservatively. If all students wore uniforms, intruders to the school could be easily recognized. This could prevent unauthorized visits as well as incidents that could be more severe. The biggest argument from opponents of uniforms is that they eliminate individuality. That is a bunch of crap. How is it that a person can be an individual when all kids dress alike? Okay so there are a few who get a little crazy with the multicolored hair or ripped jeans, to those people, I give props. I know they take a lot of shit from other kids. But, there are other ways to express yourself.

Free Will Determinism Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every day in our lives and everything we do involves some degree of decision making or choice selection either mental or physical. We start making choices and decisions from the moment we wake up everyday to the second we sleep. Some decisions we make are blatantly obvious to ourselves because of our need to reflect on the choices before choosing. However, most decisions we make throughout the day are made without much thought. We are even, quite often, unaware that we are making decisions due to habituation and preference. Before going further, we must define the terms free will, determinism and fate or destiny. Free will is the ability to choose. Furthermore, it is the power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate. Fate, or destiny, can be defined as the inevitable events predestined by this force. However, there is a better position to take when it comes to arguing against free will; and that position, or belief, is call ed determinism. Determinism states that the conditions at one moment are the necessary result from the â€Å"previous† conditions. Simply put, every effect has a cause, every action is predetermined. Unlike fate or destiny, it does not mean the future is already established. It is one thing to say that our choice is caused. It is another thing to say that we do not choose, and fate says, we cannot choose. This is definitely an endless argument given that it is a matter of personal opinion with no facts involved. However, free will definitely seems like the most plausible standpoint. We do have free will. First of all, we can all experience something within ourselves that we can conclude to be a decision making process. These decisions we make are obviously made from our own will and not determined by anything other than ourselves. Baron Holbach, an 18th century French philosopher, believes that free will is an illusion. According to Holbach, we have no choice in anything because everything is predetermined. Holbach also states that our decision making boils down to preference. For example, if Bob walked into an ice cream store filled with numerous flavors, it would seem that Bob is free to choose any flavor he wants. Holbach would have to argue that Bob has already made a decision in his mind before walking in due to vanilla being his favorite flavor, h... ... that neurons firing chemicals and so forth could have deterministically resulted in his choice of vanilla. There are arguments which claim that free will is an illusion. It is an illusion that we accept because of our inability to observe all of the processes going on involved with making a choice. Basically, this point of view states that we are unaware and have a lack of understanding for numerous processes present within human thought. Despite the differences between free will and determinism or fatalism, there is some middle ground. Libertarian is the belief that free will is affected by human nature but retains ability to choose contrary to our nature and desires. This is a balance between the ideas from free will and determinism. This is a good stance because of its incorporation of both views. This whole argument about free will is purely subjective. However, it seems that there are stronger arguments for the idea of free will as opposed to determinism and fatalism. As was stated earlier, it would seem rather pessimistic to view the world as a determinist. Just by being a determinist, one is choosing not to believe in free will which is an example of free will in itself.

The Irony in Ghana’s Agricultural Productivity

The US’s prospect of establishing a military base in Ghana proves its firm control of this thriving African country. This firm control of US is also strongly apparent in Ghana’s economic policy.   Endowed with an abundant supply of natural resources, Ghana has long been under US economic and social influence through international organizations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization.It is important to note here that IMF-WB and WTO work, in the final analysis, for the benefit of those who control them which are no other than the US and other First World countries. The policies advanced by IMF-WB and WTO that Ghana faithfully adopts put the country in an inequitable relationship with the US and other powerful nations.One clear policy is the Structural Adjustments Programs (SAPs) which contain various conditionalities like the privatization of local industries, the reductions in tariffs and trade barriers, the curtailing of   a grarian reform, and the liberalization of local economies.A manifestation that the SAPs are at work in Ghana can be seen through the country’s export-oriented and import-dependent economy. What does this mean? Ghana’s economy is export-oriented because its natural resources, particularly its rich agricultural resources, are taken outside the country and   appropriated by the more powerful nations who control it.That is why even though Ghana is rich in agricultural resources, majority of its people experience hunger because: 1) they are not the ones who benefit from what their land offers 2) the country is not yet industrialized to support a viable agricultural production process.The US, being a highly industrialized country, makes use of the natural resources it has taken from Ghana and processes these resources. The US requires less labor force in processing the natural resources it has taken from third world countries precisely because it has high-tech machines to do the work faster and more efficient.After the processing of the natural resources, Third World countries dependent on US (thanks to IMF-WB and WTO) import them. The tragic irony here is that Third World countries buy and import   goods that are essentially theirs.Notes:1. â€Å"Structural adjustment† 25   July 2007. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 12 August 2007.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 6

The next morning was clear and hot again, another beautiful summer day. Elena stretched lazily in her comfy bed, then pul ed on a T-shirt and shorts and padded down to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal. Aunt Judith was braiding Margaret's hair at the table. â€Å"Morning,† Elena said, pouring milk into her bowl. â€Å"Hi, sleepyhead,† said Aunt Judith, and Margaret gave her a big smile and a finger-wiggling wave. â€Å"Keep stil , Margaret. We're about to leave for the market,† she told Elena. â€Å"What are you doing today?† Elena swal owed her mouthful of cereal. â€Å"We're going to pick up Alaric and his friend at the train station and just hang out and catch up,† she said. â€Å"Who?† Aunt Judith asked, her eyes narrowing. Elena's mind spun. â€Å"Oh, uh, you remember, he subbed for Mr. Tanner teaching history last year,† she said, wondering if that was in fact true in this world. Aunt Judith frowned. â€Å"Isn't he a little old to be socializing with high school girls?† Elena rol ed her eyes. â€Å"We're not in high school anymore, Aunt Judith. And he's only about six years older than us. And it's not just girls. Matt and Stefan are coming, too.† If this was Aunt Judith's reaction to the news of their spending time with Alaric, Elena could tel why Meredith was hesitant to tel people about their relationship. It made sense to wait a couple of years, until people thought of her as a grown-up. Since no one here knew al that Meredith had seen and done, she seemed like any other eighteenyear-old to them. It's a good thing Aunt Judith doesn't know Stefan's five hundred years older than I am, Elena thought with a secret smirk. She thinks Alaric's too old. The doorbel rang. â€Å"That's Matt and everybody,† Elena said, rising to put her bowl in the sink. â€Å"See you guys tonight.† Margaret widened her eyes at Elena in silent appeal, and Elena detoured on her way to the door to squeeze the little girl's shoulder. Was Margaret stil worried Elena wouldn't come back? Out in the foyer, she ran her fingers through her hair before opening the door. Standing in front of her was not Stefan, though, but a perfect stranger. A real y good-looking stranger, Elena noted automatical y, a boy about her age with curly golden hair, sculpted features, and bright blue eyes. He was holding a deep red rose in one hand. Elena stood a little straighter, unconsciously pul ing her shoulders back and pushing her hair behind her ears. She adored Stefan, but that didn't mean she couldn't look at other boys, or talk to them. She wasn't dead, after al . Not anymore, she thought, smiling at her private joke. The boy smiled back. â€Å"Hey, Elena,† he said cheerful y. â€Å"Caleb Smal wood!† Aunt Judith said, coming into the hal . â€Å"There you are!† Elena felt herself recoil, but she kept the smile on her face. â€Å"Any relation to Tyler?† she said, outwardly calm, and ran her eyes over him, trying to be subtle, checking for†¦ for what? For signs of his being a werewolf? She realized she didn't even know what those would be. Tyler's good looks had always had a flavor of an animal about them, with his large white teeth and broad features, but had that been a coincidence? â€Å"Tyler's my cousin,† Caleb answered, his smile beginning to turn to a quizzical frown. â€Å"I thought you knew that, Elena. I'm staying with his folks while Tyler's†¦ gone.† Elena's mind raced. Tyler Smal wood had run away after Elena, Stefan, and Damon had defeated his al y, the evil vampire Klaus. Tyler had left his girlfriend – and sometimes hostage – Caroline pregnant. Elena hadn't discussed Tyler and Caroline's fate with the Guardians, so she had no idea what had happened with them in this reality. Was Tyler even a werewolf now? Was Caroline pregnant? And if she was, was it with werewolf or human babies? She shook her head slightly. Brave new world, indeed. â€Å"Wel , don't leave Caleb out on the porch. Let him in,† Aunt Judith instructed from behind her. Elena stood aside, and Caleb moved past her into the hal . Elena tried to reach out with her mind and sense Caleb's aura, to read him to see if he was dangerous, but once again came up against that brick wal . It would take some time to get used to being a normal girl again, and suddenly Elena felt horribly vulnerable. Caleb shifted from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable, and she quickly composed herself. â€Å"How long have you been in town?† she asked, and then kicked herself for treating this boy she obviously was supposed to know like a stranger again. â€Å"Wel ,† he said slowly, â€Å"I've been in town al summer. Did you hit your head over the weekend, Elena?† He grinned teasingly at her. Elena lifted a shoulder, thinking of al she had suffered over the weekend. â€Å"Something like that.† He held out the rose. â€Å"This must be for you.† â€Å"Thank you,† said Elena, confused. A thorn pricked her finger as she took it by the stem, and she stuck the finger in her mouth to stanch the blood. â€Å"Don't thank me,† he said. â€Å"It was just sitting on the front steps when I got here. You must have a secret admirer.† Elena frowned. Plenty of boys had admired her through school, and if this had been nine months ago, she could have made a good guess at who would leave her a rose. But now she didn't have a clue. Matt's battered old Ford sedan pul ed up outside and honked. â€Å"I've got to run, Aunt Judith,† she said. â€Å"They're here. Nice seeing you, Caleb.† Elena's stomach twisted as she walked toward Matt's car. It wasn't just the strangeness of meeting Caleb that was affecting her, she realized, turning the rose's stem absently between her fingers. It was the car itself. Matt's old Ford was the car she had driven off Wickery Bridge back in the winter, panicked and pursued by evil forces. She'd died in this car. The windows had shattered as she hit the creek, and the car had fil ed with icy water. The scratched steering wheel and the dented hood of the car, covered with water, had been the last things she'd seen in that life. But here the car was – as whole again as she was. Pushing the memory of her death from her mind, she waved at Bonnie, whose eager face was visible through the passenger window. She could forget about al those old tragedies, because now they had never happened. Meredith perched elegantly on the swing on her front porch, pushing herself gently back and forth with one foot. Her strong, tapered fingers were stil ; her dark hair fel smoothly across her shoulders; her expression was as serene as ever. There was nothing about Meredith that might show how tensely and busily her thoughts were churning, worries and contingency plans whirring away behind her cool facade. She had spent yesterday trying to figure out what the Guardians' spel had changed for her and her family – particularly her brother, Christian, who Klaus had kidnapped over a decade ago. She stil didn't understand it al , but it was dawning on her that Elena's bargain had more far-reaching consequences than any of them had imagined. But today her thoughts were occupied with Alaric Saltzman. Her fingers tapped anxiously against the arm of the swing. Then she schooled herself into stil ness again. Self-discipline was where Meredith found her strength, and if Alaric, her boyfriend – or at least, he had been her boyfriend†¦ actual y her perhaps engaged-to-be-engaged, sort of almost fiance, before he left town – turned out to have changed toward her in the months they'd been apart, wel , no one, not even Alaric, would see how that would hurt her. Alaric had spent the past several months in Japan, investigating paranormal activity, a dream come true for a doctoral student in parapsychology. His study of the tragic history of Unmei no Shima, the Island of Doom, a smal community where children and parents had turned against one another, had helped Meredith and her friends to understand what the kitsune were doing to Fel ‘s Church, and how to fight it. Alaric had been working at Unmei no Shima with Dr. Celia Connor, a forensic pathologist who, despite her ful academic credentials, was the same age as Alaric, only twenty-four. So, clearly, Dr. Connor was bril iant. From his letters and emails, Alaric had been having the time of his life in Japan. And he'd certainly found a lot of interests in common with Dr. Connor. Perhaps more so than with Meredith, who had only just graduated from a smal -town high school, no matter how mature and intel igent she might be. Meredith gave herself a mental shake and sat up straighter. She was being ridiculous, worrying about Alaric's relationship with his col eague. She was pretty sure she was being ridiculous, anyway. Fairly sure. She gripped the arms of the swing more tightly. She was a vampire hunter. She had a duty to protect her town, and she had, with her friends, protected it wel already. She wasn't just an ordinary teenager, and if she needed to prove that to Alaric again, she was confident she could, Dr. Celia Connor or no Dr. Celia Connor. Matt's rattletrap of an old Ford sedan chugged up to the curb, Bonnie in front with Matt, Stefan and Elena sitting close together in the back. Meredith rose and crossed the lawn toward it. â€Å"Is everything okay?† said Bonnie, round eyed, when she opened the door. â€Å"Your face looks like you're heading off to battle.† Meredith smoothed her features into impassivity and scrambled for an explanation that wasn't, I'm worried about whether my boyfriend still likes me. Quickly and easily, she realized there was another reason she was tense, a true one. â€Å"Bonnie, I have a duty to help look out for everyone now,† Meredith said simply. â€Å"Damon's dead. Stefan doesn't want to hurt humans, and that handicaps him. Elena's Powers are gone. Even though the kitsune were defeated, we stil need protection. We'l always need to be careful.† Stefan tightened his arm around Elena's shoulders. â€Å"The things that make Fel ‘s Church so appealing to the supernatural, the ley lines that have attracted al kinds of beings here for generations, are al stil here. I can sense them. And other people, other creatures, wil sense them, too.† Bonnie's voice rose in alarm. â€Å"So it's al going to happen again?† Stefan rubbed the bridge of his nose. â€Å"I don't think so. But something else might. Meredith's right, we have to be vigilant.† He dropped a kiss onto Elena's shoulder and rested his cheek against her hair. There was no question, Meredith thought wryly, why this particular supernatural being was drawn to Fel ‘s Church, anyway, and it wasn't because of the ley lines running through the area. Elena toyed with a single dark red rose, something Stefan must have brought her. â€Å"Is that the only reason you're worried, Meredith?† she asked lightly. â€Å"Your duty to Fel ‘s Church?† Meredith felt herself flush a little, but her voice was dry and calm. â€Å"I think that's reason enough, don't you?† Elena grinned. â€Å"Oh, it's reason enough, I suppose. But could there be another one?† She winked at Bonnie, whose anxious expression lightened in response. â€Å"Who do we know who wil be fascinated by al the tales you have to tel ? Especially when he finds out that the story's not over yet?† Bonnie turned al the way around in her seat, her smile growing. â€Å"Oh. Oh. I see. He won't be able to think of anything else, wil he? Or anyone else.† Now Stefan's shoulders relaxed, and up in the driver's seat Matt let out a chuckle and shook his head. â€Å"You three,† he said affectionately. â€Å"Us guys never stood a chance.† Meredith looked straight ahead and lifted her chin slightly, ignoring them al . Elena and Bonnie knew her too wel , and the three of them had spent enough time scheming together that she should have known they'd see through her plan in a minute. But she didn't have to admit to it. The solemn mood in the car had lifted, though. Meredith realized they were al doing it on purpose, reaching out gently and careful y with jokes and lighthearted teasing, trying to ease the pain Elena and Stefan must both be feeling. Damon was dead. And while Meredith had developed a cautious, wary respect for the unpredictable vampire during their time in the Dark Dimension, and Bonnie had felt, Meredith thought, something warmer, Elena had loved him. Real y loved him. And even though Damon and Stefan's relationship had been rocky, to say the least, for centuries, he had been Stefan's brother. Stefan and Elena were hurting, and everyone knew it. After a minute, Matt's eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror to glance at Stefan. â€Å"Hey,† he said, â€Å"I forgot to tel you. In this reality you didn't disappear on Hal oween – you stayed the starting wide receiver and we took the footbal team al the way to the state championships.† He grinned, and Stefan's face opened in simple pleasure. Meredith had almost forgotten that Stefan had played with Matt on their high school footbal team before their history teacher, Mr. Tanner, died at the Hal oween haunted house and everything went to hel . She had forgotten he and Matt had been real friends, playing sports and hanging out, despite the fact that they'd both loved Elena. And maybe still do both love Elena? she wondered, and glanced quickly at the back of Matt's head from under her eyelashes. She wasn't sure how Matt felt, but he had always struck her as the kind of guy who, when he fel in love, stayed in love. But he was also the kind of guy who would always b e too honorable to try to break up a relationship, no matter what he felt. â€Å"And,† Matt went on, â€Å"as the quarterback of the state champions, I guess I'm a pretty good prospect for col eges.† He paused and broke out in a wide, proud smile. â€Å"Apparently, I have a ful athletic scholarship to Kent State.† Bonnie squealed, Elena clapped, and Meredith and Stefan burst out with congratulations. â€Å"Me, me now!† Bonnie said. â€Å"I guess I studied harder in this reality. Which was probably easier, since one of my best friends didn't die first semester and was available to help tutor me.† â€Å"Hey!† Elena said. â€Å"Meredith was always a better tutor than me. You can't blame it on me.† â€Å"Anyway,† Bonnie continued, â€Å"I got into a four-year col ege! I didn't even bother to apply to any in our other life because my GPA was not high. I was going to take nursing classes at the community col ege like Mary did, even though I'm not sure I'm real y cut out to be a nurse because, yuck, blood and other fluids. But, anyway, my mom was saying this morning that we should go shopping for my room at Dalcrest before Labor Day.† She shrugged a little. â€Å"I mean, I know it's not Harvard, but I'm pretty excited.† Meredith joined in the congratulations quietly. She had, in fact, gotten into Harvard. â€Å"Ooh. And! And!† Bonnie was bouncing in her seat with excitement. â€Å"I ran into Vickie Bennett this morning. She's definitely not dead! I think she was surprised when I hugged her. I forgot we weren't real y friends.† â€Å"How is she?† asked Elena interestedly. â€Å"Did she remember anything?† Bonnie tilted her head. â€Å"She seems fine. I couldn't exactly ask her what she remembered, but she didn't say anything about being dead or vampires or anything. I mean, she was always a little bit blah, you know? She did tel me she saw you downtown last weekend and you told her what color lip gloss she ought to buy.† Elena raised her eyebrows. â€Å"Real y?† She paused and went on uncertainly, â€Å"Is anybody else feeling weird about al of this? I mean, it's wonderful – don't get me wrong. But it's weird, too.† â€Å"It's confusing,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I'm grateful, obviously, that al the horrible things are gone and everybody's okay. I'm thril ed to have my life back. But my father blew up at me this morning when I asked where Mary was.† Mary was one of Bonnie's older sisters, the last one living at home besides Bonnie. â€Å"He thought I was trying to be funny. Apparently she moved in with her boyfriend three months ago, and you can imagine how my dad feels about that.† Meredith nodded. Bonnie's dad was the protective paternal type, and pretty old-fashioned in his attitudes toward his daughters' boyfriends. If Mary was living with her boyfriend, he must be apoplectic. â€Å"Aunt Judith and I have been fighting – at least, I think so. But I can't find out exactly why,† Elena confessed. â€Å"I can't ask, because obviously I should already know.† â€Å"Shouldn't everything be perfect now?† Bonnie said wistful y. â€Å"It seems like we've been through enough.† â€Å"I don't mind being confused, as long as we can go back to real life,† Matt said earnestly. There was a little pause, which Meredith broke, reaching for something to take them out of their somber thoughts. â€Å"Pretty rose, Elena,† she said. â€Å"Is that a gift from Stefan?† â€Å"No, actual y,† Elena said. â€Å"It was sitting on my front stoop this morning.† She twirled it between her fingers. â€Å"It's not from any of the gardens on our street, though. No one has such beautiful roses.† She smiled teasingly at Stefan, who tensed up once more. â€Å"It's a mystery.† â€Å"Must be from a secret admirer,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Can I see?† Elena handed it up to the front seat, and Bonnie turned the stem around careful y in her hand, looking at the blossom from al angles. â€Å"It's gorgeous,† she said. â€Å"A single, perfect rose. How romantic!† She pretended to swoon, lifting the rose to her forehead. Then she flinched. â€Å"Ouch! Ouch!† Blood ran down her hand. Much more blood than ought to come from the prick of a thorn, Meredith noted, already reaching into her pocket for a tissue. Matt pul ed off the road. â€Å"Bonnie – † he began. Stefan breathed in sharply and leaned forward, his eyes widening. Meredith forgot about the tissue, fearing the sudden sight of blood had caused Stefan's vampiric nature to take over. Then Matt gasped and Elena said sharply, â€Å"A camera, quick! Someone give me your phone!† with such a tone of command that Meredith automatical y handed Elena her phone. As Elena pointed the camera phone at Bonnie, Meredith final y saw what had startled the others. The dark red blood was running down Bonnie's arm, and as it ran, it had streamed into twists and curves from her wrist to her elbow. The trickles of blood spel ed out a name over and over. The same name that had been haunting Meredith for months.